68. 1932, Miss Philippines of the Manila Carnival, EMMA GONZALES ZAMORA

1932 MISS PHILIPPINES. Emma Zamora of Quiapo, the Hongkong educated beauty who took the Carnival by storm, led a short but a full life, passing away at the very young ae of 30. Her regn is remembered for the many dignitaries she met, including the Governor General of French Indo-China.

Emma Zamora y Gonzales, the 1932 Miss Philippines, was often described as having the perfect face, oval shaped, with languid eyes, a fair complexion and small pouty lips. Combine that with her pedigree—the Zamoras came from Manila’s aristocratic Quiapo district—and so it came as no surprise that Emma was crowned our sixth Miss Philippines in the annual Manila Carnival.

SIAMESE BEAUTY. Emma dressed as Thai royalty, which was the theme of her coronation. Her bejewelled headdress doubled as her crown.

Emma was the eldest of three children, born to Manuel Zamora and Josefina Gonzales. As an only girl, she was naturally pampered and was sent to the French Convent in Hong Kong at age 18. She returned to Manila for her debut and immediately, the tall, willowy beauty caught the fancy of Manila’s alta sociedad and was immediately enlisted by the powerful Bachelors’ Club as their official candidate to the country’s most prestigious contest of Filipina pulchritude.

SIAMESE SPLENDOR. Emma Zamora had the distinction of wearing two different crowns--a Thai-inspired crown that was part of her costume and also a a banded rhinestone tiara.

She swept competition away with the British-Chinese-Filipina beauty Rosalina Lim coming in second as Miss Luzon, Aleli Guzman as Miss Visayas and the comebacking beauty from the 1930 Carnival, Violeta Lopez, as Miss Mindanao. Emma’s moment of glory was the talk of the town, for the Coronation motif was Siamese. The exotic costumes were truly a feast for the eyes. Emma was attred like a Thai royal with a stupa-inspired, gem-encrusted headdress that doubled as a crown. She carried a feather fan and wore a sleeveless beaded gown with winged decorations on the shoulders reminiscent of kinarees (angels) from Thai mythology. Her entourage wore similar, simple Thai costumes.
QUEEN EMMA AND KING CONSORT. Emma with Dr. Arturo de Santos. He was the brother of Alicia de Santos, Miss Luzon of the year before, who relinquished her title.

Emma was escorted by Dr. Arturo de Santos, a young bachelor of wealth and culture. He too, was in character during Emma’s coronation, regal in a long Oriental tunic. The highlight of her coronation included meeting the Governor General of French Indo-China, President Manuel L. Quezon and other high government dignitaries—unprecedented in Carnival history.

GOWNED AND CROWNED. Emma Zamora, 1932 Miss Philippines, in her Pacita Longos-designed gown, wearing a different rhinestone crown.

Emma changed to a simpler banded crown and Filipiniana attire designed by Pacita Longos for her other royal appointments, which consisted mainly of crowning provincial queens, attending social functions which sometimes require her to travel by boat. Despite her stature, Emma’s feet remained firmly on the ground and after her reign was over, she married Dr. Enrique Ruiz, a longtime family friend and several years her senior, a year after the Carnival.

The couple had five children: Enrique Jr., Josefina (died in infancy), Isabel, Anna Maria and Eduardo. Emma’s fairy tale life was destined to be short, for child-bearing and the war took its toll on her health. She was bedridden for most of 1942 and on 20 March 1943, the toast of the 1932 Manila Carnival, Emma Zamora, passed away at age 30.

67. 1931, MISS LUZON, MISS VISAYAS, MISS MINDANAO

LINA ARAULLO, 1931 Miss Luzon

*****

LUISA RODRIGUEZ, 1931 Miss Visayas

*****

LOUISE STEVENS, 1931 Miss Mindanao

The Stevens family were longtime Manila residents. Louise was a member of the Daughters of American Veterans as her father served in the Spanish-American War. She actually placed fifth in the Miss Philippines 1931 tally, but earned the Miss Mindanao title after the resignation of Alicia de Santos. Her brother acted as her escort. During WWII, the family was incarcerated at the University Santo Tomas camp until the liberation. The Stevens, led by Thaddeus Stevens, traced their family history to a Spanish Viceroy who was sent over to the Philippines by the King of Spain prior to the Spanish-American War.

