I was sitting there at the judges' table with a pencil and a bunch of papers in front of me. What am I doing here? I asked myself. I've never scored anyone wearing a bikini before. In my eyes, anyone who sports a bikini automatically gets a perfect 10 from me. I was worried the hometown crowd might not like our "scoring" and might shower us with a resounding "boos" like what the three blind judges of the recent Pacquiao - Bradley bout got. Whatever doubts I had quickly vanished when contestant number 1 walked on the platform. I decided to give them all perfect ten scores. Things reached fever pitch when Contestant 2 came out and I melted briefly when she made eye contact with me.
Romblon: Bombs of Bikini Atoll
Upon our arrival at the town of Cajidiocan in Sibuyan Island, Romblon, our gracious host Kapitan Bibo Porras quickly asked us if we could grace the fiesta at their neighboring town and sit down as judges at the night's Bikini Open pageant. With my friend Dazzle, who hails from Romblon and invited me along with another travel writer and photographer Josiah, and our voluptuous friend Pam, we gamely obliged.
An Unexpected Judging Duty
The young women wasted no time introducing themselves. "Hello, I'm Stephanie. I'm twenty years old and I'm from Iloilo." In all, nine ladies took part, with four hailing from Sibuyan Island and the remaining five hailing from neighboring Iloilo, Roxas, and Capiz.
Pageant Night on the Shore
The moon was near its full phase that night, and the sky was brighter than normal. The sun shining through the water earlier created a scenario akin to a B-alligator-themed film. The organizers built a wooden stage platform for the girls to perform their catwalk. It was still low tide when the bikini contest began shortly after dark. By the middle of the night, the high tide had arrived. So as the girls stepped off the stage, they were in knee-deep water. Coupled with the frigid breeze of the night, they soldiered on, much to the amusement of the audience. The girls appeared to enjoy the competition, though wading through the frigid water clearly tested their resolve.
Unfortunately, we found out that there were no Q & A portions involved. Earlier in the day, Dazzle, Pam, Josiah, and I had already come up with a funny list of questions such as "Kung Halo-Halo ka, anong sahog ka?", or in case the event featured male contestants, questions like "Tumingin ka sa mga kapwa mo contestants, sino sa kanila ang hahamunin mo ng boxing?". The silly questions we brainstormed had us rolling with laughter.
The Bikini Open was interspersed with an eco-tourism presentation video showing the importance of taking care of the natural wonders of Sibuyan Island. The video also highlighted the destruction mining companies left in Surigao, reminding the residents never to entertain the notion of mining in their hometown. A few local officials took the stage and gave sincere messages, urging constituents to work together to safeguard their natural resources while attracting sustainable tourism.
The girls paraded in sports attire, one-piece suits, two-piece bikinis, and an added category where they showed up in creative swimming outfits. Contestant number 3, the boldest of them all, showed up for the final category wearing shards of glass glued onto her body. If there was any doubt as to who would be the contest's "Darling of the Night," she put it firmly to rest.
Crowning the Winner
Being wild at heart could only get her so far, as the night became a close contest between contestant number 2 (who slightly resembles Venus Raj) and contestant number 4 (who at some angles resembles Nikki Gil). Yes, in case you were wondering, I was definitely sober that night. By the way, contestant number 3 looked a bit like Shirley Fuentes to me.
It was a fun night. As the contest concluded and we realized we had forgotten to tally our scores earlier, the hosts ad-libbed for a few minutes while Dazzle computed our separate scores using her phone's calculator and Pam's phone as a flashlight. With cool winds from the open sea breezing through the shore and the contestants standing on the platform in two-piece suits battling the cold, I would have forgiven them if they were cursing us judges at that moment.
After 15 minutes, we had the final scores tallied. As the host announced the winners along with the special prizes, contestant number 2 came out on top, with contestant number 4 placing second and contestant number 7 (Miss Flawless) rounding out the top three. Where was contestant number 3? She took home "Darling of the Night"—a fitting tribute to her sportsmanship and the originality of sporting broken pieces of glass pasted over her body. After the pageant, the judges took turns taking pictures with the contestants.
I had mine taken with the winner, the prettier version of Venus Raj. I was gathering courage to ask for her number, or even a Facebook email, but before I could deliver my line, someone approached her and whisked her away for a photo op with someone else. A bummer indeed, but the night was filled with pleasant surprises and a welcome first for my friends and me. Now, how about that Miss Universe judging gig next?
