Like the Philippines, Colombia now prides itself with two Misses Universe, the first having been Luz Marina Zuluaga in 1958 and the current, Paulina Vega whose victory in Sunday’s pageant in Miami, Florida, broke the country’s 55-year drought. The Philippines hasn’t brought back the crown since 1973 when Margie Moran won in Greece, four years after Gloria Diaz did in Miami. It’s been 42 years marked by two almost-wins, Miriam Quiambao in 1999 and Janine Tugunon in 2012, who both finished first runner-up.
When Luz Marina won, the government declared her as tax-exempt for life, built a house for her and was immortalized on three stamps (featured in Funfare on May 26, 2004). Will Paulina also be honored by the Colombian government in the same way?
Also like the Philippines, Colombia has been consistently making it to both the semis and the finals. Here’s Colombia’s Miss U honor roll:
•1958 Luz Marina Zuluaga, winner
•1959 Olga Beatriz Pumarejo Korkor, Top 15 semi-finalist
•1960 Maria Stella Marquez Zawadsky, Top 15 semi-finalist
•1962 Olga Lucia Botero Orozco, Top 15 semi-finalist
•1963 Maria Cristina Alvarez Gonzales, Top 15 semi-finalist
•1965 Maria Victoria Ocampo Gomez, Top 15 semi-finalist
•1966 Edna Margarita Ludd Lucena, Top 15 semi-finalist
•1968 Luz Elena Restrepo Gonzales (Best National Costume)
•1969 Margarita Maria Reyes Zawadsky, Top 15 semi-finalist
•1973 Ana Lucia Agudelo Correa, Top 12 semi-finalist
•1974 Ella Cecilia Escandon Palacios, third runner-up
•1975 Martha Lucia Echeverri Trujillo, Top 12 semi-finalist
•1976 Maria Helena Reyes Abisambra, Top 12 semi-finalist
•1977 Aura Maria Mojica Salcedo, third runner-up
•1978 Mary Shirley Saenz Stamez, third runner-up
•1980 Maria Patricia Arbelaez Pelaez, Top 12 semi-finalist
•1984 Susana Caldas Lemaitre, fourth runner-up
•1985 Sandra Eugenia Borda Caldas (Best National Costume)
•1986 Maria Monica Urbina Pugliesse, second runner-up
•1987 Maria Patricia Lopez Ruiz (Miss Photogenic)
•1988 Diana Patricia Arevalo Guerra, Top 10 semi-finalist
•1990 Lizeth Yamil Mahecha Arevalo, second runner-up
•1991 Maribel Judith Gutierrez Tinoco (Best National Costume)
•1992 Paola Turbay Gomez, first runner-up
•1993 Paula Andrea Betancur Arroyave, first runner-up
•1994 Carolina Gomez Correa, first runner-up
•1995 Tatiana Leonor Castro Abuchaibe, Top 10 semi-finalist
•1997 Claudia Elena Vasquez Angel (Best National Costume)
•1998 Silvia Fernada Ortiz Guerra, Top 5 finalist
•2000 Catalina Ines Acosta Albarracin, Top 10 semi-finalist
•2002 Vanessa Alexandra Mendoza Bustos (Best National .Costume)
•2004 Catherine Daza Manchola, top 10 semi-finalist
•2006 Valerie Dominguez Tarud, top 10 semi-finalist
•2008 Taliana Maria Vargas Carrillo, first runner-up
•2010 Natalia Navarro Galvis, top 15 semi-finalist
•2011 Maria Catalina Robayo Vargas, top 16 semi-finalist
•2014 Paulina Vega Dieppa, WINNER
Colombia has two Misses International: Stella Marquez, 1960 (first winner, crowned 18 days after she made it as a semi-finalist in the 1960 Miss Universe pageant), and Paulina Margarita Gallvez Piñeda, 1999.
Colombia started joining the Miss World pageant in 1963 and has yet to win.
--- with a report from Celso de Guzman Caparas
Miss Jamaica’s mom is a Pinay
Miss Jamaica Kaci Fennell: Proud of being half-Pinay
Here’s an interesting item about Miss Jamaica Kaci Fennell who finished fourth runner-up to newly-crowned Miss Universe Pauline Vega Dieppa, culled from the Internet:
Kaci Fennell is a model and student from Kingston, Jamaica. She won the Jamaica’s Next Top Model contest where she had been the Judges’ favorite to win owing to her exotic mixed racial features. She has Jamaican, African and Filipino roots. After winning the title, she said in an interview that she owes her success to her mother’s support. “I still can’t believe, I have finally won (the contest). I am really thankful to my mother. She had always supported me and guided me through out the contest, she was herself a beauty pageant contestant in her home country the Philippines. She had instilled her Filipino values in me and told me to always be humble, I guess that’s what helped me win.”
Oh well, Mary Jane “MJ” Lastimosa didn’t bring home the Philippine’s third Miss U crown but the Philippines was a virtual winner, thanks to Miss Jamaica.