A 25-year-old model from Brazil who pushes for diversity in beauty was crowned Miss Asia Pacific International 2017 during a pageant held at the Resorts World in Pasay City early yesterday morning.
Crowd favorite Francielly Ouriques edged out 41 other candidates for the title that advocates love and appreciation of cultural, physical, and spiritual diversities.
Miss Philippines Ilene de Vera of Cebu City finished 4th runner-up in the pageant, as she continued the winning streak of Filipinas in international beauty contests.
Ouriques, who stands 5’8, has also won special awards such as Best In Swimsuit, Best in Festival Costume and Miss Sheridan. Her body measurements are 35-25-38.
During the final interview, the Top 5 candidates were asked a common question: “Do you think the advocacy of fostering love, appreciation and unity in diversity is relevant in this day and age? Why or why not?”
Ouriques replied: “Absolutely. Fostering love nowadays is essential. I believe that we are all equal before God and all of us should be able to respect love and spread good things among everybody;
“Respect, unity and love are things that my parents taught me and everybody should foster them. Thank you very much.”
Also in the Top 5 were Miss New Zealand Acacia Walker, 1st runner up; Miss Honduras Cardona Valeria, 2nd runner-up;
Miss Netherlands Morgan Doelwijt, 3rd runner-up.
Other candidates in the Top 15 were Nicaragua, Mongolia, Costa Rica, Japan, South Africa, Russia, Colombia, Peru, Cook Islands, and Egypt.
Special awards were presented to Miss Cook Islands Lydia Simonis-Tariu, Miss Talent and Miss Photogenic; Miss Australia Louisa Brown, Miss Congeniality; Miss Honduras Cardona Valeria, Best in Evening Gown; and Miss India Sonika Roy, People’s Choice.
The Miss Asia Pacific International pageant is said to be the mother of all pageants in Southeast Asia. It made a comeback in 2016 following a 10-year hiatus.
Started in 1968 as a non-stock, non-profit organization corporation with the aim of promoting tourism for the Philippines overseas, its original name was Miss Asia Quest Inc. and it was the beginning of 48 years of beauty pageantry in the Philippines.
Filipino beauty queens who made a name in the popular beauty pageant were Ma. Del Carmen Ines Zaragoza (1982), Gloria Dimayacyac (1983), Lorna Legaspi (1989), and Michelle Aldana (1993).
