BB. PILIPINAS Loses MISS UNIVERSE FRANCHISE to NEW National Pageant

For years, actually decades, Philippine representative contestants to the Miss Universe beauty pageant have always come from one source: the Binibining Pilipinas pageant under the charity organization of the same name. In fact, Bb. Pilipinas had, once upon a time, been the primary source of global pageant contestants, with its top three winners being equals for competing in Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss International. This changed in 2011 when the Miss World franchise broke off and organized its own representative pageant, leaving Universe and International as major titles for the taking for a Bb. Pilipinas. But shortly after Miss Universe 2019, that changed again.

The Philippine Star reports that the franchise for the choosing of a representative to the Miss Universe beauty pageant has now passed from the Binibing Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) of the Araneta Group. Rather, the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) has now partnered with the newly-formed Miss Universe Philippines Organization (MUPO), which will begin, with next year to host its own pageant to select the Miss Philippines who will be going to the major global pageant in question. The new organization was announced in the afternoon of Monday, December 9, with its first national director being 2011 Binibining Pilipinas-Universe Shamcey Supsup-Lee, Miss Universe 2011 Third Runner-up.

Of course, the MUO will not lightly dismiss the efforts of the BCPI and Araneta Group in sending the best Filipina beauties it could for the Miss Universe competition for the over half a century that it had carried the pageant’s franchise. "Both organizations have made an indelible mark in the international pageant scene for celebrating the intelligence, beauty and grace of hundreds of Filipina queens, and for garnering several international titles through the years," read the official MUO statement. The MUPO in turn promised to take the local Miss U franchise to “greater heights.”

That said, Miss Philippines Gazini Ganados, who reached the Top 20 in the Miss Universe 2019 pageant held Sunday night in Atlanta (Monday morning Philippines), would be the last representative to come out of the Binibining Pilipinas pageant. Shamcey Supsup will be assisted in her duties as the first Miss Universe Philippines Organization national director by fashion designer Albert Andrada (Design Council Head), Atty. Nad Bronce (Legal Affairs), Jonas Gaffud (Creative Director), Mario Garcia (Marketing Head), and Lia Ramos (Women Empowerment Committee and Charity Head).

Image courtesy of Inquirer – CDN