2017: Most beauteous year for the Philippines

With two of beauty pageantry’s “Big 4” crowns on the heads of Filipino queens—Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach and 2016 Miss International Kylie Verzosa—the year 2017 began with the world’s most beautiful women flocking to Manila in the first month of the year for the staging of the 65th Miss Universe on January 30 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The 2016 Miss Universe was belatedly held as final negotiations for the pageant were not ironed out until the stars aligned for the country’s hosting of the most prestigious beauty contest in the world for the third time.