In Focus: Binibining Naga City

CEBU, Philippines — For this graduating English major, beauty queen aspirants who can’t express themselves fluently in the Queen’s language should not be flogged with merciless insults.

“Being an English major, I still don’t think speaking English well should be a prerequisite for pageant hopefuls because the idea of a beauty pageant is to promote mentality. We should accept and embrace how the candidates will express their ideas. After all, it’s not how fluent you speak, it’s how genuine you are,” argues Sollaire, a Secondary Education Major in English student at Asian College of Technology.

Sollaire says taking up Education was her parents’ decision, as her dream is to really become a flight attendant. But she has since learned to love the course and in the process, has come to realize how hard it is to be an educator.

“Becoming a teacher is only 30 percent of my dream,” she admits. “My plan is to have a stable job as a flight attendant to be able to travel the world, meet new people, experience other cultures and serve others. One of my goals is to also bring my family to the countries that I’ll be going to.”

“But if I will be given an opportunity for my pageant career, then I will still pursue it because being a beauty queen is also my dream, to represent not just my family and my city, but also my country,” says Sollaire, who’s already racked up quite a haul in pageantry as Miss Silka Cebu 2015 fourth runner-up, Miss Gaisano Island Mall Mactan 2015 third runner-up, Miss Himag Ulaw Festival Queen Placer Masbate 2016, Miss Mactan 2016 first runner-up , Slimmers World Miss Bikini Philippines 2016 top10 finalist, Miss Kaliguan Festival Queen 2016 fourth runner-up, Miss Asturias 2016 and Miss Alcantara 2017 2nd runner-up.

Asked to name some of the influential teachers she’s encountered, Sollaire goes out of the box and cites those she’s learned a great deal from outside of the academe.

“My family has been my best teacher,” she says, “because as what I’ve experienced before I left them, I forget about them in a way that I’ll just remember them everytime I need something. But the moment I went back to them, they accepted me wholeheartedly, they accepted me with no questions and doubt. They simply taught me that no matter where I go, what I do and what I want to happen in my life, they’re always there to guide me. What they want for me is to have a better life and to pursue my dreams. They are always there to support me and be proud of me no matter what.”

If she was in a room full of important and influential people, including our president, Sollaire says she will seize that opportunity and talk to them about these issues close to her heart: “First is about poverty, as it is a main reason why people do bad actions. Second is for our leaders to approve the law that the LGBT community is pushing. And third, I would talk to them about education. Others think that education is just a waste of time and money. That’s why I want to talk and focus about it because I want everyone to study as it is the only treasure that we can have and nobody can take it away from us.”

Another treasure in Sollaire’s eyes is Naga, which she describes as unassuming yet replete with breathtaking sceneries. “It has the Naga Bay where you can spend time with family, friends or even your partner. One thing I love about Naga is its balut. Its super yummy, everyone should try it most especially when you are eating in Naga Bay with the fresh air of the sea. There’s also the beautiful and sacred Naga Church. But my favorite part of Naga is Mt. Naupa, which is a friendly mountain to climb. It’s like climbing the almost perfect cone of Naga’s highest peak. Everyone should go there because it has the breathtaking view of the sea, mountain and city.” – VAB (FREEMAN)