Tag: Alaiza Malinao

Year End Special Report – 5 Beauty Queens that Defined 2020

Who among the beauty queens and pageant girls do we see as the ones who made a mark in pageantry this past year? Read on below…

2020 was a year of pageant postponements and cancellations but for the handful few that were able to push through, they were able to offer us a few competitors that made the past year bearable.

DISCLAIMER: this list is a subjective list of the women that your blogger felt to have showed some extraordinary achievements, performance and show of character during the year.

Continue reading “Year End Special Report – 5 Beauty Queens that Defined 2020”

Alaiza Malinao: The Promdi’s Champion

Why can’t pageant fans stop talking about how perfect was Alaiza Malinao’s campaign in the recently finished Miss Universe Philippines? Here’s the main reason why…

If there was one takeaway from the 2020 Miss Universe Philippines campaign of Alaiza Malinao was her championship of the regular people of the provinces. Her representation of the probinyanos and probinsyanas are the stuff that makes her a legend not because she was the first to do so in a national pageant, but because she pushed and fought for the choice to have the ‘promdi‘ representation into the limelight.

Continue reading “Alaiza Malinao: The Promdi’s Champion”

Alaiza Malinao: The Miss Universe Philippines We Didn’t Know We Deserve

Alaiza Malinao’s shocking non-inclusion in the 2020 Miss Universe Philippines top 5 was one of the most unbelievable things that have happened in local pageantry in recent years.

When the leaked photos of the Miss Universe Philippines top 5 started to circulate on social media, we have been inundated with questions regarding where was Alaiza in the top 5? Fans got worried about her not placing top 5 to which a number of fans got disheartened

Let’s review what she has done in her MUPh journey…

Continue reading “Alaiza Malinao: The Miss Universe Philippines We Didn’t Know We Deserve”

Thoughts on the Supposed Leaks of the Miss Universe Philippines Results

Filipino pageant fans had threw themselves into a frenzy over the rumored leaks of the top 5 results of the Miss Universe Philippines 2020 pageant.

The finals of the said pageant was held last night at the Cordillera Convention Hall with a limited number of audience. The entire pageant finals is taped to be broadcasted over GMA7 on Sunday, October 25th.

However there are some supposed leaked results saying that the top 5 comprised of Bohol’s Pauline Amelinckx, Cavite’s Billie Hakenson, Iloilo’s Rabiya Mateo, Parañaque’s Bella Ysmael and Quezon City’s Michele Gumabao. Other supposed leaks include Bohol and Davao’s Alaiza Malinao ended up as the last two ladies standing for the title.

Continue reading “Thoughts on the Supposed Leaks of the Miss Universe Philippines Results”

Miss Universe Philippines 2020: Battle of the Veterans

After numerous delays, the Miss Universe Philippines will finally culminate on October 25, 2020 with a taped telecast via GMA channel 7.

Initially, we thought that a “Binibining Pilipinas All-Stars” scenario will likely to happen in the inaugural batch of the Miss Universe Philippines. Everyone yearned for commanding racehorses in the batch of candidates joining the pageant. Sadly, that was not the case. Instead we saw a number of girls with great potential that still needed to be polished and refined to be of international caliber. Add to that was the pandemic which further separated the pageant veterans from the newbies.

Read more about our thoughts on the MUP franchise transfer in this article… Continue reading “Miss Universe Philippines 2020: Battle of the Veterans”

Best Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Headshots

All 51 headshots are in!

The headshot photos of the 51 candidates of the Miss Universe Philippines are a huge improvement from the gown portraits.  Shot by photographer Dookie Ducay, these new images had the candidates set up in a neutral gray background which resulted with better images than those shot with a gold backgdrop. And these 10 are our picks of the best headshot photos.

