Benjamin Alves hosted the preliminary competition while KC Montero presented the grand coronation of the 1st Miss Universe Philippines.
GMA-7 is the official network partner of Miss Universe Philippines, so you can watch the coronation night on Kapuso Network on October 25, 2020.
The preliminary competition will be on October 22.
Gazini Ganados is the reigning Miss Universe Philippines. She won when the Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc. still the holder of the Miss Universe franchise.
The Miss Universe Philippines Organization has already sent BPCI a letter of invitation to Gazini to transfer the crown to her future successor and new winner of the new franchise holder. At press time, they are still waiting for an answer.
The Cordillera Convention Hall of the Baguio Country Club is the venue for the preliminary competition and grand coronation of the 1st Miss Universe Philippines.
This Saturday, the Miss Universe Philippines Organization issued an official statement of their sincere gratitude to the Baguio City government for allowing the coronation of Miss Universe Philippines to be held in that city.
MUPO also thanked the candidates for voluntarily saying goodbye to the contest due to health issues, but no names were mentioned to protect their privacy.
“The Miss Universe Philippines Organization’s top priority continues to be the health and safety of all our candidates.
“We remain committed to ensuring that we follow all of the protocols and guidelines set forth by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
“We are grateful to the Baguio City government, especially to Mayor Benjamin Magalong, for allowing us to film the preliminary interview, national costume, swimsuit, evening gown, and grand finale that will crown the first Miss Universe Philippines at the Baguio Country Club on October 25, 2020.
“We have consistently coordinated with Baguio City officials to ensure that we follow their rigorous protocols in order to preserve its status as a COVID-free city.
“The Miss Universe Philippines Organization also made sure that we continue to provide care and support for all of our candidates as they go through their Miss Universe Philippines journey during this unprecedented time.
“We have chosen St. Luke’s Medical Center as our official health partner to conduct the swab testing for all of our candidates and provide the best care and treatment needed, should any of them become positive of COVID.
“While it is unfortunate and heartbreaking to see some of our candidates leave the competition, we thank them for being a part of the Miss Universe Philippines family.
“We salute their bravery and courage as they go through this difficult time and rest assured, we will continue to provide all of the help and support they need.
“We strongly believe that this is not the end of their journey as they will soon emerge victorious to be able to pursue their dreams of becoming beauty queens.”
As of October 17, 2020, two candidates backed out due to COVID-19, and issued an official statement.
Isabela Galeria, who was declared a COVID-19 survivor by the Department of Health, was the first, but her response was, “my body is not well conditioned yet.”
