By Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon
INQUIRER.net
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines—Lawyers of dethroned beauty queen Maria Venus Raj have asked the Binibining Pilipinas pageant organizers on Wednesday to reinstate Raj without any conditions and to clear her name of any wrongdoing.
Also, the reinstatement should not be done for humanitarian reasons, they added in a letter to Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) on Tuesday.
The BPCI announced on Sunday it was giving Raj a chance to reclaim the Binibining Pilipinas title provided that she obtained a valid passport. The pageant organizer also said it had reassessed Raj’s situation and was giving her the chance “for humanitarian reasons.”
The Bicolana beauty was dethroned on March 29 due to inconsistencies in her birth records. She explained that she was too poor to go to court to correct the inconsistencies—which were not of her doing in the first place.
No requirement
“A passport was never a requirement for joining, and even winning, the Bb. Pilipinas title … Accordingly, it should not be made a condition for her reinstatement,” lawyers Gigi Berberabe, Dickson Berberabe and Teodoro Pastrana said.
Raj found another ally in fellow Bicolano, Sen. Francis Escudero, who said the BPCI should reinstate her solely on the basis of her rightful claim to the crown.
Raj, in a statement sent to the Inquirer Wednesday morning, said she was grateful for the BPCI for the reconsideration but again asked the BPCI to clear her reputation.
“Galing man po ako sa isang mahirap na pamilya lamang, itinuro po sa akin ng aking ina na ang integridad at kredibilidad ng isang tao ay napakahalaga (Though I come from a poor family, my mother taught me the value of integrity and credibility),” Raj told the Inquirer.
She said the accusation of misrepresentation, which the BPCI had pointed to as the ground for her dethronement, tarnished her reputation and cast doubts on her right to the Bb. Pilipinas title.
Internet angels
Raj has attracted an increasing number of online supporters.
A published report (not in the Inquirer) which quoted an unnamed representative of the Araneta Group as saying Raj was “snubbing” pageant training sessions, drew immediate Internet flames.
On the Facebook fan page “Petition for Venus Raj to remain as Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2010,” netizens rushed to Raj’s defense: “Spare Venus from that black propaganda. Make peace, BPCI. Venus may have nothing in life but we are the angels helping her. She has her family and us. Take note of that,” said one post.
Raj, in her own response, said she was ready to join the training session as soon as she was reinstated. She also said she had spent time in her hometown Bato, Camarines Sur, to gather the documents needed for her passport application.
Online survey
Raj’s raging supporters have also put her on top of an online survey of Miss Universe candidates on the Spanish website www.20minutos.es.
In a span of just one day, Raj, 21, a part-time model, jumped from number 26 to the top of the survey as of Wednesday noon with over 2,000 votes—overtaking 36 other Miss Universe candidates.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Dethroned beauty to regain crown if she gets passport
By Armin Adina, Ephraim Aguilar
Philippine Daily Inquirer
DETHRONED BEAUTY QUEEN MARIA Venus Raj can keep her title that was taken from her less than a month after her coronation as the country’s official representative to the Miss Universe beauty pageant.
In a statement sent Saturday to the Inquirer, Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) said: “… After due deliberation, we have reassessed the situation pertaining to [Raj] and have decided, for humanitarian reasons, that if she is able to obtain a valid Philippine passport, we will reinstate her as Binibining Pilipinas-Universe.”
Albay Governor Joey Salceda, who had sought an explanation for Raj’s dethronement, was very happy and thankful to the BPCI for reconsidering their decision.
Genny Marcial, corporate affairs and PR manager of Araneta Group, the parent organization of BPCI, said Raj would have until June to present a valid Philippine passport “because the Miss Universe pageant may be held in August.”
Word of Raj’s reinstatement spread quickly on the Internet. Online fans who had rushed to her defense were overjoyed and started blogging and uploading the good news on various social networking sites.
Joyce Burton-Titular, whose blogsite www.adventuresofabeautyqueen.com has been following Raj’s story since Day 1, said: “I honestly think it’s the grace of God working through all the bloggers, forums, Facebook community, and TV and newspaper coverage.”
Burton-Titular, herself a former beauty titlist, told the Inquirer that Rafa Delfin, director of the website for pageant aficionados, www.criticalbeauty.com, had sent an appeal to the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) on Raj’s predicament.
On his Facebook fan page supporting Raj, Delfin said he forwarded the newspaper article about Venus’ humble roots to MUO president Paula Shugart, to which she replied: “After reading this article, this young woman definitely deserves her crown back.”
“They were all moved because they felt the humility and honesty of Venus. Her story of being raised on a farm, in a hut with no electricity, graduating cum laude and winning pageants is powerful. And she still goes home to that same hut today,” Burton-Titular said.
Prayers answered
On the Facebook fan page, “Petition for Venus Raj to remain as Bb. Pilipinas-Universe,” there were mixed reactions about the reinstatement. The page has nearly 4,000 fans.
“God sees the truth and hears our prayers. Cheer up Venus, smile and show the world how beautiful you are inside and out,” one of Raj’s supporters posted.
“Petitions were heard, our prayers were answered,” another fan wrote.
However, a number of bloggers and Facebook users continued to criticize the BPCI, the local franchise-holder of the Miss Universe pageant.
“I’m overjoyed that BPCI is giving Venus a chance … [But] why is obtaining a passport posed as a challenge to her? Shouldn’t they help her with it?” one fan posted.
One commented on Raj’s problem regarding her birth certificate.
“It’s the same story for many poor Filipinos applying for overseas work. When they apply for a passport, they discover discrepancies in their birth certificate,” another fan wrote.
This is usually what happens in rural areas where birth registration is entrusted to midwives, who could give the wrong information to the civil registrar.
“Such are the travails of the rural poor. But did these people commit misrepresentation? No. Were they persecuted by law? No. Their records were simply corrected,” another fan said.
Inconsistencies
The 21-year-old Raj won the Binibining-Pilipinas-Universe title last March 6. She romped away with the special awards Best in Long Gown and Best in Terno, and was voted by her fellow candidates as Miss Friendship.
But on March 29, BPCI stripped her of her title for inconsistencies in her birth records. The organization also proclaimed second runner-up Helen Nicolette Henson as her replacement.
BPCI told the Inquirer that Raj’s birth certificate stated that she was born in Bato, Camarines Sur, her father is a Catholic Filipino, and her parents are married.
However, it was learned that she was born in Doha, Qatar, her father is Indian and she was born out of wedlock.
