ARIELLA ARIDA WINS 3rd RUNNER UP AT MISS UNIVERSE 2013 PAGEANT

Ariella Arida, the stunning 5’8” beauty from Alaminos, Laguna, placed 3^rd runner up at the 62^nd Miss Universe Pageant at the Crocus City Hall, Moscow, Russia! Ariella’s run continues the consistent top five finishes of Filipina candidates in the last four years, and has equaled Shamcey Supsup’s feat in 2011.

Gabriela Isler of Venezuela was crowned Miss Universe 2013.   

Since leaving for Russia last month, Ariella has been busy doing photo shoots and interviews, attending sponsor events, and bonding with her fellow Miss Universe candidates. Ariella was also one of the few lucky candidates to be picked out to model for the Tony Ward collection during the Moscow Fashion week, and was also among the few chosen to shoot a commercial for Mercedes Benz.

Ariella also did very well during the preliminary rounds as she proudly showed off her national costume, sashayed across the stage in her red bikini, and walked with regal grace in her stunning yellow evening gown. For her Q&A, Ariella answered, “I do believe we should invest in education and that is my primary advocacy. Education is the primary source and the ticket to a better future.” 

“I am very thankful and happy for my 3^rd runner up win in the Miss Universe pageant. I’m glad that I got to continue the country’s top five winning streak. I know I did my best, and I hope that I was able to bring joy to my fellow Filipinos,” said Ariella right after the pageant.

Ariella now shifts her focus to helping out her fellow Filipinos who were affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda. She has volunteered to join the Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc.’s efforts to assist the victims of the typhoon. As a start, the Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. will donate P1 million for relief efforts.

The Miss Universe 2013 pageant was held at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia. This is the 62^nd edition of the Miss Universe pageant, and was participated in by 86 countries. Following Gabriela Isler is 1^st runner up Patricia Yurena Rodriguez of Spain, 2^nd runner up Constanza Baez of Ecuador, 3^rd runner up Ariella Arida of the Philippines, and 4^th runner up Jakelyne Oliviera of Brazil. Ariella was the only Asian candidate in the top 5.

Rounding up the Top 16 were Amy Willerton of Great Britain, Manasi Moghe of India, Erin Brady of USA, Olga Storozhenko of Ukraine, Yaritza Reyes of Dominican Republic, Fabiana Granados of Costa Rica, Jin Ye of China, Whulandary of Indonesia, Monic Perez of Puerto Rico, Nastassja Bolivar of Nicaragua, and Dominique Rinderknecht of Switzerland.

Ariella’s top five victory is an impressive addition to Binibining Pilipinas’ golden year, following Mutya Johanna Datul’s Miss Supranational 2013 victory last September.