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MANILA – Iloilo is one of the venues selected for the photoshoots of Miss Universe beauty pageant candidates next month.
The Philippines will be hosting the 65th edition of the most prestigious contest for the first time in 23 years.
Department of Tourism secretary Wanda Teo discussed Iloilo’s hosting of the photoshoot with Ilonggo senator Franklin Drilon on Thursday.
Among the Iloilo photoshoot venues being considered are the centuries-old Miag-ao Fortress Church (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Iloilo Esplanade, Iloilo Convention Center, and Molo Church.
The tentative date of the photoshoot is Jan. 19, 2017.
The coronation night is on Jan. 30, 2017 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
“As we host the beautiful contestants of Miss Universe, it is also a good time to share to the rest of the world the unique beauty of Iloilo and how she is steadily recovering her crown as the Queen City of the South,” said Drilon.
The Philippines hosted Miss Universe twice in the past – in 1974 and 1994. The 1974 winner was Miss Spain, Amparo Muñoz while the 1984 winner was Miss India, Sushmita Sen.
“With Iloilo’s colorful culture, mouth-watering cuisine and well-preserved heritage houses, any guest will have so many good memories of the place and its people,” said Drilon.
The reigning Miss Universe is Filipina Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach. She was crowned on Dec. 20, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Miss Universe Philippines 2016 Maria Mika Maxine Medina hopes to repeat Wurtzbach’s triumph in her home country.
Only two other Filipinas have been crowned Miss Universe. The first was Gloria Diaz in 1969. The second was Margarita Moran in 1973.
The Miss Universe pageant was founded in 1952 by Pacific Knitting Mills, a California-based clothing company.
The first Miss Universe pageant was held in Long Beach, California in 1952. It was won by Armi Kuusela from Finland. She married Filipino businessman Virgilio Hilario shortly before her one-year reign was completed./PN
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