BPCI said misrepresentation was the sole basis for stripping Raj of her title, and not citizenship or residency as in previous dethronement cases.
Raj disputed BPCI’s claims of misrepresentation. In television interviews, she said she never hid the truth. As early as November, during the screening for the pageant, she already told BPCI that she was born in Doha, Qatar, to an Indian father and a Filipino mother.
Raj said she did not have a hand in the filing of her birth certificate with the erroneous information. The inconsistency was a result of the delayed filing of her birth certificate.
Her aunt, Josephine Ramos, filed the document three years after she was born. Raj said her aunt did what she did to protect her family from embarrassment.
Raj said she only learned of the inconsistency when she was in high school and was applying for a scholarship. She added that it was poverty that prevented her from correcting her official birth records.
Prominent personalities expressed dismay—even outrage-when they learned of BPCI’s earlier decision. Among them were senator and vice presidential candidate Loren Legarda, Gabriela party-list representative and senatorial candidate Liza Maza, Commission on Human Rights Chair Leila de Lima and Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption Chair Dante Jimenez.
Raj, who graduated cum laude with a degree in Communication at Bicol University, will attempt to become the country’s third Miss Universe winner, after Gloria Diaz (1969) and Margie Moran (1973).
The last time the country placed in the pageant was in 1999 when Miriam Quiambao was proclaimed first runner-up to Botswana’s Mpule Kwelagobe. With a report from Rey Nasol, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Philippine Daily Inquirer
DETHRONED BEAUTY QUEEN MARIA Venus Raj can keep her title that was taken from her less than a month after her coronation as the country’s official representative to the Miss Universe beauty pageant.
In a statement sent Saturday to the Inquirer, Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) said: “… After due deliberation, we have reassessed the situation pertaining to [Raj] and have decided, for humanitarian reasons, that if she is able to obtain a valid Philippine passport, we will reinstate her as Binibining Pilipinas-Universe.”
Albay Governor Joey Salceda, who had sought an explanation for Raj’s dethronement, was very happy and thankful to the BPCI for reconsidering their decision.
Genny Marcial, corporate affairs and PR manager of Araneta Group, the parent organization of BPCI, said Raj would have until June to present a valid Philippine passport “because the Miss Universe pageant may be held in August.”
Word of Raj’s reinstatement spread quickly on the Internet. Online fans who had rushed to her defense were overjoyed and started blogging and uploading the good news on various social networking sites.
Joyce Burton-Titular, whose blogsite www.adventuresofabeautyqueen.com has been following Raj’s story since Day 1, said: “I honestly think it’s the grace of God working through all the bloggers, forums, Facebook community, and TV and newspaper coverage.”
Burton-Titular, herself a former beauty titlist, told the Inquirer that Rafa Delfin, director of the website for pageant aficionados, www.criticalbeauty.com, had sent an appeal to the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) on Raj’s predicament.
On his Facebook fan page supporting Raj, Delfin said he forwarded the newspaper article about Venus’ humble roots to MUO president Paula Shugart, to which she replied: “After reading this article, this young woman definitely deserves her crown back.”
“They were all moved because they felt the humility and honesty of Venus. Her story of being raised on a farm, in a hut with no electricity, graduating cum laude and winning pageants is powerful. And she still goes home to that same hut today,” Burton-Titular said.
Prayers answered
On the Facebook fan page, “Petition for Venus Raj to remain as Bb. Pilipinas-Universe,” there were mixed reactions about the reinstatement. The page has nearly 4,000 fans.
“God sees the truth and hears our prayers. Cheer up Venus, smile and show the world how beautiful you are inside and out,” one of Raj’s supporters posted.
“Petitions were heard, our prayers were answered,” another fan wrote.
However, a number of bloggers and Facebook users continued to criticize the BPCI, the local franchise-holder of the Miss Universe pageant.
“I’m overjoyed that BPCI is giving Venus a chance … [But] why is obtaining a passport posed as a challenge to her? Shouldn’t they help her with it?” one fan posted.
One commented on Raj’s problem regarding her birth certificate.
“It’s the same story for many poor Filipinos applying for overseas work. When they apply for a passport, they discover discrepancies in their birth certificate,” another fan wrote.
This is usually what happens in rural areas where birth registration is entrusted to midwives, who could give the wrong information to the civil registrar.
“Such are the travails of the rural poor. But did these people commit misrepresentation? No. Were they persecuted by law? No. Their records were simply corrected,” another fan said.
Inconsistencies
The 21-year-old Raj won the Binibining-Pilipinas-Universe title last March 6. She romped away with the special awards Best in Long Gown and Best in Terno, and was voted by her fellow candidates as Miss Friendship.
But on March 29, BPCI stripped her of her title for inconsistencies in her birth records. The organization also proclaimed second runner-up Helen Nicolette Henson as her replacement.
BPCI told the Inquirer that Raj’s birth certificate stated that she was born in Bato, Camarines Sur, her father is a Catholic Filipino, and her parents are married.
However, it was learned that she was born in Doha, Qatar, her father is Indian and she was born out of wedlock.
BPCI said misrepresentation was the sole basis for stripping Raj of her title, and not citizenship or residency as in previous dethronement cases.
Raj disputed BPCI’s claims of misrepresentation. In television interviews, she said she never hid the truth. As early as November, during the screening for the pageant, she already told BPCI that she was born in Doha, Qatar, to an Indian father and a Filipino mother.
Raj said she did not have a hand in the filing of her birth certificate with the erroneous information. The inconsistency was a result of the delayed filing of her birth certificate.
Her aunt, Josephine Ramos, filed the document three years after she was born. Raj said her aunt did what she did to protect her family from embarrassment.
Raj said she only learned of the inconsistency when she was in high school and was applying for a scholarship. She added that it was poverty that prevented her from correcting her official birth records.
Prominent personalities expressed dismay—even outrage-when they learned of BPCI’s earlier decision. Among them were senator and vice presidential candidate Loren Legarda, Gabriela party-list representative and senatorial candidate Liza Maza, Commission on Human Rights Chair Leila de Lima and Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption Chair Dante Jimenez.
Raj, who graduated cum laude with a degree in Communication at Bicol University, will attempt to become the country’s third Miss Universe winner, after Gloria Diaz (1969) and Margie Moran (1973).
