Thaindian News

By Samrat Banerjee

Aug 24 (IBNS) Philippines’ hope for the highly-coveted Miss Universe 2009 beauty pageant landed into despair as Pamela Bianca Manalo failed to figure among the top 15 finalists.

Philippines last notched up a Miss Universe title in 1973 with Margie Moran. From thence followed a long drought that Manalo failed to break.

The top 15 finalists for this year featured contestants from the following countries: United States, Puerto Rico, Iceland, Albania, Czech Republic, Belgium, Dominican Republic, Sweden, Kosovo, Australia, France, Switzerland, South Africa, Croatia, and Venezuela.

The pageant was held in the Bahamas in the South American region. The winner was crowned

By reigning Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela.

It was reported that some 2,700 tickets had been sold

By late Saturday out of the 3,100 available, according to tourism officials.

The televised event included musical performances

By Flo Rida, Heidi Montag, David Guetta and Kelly Rowland. Judges included actor Dean Cain and supermodel Valeria Mazza.

Manalo, a 22-year-old native of Manila, is an advertising graduate of the Assumption College. She now works as a flight attendant.

She is the sister of Katherine Anne Manalo, a Top 10 finalist in the Miss World pageant in 2002. Bianca Manalo is also the niece of Nini Ramos-Licaros, who was a Miss International semi-finalist in 1968.