Miss Universe Philippines National Director Shamcey Supsup-Lee with this year’s delegates. Inquirer photo / ARMIN P. ADINA
TACLOBAN CITY — The 38 candidates for this year’s Miss Universe Philippines will arrive in this city on Monday, May 1.
Borj Roxas, project head of the Miss Universe Philippines, said they are excited to visit the city and some parts of Leyte and Samar which they hope could help promote the entire Eastern Visayas as a tourism destination.
Roxas said that promoting tourism is one of the pillars of the organization.
“Tourism is one of the pillars of the Miss Universe Philippines and our coming to Eastern Visayas, not just in Tacloban City, will show that the region is now really ready to welcome more tourists,” he said in a press conference on Sunday, April 30.
During the visit, the 38 candidates, three of whom hail from the Southern Leyte, Northern Samar, and Eastern Samar, will visit two memorials parks where fatalities of the Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) were buried.
They will also drop by the new Leyte provincial building in Palo town, a rice farm in Sta. Fe, also in Leyte; the Kalanggaman Island in Palompon town, Leyte; and the Sohoton Cave and mat-weaving industry in Basey, Samar.
On May 4, the candidates will compete for the best national costume to be staged at the newly refurbished gym of the Leyte Normal University in Tacloban.
The last time this city witnessed beauty queens happened in 1974 when then first lady, Imelda Marcos brought the Miss Universe winners led by Amparo Muñoz of Spain.
The winners for this year’s Miss Universe Philippines will be announced on May 13, with the winner to represent the country for the Miss Universe pageant in El Salvador.
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