Pia shares laughter and fast-food during reunion with old friends

Did you know that Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach treated old friends to a dinner of fast-food delivered to her room at the Novotel Hotel in Quezon City, her official home during her week-long homecoming, and did the ordering herself?

“It happened Sunday night (Jan. 24) after her first presscon at the ballroom of Novotel,” related Gerry Diaz, a BDO official who was among the Aces & Queens members who shared the fast-food dinner with Pia. Aces & Queens is the team that trains beauty queens, including Pia and other winners in pageants abroad.

From the presscon, Pia proceeded to her room for the fitting of clothes she was going to wear to the various activities lined up for her, also designed by Albert Andrada who did the national costume (white) and the blue gown (for the finals) that Pia wore during the Miss U pageant in Las Vegas. (Pia’s red gown was provided at the last minute by Hollywood-based Filipino designer Oliver Tolentino.)

Besides Gerry and Albert, also in the room were A&Q members Jonas Gaffud, Arnold Mercado, lawyer Nad Bronce, Bessie Besana, Paolo Baysa and Gery Penaso, and members of the Miss U team assigned to Pia. Later, the group was joined by her Binibini sisters 2015 Miss Globe Ann Colis and 2015 Miss Intercontinental first runner-up Christi McGarry.

“Since it was dinner time,” continued Gerry, “Pia decided to order food delivery from a popular food chain for everybody. It was Pia herself who dialed the number and did the ordering. When the order taker asked for her name, Pia said, ‘Pia.’ Then, the girl, obviously clueless who she was talking to, asked for her surname. Pia said, ‘Wurtzbach.’ As they continued talking, the girl must have realized who the hungry customer was. Before she hung up, she told Pia, ‘By the way, Ma’am, congratulations!’ That was when everyone in the room started laughing out loud.”

On hand to help Pia entertain the group was her mom Cheryl Alonzo Tindell who flew in from London (where she’s based) and Pia’s Aunt Olive (who arrived from Cagayan de Oro) to keep Pia company during her homecoming.

“Pia was relaxed with us,” said Gerry. “She presided over a mini-presscon with her Aces & Queens family. She sat on the floor while she shared her Miss Universe stories as we all gathered around her. She was really having a grand time and she seemed like she didn’t want the night to end. Nad Bronce even reminded her to sleep early because she had a lot of commitments the following day and she had to wake up early.” As expected, the friends capped the night by having pictures with Pia who posed with the now famous Pia Dolls made by Pianatic Ian Mendejar, her Miss Universe crown and sash. Gerry also gave Pia a folder-ful of newspapers, broadsheets and tabloids that carried the news and photos of her Miss Universe victory.

“I took the opportunity to let Pia autograph my own copy of the newspaper tear sheets and printed photos of her Miss Universe triumph,” said Gerry. “After all, I waited 42 years to get the autograph of another Filipina Miss Universe.”

Last Wednesday, Jan. 27 (the day before last night’s tribute to her at the Araneta Coliseum), Pia cheered up wounded soldiers at the V. Luna General Hospital, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Medical Center in Quezon City.

“Some of the soldiers, wounded during operations, came from as far as Jolo and Cotabato,” reported Funfare’s “other beauty expert” Celso de Guzman Caparas. “Then, Pia visited the kids from Smile Train, an organization that provides corrective surgery for children with cleft lips and palates. Accompanied by Madame Stella Marquez-Araneta (head of the Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc.) and BPCI executive Conchitina Sevilla-Bernardo, together with Miss Universe Organization (MUO) officials, Pia distributed gifts to the patients and the children.”

As tokens of appreciation, AFP officials Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Edgar Fallorina and Col. Joseph Acosta gave Pia a bust replica of Col. Victorino Luna, a patch nameplate, and a Philippine Flag (from the hospital doctors and staff).

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