The MISS WORLD for 2013 is 'MISS PHILIPPINES' while, MISS GHANA Comes THIRD in the World

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AFP) – Miss Philippines was Saturday crowned Miss World 2013 in a glittering finale on the Indonesian resort island of Bali amid tight security following weeks of hardline Muslim protests.

Some 127 contestants took to the stage Saturday for the final and they were quickly whittled down to six. France came in second and Ghana was third.

As hundreds of Muslim hardliners held a prayer session in a mosque near the capital to express their anger at the contest, Megan Young wept as she won the coveted title in the final on Hindu-majority Bali.

The 23-year-old, wearing a pearl white gown, promised to be “the best Miss World ever” in front of a cheering crowd in a venue guarded by heavily armed police and water cannons.

Young, who is studying digital media and also presents TV shows in the Philippines, pledged to “just be myself in everything I do, to share what I know and to educate people”.

Organisers will breath a sigh of relief that the finale of the three-week pageant passed off smoothly after thousands of hardliners protested across Indonesia in recent weeks, denouncing the beauty pageant as a “whore contest”.

Before the beauty queens took to the stage for Saturday’s final, the audience were treated to a performance by British boy band Blue.

In the weeks leading up to the final, the contestants took part in a series of “challenge” events for which they were awarded points.

These include a “beach fashion” round, which this year saw contestants swap the pageant’s famed bikinis for sarongs in a bid to avoid causing offence in Muslim-majority Indonesia.

The finalists also faced a question-and-answer round from a panel of judges.

A total of 129 contestants had been due to compete in the final but two pulled out at the last minute, according to organisers