A grand welcome awaits Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach upon her return to the Philippines on January 23, Binibining Pilipinas chairperson Stella Araneta revealed.
Last December 21, the 26-year-old Wurtzbach ended the country’s 42-year drought in the international pageant after becoming only the third Filipina to win the crown during the coronation night held in Las Vegas.
“It’s gonna be a holiday every day that she’s here. I’m sure even people from the provinces will be coming,” Araneta said in an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN News’ Mario Dumaual.
Araneta shared that aside from a grand parade on January 25 that will take Wurtzbach around Metro Manila, their organization is also preparing her courtesy call at Malacañang and a special tribute show to be held at the Araneta Coliseum on January 28.
“It has been approved by Miss Universe. She will come out of Araneta Coliseum and people can see her,” she shared.
“We’ll give it to her because she had a problem with Miss Colombia. She didn’t walk as a winner, she just stood there and changed the crown to her. She didn’t have a walk. We’ll give it to her,” Araneta added.
During the controversial ending to the live 2015 Miss Universe pageant, American host Steve Harvey erroneously crowned Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez as the winner instead of Wurtzbach.
In her first Filipino interview since being crowned Miss Universe, Wurtzbach expressed her excitement to return home and celebrate her historic win with her fellow Filipinos.
“I’m really excited to return home because when I’m back in the Philippines, that’s when I’ll really feel that I won, that I’ve brought the crown back home,” she said.
Wurtzbach is currently in New York for a series of television appearances and interviews for foreign networks.
This story was republished with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
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