Fever

Ang fearless forecast ni Mugen last Saturday sa inuman ng mga Engkantos ay magiging kulelat ang pambato ng Philippines sa Miss Universe Beauty Pageant. So what kung nasa Top 15 siya, Thank You Girl pa rin ang award ng ating kandidata.

Unlike Miss Venus Raj na inapi muna at nilapastangan ng Binibining Pilipinas Charities bago pinadala sa pageant, Shamcey Supsup has basically no story to tell. Walang drama or struggle na todo relate ang lahat kaya naman ang buong sangkabadingan ay lukewarm ang reception sa kanya.

The Missosologists are betting for Miss Ukraine, while the Las Tres Estrellas were for Miss Greece. I for one had already pinned my hopes with Miss USA because I found her elegant and beautiful. Ang mga Engkantos naman ay walang say sa kung sino ang dapat patungan ng crown, except that they are planning to copy that YouTube Video na sumikat last year.  

Tatapatan daw nina Pilyo, Papa Tagay, Rocco Sison at ni Fox yung mga tili at tambling with matching tears of joy nung mga bading.

  

Like I always did in the past, I would just sit in a corner and let the mainstream gays revel at the beauty pageant. Sino ba naman ako, hindi ko nga alam kung sino yung contestant natin sa Miss Universe before Venus Raj. Besides, with the odds stacked against us, I'd rather spend my time poking fun at the yearly habits of gay people during this time of the year.

Konting konti na lang, maari na magdeclare ng national holiday ang gobyerno tuwing sasapit ang coronation night. Sa dami ba naman ng nagle-leave of absence sa tuwing oras na ng telecast, better to let everyone enjoy the show kesa naman patagong nagsisipaglaho ang mga bakla. At this rate, it's not impossible to think na a third ng male population ng bansa ay maging swingers by 2015. Even the President of the Republic might be a closetta by 2020.

When I was in high school, nobody bothered to watch beauty pageants. Men would say they're just looking forward to the swimsuit competition, while the ladies, hindi ko actually alam ang reason nila for watching. Kids like us watched the show because it was an international competition. Kailangan daw "suportahan" ang pambato ng bansa.  Besides, enjoy naman talaga yung parade of colors diba?

Who would have thought those kids would grow up to become beauconeras one day.

More than the fun and the festivities, the growing tradition of beauty pageant watching tells something about us. Before, it was the effeminates and the parloristas who would rally behind the candidates. Kiburlah na ang sasabihin ng iba, basta dapat ang Pilipinas ay well-represent.

But now, things are starting to change.

I asked a gay colleague earlier kung ready na siya for Miss Universe. Siyempre ang sabi niya oo. We talked about Miss Supsup pati na rin yung signature walk niya nung pre-pageant. Apparently, he doesn't know about the walk. So ako naman na well-informed ang nagbigay ng link. To be honest, it was the Tsunami Walk that caught my attention. It was sweeping, revolutionary, at shit, napako ang tingin ko sa liyad at giling ng balakang ni Shamcey.

So there, life as we know it will grind to a halt at 9 am. And for the first time in recent memory, I have decided to throw my support and be one with my brothers and sisters in watching this yearly event. If ever Shamcey wins the crown, tatalbugan ko ang mga engkanto at pag-aaralan ko talaga yang Tsunami Walk na yan. If not, dating gawi ulit. Babalik ako sa pagka-straight, magbubuhat ng bakal sa gym at tatantanan na ang pagga-gay speak sa Twitter. 

But yes, you heard it right. I will be tuning in to Miss Universe tomorrow morning.