International Beauty Queens Who Made Philippines Their Second Home

I have discussed Armi Kuusela, first Miss Universe winner ever; Priscilla Meiralles, Miss Earth winner, and Amparo Munoz, Spain's only Miss Universe in my previous posts. But here is an article that tells more about them. We will also try to take a peek on Michelle Van Eimeren and Vivica Babajee of Australia and Mauritius respectively. Both women competed in 1994 Miss Universe in Manila, Philipines. Dayanara Torres, Puerto Rico's third Miss Universe and first Miss International winner ever from Colombia Stella Marquez-Araneta are also in the article.

This article is about beauty queens who fell in love with the Philippines and made this country their second home for a while or up to now like Stella Marquez-Araneta.

They say there's so much to love about the Philippines—scenic places, yummy food, and unique culture. For some tourists who frequently vacation in the country, it's the warm Pinoys that always make them feel comfortable as they wandering around this Southeast Asian country.

Some foreigners even choose to live here permanently, no matter how well off they are in their own country. They find love and start a new family.

In showbiz, Pinoys are also very open to watching foreign talents in television and movies. This is another reason for people who come from abroad to stay in the country and make a living.

Just look at this list of PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) of beauty queens who made the Philippines their second home, if only for a while.

Armi Kuusela. This Finnish beauty queen, who was 17 years old then, was the first-ever winner of the prestigious Miss Universe pageant in June 1952.

She was among the 29 contestants who joined the beauty contest held in Long Beach, California. After Miss Universe, Armi Kuusela became an actress playing herself in the Finnish movie World's Most Beautiful Girl.

As part of her winning the pageant, Universal Studios offered her a movie with the popular American comic duo Abbott and Costello (William Abbott and Lou Costello). But Armi Kuusela refused the offer and went on a world tour instead.

During her trip, she met Filipino businessman Virgilio Hilario. Armi had to give up her crown in less than a year to marry the rich businessman in Tokyo, Japan.

The couple lived for several years in Makati's affluent Forbes Park, where they raised their five children. Unfortunately in 1975, Virgilio Hilario died of a heart attack. Three years after the death of her Filipino husband, Armi decided to marry American diplomat Albert Williams. They moved to San Diego, California.

Until now, Armi still is the former beauty queen who helps cause-oriented groups. She actively participates in charities and is involved in cancer research at the Burnham Institute.

Stella Marquez-Araneta. The next beauty queen who chose to reside in the country was 1959 Miss Columbia Stella Marquez. As a representative of her country, Stella competed in the 1960 Miss Universe held in Miami Beach, Florida, where she placed as a semifinalist.

Though she was not able to get the Miss Universe title, Stella was able to get her luck when she vied for the Miss International title on the same year in Long Beach, California. This made her the first Miss International and first Latina Miss International.

Not long after carrying the Miss International title, the Columbian beauty queen married Jorge Araneta, the current CEO of the Araneta Group.

In 1964, Stella put up the Binibining Pilipinas Charities Incorporated (BPCI), which annually organizes the most prestigious beauty pageant in the Philippines, Binibining Pilipinas, after she acquired the local franchise for the Miss Universe Pageant. The top three winners of this competition will be the official representatives for Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss International.

Aside from selecting representatives to worldwide beauty pageants, BPCI also helps a number of orphanages in Metro Manila and gives skills training and educational workshops to less fortunate kids.

Dayanara Torres. The 1993 Miss Universe first saw the Philippines in 1994 when she came here to crown the new Miss Universe.

Shortly after this stint, Dayanara immediately got proposals for product endorsements. She stayed on even longer when she started to get offers for TV appearances and movie projects.

One of these offers was to be a mainstay in the Sunday variety show ASAP. Here, Filipinos saw how graceful she danced on stage, and so she was given the title "Dancing Queen." Also, according to Wikipedia, she won the Best New Female TV Personality award in the 1995 PMPC Star Awards for TV.

In movies, she was able to work with Gary Valenciano for Hataw Na! in 1995; Cesar Montano for Type Kita, Walang Kokontra in 1999; and Aga Muhlach for Basta't Kasama Kita in 1995.

Although not clearly stated when it started, Dayanara had a relationship with the former Bagets star Aga Muhlach, whom she first met on the set of their movie together. Their relationship lasted for four years.

