PASAY — Pia Wurtzbach, Miss Universe 2015, said she prefers the way the preliminary competition was staged here on Thursday compared to previous years.

Wurtzbach co-hosted the long gown and swimsuit showcase with actor Derek Ramsey at Mall of Asia Arena.

"Mas mabilis yung flow ng competition dito. For the past Miss Universe preliminaries, isa-isa talaga lumalabas yung girls so this time, tatlo sila. So mabilis yung pace," she said on Friday.

(The flow of the competition is faster here. For the past Miss Universe preliminaries, the girls go out on stage, one by one. This time, they come out three at a time so it's much quicker.)

Having three candidates on stage at the same time gives the audience more elements to look at, she said.

"I also like the tidbits of information we said about the girls while they were walking," Wurtzbach added.

The third Filipina who brought home the Miss Universe crown assured pageant fans they will witness a "world-class" show during the 65th Miss Universe coronation that will be held at Mall of Asia Arena on Monday.

"I really like the way it was done this year . . . Sulit talaga yung bayad nung mga tao sa arena," Wurtzbach said.

(I really like the way it was done this year . . . The people who bought tickets to the arena got their money's worth.)

Wurtzbach also told candidates last week they were "lucky" to be competing in the Philippines.

"When I competed in Vegas, we just stayed in Vegas. Here you're competing in Manila but you get to go around the Philippines. When you go back home, you can really say, 'Hey, I've been around the Philippines,' " Wurtzbach said.