...the Filipino women according to Gabriela

Ms. Universe 2013 Gabriela Isler: 'Filipino women are really beautiful'

            

By Chuck Smith

philstar.com

March 28, 2014

 

Miss Universe 2013 Gabriela Isler of Venezuela (Photo by Cris Cayanan)

 

MANILA, Philippines – Reigning Miss Universe Gabriela Isler of Venezuela is currently in the country to help crown the winners of this year's Binibining Pilipinas pageant on Sunday.
 

Gabriela, who arrived in the Philippines on Thursday, will also be one of the judges in the grand coronation night of Binibining Pilipinas, which chooses the country's representatives to international pageants such as the Miss Universe and the Miss International. She is accompanied by Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization.

 
 

“Like the Philippines, Venezuela is a huge fan of the beauty pageant. We work really hard to make our country happy,” the 26-year-old beauty queen told members of the press.

 

 

In the media gathering held immediately after his arrival in the country on Thursday, Gabriela acknowledged the Philippines has become a “strong” contender in the international beauty pageant circuit.

 

 

“I think the Philippines have become a really strong contestant not only in Miss Universe, but you have Miss International, you have Miss World. Philippines is always in the top five, top four, top three. So you're definitely doing something good,” Gabriela said.

 

 

 

She added, “The women here (the Philippines) are really, really beautiful.”

 

 

Gabriela bested 85 delegates—including the Philippines' Ariella Arida—to win the Miss Universe crown last year.

 

 

Asked to assess the Filipina beauty queen, Gabriela said: “I met Ariella (Arida), and also Janine (Tugonon, Miss Universe 2012 first runner-up). And both of them are really beautiful, they have this sort of exotic beauty. But as for the most important, they have this charm. They're really, really beautiful, they have a beautiful heart.”

 

 

Hardly halfway through her reign, Gabriela said she wants to be remembered later in life not as a Miss Universe but “as Gabriela,” a “normal girl.”

 

“I'm a real, simple girl. I just want to show that. I just want to show the girls that you don't have to be perfect, you just have to be real. You have to show your feelings, your emotions. And I just want to be remembered as a simple girl,” she said.

 

 

Her advice to other beauty queen hopefuls? “My advice is confidence. If you have confidence, it will show in your eyes, in your body, in your movement, in your words. You can have a beautiful face, beautiful body. But if you don't have confidence, if you don't believe in yourself, no one will believe in you.”

 

 

 

...the Miss Grandslam 2013

Megan Young is Miss Grand Slam 2013!

 

 

Posted on February 7, 2014

by Global Beauties (globalbeauties.com)

 

 

Miss Grand Slam 2013 could be no other than Megan Young, the first woman from the Philippines to be crowned Miss World. The woman who gave pride to her nation when she was crowned in Bali, was always a favorite for the Miss World title, right next to Brazil’s Sancler Frantz, for most her main competition in Miss World and in the Grand Slam. In Miss World, for some unknown reason, Sancler dropped from 2nd to 5th place at the last minute, but here she stands at a well-deserved 2nd position. Patricia Rodriguez of Spain, the Miss Universe favorite who finished 2nd, takes bronze (Miss Grand Slam’s 2nd runner-up).

Rounding out the Top 5 we have Miss Myanmar Supranational, Khin Wint Wah, who thanks to her fans’ support, won the award Miss Grand Slam Popularity 2013, and finished the competition in 4th place (the most voted among fans in this final round, would earn an extra position). Gabriela Isler, Venezuela’s 7th Miss Universe, finished in 5th place.

This is the first time since 1998, when the award was launched by Global Beauties, that a woman from the Philippines wins the Miss Grand Slam title.

See the complete results:

Miss Grand Slam 2013 – Megan Young, Miss Philippines World
2nd place – Sancler Frantz, Miss Brazil World
3rd place – Patricia Rodriguez, Miss Spain Universe
4th place – Myanmar Supranational
4th place – Venezuela Universe

TOP 10
6th place – France World
7th place – Philippines Supranational
8th place – Ghana World
9th place – Ecuador Universe
10th place – Latvia Supranational

Regional winners:
Miss Grand Slam Africa – Ghana World
Miss Grand Slam Americas – Brazil World
Miss Grand Slam Asia – Philippines World
Miss Grand Slam Caribbean – U.S. Virgin Islands Supranational
Miss Grand Slam Europe – Spain Universe
Miss Grand Slam Oceania – Australia Supranational

Special Award:
Miss Grand Slam Popularity – Myanmar Supranational
Miss Grand Slam World – Philippines
Miss Grand Slam Universe – Spain
Miss Grand Slam Supranational – Myanmar
Miss Grand Slam International – Philippines
Miss Grand Slam Tourism Queen – Latvia

Congratulations, Megan Young of the Philippines! You are MISS GRAND SLAM 2013, the best among the very best in 2013!!

