Janina San Miguel
Encyclopedia
Janina Miller San Miguel (born November 14, 1990) is a Filipino
beauty queen
who was crowned Binibining Pilipinas World at the Binibining Pilipinas 2008
beauty pageant. She gained notoriety for her performance in the pageant's question and answer portion, where she lost her composure and gave an unfocused and rambling response with a thick accent. A video of the incident has garnered millions of views on websites such as YouTube
.
San Miguel resigned her title in September 2008, citing personal reasons including the death of her grandfather. The title was transferred to first runner up Danielle Castaño
, who went on to represent the country at the Miss World 2008
pageant.
, Metro Manila
. She is the eldest of three children, with her father working as a jeepney
driver and her mother as a laundry washer or "labandera" (hired to wash other people's clothes).
At the time of the Binibining Pilipinas 2008
pageant, San Miguel was a freshman student taking up broadcast communication
at the University of the East
in Manila
, with the ambition of becoming a professional broadcaster. She had previously garnered first runner-up at her school's Mister and Miss UE pageant, and said she joined the Binibining Pilipinas competition to gain "experiences, new friends and opportunities".
in Quezon City
, Metro Manila
. At seventeen years old, Janina San Miguel was the youngest contestant of the twenty-four women in the competition, as well as one of the tallest at 5 ft 11 in (180 cm). Early in the competition, San Miguel had won special awards for Best in Swimsuit and Best in Long Gown.
San Miguel responded:
As San Miguel lost her composure in giving her answer, the audience reacted with jeers and applause, as well as laughter from the panel of judges and other contestants. Midway through her answer, pageant host Paolo Bediones
encouraged her off-microphone to continue in Tagalog
, though she proceeded with her response in English
.
Despite the problems with her answer, she went on to win the competition and was crowned Binibining Pilipinas World. The criteria for judging the winner of the pageant allotted 80 percent to physical beauty, leaving just 20 percent to be divided evenly between personality and intelligence. Bediones later defended San Miguel, saying "I admire her for not buckling under the pressure and for being as blatantly honest as possible". However, he also added, "No matter how badly she may have performed in the Q&A, she couldn't have lost much considering she had a huge headstart in the scores". Winning the title made her the official designated Philippine delegate to the Miss World 2008
pageant, which was scheduled to be held later that year in Kiev
, Ukraine
(the venue was later moved to Johannesburg
, South Africa
due to the conflict between Georgia and Russia
).
San Miguel has admitted to being offended by criticism of her response. In an interview with entertainment commentator Ricky Lo
a week after the event, she explained that she did not comprehend the question clearly when she was on stage at the pageant, due to the softness of the questioner's voice. When given another opportunity to answer the same question, she smiled and said, "My family is my inspiration".
and garnered over 3 million views. Rep. Eduardo Gullas
, a senior lawmaker in the Philippine House of Representatives
who authored a bill to reinstate English as the medium of instruction in schools, said the video of the incident was "tormenting to watch", and added, "She is a Filipino (sic), and English is our highly favored second language. So people expected more from her." Following the incident, the director of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
offered to coordinate with pageant organizers to conduct English courses for all Miss Philippines candidates to better express themselves.
San Miguel's response has drawn comparisons between her and Melanie Marquez
, Filipina winner of the 1979 Miss International
pageant who is well-known for her shortcomings in speaking English.
The announcement of her resignation was met with speculation that San Miguel had been forced by Binibining Pilipinas pageant organizers to relinquish her title due to a lack of professionalism during preparatory training sessions, which strained the patience of her mentors and superiors. In a later interview, she admitted that due to multiple conflicts in schedule she was unable to attend all the training sessions arranged for her by pageant organizers, which included sessions to improve her speaking ability. She also admitted to throwing a fit in the middle of a rehearsal when she received news that her grandfather was dying, and demanded that she be allowed to leave.
In accordance with pageant rules, San Miguel's title was automatically transferred to the first runner up, Danielle Castaño
. Castaño represented the Philippines at the Miss World 2008
pageant held in Johannesburg
, South Africa
in December 2008, where she placed as a finalist in the Miss World Beach Beauty
fast track event and a semi-finalist in the Miss World Top Model
fast track event.
, which began filming in May 2009. Though one of the show's criteria is that the contestants must not be celebrities, San Miguel was not regarded to be a celebrity by the show's producers. Show host Paolo Bediones
(who incidentally also hosted the Binibining Pilipinas pageant) explained in an interview that she was a shoo-in for the part, but decided to back out at the last minute.
