Part One
FROM signature walks to a false announcement leading to a dramatic win, the Philippines has a knack for stealing the thunder in beauty competitions. This year’s Miss Universe, billed as the most prestigious beauty contest in the world, is slated to wow the international entertainment scene, with the Philippines as its stage, on January 30.
Reigning queen Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach’s iconic victory set the momentum for this year’s tilt among 86 entrants, each national titleholders in their own right. With much gusto, she actively campaigned for the event to be held in the country.
Paula M. Shugart, president of the official organizer and producer Miss Universe Organization (MUO), expressed similar sentiments. “For years, I’ve talked about, someday, having the pageant here. I do know that with Pia right now, the entire worldwide focus is on the Philippines. I think it’s a great opportunity. I would love to be able to make it work,” she said in an interview last year with ABS-CBN.
Road to conquering the universe
THE country is no stranger to hosting the beauty contest garnering “lots of aggressive stage presence,” as pageant coach Jeff Lee told The Washington Post.
In 1974 then-First Lady Imelda Marcos’s vision of a world-class arts and culture facility—and the eventual venue of that year’s Miss Universe—was realized in the Folk Arts Theater that was built in a record 77 days. The second hosting event was in 1994, when the country was already enjoying democracy and a much better economy.
The Philippines also has its fair share of titleholders: Gloria Diaz won the crown in 1969 and Margarita Moran in 1973. (These fair ladies also backed Wurtzbach’s desire to have Miss Universe enter the country’s soil once more, a battle that has received initial opposition from the government.)
Miss Universe’s roots can be traced back to a local “bathing beauty” competition by Catalina Swimwear in Long Beach, California, in 1952. The first woman to be crowned Miss Universe was Armi Kuusela of Finland, who was allowed to keep the title when she married, shortly after the coronation.
Ever since its inception, Miss Universe Inc.—later renamed Miss Universe Organization and relocated from Los Angeles to New York—organized and conducted the pageant participated by aspiring beauty queens from all over the world.
The franchise for the pageant, however, has moved from one owner to another.
Pacific Knitting Mills, manufacturer of Catalina Swimwear, cosponsored both Miss Universe and Miss USA. Soon, the company and its subsidiaries were bought by Kayser-Roth Corp., an intimate apparel and hosiery subsidiary of Golden Lady, and then subsequently by American conglomerate Gulf and Western Industries.
In 1996 and 21 years before he became the 45th US president, Donald J. Trump bought the operating company and struck a deal with the National Broadcasting Co. (NBC) in 2003 for the television rights of the Miss Universe pageant.
NBC canceled the partnership after Trump’s politically charged comments in 2015. Eventually, Trump bought NBC’s share and later sold the entire company to WME/IMG who now owns the Miss Universe franchise.
More than just beauty
ON its 65th year now, Miss Uni-verse continues to enjoy widespread support and acceptance, particularly in the Asian region. However, the beauty tilt is not just all about glitz and glamor. Despite challenges and contentions, Miss Universe continues to tout its motto: “Confidently beautiful.”
“Research has shown the No. 1 obstacle for women to overcome in reaching their potential in any endeavor is a lack of self-confidence. In doing so our contestants and titleholders have the opportunity to grow as women and be confident in any goal they choose to pursue,” MUO writes on its official web site.
This motto, which also serves as the event’s vision, hinges on a platform “run by women for women” by providing the female gender a sense of inclusion and acceptance while celebrating diversity.
Miss Universe also takes a stand on HIV/AIDS by raising awareness and encouraging people to get tested. As such, reigning Wurtzbach has been on different programs and platforms to promote this program. She had also been engaged in
fighting for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) rights despite large opposition from the ruling conservative.
“I am Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach from a highly conservative Catholic country but I am not afraid,” she captioned a rainbow-colored flag, an icon symbolizing the LGBT pride movement. She has also worked with New York’s Apicha Community Health Center to champion this advocacy.
Despite meeting demands to support Miss Universe’s initiatives in the global scene, Wurtzbach’s infrequent social-media posts garnered a number of netizens criticizing her “lack of effort,” to which she responded on her social accounts.
“Nag-model nang nag-model, wala man lang post about humanitarian mission [She keeps on modeling, but she doesn’t post anything about her humanitarian mission],” one commenter said.
“Bukas nasa UN ako. Ikaw? [I’m at UN (United Nations) tomorrow. What about you]?” she replied.
Struggles in hosting Miss U
APPARENTLY, Wurtzbach and her attendance as ambassadress to humanitarian missions are not the only ones to get opposition. Even this year’s staging of the Miss Universe in the country was initially met with various hindrances—from the government’s lack of interest in funding the beauty pageant to the President’s vehement disagreement on Steve Harvey’s hosting.
Arguing that the taxpayers’ money is not to be spent for the hosting of such event, Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea previously signed Memorandum Circular 13 instructing all government offices and related institutions to extend support “as the circumstances and exigencies may require” without the need to shell out even a single peso. Plus, any extended help should not disrupt any work. Medialdea, how-ever, noted that hosting the pageant in the country would bring “international prestige, publicity, good will and economic benefit.”
Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo believes the same, thus prompting her to back the side in favor of pushing through the hosting despite reports that it was at the brink of not happening.
“Honestly, I have to tell you frankly…it was called off. But then when it was called off, the group of LCS went to the States and worked on it,” she said in an ABS-CBN video.
Along with Wurtzbach, Teo convinced President Duterte that the expenses for the upcoming beauty tilt would be shouldered by private sectors who would coordinate with the department. Teo estimated the total expenses to be $12 million.
As for Steve Harvey, he would be staying for a good four more years in the Miss Universe hosting industry, as he had previously signed a five-year contract, despite the President’s vocal disapproval. This translates to his shot at redemption after erroneously announcing Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez as the victor of the Miss Universe 2015. The crown has already been set in the overjoyed candidate and was basking in the limelight when Harvey burst out from the crowd to apologize, causing a massive uproar that had wide-reaching aftermaths in the online world.
To be continued
With reports from Luigie P. Hadap
Image credits: Nonie Reyes