EDGEDAVAO
W
HEN asked about the prediction on who would win the 2016 Miss Universe held recently in Manila, 1969 Miss Universe winner Gloria Diaz, the first for the Philippines, was candid in saying the country’s representative to the prestigious beauty pageant Maxine Medina would win the crown in a ratio of one to a million. True enough, she landed only in the Top 6. After the dust had settled, Miss France Iris Mittenaere, rumored to be a closet lesbian, was declared Miss Universe queen. Asked the Latin Times, in its February 02, 2017 edition: Is Miss Universe 2016 first openly gay beauty queen? Another issue that excited the soothsayers was if the country would make it two in a row and earn the distinction as the first Asian nation to earn credit for having backto-back Miss Universe queens. Sadly, the prediction fell short. The truth, though, is the Philippines actually won in 2017 a global crown and brought home the same beauty tilt tiara twice in a row. Unknown to pageant pundits, for two years (2016 -17) the Philippines won the Mrs. Grandma Universe. On Jan. 21, 2016, Babylyn Decena-Newfield of Alabang , Muntilupa City, snared the crown in Sofia, Bulgaria, and exactly a year later, Agnes Jakosalem of Cebu repeated her predecessor’s triumph in the same venue. That even makes the Cebuana the first international beauty queen for the country in 2017! From January to October 2016, the Phil-
I
F you are into writing and want to focus more on scribbling features, then there’s a book I highly recommend – SHE (Significant Human Experience): Writing Feature Stories. This 150-page book is written by Dr. Maria Gemima Valderrama, a journalism professor at the Ateneo de Davao University. “Of all kinds of journalistic writing, I find feature writing closest to my heart,” she wrote in the book’s introduction. “It is where I can best express myself.” She considered feature writing as “the perfect blend of journalism and literature” and cited the case of literary giant Nick Joaquin, as the man who taught and advocated the method in his lifetime. The book is divided into 12 chapters. In the first chapter, for instance, the feature story is being defined and explained. As a journalistic report, a feature story “is not an opinion essay or a work of fiction.” Creative writing, which relies on information or events that are not real but “imaginary and theoretical,” is fiction writing. On the other hand, feature writing “only deals with facts, real events, and statements which are considered and accepted as true.” Chapter 3 deals more on the basic principles in writing. Think first then write. Keep sentences short. Shorten your paragraphs. Use familiar words and specific and concrete language. Use adjectives sparingly. Write the way you talk. Revise and sharpen what you have written. And like most kind of writing, expressing is more important than impressing. The next chapter talks about writing feature
VOL. 9 ISSUE 256 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017
VANTAGE POINTS
9
Back-to-back pageant winners ippines, in FAST BACKWARD reality won crowns in the eleven (11) international beauty competitions, the same number of honors the country hauled a year earlier. Aside Antonio V. Figueroa from Mrs. Grandma Universe, the other credits were from Classic Mrs. Asia International, Princess, of the World, Miss Teen Planet, Miss World America, Miss Asia Global, Miss United Continents, Miss Diamond of the World, and Miss International. Vivian Yano of Carrascal, Surigao del Sur, took him the Classic Mrs. Asia International Cosmopolitan, while Rizalina R. Asa of Hagonoy, Bulacan, snared Classic Mrs. Asia International Tourism in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Elisha Dinn Rasay of Bannawag Sur, Santiago City, on the other hand, won the Princess of the World pageant held in Bulgaria, while Maria Jayzamel B. Vista of Tanay, Rizal, took home the Miss Teen Planet crown in Sozopol, Bulgaria. Fil-Am Audra Mari of North Dakota, USA, meanwhile, won the Miss World America tilt in Maryland, USA, while Trixia Maria Marana of Dumaguete City became the winner of
the Miss Asia Global contest in Kerala, India. The three other queens were Jeslyn Santos of Hagonoy, Bulacan, who won Miss United Continents in Guayaquil, Ecuador; Christine Joy Picardal of La Union took the Miss Diamond of the World crown in Algiers, Algeria; and Kylie Fausto Versoza of Baguio City, the Miss International coronet, in Tokyo, Japan. In the local scene, the most awaited beauty pageant is Mutya ng Dabaw. Instituted in 1969, the pageant has already produced close to 50 winners. When the criteria for the event were expanded, even outsiders were allowed to join, something that makes the tilt even more exciting. Some of the winners went on to leave their marks in national beauty competitions. The first Mutya ng Dabaw crown holder was Rachel Arkoncel. She was followed by Elsa Roldan (1970), Jeanette Ledesma Lon (1971), Maureen Elizabeth Hilario (1972), Lyn Yuviengco Aguirre (1973), Clavel Albay (1974), Jocelyn Joyce (1975), Lorna Mate (1976), Marissa Salvador Abella !977, now city councilor), Maria Edna Go (1978), and Aniebelle Cervantes (1979). The Mutya ng Dabaw website has left the 1980 pageant without a winner. From 1971 to 1990, the Mutya winners were Abegail Garcia (1981), Felinda Sanchez (1982), Susan Co Ong (1983), Judsita Joy Mascardo (1984), Sharmene Escamilla (1985), Conchitina Tesoro (1986), Trezita Acosta (1987), Trizza Ambet Gapultos (1988), Veronica Tolentino (1989), and Er-
