Pinay wins Mrs. Asia Pacific Global 2019 

Manila Standard
Eton B. Concepcion
06 June 2019


Married Filipina women would not be left out in the pageant scene after Mrs. Philippines Avon Morales snagged the Mrs. Asia Pacific Global 2019 crown held recently in Johor, Malaysia. 



Morales, a mother of two from Parañaque City, also bagged several special awards, including Mrs. Photogenic, Mrs. Social Media Queen, Mrs. Elegance and Mrs. Special Queen Ambassador.

Her court of honor included Mrs. Singapore, Mrs. Asia Pacific All Nation 2019; Mrs. Malaysia, Mrs. Asia Pacific Tourism 2019; Mrs. Myanmar, Mrs. Asia Pacific Intercontinental 2019; and Mrs. Russia, Mrs. Asia Pacific Cosmopolitan 2019.

Morales, 43, was a magna cum laude graduate of De La Salle University and currently a human resource vice-president of a bank. 

She is part of a five-married-women delegate sent to the second edition Mrs. Asia-Pacific Global pageant. They were Police Officer Mary Chris Abacahin-Camacho, Top 10 finalist, Mrs. Body Beautiful, and Mrs. Empowering Woman; Marjorie Clau Orito, Top 10 finalist, Mrs. Charming; Mrs. Limpayen Sibug Las, Best in Talent, Mrs. Glamour and Mrs. Lumiere; and Glynes Evangelista Olbes, Top 10 finalist, Mrs. Millennium, Best in Talent 1st Runner-up.

After winning, Morales posted in Instagram, “Dear Lord, these were more than what I prayed for. The thing that I could commit- to try and make You proud of me by being the queen that You created me to be, my Father, my King.”

Miss Eco International 2019 runner up

PH bet is 1st runner-up in Miss Eco International 2019

CNN Philippines
30 March 2019

Filipino-American beauty queen Maureen Montagne nearly won a back-to-back crown for the Philippines at the Miss Eco International 2019 where she was named first runner-up.

Reigning queen Cynthia Thomalla from Southern Leyte passed on the crown to Peru's Suheyn Cipriani during the pageant's coronation in Egypt on Saturday. Miss USA finished 2nd runner-up, followed by Miss Ukraine and Miss Malaysia.

Montagne, born to a Filipina mother and French father also won first runner-up in Miss World USA in 2017, representing the state of Arizona.

Prior to the announcement of winners, the 5'7" model took the time to thank supporters who have been part of her "incredible" journey.

"No matter what happens I will leave Egypt full of love, light, and new found purpose," she said on Instagram.

Over 60 countries joined this year's Miss Eco International which advocates sustainable tourism and environmental protection.

Miss Universe 2015 waxed

Pia Wurtzbach in wax unveiled 



Nathalie tomada
The Philippine Star
29 March 2019

MANILA, Philippines — Former Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach felt like a winner again as she unveiled in Manila yesterday her wax figure for Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.

Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach poses under the crown held by her Madame Tussauds wax replica, which was unveiled to the media during an event at the EDSA Shangri-La yesterday.Jesse Bustos

Wurtzbach is the first and only Filipino celebrity to have a figure at the popular wax museum chain’s flagship attraction in Asia.

“It’s so surreal. I cannot explain how happy I am now. I feel like I won again,” the 29-year-old beauty queen and actress told The STAR.



Wurtzbach said she used to go to Madame Tussauds and even had a throwback photo from 10 years ago when she went to the wax museum in Las Vegas, USA.

“So I know how fun it is there, how fun it is to take photos with the celebrities in wax figures. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’m gonna be immortalized,” Wurtzbach said.

“I’m going to look young forever,” she quipped.

When asked how she was selected, Wurtzbach said she was informed that a survey was undertaken on Filipino celebrities.

“That’s what they told me. They did like a survey, a study, and that’s how they decided to select me.”

According to Madame Tussauds Hong Kong general manager Jenny You, they decided to have a Filipino wax figure due to the request of their Filipino visitors.

 “Our Filipino guests have always been important to us and we’ve always believed we should have a Filipino wax figure, so we’re very pleased to have Pia mark this milestone with us. We can’t imagine having anyone but her to represent the Philippines in this way.”

She added, “More than being a queen, (Wurtzbach) has all the makings of an icon and we’re proud to be able to house her wax figure at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong for the rest of the world to be able to interact with.”

At the big reveal held at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel, it was like seeing double for the media as Wurtzbach came face to face for the first time with her wax version.

