Maria Venus Bayonito Raj (; ; born July 7, 1988) is an Filipino-Indian actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2010. She represented the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

at the Miss Universe 2010 pageant and placed 4th Runner-Up. After her title, Raj placed as the fourth runner-up in 59th Miss Universe pageant where she popularized her fumbled answer "''Major Major''".

Early life and education

Maria Venus Raj was born in

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor, it is home to m ...

, Qatar to an Indian-American father and a Filipino mother, the youngest of five children. Raj's family moved in Bato, Camarines Sur in the Bicolandia at age 21. For the first two decades of her life, Raj lived in a nipa hut made of wood,

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

and

anahaw ''Saribus rotundifolius'', also known as the footstool palm, is a common fan palm found in Southeast Asia. It is a member of the genus ''Saribus''. Common names It is called ''anáhaw'' or ''luyong'' in Filipino. In Malay the palm is known as ...

leaves, with no electricity, in the middle of a sprawling rice field. She allegedly used rice paddy dikes for her early training, where she eventually developed her distinctive walk.Ephraim Aguilar (September 4, 2010
Dethroned Bicol beauty queen fights for dream
. Inquirer Southern Luzon. Raj started out by joining local beauty pageants, as well as oratorical contests at San Vicente High School, where her English teacher served as her coach. Using the prize money won in major contests, she then bought land on an installment basis for her mother as a means of improving their livelihood.Ephraim Aguilar (September 4, 2010
Dethroned Bicol beauty queen fights for dream
. Inquirer Southern Luzon. Raj obtained her bachelor's degree in communication arts, major in journalism, at

Bicol University Bicol University ( Bikol: ''Unibersidad nin Bikol'', Tagalog: ''Pamantasan ng Bikol''), also referred to by its acronym (BU or Bicol U), is a regional state, research and coeducational higher education institution in Legazpi City, Albay, Phili ...

in Legazpi City, with

Latin honors Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some ...

(''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

''). She graduated through the scholarship that she received from the Francis Papica Foundation. She initially worked as an Information Assistant for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for

Bicol Region Bicol, known formally as the Bicol Region or colloquially as Bicolandia ( bcl, Rehiyon kan Bikol; Rinconada Bikol: ''Rehiyon ka Bikol''; Waray Sorsogon, Masbateño: ''Rehiyon san Bikol''; tl, Rehiyon ng Bikol), is an administrative region of ...

. It was at this time that she also worked as a part-time fashion model in both her native Bicol and Manila.Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2010
. bbpilipinas.com In 2017, Raj completed her

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

community development The United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." It is a broad concept, applied to the practices of civic leaders, activists ...

from the

University of the Philippines Diliman , image = University of The Philippines seal.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman , motto = Honor and Excellence , established = February 12, 194 ...

. In June 2021, she graduated from Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA),

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, England.

Pageantry

Miss Philippines Earth 2008

Raj first competed in Miss Philippines Earth 2008 where she was crowned as Miss Philippines Eco Tourism 2008.

Binibining Pilipinas 2010

After joining Miss Philippines Earth 2008, Raj took a break from beauty contests and worked as an Information Assistant at the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. On March 6, 2010, she was crowned Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2010 during the pageant's Grand Coronation Night at the

Araneta Coliseum The Araneta Coliseum, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Smart Araneta Coliseum, is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena that is part of the Araneta City in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. Nicknamed as "the Big ...

