Riza Santos: Miss Universe Canada 2013 representative is Filipina
Riza Santos: Miss Universe Canada 2013 representative is Filipina
Riza Santos, 25 years old, is set to represent Canada in the upcoming 2013 Miss Universe pageant, after she was declared winner in the national competition.
Riza, a former "Pinoy Big Brother" housemate, who represented Calgary in the 2013 Miss Canada pageant, was named first runner-up during the coronation night held on Sunday.
Candidate Denise Garrido from Bradford was initially declared Miss Universe Canada 2013. However, the pageant organizer, Beauties of Canada (BOC) announced that it made an erroneous announcement of winner and runners-up. In the "final results" released on BOC's official website, the organization said Garrido placed 3rd runner-up while Riza Santos, whose parents are both Filipinos, was named Miss Universe Canada 2013.
Offering its "sincere apology" to Garrido, BOC said the "human error [in determining the winner was] discovered while validating the results."
Meanwhile, the 25-year-old Santos is a veteran pageant contestant, having won two other beauty competitions in Canada -- Miss Earth in 2006, and Miss World in 2011.
In 2007, Santos was among the housemates of the second "Celebrity Edition" of ABS-CBN reality TV show "Pinoy Big Brother" where she won second place at the show's conclusion through an estimated 1.6 million text votes. Following her stint as a housemate, Santos appeared in several Kapamilya programs, including the concert variety show "ASAP," and TV series like "Palos" and "I Love Betty La Fea."
Riza Santos was born and raised in Canada, but she is 100% Filipino. Her father, Ruel Santos, is from Bulacan; while her mother, Dina Buenaventura, hails from Bataan.
As Miss Universe Canada 2013, Santos will compete with the Philippines' delegate to the Miss Universe pageant, Ariella Arida, later this year.
Source: ABS-CBN news