It wore the same stunning Swarovski-embellished royal blue ball gown by Michael Cinco, which she donned when she passed the Miss Universe crown in 2016.

People will enjoy their own crowning moment with Wurtzbach’s wax version. “I really love it. I really love the pose. It’s very interactive. People are going to be able to touch it.”

To come up with such a flawless resemblance, the process of getting her measurements took four to five hours. The making of the figure took six months, with 20 artists working on it in London where Madame Tussauds originated.

“I had to do the pose for quite sometime because they had to measure everything, like the distance from my wrist to my elbow, everything. They had to measure manually,” she said.

They also took a lot of pictures of her face, from different angles, but Wurtzbach said, “I never got tired because I was too excited, my adrenalin was up.”

She continued, “They really paid attention to detail. They checked the color of my hair because iba pala ang color natin dito sa harap, sa likod, sa ilalim, the hair has highlights and lowlights and then I had to step outside into the natural light so they could get the exact color of my eyes. And fun fact, the teeth (are) exactly the same because they got my dental impression from my dentist.”

The Miss Universe crown used in the wax figure is the Mikimoto crown as approved by the Miss Universe Organization.

Her wax version is home for the #PiaMadeIconic Travel Festival today at SM Mega Fashion Hall.

The festival is a joint effort of Madame Tussauds Hong Kong with two other major travel brands, international airline Cathay Pacific and booking platform Klook.

Special packages are being offered at the event for first time and frequent travelers to Hong Kong.

After the travel fest, Wurtzbach’s wax figure will be flown to its permanent home at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, where it will join life-size replicas of some of the world’s most famous celebrities and historic icons in themed galleries.

Miss Vietnam visits PH

Miss Universe Vietnam fuses Filipino terno with own national dress

ABS-CBN News
04 February 2019

MANILA – Vietnamese beauty queen H’hen Nie wrapped up her short visit to the Philippines on a high note, showcasing the cultures of both Southeast Asian countries in one unique dress.

On Instagram, Nie shared a photo of her wearing a white dress, which is a mix of Vietnam’s and the Philippines’ traditional garments – the ao dai and the terno, respectively.

“This is a special dress for me, it’s mixed between the traditional costume of Vietnam ao dai and [the] Philippines’ terno designed by Aodai Kinzu (Song Toan). I love this,” she said.

“It’s time to say goodbye. Thank you so much, Philippines. I will never forget your love and warm welcome. I love all of you.”

Nie arrived in Manila last Friday and was reunited with her Filipino pageant coach, Anjo Santos.

She was invited to a youth congress in Naga and also had the opportunity to meet the Philippines’ own Venus Raj, who finished fourth runner-up in Miss Universe 2010.

The two were photographed wearing the terno and baro’t saya, another traditional Filipino dress.

Nie finished in the Top 5 of Miss Universe 2018, which was won by the Philippines’ Catriona Gray.

PH is Miss Intercontinental 2018

Philippines bags first Miss Intercontinental crown 

Ricky Lo
Philippine Star
28 January 2019


MANILA, Philippines — More than a month after Catriona Gray bagged the fourth Miss Universe crown for the Philippines, Karen Gallman, 26, won the country’s first Miss Intercontinental title at the grand finals Saturday night at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena, beating aspirants from 82 other countries.

Karen Gallman won the judges’ nod with her answer to the Final Six question, “How do you define success?” asked by host Billy Crawford.

Karen Gallman FB Page

Gallman won the judges’ nod with her answer to the Final Six question, “How do you define success?” asked by host Billy Crawford.

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With cool confidence, Gallman said, “For me, success is not just about winning in life. It’s about setting goals, achieving your dreams, working hard for everything you want and always looking up to God and be thankful for everything.”

Former Philippine National Police and Bureau of Corrections chief Gen. Ronald dela Rosa was in the board of judges chaired by Joanna Leonisa Oquera Gimena Miyanae, CEO of Miss Intercontinental-Japan and Miss Intercontinental Events & Management.

The other judges were Hollywood actors Lorenzo Lamas and Vincent de Paul.

Gallman and Gray have many things in common. Both are half-Filipino and half-Australian. While Gray was born in Melbourne and came to the Philippines with her Filipina mother to pursue a modeling career, Gallman was born in Ubay, Bohol, where her mother Editha Boyones hails from and spent years in Brisbane where she graduated with an AB Management degree from Griffith University.

