The Miss Grand Philippines Launch

Posted by Norman on November 25, 2022
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , .


Miss Grand International 2022 Isabella Menin


ALV Pageant Circle proudly announces the official launching of the Miss Grand Philippines pageant in the country.

Owned by pageant impresario @Arnold Arnold Vegafria, ALV Pageant Circle also owns the franchises of Miss World Philippines, Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas, Miss Eco Philippines, and Miss Supranational Philippines.

To mark the auspicious occasion, a special press conference was held at the Hilton Manila, Resorts World on November 24 with none other than Miss Grand International founder Nawat Itsaragrisil and reigning Miss Grand International 2022 Isabella Menin and her court as guests of honor.

The other winning Miss Grand International 2022 queens are Miss Grand Indonesia Andina Yulianti, Miss Grand Venezuala Luiseth Emiliana Materan Bolaño, Miss Grand Czech Replubic Mariana Beckova, Miss Grand Spain Hirisley Jimenez Marrero, Miss Grand Puerto Rico Oxana Isabel River Alvarez, Miss Grand Colombia Priscilla Nicole Londoño, Miss Grand Cambodia Srey Pich Lim, and our very own Miss Grand Philippines Roberta Angela Tamondong.

Aside from coinciding with Miss Grand International’s 10th anniversary, the event also marks the much-awaited homecoming of Miss Grand International 2022 Philippine candidate Roberta Tamondong, who recently flew back to Bangkok, Thailand to claim her 5th runner-up crown-a much-heralded post-pageant decision announced a week after the Miss Grand International 2022 coronation night held in West Java, Indonesia.

Of his latest pageant conquest, Vegafria remarked, “We are thankful and proud to partner with Nawat and his MGI team, and we feel even prouder for having them with us today to grace this very special occasion.”

“We share the same dreams and visions for the Miss Grand International brand, and I will do my best to add even more prestige to this prestigious and world-renowned competition,” he added.

“Today, we make Philippine pageant history, as we open our doors for our country’s first-ever Miss Grand Philippines pageant, which will serve as another fitting platform for our world-class Filipina queens.”

For his part, Itsaragrisil exclaimed, “I’m delighted to be partnering with ALV Pageant Circle. With their modern management style and professional team, we believe they can select the best Filipina Miss Grand queens who truly embody our platforms.”

“I do hope that the Philippines can be more successful in elevating our brand, and maybe even bring home the first Golden Crown. We want to support Arnold to create more engagements and to use this chance to help build a fun and fair pageant for the Philippine community.”

While here, Itsaragrisil and his entourage will also be doing their own charity initiatives, including their advocacies for displaced families from the Manila North Cemetery, and displaced families from the war-torn City of Marawi.

Apart from their official pageant duties, they are also looking forward to touring some of the country’s scenic destinations, including the National Museum, Intramuros and the Manila North’s historic heritage sites.
As part of its initial salvo, ALV Pageant Circle announced its plans of holding the very first Miss Grand Philippines pageant within the first half of 2023.

The MISS GRAND PHILIPPINES launch is presented by BENCH, Bluewater Day Spa, Vanilla Skin, and Solution Communication, in cooperation with OKBET, BENCH Body, BENCH Active, BENCH Café. Other sponsors include: Manila Hotel (official residence), Hilton Manila and Ayala Malls (Circuit) (official venues), Triquint Transport (official transport). Donors: Beautywise, START,
Hair Fix, Culture Salon by Jim Ryan Ros and, the City of Manila.

