Miss Universe Organization wants Philippines to host the pageant again

The Department of Tourism said that the Miss Universe Organization wants the Philippines to host the pageant again.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo said that Philippines was supposed to host this year’s pageant, but President Rodrigo Duterte spurned the request to give way for the 31st ASEAN Summit.

“They went back to us months after and said that they wanted again for us to host the Miss Universe this year, so of course I have to ask the President first, kung puwede. He said ‘wag muna this year because of ASEAN," Teo said.

For the 2018 pageant, Teo said she still has to ask permission from President Duterte.

“Kasi parang the same month din, ASEAN first week and then Miss Universe last week, so sabi ni President ‘wag muna, maybe next time, maybe next year, we will have a cabinet meeting. I will have to ask again.”

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DOT Undersecretary Kat de Castro said that the Miss Universe Organization tagged the Philippine pageant as their best show to date.

“According to the higher ups of the Miss Universe Organization, the best show to date they had is still the one they had in the Philippines last January,” de Castro said.

Teo said the Miss Universe pageant helped with the tourism influx which "increased, up by 11 percent, despite the martial law and Resorts World [incident.] Naitawid pa rin namin.”

The last time the Philippines hosted the Miss Universe Organization was in January 2017, when Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach turned over her crown to Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere.

Previously, the Philippines played host in 1994, when Dayanara Torres passed on the crown to India's Sushmita Sen.

The country first hosted the beauty pageant in 1974, the year when Margie Moran passed on the crown. — LA, GMA News