MALAYSIAN HOT SPRING, SETAPAK AND MALAY MAIL FC CONNECTION SPURTS IN ILOILO CITY, PHILIPPINES

THE MALAYSIAN-PHILIPPINES CONNECTION AT MISS UNIVERSE PHILIPPINES

By Tony Mariadass

Miss Universe Philippines 2021 candidate, Kheshapornam Ramachandran, who emerged Miss Iloilo/Miss Universe Philippines contest recently, is half Filipina-half Malaysian/Indian Ilongga (local Iiloilo people known as) origin.

Kheshapornam, 20, was born in Malaysia – Hot Springs, Setapak – to former Kuala Lumpur football player R. Ramachandran and his Filipina wife, Rachel Empedrad.

They were married in 1992 in Kuala Lumpur and have three children. Kheshapornam is the youngest, who went to live with her grandmother in Iloilo when she was six.

 

She has two older brothers – Rama 30 (who is a Police Officer in Iloilo) and Dinesh, 28 (who is in Malaysia and played – leftback - for Selangor U-21 team from 2007 – 2010 before an ACL injury derailed him).

Ramachandran, a City Hall enforcement officer, sadly passed away in 2006 from complications resulting after contacting chicken pox.

 

Ramachandran met his wife, also known as Michelle, when the Kuala Lumpur Malay Mail FC team was invited to play in the inaugural President’s Cup in Iloilo City in 1991.

Ramachandran squatting first from left with the KL Malay Mail FC team for the inaugural President's Cup in Iloilo, Philippines.

KLMM FC who had emerged the Kuala Lumpur FA Dunhill League champions defeating a star-studded City Hall FC, were rewarded by FA of Malaysia to play in the President’s Cup – thanks to then FAM general secretary, the late Datuk Paul Mony Samuel.

 KLMM FC had five invitation players from the KL Semi-Pro team which included Ramachandran who travelled to Iloilo and emerged runners-up to the Chinese Taipei national team losing in penalty shootout after the game ended in a deadlock.

 The other guest players from the KL team included were Nazim Din, late Tommy Chong Kok Min, Badrul Isham Jalil and Badrulsham Ahmad.

Ramachandran first from left with the Kuala Lumpur team

 It was then KLMM FC player, A. Gunasegeran who met Michelle at a shopping complex and invited her to the final with her friends.

 Later, she was invited for dinner with some of the KLMM FC players by Guna and that was where she met Ramachandran and their friendship blossomed to love and marriage.

 “I first saw Rama at the game, and he was so shinny. But I got to meet him at the dinner, and he was a shy person. He asked for my phone number, and we kept in touch,” revealed Michelle how she met her husband.

 After Philippines’ successful stint at Miss Universe 2020 with Rabiya Mateo, the Miss Universe Philippines organisation is all set to appoint its new queen to represent the country at the upcoming 70th Miss Universe to be held in Costa Rica later this year.

 Among the many names coming up for Philippine Miss Universe, is Kheshapornam.

Among her feats include winning one of the crowns for runners-up during Mutya Ng Pilipinas Gold. She was also declared ‘Best in Swimwear’ and ‘Best in Evening Gown.’

She also won the right to represent the country in Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International in 2018. It was supposed to happen during the last quarter of 2018 or early 2019. Sadly, the organisers scrapped the staging of the international contest and Kheshapornam was left with no choice but to accept the fate of having an aborted pageant mission.

The athletic Keshapornam stands 175cm tall and is an avid basketballer, model, beauty queen and student leader from Iloilo National High School. She was supposed to have graduated from the Asian College of Aeronautics this June, where she is studying aeronautics engineering, but had to be postponed as her practical at the Manila International Airport has been deferred because of the Covid 19 pandemic.

Keshapornam with her mother and brother Rama

 Keshapornam in Malaysia during her visit recently

Aside from her physical prowess and interest in sports, she possesses an inner radiance of a sweet and passionate Ilongga, a great potential that allowed her to successfully achieve various beauty titles in her young age. She aspires to become a successful beauty queen and joining the national pageant is one step in achieving that dream.

Kheshapornam believes that physical beauty fades, but a good character remain with us including our virtues and positive perspective in life. A beautiful heart can touch lives and inspire people around us.

In an interview in Philippines recently she had said that the most important reasons for her to live a meaningful life is, “to live a life of virtues and sincerity. For me, living a meaningful life means being kind, generous and always willing to help other people in simple ways.”

“I engage myself in sports because I am a wellness advocate, I prioritize my studies since this is my pathway to a better future, and I work hard to become a beauty queen because I want to use this as a platform to inspire young people, to show them that great dreams are meant to be fulfilled when we have the heart to do something about it,” she added.

 

Her mother here in Malaysia, who is working as a nurse at a private clinic is so proud of her daughter and hopes she realises her dream.

“I sent her back to be brought up my mother in Iloilo when she was six as she was a girl and difficult for me to manage after my husband passed away so suddenly,” said Michelle when contacted.

“I am immensely proud of her achievement so far both academically and her pageant pursue. She intends to join the Philippines Air Force when she graduates. My older son, Rama, is a police officer in Iloilo, while my second son is here with me in Malaysia.

“It has been tough bringing up the children as a single parent and had to work hard to earn money for their education,” said Michelle worked as a cashier in a local pub called Online for six years before becoming a nurse.

“My brother-in-law, Subramaniam, had been supportive until he retired recently, and I had to work doubly hard to make end meet.”

 

 Rama's brother Subramaniam former national player from Selangor standing fourth from right

Asked if she plans to go to the International Miss Universe Philippines qualifying contest later this year when it permits, she said: “No, I can’t stand the pressure and I don’t want to pressure on my daughter too.

“The last time I watched her in a local contest online and I was so tensed, that I decided I will never watch. I wish her the best, my prayers for her always with her and to enjoy the moment,” said Michelle who las saw her daughter before the Covid pandemic.

“I plan to visit Iloilo again when it permits as I miss my two children and my family. I always return annually.”

Dinesh too said he was proud of his sister and if possible, want to be in Manila to lend her moral support.

“I am looking forward to meeting my baby sister soon as I miss her and my brother and also want to lend her support for the contest,” said Dinesh.

 

Dinesh front first left with local team Hotspurs FC

Indeed, Kheshapornam’s family, the people of Iloilo and the community of Hot Springs in Setapak, the KLMM FC team members and even Malaysians will be rooting for her as she is of Philippines-Malaysian blood.

All the absolute best Kheshapornam!