Man landed on the moon, but a Filipina conquered the universe.
That more or less was the feeling of the country when Gloria Diaz, 18, won the Miss Universe crown in July 1969 in Miami Beach, Florida.
An adoring crowd met her at the airport and people lined up the streets where her topdown and flower-filled car passed. Along Escolta, then the fashionable avenue of Manila, her car stalled. It had to be pushed all the way to Malacañang Palace, where then First Lady Imelda Marcos waited for her.
The parade from the airport to the Palace took five hours.
Gloria graced the covers of magazines, including Philippines Free Press and The Sunday Times Magazine.
It was the first time for the Philippines to win the coveted Miss Universe crown.
Those were glorious days, the euphoria actually lasting for months on end.
In 1973, Margie Moran duplicated Gloria’s feat in Athens, Greece. After which the Philippines failed to win the crown, but Miriam Quiambao and Janine Tugonon nearly made it — both first runners-up.
Gloria later joined the movies, winning awards along the way.
When will the country win its third Miss Universe title? — RKC