Interview by Tinna S. Bonifacio
After 26 years, the Philippines finally has another
international beauty queen! Precious Lara Quigaman gave
the country something to cheer about when she bagged the
Miss International title in Japan last September 26. A
Binibining Pilipinas “repeater”--she lost
the first time she joined in 2001, then came back to win
a major title in her second attempt—her story is
one of triumph over incredible odds and holds valuable
lessons about the value of never giving up on your dream.
Congratulations on winning
the Miss International title. What does it feel like, being
a beauty queen? People seem to think that it's such an easy,
glamorous job, because you get to look pretty all the time,
wear a crown and smile and
wave a lot.
Well, it's nice in one sense, because
of all the attention, plus you get a lot of free things,
like movie tickets, beauty products, food, even fabric softener!
(Laughs). But there's a downside to iit too. For me, I tend
to get really exhausted. You have to smile all the time,
and that's not easy. You also have to watch yourself, especially
in public, because as a beauty queen, you have this image
to keep.
What do you think won it
for you?
The prayers of the [Filipino]
people. My dad [Nelson] annoying God in Heaven (laughs).
Ganoon siya, eh. He could be makulit
at times. And very convincing.
Speaking of your dad, he
passed away in the UK (in Bristol, England where the Quigaman
family lives and where her mother works as a nurse) while
you were here in the Philippines competing in the Binibining
Pilipinas contest. When you heard about his death, did you
think of quitting?
Yes I did. I seriously thought
of backing out. But then after giving it some thought, I
felt I had to go through with it for my dad, because from
the beginning, he always believed that I could actually
win. I felt I owed it to him to hang in there and not give
up.
Why do you think you lost
in the Binibining Pilipinas contest the first time out?
I think it was because I was very
young then. Kaka-18 years old ko lang. Maybe it
wasn't my time yet. I also wasn't too serious about it.
Parang feeling ko noon, naglalaro lang ako.
It was only when I got older, and I joined again, doon
lang ako nag-seryoso.
What made you join again?
It had always been my childhood
dream to be a beauty queen. In fact, when I was younger,
I used to watch all the beauty contests on TV. When I grew
older, I started taking it seriously, because I knew that
a lot of opportunities would come out of it if I succeeded.
Did you not have any doubts?
Even just a little?
It's hard to explain, but I had
this feeling na if I had even a little doubt about
what I was doing, hindi ko na itutuloy and that
I would just back out from the contest and go home [to the
UK]. But everyone I talked to was very encouraging,
that's why I pushed through with my plans to join Binibining
Pilipinas a second time.
Who are the people who influenced
you?
God. He is the one who made
me the person I am today. And my mom. She always used to
tell me, 'Keep your feet on the ground. Be humble.' That
really helped me, especially during the contest. My dad,
too, for believing in me. I don't think I would have gotten
this far if he didn't believe that I could make it.
Is it true that after winning
Miss International, you were signed up by a major television
network?
No. I don't have a contract with
either network. There have been offers, but I haven't signed
yet.
If there is one piece of
advice that you could give to young girls and women who
aspire to become beauty queens like you, what would you
tell them? What's the best piece of advice that you've been
given?
When I first talked about joining
the Binibining Pilipinas, a lot of people were discouraging
me. Especially after the first time, when I lost, they were
telling me, “See? We told you so.” When I joined
again, ganoon pa rin. Ang dami pa din nag-di-discourage
sa akin. But I didn't listen to them. So that's
what I'd tell them. Don't listen to anyone. Believe in yourself.
Have faith in God. If this is your dream, just go ahead
and do it. Don't let anyone stop you. If I did, I wouldn't
be where I am now.
|
