The much-anticipated return of the resounding Mindanao State University-General Santos City (MSU-GSC) Intramurals after a two-year hiatus, from the illustrious pageantry scene of Miss MSU, to the exhilarating sports events, to the academic and literary matchups, not only scores to the pinnacle among any other institutional endeavors, but is one of the premier events that embedded itself in the history of South-Central Mindanao institutions. However, the cameras only highlight the stories of what happened behind the glitz and glamour that emanated from the stage of Miss MSU, causing clamor in social media and a succession of heated rumors to make orbits on the MSU-GSC grounds.
A Bleep of Miscommunication
Aside from the crowning moment of the candidates who paved their way to enter the so-called “most prestigious pageant,” it also became the last straw for the MSU medical team, who faced a hapless circumstance when they stationed for service inside the gymnasium.
Upon entering the gym, Mr. Francis Antopina, leader of the medic group, had called the attention of the assigned personnel and presented his team that would standby for medical responses and aid. However, he stated that one of the facilitators had interrupted their entrance, saying, "Wait lang, hindi kami nagrequest ng medics." With that, as the team leader, Mr. Antopina had pulled out his company from servicing inside the event room. In the words of Shiela Marie Madriaga, the medical team supervising head, she resorted to withdrawing the volunteers because it was not for them to insist on their entry if they had already been hemmed in by the working force. She also communicated with one of the sporting boards with the approval of their OIC, Dr. Jenifer D. Galia, to undertake the said measure, and for the board also to be aware of.
On the other hand, Hon. Gellie Davalos, the committee head of the pageant, had expressed her sincere apologies to the medical volunteers and explained that there was an ensuing misunderstanding that happened between the deployed personnel and Mr. Antopina. Accordingly, Hon. Davalos gave the greenlight for the medic team to enter, but as the staff went back, the medical team has already departed. Later that night, one of the candidates stumbled and was injured, but no one from the organizing committee reached the medical service team, which remained in their headquarters outside the gymnasium following the unlikely experience, as Mr. Antopina confirmed. On the side of the committee, Hon. Davalos said that she was preoccupied at the time of the incident, but there were assigned backstage staff who probably handled the situation. Moreover, as to the SSC’s position, they also recognized that they were not able to orient and debrief their tasked volunteers about the medical team’s essential role as part of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in almost, if not all, events during the Intramurals.
Conversely, the inclusion of the medical services team in the planning phase, not just for the Miss MSU pageant but for the Intramurals in general, is a sine qua non that will support their strategies on how they will scope and position themselves during the course of the events. Accordingly, during the parade, they were recognized as part of the pillars of the institution, but they were discouraged from taking up the space that they did deserve during the opening program in the school quadrangle. Despite their unfortunate encounter, the MSU-GSC medical team was able to carry out their duty, recovering 27 patients as of November 21.
In addition, the value of respect is a crucial indicator that the organizing committee should underscore; proper communication must be sealed with honesty and the utmost considerations, so that any misunderstandings will be addressed with preemptive solutions to prevent them from escalating into dispute. As a result of the bleep of miscommunication, a scant sharp was created, which eventually resulted in off-keyed gossip.
BTS: Behind the Stage
Further, what goes beyond the glamour showcased during the conduct of the Miss MSU 2022 is a violent and anxiety-inducing experience literally backstage. Sixteen quintessential candidates curved a perfect smile while gracing the big stage with their sexy playsuits, culture-representing festival attires, and endearing red evening gowns, but behind it was a dread that beset the candidates even after the crown was passed to its new successor.
In a Facebook status posted by Sheena Mayol, one of the candidates of the pageant, hours after the competition, she called out how the hired pageant organizer kept on swearing and throwing them bad and hurtful words, and it started during the practices and rehearsals. She opened the issue to the committee head and the Supreme Student Council (SSC), but the first response of the SSC was to just understand the organizer and choreographer because their behavior may just have been the result of pressure and exhaustion. The profaning incident worsened as their practice continued, also considering her consecutive absence during rehearsals and her raised concern regarding the safety of the candidates after being released very late at night after rehearsals. This even led to physical violence backstage during the conduct proper of the pageant, where the floor director pulled a chair and attempted to throw it, but the handler pulled the hair of the floor director as a form of self-defense. However, Hon. Davalos confirmed that it did not affect the committee rating of Mayol.