The last time the country placed in the pageant was in 1999 when Miriam Quiambao was proclaimed first runner-up to Botswana’s Mpule Kwelagobe. With a report from Rey Nasol, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Farm girl to get Bb. Pilipinas crown back if…
By Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 19:03:00 04/10/2010
INQUIRER.net
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines—After the public outrage on the dethronement of Maria Venus Raj as a Binibining Pilipinas titleholder and the country's representative to this year's Miss Universe, local pageant organizers announced her reinstatement on Saturday.
It came on the condition that Raj will first have to obtain a valid Philippine passport.
“The Executive Committee of Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) announces today that after due deliberation, it has reassessed the situation pertaining to Ms. Maria Venus Raj and has decided, for humanitarian reasons, that if she is able to obtain a valid Philippine passport, they will reinstate her as the reigning Bb. Pilipinas-Universe,” said the statement, which was published in the Multiply account of Araneta Center.
No direct announcement had been made yet as of late Saturday but Bb. Pilipinas Universe 1985 Joyce Burton-Titular confirmed the BPCI statement in her blog www.adventuresofabeautyqueen.com.
Burton-Titular said she was able to get confirmation of Raj’s reinstatement from BPCI’s public relations manager Genny Marcial.
The Adventures of a Beauty Queen blog has been persistently following Raj’s story from day one.
The BPCI committee members also said that though they were “sensitive of (Raj’s) situation, they are aware, too, of their responsibilities as an entity existing under Philippine law.”
“The BPCI, being an organization concerned not just with the quest for true Filipina Beauty, but more so, dedicated to the empowerment of women and the uplifting of the lives of marginalized Filipinos, has always considered the welfare of our candidates paramount,” the BPCI statement added.
Raj’s online supporters also expressed joy over BPCI’s decision.
On the Facebook fan page “Petition for Venus Raj to remain as Bb. Pilipinas-Universe,” there are mixed reactions to the reinstatement. The page has nearly 4,000 fans.
“God sees the truth and hears our prayers, cheer up Venus, smile and show the world how beautiful you are inside out,” read one message posted by a supporter.
“Petitions were heard, our prayers were answered, doors may have closed but reopening is not impossible. Our Lady of Peñafrancia, our Ina, is really good to her child, Venus. Urusad kami sadi Rinconada sa pagsuporta saimo (We are one here in the Rinconada district in our support for you)!” said another fan, apparently Raj’s kababayan.
Raj, 22, a cum laude journalism graduate of Bicol University, is from Barangay San Vicente in Bato, Camarines Sur.
Some people were not satisfied, however, particularly with respect to the passport condition.
“For some reason, I am not satisfied with this development. Why is BPCI passing the ball to Venus’ court? Could it be a delaying tactic, perhaps to pacify fans and sympathizers? Something smells fishy, but let us see. Please remain vigilant!” a fan said.
“I’m overjoyed by the news that BPCI is giving Venus a chance. Although they remain (expletive deleted) for me! Why is obtaining a passport posed as a challenge to her? Shouldn’t they help her with it?” one fan said.
Another said Raj’s dilemma with her birth certificate is the same story for many poor Filipinos applying for overseas work.
“Just when they are about to apply for a visa they discover discrepancies in their birth certificates,” the fan said.
He added that this was not surprising, especially in the rural areas where birth registration is usually being entrusted to the midwives, who may feed the wrong information.
“Such is just one of the travails of the rural poor. But did these people commit misrepresentation? No. Were they persecuted by law? No. Their records are simply corrected,” the fan added.
Albayanos are jubilant over Raj's reinstatement as winner of the title.
A retired government employee who is fond of praising Bicolana beauties was very happy to hear the development.
“She must have had a very good lawyer and she herself knows to defend her title,” Carmen Vicuña told the Inquirer over the phone. She added she was convinced that Raj was a very intelligent person because of the way the beauty queen answered media interviews.
The social network Facebook was flooded with supportive comments to Raj since she surfaced on the page and she told the Inquirer that she was thankful for the overwhelming support from her fellow Bicolanos.
Albay Governor Joey Salceda, who sought an explanation for the dethronement of Raj, was very happy and thankful to the organizers for reconsidering the issue.
“Over the past three years, Albay has had a bountiful harvest of beauty trophies. Last year, Ms Melody Gersbach first won as Ms Magayon 2009 before becoming Binibining Pilipinas-International and was a semifinalist in China. Ms Necio was a runner up to Ms Gerbasch in Magayon,” Salceda said.
Another Albay beauty, Ms Jane Bañares, won as Mutya ng Pilipinas 2009 even after losing in Magayon but winning Ms Polangui.
With a report from Rey Nasol, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 19:03:00 04/10/2010
INQUIRER.net
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines—After the public outrage on the dethronement of Maria Venus Raj as a Binibining Pilipinas titleholder and the country's representative to this year's Miss Universe, local pageant organizers announced her reinstatement on Saturday.
It came on the condition that Raj will first have to obtain a valid Philippine passport.
“The Executive Committee of Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) announces today that after due deliberation, it has reassessed the situation pertaining to Ms. Maria Venus Raj and has decided, for humanitarian reasons, that if she is able to obtain a valid Philippine passport, they will reinstate her as the reigning Bb. Pilipinas-Universe,” said the statement, which was published in the Multiply account of Araneta Center.
No direct announcement had been made yet as of late Saturday but Bb. Pilipinas Universe 1985 Joyce Burton-Titular confirmed the BPCI statement in her blog www.adventuresofabeautyqueen.com.
Burton-Titular said she was able to get confirmation of Raj’s reinstatement from BPCI’s public relations manager Genny Marcial.
The Adventures of a Beauty Queen blog has been persistently following Raj’s story from day one.
The BPCI committee members also said that though they were “sensitive of (Raj’s) situation, they are aware, too, of their responsibilities as an entity existing under Philippine law.”
“The BPCI, being an organization concerned not just with the quest for true Filipina Beauty, but more so, dedicated to the empowerment of women and the uplifting of the lives of marginalized Filipinos, has always considered the welfare of our candidates paramount,” the BPCI statement added.
Raj’s online supporters also expressed joy over BPCI’s decision.
On the Facebook fan page “Petition for Venus Raj to remain as Bb. Pilipinas-Universe,” there are mixed reactions to the reinstatement. The page has nearly 4,000 fans.
“God sees the truth and hears our prayers, cheer up Venus, smile and show the world how beautiful you are inside out,” read one message posted by a supporter.
“Petitions were heard, our prayers were answered, doors may have closed but reopening is not impossible. Our Lady of Peñafrancia, our Ina, is really good to her child, Venus. Urusad kami sadi Rinconada sa pagsuporta saimo (We are one here in the Rinconada district in our support for you)!” said another fan, apparently Raj’s kababayan.
