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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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ILOILO City – Next month, Miss Universe contestants who will have their photoshoot in this city will be watching the Dinagyang Festival tribes’ performances, according to the Iloilo City Tourism Office.
“Plano namon i-dress up, patahumon gid ang mga performance areas such as the Freedom Grandstand,” said City Tourism Officer Junel Ann Divinagracia.
The ati-ati competition is on Jan. 22, 2017. The tentative date of the photoshoot is Jan. 19, 2017.
The City Tourism Office also plans to beautify streets like the Calle Real in the City Proper where the Miss Universe candidates’ motorcade will pass.
Kiosks lining the streets will be improved, said Divinagracia.
“See, Feel, Love” is the theme of Dinagyang Festival 2017. That’s because Dinagyang appeals to all the senses, explained Ramon Cua Locsin, chairperson of the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation, Inc. (IDFI).
Nine tribes already confirmed their participation in the ati-ati competition, said Locsin. But IDFI is waiting for the confirmation of another tribe.
Divinagracia said Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog will issue an executive order creating a committee that will spearhead the preparations for the arrival of the Miss Universe candidates.
Among the Iloilo photoshoot venues being considered are the centuries-old Miag-ao Fortress Church (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Iloilo Esplanade, Iloilo Convention Center, and Molo Church.
The coronation night is on Jan. 30, 2017 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Philippines hosted Miss Universe twice in the past – in 1974 and 1994. The 1974 winner was Miss Spain, Amparo Muñoz while the 1984 winner was Miss India, Sushmita Sen.
The reigning Miss Universe is Filipina Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach. She was crowned on Dec. 20, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA./PN
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