Señorita Colombia could return to November, said director Raimundo Angulo

Raimundo Angulo, president of the Concurso Nacional de Belleza in Colombia

The "Concurso Nacional de Belleza" of Colombia could return to be held in its traditional month of November, said Raimundo Angulo, president of the popular national competition.

The news were confirmed through an official statement sent to all the regional license holders, asking them not to choose their contestants until the dates have been finalized in cooperation with RCN TV.

For over 80 years, Señorita Colombia has been held in November as part of the Cartagena Independence festivities.  According to local media, the competition was postponed to March of this year after WME/IMG, owners of Miss Universe, asked the national licensors to not choose their representatives until after the international pageant had been held.  The 65th edition of Miss Universe took place at the end of January and the new Señorita Colombia Laura Barjum was elected in March.

However, Colombians are not pleased with the decision, to move the date of a traditional national festival just to please the desires of the American organization.  Angulo added that he will do "everything under his power" to accomodate the pageant again in the month of November.

Angulo added that the board of directors will reunite by the end of this month to make a final decision: Señorita Colombia will return to November, either this year or in 2018.

The pageant made headlines earlier this week when reports stated that the runner-ups of the last edition had all resigned to their titles (Antioquia, Santander, Magdalena and Bogotá).  Said news later confirmed that only Antioquia and Bogotá had given up their titles; Angulo said that the news were false and that none of them had resigned.  However there has not been an official confirmation from either side.

The "virreina" (2nd place) Vanessa Pulgarin from Antioquia was expected to represent Colombia in the Miss International pageant later this year in Japan.  If her dismissal is effective, then the new representative would be Yeniffer Hernandez from Santander.

Antioquia (Virreina), Cartagena (Winner), Magdalena (3rd runner-up), Bogota (4th runner-up) and Santander (2nd runner-up) during the Señorita Colombia held last March in Cartagena.