Anak nina Boyet at Sandy malakas ang laban sa 2017 Bb.Pilipinas

MARIEL DE LEON

BY now, may mga early bets na marahil ang marami sa atin as the 40 official candidates to this year’s Binibining Pilipinas are all over social media.

Compared to the recent years, our eye for sheer beauty tells us na mas marami—if not all of them—ang mangangabog come coronation night to think na ang mga nakabalandrang larawan nila are only in their swimsuit.

Pose kung pose, emote kung emote, liyad kung liyad, pout kung pout ng kanilang mga labi.

Of the 40 hopefuls, tiyak na nakatawag-pansin din ang photo ni Maria Angelica de Leon. No, her name doesn’t sound new. Siya si Mariel, the daughter of Christopher de Leon and Sandy Andolong, an also-ran (read: talunan) the first time she joined the local pageant years ago.

Pero malaki na ang in-improve ni Mariel from how she looked then. Gone are her flabs (baby fats) habang suot ang hapit na hapit na swimsuit.

Ito ang ikalawang attempt ni Mariel at clinching the crown, eh, ano naman? Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach persevered in her third attempt, hayun, nagbunga at tinanghal pang Miss Universe in 2015.

Baka nga ang career path din ni Mariel ay in the mold of other beauty queens malayo sa tinahak ng kanyang mga artistang magulang. Honestly naman kasi, even born to showbiz parents Mariel hardly carved a niche in showbiz.

Sa isang Viva-produced teleserye on TV5 last year, Mariel’s role as best friend to the bida could be dispensed with. Walang challenge ang ibinigay na role sa kanya that her acting failed to create an impact on the viewers as well.

Pero sabi nga, kanya-kanyang linya lang ‘yan. Baka mas may career opportunity si Mariel sa mundo ng catwalk, kaya isang mainit na good luck sa ‘yo, Mariel, in your second try!