President Rodrigo Duterte and 2015 Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach are probably two of the most popular Filipino icons right now, and they’re meeting on Mon, Jul 18!
The agenda? The possibility of staging the 2017 pageant here in the Philippines.
On a Facebook Live video uploaded on Jul 12, Pia herself confirmed that she will fly to the Philippines “very, very soon.”
“You know what, I’m still waiting for the confirmation on when it’s going to happen. Right now it’s in the works, but hopefully, fingers crossed, it’s the one that I’ve been praying for,” she said.
Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo earlier confirmed that Pia and President Duterte will meet to talk about the details of the competition scheduled to happen in January 2017.
Teo recognized the importance of beauty pageants in boosting tourism in the country. The Department of Tourism (DOT) will support the Mutya ng Pilipinas pageant scheduled at the end of the month.
“I want everyone to help. Tourism is a business of everybody,” Teo said in an ABS-CBN report. “We will also feature the different destinations in the Philippines.”
However, the 2017 Miss Universe competition will only be held in the country if President Duterte issues an executive order allowing it to happen.
Tourism Undersecretary Kat de Castro said that the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City and the Philippine Arena in Bulacan are possible venues if the competition will push through.
The DOT will work with the private sector. There is an expected budget of $10 million to $12 million.
“For years, I’ve talked about someday having the pageant here. I do know with Pia (Wurtzbach) right now, the entire worldwide focus is on the Philippines. I think it’s a great opportunity. I would love to be able to make it work. We’ll see,” she said.
Maxine Medina will represent the Philippines in the 2017 competition.
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