MANILA -- A Filipina will co-host the Miss Universe beauty pageant with American actor-host Steve Harvey next month, Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo confirmed Sunday.

Speaking to radio DZMM, Tulfo-Teo said organizers have already chosen Harvey's co-host but declined to give further details.

"Definite na si Steve Harvey will be the host. We're looking for babaeng counterpart niya. Mayroon na kaming napili. Ayaw pa lang sabihin kung sino," she said.

(It is definite that Steve Harvey will be the host. We're looking for a his female counterpart. We've already chosen someone. We just don't want to reveal who it is yet.)

Tulfo-Teo said having a co-host will help prevent a repeat of Harvey's infamous blunder in last year's pageant where he read the wrong name in announcing the winner, robbing Philippine bet Pia Wurtzbach of her moment of glory as 2015 Miss Universe.

• READ: Steve Harvey remembers Miss Universe flub as 'four minutes of pure hell'

This year's Miss Universe contest will be held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on January 30, 2017.

The Philippines has hosted the international pageant twice before, the most recent in 1994 when Sushmita Sen of India won the crown.

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