Courtside charmer

By Giovanni Paolo J. Yazon

BEAUTY and brains are “two Bs” that’ll always be attached to the name of Catherine Untalan.

Beauty: This 21-year-old came close to winning a world beauty title. Cathy, her nickname, finished second runner-up in the Miss Earth pageant in November last year, which makes her the highest-placing Filipino candidate in this prestigious global search, to date.

Brains: She graduated cum laude with a degree in psychology at the University of the Philippines in Diliman; she’s now pursuing further studies in environment and natural resource management at UP’s Open University.

Add another B for basketball!

No, this six footer’s not an inclusion in this year’s lineup of the UP Lady Maroons, but she’s a delightful addition to the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ new breed of courtside reporters along with Tracy Abad (University of the East), Rizza Diaz (National University), Vanna Lim (Ateneo de Manila University), Andi Manzano (Far Eastern University), Diane Querer (University of Santo Tomas), Sharon Yu (De La Salle University) and Aaron Atayde (Adamson University).

Cathy gives details on just about everything that happens on court—that sports commentators don’t get to see—like when one of the Fighting Maroons slashes his way to the basket or posts defenses!

The beginning

“It’s my fondness of basketball that motivated me to give courtside reporting a try. [I said to myself that maybe] it’d be interesting to see a courtside reporter that’s as tall as the basketball players,” she begins. “I auditioned during my last year in college [May of 2005, when ABS-CBN Sports advertised that they’d be having a screening].”

Cathy got a call from ABS-CBN after a year. “When they called me, they were unaware that I was already a beauty queen (she smiles).” As the cliché goes, the rest is history. She became a courtside reporter for the San Beda Red Lions team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association last year.

When asked if her NCAA stint helped her express ideas impeccably during her interviews at the Miss Earth pageant, Cathy says she thinks so. Months after she relinquished her crown as Miss Philippines-Earth of 2006, she again received a call from ABS-CBN Sports, inviting her to be a courtside reporter in this year’s season of UAAP, but this time for the UP Fighting Maroons. “I just hope that I’d be given another chance next year… it’s our [UP’s] 100th year!” she enthuses.

Her role models include sports anchors Dyan Castillejo and Luigi Trillo.

Must-haves

“You must be a college student, you have to look good in front of the camera, you have a working knowledge of the game [especially the terms commonly used], and you must be able to handle the pressure on court… because you will write your own spiels. We [courtside reporters] are also required to attend the practices of our respective teams. But overall, it’s fun!”

And speaking of fun, Cathy reveals some of her bloopers: “I read wrong names [of players] or swap the names of sports anchors. [While reporting for the Red Lions], I walked towards the camera while talking. The crew then asked me, Cathy, bakit ka naglalakad? I also used to say ‘thank you’ [after every report]. So they would tell me na kung mag-report daw ako pang-beauty pageant (she giggles).

“[But] what I like most about this job is that I get to show another side of my personality—the active [sporty] and cowboy side, especially when I tag along with the players. Frustration na rin, because I never had the chance to pursue any sport.” Cathy’s recruited to become part of the UP women’s basketball team. “…But I just tell them courtside reporter na lang ako (she smiles).”

The challenging part

“[There are times that] I tend to lose myself… nadadala ako ng game, but I still have to report. Coming from a champion team in NCAA last year, it’s [like it’s] hard to accept that my [present] team lost,” she sighs.

Should a courtside reporter come from the school that he or she is giving an account of? “There are two advantages: First is the school spirit, mas feel mo kasi and you’ll fight for your school through thick and thin. Second is the accessibility, since you know some people in your school, mas madali ang access to attend meetings or practices ng team. [On the contrary] you still have to deliver your reports well [than just having these advantages].”

And if you want to be a courtside reporter, Cathy says: “Do it not because of a vested interest [that you have a crush on a certain player, which is actually a running joke]. Do it for your school and do it for yourself. Practice a lot.”

