Shortly after Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach passes on her crown to a new Miss Universe on January 30, 2017, she will run for president of the Philippines.
"Why not?" she tells The National in a phone interview, ahead of her appearance at Dragon Mart 2 in Dubai on November 18. "Nowadays we've realised that anything and everything is possible."
Wurtzbach is, of course, teasing. In a conversation where the recent political mayhem in the United States was specified as an off-limits topic by a publicist, Wurtzbach’s sense of humour took us by surprise, albeit a pleasant one.
She certainly knows how to take things in stride, as the whole world discovered when Steve Harvey, the host of the Miss Universe 2015 pageant, mistakenly announced Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez as the winner of the 64th edition of the contest. After realising he had misread the results card, Harvey returned on staged and announced that Wurtzbach, who was initially the runner-up, was the true victor. Mere moments after the blunder, Wurtzbach was already making light of the incident.
“It’s a very non-traditional crowning moment,” she quipped backstage to Miss USA Olivia Jordan, who finished in third place. “It is very 2015.”
Almost a year has passed and Wurtzbach still looks back at the episode with good-humoured perspective. Asked what has been her favourite part about being Miss Universe, she replied: “The crowning.”
Wurtzbach was speaking to us from New York City, where she has been based throughout the past year, as part of the fulfilment of her duties with the Miss Universe Organisation. It was nine in the morning when she answered our call — and the 27-year-old was already up and about, checking off tasks from her day’s checklist.
“I’m trying to keep myself busy these days,” she said, “so I won’t keep thinking about the fact that my Miss Universe reign is about to finish.”
One of the things that will keep her busy this week is a trip to the Emirates, her first time in the region.
“I’ve heard a lot of great things,” she said about the UAE. “A lot of my friends have been there, worked there and vacationed there, so I’ve heard a lot of beautiful things. I know that it’s really a hub for beauty and luxury.”
The purpose of Wurtzbach’s visit is a guest appearance at the main atrium of the Dragon Mart 2 shopping mall in Dubai’s International City on Friday, November 18, at 6pm. During the free-to-attend event, dubbed Fashion Friday, she is expected to share style and beauty-related tips, as well as meet her fans in the UAE.
“I’m so excited to see them and meet them personally,” said Wurtzbach, who mentioned that she was aware of the large population of Filipinos working in the country, numbering to almost half a million. Surely many of them are awaiting her arrival and will be falling in line for a seat at her Dubai show.
In a country where beauty pageants are a craze, Wurtzbach’s Miss Universe win last year prompted ecstatic celebrations across the Philippines. As the third Filipino to win the crown, ending a 42-year drought for her nation in the pageant, Wurtzbach is considered a national hero. During a homecoming parade in the Philippines earlier this year, Wurtzbach was greeted by tens of thousands of shrieking fans who lined the roads of Metro Manila to catch a glimpse of her. “I hope my story could become an inspiration of determination, discipline, faith and hardwork,” she told reporters
Looking back at the year that has gone by, Wurtzbach tells us that the best part about her job is getting the opportunity to meet people that she may have inspired “in one way or another”: “That first trip back home — wow,” she said, pausing for a few seconds. “That will never happen again.”
What will definitely happen once more is Wurtzbach appearing on the stage of a Miss Universe pageant. The next competition will be held on January 30 in Manila.
“I’m very excited. For so long, we had been talking about the possibility of holding the Miss Universe back in the Philippines. It started out as an idea and now it’s about to happen,” she said.
“While I wasn’t able to do my ‘first walk’ as Miss Universe during my pageant, at least I’ll be able to do my final walk — and it will happen in the Philippines no less.”
For now, Wurtzbach said she will continue to spread awareness to issues like HIV and the lack of welfare and support in countries vulnerable to natural disasters. It was, after all, what she promised during the “question-and-answer” portion of the pageant that she had won: “I will use my voice to influence the youth and I would raise awareness to certain causes, like HIV awareness, that are timely and relevant to my country,” she said back then.
As her reign ends in two months, Wurtzbach is determined to finish strong.
“Work goes on for me. I’ll continue promoting my advocacies, especially now, because I feel like I’m in a better position to do so. I’ve learned so much throughout this entire year,” she said. “These advocacies have become so close to my heart — because I personally know people who are affected by them.”
Will she be returning back to Manila after her reign? Wurtzbach is still unsure — but takes it in stride.
“I’ll continue doing what I do, whether in the Philippines, here in the US, or elsewhere,” she said. “When it comes to trying to do good, I will keep going, even when I’m no longer Miss Universe.”
artslife@thenational.ae