linda Mejia (1990, later crowned Mutya ng Pilipinas Intercontinental). In 1991, no Mutya was crowned owing to the Gulf crisis and others issues. In 1992, Sharon Limbaga won the tilt, followed by Mary Jean Biol (1993), Ma. Lualhati Malata (1994), Jovelyn Pongase (1995), Sharon Escarella (1996), Llwelyn Muriel Austria (1997), Carol Kent Ramos (1998), Joan Magtibay (1999), and 2000 - Leah May Luna (2000). On the other hand, the winners for 2001-2010 are as follows: Paula Ann Selgas (2001), Mary Carmel Osmena (2002), Joan Mae Soco (2003), Aieelen Cainglet (2004), Jovine Narajos (2005), Johanne Bernice Guirgen (2006), Clarice Escala (2007), Mary Jean Lastimosa (2008, 2014 Miss Universe-Pilipinas), Resci Angeli Rizada (2009), and Janelle Tee (2010). The remaining winners in the list include Irene Lascuňa (2011), Marianne Mae Te (2012), Fila Guia Hidalgo (2013), Franchesca Enriquez (2014), Kris Abegail Candolita Guanzon (2015), and Allyza Molly Teodoro (2016). Except for some changes or adjustments, beauty tilts outside the religious-theme competitions have always followed the Miss Universe prototype with the candidate showing the region she represents. Of course, the menu of come-ons includes the swimsuits, nightgowns, and Q&A portions. In recent years, pageants have more of a brains contest than beauty. What a relief!
stories. “Feature stories are THINK ON THESE! human-interest articles that mainly focus on people, places, and events,” she wrote. “Features are not meant to deliver the news firsthand. Henrylito D. Tacio “They do henrytacio@gmail.com contain the elements of news but their main function is to humanize, to illuminate, to add color, to educate, and to entertain,” she further wrote. Chapter 7 gives some tips on writing news features. “If news articles are focused on what happened, the news feature goes deeper focusing on the ‘how and why’ it happened, how the people involved are reacting, or what impact the decision is having on other people,” she explained. Dr. Valderrama shared this tip: “When you choose to write this type of feature, decide which angle of the story gives human interest. Remember, a news story is tied with current events while a news feature is not. So you have time to decide for a good angle to focus on.” The last chapter talks about how you can develop your own style of writing. “The person beside you has always a story to tell,” she wrote. “All you have to do is ask good questions so you can hear interesting answers. It’s knowing how
and when to dig up details for a great story.” A story becomes great only if and when the writer knows how to write it well. And this is where style comes in. A style is something a writer owns so much so that when someone reads it, he can always tell a particular author has written the feature. “Even if it doesn’t have your name, Manoy,” my sister, who read most of the articles I have written, once told me, “I can always tell that you wrote it.” Dr. Valderrama wrote: “Almost every story looks like ordinary because the story of one is also the story of another. Almost every human being says the same things, faces similar experiences, and uses related solutions to the problems. But what makes all these stories different depends on you as a writer. “This is where you put some style without deviating from your main point: to make your readers read, feel, and understand the story.” Now, you may be wondering why she kept on highlight about stories? To her, writing features is about writing human experiences. “The heart and soul of a feature story is human interest,” she pointed out in chapter three. “Pain. Sorrow. Joy. Laughter. Successes and celebrations. All these make up for a good feature story. It interests us because it talks about us. It moves us because it celebrates our humanity,” she wrote. In most other chapters, Dr. Valderrama gave some examples which were published in local and national publications. In Chapter 5, she included an article on the aftermath of typhoon Pablo (international name: Bopha) one year
later. Reading the first paragraph alone is worth enough. Read this: “One year ago, couple Tatay Loloy and Nanay Bebie feared for their lives when their house and all neighboring houses collapsed around them and trees were uprooted. Today, the couple live on with hope from what they thought it was the greatest nightmare.” Another good example was the one featured in chapter 9 on travelogue. Her feature on Lake Sebu (“Learn, eat, fly in Lake Sebu”) has this wonderful ending, which summarizes the whole story: “A Lake Sebu experience encapsulates three things – we learn to appreciate their tribe, we get to eat appetizing tilapia, and we can see God’s beautiful creation from above.” The book is indeed very informative. To think, her masters degree (from the University of Mindanao) was not on writing but school administration. Her doctoral degree (from the Southwestern University in Cebu) wasn’t on writing either; it was on special education. The short biography at the back cover of the book gives this info: “(She) scribbled some notes in her journal when she was studying her elementary and high school education at the University of the Immaculate Conception in Davao City. While studying her mass communication course at Centro Escolar University in Manila, she sharpened her writing skills with the help of some great journalists in the big city…” The brief sketch ended with these words: “But she believes that wherever you are and whatever you do, you will always be weaving words for a subject that thrills you.”
Writing features