Ella Montalban | Posted on June 3, 2020, at 7:12 p.m.
A group of friends decided to come up with “Miss Stranded Quarantine Queen”, a “patience pageant” where the last to go home gets the crown.
It was not your usual beauty contest.
All of the contestants were among the students of the University of the Philippines in Los Banos (UPLB) who were stranded there after the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine was implemented last March 16, 2020.
One of them is the daughter of Judge Joy Doctor and Darius Doctor, who are residents of Baclayon town in Bohol province.
So how did they come up with this pageant?
According to Judge Joy, it was a “scheme” they came up in order to “make those left behind feel better”.
“Every time somebody leaves, the rest of UPLB dormers who wish to come home get agitated, frustrated, and depressed,” she wrote on her post.
“And then when anyone of them, through the efforts of UPLB, their LGUs and townmates leave, they comfort each other, saying, “Never mind, you still have chances of winning the crown,” she added.
Her daughter Afzelia was named 6th runner-up last week after she came home along with other Bol-anon students stranded at UPLB. They arrived in Bohol on Friday morning where they were brought to an undisclosed quarantine facility for their mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Almira Villanueva clinched the 5th runner up title as she was also scheduled to come home to her province in South Cotabato last week.
The remaining top 5 candidates are Angel Joy Cape of Bukidnon, Jemka Lopez of Masbate, Camille Fabula of Romblon, Hessel Joy Mallorca of Marinduque, and Rosinda Arendain of Quezon City.
So, who will win the crown?
Well, everyone who knows them surely is hoping that all of them will win and come home to their families safe and sound as Luzon now is already under general community quarantine.
As the Doctor couple says, “Things will get better! Hang in there!”
Editor’s Note: Bohol Island News (BIN) sought and was granted permission by the Doctor couple to share this story.
