Reigning Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach said on Wednesday night that talks for the staging of the 2016 Miss Universe contest are now in the works even as she prays that the prestigious beauty contest would be held in the Philippines for the third time.
“You know, I’m still waiting for the confirmation on when it’s gonna happen. Right now it’s in the works. But hopefully, fingers crossed, it’s the one that I’ve been praying for. And I guess you know what that is. So let’s just hope for the best,” said Wurtzbach, during a live Facebook chat with fans around the world from her New York City apartment.
The Filipino-German beauty queen said that she will be coming back to the Philippines soon. “I’m going back to the Philippines very, very soon.” Her 20-minute live Facebook chat had 670,861 views.
The last time Wurtzbach visited the Philippines was in April when she crowned her successor at the 2016 Binbining Pilipinas pageant.
Since she was crowned Miss Universe in December 2015, Wurtzbach has actively campaigned for the staging of the pageant here.
Newly appointed Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo earlier said that President Duterte and Wurtzbach are scheduled to meet on Monday, July 18, for the possible staging of the Miss Universe pageant here.
The Miss Universe Organization wanted to hold the pageant in the Philippines on January 29, 2017. But Teo, a former BinibiningPilipinas candidate, suggested that it should be moved either in March or May.
“Ang problem natin, too soon. May Sinulog, Chinese New Year. Medyo gipit. So siguro, we will ask them to move it to probably May, will be the best month but I will have to ask the approval of the President kasi executive order din yan,” Teo also said.
In the 64-year history of the contest, the pageant was held in the Philippines twice: 1974 and 1994.
Aside from Wurtzbach, the two other Miss Universe from the Philippines are Gloria Diaz (1969) and Margie Moran (1973). Wurtzbach is now based in New York City for the duration of her reign as Miss Universe.