DAVAO CITY – Unlike their visits in the cities of Baguio and Cebu, the crowd was missing when the Miss Universe candidates arrived here Thursday afternoon.
This is partly because the Francisco Bangoy International Airport, where the private jets that brought the candidates from Manila landed, is far from the downtown area.
The candidates were also scheduled to go to the Eden Mountain Resort in Toril District. After arriving more than two hours late as scheduled, they boarded a bus for a trip to the mountain resort.
Along the road, no cheering crowd greeted the candidates as they would be traversing the national highway.
The weather was also not kind to the candidates as it was already drizzling when they arrived. Heavy rain started to pour late afternoon.
The candidates’ visit happened as some parts of the neighboring city of Tagum were submerged in floodwater due to heavy rain. Farther north, some areas in Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Norte were and still remain flooded.
The weather bureau has placed Davao City on “orange alert,” warning of possible flooding and landslides.
After the visit to the Eden mountain resort, the candidates will be part of the Mindanao Tapestry Fashion Show inside a mall here at 7 p.m. Thursday. Some of them will be wearing gowns made by local designers.
Apparently due to low ticket sales, Tourism Undersecretary Kat de Castro earlier announced that the organizers decided to give away 150 tickets to fans who would come dressed like beauty queens.
De Castro admitted that she recently learned that the venue was so big that they have decided to give away tickets. SFM