(By JONATHAN ANG)
Kumbaga sa kulay ay napakatingkad. Kumbaga sa prutas ay sobrang makatas. Yan ang linyahan ng sagot ni Miss World Philippines 2017 cum Miss Universe Philippines 2018 na si Catriona Gray nang mag-guest ito sa Tonight With Boy Abunda (TWBA)! Kagabi lang umere ang naturang episode sa Kapamilya Network.
Kung ang super-tough line of questioning na nangangailangan ng high-level thinking skills ay ibabato sa kung sino lang na kandidatang pam-beaucon, malamang sa alamang na mangangamote o magpa-panic mode at mapapasambit na lang ng “Juice colored! Ang hirap namang sagutin!” Hahahaha!
Walang biro, mga ka-shumo! Super-hirap, hindi basta-basta, at napaka-challenging ng pagkatataray na tanong ni Kuya Boy, kasama ang ilang imbitadong panelista.
Matitindi ng mga tanong para kay 24-year-old Miss Gray na walang kahesi-hesitation o never natameme sa mga isyung tinalakay tulad ng HIV/AIDS awareness, life coaching, tourism promotion, social media, mga batang Lumad na hindi makapag-aral, mental health, feminism, at marami pang iba!
Mala-thesis defense, cross examination sa korte, graded recitation sa klase, panel discussion, at public speaking masterclass o coaching/mentoring (all rolled into one!) ang bale naging takbo o format ng naturang special TWBA episode. This only-child Filipino-Australian beauty queen answered more than enough of those questions with flying colors, or with nary a false note, so to speak.
Heto ang ilang bahagi ng kanilang naging kudahan:
- Pinakamagandang advice na di mo naman sinunod:
“I’m a very stubborn person and I’m also a visionary, and when I get a vision for something, whether it is a creative pursuit, or like an evening gown peg, I am stubborn with my vision…I have to try my vision first. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But I’d rather stay true to my vision and explore others, and learn that way…”
- Pagtanggal ng Filipino/Panitikan sa college curriculum:
“I think it would really be sad to reach that point. When you reach a certain age,
you’ll have an appreciation of what Tagalog is. The poetry of it, the history of it, how it is represented in our culture, whereas if you take that out, who else would pioneer Tagalog for the next generation?”
- Handa ka ba na HINDI manalo o HINDI maiuwi ang korona?
“I never consider failure. Why? It’s because if you feel you have that in your vision,
it will distract you, it will withdraw your energy from you, and I need 100%, 120% of my energy to go towards winning.”
- It’s more fun in the Philippines pa rin ba?
“We really have to learn to love local. That means sourcing our products, building up the livelihood of our farmers and the people who make products in the Philippines, so that we are engaging in our own economy and we are not sourcing all the time.
This way, we can build up the small provinces and more tourist attractions. There is sooo much to fall in love with in the Philippines, and I think we should reignite that love
– for our country and our people.”
- Magtago ng katotohanan, o magsabi ng kasinungalingan?
“I would rather be the one who hides the truth because I believe that no matter what,
the truth will always come out. I always believe in staying true to myself which is what I did in being an independent candidate…”
- Pinaka-nega comment na iyong natanggap, at paano ito nakaapekto sa iyo?
“I once read a comment that said ‘She’s so fake and scripted. Nothing that comes out of her mouth is real.’ It hurt, because I’m a huge believer in authenticity. Authenticity is really important to me. The charity work is the foundation of what I do, so to have someone judge me at the drop of a hat, and say, ‘Oh, maybe she’s just saying it as a beauty queen, but she doesn’t really care about these charities. Maybe it’s just a tool for her to get publicity.’ It hurt, but then I realized, that person (or those people) do not know what they are talking about. So why would I let them affect me in that way when I know exactly what I put in the work for? And other people know it, too.”
- Your biggest fear?
“My fear is losing my groundedness. I have always wanted to be grounded. I always want to come from a grateful and humble standpoint because that’s what I admire in people.”
- Tatlong bagay na magpapanalo sa ‘yo bilang Miss U:
“Luck, passion, and love.”
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how prepared are you for the Miss U finals night?
“I would say 9.9!”
- Keribels lang ba na napahalo sa Miss U candidates si Miss Spain Angela Ponce na isang transgender o transwoman?
“I’m open to it because individually, I see beauty queens more than just the physical aspect. We represent something that has to be what we are there for. And she has a purpose. She is the voice for the transgender community and if she can educate people about the needs of the transgender or LGBT community, to teach us to be more compassionate towards them. I have close friends who are transgenders, so I’ve heard their experiences, and there’s a lot of work to be done.”
- Last question: (Fill in the blanks) I am Catriona Gray and _________________.
“…I am Miss Universe 2018!”
Pak na pak na pak! Angat sa iba ang spontaneity, substance, quick-wittedness, sincerity, and genuineness of answers ni Queen Catriona! No stammering! No hesitation! No dead air! Tuluy tuloy ang witty flow of thoughts! Kahanga-hanga ang kanyang impeccable command of the English language!
KAYA NAMAN mukhang malaki nga ang pag-asa niyang iuwi ang ika-apat na Miss Universe crown para sa Pilipinas!
Here’s the catch, though: Dahil readily available ang mga YouTube videos (kahit pa episode highlights lang ang kalimitang naa-upload) gaya nitong special Q & A
session with Catriona Gray sa TWBA, ganun ganun na lang malamang ang pagre-review a la student ng mga kandidatang taga-ibang bansa o ng mga kani-kanilang
Q&A trainers na marunong mag-Ingles, para angkinin, kundi man namnamin, ang nakakawindang at pinag-isipang English questions na ibinahagi ni Boy at ng kanyang carefully selected guest panelists na karamihan ay beaucon expert! Pang-Miss U semi-finals o pang-finals naman talaga kasi yung mga tanungang ganoon, eh.
December 17 (Monday) ang itinakdang petsa ng Miss Universe 2018 coronation night na magaganap live via satellite sa Bangkok, Thailand!
Magkaalaman na lang sa petsang ‘yan, mga ka-shumo!
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