DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The locations that the Miss Universe 2016 candidates will visit next year have been announced!

At a press conference held in Davao on Saturday, November 19, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Wanda Teo listed the following locations for the Miss Universe 2016 ancillary events.

• Davao
• Bicol
• Cebu
• Vigan

Ancillary events are events where the ladies will do activities that don’t count in their total pageant score. 

Here, they are set to participate in fashion shows and see the different tourist spots.  

The fashion show in Davao will feature Mindanao fabric, the one in Cebu will feature beachwear, and the one in Vigan will feature the terno.

In Bicol, the ladies will go a different adventure instead of walking in a fashion show, according to Teo. 

Teo, who discussed how the DOT is moving to improve tourism in Mindanao and Davao in particular, also mentioned that the ladies will see the Eden Nature Park and Resort, Malagos Garden Resort, and the Pearl Farm Beach Resort in Davao.  

Aside from the locations where the ancillary events will take place, the ladies will also have photoshoots at the following locations:

• Baguio
• Palawan
• Siargao
• Batanes
• Tacloban
• Iloilo

Teo did not specify if the locations for the photoshoots and ancillary events are final.  

When asked what the ladies would enjoy while here in the Philippines, Teo focused on our country’s beaches, saying: “I’m sure, when they come – because they come from cold countries – when they come here it’s warm, when they see the beaches, they will enjoy the beaches.”

Possible change in time

When the pageant was first confirmed to be held in the Philippines, the DOT announced that it would be aired at 5 am.  

At the November 19 press conference, DOT Undersecretary Kat de Castro said that the time would still be subject to change. 

“Medyo maraming mga nagreklamo, so mangyayari, Miss Universe might adjust it (Quite a lot of people complained, so what will happen is that Miss Universe might adjust it). The airing in the Philippines will be probably 8 to 9 am on January 30,” she said. 

Kat added: “But kahit anong oras (But no matter what time it starts), everybody who is going to watch the final show, should be at the Mall of Asia Arena 2 hours before the final show starts.” 

Miss Universe 2015, the Philippines’ own Pia Wurtzbach, is set to crown her successor at the pageant, which will be held in 2017. – Rappler.com