A gallery of Misses Philippines in the Miss U tilt, 1952-1963

Lalaine Betia Bennett
Miss Universe 1963
3rd Runner Up

It’s Miss Universe season again.

On Aug. 23, the 2010 Miss Universe will be chosen at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas where it was also held back in 1991 when Kuh Ledesma was one of the judges and Bb. Pilipinas Alu Gonzalez, Kuh’s lookalike and sister of actress Suzanne Gonzalez, was the country’s bet.

“Will 2010 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Maria Venus Raj bring home the country’s third Miss U crown (after Gloria Diaz in 1969 and Margie Moran in 1973)?” asked Funfare’s “other beauty expert” Celso de Guzman Caparas.

Beauty-watchers ask the same question year in and year out, don’t they? The closest that the Philippines got to bagging another Miss U title was in 1999 when Miriam Quiambao finished first runner-up to Miss Botswana.

“I’m sure the controversy surrounding the dethronement and eventual reinstatement of Venus will make many people, hopefully including the judges, take a good look at her,” added Celso who has compiled a list of the Misses Philippines in the Miss U contest from 1952 to 1963 before the Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc. (BPCI) got the franchise and began sending representatives in 1964, with the late Myrna Panlilio-Borromeo as the first representative.

• 1952 — Miss Philippines Teresita Torralba Sanchez left Manila for L.A. via Honolulu on June 19, 1952 at 7:45 p.m. by Pan American Airways Strato Clipper. She was joined by Miss Hong Kong Judy Dan who arrived earlier in the afternoon from Hong Kong. Teresita was immediately rated as a dark horse; she fainted during the finals but recovered before the announcement of winners. Ramon Valera and Mademoiselle designed her wardrobe. Judy was third runner-up to 1952 Miss Universe Armi Helena Kuusela of Finland, the first title-holder.

• 1953 — Miss Philippines Cristina Monson Pacheco left Manila for L.A. via Honolulu on July 6, 1953 by Pan American Airways Strato Clipper. Cristina and her co-delegates visited the Universal International Studio and met top Hollywood actors including Jeff Chandler.

• 1954 — Miss Philippines Maria Blesilda Mueller Ocampo was in London when Boys Town Philippines received the confirmation from Oscar Meinhardt, executive producer of Miss Universe Pageant, that she was an official delegate to the pageant. From London, Bessie flew to L.A. and arrived there on July 11 with the European delegates. Bessie was adjudged one of the 16 semi-finalists, the only delegate who listed in her bio that she’s a professional cook. After the pageant, Bessie, Miss Japan Mieko Kondo and Miss Texas Betty Lee and 12 other delegates were offered jobs as showgirls at $150 a week in a fancy Hollywood nightspot, Moulin Rouge Supper Club. Only Lee accepted the offer.

• 1955 — Miss Philippines Yvonne Berrenguer de los Reyes left Manila on July 12, 1955 for L.A. (via Honolulu) on board Pan American Airways. She brought wood carvings and presented them to Mayor George Vermillion of Long Beach, California.

• 1956 — Miss Philippines Isabel Escobar Rodriguez paid a courtesy call to President Ramon Magsaysay in Malacañang Palace before she left for L.A. via Honolulu on July 10, 1956 at 11 p.m. by Pan American Airways.

• 1957 — Miss Philippines Mary Ann Carmen Philips Corrales left Manila for L.A. via Honolulu on July 6, 1957 shortly before midnight by Pan American Airways. She’s the only Philippine delegate in memory to bring along a personal beautician.

• 1962 — Miss Philippines Josephine Brown Estrada left Manila for Miami, Florida by KLM flight via Tokyo and San Francisco. She was seen off at the Manila International Airport by her good friend, Susan Roces.Josephine, who speaks fluent English and Spanish, served as an interpreter to some Latin American delegates. Josephine’s first starring-role movie, June Bride (opposite Eddie Gutierrez), was shown on June 23, 1962, a few days after she left for the pageant. After the pageant, Josephine continued her showbiz career; she was chosen by the Department of Foreign Affairs as an official Ambassadress of Goodwill to the 1965 Berlin Film Festival. She was our lone delegate to the 1965 David de Donatello Film Festival in Italy. In 1966, she received the Ciriaco Santiago Memorial Award from the FAMAS.

• 1963 — Miss Philippines Lalaine Betia Bennett left Manila on June 29, 1963 for Tokyo and stayed there for a week to fulfill some engagements before proceeding to Honolulu and San Francisco. She was among the first 13 official delegates to arrive in Miami Beach, Florida. Lalaine placed third runner-up to Ieda Maria Vargas of Brazil. She married her official escort in the pageant, Felix Skievasky, a US Naval Officer of Polish-Filipino descent, on Sept. 7, 1964 at the San Marcelino Church in Manila. Felix died in a plane crash in 1973.

(Note: The Philippines didn’t send any candidate from 1958 to 1961.)

Featured Article: A gallery of Misses Philippines in the Miss U tilt, 1952-1963 originally appeared on The Philstar on July 23, 2010 12:00 AM.

