Margie Moran-Floirendo on Miss Universe and Janine Tugonon

GRACE AND GLAMOUR. Miss Universe 1973 Margie Moran-Floirendo is the current president of Ballet Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – At 59 years old, Miss Universe 1973 Margie Moran-Floirendo still walks with the grace of a beauty queen.

Her head is held high and her shoulders are straight. She has the air of a woman who has lived not just as a beauty queen but as someone who has been successful in her endeavors after her reign.

She brought home the Miss Universe crown 40 years ago, the last Filipina to do so. And she, like all Filipinos around the world, is rooting for Miss Philippines Janine Tugonon to bring home the crown once more.

The Miss Universe 2012 pageant night will be on December 19 (December 20 Manila time) at the Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

We visited Miss Moran-Floirendo at the Ballet Philippines office in the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) for a quick chat about her experience as Miss Universe and her tips for and message to Janine.