Will Ariella get into the 'Perfect 10' honor roll?

As Ariella Arida competes with 86 other equally gorgeous hopefuls at the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow (to be aired by ABS-CBN), the question hangs suspended in the minds of beauty-watchers: Will she bring home the country’s third Miss U crown and join what Funfare’s “beauty experts” Felix Manuel, Joey Cezeare, Gery Yumping and Francis Calubaquib call the “Perfect 10”?

Also, will Ariella duplicate the feats of Megan Young (No. 10) and Mutya Johanna  Datul (No. 9) who within a month bagged two major beauty titles, (the first) Miss World and Miss Supranational, respectively?

As usual, let’s keep our collective fingers crossed. Hope springs eternal.

Here’s how the “beauty experts” traced the “Perfect 10” history:

One hundred five years before Megan Young was crowned Miss World, the Philippines staged the very first beauty pageant in the country in Manila. Pura Villanueva of Iloilo won the 1908 Manila Carnival Queen Search.

In recent years, our beauty queens have been making waves in almost every regional and international competition. With the recent victories of Megan and Mutya, the Philippines became the first and only nation to have ever produced a winner in the world’s six biggest beauty pageants (Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International, Miss Earth, Miss Supranational and Miss Tourism Queen International). Ten winning women from six of the world’s biggest international searches have emerged as the country’s “Perfect 10”!

Gemma Teresa Guerrero Cruz (No. 1), a great grand niece of Dr. Jose Rizal is the first Filipina to win Miss International — on Aug. 4, 1964, in Long Beach, California, besting 41 delegates.

On July 19, 1969, just as man conquered the moon, our very own Gloria Maria Aspillera Diaz (No. 2) was crowned the very first Filipina Miss Universe in Miami Beach, Florida, against 60 candidates.

On May 16, 1970, at the Exposition Hall fairgrounds in Osaka, Japan, Aurora McKenny Pijuan (No. 3) became the second Filipina to win Miss International title, against 47 candidates.

A granddaughter of former Pres. Manuel Roxas was crowned Miss Universe on July 21, 1973, in Athens, Greece. Earlier chosen Miss Photogenic, Maria Margarita Roxas Moran (No. 4) bested 60 other delegates.

Mimilanie Laurel Marquez (No. 5) became the Philippines’ third Miss International on Nov. 12, 1979. She was also proclaimed Best in National Costume among the 43 entrants in the pageant held at the Yubin Chokin Hall in Tokyo.

After a 26-year wait, Precious Lara San Agustin Quigaman (No. 6) bested 51 delegates on Sept. 26, 2005, in Aichi, Japan, becoming the fourth Filipina to win in the pageant.

On July 8, 2006, in Hangzhou, China, Justine Vinluan Gabionza (No. 7) became the first Filipina to win Miss Tourism Queen International title. The UST student bested 85 candidates.

During the eighth staging of the Miss Earth Pageant on Nov. 9, 2008, in Pampanga, hometown beauty Karla Paula Ginteroy Henry (No. 8) beat over 80 delegates for the title.

A tough act for Ariella to follow, isn’t it?

(E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com. You may also send your questions to askrickylo@gmail.com. For more updates, photos and videos visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on www.twitter/therealrickylo.)