******

66. 1931, MARIA VS. ALICIA: The Right to Royalty

FACE-OFF: The battle royale for the queenship was contested by Maria Kalaw and Alicia de Santos, who, earlier in the year had reigned as the Queen of Mercy for the Anti-TB program of the government.

1931 will be remembered as one of the most competitive years for the candidates to the Fifth National Beauty Contest of the Manila Carnival. Maria Kalaw’s triumph was cleverly strategized by her supporters led by her own father, Teodoro, which caught her nearest rival, Alicia de Santos by surprise, giving no time for her sponsors to respond.

FILIPINAS MEETS U.S.A. Maria Kalaw in one of her school pageants wth her American beauty counterpart.

Of the 14 Miss Philippines candidates, Alicia de Santos, the candidate of La Opinion, and Maria Kalaw were the ones picked out by newspapers as having the biggest chances of winning the queenship. Based on material wealth, Alicia de Santos seemed to have the upper hand. She was the daughter of Jose Santos and Concepcion Cabarrus, both from affluent Manila families. She had two brothers, Alberto and Arturo. Alicia was also a relative--a cousin, to be exact--of the 1929 Queen, Pacita de los Reyes.

ANTI-TB QUEEN OF MERCY. Alicia de Santos as an advocacy queen for the Philippine anti-TB program.

Just like Maria, who had received several beauty citations in school, Alicia’s youthful mestiza beauty was also noticed early. As a student of Holy Ghost College, she was elected Queen of Mercy of the Anti-TB Society of the Philippines in 1929. This high profile event served as a campaign to raise funds for the eradication of tuberculosis—the no. 1 killer disease in the country. Her coronation was attended by the country’s Governor General Dwight Davis, well-known personalities of the American community and top Philippine officials led by Senate Pres. and Mrs. Sergio Osmeña and party. With her beauty in full bloom two years later, Alicia was ready to wear the crown of the country’s fifth Miss Philippines.

QUEEN OF MERCY, Alicia de Santos, at her high-profile coronation with her princesses, attended by high-ranking Philippine and U.S. government officials.

But it was clear that Teodoro Kalaw, had also become fascinated with the idea of having her daughter Maria, follow in her mother’s footsteps—a possibility that was also being pointed out by the national media. And so, he mapped out a gameplan to ensure the win of her daughter. To gather votes, he called on his Mason friends and their fraternal networks, asking them and their families to clip coupons, save and submit them for Maria. For days, he would stay in his office and telephone his connections, focusing his attention in getting his daughter elected.

Indeed, on the day of the final counting, Maria Kalaw and Alicia de Santos were ahead of the rest of the contestants. Newspapers had a heyday reporting the neck-and-neck battle between the two beauties: “ Maria Kalaw and Alicia de Santos Fight For Carnival Reign”, one headline ran. “Maria Kalaw or Alicia de Santos? Alicia de Santos or Maria Kalaw?” echoed what the whole of Manila was asking.

On February 4, the partial results were announced on a regular basis:

6 PM : Maria Kalaw = 21,200 votes, Alicia de Santos = 13, 200 votes.
9 PM : Maria Kalaw = 40,000 votes, Alicia de Santos = 22,000 votes

An hour and a half later, the lead had changed:
10:30 PM: Alicia de Santos = 53,100 votes, Maria Kalaw = 49,700 votes
11 PM: Alicia de Santos = 157,000 votes, Maria Kalaw = 151,000 votes
11:30 PM: Alicia de Santos = 618,000 votes, Maria Kalaw = 518,300 votes

With only 30 minutes left, Alicia seemed to enjoy an insurmountable lead. But fifteen minutes before the close of the voting, a group of men entered the hall to drop their stacks and stacks of coupons in favor of Maria Kalaw. A stream of votes for continued to pour for Maria such that at midnight, all her ballot boxes were stuffed to the brim. When the Carnival Director Arsenio Luz and his committee finished the tabulation by 1 a.m. , the results were immediately announced before a roaring crowd of 20,000 people. Miss Philippines of 1931 was Maria Kalaw, Maria I, Maria Primera.

