Madame Stella Marquez-Araneta: Happy for Phl, sad for Colombia

Until three days ago when she finally decided to open up, Madame Stella Marquez-Araneta was mum about the controversial Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas, presumably cautious lest she stir a similar hornet’s nest last year when the Philippine bet MJ Lastimosa finished only a semi-finalist with her gown being blamed for it, with poor Madame Stella raking the brunt of the bashing.

Our bet, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach broke the 42-year drought by bringing back to the Philippines the Miss U crown, last won by Margie Moran in 1973 (after Gloria Diaz did in 1969). While others are “trying hard” to share the limelight with Pia, Madame Stella deliberately stays away from the frenzy…until now, that is.

Madame Stella must have found herself in an awkward position during the unforgettable Miss U moment when host Steve Harvey committed that infamous booboo between Miss Philippines and Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez (Madame Stella’s kababayan).

Here is Conversations’ no-holds-barred Q&A with Madame Stella who, if you have forgotten, brought home to her native Colombia the first ever Miss International in 1960.

How did you react to Steve Harvey’s big booboo?

“I think that was a horrible moment in the Miss Universe pageant because it hurt two girls at the same time. Everybody was shocked when it happened. From where I was seated, I could see clearly the anguish of Miss Colombia and the embarrassment of Pia. I think everybody felt the same way.”

Being from Colombia and rooting for Pia, didn’t you find yourself in an uneasy situation?

“I felt bad for Miss Colombia and I was really happy that Miss Philippines won. Those were two different feelings. But I felt sorry for Miss Colombia. If it happened to a girl from another country, I would have felt the same way. It would be painful to any girl just the same.”

Did you suspect that something was wrong while Harvey was making the (wrong) announcement?

“No, never. It can happen that a host will make a mistake. It wasn’t his fault. Maybe he was nervous. Maybe he read the cue card the wrong way…you know, he read baliktad. Usually, in our contests, the way we announce the names, we start from the lower placer to the winner…from the second runner-up to the first runner-up and then to the winner. Harvey announced the names in that sequence, all right, but he called Miss Colombia as Miss Universe.”

Wasn’t it nice that Harvey corrected the mistake right away?

“He’s a veteran emcee but it was the first time he was hosting a beauty pageant. So maybe he wasn’t used to how the sequence of announcing the winners’ names should be done. I don’t know.”

Were you able to talk to Miss Colombia and sympathize with her?

“No, I didn’t. But I met her. For the second time, I also met Paulina Vega, the outgoing Miss Universe who is also from Colombia. I met her in Miami last year when I went there for the contest. She’s a very nice girl. Did you see her trying to console both Miss Philippines and Miss Colombia by patting their backs? I also met her parents and they were also very nice. Paulina comes from Cali, my hometown. Ariadna is from Bogota, the capital of Colombia.”

Didn’t you send Ariadna maybe a note of sympathy?

“I didn’t, I haven’t, but maybe I should. There’s such an overwhelming feeling of sadness and embarrassment, and it skipped my mind. Maybe I will send her a note anytime soon.”

Does any of your relatives know Ariadna personally?

“I will check. I need to console Ariadna because the Colombians still feel bad about what happened. They are so mad. All the news that I get is how they felt about the pageant.”

According to one report, a Colombian burned the effigy of Pia. How did you feel about that?

“It was not against Pia. You see, there’s a custom in Colombia to get rid of bad things that happened during the year by burning them. Pia’s effigy symbolized the sad thing that happened during the Miss Universe pageant, but it was nothing against her. If something bad happens, take it out.” (Reacting to the story, Pia was quoted in a news report that she understood the whole thing.)

Because of what happened, everybody has been talking about the pageant.

“This year’s pageant made history. It generated wide publicity for Miss Universe. Publicity good or bad for Colombia and the Philippines. Sometimes, they say that as long as they talk about it, it’s publicity. It’s being talked about all over the world. I’m not saying that it’s good publicity for either Colombia or the Philippines. But people cannot restrain themselves from getting involved in the controversy.”

