Cebu: The rain did not stop thousands of spectators who gathered early morning on Tuesday to witness the swimwear presentation of the Miss Universe 2016 in the island of Cebu.

Fans swarmed the candidates as they arrived at the airport and lined the streets as the international beauties traveled to the venue at Jpark Island Resort and Waterpark in Lapu-Lapu City.

School children from public schools were seen dancing and cheering on the candidates as the convoy traveled along the streets of Lapu-Lapu. Only 67 candidates were able to participate the swimwear presentation.

Organisers earlier said all 86 candidates would take part in the competition, although they did not explain why others did not make it to the show. The Cebu stopover was part of the pageant's ancillary events, which have no bearing on the contestants' total pageant score.

Organisers said a security force consisting of more than 1,000 members of the police, navy, maritime police and coast guard was deployed to maintain peace and order.

  The original plan of holding the swimwear presentation outdoor was scrapped as organisers made a last-minute decision to move the catwalk inside the Triton Hall of the hotel, which can only accommodate 600 people.   

The swimwear presentation started past 11am (7am UAE time), with the ladies taking over the catwalk and donning a swimwear collection by Yamamay.   

Egged on by the homecrowd, Miss Philippines emerged one of the early favourites, along with Miss Mexico and Miss Colombia, who had been previously under fire for her viral Instagram post that poked fun at the Mexican accent and for unceremoniously rejecting gifts from the host hotel. Miss Vietnam also endeared herself to the crowd after keeping her composure following a near slip at the catwalk. 

 

 

 

Reigning Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach also attended the show. “Cebu is very special to my heart because before I competed in Miss Universe, I came here for a day trip and prayed to the Sto. Nino," she said, referring to the patron saint of Cebu's Catholic flock. "I think I was lucky to get the crown because of that.”

 After the swimwear presentation, some of the candidates went to a mall in Cebu City, while others joined a pictorial session at Jpark.  

Later in the day, the Cebu stopover concluded with a fashion show dubbed Kadaugan (victory in English), which featured a tropical theme with an ethnic flavour.

Hosted by Miss Universe 2011 third runner-up Shamcey Supsup-Lee, local models walked down the catwalk with the creations of some 20 designers from Cebu. Former Dubai-based fashion designer Cary Santiago was among those who organised the fashion event.   

While the few lucky ones enjoyed the day-long activities of the Cebu stopover, many residents complained after they were affected by the security measures implemented by the government, particularly the move to shut down cell sites in areas the candidates visited.   

The police, in coordination with local governments, had earlier implemented the same measure during the annual Sinulog festival, the country's biggest street festival held two days before the Miss Universe event.

With the sudden change to a smaller venue, many fans were also unable to watch event live. Organisers were also under fire for suddenly denying access to local media and some foreign media covering the event.

Check out photos of Miss Universe swimwear event

Sticking to a tight schedule, the candidates left the island later in the evening to take part in more pre-pageant activities in other cities around the country. 

Some of the candidates were headed north for the Baguio Parade on Wednesday. The ladies will go back to Manila after the provincial tour for the preliminary events. The National Costume show will be on January 26 at the Mall of Asia Arena, followed by the grand coronation night on January 30.

Follow our continuing coverage of Miss Universe in the Philippines

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Miss Universe 2017 candidates wave during its formal launch in suburban Pasay city south of Manila. Image Credit: AP
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