Remember Mascot Manolo of the 1994 Miss U?

Twenty-three years ago when the Miss Universe pageant was held here for the second time (the first was in 1974), there was a mascot called Manolo of Manila who unwittingly competed for attention with the more than 80-plus beauties from across the universe. At 5’4”, Manolo refused to be dwarfed by the towering ladies, most of them almost six-footer, and he won not the crown but, as the beauties did, the hearts of his kababayan.

Manolo was none other than Ogie Alcasid, now 49, married to Regine Velasquez, his secondwife with whom he has a cute little boy, Nate. Back then, Regine was relatively new in showbiz and so was Ogie who was helplessly attracted to Michelle van Eimeren, the stunning bet from Australia, a beautiful blend of beauty and brains (who was a scholar in Japan’s Sophia University). Oops, we’re getting ahead of the story!

Was Manolo named after somebody embodying the sum total of the Filipino male? Why not, for instance, Juanito dela Cruz (as a nod to his “small but terrible” trait which is Pinoy na Pinoy)?

“I don’t know,” said Ogie, amused by the recollection. “The name Manolo was ‘invented’ by Ma’am Charo (Santos-Concio) and Ma’am Cory (Vidanes) of ABS-CBN which covered the pre-pageant activities. I was new in the business then, having started only in 1988, and my first home was ABS-CBN. The pageant was under the Department Of Tourism (DOT) at that time and ABS-CBN was working closely with the DOT.”

Manolo was tasked to act as tour guide of the candidates who visited, among other places, the Pearl Farm in Davao, Dakak and landmarks in Manila (the CCP, Fort Santiago.

“I enjoyed those places as much as the ladies did,” recalled Ogie. “That was the first time I saw Dakak and Pearl Farm. I felt like a tourist in my own country. All the ladies were nice and friendly. Miss Belgiumat 5’8” was among the short ones, kaya hindi nagkakalayo ang height namin,” added Ogie with a laugh.

But Ogie became close only to Michelle who was then in her teens. However, he started courting Michelle only towards the end of the pageant in which Michelle finished a semi-finalist (the winner was India’s Sushmita Sen).

“I thought she was among the frontrunners,” said Ogie who named delegates from Belgium, Thailand and Venezuela as the others. Like Finland’s Armi Kuusela, the first Miss Universe (1952), and Colombia’s Stella Marquez, the first Miss International (1962), Michelle answered the voice of love and opted to remain in Manila to marry Ogie. (Armi married Virgilio Hilario and has remarried twice after Hilario died; she’s now based in La Jolla, California. Stella is happily married to Jorge Araneta.) Ogie and Michelle’s marriage was annulled and she’s now married to Mark Murrow (from New Zealand).

Before they got married, Ogie and Michelle starred in (OctoArts Films’) Manolo & Michelle in which he played a fisherman and she, a mermaid (the same role played by Finland’s Johanna Raunio in Lorelei, with model Raul Roa as leading man, after she placed second runner-up in the 1974 Miss Universe held in Manila).

Up to now, Ogie and Michelle have remained friends, and so have Regine and Michelle, and Ogie and Mark. They bond every now and then, either in Brisbane, Australia, where Michelle and her Ogie’s daughters Leila and Sarah live or in Manila. Currently on a break from school (in Australia), Leila is staying with Ogie and Regine --- “To do a lot of work,” said Ogie. “She wants to be a major influencer. She has her own blog.”

Asked if he’s watching the pageant on Jan. 30 at the MOA Arena, Ogie said, “Maybe. But first, I have to ask Leila if she wants to watch.” (If Michelle were here, I bet that she would.)

And what was the most important that happened to him as Manolo of Manila?

“Of course,” beamed Ogie, “meeting Michelle. That was the most significant.”

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