3 Miss Universe candidates arrive in Manila

MANILA, Philippines — Three contestants of the Miss Universe pageant have arrived in Manila and 10 more are expected to arrive this weekend.

Tourism Undersecretary Katherine De Castro confirmed that Miss USA Deshauna Barber and Miss New Zealand Tania Pauline Dawson have arrived in the country.

Dawson, who is half Filipina, was the first candidate to arrive Thursday evening.

The smile I get when I realize I woke up in the Philippines pic.twitter.com/HhOrPeeHpu

— Deshauna Barber (@MissUSA) December 9, 2016

Miss Korea Jenny Kim has also arrived in the country as posted by De Castro on her Facebook page.

"The girls are here for a week and as we have announced, we will soon be traveling to the different islands of the country so these girls can have a glimpse of how awesome out country is," De Castro said during a televised press conference at the Malacanang.

The Miss Universe candidates are scheduled to visit Siargao Island, Cebu, Vigan and Manila next week.

The contestants will do photo shoots in different locations across the country. The shoots will be used to make audio-visual presentations for the pageant.

"A lot of the unknown destinations will be featured in the final show of the Miss Universe. Rest assured that all the islands will be well represented — Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao," De Castro said.

The Miss Universe coronation night will be held at the Mall of Asia Arena on Jan. 30, 2017. — Patricia Lourdes Viray