San Juan City

Ayn Bernos walks viewers through her historic city

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

In her tourism video, San Juan City representative Rousanne Marie Bernos gave viewers a fairly concised history of her city. Ayn, as she is known to family and friends, is one of the consistent top-ranking aspirants in all five challenges of the Miss Universe Philippines competition this year.

"I am happy to show you around the beautiful city of San Juan. SJ City is very rich in history. In fact, this is where the first battle of the Philippine Revolution took place. In 1896, when Katipuneros attacked the Spanish forces in San Jose del Monte, the Philippine Revolution truly began.

"Today, the spirit of Pinaglabanan lives on in San Juaneños as we live and continue to win our own battles in the 21st century. The city of San Juan has since grown to a thriving residential and commercial hub known for its schools (La Salle Green hills, Xavier School), hospitals (Cardinal Santos Medical Center), neighborhoods (exclusive villages and highrise condominiums), art venues (Fundacion Sanso, Cafe Ysabel), and shopping centers (Greenhills Promenade).

"It is home to families, it is home to visual artists (like Juvenal Sanso), it is home to performing artists (Gary Valenciano and the Genesis Artist Center), and it is home to entrepreneurs. San Juan is also known as the 'tiangge capital of the Philippines' (check out the vast Greenhills Shopsville).

"From the churches, monuments, museums to our restaurants and entertainment venues, San Juan City is where culture meets commerce. It's where yesterday meets the future. History, heritage, progress . . . This is maka-bagong San Juan!"

Standing at 5'6", the dusky brunette is what pageant fans call a perfect example of the Miss Universe's emerging standard of beauty. The pageant is no longer exclusive to tall and skinny mestizas, but has evolved to include all body types, height, and skin color.

Catch Ayn and the rest of her MUPh sisters as they fight it out come preliminaries for a chance at winning the coveted crown. The girls are currently holed up in a swanky hotel in Pampanga, completing their rehearsal schedules and events leading to the final show.

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Image from Facebook/MUPh