Filipina Beauties Who Placed in Miss World: Part One

Vivien Lee Austria 

Miss World may have started in 1951 with Kiki Haakonson of Sweden, crowned as the first winner but it was only in 1966 when the Philippines debuted in the pageant with Vivien Lee Austria also known as Princess Emraida Kiram, a real- life Muslim princess as our country’s first official bet. 

She was selected by the College Editors Guild of the Philippines   to represent the Philippines for the first time in the 1966 Miss World beauty competition in London, England.

Here now is the list of Filipina beauties that placed or won special awards in the 63 year old Miss World Pageant. We're also including some controversial beauties in the list

The list is in chronological order:

1968     Cecilia "Pinky" Amabuyok  holds the distinction of being the first Filipina to place in the pageant. She was 4^th runner up. She created a media frenzy when she reportedly shared that she was a novice who escaped from the nunnery to join the pageant. It turned out to be pure speculations

FOUR CONSECUTIVE PLACEMENTS

Our Pinay delegates to Miss World greeted the 70's decade with a Top 15 placement for Minnie Cagatao.  Her remarkable performance was duplicated by the country's next three bets with the high point provided by Evangeline Pascual who placed a close second to eventual winner Marjorie Wallace. Our bet in 1971 Onelia Jose may not have made the Top 15 but won a special award hence her inclusion.

1970 - Minerva 'Minnie' Cagatao was a svelte long- haired top Philippine model who placed in the Top 15 semi-finals. 

Minnie with a very young Julia Morley

1971 - Onelia Ison Jose may not have made the Top 15 but she is  the first to win the Best National Costume award for the Philippines.  

Onelia Jose in her winning Fililpiniana

1972 - Evangeline Reyes made the Top 15 in London. One of the semifinalists that year was Lynda Carter of the United States who later became more famous than the 1972 winner when she became TV’s iconic  “Wonder Woman.” 

Evangeline Reyes is second from left

1973 - Evangeline Pascual gave the Philippines its highest position since it first participated in Miss World 8 years before. There was a tie for the crown between Miss Philippines and Miss United States. American actor and pageant judge Gregory Peck reportedly broke the tie in favor of Marjorie Wallace.

 

After Marjorie was dethroned due to undisclosed reasons, the crown was offered to Vangie. She reportedly turned it down

1976 - Josephine “Joy” Salazar Conde became the first Filipina to withdraw from an international beauty pageant.  

The 1976 pageant that turned out to be the last edition of Miss Republic of the Philippines is famously known for having attracted a batch of top- caliber beauties who would later on foray successfully in movies and in international modeling.  

Her runners up were Elizabeth Oropesa (1972 Miss Luzon), an award-winning actress, Anna Bayle (1975 Miss Luzon), the first Asian supermodel, and Bessie Badilla (1975 2nd Runner-up), international model and the first Filipina to be selected as Carnival Queen in Brazil's famous annual Mardi Gras.

 

Imagine her frustration and disappointment when she was requested by the Philippine government to boycott the pageant as a show of support of the country’s stand against South Africa’s apartheid or race policies. In those days, South Africa sent one white and one black candidate to the pageant.

The following day, Joy made it into the front page of UK newspapers, garnering more attention than the Miss World winner herself.

1977 - Ana Melissa 'Peachy' Ofilada Veneracion was the first titleholder of the Mutya ng Pilipinas- World crown and just like Joy Conde her predecessor,  she was also forced to withdraw because of South Africa’s dual presence in the pageant.  What made her withdrawal heartbreaking was the fact that she was the heavy favorite to win it all. 

 

 Four of the Magic Five came from this group 

Today, she is known as Peachy of Carousel Productions, the outfit behind Miss Philippines Earth and Miss Philippines

1978 - Louvette Monzon Hammond marked the Philippines’ return to the Miss World pageant after a two-year boycott against apartheid. 

Pressure from the international media and national governments, South Africa finally withdrew from the pageant in 1978 thus paving the return of the Philippines to the pageant

1982 - Sarah Jane Coronel Areza entered the Top 15 semi-finals and won the special title of Continental Queen of Asia.

1986 - Sherry Rose Austria Byrne also placed in the Top 15 semi-finals and winning the Continental Queen of Asia title.

 

For more Miss World features, here's the link:

 2013 Miss World Special Coverage

Coming Up: Part Two

Photo Credits:

Tony Paat & Others  

Copyright infringement not intended  

2005 Miss Earth Visits Bohol

with eventual Miss Earth 2005 winner

Organizing the Bohol Visit & Prelim Talent Competition of a group of candidates for Miss Earth 2005 set on October 12- 14, 2005 was actually a breeze for me. 