Before we parted ways, Cathy gave this writer a sample of her favorite spiel: “I may be too optimistic in saying this, but I believe that even though it’s already the last quarter, the UP Fighting Maroons are still ‘gonna try and give all their best ‘til the very end of this game!”

Source: Manila Standard Today

Ms. Earth '07 brings Bohol across world

As the province will host five of the 90 candidates of Miss Earth 2007, the affair would give a chance for Bohol eco-tourism be featured over at least 35 television networks in different countries.

The Miss Earth 2007 pageant will cover activities from October 25 to November 2.

The Carousel Productions, Inc. proposed to the provincial government that by hosting the candidates, Bohol's environmental advocacy will get international mileage and will be featured as one of the tourist destinations in the Philippines.

Bohol will accommodate four Miss Earth delegates and Miss Philippines-Earth for two days.

The telecast over ABS-CBN at 9:30 in the evening of November 11 will be replayed in 35 countries on Star World Channel, the largest cable television network in Asia and the Middle East and over 26 countries through The Filipino Channel and some participating countries in their local television stations.

The Miss Earth delegates will visit different Asian countries to see the highlights on peace, culture, environmental issues and tourism industry.

They will also visit the different tourist spots in the Philippines and, at the same time, experience the taste of the Filipino culture and hospitality.

There will also be a search for "Li'l Earth Angels" among boys aging seven to ten years old at the different malls and schools in different municipalities, environmental campaigns against global warming in schools, tree-planting, clean-up drive, and waste segregation, among others.

Special events include fashion shows showcasing swimsuit, long gown, talent and national costume competitions in different establishments. (AV-PGMA)

Source: The Bohol Chronicle

Kids learn all about environment at PDI

MANILA, Philippines -- Two jeepney drivers who learn about the benefits of alternative fuels. Three boys who thoughtlessly destroy a fairy’s garden and then discover the importance of the environment.

These were the characters in the stories featured at yesterday’s Inquirer Read-Along session which focused on the environment.

Featured readers were the reigning Little Earth Angel of 2007, Denise Mikaela Abuan, and returning storytellers from the Sophia School in Meycauayan.

Abuan, a student at Roosevelt College in Montalban who turned 11 in May, read “Hari ng Kalsada,” a brainchild of the Sustainable Energy Development Program (SEDP) of the US Agency for International Development and US Department of Energy.

Abuan said she believed even children her age could help the country in small ways.

“We can plant trees [and] separate biodegradable waste from non-biodegradables,” she said with a shy smile.

The Little Earth Angel pageant is part of the Miss Earth Foundation activities and involves children aged 7 to 10.

Storytellers from Sophia School, returning for the third time to the Inquirer Read-Along, read Rene Villanueva’s “Si Emmang Engkantada at ang Tatlong Haragan” (Emma the Enchantress and the Three Bums).

Teachers Ann Abacan, Doray Carable, Ellie Carable, Lorna Mendoza and Osang de la Vega used the chamber theater format to bring the story of three wayward-boys-turned-environment-lovers to life.

Chamber theater is a method of adapting literary works to the stage with minimal sets. In the Sophia School’s production, each teacher read the part of a character.

After the reading, Teacher Ann asked the children: “Do we need a fairy to teach us how to take care of our environment?” to which the children replied a resounding, “No.”

“We choose stories where children will learn a lesson. In this case, the lesson is helping the environment, which people seem to have forgotten,” said Teacher Osang.

“Hari ng Kalsada,” written by Dhee Paredes, an information, education and communication specialist at the SEDP, was originally in English and was first read by US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney during the National Earth Day celebration on April 20. It was translated into Filipino by Paredes herself to better capture the hearts of Filipino children.

Thinking that a more visual medium would be more effective, Paredes decided to turn the story into a comic book, with her brother-in-law, Radel Paredes, a columnist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s sister publication, the Cebu Daily News, doing the illustrations. A cinema ad version of the story will be launched by Artistshop Co. Inc. in October. TV commercials and coloring books based on the story are in the pipeline.

