GMA NEWS:
After Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup's fourth-place finish in the 2011 Miss Universe pageant on Tuesday, the Philippines remains one of four Asian countries on the list of top 15 nations with the most number of awards from the prestigious beauty contest.
Overall, 16 candidates from the Philippines made it beyond the preliminary round of the Miss Universe pageant, with two of them taking home the title, four years apart:
1954 - Blesilda Ocampo (semifinalist)
1963 - Lalaine Bennett (3rd runner-up)
1965 - Louise Vail Aurelio (semifinalist)
1966 - Maria Clarinda Soriano (semifinalist)
1969 - Gloria Diaz (Miss Universe, ten best in swimsuit)
1972 - Armi Barbara Crespo (semifinalist)
1973 - Margarita Moran (Miss Universe, Miss Photogenic)
1974 - Guadalupe Sanchez (semifinalist)
1975 - Rose Mari Brosas (4th runner-up)
1980 - Maria Rosario "Chat" Silayan (3rd runner-up)
1984 - Maria Desiree Verdadero (3rd runner-up)
1987 - Geraldine Asis (semifinalist)
1994 - Charlene Gonzales (top 6, best in national costume)
1999 - Miriam Quiambao (1st runner-up)
2010 - Maria Venus Raj (4th runner-up)
2011 - Shamcey Supsup (3rd runner-up)
Seven Filipinas were also named Miss Photogenic -- in 1971, 1973 (Margie Moran who was crowned the 1973 Miss Universe), 1996, 1997, 2005, 2006, and 2007.
The Philippines hosted the prestigious pageant twice -- in 1974 and 1994, respectively.
Top winners
Aside from the Philippines, the other countries that made it to the tally of top 16 nations with the most number of Miss Universe awards are:
USA
Venezuela
Brazil
Sweden
Colombia
Puerto Rico
India
Finland
Japan
Canada
Mexico
Australia
Trinidad and Tobago
Thailand
Angola
PHL's first Miss Universe winner
In 1969, five years after former Miss Colombia Stella Marquez-Araneta put up the Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant in 1964, the Philippines won its first Miss Universe title, courtesy of Gloria Diaz, now one of the country's veteran actresses.
Diaz impressed the crowd when she answered the question, "If a man from the moon landed in your hometown, what would you do to entertain him?"
The 18-year-old wittingly replied, "Oh! Uh, just the same things I do. I think if he has been on the moon for so long, I think when he comes over, he wants to change, I guess."
Diaz, who also made it to the 10 best in swimsuit, was the third Asian to win the title.
Another Miss Universe
In 1973, another Filipina named Margarita Moran outshone other beauties in the Miss Universe pageant.
Moran, granddaughter of former President Manuel Roxas, was 19 years old when she joined the pageant in Greece, the first time it was held outside the United States.
Asked about the difference between a Filipina and a Miss Universe, Moran replied: "Being Miss Universe is like having a birthstone, you may lose it. Being a Filipina is like having a birthmark, it's forever."
CONTINUE READING FROM ORIGINAL [SOURCE]
Information Courtesy of GMA News / ROSE-AN JESSICA DIOQUINO / VVP
If You Like This Kapuso Post, Click Here To Subscribe Via Email
