Double victory for PH in beauty competitions

FROM LEFT: 2015 Miss Globe Ann Lorraine Colis, 2015 Bb. Pilipinas-Intercontinental Christi Lynn McGarry and 2015 Miss Universe-Philippines Pia Wurtzbach PHOTOS BY ARMIN ADINA

October proved to be a rewarding month for the Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) as two of its candidates bagged international recognitions, including a historic first victory for the country.

Kapampangan beauty Ann Lorraine Colis was proclaimed the first Filipino Miss Globe winner on Oct. 11 in Toronto, Canada, while Baguio-based Parul Shah placed fourth in the 2015 Miss Grand International contest on Oct. 25 in Bangkok, Thailand.

These results were sort of a pleasant surprise to these two beauties. When Shah and Colis received the Bb. Pilipinas-Tourism crown in 2014 and 2015, respectively, there were no global tilts for them.

But just before Shah’s contract with the BPCI expired in September, the group’s chair Stella Marquez-Araneta sealed a deal with the Miss Grand International organizers.

Araneta later struck an agreement with the Miss Globe pageant, so Colis became the first of the 2015 queens to compete abroad.

“When I got to Toronto, I didn’t expect anything. I just told myself that I would do my best to make the Filipino people proud,” Colis, 22, told the Inquirer during her homecoming press conference at the newly-opened Novotel at the Araneta Center in Quezon City.

And not only did she make her countrymen proud, her victory also served as an inspiration for her fellow beauty queens.

PARUL Shah, 2015 Miss Grand International third runner-up

“This will serve as a great inspiration and motivation for us to win in our respective pageants,” added 2015 Miss Universe Philippines Pia Wurtzbach, who will represent the Philippines in the 2015 Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Dec. 20.

Shah, meanwhile, expressed elation over her performance in the Bangkok-based pageant, which she said was a culmination of her pageant career.

“I’m so proud of where I stand today. Hopefully, this is not the end of my journey, [and] hopefully, a new chapter will begin,” said Shah, 27, at her homecoming press conference, also at the Novotel.

Proof unnecessary

Her 2014 batchmate, Bb. Pilipinas-Supranational Yvethe Santiago, said: “We all know you won that night. You don’t need a crown to prove that. I hope you inspire a lot of girls.”

Wurtzbach, who also joined the 2014 national pageant where Shah bagged her local crown, said: “This is truly a lucky year for us, and I hope the streak continues until the end of the year.”