All these projects and her constant interaction with local celebrities somehow helped Dayanara in learning to speak Tagalog easily.

In 1998, the year she reportedly broke up with her local celebrity boyfriend, Dayanara went back to Puerto Rico and released her first and only music album called Antifaz. She also did supporting roles in a Puerto Rican TV series called La Cenicienta (1999) and in the American soap operas The Young and the Restless (2004) and Watch Over Me (2006).

In 2000 Dayanara married international singer Marc Anthony, with whom she had two sons, Christian Anthony and Ryan Anthony. Their marriage was short-lived and they separated in 2003.

In the last quarter of 2006, Dayanara made a short visit in the Philippines to endorse the controversial Beverly Hills 6750 cosmetic surgery clinic. (Click here to read related article )

Michelle Van Eimeren. The Australian beauty queen Michelle Van Eimeren fell for the popular singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid. She chose to stay here after the 1994 Miss Universe pageant, which was hosted by the Philippines.

In that same year, Michelle, who acted as a mermaid, starred with Ogie in the movie Manolo and Michelle Hapi Together. Then, in less than a year, they appeared together in another movie titled Isko: Adventures in Animasia.

Michelle and Ogie's romance grew stronger and they decided to get married in 1998. Their union produced two lovely daughters, Leila and Sarah.

The marriage ended, however, after Michelle moved back to Australia in 2003, together with the children. This started the speculations about the couple's separation.

The couple tried to keep mum about the rumored annulment for years until Ogie admitted publicly his romantic relationship with Asia's Songbird and SOP co-host Regine Velasquez.

But all's well that ends well. Michelle, Leila, and Sarah recently had a reunion with Ogie and Regine on the occasion of Ogie's 20th anniversary concert.

Priscilla Meirelles. The latest beauty queen who decided to live in the country is the 2004 Miss Earth winner Priscilla Meirelles. The 25-year-old Brazilian lady is also the 2003 Miss Globe title-holder.

Priscilla Meirelles stayed in the country for good after having a successful career in modeling. Since 2007, she has graced the cover of several publications and has appeared in some television shows.

Last September 28, at the unveiling of the Star Magic 2009 Catalogue, Priscilla was introduced as one of the celebrities included in "The Next Wave" of stars of the said talent arm, along with another Brazilian model Mariana del Rio.

If these are not enough reasons for Priscilla to stay in the Philippines, there's still her boyfriend, actor John Estrada, who is very proud of her as a newbie in show business.

Viveca Babajee. The last but definitely not the least is Mauritius's representative in the 1994 Miss Universe, Viveca Babajee.

Like her "batchmate" Michelle Van Eimeren, Viveca was about to start a career in showbiz but she got involved in the unforgettable 1994 Manila Film Fest Scam.

Unfortunately, she did not become famous by appearing in TV shows and movies. Pinoys remember her for the famous line, "Take it, take it." This is what she whispered to Ruffa Gutierrez's brother and one of the co-presenters, Rocky, to take the envelope that contained the name of the real winner for best actress.

These are just six of the world-class beauties who made Manila their second home. Unknown to younger generation, some other beauty queens tried to enter the crazy world of local showbiz.

This includes beauties from the 1974 Miss Universe Pageant, which was held in Manila: Miss Spain Amparo Muñoz, who appeared in the movie Hayop sa Ganda (1983) with our very own Miss Universe beauty Gloria Diaz; Miss United Kingdom Helen Morgan, who appeared in the movie Isang Gabi sa Buhay ng Isang Babae; Miss Finland Johanna Raunio, who appeared in the movie Lorelei (1974) with comedian Chiquito and veteran actress Anita Linda.

The list does not stop here. As long as we maintain our famous hospitality and showbiz remains open to aspiring actresses/models, the list of world-class beauties who settle in the country will go on.

Text by Nerisa Almo for PEP.

Amparo Munoz - Controversial Miss Universe

When I was growing up, I was told by some friends who are also beauty pageant fans that news were circulating about the death of 1974 Miss Universe, Amparo Munoz, the first and only of Spain. And it is not only as simple as that but apprently she died because of AIDS or anti-immunodeficiency syndrome.

Amparo was also romured of becoming a porn star or someone who acted in adult-oriented films showing her nude.

