ALMOST MISS BAMBANG

BAMBANG, Nueva Vizcaya --- We’ve been robbed!

This was the collective outburst of the people of Almaguer after the winners for the 1996 Miss Bambang pageant was announced.

“My daughter is clearly the winner. This is an outrageous lutong macao!”, screamed a visibly agitated Baket Upris, mother of Miss Almaguer’s Sutsi who is the alleged victim of the cheating.

“Sutsi is the legitimate Miss Bambang and it will be written as such in all signages within Almaguer!” declared a defiant Kagawad Kit-to of Purok Singko where Sutsi and her family reside.

“Pinakan da ti pangaldaw dagidiyay judge isu nga impangabak da diyay taga-Calaocan!” volunteered another Purok Singko resident.

The din went on for a week then simmered down as the emotions of a community spurned settled.

Back in CLSU as a junior Bachelor of Arts student, Sutsi went on with her “Almost…” spree by being crowned as the second runner-up of the Most Beautiful Face and Miss Night league pageants.

Sutsi was on her senior year and being geared for the Miss CLSU pageant when she had an “accident” and had to get married.

Her distraught brother who pinched pennies for her to get to college did not attend the wedding and banned Sutsi from their house in Almaguer.

Today, Sutsi is a mother of four kids. Her brother has forgiven her a long time ago.

And Almaguer has forgotten that almost Miss Bambang moment as the signages remained unpainted with her name.