|
By Ricky T. Gallardo Photos
by Noel Alova at Sofitel Philippine Plaza
I FIRST met Margaret Wilson at a
beach resort in central Philippines some years ago. She was then a
typical teenager, bubbly and carefree, and ready to plunge into the
cold open sea early in the morning. I immediately warmed up to
Maggie, as she is called by most of her friends, because she is both
childlike and charming.
Still wet from her morning
splash, she told me that her dream is to become a beauty queen
someday, “just like Ruffa Gutierrez, tito.” I frowned a little
when she referred to me as tito, but I just let it pass, in full
acceptance that Wilson can surely pass for my daughter.
I asked why she wanted to be a
beauty queen, and she explained that it has been a childhood dream
and she would always imagine herself in a shimmering long gown
wearing a crown, holding a scepter, waving to the crowd. I think she
was only 15 then, and I advised her that she has to wait for another
four or five years since winners of Miss Universe pageants are
usually about 19 or 20 years old.
So eager about becoming a beauty
queen, she started asking me what she can do to prepare. I simply
told her to enjoy her teenage years, finish high school, take care
of her skin, and not to fall in love too early. She said she wanted
to try show business and I advised her not to be too trusting with
people who promise instant fame and fortune to showbiz wannabes.
Wilson even made me promise that when she finally enters herself in
competition, I should be there to coach her for smart answers to
possible questions the judges might ask.
When the Binibining Pilipinas
organizers presented this year’s batch to the media, there was
Margaret Wilson, standing out from among the bevy of pageant
hopefuls. Funny that she was immediately compared to 1994 Binibining
Pilipnas-World Ruffa Gutierrez since the two have some resemblance
in their stance and the way they talk.
She didn’t only become a press
photographers’ favorite, but Wilson also made her mark with the
judges on pageant night who all unanimously and generously gave her
the Binibining Pilipinas-World title.
I had lunch with Wilson a few
weeks ago at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza’s Spiral and we had a
blast as we updated each other on our respective lives and the lives
of the people we know. I asked if the suitors have started making
their moves and Wilson lets out a loud laugh.
“Tito, I don’t have a
boyfriend anymore,” she said, a little sad, but with utmost
certainty, adding, “We broke up even before I joined the pageant.
Of course, he immediately sent me a text message when he found out I
won. I guess it’s his loss, di ba?” Loud laughter and high fives
followed instantaneously. Without naming names, Wilson’s
ex-boyfriend is a vocalist of a popular rock band.
Wilson seems to be always in a
rush. I told her that she’s young and smart and now that she has a
title, she definitely has a bright future ahead so she should play
her cards right. “I know, tito, that’s why I’m glad that I
have people around me to always remind me on how to do things right.
I really appreciate that,” she intoned.
Wilson, although living on her
own, communicates with her parents as often as she could. “I make
sure they know what’s happening in my life, so even if the phone
bills get really expensive, I make sure that I call my mom and dad
every so often,” she volunteered. Born in Bacolod City, Wilson’s
father is a British fitness instructor. Wilson studied at the Al
Hekma International School in Saudi Arabia and her folks are still
based there until now.
She came to Manila because she
wanted to be a model. Wilson’s guardian is the well-loved Neil de
Guia, whom she refers to as my ‘surrogate mom.’ “Like any
teenager, Maggie can sometimes be stubborn. But she is often
well-behaved. She has realized that with the title comes a whole new
line of responsibilities and she can’t just be the carefree Maggie
that she was before,” explained de Guia, who is closely aligned to
the Douglas Quijano wing in entertainment.
Before her joining the pageant,
Wilson dipped her fingers on television, appearing in some programs
of GMA7. She has already started taping for the Robin Padilla-Angel
Locsin adventure series called Asian Treasures when the pageant call
beckoned.
Wilson was about to turn 18 when
she was crowned on March 3 at the Araneta Coliseum. She was also
voted Miss Photogenic by the photographers that covered the press
presentation event at the Sofitel poolside, and also romped away
with Miss Watsons, given by the beauty retail brand that understands
beauty, inside and out.
Right after pageant night, Wilson
was immediately thrown into the den of controversies. People, mostly
those losing candidates and their sour-graping talent scouts,
questioned Wilson’s high school educational attainment, which
according to them, is a prerequisite before a candidate can be
admitted. The organizers have already come out with a statement
saying that Wilson violated no rules and she deserves the title.
Wilson is thankful that she has
hurdled the first trial so she can go on with the preparations
needed for her to make a mark when she competes with the rest of the
world in Moscow, Russia, sometime in the third quarter of the year.
“I still have a lot to decipher, and I’m taking it slowly. I
have learned that information overloading can sometimes be
detrimental, because I might just forget the most important
stuff,” she said.
If the heavens will smile at
Wilson, she will be the first Miss Philippines to be proclaimed Miss
World. The title has been very elusive and the closest that the
country has come to winning it was in 1974 when Evangeline Pascual
was declared first runner-up behind USA’s Marjorie Wallace. The
American beauty was subsequently dethroned and stripped of her title
and the Miss World organizers offered Pascual to take over but the
Filipina declined, citing personal reasons.
Moviestar Sharmaine Ruffa Rama
Gutierrez shone brightly at the 1994 Miss World pageant but her
efforts were only good for a second runner-up ranking. Besides
Pascual and Gutierrez, no Filipina has come that close of winning
the Miss World title and Wilson realizes the pressure this early.
“I do not let that pressure
disturb my focus. I know that representing the country is a big
responsibility, but I always tell myself that as long as I do my
best and represent my country well, then I have nothing to be
ashamed of. I will train hard, heed the pieces of advice that past
beauty queens and beauty pageant experts will share with me and be
the best Miss Philippines that I can be, and leave everything to God
because he knows everything. If I am destined to become the first
Miss World from the Philippines, then so be it. I’ll embrace that
completely and I’ll claim it with all humility,” she said, like
a true beauty queen.
Wilson is bent on learning basic
Russian and French before she flies to Moscow to show them what the
modern Filipina beauty is all about. Besides hoping that she
conquers the world and bring home the elusive crown, let’s all
hope that during her reign, Margaret Wilson will be a real beauty
with a purpose. Her initials are MW—and who knows, pretty soon,
that can also mean Miss World.
|
