Cecile M. Genove

	Web www.visayandailystar.com

When it rains, it really pours. To put it in another way, when blessings pour, they come in torrents, threatening a deluge.

For sisters Naddie May and Maolene Chris Orillana, the deluge is providential, having been brought up in an atmosphere steeped with unwavering faith, discipline, and moral consciousness by doting parents, lawyer Rafael "Paeng" Orillana and the former Marisa Kadusale.

Within a span of just one month, the sisters accomplished a no mean feat of romping with two major beauty titles - Buglasan Queen for Naddie and Miss Dumaguete for Maolene. In the absence of a province-wide beauty tilt, Naddie may as well be Negros Oriental's fairest, having represented Dumaguete in the recent Buglasan Festival of Festivals as Miss Sandurot, the official title of the second runner-up in the Miss Dumaguete pageant.

Little did Naddie realize that kid sister Maolene would surpass her performance in the 2004 Miss Dumaguete. She was initially adamant in her refusal to let Maolene join the pageant, representing Foundation University High School, incidentally Naddie's alma mater, too. Being the ever-protective "Manang" that she is, Naddie wanted to shield her sister from any hurts, disappointments, or embarrassments that may happen in the course of the selection and, eventually, the coronation.

But, as fate would have it, even if Maolene joined the other equally deserving candidates seven days before the pageant, she got the judges' nod on that memorable evening with her wit, charm, and statuesque bearing.

The 17-year-old Naddie, who is now a freshman mass communication student at Silliman University, won the following awards as the reigning Buglasan Queen: Miss HBC, Best Speaker, Best Performer, Miss Western Union, and Best in Entourage. Dumaguete's bet for Buglasan King, Chris Arbon, emerged first runner-up to Bais City's Junmar Beltrano who got the coveted title of Buglasan King.

When she joined the 2004 Search for Miss Dumaguete, where she emerged second runner-up, Naddie was Best in Talent, Miss Globelines, Miss GV Cosmetics, Miss Photogenic, and Best in Entourage.

For her part, the 16-year-old Maolene as the reigning Miss Dumaguete won the following awards: Best in Gown, Best in Entourage or Majorette's Attire, and Best in Dance Sportswear.

When she relinquished her crown as Miss FUHS late last month, Maolene delivered live (in contrast to the usual taped speeches) a well-articulated, moving speech as she gracefully made her farewell walk, showing her regal composure that makes her truly a queen. In that speech, she paid homage to her school, dedicating her current Miss Dumaguete title to her alma mater.

Although the sisters have opposite traits and personalities, they are more like two peas in a pod. During our interview with Maolene where she was busy rehearsing for the annual Kasadya-an festival of Foundation University, Naddie would unconsciously answer some of the questions meant for her sister. Not that Maolene would mind, because as Naddie shared, "I am really talkative compared to my kid sister. Maybe it is because I am the eldest. I also tend to be a disciplinarian, especially when it comes to my sister's activities. Sometimes, she can be easily influenced. But, of course, she has a mind of her own." Chirps Maolene, "I have ideas and opinions of my own, but I would rather keep them to myself."

Their similarities do not end with their being major beauty titleholders. Both became Miss Foundation University High School, with Naddie also becoming Miss Intramurals and Bb. Etnika (an inter-department pageant held in line with the celebration of History Week). Both have excellent terpsichorean skills, being members of the Dance Troupe of Foundation University since their elementary years, with Maolene holding the post of current president of the Dance Troupe. Naddie, on the other hand, is now a member of the Silliman University Kahayag Dance Troupe, which held a dance performance at the Cultural Center of the Philippines last week.

Naddie was also champion of the Inter-High School Pop Singing Contest in Metro Dumaguete in 2004, aside from garnering the perpetual trophy as the reigning champion of the 2003 Inter-School Dancesport Competition held in consonance with the city fiesta of Dumaguete.

Their parents have no other recourse except to support both girls fully and wholeheartedly with whatever endeavor they may want to get themselves into. When their mother, Marisa, was in Bangladesh for a year as a volunteer service worker of the United Nations, it was their father who would become Naddie's official driver and chaperon as she attended rehearsals and other activities related to her being a Miss Dumaguete finalist.

When Naddie was crowned Miss Dumaguete Sandurot, mom Marisa was still away. "I'd like to make it up to my daughters now that I'm here," intoned Marisa, who busily attended to Maolene's last-minute needs as she went about her hectic schedule for the Miss Dumaguete pageant.

"We have never curtailed our daughters' freedom. They are free to pursue what interests them, and which they think also best suit their potentials. As parents, we can only support them with the best possible ways and with the best of our abilities," Atty. Orillana shares.

Marisa, who like her husband, used to be active in the social action and reform movement, just wants to instill in her children the good, old values of family solidarity, respect, and responsibility. "Although we practically let them be, we remind them that they have to be accountable for everything that they do. Their titles carry a huge responsibility. It also helps that we keep our lines of communication open, like, Naddie and Maolene can talk to me and their father about anything at any given time of the day," she expounds.

What further keeps their home front peaceful and calm is the fact that both Paeng and Marisa are alike as they are also diverse. While Paeng is Catholic, Marisa is Protestant. Their respective faith or religion has never posed a problem to them, though.

As a compromise, Naddie was baptized in the Catholic church, while Maolene was baptized in Protestant rites. Because they share the same ideology, having met each other at the height of the people's movement, their daughters are a reflection of their conviction and ideals. Naddie, who was born on May 16, got her name from the battlecry at that time - national democracy. Maolene, or Mao-Mao for short, was named after the Chinese leader, Mao Zedong/Mao Tse Tung and the Russian leader, Lenin.

With Maolene graduating from high school this year, she plans to take up biology at Silliman University and later proceed to medical school. Naddie considers her mass communication course as an effective pre-law degree, following in her father's footsteps.

The sisters have been doing a lot of bonding lately as they momentarily share the same bedroom while some refurbishing is being done in their suburban home to accommodate the latest addition to the family - their one-and-a-half-year-old brother, Isaiah.

At the rate the two sisters are going, they must not have known what sibling rivalry means. And, their parents can only nod in agreement.

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