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Before the glitz and glamor: The making of a beauty queen

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Patrick Quintos, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/sampalok_1.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">A kid enjoys the view of Lake Sampalok, the biggest of the seven crater lakes scattered around the city of San Pablo. <cite>Patrick Quintos, ABS-CBN News</cite></div></figcaption></figure></div><p>LAGUNA, Philippines – For tourists, the City of San Pablo, just a three-hour drive from the country’s capital, offers a calm and refreshing view of its seven lakes.</p><p>But for the town&#x27;s young beauty queen aspirants, this slow-paced city is no place for relaxation—this is where the long grind to success happens.</p><p>In a little rented studio in the heart of San Pablo, a group of young women would sacrifice their free time and train for hours for <span style="color:rgb(75, 79, 86);font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:pre-wrap;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(241, 240, 240);display:inline !important;float:none">local pageants</span>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1458548" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></figure><p>Pila town native Catherine Legaspi, along with her fellow trainees, would do rounds and rounds of “duck walks” in seven-inch heels to perfect the beauty queen walk.</p><p>Walking like a beauty queen, said Legaspi, is one of the hardest parts of their training.</p><p>&quot;Hardest part, of course, &#x27;yung walking on high heels especially &#x27;yung seven-inches po. Sobrang hirap sa una,&quot; said the 20-year-old tourism management student.</p><p>Aside from practicing their pageant walks, aspiring beauty queens also review current events and practice for the competition staple question-and-answer portion.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/cath_solo.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Catherine Legaspi, beauty queen aspirant, poses for a portrait. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></div></figcaption></figure></div><div><strong>GRACE UNDER PRESSURE (OR PAIN)</strong></div><p>At the time of the interview, while the rest of the ladies were practicing their own pageant walks, one of them tripped on a pair of six-inch heels.</p><p>It looked like a bad fall but Reymelyn Eisen swiftly recovered as her friends came to her rescue. Fortunately, there were no injuries.</p><p>That’s part of the training, said Eisen’s friends, adding that some even fall on their heels during the pageant itself.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/reyms_fall.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Reymelyn Eisen takes a seat after a bad fall during the training. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></div></figcaption></figure></div><p>It’s not just the fall that hurts in the life of aspiring beauty queens, said Legaspi. Losing a competition after months of training can also be heartbreaking.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_2_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_2" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1458542" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></figure><p>But losing is also part of the journey, said Legaspi&#x27;s trainer Ghune Katigbak who once mentored a young Ariella Arida, the eventual Miss Universe 2013 3rd runner-up.</p><p>Katigbak recalls how Arida, who was once an ordinary &quot;probinsiyana,&quot; first dealt with losses in Binibining Laguna and Miss Philippines Earth pageants.</p><p>Arida never stopped training, according to Katigbak, as she went on to train in Manila before winning the Binibining Pilipinas crown in 2013.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/ghune_ara.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Ghune Katigbak and Ariella Arida pose for photo taken in 2014. <cite>Photo courtesy: Ghune Katigbak</cite></div></figcaption></figure></div><p>&quot;That is what a contest is. Puwede kang manalo ngayon, pero bukas talo ka,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;The good thing is natalo man tayo alam natin na lumaban tayo at hindi tayo naging kahiya-hiya. Hindi lang natin pa panahon,&quot; he added.</p><p>Katigbak said that Arida&#x27;s 3rd runner-up finish in the Miss Universe 2013 is one of his proudest moments in life. All the hardships were all worth it.</p><p>&quot;Siyempre tinuturu-turuan mo lang dati maglakad sa isang garahe na di pa namin alam ang kahihinatnan,&quot; he recalled. &quot;Napaiyak ako sa tuwa kasi unexpected. &quot;</p><div><strong>SCOUTING POTENTIAL BEAUTY QUEENS</strong></div><p>For 5 years now, the 33-year-old has been training girls and boys in Laguna who aspire to be successful in pageantry.</p><p>But Katigbak only started out as a fan when he was still a kid watching Miss Universe 1994 on TV.</p><p>He was such a fan that up until now, he can still recite verbatim the answer of Miss Universe 1994 Sushmita Sen during the Q&amp;A portion.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_3_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_3" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1458546" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></figure><p>The San Pablo City native graduated with a degree in legal management, pursued work here and abroad, but eventually landed in the pageant industry.</p><p>&quot;Kung tutuusin pre-law course ako pero napunta ako sa mundo ng pageant,&quot; he said. &quot;Passion nga itong matatawag. Kasi kung gusto mo &#x27;yung ginagawa mo, talagang magtutuloy-tuloy ka.&quot;</p><p>In his experience as a trainer and especially after Arida&#x27;s successful journey, Katigbak said, he would later on develop an eye for potential beauty queens and kings.</p><p>&quot;Ang hirap maipaliwanag ang quality ng isang potential beauty queen. Pero since pageanatic ako, nararamdaman ko siya... Nasa aura e. Nasa tindig.&quot; he explained.</p><p>After all, Katigbak added, it&#x27;s not just the physical beauty that counts because it is always a combination of beauty, character, and attitude.</p><p>Katigbak said that all he can see is the potential star quality, but what makes each person stand out is his or her abilities and strengths which they would only discover in the course of the training.</p><p>Legaspi, for her part, said she used to be shy before she trained with Katigbak.