Like Gray who, even before she won 2016 Miss World Philippines and 2018 Miss Universe Philippines, had been helping a foundation that sent to school poor students in Tondo, Gallman also has the same advocacy.

Asked what position she would take in the government after winning Binibini in March last year, she told The STAR, “I would like to be with DepEd. My advocacy is to help in the education of the youth especially in the rural areas of the Philippines. I would be useful in that department.”

Her court includes Miss Costa Rica Adriana Alvarado, first runner-up; Miss Slovak Republic Laura Longauevova, second; Miss Colombia Hillary del Prado, third; Miss Vietnam Ngan Auh Le Au, fourth; and Miss Ethiopia Bella Lapso, fifth.

Since the start of the pageant 47 years ago, the Philippines has finished only as runners-up: Koreen Medina, third in 2013; Kris Tiffany Janson, second in 2014; Christi McGarry, first in 2015; and Katarina Rodriguez, first in 2017 (who also represented the country in last year’s Miss World pageant).  – With Celso de Guzman Caparas

Miss Tourism International 2018 finalist

Philippines finishes in Top 5 of Miss Tourism International 2018


ABS-CBN NEWS
22 December 2018

MANILA - Mutya ng Pilipinas-Tourism International Aya Fernandez ended her campaign with a Top 5 finish in the Miss Tourism International 2018 pageant held in Malaysia, Friday.

Fernandez, who was named "Dream Girl of the Year International," failed to bag a two-peat win for the Philippines as Miss Tourism International 2017 Jannie Alipo-on passed the crown to Indonesia's Astari Vernideani.

Kenya's Sarah Pkyach was named "Miss Tourism Metropolitan International," Australia's Sandra Callahan won "Miss Tourism Global," while Latvia's Laura Scuchare got "Miss Tourism Cosmopolitan International."

The host delegate from Malaysia was given a special award called "Miss Southeast Asia Tourism Ambassadress."

Prior to joining the Mutya ng Pilipinas, Fernandez was crowned as Miss Teen Earth Philippines in 2015.

Pinoy is Miss Vietnam's trainor

Miss Vietnam thanks Filipino who trained her

Jan Milo Severo

Philippine Star | 20 December 2018

MANILA, Philippines — Miss Vietnam H’Hen Niê expressed gratitude to her Filipino trainer after finishing in the Top 5 of the prestigious competition. 

H'Hen Nie of Vietnam competes in the swimsuit competition during the 2018 Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok on December 13, 2018. Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP

On her Instagram account, H’hen thanked her staff in the pageant, especially her trainer Anjo Santos who she described as her teacher.

“From the bottom of my heart, Thank you very much, My Teacher Anjo Santos,” she wrote.

Anjo was proud of Miss Vietnam for her accomplishment being the first Vietnamese who finished that far in the competition.

"She was stunning, brave, and queenly but most of all down to earth. Naiyak po ako, siyempre, nagalak... Natuwa 'cause H'Hen has also a little mix of Pinoy blood," he told Pep.

"I handled her for a month. I covered poise, stance, and catwalk, and make-up tutorial. Then I designed a pasarela fit for her and the gown she will wear (the one with twist 360 turn)."

He recalled that he was hired to train H’Hen through the national director of Miss Universe Vietnam.

"I was taken because I trained Vietnamese beauties since 2014 po. Then through the national director of Miss Universe Vietnam, my friend, they hired me to train her. So yung mga kaibigan ko din sa Ho Chi Minh City na mga close ko ay nag-support to help kaya naging team po kami," he said.

Philippines is Miss Universe 2018

Catriona Gray crowned Miss Universe


Joel Guinto
ABS-CBN NEWS | 17 December 2018

BANGKOK -- Catriona Gray was crowned Miss Universe here Monday, capping a two-year long journey from her heartbreaking loss at Miss World to her rise as visionary beauty queen and social media star.

Miss Philippines Catriona Gray is crowned Miss Universe during the final round of the Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok, Thailand, December 17, 2018. Athit Perawongmetha, Reuters

The 24-year-old Filipino-Australian won the Philippines' fourth Miss Universe crown, pulling all the stops from a giant lantern strapped to her back, a slow-motion twirl in a hot pink bikini, and a long gown in flame hues that symbolized a mythical Filipino bird.

Fans screamed at the IMPACT Arena here as outgoing Miss Universe Demi Leigh Nel Peters from South Africa crowned her successor.

