MANILA, Philippines - Brazil-born Portuguese-Filipina Mi Yeong Caroline Mendonca (left) was crowned Miss Diwa ng Kalayaan last May 5 at the Doubletree by Hilton in Newark, New Jersey. Funfare ‘beauty expert’ Felix Manuel (rightmost, with GMA International East Coast marketing consultant Grace Labaguis) said that the affair was co-sponsored by the Philippine Independence Day Council Incorporated (PIDCI) and the Philippine Consulate General in New York. Funfare’s ‘other beauty expert’ Celso de Guzman Caparas reports that Clarisse Marie Obia (right in photo at right) placed first runner-up to Panama’s Sasha Nikyta Kam in the 2012 Miss Teen Universe contest held in Nicaragua last April 30.