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Bb. Pilipinas Maxine Medina drew the loudest cheers from her avid fans during the Miss Universe preliminary competition held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena Thursday night.

In the swimsuit competition, Medina managed to add a little twirl as she sizzled on stage in her outfit.

Then in the evening gown competition, she sashayed in a flowing green gown with a fringe skirt by Rhett Eala.

The fringes of her skirt seemed to come alive as she walked on stage cheered by the crowd.

Finally, in the national costume competition, Medina showed off an attire inspired by the vinta sails of the Zamboanga Region.

Her attire was topped with a P1-million worth headdress inspired by Philippine corals and adorned with authentic Philippine south sea pearls from Jewelmer.

Medina vowed to clinch a back-to-back win for the country, following Pia Wurtzbach, who took the 2015 Miss Universe crown, ending a 42-year title drought.

Wurtzbach hosted Thursday night’s preliminary competition with actor Derek Ramsey.

Among the judges were Miss Universe 1993 Dayanara Torres and Miss Universe 2007 Riyo Mori.

Spotted in the audience was Miss Universe 1991 Lupita Jones.

Medina has been hounded with questions about her communication skills in English, raising the possibility of her using an interpreter. But she said she would be open to using Filipino during the question-and-answer portion on coronation night. ATM/IDL