In commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of her winning the country’s very first Miss Universe title last July 19, 1969, I am sharing with you the full video of the 1969 Miss Universe where our very own Gloria Diaz made the entire country proud when she defeated 60 other delegates on the way to the top.
Photos from the Tony Paat Collection
This is a Super #Throwback for Easter Sunday:
While the actual Coronation Night of Binibining Pilipinas 1969 was held June 13 of that year, 2019 marks the Golden Anniversary of Gloria Diaz – both as Binibining Pilipinas Universe and (our country’s first) Miss Universe. Let us focus on her conquest of the national pageant.
FYI, the Bb. Pilipinas 1969 Honor Roll is as follows:
Binibining Pilipinas-Universe – Gloria Maria Aspillera Diaz
Binibining Pilipinas-International – Margaret Rose “Binky” Orbe Montinola
1st Runner-Up – Nelia delos Reyes Sancho (who later became Queen of the Pacific ’71)
2nd Runner-Up – Cynthia Commans Quirino
3rd Runner-Up – Maricar Azaola
4th Runner-Up – Carmina Cuervo Gutierrez (she happens to be the aunt of Bb. Pilipinas World 1993 Sharmaine Ruffa Gutierrez)
Let us now look back at nostalgic photos which the great pageant collector Townee F Paat graciously shared with your blogger for this intent – from her graduation photo in the St. Scholastica College Yearbook at age 17 to her participation in Bb. Pilipinas 1969 at age 18 and eventually winning the right to represent the country in Miss Universe 1969.
Gloria, Pia and Margie for Magnolia Chicken
Magnolia Chicken has achieved a casting coup of sorts by assembling the Philippines’ three Miss Universe titleholders – Gloria Diaz (1969), Margarita Moran (1973) and Pia Wurtzbach (2015) – in its latest TV commercial which christened their brand of fowl as “Pambansang Manok” (National Chicken) in the process. I like it that the ad agency (PublicisJimenezBasic) behind the TVC was able to bring the concept to fruition as getting all three winners in one ad campaign is an idea waiting to be picked up since Pia won. Maybe the right brand is just waiting to be tapped for all three to appear in.
Watch the commercial now.
courtesy of Magnolia Chicken Station
Lunch with the ladies at SMX Convention Center
The ladies were given gifts by PLDT/Smart
Gorgeous Sila Çakir of Turkey and I
What made the event sweet was your blogger winning a Miss Universe replica crown in an Instagram-related contest where the winners will be selected based on the photo/s uploaded of the gathering on Instagram.
Your blogger winning a Miss Universe replica crown and getting crowned by Nicole Cordoves
Jonas Gaffud with Venezuela, Indonesia, Australia and Korea
Gloria Diaz, Pia Wurtzbach and Margarita Moran in one frame
A groupie with some of the contestants
Good night for now, dear readers! 🙂
Gloria, Pia and Margarita – Miss Universe winners all
Our three prides: Gloria, Margarita and Pia
Of course, we should be happy that our record in the annual beauty competition is nothing to sneer at. If at any, consider ourselves lucky that we have really made our presence felt, unlike some nations which cannot enumerate a list of crowning glories, let alone runner-up finishes or even Top 10 inclusions. At this point, we are already considered a pageant powerhouse nation, not only in Miss Universe but other fronts as well.
And we intend to improve on the track record, extend the shining moments and become more solid in all our yearly quests from this day on. 🙂
The Philippines’ three Miss Universe winners (Gloria and Margie homecoming photos shared by Felix Manuel)
Nowadays, becoming Miss Universe means chasing time. The upcoming arrival of Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach in the country was scheduled to jibe with a MUO-committed annual visit to Djakarta where she will crown the winner of Puteri Indonesia 2016. This is the reason why she will be flying in from the Indonesian capital on January 23, and not New York City. And it’s not like she will be given enough “me” time in Manila. With all the scheduled Press Conferences, ticker tape parade, Malacañan Palace courtesy call and countless appearances and reception, it’s good that she was able to negotiate for an extra few days so that she can settle personal items like her rented apartment, personal effects and a previously-agreed date to attend the wedding of her best friend (actress) Pauleen Luna to actor/comedian Vic Sotto.
It’s going to be a whirlwind of a homecoming such that you will certainly start missing Pia even before her scheduled stay in the country starts. But we all want this crown. And in return, we should whole-heartedly share our Queen to the Universe. Her reign has just started and the months ahead will surely be so jet-settingly busy, let alone hectic. 🙂
Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach in photos provided by Associated Press Entertainment
From Ariana’s head to Pia’s
Pia Wurtzbach and the entire Philippines are the winners of the Miss Universe 2015 DIC crown
Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach
Ariadna Gutierrez of Colombia had her brief shining moment. But it wasn’t meant to last because in less than 5 minutes, the real winner was announced and the crown transferred ownership in a flash. Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach of the Philippines is Miss Universe 2015.
Host Steve Harvey owned up to his mistake and showed the card containing the Philippines as the true victor. I have to pinch him hard for taking away a most genuine image of our Queen getting the crown from Paulina Vega. But I can take the twists. If there is one spot I wouldn’t want to fill in now is that of real 1st Runner-Up Ariadna Gutierrez because she is the one who had to go through an embarrassing minute or two on worldwide TV as having to give up what was already planted on her head and step down accordingly.
If it’s any consolation, the Philippines was hastily announced right before the Live Telecast was cut short because of the awkward scenes happening onstage.
We now have a proud 3rd member of the sisterhood which had only Gloria Diaz and Margarita Moran as members for 42 years now. They have a new recruit and she is MISS UNIVERSE 2015 PIA ALONZO WURTZBACH! 😀
courtesy of Miss Universe
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