Photo credit: Tony Paat
Tiffany Cuña has two unique distinctions as a beauty queen. First, she was the last Miss Maja Pilipinas to ever compete internationally. That was in Bayamon, Puerto Rico for the pageant that was renamed Maja Del Mundo 1995 from Maja Internacional. Second, she is the only Bb. Pilipinas titleholder who was crowned outside of the national finals at the Big Dome and inside a television studio. She took part in a special mini-pageant and crowning during a special segment on the late-night TV program of the late German Moreno – much like the arrangement made when the Mr World franchise was still with BPCI. Some of you might wonder why this all happened. It was because the staging of Maja that year was very belatedly advised, so a small number of candidates were assembled to vie for this single title. If you ask me, they could have just appointed one lady from Bb. Pilipinas 1995 instead of going through all the trouble of staging a small off-site competition inside the GMA7 studios.
Below, you can watch video clips of the pageant finals of Maja Del Mundo 1995 where Miss Filipinas made the Top 15.
Pierro Rocco is flirting with Miss Flor Tula?
@ Jonalyn Hernandez Si Mama’ng Gwapulis, hinihingi ID ko. Gusto daw niya makita….
Sabi ko sa kanya, “sigurado ka, ID ko lang ang gusto mo makita”?
🙂
Taray!!! haha…best in support ako sayo jan Miss Flor!!! Napapaganda mo ang araw ko dahil sa mga palung-palo mong comments. I love it.
Tiffany Cuna resembles Catriona Gray! Both stunning.
Hi Sir Norms! SInce nasa throwback mood tayo, hope you can also feature a list of your favorite/Most memorable or you think is the best Q&A round. Mine, is that of Nina Ricci Alagao, which for me is the best answer given the difficulty of the question. Not so much fan of that of Anna Theresa Licaros since the question was very basic & typical. Tnx.
Janine Tugonon’s answer was also impressive when she made to choose between family and career. Equally impressive was that of Joyce Ann Burton when she was asked if it is the male or female who is the stronger sex.
@Jamaica please allow me to give my thoughts regarding this. When judging the best Q&A performance I think we should consider only the answers of the candidates and not factor in the level of difficulty of the questions thrown at them. The candidates have no control over how difficult the questions will be, so unfair para sa kanila if we factor that into our judgment.
From PHILSTAR – I think Maan Bayot was the last one who competed internationally and she won first runner up.
Like Maricar Balagtas, 2004 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe, 2004 Bb. Pilipinas-International Margaret Ann “Maan” Bayot, 21, believes in trying and trying again until she succeeds. In 2002 when she first joined the Binibini, Maan finshed first runner-up and that same year she was tapped to represent the Philippines in the Miss Internet WWW in Turkey where she placed second runner-up.
Again, like Maricar, Maan doesn’t mind being tagged a “repeater” because she isn’t the only one anyway. Previous losers who eventually bagged the title went on to win honors in international contests. Name (just) one? Lalaine Bennett, the first Filipina to finish runner-up in the Miss Universe Pageant in l963. Lalaine, now a widow residing in the US, was Miss Luzon the first time she joined the Miss Philippines contest and won the title the following year.
Besides competing in the Miss International contest to be held in China in September, Maan got a “bonus” by also representing the country in the just-revived Maja International contest in Colombia (home country of Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc. head Stella Marquez-Araneta).
The Maja contest, organized to honor the memory of world-famous painter Don Francisco de Goya, was last held in 1995. The very first Maja contest was held in 1966 in Zaragoza, Spain, with Bernice Romualdez as the Philipine bet. In 1973, the Maja title was included among the four at stake in the Binibini search. The first Bb. Pilipinas-Maja was Nanette Macapagal Prodigalidad who placed first runner-up in the Miss Maja International contest that year.
So far, no Filipina has won the Maja title (but dozens have finished runners-up), making it the only other international title that has proven to be elusive to the Philippines, the other being Miss World.
Maan is leaving any day now for Colombia. Let’s wish her godspeed and good luck.
The last Filipina to participate in Miss Maja International was Kathryna Yu-Pimentel. The wife of Senator Koko Pimentel. She was appointed since there was no local competetion for the pageant in 2005. Sadly she and her husband were recently involved in a controversy relating to COVID 19.
Related rather.
Yes, but Tiffany Cuna is the last to actually reign as Miss Maja Pilipinas of BPCI. Maan was an appointed representative.
@ Flipinla1078 Thanks for sharing that info tidbit.
No wonder “La Maja Desnuda” appeared in the Preamble of Maja Internacional (Concurzso Bellezas).
🙂
IF there is a “dead” pageant that NEEDS TO BE REVIVED, it SHOULD BE the MISS MAJA INTERNATIONAL. KAKAIBA. I like all the girls wearing that Spanish costume (with MANTILLA & COMB) before the winners are crowned. In 1973 we ALMOST won our very first MJI title when Nanette Prodigalidad placed FIRST RUNNER UP to the winner from Dominican Republic. Pacita Guevarra placed 3rd runner up in 1974 and Annette Liwanag placed 4th runner up in 1975. Both Alou Gonzales and Jeanne Therese Hilario placed 2nd runner up in 1985 and 1989, respectively. Many Filipinas have also won the National Costume Award from this pageant which include among others Maria Muriel Moral in 1988. Jeanne Therese (UST) and Alou Gonzales are two of my favorites among our Bb. Pilipinas Maja International titleholders.
@ Pierro Rocco Holy c_ap! I apparently have mistaken Alou with Issa (Gonzales-Agana).
Comes with the “senior moments” thing. ‘Nyeta! (Not you, me).
😦
Thank you Flor. Sa pagmamadali ko ayan naging Alou si Issa Gonzales. TIGUWANG NA JUD FLOR. Maraming iniisip, maraming nakakalimutan. Ganyan pag tum… He, he, he…
My comment about Miss Maja International in your preceding post did not appear, Tito Norms, and I am quite disappointed with that. I just added my husband’s family name “Lund” to my name and I thought it was not automatically accepted.
~Ana Winter-Lund
Ana, the comment you are referring to is not appearing in my dashboard. Maybe you can try again?
It’s too long, Tito Norms, and I did not save them in any form. Sad.
It’s ok now, Ana
I think my post awaits moderator’s approval, especially when I changed my name to Ana Winter-Lund. Could your moderator check and reconsider it?
That’s all.
All I can say is the quality of girls we are seeing now has improved significantly …. or could it just be the quality of videos ?
Tito Norman, maybe we can encourage SMA to release videos on YouTube . We may have better quality than those recorded from tv back in the day when we were still using antennas instead of cable and satellite .
There are several factors that add up to it as well – like the constantly upgraded expertise of our HMUAs, designers, stylists and the advanced TV/Video production and the like. Give the 80s and 90s ladies these advancements and they will all look good as well.
Ano pong outcome ng pageant na ito? Did she do an amazing job?
She was in the Top 15
Thank you Tito Norms. I had an issue with the player cannot watch the clip. Thanks again. Stay safe and stay fabulous as always.
Oh, try watching on YouTube perhaps? Keep safe as well.