Miss U vows: I will come back

MANILA, Philippines - Newly crowned Miss Universe Iris Mittenaere stayed in the country to visit a few places instead of leaving right after coronation day.

And she wants to come back. “I will,” she said before boarding Philippine Airlines flight PR 126, the official carrier of Miss Universe bound for New York City that would be her home during her year-long reign.

On her Instagram account (irismittenaeremf), Mittenaere became a bit sentimental as she prepared to leave the country.

“Last hour in my second home ... Philippines forever in my heart § Mahal ko kayo §#missuniverse #missfrance #thankyou #philippines #love,” she posted with her photo while at the airport.

On Wednesday, she also posted a photo of a sunset and captioned it: “Dernier coucher de soleil ici ... last sunset here ... #manila #thankyou #missuniverse #missfrance #beautiful #sunset.”

The French beauty met with French Ambassador Thierry Mathou at the Conrad Hotel in Pasay City yesterday, She paid a courtesy call on US Ambassador Sung Kim at the US embassy in Manila on Wednesday.

Miss Germany Johanna Acs also stayed in the country instead of leaving after the pageant.

On her Instagram account (@johannaacs), the German beauty posted a photo of her on a hammock and enjoying a beach in Puerto Princesa in her bikini.

“Mahal ko ang Pilipinas! Not going home yet! Philippines, you are so beautiful! So excited to see more of your breathtaking country and explore the beautiful island of Palawan with my family. I feel so blessed to be here right now. What is a must do on this island? We are planning to do the Honda Bay Island Hopping, Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour and the Underground River Tour. If we have enough time, we also want to do El Nido – but that’s pretty far from Puerto Princesa, isn’t it?! #itsmorefuninthephilippines #philippines #palawan #puertoprincesa,” Acs wrote, receiving comments from followers on how to get to El Nido to answer her question.

When the Miss Universe contestants went to Batangas City for one of the pageant activities on Jan. 19, Acs also posted a photo of her in a bikini on a yacht and in the middle of the sea.

“Sailing to Batangas today. Amazed by what beautiful islands the Philippines has to offer! What an incredible country! Enjoying every single ray of sunlight. Not just a saying – but it’s really more fun in the Philippines. #itsmorefuninthephilippines #yamamay #missgermany #missuniversegermany #missuniverse #yacht #batangas #philippines,” she posted.

For his part, the French ambassador confirmed the 24-year-old dental surgery student Mittenaere would like to return to the Philippines.

Mathou told reporters following their meeting, “Actually she is the real ambassador, I’m just a proxy.”

Mittenaere was not allowed by the Miss Universe Organization to answer questions from the media.

Mathou said Mittenaere was “very excited” to perform her duties as Miss Universe, noting that it would also be her first time to go to New York.

The French envoy said he was expecting her to be very active in pushing various advocacies, including health and education.

Mathou said he was satisfied with the overall performance of his compatriot, particularly in the question and answer portion where she was asked about France’s open borders.

“She answered what she has to answer,” Mathou said. “Because France is an open country.” – With Rudy Santos