Consequently, the Miss MSU committee head, Hon. Davalos affirmed that the incident did happen, but even she herself and the SSC were not able to control the behavior of the organizer, further stating that even them experienced the swearing firsthand. Nonetheless, however, Hon. Davalos mentioned that they did not fail to take the necessary measures and interventions, but the organizer’s behavior was really just out of hand. In congruence, she also mentioned that the SSC is already undertaking the necessary steps to address the issue, and that they have already communicated with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (VCAA) to conduct imperative investigations. Further, she expressed her apology on behalf of the candidates, and said that they are accountable for the said issue.
The events that transpired before and during the conduct of the pageant should serve as a lesson for the committee head and the organizing committee that they should be meticulous in choosing the needed organizers when conducting an event. The academic year is still far from ending, and there are still a lot of events that the organization is going to undertake. They should not wait for any irreversible harm that no amount of apologies can undo the damage. May this be a reminder that even behind the stage, candidates of pageantries can still smile and advance their causes.
Two Stages in one Room
In the midst of the seemingly spiraling speculations about the pageant’s impropriety, the Bagwis publication was also confronted by the lopsided decision of the committee to take precedence over the access of the official student publication to the pageant, for the reason of giving representation and an opportunity to college press to cover such an event. However, the deliberation only served to highlight how misrepresentation occurred in the very first place. The student council passed up the opportunity to convene a meeting with all relevant media outlets, allowing for a proper dialogue to address points of clarification and even questions about their course of action. They are pushing through representation, but also at the cost of the official student publication.
Moreover, emphasizing the role of Bagwis is like a riddle that bewilders them, as they have opted to select a service-concern business entity without initially getting the position of the anticipated workforce, whose mandate is to engage itself on such occasions. According to Hon. Davalos’ statement, she said that they have precluded the decision due to what they believe that the Bagwis is engrossed in activities.
In light of the issue of limiting the number of manpower, the committee head had elucidated that Bagwis staff are not circumscribed to enter the pageant night, but they will purchase tickets to step forth in, yet, there is no leverage that had been given since all entry passes were distributed to all colleges at their insistence. At the outset, only two entries were given originally to all publications; however, looking at the coverage that Bagwis attempted to scope, even if two is better than one, the amount of workload that will burden the manpower cannot justify that only two wings are fluttering, wherefore Bagwis’ head pleaded to increase the former twofold. Upon knowing such information, another loophole opened where the council was consumed by the externalities of the medium of distributing tickets; they fell short not because of the devolution of the dissemination process but because of their frailty in designing a framework to which colleges will gravitate in their pursuit of administering.
Apart from the ramifying inconsistency, Hon. Davalos mentioned that, coming from prior information, they assumed that "we are different entities, and bawal magdikit si Bagwis at si SSC." On the contrary, it is mandated in Article XIII, Sec. 1b of the Bagwis’ Constitution and By-Laws, that the organization has the privilege to cover events inside and outside of the University. From this point forward, the underlying cause insinuated itself to reveal a deeper depth of where this issue concerning the two university-wide bodies burdens the "should be" peaceful relationship, as the SSC stands on the ground where the publication is seen as poles apart from them.
To Beauty and Beyond
The MSU-GSC Intramurals 2022 is already hours close to culminating, but the glory and pride that every triumph and victory of every college attained all throughout will remain until the conduct of the next; likewise, the issues and problems which dimmed the glitz and glamor of the coveted Ms. MSU will leave a drawback to the people who witnessed its unfolding. The occurrence of certain dilemmas is not new and should always be anticipated by the organizing committee and by the audience that consume them. However, the fiascos that put to shambles the conduct of the Miss MSU pageant could have been avoided had the organizing committee undertaken necessary measures where all needed university organizations are rallied in one place and apprised of their roles and functions. With these efforts, no breach of miscommunication could have taken place where the welfare of the individuals and organizations involved was not compromised. But just like any other Intramurals in the course of history of MSU-GSC, this year’s results will just be written in history and will be forgotten overtime; nevertheless, the repercussions induced by the spectacle of beauty and intellect dethroned the crowning moment that should have been in the limelight of the competition. Indeed, more than its theme, there is something beyond its beauty.
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