In August 2009, San Miguel became a contestant in the third season of Celebrity Duets: Philippine Edition
. In the season's first three episodes, she performed duets with Maureen Larrazabal
, Bituin Escalante
, and Paolo Ballesteros
. However, she garnered the lowest number of text votes in the first round of eliminations, and became the first contestant voted off of the show on September 12, 2009.
San Miguel has stated that she is refraining from focusing full time on her entertainment career due to her ongoing studies, though she continues to work on her figure in preparation for modeling opportunities. On October 23, 2009, she was one of the ten finalists in the Philippine qualifying round of the Ford Models Supermodel of the World
modeling contest, which was held at the SMX Convention Center
in Pasay City
. She advanced to the top three, but the contest was won by Charlene Almarvez
, who went on to win first-runner up to Karlina Caune of the Baltics in the Supermodel of the World finals held in Sao Paolo,Brazil.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
beauty queen
Beauty Queen
"Beauty Queen" is the second song from Roxy Music's second album, For Your Pleasure. The lyrics refer to Ferry's girlfriend, Valerie Leon, one-time UK beauty queen, B-movie actress and model working in the Newcastle area, circa 1973.-Musicians:...
who was crowned Binibining Pilipinas World at the Binibining Pilipinas 2008
Binibining Pilipinas 2008
Binibining Pilipinas 2008, the 44th Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant, was held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on March 8, 2008. Twenty-four candidates competed in the event, which was broadcast by GMA Network in the Philippines, and by GMA Pinoy TV internationally on March 9th. The event...
beauty pageant. She gained notoriety for her performance in the pageant's question and answer portion, where she lost her composure and gave an unfocused and rambling response with a thick accent. A video of the incident has garnered millions of views on websites such as YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
San Miguel resigned her title in September 2008, citing personal reasons including the death of her grandfather. The title was transferred to first runner up Danielle Castaño
Danielle Castaño
Danielle Kirsten Muriel Castaño is a Filipino beauty queen, and represented the Philippines in the Miss World 2008 pageant...
, who went on to represent the country at the Miss World 2008
Miss World 2008
Miss World 2008, the 58th Miss World pageant was held at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa on December 13, 2008. Originally, the pageant was going to take place in Kiev, Ukraine, but because of the ongoing crisis between Georgia and Russia in neighboring South Ossetia, the...
pageant.
Background
Janina San Miguel came from a poor family living in a residential compound in Quezon CityQuezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
, Metro Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
. She is the eldest of three children, with her father working as a jeepney
Jeepney
Jeepneys are the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They were originally made from US military jeeps left over from World War II and are known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating...
driver and her mother as a laundry washer or "labandera" (hired to wash other people's clothes).
At the time of the Binibining Pilipinas 2008
Binibining Pilipinas 2008
Binibining Pilipinas 2008, the 44th Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant, was held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on March 8, 2008. Twenty-four candidates competed in the event, which was broadcast by GMA Network in the Philippines, and by GMA Pinoy TV internationally on March 9th. The event...
pageant, San Miguel was a freshman student taking up broadcast communication
Mass communication
Mass communication is the term used to describe the academic study of the various means by which individuals and entities relay information through mass media to large segments of the population at the same time...
at the University of the East
University of the East
The University of the East is a private nonsectarian university located in University Belt Area, district of Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines. The university was founded in 1946 as a coeducational institution...
in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, with the ambition of becoming a professional broadcaster. She had previously garnered first runner-up at her school's Mister and Miss UE pageant, and said she joined the Binibining Pilipinas competition to gain "experiences, new friends and opportunities".
Binibining Pilipinas
The 2008 Binibining Pilipinas pageant was held on March 8, 2008 at the Araneta ColiseumAraneta Coliseum
The Smart Araneta Coliseum, known as The Big Dome is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena located in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines...
in Quezon City
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
, Metro Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
. At seventeen years old, Janina San Miguel was the youngest contestant of the twenty-four women in the competition, as well as one of the tallest at 5 ft 11 in (180 cm). Early in the competition, San Miguel had won special awards for Best in Swimsuit and Best in Long Gown.
