Because I had yet to fit my barong, I went home at high noon on 16 July. And as usual, Lydia exceeded my expectations; my barong was a killer.
I napped. Then came the text message from Ms. Totit, the Search for Hiyas ng Carrascal chair, asking what time I wanted fetched. I said about 5:30 because the anti-social me didn’t want to mingle with other judges and instead want to go directly to the pageant’s venue, which was the boulevard. She said I had to go directly to Oasis Resort where dinner would be served. And I have reserved a room for you just in case you decide to sleep there, she added.
I didn’t have plans of bringing the dslr camera because I didn’t want to take pictures at the same time I was judging the contestants because it’s rude. But at the last minute, I changed my mind. And so I texted an officemate to request the clerk to prepare the camera and to recharge the battery. I would just pick it up on my way to Carrascal, I said. But knowing the office would be close by then, I told her to leave the camera with the SSS guard downstairs.
My sundo came late. I went inside SSS office and grabbed the camera on top of the table along with the charger. Then we headed for Carrascal.
We arrived at Oasis Resort at about 7:30 PM. Only the candidates who were being made up were there. No judges; no organizers. Some gay handlers were bitching they hadn’t eaten yet. At the counter, a resort staff gave me the key to “Aircon N”. When I asked her where the food for the judges was, she said she didn’t know.
I was famished and it was getting late. I texted Ms. Luanne, a committee member and a former graduate student, asking if the pageant would start anytime soon because I needed to have a bite of food first. She said they’d wait for me.
The staff at the counter told me it would take 30 minutes to order food. I pleaded to her to serve me anything edible. She phoned someone in the kitchen and said, in front of me, to see if there was some left over from the buffet they set up earlier. I fell off the high chair.
Then I proceeded to my room to freshen up and change while the kitchen crew was scouring his territory with leftover food he could feed me. It was 8:45 PM when Luanne had me fetched by the Everest of Vice Mayor Arreza. When I arrived at the venue, the spectators were singing the Lupang Hinirang. As we hit the back door I was cursing myself. Good thing I saw Sir Polong, a school principal and a former graduate student, and he guided me to my chair. The light was blinding and I could sense people were looking at me either because I was late or my barong was shining from the glare of spotlights circling the venue like mad.
The judges' table carried a keyboard and an LCD monitor containing a programmed judging sheet. All we had to do was input the scores.
Then the pageant began.
The male host introduced Shamcey Supsup as co-host and the crowd went wild. As the show progressed, I took notes in between my rating the 19 candidates who were all not from Carrascal. All the while, the dslr camera was on my table beside my cell phone.
I received a text message from Ms. Tessie Molejon-Miranda commenting on my nice barong. She was watching the show in Cantilan on cable tv.
Then it was time to serenade the candidates. Shamcey said Paolo Avelino was not available but not to worry because an equally popular substitute was with her. And out came Aaron Villaflor. When Aaron started singing to the candidates, I took the camera, turned it on, aimed, and shoot. Nothing. I tried again. Nothing.
I checked the SD card; it was there. Then I checked the battery; it wasn’t there. The image of a charger flashed in my mind. It was inside my backpack that was sitting on the bed at Oasis Resort.
Fuming, I texted the clerk, demanding an explanation why she didn’t put back the battery after recharging. She said she didn’t know how and that was the reason she sent the charger that contained the battery.
I was shot! I thought of Lovely, Maria Isabel, Nonon, and Tita.
The pageant ended. And I had no picture to show how great my barong was. Hahaha
Shamcey was squirreled away by the organizers and I was sitting there waiting for Ms. Totit to tell me the vehicle was ready to whisk me home to Tago. Ms. Niknik Montenegro (Kote’s wife) came up to me to say she wouldn’t be hitching a ride with me.
About 20 minutes later, Ms. Totit said I’d be riding a van to Tandag with Shamcey Supsup and her party; they were staying at Villa Maria Luisa Hotel. Ms. Totit made me follow her backstage, to a secret room where Mayor BB Pimentel was entertaining Shamcey. On a small table were various seafood. When he saw me, Mayor BB stood, pulled me and introduced me to Shamcey. She extended her hand and we shook. Then Mayor made me sit beside Shamcey and left. Niknik entered the room and pulled me to have a photo op with Shamcey.
Then we rode the maroon van back to Oasis Resort to get our things. Inside everybody was laughing as Shamcey and her manager mimicked the candidates in the Q&A.
It was already 1:30 in the morning.
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