Somethin' major, major

 Venus Raj bids adieu to maidenhood

By Earl D C. Bracamonte

Miss Universe 2010 4th runner-up Venus Raj exchanged marital vows with motivational speaker North Orillan at an intimate ceremony in Pasig City on December 12.

A few days before tying the knot, Venus, in an Instagram post wrote, "There is blessing in waiting. For eight years, God allowed me to be single. Since I have fully surrendered my life to Jesus, I have never entered into a romantic relationship. I asked Him to protect my heart and to keep it until the right man comes.

"The Lord brought me to a beautiful journey of grace, joy, learning, trials, challenges, loneliness, and victories in the process. I have devoted my single years in serving the Lord, serving community, and serving my family. God is indeed the giver of good gifts. He knows His timeline for my life, and the right time has finally come.

"In a few days, I will be spending the rest of my life with this man of God that my Father has brought to me. My prayer is that, together, we will journey towards God's will in fulfilling His purposes for our union. We pray to glorify and honor this in our lives. We have a future ahead of us. It will not be perfect, but God is the anchor that will keep (us) secure.

"If you are still single and praying to the Lord for marriage, please know that God hears your prayers and He knows the desires of your heart. The answer might be - wait, yes, or no - but one thing is for sure, He knows what's best for you. Trust His process!"

Mrs. Orillan is the country's drought breaker who started the Philippines' 12-year semifinal streak at Miss Universe from 2010 through 2021, with Bea Luigi Gomez placing in the Top 5; before Celeste Cortesi broke the streak by not placing in the Louisiana edition.

After Venus, the other Filipina queens who placed at Miss Universe included Shamcey Supsup (2011, 3rd runner-up), Janine Tugonon (2012, 1st runner-up), Ariella Arida (2013, 3rd runner-up), Mary Jean Lastimosa (2014, Top 10), Pia Alonso Wurtzbach (2015, winner), Maxine Medina (2016, Top 6), Rachel Peters (2017, Top 10), Catriona Gray (2018, winner), Gazini Ganados (2019, Top 20), Rabiya Mateo (2020, Top 21), and Bea Luigi Gomez (2021, Top 5).

Michelle Marquez Dee brought the Philippines back to the Top 10 in the recently concluded Salvador edition. She also managed to win five special awards: Best in National Costume, Fan Vote winner, Carnival Cruise Award, Voice for Change Gold winner, as well as one of six recipients for the Miss Universe Skincare & Spa one-year supply of products.

With this new development, and chapter, in Venus' life, one could say that she has made a major, major decision!