Miriam Quiambao - (b.May 20, 1975) is a beauty queen from the Philippines who competed in the 1999 Miss Universe pageant. Miss Universe is an annual international female beauty contest, and the title for the winner of the contest, founded in 1952 by California clothing company Pacific Mills. ...

Miriam Quiambao initially won the title to represent the Philippines in the 1999 Miss World pageant in London. However, questions on the validity of the original pageant winner's citizenship (Janelle Bautista) prompted the organizers of the Binibining Pilipinas (Miss Philippines) Pageant to send her instead and compete in the Miss Universe 1999 pageant held in Trinidad & Tobago. Not only did she do extremely well in the competition but Miriam almost took home the crown! Instead, she finished with the first-runner up title. The Miss Universe title for 1999 was won by Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana. Miriam was also awarded the Clairol Herbal Essences Style Award that year - the only Asian candidate to do so to date. Miss World logo The Miss World pageant is an international beauty pageant founded in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Binibining Pilipinas or Miss Philippines is the most prestigious beauty pageant in the Philippines. ... Miss Universe 1999 was held at Chaguaramas Convention Centre, Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago on May 26, 1999. ... Mpule Kwelagobe Mpule Kwelagobe of Lobatse, Botswana was crowned Miss Universe in May of 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago. ...

Miss Universe

During the 1999 Miss Universe pageant, Miriam Quiambao was one of the strongest and most visible contenders for the Miss Universe crown. She consistently placed second during the pageant's preliminaries and bested a composite score of 9.52, just trailing behind the score of Sonia Raciti, the Miss South Africa candidate. At the semi-finals, she once again placed second overall in the swimsuit and evening gown competitions, racking up scores as high as 9.32 and 9.42 respectively. It was Spain's candidate, Diana Nogueira that dominated the semifinals with a marginal lead over Quiambao of 9.33 for the swimsuit event and 9.45 for the evening gown competition. As fate would have it, Nogueira ended up placing only 2nd to Quiambao with Miss Botswana, Mpule Kwelagobe ultimately winning the coveted Miss Universe title for 1999. These surprising turn of events was due in part to the competitive stress that unravelled on the stage during the final question and answer segment which obviously took a toll on the 3 finalists. To the many that witnessed the pageant's final moments, had Quiambao answered the final question with just a tad bit more clarity and confidence, she would have probably won the title that evening. It is nonetheless important to note that Quiambao has been the most accomplished Binibining Pilipinas-Universe winner since Gloria Diaz and Margarita Moran took home the Miss Universe titles in 1969 and 1973 respectively.

"The Fall"

During the preliminary round of the Miss Universe evening gown competition, Miriam Quiambao slipped and fell on stage. As she walked the set, the heel of one of her stilettos got caught in her dress and she fell flat on her bottom with her hands anchored on the floor. Despite this incident, she managed to pull quite a classy comeback by calmly and quickly collecting herself with such grace and elegance, it effectively showed the judges that she still had her poise and composure intact. There was a lot of speculation going on during the pageant that her "slip and effortless comeback" were the main reasons she got noticed and made it to the finals. Miriam put an end to those rumors by adding that she sensed she was already a favorite amongst the candidates during the preliminaries.

Background and Personal Life

Miriam was born to Magdalena and Medgardo Quiambao in Quezon City on May 20, 1975 and is the first of two children. She attended the School of the Holy Spirit during her elementary and high school years and went for her collegiate studies at the University of Santo Tomas where she obtained her degree in Physical Therapy. She is also a licensed Physical Therapist for the state of Indiana in the USA. Before her Binibining Pilipinas stint, Miriam had a thriving career as a Therapist for St. Luke's Hospital in Manila. She also worked as an instructor for a local gym in the Philippines. After her triumphant 1st runner-up win at the 1999 Miss Universe pageant, Miriam began a new career working as a TV Host/Correspondent for the GMA 7 News/Network in the Philippines. She got married to Italian businessman Claudio Rondinelli in December 2004 and the couple moved to Hong Kong where her husband ran several restaurant businesses at its cosmopolitan district. While in Hong Kong, Miriam worked part-time as a yoga instructor for 2 1/2 years. When her marriage ended, the statuesque beauty went back to her native Philippines and picked up where she left off, pursuing her career as a distinguished TV Host and popular media personality.

Entertainment Career

• November 2006-Present: TV host and life coach on QTV 11's "Dahil Sa Iyong Paglisan", a show highlighting the experiences, trials and success of OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers).
• November 8 2006-Present: Co-host for "Palaban" on GMA 7 with Winnie Monsod and Malou Mangahas. The show tackles current events, socio-economic and political issues in the Philippines.
• June 2006-2007: Co-hosted "Pinoy Meets World" on GMA 7 with Paolo Bediones. The hosts travel the world and experience foreign cultures for Filipino TV.
• 2003-2004: TV host for "Extra Challenge" on GMA 7 with Paolo Bediones. A reality TV show similar to "Amazing Race", "Survivor" and "Fear Factor".
• December 2000-2003: TV host for "Extra Extra!", an entertainment/news magazine TV show on GMA 7.
• September 2000-January 2001: Played the role of a Teacher named "Bubut" on "Idol Ko Si Kap" with actor/politician Bong Revilla, Jimmy Santos, Leo Martinez and Lana Asanin.
• December 1999-October 2002: Co-hosted "Unang Hirit" with Arnold Clavio, Lyn Ching, Suzi Entrata, Micky Ferriols and Ryan Agoncillio. Miriam hosted a lifestyle segment of the show called "Istayl".
• Occasionally hosted "24 Oras" and its showbiz news segment called "Chika Minute".

Other Notable Credits and Appearances

• Olay Total Effects Challenge TV Ad
• Olay Total Effects TV Ad
• Mister Donut TV Ad
• Cream Silk TV Ad
• Lactacyd TV Ad
• "Magpakailanman" on GMA 7; acting role as "Nelia Sancho"
• "Matakot Ka Sa Karma" (2006); a cameo role as a Socialite; directed by Jose Javier Reyes
• "Walang Kapalit" (2003); acting role as "Celine"; directed by Joel Lamangan
• Various TV program appearances on GMA 7 and QTV 11 shows
• Various hosting stints for corporate events
• Advocate of various charitable organizations
• Actively participant in fashion shows and modelling gigs
• Frequent cover girl for various magazines, often the subject of editorials as well
• Worldvision advocate
• Licensed Physical Therapist in the Philippines
• Licensed Physical Therapist in State of Indiana, USA
• First Runner-up Miss Universe 1999
• Received the Clairol Herbal Essences Style Award at the Miss Universe 1999 Pageant
• Binibining Pilipinas- Miss Universe 1999
• Most Outstanding Bicolana Award, Ibalong 1999
• Most Outstanding Alumna Award, UST 1999
• Millennium Men and Women Award, Evian 1999

Notes