For a lot of Filipinos, Miss Universe if the most prestigious, most popular, and most important beauty pageant. But in 1993, when Sharmaine “Ruffa” Gutierrez won Second Princess, everything changed. All of a sudden, the Miss World pageant seemed to be more significant and special. But regardless of which your favorite beauty pageant is, there is no denying that the Philippines has sent some very good contestants to the pageant, a lot of them even ending up as a finalist. Perhaps what makes the Miss World special to a lot of Pinoys is that we’ve never won. Gwendolyn Ruais almost bagged the crown this year, so everyone can’t wait for another crack at the crown next year. Meanwhile, let’s honor some of the unforgettable Miss World beauties we’ve produced, apart from Gwen. – MARK SABLAN

10 Maria Rafaela “Mafae” Yunon

Just like any other Philippine representative to the Miss World pageant, Mafae’s goal was to bring home the crown. While she was unsuccessful, her performance at the pageant in 2003 was commended. She didn’t just wow everyone in the swimsuit portion, where she flaunted her toned body, she also impressed a lot of people with her answer during the Q&A portion. As a result, she won fourth runner up. After the contest, Mafae did more modeling jobs, got married to basketball player Nick Belasco, and became a mom. – PHOTOS FROM PAGEANT-MANIA.EPHPBB.COM

9 Margaret “Maggie” Wilson

Maggie didn’t place in the 2007 Miss World pageant in Sanya, China. Good thing her showbiz career proved to be more successful, with shows on GMA 7 and QTV 11. Maggie is now married to photographer and real estate mogul Victor Consunji. – PHOTOS FROM THE FACEBOOK ACCOUNT OF MAGGIE WILSON-CONSUNJI

8 Caroline “Cara” Subijano

Familiar to a lot of people even before joining the contest, thanks to her several TVCs and other endorsements, Cara may not have placed like Ruffa, who represented the country the year before, but she performed well enough, being included in the Top 10 of the Miss World pageant held in Sun City, South Africa. After the pageant, she focused on journalism and newscasting. – PHOTOS FROM GEOCITIES.WS/HEIMLICH_20886

7 Daisy Reyes

The pretty Pinay joined several beauty pageants, including Mutya ng Pilipinas, before joining Bb. Pilipinas in 1996, where she was crowned Bb. Pilipinas-World (and also won Best in Long Gown). She represented the country in the Miss World pageant in India, and while she didn’t make it to the top ten, she won a special award: Miss Personality. A showbiz and political career followed her reign, and in 2009, she represented the country in Mrs. World, making it to the top 12. – PHOTOS BY DINDO FORTUNO FEATURING ANGELICO MERCADER AND GEOCITIES.WS/HEIMLICH_20886

6 Lalaine Edson

The Fil-Brit beauty was originally Bb. Pilipinas International but became Bb. Pilipinas World after one of the top three winners got dethroned because of citizenship issues. Prior to joining the local pageant, Lalaine was already busy with showbiz as a GMA 7 talent. She flew to London in 1999 for the Miss World pageant, where she didn’t make it to the finals. She was even reported to have been kidnapped by a lover (a foreigner) when she didn’t go back to the country after the contest, even when she had to relinquish the crown to her successor. It was nothing but a rumor, though. – PHOTOS FROM HER FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

5 Carlene Aguilar

Before joining show business (and Celebrity Duets), Carlene was a beauty pageant suki, having joined Miss Philippines Earth, Miss Chinatown, and Miss Chinese International. After winning Bb. Pilipinas World in 2005, she flew to Sanya, China for the international competition and while she did not win the title Miss World, she was at least a semi-finalist. Still a part of show business, she has a son with ex-lover Dennis Trillo, plus another son with husband Yo Ocampo. – PHOTOS FROM ASIAFINEST.COM

4 Evangeline Pascual

This pretty 1973 Miss World first runner-up was almost the first-ever Pinay Miss World. There are some reports saying that she turned down the offer to replace the actual Miss World winner, who didn’t complete her reign, while there are also reports saying that she was was offered just the duties and not really the title. – PHOTO FROM GEOCITIES.WS/HEIMLICH_20886 AND MISSOSOLOGY.INFO

3 Czarina Gatbonton

Czarina got everyone’s attention at the 2010 Bb. Pilipinas pageant for two reasons. The first one was when she opted to answer in Filipino when she was asked in English in the Q&A portion. Second was when she actually won Bb. Pilipinas World. She was the country’s representative to the Miss World pageant in Sanya, China, but unfortunately did not make it to the semis. – PHOTOS FROM THE FACEBOOK ACCOUNT OF CZARINA CATHERINE GATBONTON

2 Sharmaine “Ruffa” Gutierrez

More popularly known as Ruffa Gutierrez, the daughter of Eddie Gutierrez and Annabelle Rama, this eloquent and poise lady brought honor to the country when she was crowned Miss World 2nd Princess in 1993. In fact, her victory made such an impact that for a while, a lot of Filipinos placed more importance on the Miss World Pageant than Miss Universe. – PHOTOS FROM GEOCITIES.WS/HEIMLICH_20886

1 Janina San Miguel

Who would ever forget the notorious Janina San Miguel and her quotable answer during the Q&A portion? It was so memorable that video clips of the portion were uploaded on YouTube, receiving countless clicks (and even getting remixes). Her answer was poorly constructed and delivered that a lot of people questioned her ability to represent the country internationally when she was announced Bb. Pilipinas World. However, Janina didn’t get to fly for the 2008 pageant in Johannesburg, South Africa after resigning from her post, because of personal reasons including the death of her grandfather. Janina later on joined GMA 7’s Celebrity Duets, and the country’s Supermodel of the World contest—and lost. – PHOTOS FROM MISSOSOLOGY.INFO AND PAGEANT-MANIA.EPHPBB.COM