HOTEL and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB) and

Baguio Country Club (BCC) general manager Anthony De

Leon confirmed earlier pronouncements of Department
of Tourism (DOT) Undersecretary Kat de Castro on the
January 2017 visit of Miss Universe candidates. De Leon
in a press conference said talks with the DOT as well as
the Miss Universe pageant organizers have secured the
city of a spot in hosting the international beauties.
Reigning Miss Universe, Pia Wurtzbach will lead the
contingent of at least 30 Miss Universe candidates at the
end of January for a visit. The visit is excepted give the
candidates a glimpse of highland culture, historical sites
as well as hospitality and give international exposure to
the highlands. De Leon said private tourism stakeholders
will contribute to the P15 million needed to host the
international contingent. To date, De Leon emphasized
there is no support from the local government unit but
said organizers are willing to coordinate with them. The
DOT estimates cost for hosting the pageant to reach $11
million, none of which will be shouldered by government
but is undertaken by private sector led by Japanese
billionaire and Tiger Resort chief Kazuo Okada and the
country's richest, Henry Sy. De Leon said over and above
the million peso cost, there will be transportation, food
and other necessities to be sourced from sponsors and
stakeholders while assuring the BCC has agreed to host
the entire contingents accommodations as well as the
needed facilitate of the guests. There were a lot of local
government units lobbying to host the pageant, we are
lucky to be part of this, said de Leon. Last month, De
Castro gave feelers leading to the official announcement
making the Summer Capital as part of the itinerary of
the international tilt. The pageant was held in Manila for
the first time in 1974, when Miss Universe 1973
Margarita Moran crowned Amparo Muoz of Spain and in
1994, when India's Sushmita Sen was crowned by
Dayanara Torres. De Leon said the international beauties

will be flown in and out of the city via the Loakan airport
and will be toured at the Philippine Military Academy, the
Mansion and other key areas in the Summer Capital.
Read more: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/baguio/localnews/2017/01/03/baguio-city-host-miss-universe-2017507201
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