24/04/2026
The Stacy Gabriel of this Batch !
She is no other than "Alicia Buendia"
Gandang Rizal ๐ต๐ญ
PRELIMINARY INTERVIEW. First, I would like to commend this batch 2026. Great speakers. Different levels of comm skills but generally great. I would even say that, as far as speaking is concerned, I would trust 35 of them to do well on the international level. But having said that, I would put the first five on the top tier.
Obviously, the baseline requirement is to answer the question. But it doesn't end there. The thing about interviews is that your answer shouldn't only look great when read but it should be delivered in an engaging and not boring manner. Your personality should come through. Your voice should sound nice. Your eyes should show the right emotion matching what you're saying. Et cetera.
A few special mentions:
Rizal - the Stacey Gabriel of this batch
Tacloban - the Kali Navea-Huff of this batch
Cebu Province - She was not prepared for that first question. It threw her off. She tried to regain her composure, but the entire interview looked awkward.
Nueva Ecija - The voice was great. The face looked great. But the hand was shaking like the turbine of a washing machine. And I thought "baka ma-Gazini tayo sa iyo, girl." But you know what-- If real confidence was there, she would easily be in the top 10. And It made me wonder-- she was also shaking during the Aqua Boracay presentation. What's the matter with her?
Cebu City - No doubt she improved a lot compared to her old self but she's simply competing with great speakers. What to do? However, she would still be able to manage the day-to-day if she gets sent to an international contest. Final Q&A-wise, though, Maxine Medina levels. That's me being nice.