Question and answer
As part of the question and answer portion of the pageant, candidates were made to randomly select the name of their questioner-judge out of a fishbowl. The name that San Miguel picked was that of Vivienne Tan, who asked "What role did your family play for you as candidate to Binibining Pilipinas?"San Miguel responded:
As San Miguel lost her composure in giving her answer, the audience reacted with jeers and applause, as well as laughter from the panel of judges and other contestants. Midway through her answer, pageant host Paolo Bediones
Paolo Bediones
Paolo Bediones is a Filipino commercial model, television host, journalist, newscaster, and radio announcer.Bediones started his career as a commercial model, and later transitioned to television show hosting. He is best known for hosting GMA Network's Extra Challenge and Survivor Philippines...
encouraged her off-microphone to continue in Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
, though she proceeded with her response in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Miss World 2008
Miss World 2008, the 58th Miss World pageant was held at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa on December 13, 2008. Originally, the pageant was going to take place in Kiev, Ukraine, but because of the ongoing crisis between Georgia and Russia in neighboring South Ossetia, the...
pageant, which was scheduled to be held later that year in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
(the venue was later moved to Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
due to the conflict between Georgia and Russia
2008 Georgia-Russia crisis
The Georgia–Russia crisis is a current and ongoing international crisis between Georgia and Russia that escalated in 2008, when both countries accused each other of military buildup near the separatist regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia...
).
San Miguel has admitted to being offended by criticism of her response. In an interview with entertainment commentator Ricky Lo
Ricky Lo
Ricardo F. Lo, more popularly known as Ricky Lo, is an entertainment writer, showbiz commentator from the Philippines. He is of Chinese descent.He was born on April 17. He is a native of Las Navas, Northern Samar, where he finished grade school...
a week after the event, she explained that she did not comprehend the question clearly when she was on stage at the pageant, due to the softness of the questioner's voice. When given another opportunity to answer the same question, she smiled and said, "My family is my inspiration".
Reaction
Video clips of her response have been uploaded to YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and garnered over 3 million views. Rep. Eduardo Gullas
Eduardo Gullas
Eduardo R. Gullas is a Filipino politician. He has been elected to five terms as a Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representing the First District of Cebu from 1992 to 2001, and from 2004 to the present. He is currently a member of KAMPI and the One Cebu party...
, a senior lawmaker in the Philippine House of Representatives
House of Representatives of the Philippines
The House of Representatives of the Philippines is the lower chamber of the...
who authored a bill to reinstate English as the medium of instruction in schools, said the video of the incident was "tormenting to watch", and added, "She is a Filipino (sic), and English is our highly favored second language. So people expected more from her." Following the incident, the director of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Philippines)
The Philippines' Technical Education and Skills Development Authority , abbreviated as TESDA, is an agency of the Philippine government under the Department of Labor and Employment responsible for managing and supervising technical education and skills development in the Philippines.-History:The...
offered to coordinate with pageant organizers to conduct English courses for all Miss Philippines candidates to better express themselves.
San Miguel's response has drawn comparisons between her and Melanie Marquez
Melanie Marquez
Melanie Marquez , , is a Filipina personality development coach, actress, film producer, author, and celebrity endorser...
, Filipina winner of the 1979 Miss International
Miss International
Miss International is an annual international beauty pageant held since 1960.The current Miss International is Fernanda Cornejo, from Ecuador...
pageant who is well-known for her shortcomings in speaking English.
Resignation
It was announced on September 30, 2008 that Janina San Miguel had resigned her position of Binibining Pilipinas World. A short official statement released by Binibining Pilipinas Charities said "The untimely demise of her grandfather, among other personal reasons, has caused her undue stress, thus hindering her from fulfilling her duties for the said title". Her resignation came months after winning the title, and just months before the scheduled Miss World pageant.The announcement of her resignation was met with speculation that San Miguel had been forced by Binibining Pilipinas pageant organizers to relinquish her title due to a lack of professionalism during preparatory training sessions, which strained the patience of her mentors and superiors. In a later interview, she admitted that due to multiple conflicts in schedule she was unable to attend all the training sessions arranged for her by pageant organizers, which included sessions to improve her speaking ability. She also admitted to throwing a fit in the middle of a rehearsal when she received news that her grandfather was dying, and demanded that she be allowed to leave.
In accordance with pageant rules, San Miguel's title was automatically transferred to the first runner up, Danielle Castaño
Danielle Castaño
Danielle Kirsten Muriel Castaño is a Filipino beauty queen, and represented the Philippines in the Miss World 2008 pageant...
