It was in the 1998 edition when – instead of elevating one of the major titleholders for the crown – the 1st Runner-Up was moved up and skipped the two who placed higher than her. The original Bb. Pilipinas Universe winner Tisha Silang was stripped of the title due to citizenship issues. I was actually expecting Bb. Pilipinas World Rachel Soriano to replace her since Bb. Pilipinas International Colette Centeno Glazer was already a good fit for Miss International. To my surprise, it was Jewel May Lobaton who significantly moved up. True, the 1st Runner-Up is supposed to assume the responsibility. But in a multi-title national pageant finals, the remaining two crownholders should have been given the first option for Miss Universe. Anyways, everything is now water under the bridge. The Miss Universe 1998 in Hawaii had really strong competition with the likes of Wendy Fitzwilliam, Verushka Ramirez and Joyce Giraud. I just thought that Rachel would have given us a better fighting chance back then (not that Tisha Silang had the best probability of a placement). Maybe I was really just rooting for Rachel Soriano in that batch.