From Princess to ‘Queen’: The story of PH’s first deaf beauty queen

 

Hers is a beauty that does not need words.

As her royal-sounding name implies, it was as if Princess Alanis Pura was destined for greatness from the very beginning. True enough, she did not settle with being a “princess” and pursued her dreams of becoming a queen, and alas, she became one.

The 18-year-old Princess of Pasay City was crowned as the first Queen of the Philippines last August 1 at the Subic Bay Yacht Club in Subic Bay Free Zone, Zambales. As title holder, she will represent the country and compete with over 60 other girls in the Face of Beauty International contest in Taiwan on October.

At first, one would have thought that her achievement is not extraordinary. Especially in a country obsessed with pageantry like the Philippines, where every barangay holds its own beauty contest during fiestas and even when there is no occasion. In other words, bringing home beauty titles is such a commonplace, unless there is something interesting that makes you stand out. For the Pampanga native, it is not being born deaf that made her different. It was how she competed and performed in spite of her disability.

In fact, Princess does not want to think of herself  as ‘special,’ in the same way that she does not want special treatment from others. “She is naturally shy,” said her former teacher, a sign language interpreter who helped us in our interview. Princess, who studied at the Philippine School for the Deaf in Pasay, is currently taking up a special course on hotel and restaurant management in St. Theresa’s College.

Aside from being reserved, Princess also has the aura of humility and the breath of youthfulness in her personality. When asked what she made her stand out from the 22 other ladies in Queen of the Philippines, she simply laughed and shook her head: “I am not more beautiful than others. Everyone is beautiful,” she said.

Princess on beauty

In a society that puts beauty in a pedestal, there have been countless definitions of what makes something beautiful. Some say it has something to do with skin complexion, physical fitness or proportionality of facial features. But for Princess, it all boils down to something very basic: “Beauty is something that God has given me. Beauty is from God.”

Princess was not as experienced as other candidates when she joined Queen of the Philippines. According to her, she is simply fond of watching the telecast of national and international beauty pageants. This fascination became her inspiration. In fact, her most recent win is just her second pageant stint, after emerging as finalist in the Teen Faces Ad Model search last year.
 
 

Her lack of formal training did not stop Princess from pursuing her dream. She never considered her disability as a disadvantage or an excuse to be disheartened. “I know I have something to share,” Princess said. In fact, regardless of the result of Face of Beauty, she wants to concentrate on helping and inspiring the needy, particularly her fellow deafs, once she returned from Taiwan.

But her path to victory was not that easy.

Princess admitted that she had once been discriminated for her condition. Eventually, she got used to accepting hate comments and insults, “[It’s] just okay, fine, I can accept it,” she said.

Training and preparations

Last August 13, Princess had her first meeting and informal training with Jonas Gaffud, “trainer of the beauty queens” who discovered Miss Universe finalists Venus Raj, Shamcey Supsup, Janine Tugonon, and Ariella Arida. Under Gaffud’s supervision, Princess will undergo six sessions of training before she goes to Taiwan.

Gaffud noted that there are still a lot of things that Princess needs to learn in order to have the aura of a true beauty queen, especially in a time when the pageant world has become more competitive. “It takes a lot of guts, strength, and character to join a beauty contest these days,” he said.
 
 

By the end of each session, Gaffud’s goal is to make Princess more mature in terms of movement, posture, and grace, without taking away her personality.

"We are not taking away your youth, but kailangan nating i-refine ‘yung galaw para ‘pag lumaban ka, you would be a good representative,” he told Princess. “You will show them your youth with your attitude. Be yourself, kung ano ka.”

Princess needs to work on her facial expressions to maximize her good facial structures, he added.

While there is a certain ‘formula’ nowadays for potential contenders in international pageants, Gaffud still believes that every girl has a different personality that needs to be preserved.
 
 
 

“There are two things that makes a beauty queen—either it’s innate in you, ‘yung graceful ka talaga sa stage, or you can make someone be that person,” he said. “May mga magagaling maglakad pero wala ‘yung aura na para sa kanila ‘yung title. Sometimes it’s a gift. Kung para sa’yo, para sa’yo.”

Gaffud also advised Princess that it is okay to doubt oneself sometimes, so she can remain grounded.

In this world, where image and bravado can easily impress and cloud people’s judgement, few can notice the silent strength of humility and determination.

Princess’ story is no different, and her transformation is proof that no words can bring a real ‘beauty’ down.

---ARP, GMA News