Megan Young is Timeless Beauty 2013 2nd Runner-up

Posted by:  Admin

Missosology.org

February 3, 2014

 

- 3rd PLACE -

PHILIPPINES WORLD

(Megan Young)

Ines Ligron – 1st

Tomas Haberl – 3rd

Rafa Delfin – 3rd

Donald West – 4th

Peter Sereno -3rd

Madusha Mayadunne – 4th

Yael Markovich – 3rd

Steve Haynes – 3rd

Internet Poll – 2nd

TOTAL POINTS: 76

Megan Young’s entry into the pageant world is one of the best things that ever happened in Philippine pageant history. She was hyped to death, and supported by many believers, even when speculations about her rumored application for Bb. Pilipinas (the pageant that crowns the Miss Universe Philippines winner) started to spread in Missosology. When news broke out that she was not accepted to compete at the Philippines’ premiere beauty pageant, a lot were disheartened. Not everyone knew that Megan had already cleared that rumor, and that, she actually did not apply for Bb. Pilipinas, and that, her real goal was set on the Miss World Philippines crown. The rest was history. 

A few weeks after winning her national title, she became an instant favorite in Indonesia. Local and international fans alike were expecting her to do well in all of the events leading to the pageant night. She delivered. The Philippines won their first ever Miss World crown in Bali, and a lot of her fans were jubilant and ecstatic about it. Because of this triumph, Megan Young’s local showbiz career may have been temporarily interrupted, but, when she comes back, she’ll surely be able to capitalize on her newly found fame. But of course, she has to finish her reign first as Miss World, and we all know that she is doing exceptionally well, raising funds for various charity works that benefit the less fortunate. 

In the meantime, in a sea of equally lovely and unforgettable beauties from the BIG 4 Pageants, Megan Young emerged as one of the Top 3 Timeless Beauties for 2013! And at third place, here’s another reason for her country to be truly proud of!

 

...the Country of the Year!

Philippines is the Country of the Year 2013!

 

 

Posted on January 12, 2014

by Global Beauties (globalbeauties.com)

 

 

What a year for the Philippines! We can say that it “massacred” the competition in 2013, with superb performances by its five Grand Slam candidates and nearly a perfect record: a record-breaking three victories (World, Supranational, International), one finalist (4th place in Miss Universe) and 1 semi-finalist (top 10 in Miss Tourism Queen).

 

Philippines is the undisputed COUNTRY OF THE YEAR 2013,

 

with nearly the double of points obtained by the country which placed second, Spain.

 

Spain, nevertheless, deserves our respect for a very strong showing under new national directors and organizations. Brazil stood on the podium for the second consecutive year, again in a solid third place.

Venezuela, with a Miss Universe victory, but no placement in Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Tourism Queen, still manage to wrap 2013 up in a decent 4th place. France followed in the 5th position.

Indonesia truly stepped up as a pageant power in 2013: it had its first ever Grand Slam finalist (4th place in Miss Supranational), and placed with semi-finalists in both Miss World and Miss Universe. 6th place overall, something to be proud of.

The USA, “Country of the Year 2012″, had to settle for a modest 8th place in 2013. Ecuador, on the other hand, keeps on growing: it reached a Top 10 position for the 2nd time in history, this time in 9th place. Another great surprise in 2013 was Gibraltar, 13th overall with a Miss World finalist and a Miss International semi-finalist.

Philippines is BIG 4 Performer of the Year for 2013

Posted by: admin

missosology.org

 

 

With the conclusion of last night’s Miss International Beauty Pageant held at the posh Shinagawa Prince Hotel Hall in Tokyo, the Philippines ended the BIG 4 campaign for 2013 with a total of 680 points, the highest points ever amassed by a single country in a pageant year. The Southeast Asian country is officially declared by Missosology as the “Performer of the Year” for the second consecutive year.

