For first time, Venus Raj shows condo unit

Beauty queen Venus Raj showed "Tapatan Ni Tunying" host Anthony Taberna her condominium unit which, she said, is a product of her hard work.

This is the first time that Raj welcomed cameras into her home.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Why Venus regrets relationship with Andrei

Venus says Andrei caused rift in her family

MANILA – Beauty queen Venus Raj regrets entering into a relationship with former TV host Andrei Felix, saying that this once caused a rift in her family.

In an interview with ABS-CBN’s “Tapatan Ni Tunying” aired on Thursday, the Miss Universe 2010 fourth runner-up revealed for the first time that there was a time when her siblings made her choose between them and Felix.

Raj said she initially chose to be with Felix, which led to months of being away with her family.

“Marami kasing taong nasaktan eh. Maraming taong nadamay, especially ‘yung pamilya ko. Umabot kami sa point na nag-away-away kaming magkakatapid. Umabot sa point na pinapapili ako ng mga kapatid ko kung sila or siya. Mas pinili ko siya. Hindi kami nag-usap ng mga kapatid ko for a few months. Na-miss ko ang pamilya ko doon,” she said without citing the reason behind the rift.

Realizing that she wants to return to her family, Raj decided to break up with Felix, ending their one-year relationship.

“Nag-usap kami. Sinabi ko, ‘Siguro oras na para maghiwalay tayo. Sana may natutunan ka sa kung anong mayroon tayo dati, sa mga pinagdaanan natin.’ Sabi ko, ‘Sana may natutunan ka at gamitin mo ‘yun sa mga susunod mong relasyon nang hindi na maulit ‘yung nangyari sa atin,’” she said.

Raj admitted that she believes that Felix helped her become a better person “in some aspects.” The beauty queen stressed, however, that she should have listened to those who were against the idea of her being in a relationship with the TV host.

“Sana pala nung mga unang panahon na iniisip ko na papasukin ko ba ‘tong relasyon na ‘to o hindi, sana pala nakinig ako sa kanila. Sana pala hindi na umabot sa ganito,” she said.

Raj and Felix met as co-hosts of the ABS-CBN morning show “Umagang Kay Ganda” in 2011. The two were eventually replaced by other hosts in 2013, when the show underwent some format changes.

The beauty queen stressed that their exit from “Umagang Kay Ganda” had nothing to do with their split.

“Hindi po ‘yun dahil sa trabaho kung bakit nawala kami. Mas malalim ang pinanggagalingan nun, mas personal ang pinanggagalingan nun,” she explained.

ABS-CBN’s “Tapatan Ni Tunying” tried to contact Felix to get his side, but the TV host refused to make a statement about his failed relationship with Raj.

Showbiz has taken a back seat for Raj, who is currently busy taking up a master’s degree in Community Development at the University of the Philippines.

Asked when she plans on settling down, she said: “’Pag dumating na po ‘yung tamang lalaki para sa akin. Kahit bata pa o matanda ka na, basta alam mo na ‘yan ang tamang tao para sa’yo. Kasi lifetime mong makakasama ‘yan.”

Raj’s mother, Esther Bayonito, for her part said she only wants her daughter to find a man who would love her for the rest of her life.

“Kahit ‘di kagwapuhan, kahit hindi mayaman. Dahil ang lalaking magiging asawa mo, siya ang kahalili ko sa pagmamahal ko sa’yo,” Bayonito said, addressing Raj.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Venus Raj still leads Miss U online poll

CEBU, Philippines - In the days leading to the coronation night on Aug. 23, the country’s bet to Miss Universe Venus Raj, together with the rest of the 83 beauties from all over the globe, got busy with the swimsuit
and national costume presentation and pictorial, plus an auction wherein she brought two boxing gloves
autographed by world boxing champ Manny Pacquiao and a pearl necklace.

There was also a controversial glamour shoot last Aug. 12 with many of the ladies opting to go topless as they got body-painted. Raj, 22, chose to keep her two-piece swimsuit for the shoot.

In US reports, billionaire Donald Trump, who owns the Miss Universe franchise, defended the shoot, saying that “we’re in a different age.” Critics, on the other hand, slammed the glamour shoot, claiming it went too far. “By bringing nudity into the equation, it no longer becomes a package of ‘beauty and brains’,” ABC News quoted Angie Meyer, a publicist and event planner who has worked with Miss USA contestants in the past. “Rather, this focuses it on body image. What kind of message are we sending to young girls?”

Raj also remains to be the most popular Miss Universe candidate based on the official online survey sponsored by the Miss Universe Organization. It’s been more than 35 years since Margarita Moran won the Miss Universe crown representing the Philippines in 1973. In 1969, Gloria Diaz became the first Filipina to wear the crown.

Will Raj become the third Filipina to win Miss U?

The coronation night will be held at the Mandalay Bay, in Las Vegas, NV on Aug. 23.


Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=604127&publicationSubCategoryId=51