The recent Miss Universe 2015 has a lot of crowning moments and behind the scenes happenings we didn’t get to see.
One of them is the presence of Binibining Pilipinas pageant organization founding Director Stella Marquez-Araneta, Colombian beauty queen and this photo that surfaced.
Madame Stella has helmed the Binibining Pilipinas since the 1960’s. Married to a Filipino Araneta, she’s been a part of the country’s premier Pageant organization and has produced many winners for the country.
Last year, Madame Stella was censured by BeauCon netizens on the pageant organization mode of tapping Colombian designer Alfredo Barraza to make the gowns for Filipino candidates competing in international pageants.
Many still haven’t gotten over the fact that Miss Philippines 2014 MJ Lastimosa didn’t make it to Top 5 because they believed that the white Mermaid gown she wore is just ghastly. The discontent doubled over when Miss Colombia Paulina Vega, who also wore an Alfredo Barraza, took home the crown that night.
Madame Stella received a lot of bashing from this and the incidence paved the way for the creation of “Filipino Fashion Designers for Filipino Beauty Pageant Contestants Act of 2015, where only Filipino designers can designs the gown of Panay Beauty Pageant contestant in International competition.
A few days before the Miss Universe 2015 pageant, there was a rumour that Madame Stella was interfering with Pia Wurtzbach’s gowns and even clashed with Pia’s Pageant Mentor but thankfully it was settled nicely when the decision of the mentor was followed.
And we all know what happened after that.
We really shouldn’t question where Stella Marquez-Araneta loyalty. She is as much as Filipino and a Colombian by heart. And the new Miss Universe is a Filipina.
