Miss Universe Philippines delegates. Image: INQUIRER.net/ARMIN P. ADINA
After a series of activities that saw them flying to different destinations in the Philippines, the 2023 Miss Universe Philippines delegates are not letting up. Tonight, they will join the Mister Pilipinas Worldwide candidates for the male contest’s final competition.
The first staging of the newest national male pageant in the country will culminate in the awarding program at the Cove Manila pool club of Okada Manila in Parañaque City Saturday, May 6, at 7 p.m. The event will also feature the talent presentation of the Miss Universe Philippines pageant.
The female candidates have just finished their visit to Eastern Visayas, where the national costume competition was also held in Tacloban City on May 4. Airissh Ramos from Eastern Samar topped the contest, followed by Joemay Leo from Benguet and Kimberly Escartin from Southern Leyte.
The event also proclaimed three winners of special titles. Tingog ng Filipina Luzon was Krishna Marie Gravidez from Baguio City, Tingog ng Filipina Mindanao was Jannarie Zarzoso from Mindanao, while Ramos received the Tingog na Filipina Visayas award.
The Miss Universe Philippines pageant also announced the five ladies who gathered the most votes for the last of its online challenges, the Jojo Bragais Runway Challenge, from the MUPH mobile app during the voting period.
Zarzoso, Princess Anne Marcos from Bulacan and Angelique Manto from Pampanga continued their domination of the challenges by making it to the Top 5 of all three challenges, the first two being the photoshoot challenge and the swimsuit challenge.
Pauline Amelinckx from Bohol, third runner-up in the 2020 pageant and Miss Universe Philippines-Charity last year, made it two for three when she earned Top 5 spots in both the swimsuit challenge and the Jojo Bragais Runway Challenge. Last year’s Miss Universe Philippines-Tourism Michelle Marquez Dee, who was also crowned 2019 Miss World Philippines, joined the top finishers in the final challenge.
Celeste Cortesi will relinquish her title to her successor at the 2023 Miss Universe Philippines coronation show on May 13 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. Kapuso actors Alden Richards and Xian Lim will host the program, with performances from “American Idol” runner-up Jessica Sanchez and Nam Woo-Hyun from K-pop group Infinite. Reigning Miss Universe R’Bonney Gabriel and 2019 queen Zozibini Tunzi will also grace the event.
The winner will represent the Philippines in the 2023 Miss Universe pageant, which will be held in El Salvador later this year, and try to score the country’s fifth victory in the global tilt, after Gloria Diaz (1969), Margie Moran (1973), Pia Wurtzbach (2015), and Catriona Gray (2018).
Meanwhile, the Mister Pilipinas Worldwide contest will select the Philippines’ representatives to some of the most prestigious international male competitions—Manhunt International Male Supermodel, Mister Supranational and Mister Global. /ra