1. Michele Gumabao
2. Pauline Amelinckx
3. Alaiza Malinao
4.  Rabiya Mateo
5. Skelly Ivy Florida
6. Isabela Galeria
7. Christine Nicole Silvernale
8. Christelle Abello
9. Jo-Ann Flores
10. Sandra Lemonon

Undeniably, Michele stole best photo in this batch. I do however, needed to point out that her image stood out as well for having a stronger color contrast as compared to all the photos. Her pic also reminded us of Miss Universe Catriona Gray’s pic, which probably also contributed to it being a good photo overall. Pauline did well although she looked a bit washed out (too pale) in her picture. Alaiza comes in 3rd although she could have been easily our #2 pick with her very modern looking headshot, no fuss, just straightforward beauty. Rabiya and Skelly completes our top 5 fave headshots and we do have to commend Skelly for going full on smile on her pic as it made it look like a Dove commercial. Rabiya would have looked better had her tan looked more prominent. Isabela have a great 3/4 shot here with her strong jawline and high cheekbones.

Which of the 51 headshots is your favorite? Let us know on the comment below…

1st leaderboard for Miss Universe Philippines 2020

The Miss Universe Philippines 2020 press presentation is done, the first set of gown photos have been released and the first runway challenge happened several days ago. We can now safely say that the Miss Universe Philippines  frontrunners have clearly established themselves in the competition and they are most likely the ones to watch out for in the entire duration of the pageant.

Today we reveal to you our first leaderboard for the Miss Universe Philippines pageant!

  1. Alaiza Malinao
  2. Isabela Galeria
  3. Ysabella ‘Bella’ Ysmael
  4. Apriel Smith
  5. Michele Gumabao
  6. Rabiya Mateo
  7. Lou Dominique Piczon
  8. Sandra Lemonon
  9. Pauline Amelinckx

During the runway challenge it was easy to pick who among the girls stood out among the rest. Alaiza, Isabela, Bella, and Apriel were the ladies that killed the runway challenge. Alaiza was in control throughout her pasarela, Apriel was a performer on the 200 meter makeshift ramp, Isabela hammed up her pasarela and Bella showed personality. In terms of the gown pictorial released it isn’t undeniable that Sandra, Lou, Bella, Apriel and Isabela were leading the pack. Sandra’s blush gown made her a standout even with the ugly gold background.

Honestly, we probably only need to take notice and follow around 8-10 ladies in this competition as they would perhaps be the ones who would end up with the MUP title. And we are confident that the winner is probably among the 9 ladies in our list.

Who do you pick for the MUP title? Let us know in the comments below…

Miss Universe Philippines 2020: Between Michele and Alaiza

It seems that the Miss Universe Philippines title may look like a battle between two Binibining Pilipinas alums after all.
During the MUP press presentation of candidates, two ladies stood taller  above the rest of the competition: Michele Gumabao and Alaiza Flor Malinao.

MICHELE GUMABAO
A volleyball player, TV personality and former Binibining Pilipinas Globe, Michele has one of the best faces in the batch. Her Filipino-American features are exquisite to begin with, and she is quite tall as well standing close to 5’10”. Her communication skills are good enough to battle it out in the international arena. She carries a conversation quite well and that comes in handy in a pageant that values a spokesperson over a physically beautiful specimen.
With all that, she does have some weak areas she needs to improve on. First is her walk that needs finesse and polish. Poise and stature is one of the things that most beauty queens have to train on until it becomes a muscle memory.
She also has to work on being more charismatic and that her personality should translate even in photographs. She does have a very cheer-y personality though but that should translate well enough that it becomes her trademark. This is the part where she can use a strong point to cover for a weak area.
One of the easiest critique pageant pundits have is on her body. Being a volleyball player, Michele’s body/ bone structure is wider than most. Even if she becomes very thin, its her bone structure that makes her look wide. We just have to accept that and for Michele to just be on her best physical shape. Instead she has to learn to make curves with her body type.
Take for instance Gul Panag of India in Miss Universe 1999. She was quite heavy set but she made sure she nailed the Q&A and posed to created curves with what she have. Michele has to learn how to do that too.

