TANAY, Rizal - At 83, Leandro "Biboy" Enriquez, a celebrated founder of beauty pageants and a prominent hotelier, radiates joy and fulfillment. He is now a two-time world champion cockfighter known for his exceptional skills. With a warm smile and a spark in his eye, Biboy shows how rich and satisfying life can be.

The current generation may not be familiar with Biboy. But for pageant fans in the 70s and 80s, they know him as the former owner of Mutya ng Pilipinas and Miss Asia Pacific beauty pageants. Biboy also owned the Sulo Hotel, the Philippine Village Hotel, the Silahis Hotel, the Puerto Azul Beach Hotel, and the Playboy Club of the Philippines.

While walking through his sprawling 25.6-hectare farm nestled in Tanay, the perpetual bachelor fondly reminisced about his remarkable journey in the world of pageantry back in 1968.

"Nagkaroon ng Asian Fashion Summit sa Araneta Coliseum. The organizer needed a hotel to house these models. After the event, I asked the organizer to create a beauty contest. So we thought of Mutya ng Pilipinas and Miss Asia Pacific beauty pageants," said Biboy.

During that period, the two prominent national beauty pageants in the Philippines were Mutya ng Pilipinas and Binibining Pilipinas. These contests held significant prestige and captured the public's attention, attracting numerous hopeful candidates from various regions. 

Women crowned as queens in these competitions often transitioned into successful careers in the entertainment industry, ultimately becoming renowned television and movie stars. 

Biboy characterized the competition between the Mutya ng Pilipinas and Binibining Pilipinas pageants as a cordial rivalry, highlighting the camaraderie and mutual respect among the organizers. "Nauna ang Bb. Pilipinas. But I am friends with the Aranetas (organizer of Bb. Pilipinas)."

He also got the Miss World franchise for 15 years. "I applied for the franchise in London. Fortunately, Julia Morley gave it to us. Then we also got the franchises for Miss Intercontinental and Miss Tourism International."

After several years in the pageant world, Biboy decided to step away. He humorously remarked, "I felt like a dirty old man, so I stepped down." Following his departure, Roberto De Venecia, the younger brother of former House Speaker Joe De Venecia, took over as the new franchise owner.

Recently, Biboy shared that he often receives invitations from various organizers asking him to serve as a judge in beauty pageants. However, he has graciously declined these offers, expressing that his passion for pageants has waned significantly.

He acknowledged that while he appreciates the honor of being considered, his priorities have shifted, and he no longer finds excitement in the world of competitive pageantry.

But he could assure pageant fans that he never had a hand choosing the winners when we was still active in the pageant world. "I leave everything to the judges."

Biboy recalled an edition of the pageant where two candidates tied for the crown. "Of course, we can never have two winners, and we needed to break the tie. In such cases, the pageant's organizer is typically responsible for making the decision. However, I chose not to interfere. Eventually, it was settled. When the first runner-up learned about the outcome, she became upset with me, claiming she could have been the winner. I told her that the judge's decision is final."

But Biboy admitted he fell in love with one of the international queens. "That was the first and last time I fell in love. I get attracted to many women but I fell in love only once."

Biboy added: "We traveled to Europe for quite a while before returning home. During her absence, I met another beauty queen and got her pregnant. I was on the verge of marrying the first beauty queen when she returned to Manila and discovered that I had another beauty queen expecting a child. This led my girlfriend to decide to end our relationship. Taking her to the airport was incredibly difficult, and that was the last time I saw her."

The beauty queen who got pregnant gave Biboy a son, who is now in the US. "I have three children with different mothers. I thought I had only two, but there were three." Two of his children are based abroad while the other one is in Metro Manila.

Biboy loves spending his time on the farm. He is mindful of his eating habits and goes to the gym thrice a week. The dedicated businessman aspires to live until he is 105 years old.

"By the time I reach the age of 100, I sincerely hope that I'm still able to walk," he remarked with a thoughtful smile. He discussed his plans, mentioning that he had already prepared a beautiful columbarium on his sprawling farm, nestled among the verdant fields and mature trees, if his time were to come.

What factors influenced Biboy's decision to forgo a lifetime partnership? Biboy said that you will never feel lonely if you have many companions at home.

"Marami naman akong kasama sa farm. May kasama naman akong babae sa room ko pero walang romantic attachment so that in case may mangyari sa akin. She wakes up early to help me check everything. Nagbibiro na nga sila dahil lagi akong nasa farm, baka raw tumitilaok na rin daw ako. (I have a lot of friends on the farm. I have a girl in my room, but I don't have a romantic attachment in case something happens to me. She wakes up early to help me check everything. They're already joking because I'm always on the farm, they say I might be a crow)," he said.

Biboy stated that he focuses more on helping others than pursuing a romantic relationship. "At my age, I no longer dream of walking down the aisle. My perspective on being in a serious relationship has changed," he explained.

Biboy discussed his shift from pageants and hotels to cockfighting, which he considers a challenging sport.

"I said it’s very challenging because each particular bloodline is reflected in the color of the feathers and the fighting style. As a breeder, I choose my preferred fighting style and propagate it through inbreeding and crossbreeding to create the ideal fighting machines.

"These birds must be raised healthy and strong, with proper feeding, health supplements, and medication. Essentially, we as breeders clone and create our fighting machines. They cannot communicate, so it's all about intuition and experience. We condition them like athletes or boxers to be strong, fast, and precise with their strikes.

"There is also an element of luck involved. For me, it’s about 30 percent. This is why I look forward to creating more fighting machines, as it can also prolong my life," Biboy added.