Lifestyle
Miss Universe leaves Manila to start official duties in US
Miss Universe leaves Manila to start official duties in US (Photo: Avito C. Dalan/PNA)
MANILA—Newly-crowned Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere left Manila Thursday afternoon to temporarily move to New York City and start official duties in her year-long reign.
Mittenaere, like all former Miss Universes including Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, will live in New York to become a spokesperson for various causes.
The beauty queen from France, who is also a dentistry student, earlier said that she would like to pursue advocacies on oral hygiene and education.
She has had previous experience in charity work volunteering at French-based charities Bienvenue-Tongasoa and Les Bonnes Fées.
“I will be dentist in two years. But now, I will represent the universe and I want to do more than that,” she said in an earlier press conference.
Before boarding her flight, Mittenaere embraced Tourism Undersecretary Kat de Castro and thanked her for the country’s successful hosting of the prestigious pageant.
Mittenaere earlier described Filipinos as “exceptional, welcoming, and lovely” people.
She is only the second bet from France who won the coveted crown.
This ended France’s 63-year title drought since the victory of Christiane Martel in 1953.
The doll-faced beauty is the third Miss Universe to be crowned in the Philippines. The other candidates crowned in the Philippines were Miss Universe-Spain Amparo Muñoz (1974) and Miss Universe-India Sushmita Sen (1994).
