The Philippines further asserted its dominance in the international pageant arena when Camelle Mercado trounced her competitors in the Latin-dominated Miss Continentes Unidos (Miss United Continents) pageant held in Ecuador on Aug. 6 (Aug. 7 in Manila).Mercado is now the second Filipino- and Asian-woman to bag the title, after Jeslyn Santos’ victory just six years ago. The new queen bested 24 other aspirants in ceremonies staged in the Ecuadorian city of Portoviejo in the province of Manabi.
The Philippines is now the most successful country in the Ecuador-based tilt with two victories ever since the pageant expanded to accommodate delegates from all over the world in 2013. The Dominican Republic, Colombia and host country Ecuador also have two crowns each from the organization, but they were not all for the Miss Continentes Unidos title.
The pageant started as the Miss Continente Americano in 2006. It expanded in 2013 and rebranded as Miss Continentes Unidos to accept delegates from other continents.
The Dominican Republic scored back-to-back victories in the pageant’s first two editions in 2006 and 2007, while Colombia and Ecuador each have one Miss Continente Americano and one Miss Continentes Unidos titleholder. INQ