Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 1988 Perfida Limpin
Four of the eight Asian delegates above made Top 10 during MU1988 with all of them reaching Top 5. Sadly, Miss Philippines wasn’t among the fortunate ones.
In an edition where the judges favored fair-skinned oriental-looking candidates, Bb. Pilipinas sent the dusky Perfida Limpin who would have stood out only if the host city was USA or Canada. Looking back, Lorna Legaspi – her 2nd Runner-Up during the national finals and who was TBT-featured here last week – should have been fielded instead. Even the likes of Bb. Pilipinas 1988 semi-finalists Cielo Canlas and Perlita Aberin could’ve been better options then. Personally, I also wished that her (similarly Louie Mamengo-trained) predecessor – Geraldine Asis – joined a year later and took her place in Taiwan.
As a result, I watched the 1988 pageant filled with so much disappointment. As the telecast started, I already had a sinking feeling that the proceedings will augur well for the Asians. Porntip Nakhirunkanok of Thailand (who was crowned Miss Universe), Chang Yoon-Jung of Korea, Mizuho Sakaguchi of Japan and Pauline Yeung of Hong Kong marched all the way to Top 5. On the other hand, our bet became the classic case of a thank-you-girl in the late 80s.
Watch the Opening Number and Parade of Nations during Miss Universe 1988 held inside Lin Khou Stadium in Taiwan, ROC below.
courtesy of karangolos
And now, watch the Top 10 Announcement of Miss Universe 1988 where Perfida missed the cut, but with four (4) other Asian delegates making it.
courtesy of karangolos
normannorman.com 
re: issue on politics – was perfida’s chance of making it to the top 10 doomed from the start or was it hurt by the country’s relations with taiwan (roc) and the people’s republic of china? i remember perdida winning the best in swimsuit in the bb pilipinas, and coming up with a witty answer when asked by host edu manzano regarding her name – it’s a combination of may father’s name perfecto and my mother’s name which is zenaida (not the exact answer/verbatim).
and she also concluded her answer with a Mother Theresa quote.Trivia: Perfidia was also Best in Swimsuit in Mutya ng Pilipinas 1986 but she didnt make the cut to the final five from a field of 24 beauties
1988 was a lucky year for Thailand. Porntip brought home the Miss Universe crown. Preeyanuch Pampradub won the Miss Asia Pacific crown in Hongkong. Preeyanuch an extremely pretty (much prettier than Porntip), was an early favorite to win the crown. our representative for that year Hyacinth Lotuaco did not even make it to the top ten. The 1989 Philippine bet, Lorna Legazpi eventually won the 1989 MIss Asia Pacific crown!
BUWAAAKKK ang style ng buhok, kinikilo!!!
Fun to see this pageant again….. thank you kuya norms for featuring again!
Had Miss Korea spoken in good english she should have won MU 1988. She was lovely and pretty.. but Porntip was Smart, and beautiful inside out. I really like when she said that You don’t have to live in Thailand to be a Thai perosn, because although she lives in LA she speaks the Thai language and live the Thai culture. Im so proud of her, even her children speak Thai.
Perfida Limpin couldnt even pronouncd her name and the Philippines properly. Watch it again.
The real and true winner was Porntip. / Bui from Thailand. She spoke good english. She was so smart to outwit the host during the Top 10 Q&A. I love her answer. Pls watch also her farewell speech at MU 1989 it was really since when she started that “she was a thai cinderella” She is really true to her endevaors. She has an angel wings foundation in Thailand that help financially challenged thai children to attend schools in Thailand. What a great example to follow. The other MU winners should follow her example.
*sincere
Ang ganda ng production number…
It’s so 80’s…
at kinakareer ni Venezuela ang choreo! LOL
I love it!
According to my research,
clapper talaga tayo noon based on politics…
Bagsak ang piso…
ang taas ng unemployment rate…
Ang bilis tuloy ng mga camera exposure natin.
Huh? A year before Philippines was a top favorite for the crown. It’s not about politics it’s having the girl that meets what the judges are looking for that year and sheer luck.
AYAW KONG MAGCOMMENT! AYAW KONG MAGCOMMENT PLEASE AWATIN NINYO AKO, AYAW KONG MAGMURA AT AYAW KUNG MANLAIT SA ARAW NA TO!!!!! PLZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!
That’s new…
First time I saw a close up of Perfida. She has sinilarities with Kristine Floreindo. A bog sayang no Sir Norman.
Anyhow, out of topic. Where can I buy/watch videoS of previous BbP and MU pageants other than youtube? Baka po may ma-suggest kayo. Thanks in advance.
2ND FLOOR NG BED (BUHAY PA BA YONG BAR NA YON) SA MALATE YONG NAGBEBENTA NG MGA SWIMMING TRUNKS MERON DON. sA BAGUIO CITY NAMAN MERON DIN COMPLETE BBP FROM THE 70’S UP TO PRESENT, PLAKA BAR 4TH FLOOR MAHARLIKA LIVELIHOOD CENTER BABA LANG NG SESSION ROAD.
As a Filipino, I was crushed. As an Asian, I knew that top 5 may be a once in a lifetime experience and it made me feel good. Felt bad for Miss Korea… she was sooooo close to taking it all. Couldn’t deny Thailand though – a winner from the start.
Flashback Wednesday (or Thursday na sa Pinas!). I remember them big hairs in school… the girls’ bathroom was fumigated with Aquanet during breaks. Everybody’s choking but they kept on spraying. Porntip’s hair looked crunchy.
Crunchy, yes. And even if I hated Aquanet, I still used it back then. LOL
Memories, memories 😉
DON’T TELL ME KUYA NORMS NAGTI-TISS KA RIN BUHOK MO AT LUMALABAN NG PATAASAN NG VANGS!