Pageant Farce: Binibining Philipina 2008

It was the most farcical ever, critics say of the recently concluded Binibining Pilipinas 2008, the pageant that selects the country's representatives for the Miss Universe, Miss International and Miss World beauty contests.

Not smart

While some candidates had faces that could feature in glossy magazines for years to come, many agree that this year's batch wasn't exactly the smartest bunch. Many of the semi-finalists buckled under pressure during the question-and-answer portion. And several spoke in atrocious English.

Worse still, the candidate who was the most disastrous during the interview ended up being one of this year's top winners. Janina San Miguel, who could not even string together a sentence in English, will represent the country in the Miss World pageant, the only major beauty title that has so far eluded the Philippines. It's doubtful that Janina can pull it off.