The final tally was 2,516,300 votes for Maria, and 1,450,000 for Alicia. Maria’ lead was an unbelievable and unsurmountable 1 million votes. The official results were too much for the camp of Alicia to bear, who made accusations of ‘trickery”, referring to the Kalaws’ being townmates and close friends of Carnival Director Arsenio Luz.

MISS LUZON, MISSED BEAUTY. Photos of Alicia de Santos as Miss Luzon had already been shot and circulated, only to be withdrawn when she decided not to accept the title. This is the reason why very few of her pictures are available to collectors today.

Immediately, Alicia de Santos—the First Princess or Miss Luzon, resigned from her post. But photographs of her identifying her as Miss Luzon had already been printed and released to the public. Lina Araullo took over the vacant position, while Luisa Rodriguez was elevated to the rank of Miss Visayas. American mestiza Louise Stevens was named Miss Mindanao.

Years later, Maria reaffirmed that winning the title was a matter not of popularity but of strategy and effort. “Contests and elections are decided in favor of the better organization, the harder working group. Votes are garnered, they are not cast”.

And what of the controversial Alicia who left the Carnival in a huff? She did not exactly disappear from the limelight. She went on to marry Octavio Maloles Sr., a lawyer. And further to show that the de Santos family had no love lost for the organizers of the Manila Carnival, Alicia’s brother, Dr. Arturo de Santos, agreed to become the King Consort of the 1932 queen, Emma Zamora.

65. 1931, Miss Philippines of the Manila Carnival, MARIA VILLANUEVA KALAW

1931 QUEEN OF THE MANILA CARNIVAL. Maria Villanueva Kalaw will be remembered in the Carnival history as the daughter of the first Queen of the Orient of the Manila Carnival, the accomplished writer, feminist and businesswoman Pura Villanueva.

Maria Kalaw y Villanueva entered the Fifth National Beauty Contest of the 1931 Manila Carnival as a first second-generation candidate who received much press attention. After all, she was the daughter of the first Carnival queen (Pura Villanueva of Iloilo) and a Manila intellectual (Teodoro Kalaw of Batangas). When she won, she became the first second-generation Queen in Carnival history, in a last-minute, but well deserved victory.

MARIA AS A YOUNG WOMAN IN 1929. In her teens, Maria was already following in the footsteps of her mother, dabbling in writing for national magazines such as Graphic.

At the start, Maria had everything going for her. When her parents were approached by the Carnival organizers to discuss the possibility of their daughter Maria joining the contest, they gave their permission, surprising everyone, including Maria. After all, Pura had not supported her daughter’s candidacy in one beauty tilt sponsored by the Philippine Women’s College, because she was against the fund raising aspect of the contest. On the other hand, it was unthinkable for Teodoro, then director of the National Library, to indulge in vote solicitation for her daughter; he would rather write than socialize.

QUEEN MARIA I. In one of her official portraits as the Queen of the 1931 Manila Carnival.

Based on merits alone, Maria, too, was a stand-out. She was born on 14 February 1911 in Manila, the eldest in a brood of 4, that included brother Teddy and sisters Purita and Evelina. Maria’s first Carnival experience was in 1916, when she and her siblings joined—and won the Costume Contest, dressed as Oriental royalties. The children lived a charmed life in their San Marcelino home, where they were sent to the best schools and even traveled abroad with their parents. For her grade school, she attended St. Scholastica, then finished high school at the Philippine Women’s College.

QUEEN OF ARABY. Maria Kalaw came to her Coronation Night in an exotic Arabic costume and a gem-studded helmet-type crown that elicited mixed reactions from the press.

For college, she chose to take up philosophy and letters at the University of the Philippines. Like her father, she cultivated a love for journalism and literature, and some of her writings saw print in national magazines such as Graphic and The Literary Apprentice, the school’s premiere magazine. She was involved in almost every major school organization—as a vice president of the UP Women’s Club, member of the Student Council and the UP Writer’s Club.

REINA MARIA PRIMERA. Maria, in full coronation regalia. The U.P. beauty went to school as usual the day after she was elected Miss Philippines.

