CONFIRMED: Miss Universe 2016 to be held in the Philippines
After creating buzz in previous weeks, the news has finally been confirmed. The Miss Universe 2016 pageant will be held in the Philippines after almost 23 years. The much-awaited pageant will be held on January 30, 2017. The last time the pageant took place in the country was in 1994 where Miss India Sushmita Sen was crowned the winner. Prior to this, the pageant was first held locally in 1974.
According to news reports, the Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo said that expenses will be shouldered by the private sector. Billionaires Kazuo Okada and Henry Sy were named as two of the sponsors. The government will not shoulder any of the expenses for the said grand event.
In a previous press release by the Department of Tourism, there were already hints of this agreement pushing through as Teo mentioned that the President agreed that sponsoring the event would be a tourism marketing coup with Philippines’ Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach at the helm. During that time, Pia who made a quick visit to the president this month was still tightlipped but was said to have insinuated a possible homecoming.
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