. Castaño represented the Philippines at the Miss World 2008
Miss World 2008
Miss World 2008, the 58th Miss World pageant was held at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa on December 13, 2008. Originally, the pageant was going to take place in Kiev, Ukraine, but because of the ongoing crisis between Georgia and Russia in neighboring South Ossetia, the...
pageant held in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in December 2008, where she placed as a finalist in the Miss World Beach Beauty
Miss World Beach Beauty
Miss World Beach Beauty is a swimsuit or fast track competition in the Miss World pageant. The Beach Beauty event first started in 2003, when the Miss World Organization decided to have preliminary or fast track events to automatically give a semifinal spot to some of the delegates...
fast track event and a semi-finalist in the Miss World Top Model
Miss World Top Model
The Miss World Top Model is a modeling fast track competition at the Miss World Pageant. The competition was first held in 2004, but not in 2005-2006. It's been held from 2007 onwards. The winner of the competition automatically makes it into the semifinals....
fast track event.
Entertainment career
San Miguel was strongly considered for a role as a contestant in the second season of the reality television series Survivor PhilippinesSurvivor Philippines
The first season of Survivor Philippines premiered on September 15, 2008, and ended its run on December 12 of the same year. Auditions for this season were held in six Philippine cities in May 2008. From these auditions, 18 contestants were selected to participate on the show in June 2008...
, which began filming in May 2009. Though one of the show's criteria is that the contestants must not be celebrities, San Miguel was not regarded to be a celebrity by the show's producers. Show host Paolo Bediones
Paolo Bediones
Paolo Bediones is a Filipino commercial model, television host, journalist, newscaster, and radio announcer.Bediones started his career as a commercial model, and later transitioned to television show hosting. He is best known for hosting GMA Network's Extra Challenge and Survivor Philippines...
(who incidentally also hosted the Binibining Pilipinas pageant) explained in an interview that she was a shoo-in for the part, but decided to back out at the last minute.
In August 2009, San Miguel became a contestant in the third season of Celebrity Duets: Philippine Edition
Celebrity Duets: Philippine Edition
The Philippine edition of Celebrity Duets is an interactive reality-based singing competition airing on GMA Network jointly hosted by Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez...
. In the season's first three episodes, she performed duets with Maureen Larrazabal
Maureen Larrazabal
Maureen Larrazal is a Filipina actress, singer and commercial model who is one of the regular mainstays of the TV sitcom Bubble Gang of GMA 7. Before venturing into movie and television, Maureen was with the Big Deal band who often performs abroad...
, Bituin Escalante
Bituin Escalante
Bituin Escalante , better known as Bituin, is a Filipina singer and host. She is a well-known Philippine Diva and a power-belter....
, and Paolo Ballesteros
Paolo Ballesteros
Paolo Ballesteros is a Filipino actor, TV host and model. He has appeared in films and several TV shows...
. However, she garnered the lowest number of text votes in the first round of eliminations, and became the first contestant voted off of the show on September 12, 2009.
San Miguel has stated that she is refraining from focusing full time on her entertainment career due to her ongoing studies, though she continues to work on her figure in preparation for modeling opportunities. On October 23, 2009, she was one of the ten finalists in the Philippine qualifying round of the Ford Models Supermodel of the World
Ford Models Supermodel of the World
Supermodel of the World is an international modeling contest established by Eileen Ford in 1980. The contest showcases young fashion model entrants from over 50 countries in order to discover new talent for the fashion industry...
modeling contest, which was held at the SMX Convention Center
Smx convention center
The SMX Convention Center is the largest private venue in the Philippines for trade events, industry conventions, corporate functions, and international exhibitions. Its building is located in Pasay City, right beside the Mall of Asia , and is considered an important part of the Mall of Asia Complex...
in Pasay City
Pasay City
The City of Pasay is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila in the Philippines. It is bordered on the north by the country's capital, Manila, to the northeast by Makati City, to the east by Taguig City, and Parañaque City to the south.Pasay City was one of the original four...
. She advanced to the top three, but the contest was won by Charlene Almarvez
Charlene Almarvez
Charlene Louise Alagon Almarvez is a Filipina fashion model from Laguna who placed 1st Runner-up at the Ford Supermodel Of The World 2010 winning a $150,000 modeling representation courtesy of Ford Models in New York.-Career:...
, who went on to win first-runner up to Karlina Caune of the Baltics in the Supermodel of the World finals held in Sao Paolo,Brazil.