International Beauty Queens Who Set their Feet in Philippine Soil

You may have read some of these in my previous posts but it is fun to collet them in  one article written to us by Ricardo Lo of Funfare. The subject is about international beauty queens who set their feet in Philippine soil. This is the  time when Philippines was a super beauty power in the world and the leading country in Asia.

Ricardo opened his article by saying "Celso sent the following nostalgia piece about Miss International beauties who visited the Philippines, plus an interesting sidelight about Gemma Cruz, the Philippines' first international title-holder."

• Maria Stella Marquez Zawadsky of Colombia, the first Miss International (1960), arrived in Manila on March 31, 1961 on Pan American Airways flight. She appeared in the Pageant of World Beauty Queens held on April 5 to 11 that same year at the Araneta Coliseum (where she and Jorge Araneta, now her husband, first met). Sponsored by The Manila Chronicle, the show was for the benefit of The Foundation for Gifted Children headed by then First Lady Leonila D. Garcia. With Stella were three of her runners-up: namely Iona Pinto of India (first), Sigridur Geirsdottir of Iceland (second) and Joyce Kay of England (third); semi-finalists Edita Vital (Miss Philippines), Michiko Takagi (Miss Japan) and Christl D'Cruz (Miss Singapore).

The two-hour presentation showcased elegant ternos created by Ramon Valera, costumes and ensembles worn by famous stars in multi-million dollar Hollywood productions such as Song Without End, Oklahoma, Desiree, The King and I and The Alamo. It also featured the reenactment of Stella's coronation as Miss International.

• Constance "Stanny" van Baer of Holland, Miss International 1961, arrived in Manila on Dec. 13, 1961 for that year's Pageant of World Beauty Queens also at the Araneta Coliseum. The show was part of Christmas Cavalcade topbilled by American balladeers Jerry Valle and Don Cherry. Adding glitter to the show were local beauties Pilar Arciaga (Miss Philippines-International 1961), Cynthia Ugalde (Miss Press Photography of the Philippines 1961) and Helen Gamboa (first runner-up Miss Press Photography of the Philippines 1961); together with Sigrun Ragnarsdottir (Miss Iceland and fourth runner-up Miss International 1961), Renate Moller (Miss Germany and semi-finalist Miss International 1961), Carmen Anze (Miss Bolivia 1961), Julie Koh (Miss Singapore 1961 who failed to compete in the pageant because she was ill of hepatitis), Sharon Wiley (Miss Oregon 1961) and Marlene Loren (1961 Miss California and third runner-up Miss USA 1961).

• Nine days after she was crowned as Miss International 1964, Gemma Cruz and her mom Chitang Nakpil headed for Manila for her much-awaited homecoming. During a stop-over in Honolulu, Gemma bought a grass skirt for herself. On board the same flight were the members of Bayanihan Dance Troupe fresh from their triumphant world tour. At exactly 7:02 a.m. on Aug. 24, 1964, PAL-operated KLM Flying Dutchman (dubbed as "Miss International Flight") touched down at the Manila International Airport. Over 200,000 jubilant Filipinos (the largest ever to welcome a returning Filipina international beauty queen) lined up the streets from the airport to Escolta to her house in San Juan.

Then Manila Mayor Antonio Villegas declared that day Araw ni Gemma and awarded her a golden medallion as Outstanding Manilan (the first time such an award was given by the city). A song titled Gemma (a "habanera") was specially composed in her honor by Prof. Felipe Padilla de Leon (translator of the original lyrics of Lupang Hinirang from Spanish to Tagalog and National Artist for Music, 1997) which was sung by Tony Toledo during the reception given by Mayor Villegas. Late that afternoon, Gemma paid a courtesy call to Pres. Diosdado Macapagal who bestowed on her the Golden Heart Presidential decoration. A formal tea party was tendered by First Lady Eva Macapagal and was graced by beauty queens Stella Marquez de Araneta, Cristina Galang-Caedo (Miss Philippines 1953), Monina Yllana-Fernando (Miss Philippines 1963 and semi-finalist in Miss International that year), Bessie Ocampo-Buencamino (Miss Philippines 1954 and semi-finalist in Miss Universe that year) and Edith Nakpil-Rabat (Miss Philippines 1956). Composer and public school teacher Alice Doria-Gamilla presented to Gemma the lyric sheets of her compositions, Gemma and My Wonderful World is You.

Death of a Beauty Queen: Miss International 1991 Agniezska Kotlarska

She is Agnieszka Kotlarska, a beauty queen who was given a second life after she backed out from flying a plane that crashed and killed all the people on board but only to surrender her second life two months later after when she was stabbed to death by a stalker.

Agnieszka is the first Polish winner of the Miss international beauty pageants in 1991. She went on to pursue a modeling career in New York for the likes of Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, before returning to Poland to settle in Maślice.

Agnieszka was stabbed to death by a stalker in August 27, 1996. The attack also injured her husband, Jarosław Świątek.

Here is a report of the incident by Maciej Mich, Wrocław - Małgorzata Bąkowska

A Tragic Obsession

Police have arrested an alleged stalker for the murder of 1991's Miss Poland.

Jerzy L. has confessed to killing former 1991 Miss Poland and Miss International, Agnieszka Kotlarska, after stalking her for more than five years.

On Aug. 27, police allege, he approached Kotlarska as she was getting into a car with her husband, Jarosław Świątek, and daughter. Świątek jumped out of the car, the men began to scuffle, and Jerzy L. produced a hunting knife from his knapsack. Kotlarska jumped out of the car when she saw Jerzy L. stab her husband's leg. Jerzy L. has confessed that he then stabbed her four times in the chest. Kotlarska died in the hospital.

After the stabbing, police officers found Jerzy L. in his home. He immediately confessed to killing Kotlarska, saying he was mad with jealousy that the girl of his dreams had married someone else and had "ruined his life." He also told police he always carried the hunting knife and never intended to use it to commit a crime. He faces a sentence ranging from eight years in prison to the death penalty.

Jerzy L. first saw Kotlarska in 1990, when she was modeling. He tried to get a date with her, but she refused. Jerzy L. was persistent: He got her address and phone number and continued pursuing her.

After she won the Miss Poland title in 1991 and married, Kotlarska left for the United States and a career as a fashion model. She modeled for designers including Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein under the name "Aga." Her photographs appeared in Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Playboy.

After three years in the United States, Kotlarska returned to Poland with her husband and daughter to live in a single-family house in the Wrocław district of Maślice. She began appearing in television commercials, and had two film roles pending. Jerzy L. learned Kotlarska's new address and phone number after see her husband's name in one of many press interviews. Allegedly, he started calling again, asking in vain for a meeting, and prowled around her house, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

Jerzy L. is 36 and a graduate of the Wrocław University of Technology. He works as a computer programmer in a bank. He lives with his parents; his mother says that he was only interested in jogging and computers.

Two months ago, Kotlarska barely escaped death by deciding at the last minute not to fly on TWA Flight 900, which crashed with no survivors off Long Island, New York. Kotlarska's photographer was among the victims.

Kotlarska is the third Polish beauty queen to die in tragic circumstances. In 1957, just after the finals of the Miss Polonia contest, the first runner-up, Krystyna Żyła, fell out of a window at Warsaw's Grand Hotel. In 1994, Magdalena Jaworska, 1984's Miss Polonia, was electrocuted in her own apartment, after dropping a hairdryer into the water while bathing.