The Philippine rallied strongly at the very first stage with a victory at Miss World, held in Bali, courtesy of the beautiful and outgoing Megan Young. It was also the first ever blue crown for the archipelago, which earlier before the pageant started, was devastated by floodings in the main island of Luzon. That victory, plus the Top Model special award, gave the Philippines a strong lead with 210 points. France and Ghana were the 1st and 2nd Runners-up, respectively, which meant that they were also the 2nd and 3rd placers at the beginning of the BIG 4 Performer of the Year leaderboard. They got 180 and 160 points respectively. Brazil, Gibraltar and Spain followed closely.

Just less than a couple of months after Miss World, came the much anticipated Miss Universe pageant in Moscow, Russia. Unheralded Miss Venezuela, Maria Gabriela Isler, marched with an unexpected but deserving victory. That gave the pageant powerhouse 200 points for Miss Universe alone. However, since they only got 10 participating points at Miss World, it was not enough to put them on the lead. Ariella “Ara” Arida of the Philippines gave the Philippines their fourth straight Top 5 placement, with a 3rd Runner-up finish, giving 140 more points in addition to the 210 points that they already secured at Miss World. Spain’s Patricia Rodgriguez was 1st Runner-up (180 points), which gave Spain a total of 310 points, securing the second spot. At that point, it seems that there was a neck-to-neck battle between the Philippines and Spain, but alas, Brazil was also strong! Their 4th Runner-up placement was good enough to give them 120 points, in addition to the 140 points they secured at Miss World.

Last month, at the conclusion of Miss Earth, Venezuela once again emerged as the winner, giving the Philippines some reasons to worry about. Alyz Henrich gave Venezuela 206 points. It is only at Miss Earth that the special awards are only given six points, since they traditionally give five special awards every year: Miss Friendship, Best National Costume, Miss Photogenic, Best in Swimsuit and Best in Long Gown. 30 points, divided by 5 is 6 points each. When a Miss Talent is declared, it is also given six points. Although Miss Earth is a strong ground for the Philippines, Angelee de los Reyes only settled for a Top 8 placement this year, which is still good enough for 130 points. Spain made it into the Top 16, while Brazil failed to enter the semis for the first time since 2008.

At Miss International, the Philippines grabbed the crown once again, eight years after Precious Lara Quigaman won the title in Tokyo. The Philippines, a pageant that loves beauty pageants and treats their beauty queens like royalty concluded the BIG 4 Pageant Year with a bang for a country. Bea Rose Santiago effortlessly took the fifth MI crown for her country, just a month after the region where she came from was devastated by one of the world’s strongest typhoons ever recorded. It seems that for the Philippines, every natural disaster is followed by a victory in a BIG 4 pageant.

 With Venezuela failing to place, and Spain convincingly sweeping the pageant year with an impressive placement at all BIG 4 pageants, this year’s Performer of the Year is given once again to the Philippines, while her runner-up is Spain.

BIG 4 PERFORMER OF THE YEAR

TOP 10 LEADERBOARD

 

Pageant Year 2013

 

1. Philippines – 680 points

 

2. Spain – 510 points

 

3. Venezuela – 426 points

 

4. Brazil – 370 points

 

5. USA – 350 points

 

6. France – 290 points

 

7. Ecuador – 280 points

 

7. Thailand – 280 points

 

9. Netherlands – 260 points

 

10. Gibraltar – 230 points

 

...the Miss Universe 2013 runner-up

Ariella Arida is Miss Universe 3rd runner-up

 

by Miguel Dumaual,

ABS-CBNnews.com

11/10/2013

Coronation night dedicated to PH, Vietnam

Ariella Arida takes the stage in a yellow Alfredo Barazza dress at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia during the Miss Universe preliminary competition. Darren Decker, REUTERS

MANILA  -- The Philippines' Ariella Arida on Sunday (Manila time) finished 3rd runner-up in Miss Universe 2013, a feat she dedicated to her countrymen who were devastated Friday by the world's most powerful typhoon this year.

Venezuela's Gabriela Isler won the title, besting 85 other candidates during the coronation night held at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia, which hosted the 62-year-old pageant for the first time.

Said to have one billion viewers in over 190 countries, the event was announced in the opening minutes to be dedicated to the Philippines and Vietnam, neighboring countries in the path of destruction of super typhoon "Yolanda" (Haiyan).

Isler, a marketing graduate and professional model, was crowned by Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo of the United States to become the new titleholder for one year.

The runners-up, in order, were Spain's Patricia Rodríguez, Ecuador's Constanza Báez, Arida, and Brazil's Jakelyne Oliveira.

The Philippines' bet was notably the only Asian in the Top 5.