Raj, 22, a cum laude journalism graduate of Bicol University, is from Barangay San Vicente in Bato, Camarines Sur.
Some people were not satisfied, however, particularly with respect to the passport condition.
“For some reason, I am not satisfied with this development. Why is BPCI passing the ball to Venus’ court? Could it be a delaying tactic, perhaps to pacify fans and sympathizers? Something smells fishy, but let us see. Please remain vigilant!” a fan said.
“I’m overjoyed by the news that BPCI is giving Venus a chance. Although they remain (expletive deleted) for me! Why is obtaining a passport posed as a challenge to her? Shouldn’t they help her with it?” one fan said.
Another said Raj’s dilemma with her birth certificate is the same story for many poor Filipinos applying for overseas work.
“Just when they are about to apply for a visa they discover discrepancies in their birth certificates,” the fan said.
He added that this was not surprising, especially in the rural areas where birth registration is usually being entrusted to the midwives, who may feed the wrong information.
“Such is just one of the travails of the rural poor. But did these people commit misrepresentation? No. Were they persecuted by law? No. Their records are simply corrected,” the fan added.
Albayanos are jubilant over Raj's reinstatement as winner of the title.
A retired government employee who is fond of praising Bicolana beauties was very happy to hear the development.
“She must have had a very good lawyer and she herself knows to defend her title,” Carmen Vicuña told the Inquirer over the phone. She added she was convinced that Raj was a very intelligent person because of the way the beauty queen answered media interviews.
The social network Facebook was flooded with supportive comments to Raj since she surfaced on the page and she told the Inquirer that she was thankful for the overwhelming support from her fellow Bicolanos.
Albay Governor Joey Salceda, who sought an explanation for the dethronement of Raj, was very happy and thankful to the organizers for reconsidering the issue.
“Over the past three years, Albay has had a bountiful harvest of beauty trophies. Last year, Ms Melody Gersbach first won as Ms Magayon 2009 before becoming Binibining Pilipinas-International and was a semifinalist in China. Ms Necio was a runner up to Ms Gerbasch in Magayon,” Salceda said.
Another Albay beauty, Ms Jane Bañares, won as Mutya ng Pilipinas 2009 even after losing in Magayon but winning Ms Polangui.
With a report from Rey Nasol, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Friday, April 09, 2010
Dethroned Bicol beauty queen fights for dream
By Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 02:35:00 04/09/2010
INQUIRER.net
BATO, CAMARINES SUR—Streamers of congratulations still hang in Barangay San Vicente here for its instant celebrity-daughter, Maria Venus Raj, who would have represented the country in the Miss Universe pageant in August after winning the most coveted Binibining Pilipinas title.
But her reign had been cut short by organizers less than a month ago.
“My fight is now more than just chasing a dream. It is about clearing my soiled reputation. It is about standing up for people who are poor and born out of wedlock. It is a fight for acceptance,” Raj said in an interview at her house made of wood, bamboo and “anahaw” leaves.
She has been living in the house without electricity for 21 years.
Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) took back her crown when it discovered false information in her birth certificate—that she was born in San Vicente, Bato, Camarines Sur, when she and her mother said she was actually born in Doha, Qatar; that her father is a Catholic Filipino when, in fact, he is an Indian; and that her parents were married when they were actually not.
Mother is OFW
During the pre-pageant’s panel and individual interviews in November last year, Raj had said she was born in Qatar, where her mother, Ester Bayonito, had worked as a domestic helper from 1986 to 1988, and was brought to the Philippines a month later.
Raj has professed her innocence, saying she had nothing to do with the information her aunt put in the document when her birth was registered three years after. She discovered the inconsistency when she applied for a college scholarship at the Francis Papica Foundation, which had not been corrected until she was dethroned.
Raj said she and her mother had no idea that she would someday be joining a national beauty pageant and that they were not able to correct the errors in her birth certificate because this would entail extra expenses.
Local contests
The youngest in a brood of five children, Raj started joining local beauty pageants when she was 17 years old, as well as oratorical contests at San Vicente High School.
“Whenever I won, I would give the prize money to my mother, who saved it up to buy seeds for the planting season,” she said. Her mother, now 59, is a tenant farmer, dressmaker and “hilot” in their village.
“My dream, more than to be a beauty queen or a model, is to just really give my family a comfortable life,” said Raj, who graduated, cum laude, with a journalism degree at Bicol University.
Raj was Miss Bicolandia in 2007 and Miss Philippines-Ecotourism in the Miss Philippines Earth pageant in 2008. With her winnings, she started buying land on installment basis for her mother.
“We moved from one place to another … about four times. It was hard not to have your own place. When there were conflicts we were always forced to leave,” Raj said in Bicol.
Ma. Lourdes Pili, Raj’s English teacher at San Vicente High School, said she used to coach Raj for oratorical contests.
“What always amazed me about Venus was her determination to succeed. Whenever she joined contests, we would borrow uniform and shoes because hers were old and faded. But she was never discouraged,” Pili said.
Resign or be dethroned
In a press conference in Naga City on Wednesday, Raj recalled how hard she cried when she was told about the decision of BPCI officials to strip her of her title.
Her predicament, she said, started a day after she was crowned on March 6 when Stella Marquez de Araneta, pageant head, supposedly expressed shock when she learned that she was born in Doha.
Raj said she was given two options—resign or be dethroned.
She said she was coaxed to sign a letter of resignation and was advised not to talk about the reason for it to protect her and her family from “judgmental people who would belittle them because of her past.”
When she told the organizers that she could not just sign a document without the presence of a lawyer, they met again for several hours only to tell her that she would be dethroned, she said.
Raj’s replacement will be the contest’s second runner-up, Helen Nicolette Henson, as the first runner-up, Dianne Necio was only 17 years old then.
According to Miss Universe pageant rules, the winner of the title must be 18 years old.
Poor girls’ dreams
Anjo Santos, Raj’s talent manager and mentor, said he was shocked at the sudden decision of BPCI. “It killed the dreams of poor beautiful girls like her who came from poor families to pursue their ambitions to succeed.”
She was never given due process, he added.
Because of embarrassment over her dethronement less than a month after she was crowned and the fear of being the talk of the town, Raj and her mother would not go out of their house.
Raj’s name is now all over the blogosphere. Fan pages on the social networking site Facebook were created to petition her reinstatement as the “country’s rightful candidate in the Miss Universe pageant.”
