The franchise to the Miss World Philippines was officially and exclusively awarded to talent manager Arnold L. Vegafria after the previous franchisee, beauty and wellness expert Cory Quirino, decided to give up the license of the prestigious beauty tilt, which she had held for six years.
“I am very happy to have been awarded the exclusive license for the Miss World and Mr. World pageants in the Philippines,” Vegafracia said on his Instagram account on Sunday, shortly after the announcement of the new franchise award.
“Thank you Julia Morley and Steve Douglas for your trust and confidence! With your support and guidance, I can assure you that we will continue to live up to the prestige and honor that Miss World Organization deserves—not just in the Philippines but across the world,” he added.
Also on Sunday, Quirino texted the Inquirer: “I have decided to relinquish the licence of Miss World Philippines for both personal and business reasons.”
The new Miss World Philippines’ new chairperson vowed to discover and mentor “a new breed of Filipina beauties who, just like Miss World 2013 Megan Young, will perpetuate the noble legacy of Miss World Organization’s guiding principle: ‘Beauty with a Purpose.'”
Under Quirino, the country produced its first Miss World in 2013, Megan Young. Gwedoline Ruais almost bagged the title in 2011, placing first runner-up. Queneerich Rehman finished among the top 8 in 2012, and Valerie Weigmann made it to the top 25 in 2014. In 2015 Hillarie Danielle Parungao was included in the top 10 circle.
Last year’s Miss World Philippines, Catriona Gray, was third runner-up. Clarizel Abanilla