Fan favorite

Dubbed an early favorite leading up to the finals night, Arida earned a spot in the Top 16 after winning the official online polls. She then took the stage in a red bikini for the swimsuit portion, along with her fellow semifinalists.

Advancing into the Top 10, Arida proceeded to parade in a yellow Alfredo Barazza dress for the evening gown segment.

In the final round of the pageant, Arida was asked by judge Tara Lipinski: "What can be done about the lack of jobs for young people starting their careers around the world?"

The Filipina beauty answered: "For the people who have lack of jobs, I do believe that we people should invest in education and that is my primary advocacy, because we all know that if everyone of us is educated and well aware of what we are doing, we could land into jobs and we could land a good career in the future. Education is the primary source and ticket to a better future."




Isler, meanwhile, was asked by judge Steven Tyler: "What is your biggest fear and what is your plan to overcome it?"

She responded through an interpreter: "I believe that one may have a lot of fears but nonetheless, this is nothing negative. I believe that we should all overcome our fears, and this in turn, would make us much stronger. And thusly, we can become stronger persons. As soon as we overcome our fears and we're sure of ourselves, we can face any challenge."

Of the five finalists, Arida was the only candidate who answered in English and without an interpreter.

With her 3rd runner-up finish, Arida replicated the success of Shamcey Supsup, the Philippines' candidate in the 2011 pageant. Janine Tugonon and Venus Raj finished 1st runner-up in 2012 and 4th runner-up in 2010, respectively.

The Philippines is still hoping to produce its third Miss Universe winner after Gloria Diaz in 1969 and Margie Moran in 1973.

'For the Philippines'
A day before the coronation night on Sunday, Arida, through a video on the official page of Miss Universe on Facebook, addressed her fellow Filipinos amid the destruction brought by "Yolanda" in several parts of the Philippines.

Said to be the strongest typhoon in recorded history to make landfall, "Yolanda" wiped out entire structures and left at least 138 dead as of Saturday night, according to the local disaster management council, with hundreds more feared unaccounted for.

"This fight, I offer to you guys, to all my Filipino people," Arida said in the online video. "It's for the Philippines. Keep safe and keep on praying. Be strong."

Amid news of the widespread destruction, Filipino pageant fans kept hopes high for Arida to take home the crown. Leading up to the finals night, Arida was widely tipped to win the title after her string of special appearances in pre-pageant events.

Viewing parties were held at different venues, including a government-sponsored gathering in her home province and packed bars, despite the coronation night kicking off at 2 a.m. local time.




In Moscow, some 700 supporters carrying banners and Philippine flags were gathered by the Filipino Association in Russia at the Crocus City Hall. The strongest cheers were heard whenever Arida took the stage, ABS-CBN News' Dyan Castillejo reported Sunday from the venue.

The same zeal for international pageants was also evident early this year, particularly with the back-to-back wins of Filipinas Megan Young and Mutya Datul in Miss World and Miss Supranational, respectively.

 

...the Miss Universe Canada 2013

Pinay to represent Canada in 2013 Miss Universe

 

By Miguel Dumaual, ABS-CBNnews.com

05/28/2013

 

 

MANILA -- A former "Pinoy Big Brother" housemate is set to represent Canada in the upcoming 2013 Miss Universe pageant, after being belatedly declared winner in the national competition.

Riza Santos (left) is Miss Universe Canada 2013. Denise Garrido (right) is 3rd runner-up. Photos courtesy of the official website of Beauties of Canada

Riza Santos, who represented Calgary in the 2013 Miss Canada pageant, was named first runner-up during the coronation night held Sunday (Manila time).

Candidate Denise Garrido from Bradford was initially declared Miss Universe Canada.

On Tuesday (Manila time), however, pageant organizer Beauties of Canada (BOC) announced that it had erroneously announced the winner and runners-up of the competition.

In the "final results" released on BOC's official website, the organization said Garrido placed 3rd runner-up. Santos, whose parents are both Filipinos, was named Miss Universe Canada 2013.

Offering its "sincere apology" to Garrido, BOC said the "human error [in determining the winner was] discovered while validating the results."

It added: "Beauties of Canada congratulates Riza Santos as the winner of Miss Universe Canada 2013 competition, and looks forward to working with her as she prepares to represent our country at Miss Universe 2013."

The 25-year-old Santos is a veteran pageant contestant, having won two other beauty competitions in Canada -- Miss Earth in 2006, and Miss World in 2011.

Although born and raised in Canada, Santos is pure Filipino. Her father, Ruel Santos, is from Bulacan; while her mother, Dina Buenaventura, hails from Bataan.

