SENATE President Franklin Drilon welcomed Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach to the Senate Monday, saying more people were interested in her than in the Mamasapano massacre in which 44 police commandos were killed one year ago.
“I tell you, your visit here has generated more interest than the Mamasapano hearing,” Drilon told Wurtzback during a ceremony to honor her winning the Miss Universe crown.
“It is obvious, I have never seen a committee hearing room so full of people,” Drilon added.
In a press conference afterward, Drilon said Wurtzbach is interested in entering politics after her reign.
“You know, given her politically conscious responses to the questions, I am not surprised. You know the question was very political—the presence of the American bases, the presence of American troops, the matter of the HIV, her views on a number of critical issues,” Drilon said.
Drilon said he told Wurtzbach that if she’s really interested in joining the government, she could be a strong advocate on issues that mattered to her.
“I advised her to first try her hand in some appointed position where she can push her advocacy, rather than join politics in an election. That’s my advise to her. She is very politically aware,” Drilon said.
Tens of thousands of people gave Wurtzbach a heroine’s welcome home during a colorful parade through Metro Manila Monday.
The parade was one of the highlights of a week-long celebration for Wurtzbach, who has been praised for her poise during last month’s pageant, despite a blunder by event host Steve Harvey who mistakenly announced Miss Colombia as Miss Universe before correcting himself minutes later and giving Wurtzbach the crown.
Wurtzbach, the Philippines’ first Miss Universe in 42 years and the third since the pageant started in the 1950s, expressed gratitude for the acclaim just before the parade.
“We’ve been waiting for this crown for a long time now… I don’t think a lot of people know how big of a deal Miss Universe is to the Philippines. It brings a lot of honor and a lot of pride to the country,” she told reporters.
“I can’t wait to see everybody for the parade that is happening later so I see all the followers of the Miss Universe pageant,” she said in remarks broadcast by ABS-CBN television.
Wurtzbach, born to a German father and Filipina mother, already had a taste of fame in the Philippines before winning the Miss Universe title, having appeared on TV and in movies for years.
She was due to meet President Benigno Aquino III, to whom she was once romantically linked, and received a medal at the Congress before attending a concert in her honor.
The 26-year-old model and actress said Sunday ahead of the parade that she was overwhelmed with the rousing welcome so far.
“It’s in the parade that I can get a little emotional. I can’t wait. I’m just trying to hold back tears,” Wurtzbach said.
“It was a long journey coming here. I hope my story can become an inspiration for determination, discipline, faith and hard work,” said Wurtzbach, who had tried to be the Philippines’ representative to the Miss Universe pageant twice previously before finally breaking through.
The parade saw Wurtzbach board a gigantic float surrounded with crystal spires, modeled on her diamond and sapphire crown, for a parade that passed through several major thoroughfares before ending at the Araneta Center, where she was welcomed by a massive fireworks display.
Congress is even readying a resolution that would give her a tax exemption on all her Miss Universe winnings and prizes.
In Manila, Mayor Joseph Estrada welcomed Wurtzbach to the Capital City, saying her beauty and charm has inspired him to work harder to restore Manila to its status as the “Pearl of the Orient.”
“Being a mayor is not a joke. There are many challenges … but today, Miss Universe visited us and I can tell you, I really love my job!” Estrada said in a speech he delivered for the beauty queen’s arrival honors in City Hall.
As a former actor, Estrada said he remembered when he was paired with the first Filipina to win Ms. Universe in 1969, Gloria Diaz. He praised Pia for being a woman of beauty, grace, wit, intelligence, and compassion.
“Despite initial disappointments, you never gave up until finally, you reached your dream and won the title of Ms. Universe. That is what we want here in Manila, Pia. We will continue to work hard, and we will never give up until we succeed in restoring Manila’s old glory and make it the Pearl of the Orient once again,” he said.
Estrada then gave Wurtzbach a symbolic key to the city, saying that she is now an adopted daughter of Manila. With Joel E. Zurbano, AFP