Free legal support
Lawyer Francis Padua Papica, who sponsored Raj’s college education, and another counsel volunteered to defend her for free.
A netizen, who requested to be identified only as King and a student of Bicol University, said his fan page would average around 300 interactions a day and had more than a thousand members.
One of Raj’s friends, Christian Jay Millena, 21, of Daraga town in Albay, believes BPCI has not dealt with Raj’s case with tact and decency.
“Take note that the BPCI even failed to properly inform the public and even the persons concerned of the real issue why Venus was dethroned,” he said.
Even Dante Jimenez, chair of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and also a Bicolano, pledged his group’s full legal support during the press conference held at Avenue Plaza Hotel in Naga.
‘Handiwork of losers’
“I think this is the handiwork of losers who wanted to dethrone a legitimate winner,” Jimenez said.
Some 50 children from poor communities welcomed Raj with flowers to dramatize her roots and support from fellow Bicolanos. Before leaving, she told them not to give up on their dreams even though how poor they were.
“She is an inspiration to ordinary girls with beauty and brains who are just daughters of poor farmers or fisherfolk. She is a perfect inspiration to ordinary Filipinos who can tell the whole world that economic status is not a hindrance to fulfill a career using their God-given talent,” said Santos, Raj’s talent manager. With a report from Juan Escandor Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 02:35:00 04/09/2010
INQUIRER.net
BATO, CAMARINES SUR—Streamers of congratulations still hang in Barangay San Vicente here for its instant celebrity-daughter, Maria Venus Raj, who would have represented the country in the Miss Universe pageant in August after winning the most coveted Binibining Pilipinas title.
But her reign had been cut short by organizers less than a month ago.
“My fight is now more than just chasing a dream. It is about clearing my soiled reputation. It is about standing up for people who are poor and born out of wedlock. It is a fight for acceptance,” Raj said in an interview at her house made of wood, bamboo and “anahaw” leaves.
She has been living in the house without electricity for 21 years.
Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) took back her crown when it discovered false information in her birth certificate—that she was born in San Vicente, Bato, Camarines Sur, when she and her mother said she was actually born in Doha, Qatar; that her father is a Catholic Filipino when, in fact, he is an Indian; and that her parents were married when they were actually not.
Mother is OFW
During the pre-pageant’s panel and individual interviews in November last year, Raj had said she was born in Qatar, where her mother, Ester Bayonito, had worked as a domestic helper from 1986 to 1988, and was brought to the Philippines a month later.
Raj has professed her innocence, saying she had nothing to do with the information her aunt put in the document when her birth was registered three years after. She discovered the inconsistency when she applied for a college scholarship at the Francis Papica Foundation, which had not been corrected until she was dethroned.
Raj said she and her mother had no idea that she would someday be joining a national beauty pageant and that they were not able to correct the errors in her birth certificate because this would entail extra expenses.
Local contests
The youngest in a brood of five children, Raj started joining local beauty pageants when she was 17 years old, as well as oratorical contests at San Vicente High School.
“Whenever I won, I would give the prize money to my mother, who saved it up to buy seeds for the planting season,” she said. Her mother, now 59, is a tenant farmer, dressmaker and “hilot” in their village.
“My dream, more than to be a beauty queen or a model, is to just really give my family a comfortable life,” said Raj, who graduated, cum laude, with a journalism degree at Bicol University.
Raj was Miss Bicolandia in 2007 and Miss Philippines-Ecotourism in the Miss Philippines Earth pageant in 2008. With her winnings, she started buying land on installment basis for her mother.
“We moved from one place to another … about four times. It was hard not to have your own place. When there were conflicts we were always forced to leave,” Raj said in Bicol.
Ma. Lourdes Pili, Raj’s English teacher at San Vicente High School, said she used to coach Raj for oratorical contests.
“What always amazed me about Venus was her determination to succeed. Whenever she joined contests, we would borrow uniform and shoes because hers were old and faded. But she was never discouraged,” Pili said.
Resign or be dethroned
In a press conference in Naga City on Wednesday, Raj recalled how hard she cried when she was told about the decision of BPCI officials to strip her of her title.
Her predicament, she said, started a day after she was crowned on March 6 when Stella Marquez de Araneta, pageant head, supposedly expressed shock when she learned that she was born in Doha.
Raj said she was given two options—resign or be dethroned.
She said she was coaxed to sign a letter of resignation and was advised not to talk about the reason for it to protect her and her family from “judgmental people who would belittle them because of her past.”
When she told the organizers that she could not just sign a document without the presence of a lawyer, they met again for several hours only to tell her that she would be dethroned, she said.
Raj’s replacement will be the contest’s second runner-up, Helen Nicolette Henson, as the first runner-up, Dianne Necio was only 17 years old then.
According to Miss Universe pageant rules, the winner of the title must be 18 years old.
Poor girls’ dreams
Anjo Santos, Raj’s talent manager and mentor, said he was shocked at the sudden decision of BPCI. “It killed the dreams of poor beautiful girls like her who came from poor families to pursue their ambitions to succeed.”
She was never given due process, he added.
Because of embarrassment over her dethronement less than a month after she was crowned and the fear of being the talk of the town, Raj and her mother would not go out of their house.
Raj’s name is now all over the blogosphere. Fan pages on the social networking site Facebook were created to petition her reinstatement as the “country’s rightful candidate in the Miss Universe pageant.”
Free legal support
Lawyer Francis Padua Papica, who sponsored Raj’s college education, and another counsel volunteered to defend her for free.
A netizen, who requested to be identified only as King and a student of Bicol University, said his fan page would average around 300 interactions a day and had more than a thousand members.
One of Raj’s friends, Christian Jay Millena, 21, of Daraga town in Albay, believes BPCI has not dealt with Raj’s case with tact and decency.
“Take note that the BPCI even failed to properly inform the public and even the persons concerned of the real issue why Venus was dethroned,” he said.
Even Dante Jimenez, chair of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and also a Bicolano, pledged his group’s full legal support during the press conference held at Avenue Plaza Hotel in Naga.
‘Handiwork of losers’
“I think this is the handiwork of losers who wanted to dethrone a legitimate winner,” Jimenez said.
Some 50 children from poor communities welcomed Raj with flowers to dramatize her roots and support from fellow Bicolanos. Before leaving, she told them not to give up on their dreams even though how poor they were.