In 2007, Santos was among the housemates of the second "Celebrity Edition" of the hit ABS-CBN reality TV show "Pinoy Big Brother."

With an estimated 1.6 million text votes, Santos won second place at the show's conclusion.
Following her stint as a housemate, Santos appeared in several Kapamilya programs, including the concert variety show "ASAP," and TV series like "Palos" and "I Love Betty La Fea."

As Miss Universe Canada, Santos will compete with the Philippines' delegate to the Miss Universe pageant, Ariella Arida, later this year.

 

...the Miss Universe 2012

Janine Tugonon is Miss Universe 2012 first runner-up

 

ABS-CBNnews.com

12/20/2012

 

 

MANILA, Philippines - Just like her predecessors Shamcey Supsup and Venus Raj, Binibining Pilipinas-Universe Janine Tugonon almost clinched this year's Miss Universe title, placing first runner-up.

 

 

Miss Universe 1st Runner-up Janine Tugonon

 

 

The coronation night, held at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Wednesday night (Thursday morning in Manila), was hosted by Andy Cohen, Bravo's executive vice president of development and talent, and entertainment journalist and fashion and beauty expert Giuliana Rancic.

 

Olivia Culpo of the United States was crowned Miss Universe 2012.

 

 

 

 

The other candidates include:

• Second runner-up -- Irene Sofía Esser Quintero of Venezuela

• Third runner-up -- Renae Ayris of Australia

            

 
 

 

• Fourth runner-up -- Gabriela Markus of Brazil

The Filipina beauty was given a Twitter question from judge Nigel Barker: "As an international ambassador, do you believe that speaking English should be a prerequisite to being Miss Universe? Why or why not?"

She answered: "For me, being Miss Universe is not just about knowing how to speak a specific language. It's being able to influence and inspire other people. As long as your heart wants to serve and you have a strong mind to show people, then you can be Miss Universe."

Dubbed as an "early favorite," Tugonon has appeared in several pre-pageant activities such as TV guestings on talk shows.

Tugonon's predecessors almost clinched the Miss Universe title, with Shamcey Supsup and Venus Raj placing third and fourth, respectively.

...the Miss PH Universe

PH Miss Universe 2012 Bet Shines In Pre-Pageant Q&A

 

Manila Bulletin

Tue, Dec 11, 2012

 

 

MANILA, Philippines - The finals night of the Miss Universe pageant this year will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada on Dec. 19 but Philippine bet Janine Tugonon seems to be shining already based on the dry-run of the final question-and-answer portion as seen in a pre-pageant video released online.

 

 

 

Her solo Q&A video, along with those of the other contestants', were posted by user OfficialMissUniverse on the social networking site YouTube on Dec. 8.

With the description: "Get to know the contestants of 2012 MISS UNIVERSE® Pageant," each contestant's video, where they are shown answering three questions, runs for more than a minute. As of this writing, Tugonon's video already has more than 130,000 views, far ahead of the rest of the contestants.

Wearing a leopard top, Tugonon was initially asked about her favorite holiday traditions.

"Our family tradition is very simple, very fun, happy, because the whole family gathers in our house and we will just gonna eat, gonna dance and gonna sing together," the 23-year-old Tugonon said, adding that she missed such gatherings a lot.

Described on her Miss Universe profile page as possessing an "adventurous spirit," the morena beauty also related her "most interesting dating experience" -- and that is riding a cab whose driver ended up almost shooting another driver following a chase.

Asked what she'd do a "crazy thing" if the "world was going to end tomorrow," she said, ""I'll probably eat a lot. If it's end of the world, I would probably just go out and eat with my family and the people I love."

So far, the Philippines has produced two Miss Universe titlists in Gloria Diaz (1969) and Margie Moran (1973).

...the NASA project manager

Pinoy project manager at NASA at the front of space exploration

 

Shaira Panela,

GMA News

September 21, 2012

 

 

In 1969, it was said that “America conquered the moon, but the Philippines conquered the Universe.”

 

 

That was the same year Apollo 11 with three American astronauts from NASA —Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collin— successfully landed on the moon. The moon landing coincided with the Philippines’ first Miss Universe crown won by Gloria Diaz.

 

 

But more than 40 years later, Filipinos are moving to conquer the universe for real —through space exploration and research at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Pinoy pioneers
 

In fact, one of the engineers who worked on the Mars rover Curiosity is Filipino-American Gregory Villar III, who went to high school at St. Louis University in Baguio City.

