THE RECENT search for a new MTV Asia veejay attracted a number of hopefuls. From hundreds of applicants, eight finalists were finally chosen. One of them is theater actress-turned-commercial model Belinda Panelo.

Belinda is a familiar face on television. She has appeared in a number of commercials and is Coca-Cola's newest model. Her being chosen as one of the finalists for MTV veejay is proof that this stage actress is being noticed, not only for her beauty but also for her wit.

"Ecstatic" is how Belinda describes her feelings when she learned that she was included in the magic eight. They are in for a series of tours which will include hosting assignments, before the winner is finally announced in December. Who knows, she might join the ranks of MTV veejays like Donita Rose who is now making a mark on the Asian entertainment scene.

Belinda confesses that this is not the first time she auditioned for MTV. Last year, she tried her luck but was not even selected as a finalist. She vowed to make a comeback. "Gusto kong bumawi," she says. But she was out of the country when the auditions began. Luckily, when she flew home, the MTV people were still in Manila. She hurriedly went home and made a video of herself the same day. She did not rehearse, didn't even bother to edit the video, and went straight to the auditions in time to beat the deadline.

"I think I was chosen because my video was so wacky, bad and amateurish," Belinda quips. She just stood in front of the camera, talked, expressed herself and maybe, the judges sensed that she wasn't acting. Being yourself can really be a built-in advantage. She also attributes her success to luck.

Her foray into theater can also be regarded as a lucky break. Belinda rushed to auditions for a musical-comedy revue and almost didn't make it, but her eagerness and spunk made her stand out--aside from her good looks, of course. She was chosen and went on to play important roles in the popular musical-comedy revue "Etiquette for Mistresses."

"Etiquette" was Belinda's first professional theater appearance. Before that, she worked as a manager at an airport in the States, doing corporate videos and acting in independent films on the side. Her mother is American and her father is a Filipino. She spends half of the year in Manila and the other half in the US, where most of her family members stay.

Acting has always been Belinda's passion. In the States, she finds time to appear in shows and teaches dance and drama to children.

"I love the high I feel when acting," she says. Her high spirits were particularly evident in "Etiquette," where she was asked to play a beleaguered mistress, singing ala Celine Dion and doing a hot tango in a very revealing dress.

With a body to die for, Belinda has received offers to appear in movies with sexy themes. Is she willing to bare her body on the big screen?

She shakes her head. "I will only do sexy scenes on stage," she says. She confesses that she's turned down a number of movie offers because the roles required nudity. "I feel that I won't be exploited onstage, unlike in films where the director could edit out or add scenes that are too revealing," Belinda shares.

She elaborates: "Theater is more intimate, you connect with people who watch you on a more personal level. You can't say the same for film. It's odd, but I have this feeling that I would only be able to bare my skin in theater."

For now, Belinda is happy acting onstage. She is rehearsing for a comedy revue, "Beauty and the Best." It is composed of vignettes where she plays many interesting characters--a prostitute, a nerd, a teenage girl, a nun, drunk, baliw, tomboy--etc.! The show will also feature upcoming singer-comedian Andy Bais, and is set to be shown at Bistro RJ on Pasay rd. in Makati on Nov. 26 (call Anton at 713-9323 for details).

The dedication she is giving to her work is seen in the number of rehearsals they have been doing--since February! They rehearse three times a week. But she enjoys the rehearsals and still laughs every time funny lines and situations are acted. It should be a terrific show.

Belinda is a natural comedienne who has a very good sense of humor. Through her new show, Belinda would like to prove that you don't have to be physically cantankerous to be funny. As her previous shows would attest, she was able to draw laughter from the audience with her good sense of timing and the way she delivers her line with gusto.

Although she has already done a couple of comedy shows, Belinda feels that she can also tackle dramatic roles. She remembers standing in front of the mirror when she was a child, and she would think of her saddest experience that day and would begin to shed tears. Then, she would run to her mom and boast: "See, I can really cry!"

With the number of offers she has been getting for TV ads and shows, she feels happy and contented. "At this moment, I just want to try everything," she smiles.

Next year, she plans to leave for the States to catch up with the TV pilot season. Every year, from February to May, actors in the States wait for the pilot season when TV networks and production outfits open their doors and conduct mass auditions for their shows.