“She is an inspiration to ordinary girls with beauty and brains who are just daughters of poor farmers or fisherfolk. She is a perfect inspiration to ordinary Filipinos who can tell the whole world that economic status is not a hindrance to fulfill a career using their God-given talent,” said Santos, Raj’s talent manager. With a report from Juan Escandor Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Friends support dethroned beauty queen
INQUIRER.net
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines—Maria Venus Raj was excited about her homecoming as a beauty queen that was planned for after the Holy Week, but before she could even set foot on her hometown in Bato, Camarines Sur, she was stripped of her Binibining Pilipinas title.
Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. broke the news of the dethronement in a text message to media organizations this way: “Today March 29, 2010, Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc. decided, with a heavy heart, to let Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2010 Maria Venus Raj go, after the organization discovered inconsistencies contained in her birth records, in contrast to her personal account of her birth.”
Thus, the Indian-Filipino Raj will no longer represent the country in the 59th Miss Universe pageant in August.
“Yesterday (Monday), I cried when I learned that I would no longer be Bb. Pilipinas-Universe. I felt I was left with no other options but to wake up the next day without a crown,” the 21-year-old Raj told the Inquirer in a calm and gloomy voice.
She intentionally did not answer phone calls and text messages that day but she said the support she has been getting was overwhelming.
“Realizing there were countless people who believed in me, it gave me strength and hope,” Raj said in a mobile phone interview.
She said she could not thank her supporters and fans enough.
“I could only be so grateful that people are there to stand by me. My family has been praying for me,” Raj said.
She said two of her sisters cried with her. While her mom appeared to be tough, she knew she was hurting, too.
The Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) has yet to issue an official document about the dethronement. Raj said she has not yet received anything.
“I am leaving this in the hands of the lawyers. For the meantime I could only thank those who have supported me from the beginning,” Raj said.
“Kahit naman mahirap ka lang, pero may pinag-aralan, alam mo pa rin ang tama at mali. Alam mo ang mga karapatan mong dapat ipaglaban (Even if you’re poor, but if you’re educated, you would know what is right and wrong. You know what rights you have to fight for),” Raj said.
Raj lives in a nipa hut in the middle of a sprawling rice field in Bato town. Her mother is a farmer and a dressmaker.
Raj said that walking on rice paddy dikes was early training for walking on fashion runways.
On the social networking site Facebook, hundreds of her friends and fans expressed frustration and anger at the pageant organizer’s decision to take back the crown from Raj.
“The Bb. Pilipinas Foundation should have made the decision when it was till screening the candidates,” said one Facebook “friend” of Raj.
An online petition to return the crown to Raj has already been created.
The Facebook page was meant to send a message to the Bb. Pilipinas Foundation that its decision to dethrone Raj was a mistake.
“These are not fair. She has all the potential to win the crown in Miss Universe 2010. So what if she is half Indian? Obviously, the second runner-up is favored by the charity,” said a post on the newly created site.
“To Stella Araneta of BPCI, God forgive you for the injustice that you brought not only to Venus but [to] the whole nation. By dethroning [her], you gave up the only chance of taking back the Ms. Universe crown to the Philippines,” said another post.
Still another post said Raj should seek assistance from the government to settle the issue. “Ask for a certified memo that will state her citizenship. According to the Philippine Constitution, if one of the child's parent is a Filipino, then he or she is a Filipino citizen. Her mom is a Filipina. [It] just happened that Venus was born in Doha, Qatar.”
Several of the newly created page’s 286 members also called for flooding the BPCI with e-mails asking the reinstallment of Raj as BB Pilipinas-Universe.
In Naga City, the executive committee of Ms Bicolandia passed a resolution expressing support for Raj and disapproval of BPCI’s decision.
Nene De Asis, chair of Ms Bicolandia executive committee, said they would extend legal and financial assistance to Raj.
“We are giving her financial assistance because we know that she was also stripped of her prize. We believe in Venus’ integrity and qualification. We are supporting her all the way,” said De Asis.
Raj was Ms Bicolandia 2007.
De Asis hinted that the decision of the BPCI was also an invalidation of the rules of Ms Bicolandia, which also do not admit non-Bicol natives as candidates.
Meanwhile, Albay Governor Joey Salceda expressed dismay at the ouster of Raj and her replacement by her second runner-up.
Salceda said he would ask the organizers why Ms Diane Samar Necio, the first runner-up, did not automatically take the place of Raj.
“I know, this is very parochial, even trivial to some, but I am asking the organizers why the first runner-up, Ms Diane Samar Necio, my townmate, did not automatically take the place of Ms Binibining Pilipinas-Universe, Ms. Venus Raj, who was ousted,” Salceda said.
“Typically, we send a morena to Ms Universe, and Ms Necio was a morena beauty and she was proclaimed the first runner-up,” he said.
Over the past three years, Albay has had a bountiful harvest of beauty trophies. Last year, Melody Gersbach first won as Ms Magayon 2009 before becoming Binibining Pilipinas-International and a semi-finalist in China.
Necio, the Bb. Pilipinas Universe first runner-up, was a runner-up to Gerbasch in the Mutya ng Magayon Pageant.
Another Albay beauty, Ms Jane Bañares, won as Mutya ng Pilipinas 2009 even after losing in Mutya ng Magayon but winning Ms Polangui.
Salceda said these titles are a source of local pride and, to a certain extent, a uniting force for Bicolanos.
“We provided assistance to three candidates in this year's Binibining Pilipinas (Raj, Necio and Santos from Daraga who was actually the winner of Ms Magayon 2009). We sent a delegation to China to support Ms Melody Gersbach,” Salceda pointed out.
Raj won the title from last year’s winner, Pamela Bianca Manalo, in a glittering four-hour pageant at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on March 7.
She was voted Miss Friendship by fellow candidates and also won the Best in Long Gown and Best in Terno awards.
She graduated cum laude with a degree in Communication Arts from Bicol University last year.
GMA 7 contract artist Krista Kleiner was proclaimed Binibining Pilipinas-International and named Best in Talent and Best in Swimsuit.
Czarina Catherine Gatbonton from Malolos, Bulacan, was the winner of the Binibining Pilipinas-World title.
The three titleholders bagged a prize package that included a P250,000-contract with Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc., accident insurance worth P2 million, wardrobe and accessories from Cumbia worth P150,000, as well as cash and products from Natasha worth P50,000.
Raj’s fellow Bicolana, 17-year-old Dianne Necio, was first runner-up, while Pampanga’s Helen Nicolette Henson was second runner-up. Henson was also named Miss Photogenic, Miss Fit n’ Right and Miss Philippine Airlines.