Paredes said their organization decided to tap younger audiences through Inquirer Read-Along and other media in order to better disseminate information about biofuels and environment protection to the younger generation.

“It is important that children understand what biofuels are for,” said Paredes.

Coco-biodiesel, or coconut methyl ester (CME), and ethanol are considered to be ecologically benign fuels.

The Biofuels Act of 2006, passed in January 12 this year, provides that at least 1 percent of biodiesel be mixed with the diesel fuel sold in the country.

Other contributors to the program were Krispy Kreme donuts and Hands On Manila.

The Inquirer Read-Along program, which aims to impart the love of reading to children aged 7 to 13, is held on the second and fourth Saturday of the month at the Inquirer main office on Chino Roces Avenue in Makati City.

The next session will be on Sept. 22 and will feature Ms Philippines-Earth 2007 Jean Harn and Ms Earth-Water 2006 Catherine Untalan, also of SEDP.

Interested parties may call Ellen Caparros or Girlie Refran at 897-8808, local 329. Those interested in donating books for the program may e-mail inquirer-readalong@inquirer.com.ph. Eliza Victoria, Inquirer Research

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer

To Miss Universe —and beyond!

By Anna Theresa Licaros

MY most distinct memory of the Miss Universe pageant this year was of Miss France holding a cheeseburger served us at Hard Rock Café Mexico. Holding half a burger with her delicate fingers, she looked at me and said: “Ye know, Tu-ress, ze first thing I learn to zay in eve-ree langu-egh is ze word, hamburger.”

I looked at her, nodded and bit into my burger. I was so hungry after all that walking up and down the Basque de Chapultepec in four-inch heels. It’s not easy being a beauty queen. Try fitting a mirror, lipstick, lip gloss, face powder and extra eyelash glue into a tote and carrying it around with poise while negotiating palatial staircases in your heels and miniskirt. Every day was a marathon for us at Miss U.

Meanwhile, Miss France continued her train of thought: “Like here in Mexico… zey call it hamburguesa. What about you, Tu-ress? What do zey call it in ze Philippines?” I was taken aback. I’m a pretty articulate person with above average capacity for witty retorts, but in this pageant, all sorts of questions were hurled at me from nowhere!

It was like the question and answer portion, only worse: they were mostly everyday stuff about me and my country that I never really thought about before joining the pageant. I tried to buy some time by sipping my Coke light, sin hielo (without ice), lest I find myself running to the loo every five minutes. I struggled for the Filipino word for hamburger: Ham-barger?

Oops, too late. Someone mentioned another topic and the conversation shifted. Ham-barger, it was. I reeled at the thought of how this might affect how the Philippines is perceived by the next person Miss France meets if she repeats this conversation. That was my everyday reality as Miss Philippines in the Miss Universe pageant. I ceased to be just Theresa or Tu-ress to Rachel/Miss France. I became the Philippines.

Early on, I became aware of what representing my country really means. Having to wear the banner “Philippines” across my breast every single day kept me on my toes, careful of how I’ve been projecting myself and everything I say or do. To some extent it was scary, but also a source of pride. Every smile I flashed, each pose I struck was with the thought that it should be my best because this wasn’t just about me anymore.

For the most part, the other contestants were fantastic. Contrary to popular belief that women who join beauty pageants are airheads or bimbos, most are college graduates with full time jobs in their own countries. They are opinionated and know what they want.

When I came back from Mexico, I was always asked if acts of sabotage really took place during the pageant. (Reportedly the most controversial in years, the 2007 Miss Universe pageant saw Miss USA being booed by some Mexicans unhappy over a pending immigration bill in the US; Miss Sweden pulling out after complaints in her country described the contest as degrading to women; and Miss Mexico being asked to change costumes because the original was deemed in poor taste.—Ed.)