ALAIZA FLOR MALINAO
Alaiza is the embodiment of physical perfection in a kayumangging kaligatan beauty.
She is the undoubtedly the best overall girl among this batch. She is tall at 5’9″, she has the curves and a very whistle-bait body, her facial bone structure is to die for and most importantly, she can carry an interesting conversation with you. She also is a clothes-horse that can make any outfit look good without really trying. So style-wise she is easy to dress up and package to suit what the Miss Universe organization is looking for. It does help that she moves very gracefully and with panache being a model for the most part of her career.
One of Alaiza’s best asset is that she is funny and has an easy-going personality. She can win you over with her personality because she is very grounded as a person.
But that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have areas that she needs to work on. Alaiza being the easy-going gal she is has this aura that you cannot take seriously when in comes to serious topics. And that is one of the areas she needs to work on. People should take her seriously when she speaks.
Let us clarify, Alaiza has no problem with her speaking skills because she is a good conversationalist. She however has to speak with authority when talking about things that she is passionate about, like her advocacy on agriculture and farmers’ welfare. She needs to be convincing and taken seriously if she is to become a spokesperson of the Miss Universe org.

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Binibining Pilipinas or Miss Universe Philippines? We are likely to believe that Alaiza Malinao is gearing up for MUP2020! MU looking for a woman of color? It's time that we send a dusky Pinay beauty then. @alaizamalinao fits the bill 100%. From how we see it, this 5'9" beauty is gearing up to something this national pageant season. Among the ladies floating in wish-lists, Alaiza seems to be the one who actually has no strings attached (like existing contracts and such) and is actually winnable in terms of Miss Universe criteria. Now who's with us for Alaiza? . . . . . #SashesandScripts #PageantBlogger #UltimatePageantBlog #PageantBlog #PageantBlogger #AlaizaMalinao #confidentlybeautiful #MissUniversePhilippines #missuniversephilippines2020 #MUP2020

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Our pageant instincts are shouting that it will be a death match between these two for the title.
But their biggest competition is still themselves and how to conquer their perceived weaknesses. Who among these two ladies can beat their weak areas might be the one to romp away with the Miss Unvierse Philippines title.

Sashes&Scripts’ Miss Universe Philippines Wishlist

Who are the girls we are highly anticipating to join Miss Universe Philippines this year?

  1. Alaiza Malinao – she’s the one who seemed to have planned her joining a year in advance. She probably took a page from Catriona Gray’s strategy to map out her participation with a year long preparation.

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    Binibining Pilipinas or Miss Universe Philippines? We are likely to believe that Alaiza Malinao is gearing up for MUP2020! MU looking for a woman of color? It's time that we send a dusky Pinay beauty then. @alaizamalinao fits the bill 100%. From how we see it, this 5'9" beauty is gearing up to something this national pageant season. Among the ladies floating in wish-lists, Alaiza seems to be the one who actually has no strings attached (like existing contracts and such) and is actually winnable in terms of Miss Universe criteria. Now who's with us for Alaiza? . . . . . #SashesandScripts #PageantBlogger #UltimatePageantBlog #PageantBlog #PageantBlogger #AlaizaMalinao #confidentlybeautiful #MissUniversePhilippines #missuniversephilippines2020 #MUP2020

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  2. Ahtisa Manalo – to be honest, we hoped that she would earn more ‘life experiences’ before dipping her toes again in pageantry. But if she is gunning for MUP this year, we are more than happy to see her compete once again.
  3. Sirene Sutton – while she might be one of the modelesque girls that we all are looking to join, Sirene should have focused on honing her communication skills as it seems that the MU is looking for a spokesperson rather than a model. IMHO she would be perfect for Supranational whose mix of showmanship and pageantry is just the right blend. However, we are speculating that she would perhaps choose to join MUP instead.

  4. Julia Saubier – she is surely the one to jump into the MUP bandwagon after a non-placement in Binibining Pilipinas last year. And maybe this time with an emphasis on speaking skills, she may crack the MUP crown. If Miss Universe is looking for a spokesperson, then Julia might be the type of girl that the pageant might want.

