NEGROS Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. congratulated Miss Philippines Maxine Medina even if she was not among the final contenders for the Miss Universe crown.
The governor said the Top 6 finish of Medina in the international beauty tilt is already a great honor for the country.
“Gwapa siya tani. Pero mas damo pa gwapa and alam sa iya and mas mayo mag sabat. Mayo man kay nahatagan tsansa ang iban. Dugay na ang France wala ka daug sa Miss Universe (She’s beautiful. But there are more beautiful and smart than her and good in answering the questions. It’s good that others were given a chance. It’s been a long time that France won the Miss Universe),” the governor said.
Filipino fans said they are still proud of Medina's performance in the 65th edition of the pageant.
Miss France Iris Mittenaere was eventually crowned 2016 Miss Universe, followed by Miss Haiti as first runner-up, and Miss Colombia as second runner-up.
Users of online social media network Twitter expressed their support for Miss Philippines Maxine Medina despite her failure to make it to the Top 3 semi-final list in the 65th Miss Universe.
Medina made it to the Top 6 in the contest, but failed to advance after the Question and Answer portion during the grand coronation held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City Monday morning.
Medina was asked: What is the most significant change you've seen in the world in the last 10 years? Her answer: "In the last 10 years of being here in the world is that I saw all the people, bringing, in one event like this, in Miss Universe. And it is something big to us, that we are one. As one nation, we are all together. Thank you. Maraming salamat po." While she got flak for her answer, a lot of people also expressed their support for her.
Mittenaere, a 24-year-old Dental Surgery student bested 85 entrants from around the world during the pageant held Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
In the final question and answer round, Mittenaere spoke about how she overcame her failures. She said that if one fails, he or she must learn to stand up and try again. "I failed several times in my life. I think when you fail, you have to be elevated and you have to try again and keep going. If tonight I am not the winner, I am still honored to be one of the three finalists. I think I have failed before but for me, this is a great first opportunity," Mittenaere said.
The Lille native is the second representative of her country to win the Miss Universe title after Christiane Martel in 1953. (With reports from VoxPop Philippines)