I’m happy to report that I didn’t experience any such incident firsthand. The closest thing to intrigue that I encountered was a remark from a fellow candidate, perhaps meant to psych me out. During one rehearsal, I was called onstage to do the evening gown pattern, after which I had to look at the camera and pose. Suddenly, everyone was clapping and cheering. I must have done something right, I thought.

Indeed, when I got off stage, Miss Tanzania approached me, saying “Girl, that was an amazing face!” Most everyone thought so, except for Miss Bolivia who told me flat out: “You look dead onstage. Your eyes are just blank. Maybe you should, like, move your eyebrows or something.” Just friendly advice, she said, because she wanted me to do well. That was odd, I told her; another candidate had just told me the exact opposite. Miss Bolivia simply rolled her eyes and said I should trust her instead. Well, I thought afterwards, when you do something significant, you’ll get both good and bad reactions.

As an insider, I also learned that the Miss Universe organizers and production team wanted to veer away from the traditional pageant look and feel. They discouraged stiff and exaggerated posturing and encouraged sexy, relaxed, fluid and model-like movements. A Miss Universe, said our catwalk teacher, Lu Sierra, must know how to smile. She hated it when the contestants sported sexy I’m-gonna-eat-you-alive looks. The pageant organizers had a “look” in mind and I was personally sold on the subtle but sexy model’s stance they advocated.

There were so many things to learn and it wasn’t always smooth sailing. There were really days when I just wanted to put a paper bag over my head and not wear any makeup. I had to keep telling myself that I was in Mexico to do a job and that the job requires me to put on makeup at five in the morning. So I’d just shake off whatever negative feelings I felt, play some dance music and sing along while putting on my pageant face. That was how I got through the doldrums.

Apparently, I did that so well that some contestants would ask me to close my eyes so they could check out my eye makeup. They said they liked the way I blended the colors. One photographer even took a photo of my right eye. Just my right eye! He said it looked so beautiful that he wanted a shot of it. My thanks go to Jay Lozada, Allen Rosales, Lia Ramos and Jenny Tan for selflessly sharing their makeup tips with me.

That kind of team work, of collaboration, also defined my Miss Universe experience. There were so many teachers who shared their knowledge with me, as well as family and friends who flew all the way to Mexico to become my cheering squad and support group. I got a lot of joshing when I gave my guest list: 25 people strong. Not bad for a Pacific islander who lives roughly 12 time zones away.

It was the kind of support that others could only envy. My roomie, Miss Thailand, wanted to “borrow” a brother because she didn’t have any family around during the pageant. I gladly obliged, telling the bunso (youngest) in our family to go wild when Thailand gets called. I think he did go wild —for all the girls—so that was substantial compliance.

The reality of representing one’s country can be daunting, but it also enhanced me as a person. While it might have been a source of insecurity to pose beside Barbie look-alikes, it boosted my confidence nonetheless. I looked at them and felt I deserved to be there. Cheesy, I know, but when I stood there in high heels beside the most beautiful women in the universe, something changed. I was no longer a passive participant to whom things happen; instead, I chose to embrace the experience and learn from it. That made all the difference for me.

More than just another beauty pageant, this year’s Miss U put things into perspective for me. In a nutshell, my 30 days in Mexico with 76 other women from all over the world was a crash course in culture, diplomacy, confidence, and worst of all, geography. I’ll always remember— with amusement tinged with shame—how I had managed to put so many countries in the wrong continent and historical era and unwittingly displayed such ignorance by asking the delegate about it.

So, I asked Miss Egypt, “You’re from Cairo. How are the pyramids?” She smiled and giggled: “They’re in Giza.” Getting my witty retort mode back, I countered: “Well, maybe if you’d take me around the Middle East one of these days, it won’t be so confusing.” As she wiped her fingers on a tissue, Miss France interjected: “Isn’t Egypt in Africa?”

Licaros is a junior at the UP College of Law. She plans to visit Egypt and see the pyramids next summer, and find out how they say “hamburger” in Arabic.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer