AS THE famous Gretzky quote goes, “You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.”
Statuesque beauty Ena Velasco doesn’t miss much because of her propensity to make tough choices.
Faced with the decision of leaving beloved hometown Bacolod City for more bustling Cebu City to pursue medical school and being away from the comforts of home, guess what Ena did? She took the challenge even if it means being out of her comfort zone.
In hindsight, that choice might have been written in the stars as it ultimately prepared Ena with the fortitude and grace under immense pressure—virtues she displayed when she won the coveted Miss Mandaue 2015 crown.
Beauty queen she may be, but that’s not all she is as the Play! pool quickly found out in a sit-down talk with this plucky young woman.
You’re from Bacolod City. What brought you to Cebu?
Yes. I was born and raised in Bacolod City. I came to Cebu to study medicine. You might ask, why not in our hometown? Well, one reason is for me to become independent, get out of my comfort zone. I’m not getting any younger and I want to prepare myself for the near future. It’s not all the time that we have our parents to catch us every time we fall.
This isn’t the first time you actually won a beauty pageant with your triumphs in the Miss Masskara Festival and Miss SWU. Did you always want to be a beauty queen?
Masskara Queen was the very first pageant I joined back in 2012. It’s not really my dream to be a beauty queen… although people always tried to convince me to join pageants, I wasn’t interested. Until one day, I told my parents that I’d join Masskara Queen. At first, I wasn’t serious. I just wanted to see how my parents would react. I didn’t even have my 2”x2” photo taken and application form. Also, I went to the screening on the last day and was the last person to be screened. Luckily, I passed the screenings and was one of the 10 finalists. There were times I thought of backing out from the ompetition because I was intimidated by the competition who already had pageant exposures… unlike me who’s a newbie. I prayed and asked for signs if I should go on and my prayers were answered. So I didn’t back out. Instead, I gave it my best, pushed myself to come out of my shell… from a shy and timid girl to a woman of strength and confidence. I’m proud to say that it’s one of the greatest steps I’ve taken by far.
You are an aspiring doctor. Tell us what an average day is like for you.
An average day for me is going to school at 7 a.m. on weekdays, go home right after school and sleep for an hour or two before studying. On weekends, I stay at home most of the time and sleep, or go to the mall, watch a movie, and go back to studying again. Fridays is the time I get to hang out with friends or do some movie marathon. On Saturdays is when I start reading and studying for upcoming exams and do the review on Sundays.
How difficult is it to balance your duties as a student and be part of a pageant?
It’s really tough. Mentally and physically draining especially when you have to travel from one city to another and worse if you get stuck in traffic. During the course of the Miss Mandaue pageant, I had to go home right away to change quickly for our rehearsals and travel going to Mandaue City. After rehearsing, I go straight home, at a coffee shop or at a friend’s house to study. Repeat that for five days. It was even more challenging ‘cause we were having our finals that time. I had to make sure I won’t miss out on any
exams. Good thing I was able to make it in the list of exempted students in some subjects.
Who encouraged you to join the Miss Mandaue pageant?
Last year, Malayka Yamas— my manager during the Miss Mandaue pageant—asked me if I wanted to join the pageant and I said yes. Just like the Masskara Queen pageant,
it wasn’t something that I planned to do. I just wanted to try it, somehow distract myself from school. I know it’s a weird kind of distraction and my friends would tell me, “Lahi ra gyud ka.” I want to channel the stress from school into something, be preoccupied with extracurricular activities. So basically it’s just for fun and perhaps also for the experience which could prepare me for a national pageant, just in the case. Apart from that, I also want to make my parents proud. They’re my inspiration. There’s nothing more fulfilling than seeing my family, especially my parents, happy of what I have achieved.
At what point during your Miss Mandaue stintdid it dawn on you that you had a shot at winning the crown?
I didn’t expect to win because this was by far the toughest pageant I’ve encountered. Somehow I knew I’d be in the Top 5, but I didn’t expect to win Miss Mandaue 2015. Knowing I had strong competitors made me exert more effort. Aside from that, I drew strength from family and friends’ support, as well as the encouragement of my mentor Jonas Borces who groomed and psyched me for the competition.
Tell usmore about yourself.
I’m a simple 22-year-old lady from a middle class family. Born and raised in Bacolod City, I’m the eldest of three children. When I was seven, my parents went abroad and worked there for 11 years with the three of us kids growing up under the care of our grandparents. I understood why my parents had to leave, so I fulfilled my responsibility of being an “ate,” was a role model to my sibs and an obedient child to my parents and guardians.
Being a beauty queen doesn’t mean you have to be girly girl all the time. In fact, I have this sporty side of me which I believe is more dominant. I was in Grade 5 when I discovered my love for volleyball and our coach recruited me in the varsity. In 2009, I was part of the Western Visayas juniors volleyball girls team champions during the Palarong Pambansa. I was also part of the USLS vollyball varsity team in college and got to compete in the regionals and University Games. Sadly, I quit the varsity a year after because I had to focus on my course (BS Biology). Still, it has become a big part of me… my first love. Until now, despite my hectic schedule in medicine, I still play volleyball. Aside from volleyball, I also played softball back in high school, and recently, I’ve been interested in basketball, too.
Winning the crown, you said your advocacy will focus mainly on promoting health and wellness. How you will go about this campaign?
A few weeks ago I discussed some of my plans with Mandaue City PIO Mr. Roger Paler. I mentioned medical missions, bible study sessions for kids, feeding programs… still brainstorming for new ideas to date. Of the plans, I recently participated in the medical and dental mission organized by Three-Sixty Pharmacy in collaboration with Unilab, which my colleagues from SWU-MHAM College of Medicine and I really enjoyed. Seeing the smiles of the people whose lives we were able to touch is a priceless moment.
Who are the beauty queens you look up to?
Two of the beauty queens I admire are Venus Raj because of her physique and exotic beauty and Megan Young because she’s a total package.
Your answer to the final question was quite profound…
They say that love makes the world go round, honesty makes a person real, and peace makes life easy. Respect, I believe, serves as a conduit for these ideals. Yes, there are times I get provoked. I’m only human. But being provoked and doing something about it are two different things. Whenever that happens, I take a deep breath and try to calm my nerves and
remind myself to handle a situation in the most peaceful and easy way possible.
How competitive are you? Did this competitive spirit play a role in the pageant?
When it comes to volleyball I get really competitive cause it’s my forte. You know that feel when you’re well versed with a line and you want to ace it so you do everything to deliver it well to your audience. That’s the same feeling I get whenever I play volleyball. It’s always that “game on” moment for me. Actually, whether it’s a game or a pageant, my greatest competitor is myself. I strive hard to outdo my past performances.
Are you ready to join Bb. Pilipinas?
I’m still honing myself. Right now, my focus is on med school. If ever I join, it would be after graduation so I can give my 100 percent time, effort and focus to the pagrant.
We just celebrated Independence Day. What does it take to be a hero in this day and age?
In our modern world, you don’t have to shed blood, or risk your life in saving a damsel in distress to be a hero. Someone who makes an indelible mark in
another person’s life, making him a better individual, is already a hero. A hero can be a mother, a father, a brother or sister, a friend, or even a random stranger that’ll change your life. Heroism doen’t have to be a grand show either. I can be a heroine sowing simple acts of kindness to people around me.