Why would I say this? Well, I was the Bohol- based Event Organizer for the Bohol Visit of the 2002 Miss Earth candidates that was also facilitated by your blogger  and Leizl Lim- Gregorio of BCCTV and produced by Boholano business tycoon Lucio Lim, Jr ergo, the second time around was relatively easy for me

So when Eric G. Ngo of TownCrier Advertising broached the idea of having some of the 2005 Miss Earth girls visit Bohol, I said, "why not?"

After the preliminary talks and pre- production meetings, we agreed to secure an endorsement from Tagbilaran City Hall to give the activity the city's imprimatur. I was tasked in securing a resolution from the Sangguniang Panglungsod. 

Less than a week before the 2005 Miss Earth girls would step foot on Bohol soil, I was able to set an appointment  with the city's law- making body that would give me a chance to explain the rationale of the said visit. 

After some deliberations, the august body approved the granting of a tax exemption to the event being cultural and environmental in nature. 

Mission accomplished!

The city ordinance that approved the holding of the 2005 Miss Earth Visit

HECTIC DAY 1:

The girls arrived via a fast craft vessel from Cebu at around 11 am. City officials led by Vice Mayor Jose Antonio S. Veloso welcomed the Group 1 ladies: Miss BOSNIA Sanja Susnja, Miss BRAZIL Isabella Chaves, Miss CHILE Nataly Chilet, Miss DENMARK, Heidi Zadeh, Miss ECUADOR Cristina Reyes, Miss EL SALVADOR Irma Dimas, Miss FINLAND, Miss GERMANY Rebecca Kunikowski, Miss HAITI Channa Cius

Miss HONGKONG Gu Reu, Miss INDIA Niharika Singh, Miss JAMAICA Daisi Pollard, Miss JAPAN Emi Suzuki, Miss LEBANON Chantal Karam, Miss MACAU, Miss NICARAGUA Sandra Rios Hernandez, Miss PANAMA Rosemary Suarez Machazek, Miss PERU ,Miss SINGAPORE Pei Yee Sim, Miss SWEDEN Therese Denitton, Miss SLOVAK REPUBLIC Diana Ondrejickova

Miss TOKELAU Landy Tyrell, Miss TURKS & CAICOS Trina Adams ,Miss UK Emma Corten, Miss USA Amanda Kimmel, Miss VENEZUELA Alexandra Braun Waldeck, Miss VIETNAM Hong Nga Diep Nguyen and Miss ZAMBIA Cynthia Kanema

My friend Melissa "Peachy" Veneracion, Carousel Productions VP for Production also came together with a crew from ABS CBN 2

They were immediately whisked off for lunch. Afterwards, they proceeded to board a humongous float for the motorcade along the city's major thoroughfares. The girls were overwhelmed with the throngs who came to watch them pass by. It was one of the largest crowd turnout ever for a motorcade in Tagbilaran City. 

your blogger with Miss El Salvador Irma Dimas

After a brief courtesy call and welcome snacks at City Hall, the ladies proceeded to BQ Mall Atrium for the Press Conference. 

Instead of the usual mediamen from print, TV and radio, we also invited the city- based secondary schools to send their campus journalists to attend the presscon.

The reporters then grilled the girls on their environmental advocacies.  

They also asked about Miss Earth's concept behind "Beauties with a Purpose".

 with Amanda Kimmell, Miss USA

Inquiries about their Gala Show at the MetroCentre Hotel were then addressed.

CROWD FAVES:

Miss El Salvador Irma Dimas, Miss Brazil Isabella Chavez Miss Ecuador Cristina Reyes and Miss Chile Natalie Chilet were the crowd faves

 with TownCrier Advertising's top honcho Eric Ngo , show producer 

After the photo opportunities with the sponsors & the mediamen & journalists, the girls & the staff checked in at  the  Soledad Suites, the 2005 Miss Earth official residence in Bohol. 

Soledad Suites, Bohol's fave boutique hotel

Finally, after freshening up, the girls were tendered a welcome dinner by Bohol Prov'l Governor Erico Aumentado at the scenic Casa Felomena in Totolan, Dauis. 

WELCOME DINNER IN CASA FELOMENA, DAUIS

as host of the 2005 Miss Earth Preliminary Talent Show

MetroCentre Hotel, October 13, 2005

with co-host  2005 Miss Philippines- Fire Shiela Alonso

  TOP FIVE FOR BEST TALENT: Misses Peru, Ecuador, Macau, Tokelau & Zambia

 Madame Pureza Chatto presents floral bouquet to Miss Talent Top Five Winner Cynthia Kanema of Zambia

MetroCentre Hotel, Tagbilaran City

More updates and more pictures coming up!

Photos: Raymund Buslon for TownCrier Advertising