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    Bb. Daraga Albay Julia Saubier 💙 Let’s help Julia to win a special surprise from the Miss Universe Philippines Organization. Please visit the Facebook Page of Miss Universe Philippines and LIKE her picture. LINK ON BIO. 🙏 The 2019 Miss Universe Philippines/ Binibining Pilipinas contestants are ready to conquer the universe looking beautiful, confident, and empowered with their photos by Raymond Saldana. Contestant with most number of likes gets a special surprise from Miss Universe Philippines. #JuliaSaubier #Binibini20 #bbpilipinas2019 #JuliaIsHere4U #experiencearaneta #AranetaCenter #supportersofarts #BBP2019 #missuniversephilippines #missuniverse #Saubiersoldiers #binibiningpilipinas #binibiningpilipinas2019 #missphilippines #philippines #pinay #beautyqueen #missuniverse2019 #AFilipinaEmpowers #ConfidentlyBeautiful #msuniverseph #pageant #beyondbeauty #bicol #daraga #albay #beauty #brains #brawn

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  5. Bella Ysmael – a relatively new name and face to pageants, this 5’7 ballerina comes with a beauty queen pedigree. She is the niece of former Miss Universe Margie Moran. A former runner up in Century Tuna Superbods, she boasts of a Filipina-Spanish-Lebanese heritage.

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    2019 – the year of strength and growth. This year I’ve learned, mostly because I went through a lot right in the beginning of it, how to pick myself up and nurture myself with genuine self-love. I took myself for granted and pushed beyond limits for the people I considered important. Not that this is a bad thing, because my intentions were always from the heart, but it grew unhealthy as I neglected self-care. Thankfully, I have the strongest support group of loved ones who care about me and help me when I’m down. I’m happy to say I’ve added a few more people to that support group too. ☺️ Tough times are truly the best wake up calls, and failures are truly the best teachers. I’m looking back at my 2019 with nothing but gratitude for all the lessons I’ve learned, and for the people who have made it extra special. Now I look forward to the booming 2020 I have ahead of me, ready to take on my dreams as big as the Universe. I hope I can inspire you to be thankful for the lessons you learned this year, and to be brave enough to conquer your biggest (and scariest) dreams. Happy New Year, everyone! ✨ . . . photo: @markfrancisphotography makeup: @guillyvalenzuela

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So far those are the ladies that we expect to join Miss Universe Philippines this year. Who are in your wish list?

Bb. Pilipinas 2019 Wish List: Alaiza Malinao

The Pinay Glamazon! Dusky, full of personality and heart, amazingly tall with perfect bone structure and proportions, blessed with a gorgeous Filipina looks that translate internationally, and a force to reckon with on the runway. That, ladies and gentlemen, is Alaiza Malinao.

Alaiza has been one of my faves during the Binibining Pilipinas 2015 pageant. She is one of the ladies that you know will stand out in any line up of equally gorgeous gals. Mere presence alone, Alaiza has it in spades. Not to mention that she comes with a great story that has molded her to the independent spirit that she is. Yet despite that there is a certain softness to her that catches you unexpectedly. She is also the type of gal you’d want to be friends with but at the same time you would look up to.

After several mestiza beauties being sent to Miss Universe, I believe it is time once more to send a Filipina goddess to the competition – one that has piercing dark brown eyes and personality to boot. Alaiza is definitely just that…

Bb. Pilipinas 2018 Wishlist: Alaiza Malinao

Back when Alaiza Malinao first joined Binibining Pilipinas, I immediately saw a Miss Universe vibe in her. And several years after, I still think that she is Miss Universe material and more!

The 5’9″ model is currently based in the US and was last seen during the Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas. While we don’t see any indication that she might be joining the BBP18 frenzy, she still is one of the most sought after names to join the biggest national competition. Sun-shiny personality coupled with intense eyes on a modelesque body, Alaiza seems to embody the physical qualities of a possible international winner.
Nowadays, I see Alaiza in a number of other international pageants. Best of which is the Polish-owned Miss Supranational where she can use her seasoned model moves and score the country’s 2nd Supranational title. I also see her possibly in Miss Intercontinental with her dusky enigmatic beauty. Hers could be the first title to be won by a Filipina in the Germany-based pageant. Of course I still believe she can be our next possible Miss Universe Philippines.

All that needs to be seen is whether she will be one of the gorgeous ladies who will be heading to Araneta come application period. Only Alaiza knows the answer to that question as we can only wait in suspense.