Steve Harvey will host Miss Universe in PH...What to expect from Miss Universe in PH

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http://news.abs-cbn.com/life/07/29/16/steve-harvey-will-host-miss-universe-in-ph

MANILA - Steve Harvey will be the host of the next Miss Universe pageant in the Philippines despite his infamous blunder in the previous edition wherein he named the wrong winner, a tourism official confirmed Friday.

Harvey told the Miss Universe organization that he wants to personally apologize to Filipinos after making a hash of announcing the country's bet Pia Wurtzbach as the new title-holder, Tourism Undersecretary Kat de Castro said.

Back in December, Harvey mistakenly named Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez as the new Miss Universe, when the title was supposed to go to Wurtzbach. He has since asked for forgiveness from both the Filipina beauty queen and Gutierrez.

"He wants to apologize to the Filipinos who were hurt because of what happened," de Castro told DZMM, adding that President Rodrigo Duterte was surprised to learn that Harvey will be returning as host.

"Nagulat din siya. Sabi niya, 'Bakit?' Dagdag pa niya, 'He is a disaster.' Ginanun ako ni Presidente. Eh sabi ko, Sir, mukhang iyon na po talaga ang naging desisyon ng mga taga-Miss Universe.' Tumawa na lang siya," De Castro shared.

According to reports from American news outlets, Harvey has a multi-year contract with Miss Universe, which he signed just days before the 2015 pageant aired. The contract says that the deal is to last three years, possibly even as many as seven.

What to expect from Miss Universe in PH

MANILA - The cat is out of the bag. The Philippines will host the next Miss Universe pageant. 

Now, the work begins for Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, who aims to secure the sponsors of the event who will shoulder the $11 million (more than P518 million) budget, and heed President Rodrigo Duterte's request to ensure that Filipinos will not be inconvenienced by the international spectacle. 

There were reports that came out early Thursday claiming that Duterte had thumbed down plans to hold the beauty contest in the country. Shocked, Teo immediately phoned Salvador Medialdea, the President's executive secretary, and asked for permission to set the record straight. 

"That's why I called for this press conference," Teo told reporters after announcing that reigning Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach will crown her successor in front of a home crowd, ending a 22-year wait for Filipinos. 

The Philippines last played host to the Miss Universe pageant in 1994, when Sushmita Sen won India's first title. 

Teo revealed that she is targeting the Mall of Asia Arena, which has the capacity to hold around 20,000 people, as the possible venue. 

She added that parts of the month-long pageant will be held in Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Palawan, Boracay and Vigan. 

"The President told us that the auxiliary events should be done in the provinces so as to avoid the traffic here in Manila," she said. 

Teo, however, refused to share the names of the possible sponsors, explaining: "There's only one group talking in behalf of all of them. They requested not to mention their names first. They will have a different press conference for that."

Duterte has said that he is not willing to use tax money in hosting the pageant -- a stand Teo reaffirmed: "The government is not going to spend a single centavo on it." 

For Miss Universe 2016, the country will be fielding Maxine Medina, a 25-year-old interior designer who has been modelling since 2008. She will attempt to succeed Wurtzbach, the first Filipina to win the title in over four decades. 

Medina expressed her excitement over the news on Twitter. 

Maxine Medina @maxinemedina

Yazzz! It's official, Miss Universe will be held here in Philippines. Calling out all Miss Universe 2016 Candidates.