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A misty-eyed look at Armi Kuusela, the 1st Miss Universe

Armi Kuusela with Virgilio Hilario

Fifty-four years ago today, a beautiful 17-year-old girl from Finland was crowned (by Hollywood actress Piper Laurie) the first Miss Universe at a glittering ceremony at The Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, with a court of honor composed of Hawaii’s Elza Kananionapua Edsman (first runner-up), Greece’s Daisy Mavraki (second runner-up), Hong Kong’s Judy Dan (third runner-up) and Germany’s Renate Hoy (fourth runner-up).

Her name: Armi Helena Kuusela.

Nobody could have imagined that Armi would become an adopted daughter of the Philippines when she married Virgilio Hilario. Their love story was immortalized in a movie entitled Now and Forever.

On March 9, 1953, nine months after she won the Miss U title, Armi was invited by the Philippine International Fair Committee to crown that year’s Miss Philippines. During her stay (until April 11, same year), Armi paid a courtesy call on then President Elpidio Quirino, Supreme Court justices, senators and congressmen; laid a wreath at the Bonifacio Monument; visited Maryknoll College (now Miriam College), UP, Ateneo de Manila, the Balara Filtration Plant and Baguio City where she met Virgilio through a blind date.

Funfare’s "other beauty expert" Celso Caparas (now working in the Middle East) recalls the rest of Armi’s memorable stay in the Philippines:

On March 12, the lawmakers discarded their usual "parliamentary sobriety" when Armi called on then Senate President Eulogio Rodriguez and Speaker Eugenio Perez. Smitten by Armi’s beauty, then Rep. Ferdinand E. Marcos (Ilocos Norte) introduced himself as the only eligible bachelor in the House and confessed that his knees gave way after meeting her up close and personal.

Prior to the Miss Philippines coronation night, Armi had a personal appearance in the Show of Shows topbilled by Dolphy, Katy dela Cruz, Bayani Casimiro, Chichay and Tolindoy at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. On March 20, Armi crowned Cristina de Leon Galang (1953 Miss Philippines), with Benigno Aquino Jr. as her escort. Cristina’s court of honor included Violeta Villamor (1953 Miss Visayas and Pearl of the Orient), Gilda Gruet Walstrom (Miss Mindanao), Norma Jimenez (Miss Manila) and Imelda Trinidad Romualdez (Muse of Manila).

Two days before her departure, Armi danced the rigodon de honor with the winners of the Miss Philippines contest and prominent social figures during the Farewell Ball held at the fair’s open auditorium. Shedding tears, Armi left the country on April 11 for Hong Kong and Japan with a heavy heart. She expressed her desire to stay in the Philippines because of the warm hospitality accorded to her.

Indeed, she won the hearts of the Filipinos particularly then 25-year-old Virgilio "Gil" Hilario who studied banking, marketing and foreign trade in Columbia University and at the same time worked with the Philippine National Bank in New York. Friends in the know believe that one of the reasons why Armi was swept off her feet by Gil was because of his dancing skills. Gil was an expert in mambo, samba, rumba and other ballroom steps.

Gil followed Armi on her trip to Tokyo where they arrived on April 26 on separate planes. Their romance blossomed in Tokyo until they mutually agreed to get married on her 19th birthday on Aug. 20. He gave her a three-carat diamond engagement ring. But love couldn’t wait. On the wee hours of May 3, Gil was involved in a scuffle when he defended Armi from a drunken American newspaperman who tried to harass Armi inside the Cosmopolitan Nightclub.

Before the incident, Armi chose to give up her Miss Universe crown and title, her plans to take up physical education and language and make more movies but decided to marry that day instead. Gil was sporting a black right eye when he exchanged marriage vows with Armi (who wore a blue nylon lace gown and carried a small bouquet of roses), officiated by Rev. Fr. Bruno Blitter, at the St. Ignatius Church in Yatsuya, Tokyo, with her sister Irma Kyromies as matron of honor and Roberto Villanueva (then VP of Chronicle Publications) as best man, Gil’s close friend. She received a brand new 1952 Cadillac as a wedding gift.

After their two-month honeymoon in the US and Europe, the couple settled in the Philippines. Their love story was immortalized into a movie, Now and Forever, which was shown on Dec. 29, 1953 at Center and Palace theaters.

Back home, Armi had a film under her name, Maailman Kaunein Tyttö (or The Most Beautiful Girl in the World). In 1955, Armi (with Gil) visited Finland for the first time since 1953, and the couple did a Finnish documentary film, Pohjolan Tähtitaivaan Alla (or Under The Northern Stars).

They had five children and six grandchildren who now live in different parts of the globe, namely: Arne, Anna-Lisa, Jose/Jussi, Eva-Maria and Miguel/Mikko (the only one based in Manila).

Gil and Armi were active in the Barrio Leaders Association of which Gil was the president. Gil was even named the Honorary Consul of Finland which elated Armi no end. From 1954 to 1956, Gil played the role of John in the passion play, Martir sa Golgota, staged at the Manila Grand Opera House, with Gloria Romero as the Virgin Mary. Armi became a Camay Girl and she posed with her family for print and commercial ads.

Gil died on Sept. 7, 1975. Armi remarried, to Albert Williams, a US diplomat, on June 8, 1978. They are now living in La Jolla, San Diego, California, where she is active in various community undertakings and deeply involved in cancer research.

Featured Article: A misty-eyed look at Armi Kuusela, the 1st Miss Universe originally appeared on The Philstar on June 28, 2006.

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