 

 

There's also Lloyd Manglapus, a former student of the University of Santo Tomas. He is Curiosity's flight software technical lead.
 

And now, here's yet another Filipino leading the way in space research: Dr. Ralph Basilio, the lead person behind NASA’s research on carbon dioxide in space.

 

^{Dr. Ralph Basilio (Photo: NASA)}

 

 

Carbon dioxide in space

 

 

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of building blocks of life on Earth.

 

 

On the NASA website, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 Project (OCO-2) is the “first Earth-dedicated remote sensing satellite to study atmospheric carbon dioxide from space.”

 

 

Talking about the importance of the project, Basilio said in an email interview, “Over the last 60 years or so, scientists have determined that only about one-half of the carbon emitted into the atmosphere stays in the atmosphere. Where is the other one-half going? Is it being absorbed, for example, by the southern oceans?”

 

 

Other than OCO-2 Project, Basilio also handles OCO-3 mission of Opportunity. OCO-3, on the other hand, intends to investigate about the “distribution of carbon dioxide on Earth in relation to its growing population and changing patterns of fuel combustion.” It is set to be launched on 2014.

 

 

Typical day(s) at NASA

 

 

Because Basilio’s responsibility extends from technical to administrative aspects, he believes there is not really a “typical” day at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he holds office.

 

 

“Some days I spend attending to technical challenges, some days I work on evaluating budget and schedule performance, and some days I do advanced planning,” said Basilio.

 

 

Previous works

 

 

Basilio worked for other NASA projects, such as the Mars Pathfinder where they landed a small remote-controlled robot on The Red Planet, Deep Space 1 where they were able to demonstrate advanced technologies in space, and on CloudSat, where they operated a radar system to analyze the structure of clouds for climate and weather forecasting.

 

 

“Each of these projects allowed me the opportunity to work in relatively small teams and to take on increasing roles on responsibilities that helped me to eventually become a project manager,” said Basilio.

 

 

Basilio was also able to get his hands on the Space Shuttle Program while working for Rockwell International, a major American manufacturer of aircrafts and space vehicle components.

 

 

On that, Basilio said, “I enjoyed working on the manned space program and meeting the astronauts.”

 

 

Truly Filipino

 

 

Basilio migrated to the United States with his parents and brother when he was three years old. Basilio’s dad was an accountant and his mother, an optometrist. His parents are now retired, and are still happily staying in the US.

 

 

“I think the greatest Fil-Am trait that has allowed me to succeed is hard-work and perseverance. I may not be the most brilliant engineer/scientist, but no one has a better work ethic,” shared Basilio.

 

 

His father hails from Tacloban City, Leyte, and his mother from Lamitan, Basilan.

 

“I credit my parents and our culture…. They brought with them from the Philippines the Filipino culture and our Catholic faith,” added Basilio.

 

 

Basilio took up Aerospace Engineering at the California State Polytechnic University. After that, he took up his Master’s and PhD from the University of Southern California.

 

 

Basilio said his work ethic helped him obtain his PhD on a part-time basis over seven years. He was also proud to say that his Filipino traits helped him to be able to attain a deputy position at NASA, and now project-manage while in his 40s.

 

 

Since migrating to the United States, he had only been back to the Philippines thrice.

 

 

“I definitely wanted to return,” Basilio said. — TJD, GMA News

...the PH bet

Shamcey Supsup leads Telemundo's online poll

abs-cbnNEWS.com

09/10/2011

 

 

The top 3 Miss Universe bets according to Telemundo's online fan voting site. Screen grab from msnlatino.telemundo.com

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines' representative to the 2011 Miss Universe pageant, Shamcey Supsup, continues to lead the online fan voting site of the second-largest Spanish language television network in the US, Telemundo.

As of press time, Supsup already garnered a total of 1,944,769 votes in Telemundo’s website, which landed her the number one spot in the poll for the top bets in the pageant.

Venezuela's representative ranked a close second with a total of 1,879,177 votes, while Mexico's bet fell to number three with 1,398,749.

Joining the top three candidates in the unofficial top 15 rankings were Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, United States, Thailand, Colombia, Haiti, Peru, Panama, Brazil and Korea.

Meanwhile, an official voting site has been dedicated to identify who among the Miss Universe candidates is the people’s choice.

The overall winner from this online poll will be securing a spot in the pageant’s semi-finals round.

The 2011 Miss Universe people’s choice online poll will be open until September 11, and anyone can cast a vote, 10 times a day per e-mail address.