Broadcaster Mike Enriquez, boxing champ Nonito Donaire and 1970 Miss International Aurora Pijuan were among the judges of the competition televised on GMA 7. Reports from Ephraim Aguilar, Jonas Cabiles Soltes and Mar Arguelles, Inquirer Southern Luzon
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines—Maria Venus Raj was excited about her homecoming as a beauty queen that was planned for after the Holy Week, but before she could even set foot on her hometown in Bato, Camarines Sur, she was stripped of her Binibining Pilipinas title.
Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. broke the news of the dethronement in a text message to media organizations this way: “Today March 29, 2010, Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc. decided, with a heavy heart, to let Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2010 Maria Venus Raj go, after the organization discovered inconsistencies contained in her birth records, in contrast to her personal account of her birth.”
Thus, the Indian-Filipino Raj will no longer represent the country in the 59th Miss Universe pageant in August.
“Yesterday (Monday), I cried when I learned that I would no longer be Bb. Pilipinas-Universe. I felt I was left with no other options but to wake up the next day without a crown,” the 21-year-old Raj told the Inquirer in a calm and gloomy voice.
She intentionally did not answer phone calls and text messages that day but she said the support she has been getting was overwhelming.
“Realizing there were countless people who believed in me, it gave me strength and hope,” Raj said in a mobile phone interview.
She said she could not thank her supporters and fans enough.
“I could only be so grateful that people are there to stand by me. My family has been praying for me,” Raj said.
She said two of her sisters cried with her. While her mom appeared to be tough, she knew she was hurting, too.
The Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) has yet to issue an official document about the dethronement. Raj said she has not yet received anything.
“I am leaving this in the hands of the lawyers. For the meantime I could only thank those who have supported me from the beginning,” Raj said.
“Kahit naman mahirap ka lang, pero may pinag-aralan, alam mo pa rin ang tama at mali. Alam mo ang mga karapatan mong dapat ipaglaban (Even if you’re poor, but if you’re educated, you would know what is right and wrong. You know what rights you have to fight for),” Raj said.
Raj lives in a nipa hut in the middle of a sprawling rice field in Bato town. Her mother is a farmer and a dressmaker.
Raj said that walking on rice paddy dikes was early training for walking on fashion runways.
On the social networking site Facebook, hundreds of her friends and fans expressed frustration and anger at the pageant organizer’s decision to take back the crown from Raj.
“The Bb. Pilipinas Foundation should have made the decision when it was till screening the candidates,” said one Facebook “friend” of Raj.
An online petition to return the crown to Raj has already been created.
The Facebook page was meant to send a message to the Bb. Pilipinas Foundation that its decision to dethrone Raj was a mistake.
“These are not fair. She has all the potential to win the crown in Miss Universe 2010. So what if she is half Indian? Obviously, the second runner-up is favored by the charity,” said a post on the newly created site.
“To Stella Araneta of BPCI, God forgive you for the injustice that you brought not only to Venus but [to] the whole nation. By dethroning [her], you gave up the only chance of taking back the Ms. Universe crown to the Philippines,” said another post.
Still another post said Raj should seek assistance from the government to settle the issue. “Ask for a certified memo that will state her citizenship. According to the Philippine Constitution, if one of the child's parent is a Filipino, then he or she is a Filipino citizen. Her mom is a Filipina. [It] just happened that Venus was born in Doha, Qatar.”
Several of the newly created page’s 286 members also called for flooding the BPCI with e-mails asking the reinstallment of Raj as BB Pilipinas-Universe.
In Naga City, the executive committee of Ms Bicolandia passed a resolution expressing support for Raj and disapproval of BPCI’s decision.
Nene De Asis, chair of Ms Bicolandia executive committee, said they would extend legal and financial assistance to Raj.
“We are giving her financial assistance because we know that she was also stripped of her prize. We believe in Venus’ integrity and qualification. We are supporting her all the way,” said De Asis.
Raj was Ms Bicolandia 2007.
De Asis hinted that the decision of the BPCI was also an invalidation of the rules of Ms Bicolandia, which also do not admit non-Bicol natives as candidates.
Meanwhile, Albay Governor Joey Salceda expressed dismay at the ouster of Raj and her replacement by her second runner-up.
Salceda said he would ask the organizers why Ms Diane Samar Necio, the first runner-up, did not automatically take the place of Raj.
“I know, this is very parochial, even trivial to some, but I am asking the organizers why the first runner-up, Ms Diane Samar Necio, my townmate, did not automatically take the place of Ms Binibining Pilipinas-Universe, Ms. Venus Raj, who was ousted,” Salceda said.
“Typically, we send a morena to Ms Universe, and Ms Necio was a morena beauty and she was proclaimed the first runner-up,” he said.
Over the past three years, Albay has had a bountiful harvest of beauty trophies. Last year, Melody Gersbach first won as Ms Magayon 2009 before becoming Binibining Pilipinas-International and a semi-finalist in China.
Necio, the Bb. Pilipinas Universe first runner-up, was a runner-up to Gerbasch in the Mutya ng Magayon Pageant.
Another Albay beauty, Ms Jane Bañares, won as Mutya ng Pilipinas 2009 even after losing in Mutya ng Magayon but winning Ms Polangui.
Salceda said these titles are a source of local pride and, to a certain extent, a uniting force for Bicolanos.
“We provided assistance to three candidates in this year's Binibining Pilipinas (Raj, Necio and Santos from Daraga who was actually the winner of Ms Magayon 2009). We sent a delegation to China to support Ms Melody Gersbach,” Salceda pointed out.
Raj won the title from last year’s winner, Pamela Bianca Manalo, in a glittering four-hour pageant at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on March 7.
She was voted Miss Friendship by fellow candidates and also won the Best in Long Gown and Best in Terno awards.
She graduated cum laude with a degree in Communication Arts from Bicol University last year.
GMA 7 contract artist Krista Kleiner was proclaimed Binibining Pilipinas-International and named Best in Talent and Best in Swimsuit.
Czarina Catherine Gatbonton from Malolos, Bulacan, was the winner of the Binibining Pilipinas-World title.
The three titleholders bagged a prize package that included a P250,000-contract with Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc., accident insurance worth P2 million, wardrobe and accessories from Cumbia worth P150,000, as well as cash and products from Natasha worth P50,000.
Raj’s fellow Bicolana, 17-year-old Dianne Necio, was first runner-up, while Pampanga’s Helen Nicolette Henson was second runner-up. Henson was also named Miss Photogenic, Miss Fit n’ Right and Miss Philippine Airlines.
