Out to lunch with Janine

There’s a hint of her so-called “cobra walk” when she enters Oasis, the outdoor restaurant at the second floor of Gateway Mall in Cubao, Quezon City, the same venue where Janine Tugonon was interviewed by The STAR in April last year after she was crowned 2012 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe, the contest in which she finished first runner-up to Shamcey Supsup the year before. She was with fellow winners, 2012 Bb. Pilipinas-International Nicole Schmitz and 2012 Bb. Pilipinas-Tourism Katrina Dimaranan, along with their runners-up.

Janine was a hit in Las Vegas during the Miss Universe Pageant with her “cobra walk,” a variation of Shamcey’s “tsunami walk” the year before, and those walks are said to have helped propel them to the Top 5, Shamcey as third runner-up (Venus Raj placed fourth runner-up the previous year) and Janine as first runner-up, duplicating the 1999 record of Miriam Quiambao with whom Janine is often compared, looks- and voice-wise. All four of them are Born-again Christian but belong to different fellowships.

“I wasn’t even aware of that ‘cobra walk’,” says Janine, amused. “I heard about how it was called only from the media reports.”

At 5’8”, ramrod slim, deliciously kayumangging kaligatan and refreshingly unaffected, Janine, 23, looks stunning in a red dress that displays her shapely legs. She’s beautiful even with only a slight make-up. She smiles a lot and looks straight at your eyes when she talks to you, so winsome in her still simple ways and easy manners. No airs (yet!) at all.

Does her Binibini crown still fit her head? (You know how a runner-up victory has turned another beauty queen into a near-spoiled brat overnight, didn’t you?)

“It does,” assures Janine who graduated cum laude with a B.S. Pharmacy degree from UST (where Miriam also graduated) which is giving her a tribute today. She was Miss UST before she joined the Bb. Pilipinas contest and vowed to write off beauty contests when she won only first runner-up in 2011, until friends (including talent scout-manager Jonas Gaffud, now her manager) persuaded (nay, pushed!) her into joining again. She did very reluctantly and backed out during the final screening, but was persuaded (and pushed!) into going back.

“The rest is history,” Jonas tells Funfare. “When I first saw her at the Pitoy Moreno Gala early last year, I told Janine, ‘Alam mo, sayang ka. Pang-Miss Universe ka.’ She just laughed. Her mom, Tita Tess, asked me to train Janine so I asked her to join my agency, Mercator’s Aces & Queens (with Shamcey and Venus among the talents).”

Janine orders garlic bread, cheese puffs and mango shake. I ask for mongo and rice with dilis (delivered from Gaita Fores’ Café Bola downstairs) plus Lemon Grass (sweetened with Splenda).

Asked what her favorite food is, Janine says, “I eat anything except okra, or anything slimy. I lost weight for the Miss Universe contest but when I got too thin, I started eating a lot including beef which I ordinarily avoid. But I don’t eat lechon.”

To keep trim, she exercises, plays badminton and does ballet.

“I studied ballet in Liza Macuja’s school,” she volunteers. “I’ve been into ballet for six years now.”

Has her Miss U victory sunk in?

“Oh yes, it has. When so many activities were lined up for me, I told myself, ‘A, oo nga, Miss Universe runner-up na pala ako’.” Then she laughs. Last Saturday, Janine graced a welcome parade around Balanga, Bataan, her hometown, cheered along the route by her proud townmates who remember Janine as the simple girl who lives in a house surrounded by hawkers of fish, vegetables and other food stuffs. “So we don’t have to go to the market for our needs,” confirms Janine. “Pag labas namin ng bahay, d’un na kami namimili.”

Practically nobody recognized her after she won first runner-up and then as Bb. Pilipinas-Universe. But after the Miss U pageant, Janine can’t go out without people swarming around her for photo ops. She obliges with a smile, again unlike some beauty queens who become myopic even with just a hint of fame.

While taking her lunch un-self-consciously, Janine recalls how she bore Venus’ advice in mind (“Be genuine!”) during the contest period.

“The coach kept on repeating, ‘Just be real, just enjoy the show!’ Even the supervisors were saying the same thing. You know, it’s destiny. If you’re gonna win, you’re gonna win; if you’re gonna lose, you’re gonna lose.”

Her bet to win was Miss Mexico who made it only to the Top 10.

“To her, it was just, well, ‘Wala lang.’ Hindi nagpapapansin. But I like Miss Venezuela’s face. Ganda! Miss South Africa was also a standout. But two days before the finals, my mom told me, ‘I think it’s between you and Miss USA, so make sure that you do well in the Q&A.’ Before we left Manila, my mom was sure that I would win. But after watching the rehearsals in Las Vegas, she said, ‘Si Miss USA lang ang kalaban mo.’ Her hunch was correct.”

Did she honestly feel that Miss USA, Olivia Culpo, deserves the crown?

“I think so. I was with her during the interviews and she was really good. Ang galing niya! She’s not selfish. At one point, I was at a loss, and she helped me. She’s not the type who wants all the attention to herself, that’s why I like her. I think medyo hindi lang siya gan’un kagaling sa pag-walk, sa performance-wise onstage. But personality-wise, she’s tops. She’s humble.”

Janine is spoken for. Her boyfriend, Jaypee Santos (software engineer), was roundly interviewed before Janine came home from Las Vegas. They were both working at a pharmaceutical-insurance company where they met and matched. Told that in most cases, the first casualty is the boyfriend (case in point: Miriam Quiambao who broke off with her boyfriend and went steady with a TV host before marrying an Italian businessman, with the marriage hitting the rocks after six years), Janine is sure that it won’t happen to her.

“I think it’s gonna be my loss if I break up with (Jaypee),” says Janine. “Ang bait niya, eh! If I were to choose a lifetime partner, I would choose him. That’s what my mom and I have been talking about — you know, for me not to change my principles in life.”

How many boyfriends has she had?

“Four.”

Now elevated socially, she’s bound to meet suitors of all types, mostly moneyed and good-looking…and eligible, hopefully.

“I’m done with those types,” she’s firm. “Importante sa akin ‘yung faithful and Jaypee is faithful,” adding, “you know, I come from a broken family, and so are most of my cousins. We have been talking that if ever we get married, we will work hard to keep our families intact.” (Her father, who works as an aircraft mechanic at Lufthansa, has another family. He joined them at Las Vegas to watch the pageant.)

How soon do they plan to get married?

“Not soon, but maybe before I’m 30, kasi my mom wants me to have a baby na before I am 30.”

After the Binibini and Miss, U, what? Is joining showbiz a possibility?

“Hosting? Maybe. But acting? I’m not good at it.” (Gloria Diaz, 1969 Miss Universe, learned acting on the job and became an award-winning actress.)

If, just if, ever she ventured into showbiz, who are the three actors she’d like to have as leading men?

“Jericho Rosales. I like him since I was a kid. Dingdong Dantes, kaya lang Kapuso siya, eh. (Janine is a Kapamilya since it is ABS-CBN which has exclusive coverage rights to Binibini and Miss U. — RFL). And Gerald Anderson.”

Since she’s endorsing generic medicine (with Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos), isn’t she planning to put up her own drugstore?

“Hmmmm, I might. I want to put up my own business.” (She has resigned from the pharmaceutical company.)

What did she do with her cash prize ($3,000)?

“I changed some to pesos because I needed the money,” admits Janine who stands to earn millions from endorsements. “I’m keeping the rest. Ayoko pang papalitan kasi mababa ang exchange rate.”

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