</p><p>As she went on with the process, she learned to develop her social skills, which would be a big help not only in pageants but also in her future work.</p><p>Legaspi said she dreams of competing in national and international pageants one day. But right now, she&#x27;s focused on her training and studies.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_4_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_4" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1458544" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></figure><div><strong>WHAT IS PINAY BEAUTY</strong></div><p>The Philippines has been enjoying a good run in the Miss Universe pageant, with strong finishes from 2010 to 2014, capped by the big 2015 win of Pia Wurtzbach.</p><p>Legaspi admits that these international pageant wins put a little pressure on young aspirants like them. But more than that, these are also the things that motivate then to work hard.</p><p>&quot;Nakaka-inspire po siya (Wurtzbach).... Nakaka-insprie kasi hindi siya sumuko kasi kahit na anong mangyari tinuloy pa rin niya,&quot; she said raving on the 2015 Miss Universe winner.</p><p>The Pinay fighting spirit, Legaspi said, makes Filipino pageant candidates stand out.</p><p>&quot;Ang pinay kasi makikita mo &#x27;yung natural na ganda. Makikita mo yung isang palaban na babae, na pag tumayo siya doon (international stage), &quot;kaya ko &#x27;to! Ako &#x27;to!&quot; she said.</p><p>Her trainer Katigbak agrees, adding that: &quot;Kung kaya ng Venezuela, kaya rin ng Pilipinas. At tingin ko na kaya na talaga ng Pilipinas ngayon.&quot;</p><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/beauty001.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/beauty002.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/beauty003.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/beauty004.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/beauty005.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/beauty006.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/beauty007.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/beauty008.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/beauty009.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/beauty010.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/beauty011.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/beauty012.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/beauty013.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/beauty014.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/beauty015.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/01/06/beauty016.jpg"/></div></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><p>All smiles as young beauty queen aspirants from different towns of Laguna meet at a local fitness studio before the night&#x27;s training session. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>While waiting for their turn at a local fitness studio, these young beauty aspirants would maximize the time by practicing how to pose. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Reymelyn Eisen learned to do her own basic make-up at a young age. She started pageant training in high school, hoping to make it big someday. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The girls put on their six-inch heels as they begin training. They spend bulk of their training trying to perfect their balance and poise in these shoes. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Carmella Alvarez demonstrates the &quot;high-kick walk,&quot; which warms them up for the long training and makes their hips and legs a little more limber. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>For an hour or more, the girls would tirelessly practice their walk under the guidance of their trainer Ghune Katigbak, who they say is a very hands-on mentor. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>It is not just the walk. Ghune Katigbak reminds the girls about the importance of &quot;projection&quot; while walking down the ramp. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The mother of Reymelyn Eisen shows support for her daughter by attending training sessions. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>While the others proceed with their routines, Carmella Alvarez rests with her back against a straight pillar, which she said helps her maintain good posture. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>After the first few rounds of practicing their high-heeled walks, young beauty aspirants give their feet rest. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The family of some of the trainees patiently wait for their daughters to finish the session. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Reymelyn Eisen takes a seat, while her mother massages her foot, after a bad fall during the training. Falling hard is part of the training, they say. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The girls find friends in each other in the process of training. They give each other moral support especially when someone is having a hard time. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Reymelyn Eisen watches her friends as she continues to rest her foot. She got hurt after tripping on a pair of six-inch heels. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The girls continue to practice their balance and poise by doing a routine called the &quot;duck walk.&quot; <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>All in high heels, the duck walk is a serious routine that they have to perfect in order for them to win the beauty contests they will join. <cite>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div></div>

<p>Before all the fame and success of a Filipina beauty queen, every aspirant—even the biggest names today—started with the grind. Here's a peek into the life of young pageant hopefuls.</p>

Before all the fame and success of a Filipina beauty queen, every aspirant—even the biggest names today—started with the grind. Here's a peek into the life of young pageant hopefuls.

Before the glitz and glamor: The making of a beauty queen

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Before the glitz and glamor: The making of a beauty queen

Patrick Quintos,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 26, 2017 04:43 PM PHT

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Updated Jan 26, 2017 06:49 PM PHT

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