Broadcaster Mike Enriquez, boxing champ Nonito Donaire and 1970 Miss International Aurora Pijuan were among the judges of the competition televised on GMA 7. Reports from Ephraim Aguilar, Jonas Cabiles Soltes and Mar Arguelles, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Saturday, March 06, 2010
'Jueteng' whistle-blower laid to rest
By Ephraim Aguilar, Mar S. Arguelles
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 18:50:00 03/06/2010
INQUIRER.net
DARAGA, Albay, Philippines—Illegal gambling scam whistle-blower Wilfredo “Boy” Mayor, 54, who was shot dead last Sunday, was laid to rest in a simple interment rites here Saturday afternoon.
More than 500 people, mostly family members, friends and supporters, brought him to his grave at the Pristine Memorial Gardens in nearby Legazpi City.
Speaking for the bereaved family, Mayor's daughter Maybell said they were leaving his father's murderers on the hands of God for justice.
“Bahala na saindo an Dios. Maabot man an panahon nindo (May God deal with you. Your time will come),” she said with trembling hands in her eulogy at the Tagas Chapel.
“I know that my father has already forgiven you. But you have given the Lord no choice but to deal with you just as your conscience is dealing with you now,” she added.
Maybelle added that his father was not perfect but she asked the people who had nothing good to say about him to respect his memory.
No politicians were seen in the burial, except for the writhes they had sent.
One of the bouquets came from Senator Panfilo Lacson, the one who brought Mayor to the Senate to reveal the alleged involvement of the First Family in “jueteng” payoffs.
Lacson is currently hiding, shunning his pending arrest in relation to the Dacer-Corbito murder case.
Not even Mayor's friend and fellow whistle-blower Sandra Cam was present in the event.
Mayor's supporters from Barangay (Village) Tagas, where he lived and once served as barangay chairman, wore black shirts with Mayor's face printed on them.
“Tagas” literally means tough in the local dialect, and they used it to describe their former leader.
“Talagang matagas ka (You are really tough),” the T-shirts bore.
Words written on a ribbon on Mayor's silver-grey coffin read, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept my faith.”
A task force that was formed by the Philippine National Police arrived here Tuesday to gather leads about the murder.
Chief Supt. Cecilio Calleja, Bicol police director, said the task force had been interviewing people related to Mayor and had also been verifying statements released by Cam to the media.
Cam, who visited the wake of Mayor at his residence in Daraga, Albay, on Thursday, said she believed that Mayor’s planned exposé on public works projects triggered the plot to kill him, but she did not rule out the jueteng and casino debt angles.
She added that she was not accusing businessman Zaldy Co and his brother of masterminding the killing of Mayor. In a previous radio interview, Cam said Mayor mentioned Co as the biggest contractor in Bicol, cornering most of the public works projects in the region.
A successful businessman and a philanthropist, Co incidentally owns the Pristine Memorial Gardens.
Cam said that in her conversation with Mayor, he told her about a P40-million public works project he was pursuing at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and that a public works official told him to shell out a 20-percent SOP (standard operating procedure), a euphemism for commission in order to get the project.
Cam, however, did not name the DPWH official.
Running a local construction firm, Mayor has shifted to the construction business after the “jueteng” scam controversy.
Archbishop Oscar Cruz supported Cam's claims in a statement made through the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website.
Cruz, who spoke to Mayor four days before his death, said Mayor was about to identify eight or nine lawmakers involved in the public works scam had he not been liquidated.
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 18:50:00 03/06/2010
INQUIRER.net
DARAGA, Albay, Philippines—Illegal gambling scam whistle-blower Wilfredo “Boy” Mayor, 54, who was shot dead last Sunday, was laid to rest in a simple interment rites here Saturday afternoon.
More than 500 people, mostly family members, friends and supporters, brought him to his grave at the Pristine Memorial Gardens in nearby Legazpi City.
Speaking for the bereaved family, Mayor's daughter Maybell said they were leaving his father's murderers on the hands of God for justice.
“Bahala na saindo an Dios. Maabot man an panahon nindo (May God deal with you. Your time will come),” she said with trembling hands in her eulogy at the Tagas Chapel.
“I know that my father has already forgiven you. But you have given the Lord no choice but to deal with you just as your conscience is dealing with you now,” she added.
Maybelle added that his father was not perfect but she asked the people who had nothing good to say about him to respect his memory.
No politicians were seen in the burial, except for the writhes they had sent.
One of the bouquets came from Senator Panfilo Lacson, the one who brought Mayor to the Senate to reveal the alleged involvement of the First Family in “jueteng” payoffs.
Lacson is currently hiding, shunning his pending arrest in relation to the Dacer-Corbito murder case.
Not even Mayor's friend and fellow whistle-blower Sandra Cam was present in the event.
Mayor's supporters from Barangay (Village) Tagas, where he lived and once served as barangay chairman, wore black shirts with Mayor's face printed on them.
“Tagas” literally means tough in the local dialect, and they used it to describe their former leader.
“Talagang matagas ka (You are really tough),” the T-shirts bore.
Words written on a ribbon on Mayor's silver-grey coffin read, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept my faith.”
A task force that was formed by the Philippine National Police arrived here Tuesday to gather leads about the murder.
Chief Supt. Cecilio Calleja, Bicol police director, said the task force had been interviewing people related to Mayor and had also been verifying statements released by Cam to the media.
Cam, who visited the wake of Mayor at his residence in Daraga, Albay, on Thursday, said she believed that Mayor’s planned exposé on public works projects triggered the plot to kill him, but she did not rule out the jueteng and casino debt angles.
She added that she was not accusing businessman Zaldy Co and his brother of masterminding the killing of Mayor. In a previous radio interview, Cam said Mayor mentioned Co as the biggest contractor in Bicol, cornering most of the public works projects in the region.
A successful businessman and a philanthropist, Co incidentally owns the Pristine Memorial Gardens.
Cam said that in her conversation with Mayor, he told her about a P40-million public works project he was pursuing at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and that a public works official told him to shell out a 20-percent SOP (standard operating procedure), a euphemism for commission in order to get the project.
Cam, however, did not name the DPWH official.
Running a local construction firm, Mayor has shifted to the construction business after the “jueteng” scam controversy.
Archbishop Oscar Cruz supported Cam's claims in a statement made through the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website.
Cruz, who spoke to Mayor four days before his death, said Mayor was about to identify eight or nine lawmakers involved in the public works scam had he not been liquidated.
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