Luk maew

By: Netnet Camomot

MAYON Volcano was once “transferred” from Albay to Naga City, Camarines Sur, no thanks to then Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson.

Now that Miss Universe Catriona Gray has made Mayon’s magma as the inspiration behind her red gown, surely no Pinoy will ever make the mistake again of “transferring” it from Albay, Gray’s home province. Add to that her “lava” walk, and only the most clueless Pinoy will dare repeat that boo-boo.

Her Thai fans call her luk maew which means kitten. Catriona, cat, kitten—gets mo?

Gray does her own makeup. She can sing. She composes songs. She once joined Sydney’s Eat Bulaga Little Miss Philippines when she was five. She became a black belter in Choi Kwang-Do when she was 12. She chose the team that would serve as her core group in her journey towards the Miss Universe crown. She represented the Philippines in the 2016 Miss World contest where she ended up in the Top 5 and eventually placed third. She designed her “Three Stars and a Sun” ear cuff for the Binibining Pilipinas contest which she wore again in the Miss Universe pageant. She has an education advocacy for the children of Tondo, Manila. When she was 13, her mother dreamed of her wearing a red gown in winning the Miss Universe contest—a dream come true indeed.

Gray has proven that having an independent team outside of “queenmakers” can also work for a Miss Universe wannabe. She did have a “queenmaker” as her mentor for the 2016 Miss World. There’s a possibility future beauty pageant candidates will choose their own teams, too, instead of relying on the usual.

Determined is the word that may describe her. No one remembers the first runner-up, thus, the need to aim high in beauty pageants. Determination usually brings one nearer to her goals as it enables her to ignore the naysayers and focus on those who believe in her.

Beauty pageant candidates don’t always walk that way when they’re simply namamasyal sa Luneta. But onstage, there’s Gray’s “lava” walk. Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach’s “tanim-bala” walk. Miss Universe 2010 fourth runner-up Venus Raj’s “pilapil” walk. Miss Universe 2011 Shamcey Supsup’s “tsunami” walk.

And Gray added her slo-mo twirl to that walk.

But to walk the talk is definitely the plus that could convince the judges all these are not merely pa-cute ploys to attract their attention.

If her Miss Universe crown is the only thing you know about her, there’s a possibility for you to suspect that all those other talents of hers—i.e., singing—are merely part of a public-image machinery. Try listening to her talk, though, and that suspicion will flee to Siberia.

The Top 5 question for Gray was this: “Canada recently joined Uruguay as the second nation in the world to make marijuana legal. What is your opinion on the legalization of marijuana?”

Her answer: “I’m for it being used in a medical use but not so for recreational use, because I think if people were to argue, what about alcohol and cigarettes? Well, everything is good but in moderation.”

At least one Pinoy mentioned Tokhang in reacting to Gray’s answer since President Rody Duterte’s war on drugs remains alive and kicking in Pinas.

Another Top 5 question was this: “Hundreds of journalists across the world were jailed this year for writing stories that are critical of their government. Why is freedom of the press important?”

Miss Puerto Rico Kiara Ortega’s answer: “The press is there to inform us, their job is to give us the news about what’s happening in the world right now. They should have total freedom to be able to report exactly what’s happening without forgetting that they have to have sympathy because there are a lot of people that are suffering different problems in the world.”

In other words, press freedom is important because the world needs someone who can tell the truth and nothing but the truth.

There was only one question for the Top 3: “What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your life, and how would you apply it to your time as Miss Universe?”

Gray’s answer: “I work a lot in the slums of Tondo, Manila, and the life there is very poor and very sad. I’ve always taught myself to look for the beauty in it, to look for the beauty in the faces of the children, and to be grateful. I would bring this aspect as a Miss Universe to see situations with a silver lining, and to assess where I could give something, where I could provide something as a spokesperson. If I could teach also people to be grateful, we could have an amazing world where negativity could not grow and foster, and children would have a smile on their face. Thank you.”

Her reply sounded true and from the heart. But it was still criticized for romanticizing poverty. Oh, well.