A grand welcome fit for a
queen awaits Karen Gallman when she arrives anytime soon in the province for
her official homecoming as Miss Intercontinental.
Gallman won the first Miss
Intercontinental crown for the country held in Manila last Saturday, Jan. 26
with her intelligence and her gown inspired by Balilihan’s majestic Camugao
falls.
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| Bohol
native Karen Gallman is the first Filipina to win the 47th Miss Intercontinental crown last Saturday night, Jan. 26. Photo courtesy: Karen Gallman Facebook |
This was relayed to VRS by sources until Gallman is no
longer busy with her series of television appearances and interviews.
Gallman will be coming
from Manila, which is her home during her one-year reign.
Her last homecoming in
April last year after winning the Bb. Pilipinas-Intercontinental 2018 was
sponsored by Bohol 2nd District Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado, a
relative of Gallman.
Gallman’s home province of Bohol is proud of
her, its Congress representative said, crediting her birthplace in Ubay town as
a factor in her victory in this year's Miss Intercontinental pageant.
“My family, the entire Ubay community and the
Boholanos are very proud of what our very own Karen Gallman has achieved. The
first Filipina and the first Boholana to win, ever, the Miss Intercontinental
pageant,” Aumentado said in a statement.
“Karen, as we fondly call
her is the same Karen who grew up in Ubay. She has remained simple yet
determined. An empowered woman. This serves as a challenge to Boholanas who
participate in international pageants in the future. We have the chance to win
any contest if we have the determination to win,” he said.
Aumentado said that they
understand that Gallman’s schedule would be busy from now on.
But he said that he would
invite Gallman for her homecoming to give her a hero’s welcome and a motorcade
around Ubay, and if possible, the whole province.
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“The
most beautiful woman in all continents”
Karen Gallman with Bohol 2nd
district Rep. Erico Aristotle
Aumentado and wife Vanessa (Miss Bohol 2001)
who
sponsored her homecoming in April last year.
Photo by
Leo Udtohan
|
“This title is a gift to
all Boholanos because Boholanos are really simple yet strong,” he said.
Many Boholanos including
those overseas were ecstatic about her win.
“B for Bohol, B for
Beauty, B-Hold Bohol,” Pete Cabalit, an international cruise ship crew, posted
on Facebook.
“I
can't help admiring her beauty. She certainly exudes both charm and inner
strength that she has seemed to have polished over the years,” said Miss
Tagbilaran 1987 Fiel Angeli Araoarao-Gabin.
Bishop Abet Uy of the
Diocese of Tagbilaran shared the news on Gallman’s winning on Facebook. He even
used the hashtag #proudlyboholano.
Gallman was born in Barangay Fatima in Ubay town on September 27, 1992 to Gavin William Gallman, a retired Australian soldier, and Ubay native Editha Boyonas.
She spent her childhood
days at Barangay Bood before she migrated to Australia at age 8.
“So, I was basically born and
raised in Bohol jud,” said Karen, who was crowned Miss Ubay 2007, in her past interview with your VRS during her homecoming last year.
Gallman
shared she had a happy childhood memories in Barangay Bood where she grew up
with her seven siblings. Her best memorable experience in Ubay
was when she fell from a mansanitas (Ziziphus jujube) tree.
“It’s the best. I had the best
childhood memories. And I have Bohol to thank for that- the surrounding, the
environment and the people,” she said.
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| Your VRS with Miss Intercontinental Karen Gallman. File |
She said she
likes ginamos (salted and fermented fish) and dried
fish.
“Gianad mi sa among mama,” she proudly
said.
She first
joined Binibining Pilipinas in 2012 at the age of 19 and made it to
the top 12 of the national beauty pageant and
was also named Miss Photogenic of the batch.
Before
trying her luck again in Bb Pilipinas 2018, she worked as an operations analyst
in a company in London for two years.
In the
Bb. Pilipinas 2018, Karen received flak for her Q&A response when asked
about her thoughts on building a third restroom for
transgenders. She explained, “I love the LGBT community.”
She said her mother Editha
trained them to speak the Visayan language and embrace the Boholano way
even if they were living in Brisbane, Australia.
Gallman
speaks Cebuano so confidently and fluently without a foreign accent and even
proudly calls herself "Bisdak" (Bisayang Daku)- which makes her all
the more endearing to many Boholanos.
Editha said her daughter is
“independent, buotan nga anak (a good daughter)” whose big dream was to become
a beauty queen.
* * *
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