Who did you think was Pia’s closest competitor?

“Miss Colombia. I arrived in Las Vegas two days before the coronation night, everybody was talking only about two candidates, Miss Colombia and Miss Philippines. There was something about the girls that made them stand out. Being a national director, I met with similar officials from Europe, Latin America and Asia, and they were also talking only about Colombia and Philippines.”

Were you sure that Pia would be “it”?

“Yes, I was sure. I could also judge by the way Filipinos in the audience were cheering for her. You know, Pia was ready all the way. The way she walked, the way she talked, the way she delivered her speech…she stood out! Unfortunately for the Latin American girls, Pia beat Colombia. But the girls from Asia were rooting for Pia and they are happy for her.”

What do you think are Pia’s winning qualities?

“She’s a very dedicated person in everything she does. She knows what she wants and how to get it. If she goes somewhere, she makes sure that she prepares for it…all the time! I observed her for three years in the Binibini and I noticed how focused she was. She’s serious about everything that she plans to do.”

Did the gowns (red by Oliver Tolentino for the pre-finals and blue by Albert Andrada during the finals) that Pia wore help sway the judges in her favor?

“When we were preparing Pia for Las Vegas, she said that she wanted her gown to be blue. She wanted only blue because she mentioned that the new Miss Universe crown has a lot of blues on it. She has such good foresight.” (Note: The crown is made up of 311 pieces of diamonds, five pieces of blue topaz and 198 pieces of blue sapphire, 33 pieces of crystals, and gold.)

You visited Pia at the suite she moved into right after she won. What did you talk about?

“She paraded around the room with the crown on her head. She said she would sleep with the crown beside her.”

Pia is an example that also-rans can be winners (just like Janine Tugonon who was a second-timer in the Binibini search before she won and finished first runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant). You have just started the search for bets in next year’s pageants (for Universe, International, Supranational, Intercontinental and Globe). Would you encourage previous runners-up or semi-finalists to join this year’s search?

“We don’t stop them from joining again. Some make it but some don’t.”

Like the Philippines, Colombia is crazy about beauty contests.

“Yes, you’re right. But Colombia doesn’t have ‘beauty schools’ just like they have in Venezuela where beauty queens are trained for pageants.”

The Philippines now has three Misses Universe (Gloria Diaz in 1969, Margie Moran in 1973 and Pia Wurtzbach in 2015) and Colombia has two (Luz Marina Zuluaga in 1958 and Paulina Vega in 2014). You said you’ve met Paulina. What about Luz Marina?

“A few weeks ago, she had just gone to the doctor for a check-up and there was nothing wrong with her. After a few hours, she died. She was having lunch with friends at her house and she collapsed. I met Luz Marina years ago in Los Angeles where I was studying. The Miss Universe pageant was being held in Long Beach and that was where I met Luz Marina. With my mother and grandmother, I went to see Luz Marina and I even got her autograph.”

That was about two years before you joined the same pageant. The next year, you made history for Colombia by winning the first ever Miss International contest. In the Philippines, beauty queens are looked up to as heroines and they (Gloria and Margie) are even immortalized on stamps. What about in Colombia?

“The same.” (Trivia, from “beauty expert” Celso de Guzman Caparas: Zuluaga was thought of as the Grace Kelly of Colombia since she defeated 35 other delegates and was crowned as 1958 Miss Universe in Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, California, USA, on July 25, 1958. Because of her historical victory, the government and the people showered her with love and amenities and looked up to her as a national heroine. Her government declared her as tax-exempt for life, built a 10-bedroom mansion with a 24-hour security, gifted her with an emerald ring and was immortalized on three stamps.

Our bets have been winning year in and year out. Do you think the Philippines is “the one to beat” in every pageant abroad?

“Oh yes. It used to be Venezuela. Now, it’s the Philippines.”

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