Venus Raj still leads Miss U online poll

CEBU, Philippines - In the days leading to the coronation night on Aug. 23, the country’s bet to Miss Universe Venus Raj, together with the rest of the 83 beauties from all over the globe, got busy with the swimsuit and national costume presentation and pictorial, plus an auction wherein she brought two boxing gloves autographed by world boxing champ Manny Pacquiao and a pearl necklace.

There was also a controversial glamour shoot last Aug. 12 with many of the ladies opting to go topless as they got body-painted. Raj, 22, chose to keep her two-piece swimsuit for the shoot.

In US reports, billionaire Donald Trump, who owns the Miss Universe franchise, defended the shoot, saying that “we’re in a different age.” Critics, on the other hand, slammed the glamour shoot, claiming it went too far. “By bringing nudity into the equation, it no longer becomes a package of ‘beauty and brains’,” ABC News quoted Angie Meyer, a publicist and event planner who has worked with Miss USA contestants in the past. “Rather, this focuses it on body image. What kind of message are we sending to young girls?”

Raj also remains to be the most popular Miss Universe candidate based on the official online survey sponsored by the Miss Universe Organization. It’s been more than 35 years since Margarita Moran won the Miss Universe crown representing the Philippines in 1973. In 1969, Gloria Diaz became the first Filipina to wear the crown.

Will Raj become the third Filipina to win Miss U?

The coronation night will be held at the Mandalay Bay, in Las Vegas, NV on Aug. 23.