BAGUIO CITY–From the beaches in Boracay and sunny Vigan, Miss Universe candidates will be welcomed by nippy weather when they arrive here on Wednesday morning for the Baguio leg of their Philippine tour before the pageant night on Jan. 30.
The mercury dropped to 11.2 degrees Celsius here on Tuesday, the second coldest so far this year. On Jan. 9, the temperature dropped to 11 degrees.
Reigning Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach and 32 beauty queens from various countries will be given a silent drill exhibition by Philippine Military Academy cadets when they land at Loakan Airport.
They will also get a taste of Panagbenga or the Baguio Flower Festival when the candidates are paraded on four floats decorated with Benguet flowers along a portion of the city.
The Baguio Country Club (BCC), which is hosting Wurtzbach and the candidates, has commissioned the floats designed to represent the cultural heritage of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, said Anthony de Leon, the club manager and president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB), main organizer of the visit.
The candidates will parade on upper Session Road here at 10 a.m. before proceeding to the country club via South Drive. For security reasons, all activities prepared for the candidates will be held at the BCC, said De Leon.
To showcase the best of the Cordillera, the candidates will be taken to an organic strawberry farm, an Ikat weaving shop, and an exhibit of solar paintings by visual artist Jordan Mangosen at the BCC.
Classes in all levels are suspended on Wednesday. Upper Session Road and Loakan Road will be closed to traffic early morning until noon to make way for the candidates’ arrival and parade.
Residents have been invited to join a golf tournament and a benefit dinner show with the candidates.