ShareThisJune 2, 2010 
PASAY CITY – Binibining Pilipinas-Universe Maria Venus Raj finally received last Friday her Philippine e-passport, an authentication of her Filipino citizenship that qualifies her to represent the Philippines in the August 2010 edition of the Miss Universe beauty pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Assistant Secretary Jose Victor Ledda of the Department of Foreign Affairs said Raj was granted her passport after a deliberation of her case by a special committee at the Office of Consular Affairs (OCA). “On the basis of documents presented by Ms. Maria Venus Raj, it is well established that she was born to a Filipino mother, and following the jus sanguinis (bloodline principle) rule on matters of citizenship acquisition, she is a Filipino citizen who is entitled to a Philippine passport,” the committee said.
Born to a foreign father, Raj’s nationality was an issue at the Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI), which declared her on March 7 the local winner of the universally-franchised beauty pageant, then dethroned her on March 29. Following a strong public uproar, which included the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) saying her right to Philippine citizenship had been violated, the BPCI backtracked and declared that she could be reinstated if she obtained a Philippine passport.
Her lawyer, Atty. Gigi Martinez, accompanied Raj in claiming her world-class e-passport -— which she proudly showed to an admiring throng at the OCA Building at ASEANA Business Park. BPCI, chaired by former Miss International Stella Marquez-Araneta, had been informed of Raj’s success in acquiring the document.
The Miss Universe website for the 2010 pageant has Raj’s name in the list of 48 contestants so far in the quest for the most prestigious and elusive beauty title for Filipino women. Her departure has not been announced yet. Miriam Quiambao, whose divorce from an Italian businessman was finalized recently, was first-runner up to Miss Botswana in the 1999 Miss Universe edition held in the Caribbean state of Trinidad and Tobago.
The last Filipino “Miss Universe” was Margie Moran, who won the title in the Greece edition in 1973. She has devoted her time to philanthropy and civic work since she quietly divorced her politician-husband.
Before her, in 1969, Gloria Diaz, now also a divorcee, won the “Miss Universe” title in Miami Beach, Florida. Aside from occasional commercial endorsements, she appears on film and television, currently in a prime time local television comedy series