miss philippines 2016]Maxine Medina maoy Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2016

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• published: 28 Apr 2016
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Maxine Medina is new Miss Universe Philippines/maxine medina instagram Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach returned to the Philippines to crown her successor at Binibining Pilipinas (Miss Philippines) pageant last Sunday. Maxine Medina, a 25-year-old interior designer from Manila, defeated 39 rivals from across the country to be crowned Miss Universe Philippines. She will represent the country in this year’s Miss Universe pageant, hoping to secure another victory for the Philippines. “I feel the pressure, of course, because we have to win back-to-back," Medina said on the TV programme Umagang Kay Ganda. “Everyone is expecting that." During the pageant, Wurtzbach told her successor: “Remember to give your best. Behind that beautiful gown, your knees might be trembling – like me right now, I’m still not used to it. You have to remember that you are wearing that sash that proudly says ‘Philippines’. In your moment of doubt, remember that you have the whole country cheering you on." Wurtzbach is due to fly back to New York, where she is based, to resume her duties with the Miss Universe Organisation. Olivia Jordan, the reigning Miss USA and second runner-up at Miss Universe, flew in to Manila to be a judge in the Miss Philippines pageant. “What an honour it was to judge one of the most esteemed pageants in the universe, Binibining Pilipinas," she wrote on Instagram. “I was blown away by the incredible women competing. Pia, you are the best role model. I hope to see more Filipinos follow in your footsteps. I love you Philippines! Thank you for being so kind to me." Beauty pageants, particularly Miss Philippines and Miss Universe, are an annual spectacle in the Philippines, with many fans skipping work or staying up late to watch the live broadcasts. Nine Filipinos named National Artists Philippine president Benigno Aquino III inducted nine Filipinos into the Order of National Artists last week. Handed out every three years, the National Artist award is the most prestigious prize given to Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine art. The recipients were: Federico Aguilar Alcuaz (visual arts), Cirilo Bautista (literature), Francisco Coching (visual arts), Manuel Conde (cinema), Francisco Feliciano (music), Lazaro Francisco (literature), Alice Reyes (dance), Ramon Santos (music) and José Maria Zaragoza (architecture). During the ceremony, Aquino said: “Aside from being the best painters, writers, musicians dancers, artists and more – above all, they are good Filipinos." Brillante Mendoza to compete at Cannes Filipino filmmaker Brillante Mendoza is returning to the Cannes Film Festival after his latest film, Ma’ Rosa, was selected for the prestigious main competition section. The festival will run from May 11 to 22. Ma’ Rosa, about the struggles of a family of drug dealers, stars Jaclyn Jose, Andi Eigenmann, Felix Roco, Julio Diaz and Jomari Angeles. Mendoza’s film will compete for the coveted Palme d’Or, Cannes’s top prize, along with 19 films, including Pedro Almodóvar’s Julieta (Spain), Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson (USA), Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake (UK), Park Chan-Wook’s Agassi (South Korea) and Sean Penn’s The Last Face (USA). Mendoza is no stranger to Cannes: last year, his film Taklub won the jury prize in the Un Certain Regard section. In 2009, he won best director for Kinatay, while in 2008, he made his first appearance in the main competition section with Serbis. Mendoza’s protégé, 23-year-old Raymund Ribay Gutierrez, will compete in the festival’s Short Film Competition with, Imago, about the mother of a special child. Gutierrez met Mendoza after attending the latter’s film workshop last year. Dubai singer makes it to I Love OPM final Harris Dio Smith, a Pakistani singer who used to live in Dubai, is among the four acts competing in the final of I Love OPM, a singing competition featuring foreign singers performing ­Philippine songs. Smith, 30, moved from Pakistan to the UAE in 2006. He left Dubai for Manila this year after being encouraged by ­Filipino friends to audition for the programme. “I play with an all-Filipino rock band in Dubai," said Smith, who learnt to speak Tagalog from his bandmates. “I was blessed to meet these Filipino musicians who adopted me as their family." During this weekend’s finale, Smith will compete against Korean group J-Morning, American singer Ryan Gallagher and ­Yohan Hwang from Korea. Presented by Anne Curtis and Eric Nicolas, I Love OPM is broadcast worldwide, including in the Middle East, on The Filipino Channel.