Pia Wurtzbach turned 27 last week. Her birthday wish? That the next Miss Universe pageant will be held in the Philippines in Jan 2017.
During her Facebook Live video session on Sun, Oct 2, Pia said she is “working very hard” to make sure that the country hosts the international beauty pageant.
“I’m keeping my fingers crossed,” she said.
READ: Pia Wurtzbach: ‘It’s my personal dream for PH to host Miss Universe pageant’
This statement comes after rumors surfaced last week that the Miss Universe pageant may not push through in the country, despite the government’s previous announcement that it will host the pageant in Jan 2017.
“My birthday wish, I’m really hoping and praying that the pageant will be held here. And we’re working very hard in making that happen,” Pia said.
She added: “It has always been a dream of mine to have the pageant here. Paula [Shugart], the president of Miss Universe, it’s always been a dream of hers as well to have the pageant here. So, it’s kind of like a… it’s everybody’s dream. We want the pageant to be in the Philippines.”
Pia — the country’s third Miss Universe titleholder after Gloria Diaz and Margarita Moran — said they are making sure to get “the approval of everyone so that it will finally happen.”
Rumors that the Miss Universe pageant won’t be held in the Philippines broke out after showbiz gossip blog Fashion Pulis posted a screencap of the Facebook status of Tourism undersecretary Kat de Castro, which read: “Naiyak si Pia. Naiyak ako. Sana nandito ka Jonas (Gaffud) para 3 na tayong umiyak.”
(Pia cried. I cried. I wish you were here Jonas so the three of us could cry together.)
Jonas is identified as the mentor of beauty queens, Pia included.
But in a comment on her Instagram post, Kat denied the rumors. “The Philippine franchise holder is still having meetings with (the Miss Universe Organization) for negotiations,” she wrote. “While it is still going on, we are not allowed to discuss anything about the final show.”
She added: “That crying post had nothing to do with the cancellation.”
It may be recalled that Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo announced last Jul that the 2016 Miss Universe pageant will be held in the country on Jan 30, 2017.
READ: Pia Wurtzbach clarifies news program’s ‘false’ report on her love life
However, it should be noted that the Miss Universe Organization has not officially announced the venue of pageant.
According to Philippine Daily Inquirer‘s Armin Amida in a report last Aug, the Miss Universe Organization hasn’t made the official announcement yet because “the group may still be waiting for the complete turnover of the required hosting fees from the DOT before making anything official.”
Like Pia, we’re keeping our fingers crossed.
