Ms. World Philippines braves MRT-3 squeeze

Despite the dreaded surge of passengers during a Friday rush hour, newly crowned Miss World Philippines 2017 Laura Lehmann, hounded by a hectic schedule and Metro Manila’s chronic traffic woes, gamely opted to squeeze into an MRT-3 train and even managed to take a selfie inside the public transport last Friday, September 15.

"GRABEEEE KA PO, EDSA. 4 events. Friday night. MRT nalang po ako. Happy happy heartstrong nalang tayo okay??" said Lehmann on her Instagram post.

The Filipino-German beauty queen is a former courtside reporter for the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles basketball team in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.

She is currently taking up psychology at the Ateneo de Manila University. Lehmann, 24, will represent the Philippines at the Miss World 2017 beauty pageant in China on November 18.

Now on its 66th year, the Miss World contest is the longest-running beauty pageant in history.

The last time a beauty queen was seen on an MRT-3 train was in 2015 when 2010 Miss Universe 4th runnerup Ma. Venus Raj, who boarded at the Ayala Avenue station in Makati City and got off at the Araneta Center station in Cubao, Quezon City in a bid to make it to an event.