Of course, Maria’s beauty went unnoticed. She became the muse of the College of Law’s Bachelor Club and a regimental sponsor twice. A reporter from The Independent magazine wrote that “Maria’s beauty was dazzling, her friendliness in full bloom. Nobility is in her gestures and attitude..she seems born to be an Oriental empress”.

MARIA'S NIGHT OF TRIUMPH. An official studio portrait of Maria Kalaw as Miss Philippines 1931.

Entering the national beauty competition, the 19 year-old coed was supported by The Tribune, Philippine Herald, Batikuling and the Philippine Free Press. The rest of the delegates included Lina Araullo, Lourdes Rodriguez, Louise Stevens, Pilar Alberto, Fe Alberto, Rita Panares, Pacita Reyes, Emilia Diago, Celia Acosta, Remedios Manlunas, Gloria Manlunas and Alicia de Santos. Winning depended on getting as many newspaper coupons as possible, published in all the leading dailies and publications of the day. The voting period lasted for 8 weeks, and the tabulation of votes began on 4 February 1941.

MARIA'S COURT OF HONOR. Lina Araullo (elevated to Miss Luzon) and Lourdes Rodriguez (Miss Visayas). Miss Mindanao was yet to be named because of the controversial resignation of Alicia de Santos.

Maria projected an attitude of casual detachment from the day she was named as an official candidate. She attended her classes at U.P. as usual. But then, she won in the most dramatic fashion after a see-saw battle with Alicia de Santos. Her father had been quietly mobilizing his Masonic fraternity brothers to collect and clip newspaper coupons. At the last minute, he had voters cast their ballots, overtaking de Santos, the erstwhile leader, and winning the crown for his daughter Maria with a lead of over a million votes. Alicia de Santos was relegated to 2nd place (Miss Luzon), followed by Lina Araullo (Miss Visayas) and Luisa Rodriguez (Miss Mindanao). With de Santos’s resignation, Araullo and Rodriguez were promoted, with Louise Stevens joining the entourage as Miss Mindanao.

AT HER MAJESTY'S SERVICE. Miss Luzon and Miss Visayas flank their beautiful queen, Maria Kalaw, ready to do her bidding in this photo postacrd.

Maria’s coronation theme was Hindu-Malayan, and for her special moment, she was escorted by her brother Teddy Kalaw, who came dressed as an Indian warrior prince. Maria looked exotic in her white silken gown that had bands of gold all around her skirt. Over her neckline was a gold-embroidered collar, trimmed with tassels. She wore 3 strands of pearls, an armlet of diamonds and a helmet-shaped crown with two dangling pendants and a sunburst gem. For her other appearances in the nightly balls, she wore Filipiniana creations made by the famed couturier, Pacita Longos.

The next day, the new Queen nonchalantly went back to school in her regular white uniform, taking pains to look no different from her classmates. Maria, it seemed, was clearly more into her studies than her fleeting duties as a Carnival royal. Sure enough, after her reign, she went back to school and earned a Barbour scholarship in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she finished her Master of Arts degree in 1933.

MARIA'S MATRIMONY. Maria Kalaw at her wedding to Dr. Jose Katigbak, a relative from Lipa, Batangas.

A year after her return, she married a fellow Lipeño, Dr. Jose (Pepito) Katigbak, who was also a relative. The Katigbaks came from a clan of political leaders in Lipa, Batangas. Maria and Jose raised four children: Marinela (Nela), Josefina (Pinkie), Purisima (Puri) and Norberto (+Butch). Maria, when not tending her family, was also active in socio-civic movements, like the Girl Scout of the Philippines. In 1948, she was drafted into the Central Committee and later became the national president for 8 years.

BORN TO A ROYAL BREED. Marinela, Josefina, Purisima and Norberto--children of Maria Kalaw and Jose Katigbak.

In 1961, running under the Liberal Party, Maria won a seat in the Senate, jumpstarting her political career. She broke new barriers by going to Beijing and joining a Vietnam Mission. In between her busy schedules, she earned a Ph.D and wrote his parents’ biographies: Few There were (like my Father) in 1974, and Legacy: The Life and Times of Pura Villanueva Kalaw.

