Way to go, Catriona!

Now it can be told. I’m part of Team Catriona Gray.

No, I’m not her stylist. Nor her catwalk coach. Nor her hair or makeup stylist, and neither her Q&A coach. Heck, she doesn’t even know me.

I’m just Team Catriona Gray as a prayer warrior. one of her millions actually.

The day she arrived in Bangkok to compete in this year’s Miss Universe, I included her in my daily prayers. That she gives us our fourth crown.

I wouldn’t have settled for a semifinal finish. Kahit nga mag first runner-up sya, magwawala ako. For me, Catriona Gray was destined to be Miss Universe.

This was not like when Pia wurtzbach competed. I fervently prayed for Pia to win too but in my mind, she had a lot going on and the odds were stocked against her.

Beauty observers at the time noted that you never know which Pia was going to show up in the pageant. on any given day, she could kick anyone’s butt, but given her prior performances in Bb. Pilipinas, she could have just as easily lost to anyone. This is what makes Pia so fascinating to watch. Every point from the judge was a challenge, any second she could break down and just go home as a TYG (Thank You Girl). The last time she lost the war with herself in Bb. Pilipinas, that’s exactly what happened.

But those experiences have honed Pia and she emerged as the best version of herself in the Miss Universe pageant, stomping her way to the crown, shoving away the pesky Miss Colombia who still insists she won and held the crown for five minutes. Tse!

Catriona, on the other hand, is consistent, methodical and smooth. All her moves are calculated. From her wave when she arrived at the airport, to her iconic slow-motion twirl and her final pose in the tableau, to her thoughtful pause in the final question—you knew she planned all this. And it paid off.

Until now, I’m still recovering from all the shouting and crying I did on Monday. All the stress-eating I did during the pageant. All the expletives I screamed at Miss South Africa and Miss Venezuela, whom I considered were her fiercest competitors. How I wanted to throw one of the big bag of chips I was holding to Carson Kressley and Lu Sierra for

not even considering Catriona in their short list to win! Bruha sila!

Anyway, congratulations, Catriona! And to the next candidate we will send, go for a back-to-back.

MAALAALA MO KAYA, or MMK, Asia’s longest-running drama anthology known for chronicling real-life stories on the struggles and experiences of Filipinos from all walks of life, made history by winning Best Single drama/Telemovie at the inaugural Asian Academy Creative Awards in Singapore recently.

The show’s winning entry is“Kotse-Kotsehan”(with the international title “Toy Car”), a special two-part episode of MMK, which depicted the two perspectives of a mother’s love for her children, and topbilled by awardwinning actress Angel Locsin and dimples Romana.

Receiving the award, MMK Business Unit Head Roda dela Cerna shared the recognition with the “two mothers who entrusted their life stories to [the show].” She also thanked the men and women behind the multiawarded drama anthology.

MMK qualified for the international gala finals after being declared the national winner in the said category in october.

The Asian Academy Creative Awards was held during the 2018 Singapore Media Festival, and was created to “celebrate the best of Asian storytelling” and aims “to serve the creative industries as the pinnacle of their achievement in content creation and media production.”

Aside from the Asian Academy Creative Awards, MMK also won the Household Favorite Award and the Anak TV Seal Awardee 2018 at the Anak TV Seal Awards on december 7.

The longest-running drama anthology in Asia, MMK airs every Saturday on ABS-CBN. nnn