Maybe next year?

What happened to the Philippine bet in the Miss World contest in China? From all indications before the actual judging, she was the odds-on favorite. And yet she did not even land among the finalists. This means that the Miss World title has eluded us again, because this is the only one of the top three beauty titles that no Philippine contestant has ever won. Even the much-publicized and sometimes controversial Ruffa Gutierrez managed to go only as far as second runner-up.

***

Well, it was probably too much to hope for. Our bet for Miss International, Precious Lara Quigaman, had snatched the title away from so many Caucasian and Latin American beauties, sending her kababayans into a frenzy of delight. Then our athletes also became champion of the Southeast Asian Games, with lots of extra gold medals to remove any doubt from the minds of other contenders, especially Thailand, that we won, in the favorite phrase of Malacañang, "fair and square". At least that win cannot be questioned.

***

But it's disappointing to learn that President Arroyo has scrapped from her must-do list in Malaysia, the subject of the unkind words of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin. I hear that Malacañang has confirmed that it is already a closed matter, so GMA will not open the subject with Thaksin. Maybe she chooses to forget that the P.M. himself never took back his words, nor apologized for them, and it was only his underlings, or the sports officials who were falling all over themselves saying that he was only misinterpreted, or erroneously quoted. Me, I think that, unless Thaksin himself apologizes, there will be - to use another Malacañang bromide - "no closure" to this.

***

Perhaps somebody reminded GMA of this when she was about to depart for Malaysia yesterday. In the TV footages of her departure, she was unsmiling all the way as she walked to the plane, and when she turned back to wave, there was no smile, not even a semblance of one, on her face. Or was that caused by reports that the Senate is not likely to pass her next favorite measure, the Anti-Terrorism Bill, despite the fact that Uncle George had already sent over his top spy, former Ambassador here, John Negroponte? But we don't know that for sure, it is also being whispered in high places that Negroponte had meetings with the most influential people in both the House and the Senate.

***

I haven't read or heard any report saying that Vice President Noli de Castro has been designated to act on state matters during the absence of the President. She's going to be out for four days, isn't she? But it was Eduardo Ermita, her executive secretary, whom she had asked to mind the store. Maybe Ermita would be a better caretaker, since the circumstances have called for full red alert. She expects him to do better - he's a former general, remember.

***

Meanwhile, several Pinoys are now in a spot after smuggling themselves into Iraq in the hope of finding jobs there. Apparently, the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department has installed strict measures, in coordination with the Iraqi government, and so they were stopped at the airport. The Foreign office explained that they must have gotten their passports before the ban on working in Iraq, and has ordered them to go home. The problem now is that there are not too many flights from Iraq to RP, and this is Christmas, the peak season for homing balikbayans, so they may find themselves stranded and starving in a hostile country.

***

I wouldn't have minded that our Miss Philippines failed to make lightning strike twice in China, if only the one who won did not have such an impossibly difficult name to pronounce and spell. How did the emcees manage to declare as winner Unnur Birna Vilhjalmsdottir Miss World 2005? They say her mother was also Miss Iceland in 1983, and that this time, there were nine former Miss World winners among the judges. I bet most of them were fair ones, too. Well, maybe the crown of Miss World 2006?* s

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