SENADORA MARIA-KALAW KATIGBAK. A 1960s picture of the fomrer Miss Philippines-turned politician.

Failing to get re-elected, Maria went back to her writing and became a ‘Checkpoint’ columnist for Manila Times. In 1981, then Pres. Ferdinand Marcos named her as the Chairman of the Board of Review for Motion Pictures and Television and earned a reputation as a tough censor. After the untimely death of her only son Butch, Maria suffered from bouts of depression. Also a diabetic, Maria Kalaw-Katigbak was felled by a series of strokes on 10 December 1992. Her beloved husband, Pepito followed her two years after.

64. 1931, MANILA CARNIVAL

By the 1930s the Manila Carnival had evolved from just being a celebration of the cordial relations between America and the Philippines to a spectacular showcase of a country’s progress under the guidance of its colonizer. It had become like an American country fair—but on a much larger scale, featuring product and agricultural exhibits, sideshows and parades. It was also used to reinvigorate domestic and international tourism, a public relation event for the Philippines in need of drumbeating for its limitless investment possibilities.

In 1930, for example, the Philippines enjoyed a bumper crop harvest in rice, coconut, sugar, copra and abaca, and was hardly affected by the Great Depression gripping America. The country’s produce were snapped up by the U.S. market and the increased exports helped maintain the youthful Philippine economy. Though economically, it lagged behind its Asian neighbors, the standard of living and the quality of labor was much higher, with government revenue used more efficiently to benefit the Filipinos people.

It was under this optimistic scenario that the 1931 Manila Carnival unfolded, certainly, the most covered Carnival event in recent years, what with the added drama provided by the Miss Philippines quest, in the Fifth National Beauty Contest.

63. 1930, THE BATHING SUIT CONTROVERSY III: Thoughts & Aftermath

What about the four winners who did get to wear their bathing suits during that fateful final selection? Miss Philippines-elect Consuelo Acuña said, “I didn’t put on the required bathing suit, but wore an attire modified for the form. I won’t say my opinion about the bathing suit lest I offend my companions”.

Miss Luzon, Estrella Alvarez had a more difficult time: “I resisted wearing a bathing suit for as long as I could, then gave in when a respected member of the jury requested it as ‘urgent’. But I didn’t wear the ‘maillot’, but an old-fashioned type, with a folded skirt, and I didn’t remove my shoes and stockings. This case of the bathing suit has brought me a lot of trouble. A brother of mine has sent a telegram to the effect that he and my brothers and sisters would disown me as a member of our family if it is true that I presented myself in such a scandalous manner!”.

*****

Miss Visayas, Luz Villaluna was more open-minded: “I am of advanced ideas and I believe in the progress and evolution of woman. Because of this, my friends call me a good sport. But what would you have me say? At that moment when, on the exigencies of the judges I had to wear a bathing suit, I started to dry like a child—I don’t know why! It was an emotion that came from the innermost self”.

*****

The one with the most liberal attitude seemed to have been U.P. collegian Rosario Ruiz Zorilla, Miss Mindanao. “Campoamor, the Spanish writer, wisely said: ‘All depends on the color of the glass on looks through’. It is natural that people would invoke Philippine traditions in rejecting this novelty. Under the circumstances, however, I believe there is nothing wrong for it is all in the aesthetic sense. The sight of a nude sculpture or painting evokes an emotion of pure artistry”. It is interesting to note that Zorilla had no qualms about putting on a bathing suit; as a candidate of The Herald, she was photographed wearing one in the university pool.

*****

Violeta Lopez came out of the contest and the furor of the bathing suit incident, a wiser, if not a more practical woman. To show that she bore no hard feelings, she and her father hosted a party for about 30 media people at the close of the Carnival season at Refugio Restaurant. She told the press, “I have never had a more enjoyable stay in Manila than this time, and all because I spent a great part of my time with the newspapermen of the city. They are truly the most amiable and hospitable people in the world”.