Miss Amparo Munoz is no doubt the most controversial winner of this pageant.

Did you also know that she, like the first Miss Universe -Armi Helena Kuusela, actually resigned as Miss Universe after only six months of her reign? Yes, she did. But did you know that 3 days after her crowning? We'll talk on this on a separate entry so please always come back for the update while I am still compiling my reseacrh.

For me, Amparo is one of the Miss Universe winners who have the most beautiful face. She is like a doll to me and I always put her in my list of my favorite. Too bad, Amparo is also the not the happiest winner of this pageant since she had really issues being the winner. She was not happy for the crown. She even threw her crown one time.

This is the reason why started researching about her and hopefully, I can come up with the article in the next few days. As an appetizer, like what I have been doing, I am posting another article by the same source whom I have been getting my updates lately.

This article is written for Funfare column of Ricardo F. Lo for the Philippine Star on 26 September 2006. In this article, we'll try to find out what really happened to Amparo Munoz. At the end of the article, you will see two pictures of her with her breast showing but I opted to cover it with colors. Those are the pictures that made everyone think she has done silent films.

MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT: WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO AMPARO MUNOZ?

by Ricardo F. Lo

Twenty years before Puerto Rico’s Dayanara Torres conquered the Filipinos when she came to crown her successor (India’s Sushmita Sen, now a superstar in India, slated to star with Richard Gere in a Hollywood movie to be shot in Argentina) at the Miss Universe Pageant, there was Spain’s Amparo Muñoz who won the Miss U in 1974 (succeeding our very own Margie Moran), the first time the oldest international beauty search was held here.

Like Dayanara, Amparo became the darling of beauty-contest-crazy Filipinos. After relinquishing her crown, Amparo agreed to star in the movie Hayop sa Ganda with our very own Miss Universe (1969), Gloria Diaz.

Unlike Dayanara who stayed for a while and pursued a showbiz career, fell in and out of love before going back home with a broken heart ("mended" when she married fellow Puerto Rican Mark Anthony, the Salsa King by whom she has two children and from whom she is divorced; Mark is now married to Jennifer Lopez while Dayanara has remained fancy-free), Amparo’s showbiz life here was nipped in the bud by an ugly incident where she slapped a woman she accused of "pimping" her to wealthy businessmen. I’m not sure now if Amparo was declared persona non-grata by the government because of that incident.

Before coming to Manila in 1974 for the Miss U contest, Amparo was already a starlet in Spain, appearing in B-movies. She became an even bigger star after she won the title. Nothing much was heard about her since she left in a huff after that ugly incident where she showed her volatile Spanish temper.

That is, until rumors began filtering in more than a decade ago that she appeared in soft-porn flicks and, worse, she had died of AIDS.

What really happened to Amparo Muñoz?

Now 52, Amparo has lifted the mystery about her in a tell-all Spanish book called The Life is the Price (literal translation of the Spanish title), written by one Miguel Fernandez. Amparo was interviewed by the Spanish newspaper Cronica and excerpts of the story were sent to Funfare by "beauty expert" Felix Manuel, including choice shots of Amparo during the 1974 Miss U pageant and how she looks today.

In the Cronica interview, Amparo revealed that she suffered from a "cerebral disease" a few years ago and not from AIDS or brain cancer.

"I got sick the same day my Papa died of pulmonary infection," recalled Amparo. "I was devastated by his death because I wasn’t able to ask forgiveness from him for everything that I did. At first, I felt little symptoms. I would get dizzy when tying my shoes. So I consulted a doctor and at first he told me, ‘I’m afraid that you have cancer of the brain.’ Soon, I was vomitting and feeling tremors. I was checked again by my doctor who found an abnormal growth in my cerebellum. So I underwent chemotherapy."

Told that 87 percent of patients suffering from the same ailment die while being operated on, Amparo decided to return to her native Malaga to die, her first homecoming in 30 years.

The Cronica story excerpt didn’t say if Amparo has fully recovered and, if she did, how. Instead, the rest of the story touched on her failed romances and how she threw her Miss U crown out of the window because, she said, "it was cheap imitation jewelry." She said she regretted having done it.

The latest two pictures of Amparo Munoz created controversies not only in Spain but all over the world espcially the followers of beauty pageants. In my next entry, we attempt to find out whether she made porn movies or not.