After three Miss Universe titles (Gloria Diaz in 1969, Margie Moran in 1973, and Pia Wurtzbach in 2015), the Philippines is confirmed to host the 65th Miss Universe competition this coming January 30, 2107 at the Mall of Asia Arena—coincidentally the third time that the country plays home to the prestigious beauty pageant.
“The energy and the passion of the Filipino people is very powerful,” says Shawn McClain, Miss Universe Organization VP for Business Development, who visited the Philippines after Wurtzbach’s historic win.
“The long wait is finally over. Miss Universe is finally home,” says Former governor Chavit Singson of LCS Holdings, the official partner of Miss Universe in the Philippines. He adds, “While there have been talks of bringing the Miss Universe back to our country, there were always other suitors around the world who expressed their interest in hosting. But we worked tirelessly to make sure that Philippines would not lose the bid. We realized that there is no better time but now to host, especially since the reigning Miss Universe queen is our very own Pia Wurtzbach…We find no better way to finish her reign and passing the crown to her successor than right here, in her home soil.
“The eyes of the entire nation, in fact, the whole world, will be on us. When all is said and done, there will be more than just beauty queens in the global memory, but the beauty of our country as well.”
“There are more than 7000 reasons why it’s more fun in the Philippines,” says Takahira Usui, Okada Manila’s chief operating officer, during the press con. Okada Manila serves as one of the event’s major partners, together with Solar Entertainment and SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc.
Hosting Miss Universe is expected to draw economic opportunities for the country through tourism, with half a billion viewers worldwide expected to watch the telecast.
Arch. Richelle Singson-Michael, chairman of the Host Committee, adds, “I always say that not only does the Philippines have the biggest Miss Universe fan base in the world, I also believe that there is no other country than the Philippines that can guarantee that this will be the best Miss Universe pageant that the world will see.”
Maxine Medina will represent the Philippines in the next Miss Universe competition.
