Former Miss Universe arrives in Manila as Smartmatic's ambassador

MANILA, Philippines - Former Miss Universe and poll automation ambassador Dayana Mendoza is in the country and hopes to meet president-elect Benigno Aquino III.

The Venezuelan beauty arrived Monday night and is scheduled to leave tomorrow.

“I’m very excited to be here. I want to congratulate you guys for the election. I think it was amazing. Also, I’m here to support Smartmatic’s (campaign for) transparency,” Mendoza told abs-cbnnews.com upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. 

“I’m trying to get president-elect Aquino to have an appointment with me. Maybe we can have lunch or coffee. I would love to meet him,” she said.

The beauty queen, Miss Universe of 2008, was brought in by Smartmatic International Corp. as a sign of gratitude to Filipinos and the stakeholders in the May 10 automated elections.

According to Smartmatic spokesman Gene Gregorio, Mendoza’s visit is the company’s “gesture of thanksgiving and goodwill” to those who helped make the automated polls a success.

Gregorio said that Smartmatic, through Mendoza, would be donating 40 to 50 laptop units to the Una Mano Foundation and Habitat for Humanity through Gloria Diaz and Margie Moran, who won the Miss Universe title in 1969 and 1973, respectively.

Mendoza was earlier scored by conservatives for appearing topless in a fashion magazine, but the president of the Miss Universe Organization came to her defense.

Miss Universe president Paula Shugart was quoted as saying, “We embrace and respect her (Mendoza’s) success as a model and the artistic beauty captured in these photographs.”

The Barbados-based Smartmatic had provided the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines and the canvassing system used by the Philippine government in last month’s election.

Gregorio admitted that the election was the biggest poll exercise that Smartmatic had served in terms of number of voters and number of PCOS machines used.

He noted that logistically, it was also the “most complicated” election that the firm had participated in considering the country’s varying topography, thus,making it hard to deliver the machines to some areas.

But Smartmatic is unfazed by political issues and accusations of cheating and ill preparation. – With Rudy Santos, Evelyn Macairan