The Tribune, in an article entitled, “She Refuses to Wear a Bathing Suit and Loses A Crown”, was profuse with praise for its candidate: “Miss Violeta Lopez has shown by this exceptional act that she is still the daughter of these Sunkist Isles, the pride of a nation’s heart, strong in the inviolate modesty of maidenhood. All hail to Queen Violeta Lopez! Long may she reign and long may her act be cited as revealing that spirit of a true Filipino womanhood!”.

Eventually, Violeta Lopez would be elected queen of the grand Carnival in Jaro, Iloilo, which rivaled the pageantry of the national Carnival, as eyewitness reports noted. She would also put the bathing suit controversy behind her, returning to the Manila Carnival two years later, where this time, she would win the Miss Mindanao title in the court of the 1932 queen, Emma Zamora.

62. 1930,THE BATHING SUIT CONTROVERSY II: The Bare Truth

HIS POOL PARTY STARTED IT ALL. Councilor Antonio Torres of Manila hosted a pool party in which the finalists for the 1930 Miss Philippines crown were asked to wear swimsuits--and it was in his home that the controversy began.

Explanatory statements were issued by people involved in the controversy. Antonio Torres, the host of the party had an open letter published in La Vanguardia, in which he said that the party was a social affair, “such as I have celebrated in my swimming tank a number of times, pictures of which parties have been published in the local papers”. He further insinuated that Miss Lopez had not been invited by him to the party. Violeta Lopez counterclaimed that she was asked to go by Rosita Jose, a member of the Carnival Committee, an invitation approved by no less than Carnival Director Arsenio Luz.

Two judges, too, offered their versions of the story. Mrs. Marina Yulo de Vargas testified that “I have not seen Miss Violeta Lopez in a bathing suit nor did she convert her chemise into a bathing suit to take part in the contest on the last day of the selection”. On the other hand, Manuel Yriarte testified that “I have not seen Miss Violeta Lopez for whom I gave my vote as one of those selected”.

Far from clarifying the issue, the statement of Yriarte only served to bolster public opinion that Miss Lopez had indeed been eliminated because of her refusal to don a swimsuit. If she was one of the judges' choice, why was she not in the winners' circle?

OUSTED BUT NOT OUT. Violeta Lopez, candidate of the newspaper "The Tribune", in the eye of the swimsuit storm.

It was then that all five judges (the other three were Secretary of Commerce Filemon Perez, artist Fernando Amorsolo, Arch. Carlos Barretto) issued an official statement that outlined the final selection process:

1. A series of elimination rounds was used to determine the 1930 Miss Philippines. In the 1st round of voting, 8 passed: Consuelo Acuña, Estrella Alvarez, Rosario Ruiz Zorilla, Luz Villaluna, Violeta Lopez, Corazon Campos, Lourdes Aunario and Nieves Benito.
2. On Presentation Night, a 2^nd round elimination round reduced the eight to four: Acuña, Alvarez, Zorilla and Villaluna. Villaluna and Lopez had tied for the last finalist slot and it was judge Amorsolo who broke the deadlock. Lopez was thus eliminated.
3. At the home of Mr. Torres, the 4 finalists were invited so the judges can determine their final placements. Acuña got the votes of 4 of the 6 judges. After choosing her as Miss Philippines, the judges voted on Miss Luzon, Miss Visayas and Miss Mindanao and the results were unanimous: Alvarez, Villaluna and Zorilla, in that order.

This official statement clarified Yriarte’s earlier pronouncement that he voted for Miss Lopez on the Presentation Night, which was a prelude to the final judging.

THANK YOU, GIRLS. Lourdes Aunario (El Debate), Lilia Lopez (Atalaya) and Corazon Campos (Philippine Collegian) were among the finalists eliminated during the judges' final deliberation. Campos and Aunario, though out of the running, were invited to the pool party.

But then another question arose: why did 6 candidates show up at the party, instead of 4? Corazon Campos and Lourdes Aunario kept their invitations which they showed to the press. The invitation expressedly had this reminder: “Please do not forget to take with you a bathing suit. You do not need to come elegantly dressed..”. To muddle up the issue further, how come Lopez came and not Aunario? (Aunario had declined the invitation, and that, as earlier mentioned, Lopez came because of Rosita Jose’s invitation).