Pia Wurtzbach last won the Miss Universe crown for the Philippines in 2015 and the succeeding edition was hosted in Manila.

Tamaryn Green of South Africa was first runner-up followed by Miss Venezuela Sthefany Gutiérrez.

During the final question, Gray was asked "What is the most important lesson you've learned in your life and how would you apply it to your time as Miss Universe?"

She replied: "I work a lot in the slums of Tondo, Manila and the life there is... it's poor and very sad. And I've always taught myself to look for the beauty of it, to look for beauty in the faces of the children and to be grateful. And I would bring this aspect as a Miss Universe, to see situations with a silver lining, and to assess where I could give something, where I could provide something as a spokesperson. If I could teach also people to be grateful, we could have an amazing world where negativity could not grow and foster, and children would have a smile on their faces. Thank you."

FROM THE WORLD TO THE UNIVERSE

Only 2 years ago, Gray was widely tipped to win the Miss World crown, a campaign that ended in defeat to Puerto Rico's Stephanie del Valle.

A photo of Gray weeping, clutching the Philippine flag close to her chest, made the rounds on social media platforms.

Miss World Philippines head Cory Quirino stepped down after Gray's defeat and the Philippines struggled to make the winner's circle of the London-based pageant since then.

Gray reemerged in January for the Binibining Pilipinas screenings, trading the high bun for long curls and the baby pink dress for a short red dress.

In an Instagram post at that time, Gray said much of her transformation happened away from the public eye.

The self-described "stubborn" and "visionary" beauty enlisted the help of a new team and went outside her old mentors' circle, which was largely behind the Philippines' hot streak at Miss Universe since Venus Raj broke the 10-year semifinals drought and finished in the top 5 in 2010.

The Philippines has made at least Top 10 at Miss Universe since Raj's breakthrough performance in Las Vegas. This year, the country's Miss International bet, Ahtisa Manalo placed first runner while Celeste Cortesi finished top 8 in Miss Earth.

FOR THE PHILIPPINES

Gray has 1 million followers on Instagram and her photo on the Miss Universe Facebook page was liked or loved by over 600,000 users, the most for any candidate.

She made ear cuffs a conversation piece when she wore a gold and diamond "three stars and the sun" on her right ear during her Miss Universe-Philippines crowning.

From there, her every move was rife with nationalist symbolism.

Her national costume, while difficult to walk in, paid homage to the Philippines' 3 main islands. A government body praised Gray for highlighting Filipino civilization before the Spanish occupation with her 'pintados' body suit.

Her fire orange and yellow gown stood out from a sea of sheer and gold tones, symbolizing both the Ibong Adarna, which can cure with song, and the rising phoenix from which the Miss Universe crown by Japanese jeweler Mikimoto was patterned after.

Miss Japan Universe 2018 Filipino designed costume

Miss Japan to wear all Filipino designs in Miss 

Universe


Luis Carlo San Juan
Inquirer.net
30 November 2018

Gold mesh dress with gold chain straps, embellished with crystals; dirty-gold bib collar embellished with five-centavo coins, Jude Macasinag

As Miss Universe 2018 delegates begin arriving in Bangkok, Thailand, for the pageant, Lifestyle learned that one contestant has chosen to wear the designs of Filipino designers.

Miss Japan, Yuumi Kato, will wear these in the pageant.

The organizing body of Miss Japan has a new national director for Miss Universe this year, Hiroko Mima. Mima competed for Japan in the Miss Universe 2008 pageant in Vietnam.

Mima belonged to a batch of Miss Japan titleholders who wore European designers—Gucci, Balenciaga, Miu Miu, Valentino. This was under the watch of then national director, Ines Ligron, a French national.

Mima has opted to go another path. “A luxury gown won’t stand out on the Miss Universe stage,” she said. At the same time, she doesn’t want the typical beauty-queen look.

Printed maxi dress, Joel Escober

“I want to bring back the edginess of Miss Japan, but still looking elegant,” she said.

Mima thought, who better to know how to make a statement in the Miss Universe than Filipino designers, whose designs are a mix of western and eastern sensibilities. Filipino designers also know the pageant really well, she added.

“Filipino designers have a way of making Asian women look sexy but elegant,” she said.

The only “Made in Japan” item in Kato’s wardrobe will be her national costume.

With the help of Filipino friends, including this writer, Mima met with a handful of designers—both up-and-coming and established

They included Rhett Eala, Jun Escario, Joel Escober, KC Pusing, Marv Dawson and a few student designers from Slim’s.