Thailand quits as Miss Earth host

The culprit is the massive floods that have been devastating Thailand since July, now reaching its capital, Bangkok, so the 2011 Miss Earth contest scheduled there from Nov. 20 to Dec. 3 has to be moved back to the Philippines, the contest’s home base.

According to Funfare’s “other beauty expert” Celso de Guzman Caparas, this was confirmed by Lorraine Schuck, executive vice president of Carousel Productions, in a letter to all contestants and directors:

Wrote Schuck:

“We have tried to remain optimistic about the situation in Thailand but day after day, the flood continues to engulf more portions of the country including its capital, Bangkok, where Miss Earth 2011 is scheduled to be held. Factories are shutting down and millions have been displaced from their work and homes. We understand and sympathize with the unfortunate and difficult situation Bangkok is undergoing especially after the Thai government recently declared indefinite holidays for everyone’s safety. Thai officials estimate it might take four to six weeks for the floods to recede and recovery could take months, if not years.

“To continue to hold Miss Earth in Bangkok would be very insensitive and irresponsible on our part. Accordingly, we have decided to change the venue of Miss Earth 2011 from Bangkok to where it all started: the Philippines. We are at this very moment planning and lining up meaningful activities for you that will be true to our mission as beauties for a cause. In our workshops, we shall discuss these natural calamities and what we can do to control their effects on our respective countries.” 

Ronnie Liang at Universal Studios

The announcement of Thailand as host of Miss Earth 2011 took place last June during the coronation of Miss Philippines-Earth. Originally scheduled to take place in Pattaya, the contest was moved to Bangkok where it would have been held at the Impact Arena.

The coronation of Miss Earth 2011 will take place at the University of the Philippines Theater on Saturday, Dec. 3, and will be telecast over ABS-CBN on Sunday, Dec. 4. Reigning Miss Earth is Nicole Faria of India.

“Miss Earth 2012 will be held in Ninh Thuan, Vietnam, in Dec. 2012,” said Celso.

Did Ronnie get married in U.S.?

There’s a rumor that Ronnie Liang married his Fil-Am nurse-girlfriend during his recent trip to the U.S. Not true, Ronnie told Funfare. “I just visited her.”

Ronnie kept the trip confidential. He quietly slipped out of the country to visit his girlfriend (whose identity is not revealed to protect her privacy) in New York. He was away for three weeks.

“Visiting the U.S. as a regular tourist and not as part of a concert tour gave me a chance to appreciate the sights and sounds of the places we visited,” said Ronnie whose last U.S. trip was in 2006 as part of the tour for Pinoy Dream Academy, the reality show where he finished as one of the five finalists. It was his girlfriend who acted as tour guide.

After seeing the sights in the Big Apple, the sweethearts flew to L.A. and visited, among other landmarks, Universal Studios, Knottsberry Farm, Disneyland and the Ronald Reagan Library which Ronnie described as “awesome.”

Election lawyer Romy Macalintal with Manny Pacquiao at the Wild Card Gym in L.A.

Asked when he and his girlfriend are getting married, Ronnie smiled.

“At the right time.”

Postscript on ‘Batangas’ sign

Here’s election lawyer Romy Macalintal on the abortive erection of the “BATANGAS”sign:

   The proposal of Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos to put up a “BATANGAS” sign on Taal Volcano immediately received some criticisms before it could even take off.  I am very sure, though, that Gov. Santos and her colleagues in the Provincial government of Batangas have all the best of intentions and good purpose in conceiving this project most especially to boost tourism in the area.

While her detractors could instantly pass unfair judgment on a worthy project still under consideration, they were thunderously silent on some eyesore signs that deface or practically vandalize scenic spots in our country.  One of these signages which I noticed when I went to Baguio City one weekend is the huge advertisement of a soy sauce with its brand spelled in gigantic letters with its big logo and below it is a massive billboard of a brandy erected right smack on the scenic mountains along Marcos Highway.

I honestly believe that it is these type of commercial advertisements that should be first dismantled as they continue to ruin and disfigure picturesque landscape of our country, instead of people immediately passing judgment on a project intended for public good and which, for sure, was visualized without any business nor commercial considerations.

Anesthesiologists’ convention in Chicago

Drs. Welson Yap, Grace Herbosa, Lea Enriquez and Veronica Durante, and Miss Lea Masilungan, are shown at Navy Pier in Chicago where they attended the annual convention of the American Society of Anesthesiologists at the Cormick Convention Center from Oct. 14 to 18. ‘This convention is the premier anesthesiologist convention in the world,’ said Dr. Yap, ‘attended by more than 5,000 anesthesiologists from all over the world.’

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