Ilang kandidata sa 2018 Miss Caloocan pasadong model at artista

SA TULAD naming meron nang kapansanan at ignorante pa sa mga lugar kahit dito sa Maynila, we had to consult a google map para matunton namin ang kinaroroonan ng bagong munisipyo ng Caloocan City on Eighth Ave.

That was to be the venue (sa ikatlong palapag nito particularly at the Bulwagang Katipunan) of the media presentation para sa idaraos na taunang Miss Caloocan upon the text invite of our fellow BANDERA columnist Jobert Sucaldito.

Dalawang paraan pero lulan ng tren ang ikalulutas ng aming geographical ignorance. Ang ending—we chose to ride the LRT en route to the Fifth Ave. at mula roon ay nagpahatid kami sa nakaabang na tricycle.

Bantulot si mamang drayber na ibaba kami sa mismong city hall, bawal daw. Pero maayos kausap ang nakatalagang unipormadong city hall traffic enforcer, sa mismong tapat na lang daw kami bumaba after he noticed our difficulty in walking.

Hindi lang si mamang nagtatrapiko ang nagpamalas ng kortesiya sa inyong lingkod. From the seven-storey building entrance hanggang sa pagsakay namin sa elevator ay may nakaalalay sa amin.

Admittedly, first time naming tumuntong sa city hall ng Caloocan, ganu’n pala kape-pleasant ang mga empleyado roon.

To ourselves, we instantly realized—that must be the “(Hon. Mayor) Oscar Malapitan School of Treatment (toward the visitors).”

Our ka-OA-n in terms of punctuality got the better of us. We were the first to arrive at the very doorstep of the hall.

Nang isa-isa nang nagsidatingan ang aming mga kabaro ay almost ready na—clad in their blue one-piece swimwear with a floral transparent cloth wrapped around the hips—ang 26 candidates, all made up as though it was the pageant night.

One hundred eighty eight ang bilang ng lahat ng mga barangay na sakop ng makasaysayang siyudad. Why only 26 ay dahil salang-sala ang mga kinatawan.

Hinati sa tatlong batches ang pagpapakilala sa mga dilag, about less than half of them yata’y kursong Tourism ang kinukuha sa UE Caloocan. And why not? Aside from the 67 year-old beauty (and brains) pageant na proyekto ng Cultural Affairs Tourism Office (in cooperation with the Caloocan Cultural and Tourism Foundation or CCTF), each of the 26 hopefuls is already an ambassadress of the city’s tourism (and yes, its rich heritage).

True to the mayor’s name ay nakilatis ng press nang “malapitan” ang mga kandidata, some of them are even deadringers for local stars.

At bakit naman kasi hindi nila sasadyaing magmukhang artista? Miss Caloocan—for the record—has produced such names like Angel Locsin (Miss Teen pero gamit niya ang kanyang totoong apelyidong Colmenares) at Aubrey Miles sa mundo ng showbiz. Isama pa si Mitch Cajayon na dating kinatawan sa Kongreso.

Equally interesting ay ikalimang taon nang idinaraos ang nasabing timpalak under the able leadership of Mayor Malapitan, pero ngayong taon lang mate-televise ang live grand coronation night on Feb. 24 at the City Sports Complex.

A pre-pageant precedes the much-awaited event kung saan sasalubungin din ng Caloocan City ang pagdiriwang ng Chinese New Year alongside giving due recognition to its most outstanding citizens.

Hindi pa ganap na wrapped up ang media presentation when we stealthily sneaked out of the hall (on the pretext na magsi-CR kami). Ang elevator girl na unang umalalay sa amin paakyat was the same gracious employee who assisted us on our way out.

Ang isa pang empleyadang nakatalaga sa info desk at the lobby ang nagtawag naman ng isang lalaking kasamahan to get us a trike ride back to the Fifth Avenue.

Having once worked in government, we know there exists such a thing as red tape. May mga kawani na kung hindi makupad kumilos ay bisi-bisihan lang sa trabahong wala namang tinatrabaho—whose supposedly productive office hours are spent on endless, if not senseless tsikahan.

Pero ibang klase ang pamumuno ni Mayor Oca. His turf is not without a single idle worker. Bukod sa masisipag ay mapuso pa sila.

It’s the “school” he had built, not just a government edifice.