Binibining Pilipinas queens gather onstage for the pageant’s 60th anniversary. Image: INQUIRER.net/Armin P. Adina
When Venus Raj opened the Binibining Pilipinas pageant’s 60th anniversary show, she said it would be “definitely the grandest, the biggest” event that the national organization has ever mounted. And what a “major-major” spectacle it has turned out to be.
Aside from the epic reunion of more than 100 Binibining Pilipinas queens on one stage, that also saw the most iconic Filipino beauty titlists parading with their pageant sisters, the viewers at home and the live audience inside the Smart Araneta Coliseum at the Araneta City in Quezon City on July 7 were also treated to a trip down memory lane, that sent goosebumps to many avid followers of the longest-running national competition in the country.
The massive stage filled up with beauties spanning six decades, as their images from then until now were flashed on the multiple diamond-shaped LED panels arranged to resemble a gigantic crown inside the jam-packed venue for an epic opening segment of the show.
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A historical account of the first-ever staging of the Bb. Pilipinas pageant was also shown during the opening, explaining how a massive typhoon that devastated Metro Manila and Central Luzon pushed the show two days later from its original schedule.
More alumnae also got involved with the entire flow of the program, after Raj opened the show inside an empty coliseum with 1992 Bb. Pilipinas Maja Marina Benipayo. The hosting team of Bb. Pilipinas queens Ruffa Gutierrez, MJ Lastimosa, Nicole Cordoves, Kylie Verzosa, and Catriona Gray went off-stage to interview more titleholders.
Miss Universe runners-up Chiqui Brosas, Desiree Verdadero, and Shamcey Supsup drew loud cheers when the hosts spoke to them about the show. Beloved Miss Universe finalist Pebbles Asis also made a rare appearance during the coronation night.
The hosts also spoke to Miss Young International runner-up Cita Avecilla, Miss Grand International runner-up Samantha Bernardo, Miss International semifinalist Patty Betita, and the viral beauty herself, 2009 Bb. Pilipinas World Janina San Miguel.
Binibining Pilipinas queens (from left) Shamcey Supsup, Janina San Miguel, Dang Cecilio, and Catriona Gray. Image: Bb. Pilipinas Official
Sisters Katherine, Bianca, and Nichole Manalo, all of them Bb. Pilipinas queens, also had a fun banter with Lastimosa after the announcement of the Top 15 finalists
Before each of the competition segments, more Bb. Pilipinas alumnae basked in the spotlight through videos showing all the former winners of the Best in Swimsuit and Best in Evening Gown awards, as well as the ladies who gave some of the most memorable answers during the question round over the years.
Several queens were also shown in a video, sharing how the pageant changed their lives, and the ventures they pursued after their reign ended. These include Supsup and Bernardo, with Bb. Pilipinas Universe titleholders Vida Doria, Joyce Ann Burton, and Ariella Arida, 1996 Bb. Pilipinas World Daisy Reyes, 1982 Miss Young Pilipinas Sharon Hughes, 2019 Bb. Pilipinas Globe Leren Mae Bautista, and Bb. Pilipinas International Alice Dixson.
Even the new crowns crafted by renowned jewelry designer Manny Halasan evoke the pageant’s legacy, drawing inspiration from the iconic logo that the Bb. Pilipinas pageant has been known for over the years. The new queens also received scepters to match their crowns, a practice that was last seen more than a decade ago.
BPCI Chairperson Stella Marquez Araneta also deservedly enjoyed her time in the spotlight. Singers Martin Nievera and Gary Valenciano paid tribute to the first-ever Miss International winner during the opening production, where she was shown on the LED panel waving and blowing kisses to the camera.
Miss Universe winners (clockwise from front) Margie Moran, Catriona Gray, Gloria Diaz, and Pia Wurtzbach together on one stage for the first time. Image: INQUIRER.net/Armin P. Adina
“Tonight, we also honor a woman whose passion and dedication over the last six decades have brought Bb. Pilipinas from year 1 to 60, to where it is now—still the country’s most prestigious pageant, and the longest-running national pageant in the whole of Asia,” Nievera said.
Valenciano referred to her as a queen-maker and a visionary. “This pageant is definitely her sparkling legacy to all of us Filipinos,” he said.
In a video, Marquez said, “I think [BPCI] is doing something for the Philippines in our way, with our beautiful girls here. They can open doors for people to see how beautiful this country is, and how they can be part of what is being done here in the Philippines.”
Even the new winner shared a part of the pageant’s history. Newly-crowned Bb. Pilipinas International Myrna Esguerra is the namesake of the first Bb. Pilipinas queen, the late Myrna Panlilio, crowned 60 years ago during the first-ever staging of the pageant in 1964.