. She also won the special awards for Best in Long Gown, Best in Philippine Terno, and Miss Friendship. She gained the right to represent the Philippines at the 2010 Miss Universe pageant in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

Miss Universe 2010

The Philippines' pending participation at Miss Universe 2010 attracted international attention due to Binibining Pilipinas' controversial initial dethronement of Raj for citizenship reasons. However, due to increasing public pressure and the ensuing intervention of the Miss Universe Organization under

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

, national director

Stella Araneta María Stella Márquez—Araneta (born 17 June 1937) (née Márquez Zawadski), often styled as Madame Stella Márquez de Araneta, is a Colombian pageant director and beauty queen. She grew up in New York City then later migrated to Colombia, wh ...

and the country's Department of Foreign Affairs made an agreement with Raj to reinstate her to the national title upon making an exception to grant her a Philippine passport. Raj eventually travelled in August 2010 to Las Vegas, United States and became the official Philippine delegate to the competition. During the Miss Universe competition, Raj was emotionally distressed to hear about the death of Filipino-German beauty queen

Melody Gersbach Melody Adelheid Manuel Gersbach (November 18, 1985 – August 21, 2010) was a Filipino-German model and beauty queen. Personal life Born in Daraga, Albay, to a German father (Wolfgang Gersbach) and a Filipina mother (Marina Manuel) and raised i ...

and make-up artist Alden Orense in a car accident. Gersbach, a fellow Bicolana who previously competed and placed in the Top 15 at

Miss International 2009 Miss International 2009, the 49th Miss International pageant, was held on November 28, 2009, at the Sichuan International Tennis Center in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. The pageant was originally scheduled to be held on November 7, 2009, at The Ven ...

in China, was one of Raj's coaches in her preparation for the Miss Universe pageant. Raj was one of six delegates who were handpicked for a media tour, Raj, along with

Jesinta Campbell Jesinta Franklin (; born 12 August 1991) is an Australian model and beauty pageant titleholder. Franklin won Miss Universe Australia 2010 and represented Australia at Miss Universe 2010, placing 2nd Runner-Up. Early life Franklin grew up in ...

of Australia, Natalia Navarro of Colombia, Sarodj Bertin of Haiti, Ximena Navarrete of Mexico, Mariana Vicente of Puerto Rico and Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez were scheduled for several television appearances prior to the actual pageant in Las Vegas. Raj received the highest rating in the Miss Universe website, with 3.54 points, the highest-ever for a Philippine delegate. Raj was the last delegate to be announced to the Top 15, signalling both an end to a 10-year semifinal drought for the Philippines and the beginning of its ongoing streak (as of ) of appearances at Miss Universe during the live finale. During the Miss Universe question and answer portion, Raj was asked by American actor William Baldwin about the biggest mistake that she made in her life and what she did to make it right, to which she simply replied that she had never made any big mistakes in her life, citing the famed answer "Major Major" in her response. Raj eventually finished in the Top 5 as 4th runner-up to winner Navarrete from Mexico, marking the Philippines' highest placement at Miss Universe since

Miriam Quiambao Miriam Redito Quiambao-Roberto (, born May 20, 1975) is a Filipino physical therapist, inspirational speaker, author, entrepreneur, actress, television host, real estate broker, endorser, model, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned ...

placed second in the competition in

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

Television career

Prior and after Miss Universe, Raj guested on multiple networks as guests. Eventually she was offered hosting stints including a spot in the morning show

Umagang Kay Ganda ''Umagang Kay Ganda'' (, also known as UKG) was a Philippine morning show that aired on ABS-CBN from June 25, 2007, to May 5, 2020. Prior to broadcast stoppage and the COVID-19 pandemic, the program was aired every weekday mornings from 5:00 ...

. In 2011, Raj signed up an exclusive contract with

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...

, coinciding with the network gaining the airing rights of the Binibining Pilipinas pageant for at least five years. In 2013, she left on hosting Umagang Kay Ganda due on the reformat of the show. Less busy with entertainment commitments, Raj pursued her master's degree in Community Development at the University of the Philippines Diliman and lent a hand to the group called “Care For Children.”

Filmography

Television

Film

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Raj, Venus Living people 1988 births Actresses from Camarines Sur Bicolano actors Binibining Pilipinas winners Filipino people of Indian descent Filipino female models Miss Universe 2010 contestants University of the Philippines Diliman alumni ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs people