-Yr. 1999- Filipino beauty-watchers were all agog how Miriam Quiambao will fare in the Miss Universe pageant in Trinidad & Tobago. During Miriam's jaunt in T&T, press people and pageant experts foreseen her as having a good chance of bagging the title, making at least to the semi-finals. For the pageant-crazed Filipinos, it never dawned to them that their bet was making waves in the Miss Universe pre-pageant events. Miriam was supposedly the Miss World representative of the Philippines but was appointed by BPCI as Miss Bb. Pilipinas Universe. The original winner Janelle Bautista was dethroned due to alleged anomalies in her Philippine passport. Miriam accepted the offer without second thoughts. The incident hardly affected her popularity. It might have been her crucial dilemma because it was the night the judges pick the 10 semifinalists. Her fall could've been disastrous as she lost her poise. Miriam stepped into the spotlight and just as the cameras were homing in on her face, she fell. Her face abruptly disappeared from the screen. The audience seemed to hold its breath to see how she would react. "Everybody was like�waiting," she said. "When I stepped back on the disc, I felt like I had to do something to make up for the fall. So I spread my arms wide like, "Here I am." Prominent natives of T&T chosen Miriam among their Top 10 favorites (which include only two other Asians, Miss Japan Satomi Ogawa and Miss India Gul Panag). The others are: Miss Portugal Marisa Ferreirra, Miss Puerto Rico Brenda Lis Lopez, Miss Botswana Mpule Kweglagobe, Miss T&T Nicole Dyer, Miss Malta Dorianne Museat, Miss Bahamas Glendis Knowles and MissSlovak Republic Aneta Kuklova. Janelle Commissiong, T&T's first Miss Universe (1977) and now a top fashion-magazine writer picked Miriam as her No. 1 choice (among a field of a summated 84 beauties, Miss Guam Tisha Elaine Helfin quit due to stomach cramps). "She reminds me of the past Filipina beauties who paraded before my eyes," said Commissiong. "They are confident, lithe and graceful. Miriam is no different from them." Current Miss Universe franchise-holder Suzie Sabeeney says "Quiambao might yet walk away with the coveted title which is held by T&T's Wendy Fitzwilliam. Her fall will in no way affect her chances for the final night. As a matter of fact, she might be crowned as Miss Universe. Other protuberant people who cast their votes on Miriam's big chances aside from Sabeeney and Commissiong, are former Miss World 1986, Giselle Laronde-Wost; Arlene Peterkin-Alario, Miss T&T 1995; designer Claudia Pegue: Loica Gatcliffe, former Miss T&T who competed in the Miss Universe Manila pageant in 1994. Everybody thought she was "it" until the final Q&A when the seemingly simple but actually very tricky question was popped at each of the contenders: If Miss Universe were to become pregnant during her reign, should she be allowed to continue as Miss Universe? Miriam's reluctant answer prompted one of the two anchorwomen, former Miss USA Julia Moran, to bitch, "She coamped up; it's a pity. It's a shame. She definitely choked!" Oh Miriam!!! Our Miss Universe runner-up did as skyscraping. I'll always remember her as a Filipina delegate who shone in her gown exuding grace and enchantment. She worked on her sizzling poses (the ever-innovative triangular shoulder-to-elbow-to-hips pose!). After Miriam's feat, will history repeat itself? Bb. Pilipinas 2003 is fast approaching. Let's hope for a Filipina delegate who could do her thing and raise our flag in the Miss Universe pageant. Hope springs eternal���
Miriam turned a negative into a positive when she fell during the important event leading up to the 1999 Miss Universe Pageant. During the swimsuit/evening gown preliminary competition, Miriam tripped on her blue sequined gown and fell on her side onstage. She immediately jumped up, broke into a wide smile and posed gracefully. She kept her poise and continued parading in front of a visibly impressed 3,000-strong crowd. "It was funny, but I would consider that one of my accomplishments here at the pageant," Miriam said. "It was an opportunity for me to show my courage and good nature in spite of what happened."
Miriam's winning as first-runner-up in the 1999 Miss Universe Pageant is the closest a Filipina ever got to gain bagging the title since 1973 when Margie Moran brought home the bacon. She almost brought home the crown Filipinos had been yearning for almost three decades. When Miriam Quiambao seemed a breath away from winning the Miss Universe crown in glittering rites at Port of Spain in T&T, millions of beauty contest-rickety Filipinos thought they had their first Miss Universe in 26 years. But alas, the 23 year-old Miriam lost her crown to 19 year-old Miss Botswana Mpule Kweglagobe, one of the few black women ever to capture the title. It was the first time Kweglagobe's country entered the pageant, which has been running since 1952.
Although poised & smiling, Miriam hesitated a bit when she answered and everybody is convinced that did her fate.
Miss Spain Diana Nogueira, through an interpreter):"I don't see why not because her head will still be the same. The only difference is she will be bringing someone into the world. The only problem is if it were to some way keep her from her travel, well"
Miss Philippines: "It's a very difficult situation to be in and ah, ah, I believe that if Miss Universe, if ever she becomes pregnant, I believe that she should continue with her reign if she has been a good example to be a Miss Universe, if she has pursued all the� all the goals that she has, that she had, in the first place. And I believe that she should continue." ( A bit circuitous, isn't it?)
Miss Botswana:"Personally, I think that Miss Universe is a symbol of a woman celebrating her femininity and I believe that if she becomes pregnant a woman can anyway interrupt her duty. I believe that as a woman she can celebrate her femininity." (Was that a question coined as a subtle reference to a contestant who quit because of suspected pregnancy?)
But the other anchorwoman, the very gorgeous Ali Landry earlier praised Miriam for her answer in the preliminary Q&A. Question from host Jack Wagner of Merose Place fame; One of your proudest achievement was standing up to one of your professors back in college. Now what did you stand up for recently?
Miriam's answer:"Oh, when I fell on the stage last Friday (during the pre-pageant night). I believe that I have stood up for the rest of the women who have fallen wheter on or off stage. I believe that through this example of mine I have shown courage and strength of being a woman, of being who I am, and I hope to be a good example to the rest of the women in the world. Thank you."
She got thunderous applause from the audience and nice words from Ali Landry, "She has a lot of class, a lot of poise actually, I loved her from the beginning," adding with, as some Filipinos perceived it, a hint of sarcasm, "I should say that she's working on her having fallen from the stage� I'm afraid that next year, everybody may be falling!" LOL!