41 comments on “The Miss Grand Philippines Launch”

  1. I can’t even describe how much of a disapointment this pageant is… What Angkol did to Roberta would would equal to years or maybe even decades of Bad Karma for him… He was warned… This would be the beginning of his downfall…

  2. Not surprised that the franchise went to the 🤡 who cheapened the MWP franchise by crowning 100 other pageant titles during MWP coronation night which has a 10-hour running time. 😅

  3. OMG ! Flopsina ang pa event ni Anne Cole, I really admire those pageant vloggers who didnt cover this event !!!

  4. The events we witnessed lately, looking like a pesky gadfly hovering over the frenzied pace of Miss Earth, is a sorry spectacle of a product launch that is bleak from the start. Marketing wisdom demands that you don’t launch a stand-alone operation of an international franchise if the franchisor is yet a trade name, not yet a brand. Fans support a pageant if it has created a perception of quality, consistency and trust, if it has developed a brand that evokes memories and emotions associated with their values. When it has no name recall like Binibining Pilipinas, Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss Earth, I’m not sure where their audacity is coming from. A brand is a promise. What brand promise does MGI stand on? That “Stop the War” bravado? If that promise breaks, nor even whimpered, you don’t have a brand. You only have a commodity that finds its way in the tiangge market of queen wannabes and supporters of baranggay beaucons.

    • ‘Ah!

      ‘Yan, din, ‘yun’g sinabi sa ‘min nu’ng Boss namin dati… Similar train of thought :

      He said : “Market awareness is NOT simply joining trade exhibitions or conducting customer on-site demonstrations. You have to, first, ACTUALLY PUT/POSITION the product/good out there, because all that customer testimony will be the best promotion”.

      (He, even, gave us a target figure, a number of units to sell in one year. We never met the target. But we never forgot his wisdom.)

      • @Edible Flower, exactly! It’s Marketing 101—as basic as that. And yet what we see in the proverbial “cart put before the horse”. The brands consumers use make a statement about who they are and who they want to be. People become emotionally attached to the brands they use and view them as part of their self-image. MU’s “Confidently Beautiful”, ME’s “Earth Warriors”, MS’ “Inspirational. Aspirational”, MI’s “Beauties for Sustainable Development” and MW’s “Beauty with a Purpose” campaigns show pageantry brands that reflect the personalities and self-perceptions of their followers. These beaucon organizations all have the bragging rights to be a stand-alone pageant, and be successful in it, because each one of them have created a distinct brand personality that pageant followers identify with. What brand imagery does MGI portray?

      • What brand imagery does MGI portray? Sadly it is the owner’s cantankerous and scheming ways that are splattered all over the place. No real sincere action to “Stop the War” to build up its brand. Instead we are witness to sporadic verbal swipes and snipes from a blowhard– fomenting online wars and stirring the pot in pageantry community.

      • (Cont.)

        It was straightforward, enough, for even smaller (I say this with some nervousness) organizations like Aura & Supermodel (that India-based one, not sure if it’s ‘Worldwide’), kasi, at least, they were propelled by the wins of the two Alexandra’s – Faith of Zambales & Mae of Laguna, respectively. They enter the Philippines with crowns bestowed!

        Since ALV started MWP, at least Eco-International & to a lesser extent ReinaHispanoAmerica managed to retain traction. Thomalla & Paton for the former & a respectable placement record in the latter (but understandable as that’s Latina turf) after Teresita Ssen. ‘Yun’g main title na lang, talaga, ang mailap-ilap.

        (Ours was an obscure brand. We were up against HUGE ones, with prestigious big-name global corporate accounts to boast of. BUT LUCKILY, there were stray units that entered the country before we took the dealership/license, & that helped as an initial reference especially that the end-user was in the public sector. I hope this agent will be able to find opportunities for his principal! While unsolicited advice, baka makatulong kung ma-i-connect ni Mr. ALV si Mr. I to a local entity that can eventually vouch for the pageant. But, yeah. We all start from the Ground floor & before we are shown the fancy carpeted elevator, we pass through the Emergency/Service lift at the back. ALL THE BEST, po.)

      • (Cont.)

        Guys, sino nga, pala, ‘yun’g last year na lumaban sa MWP na FRAICHE na FRAICHE, that a pageant vlogger pulled her aside during the Callback, exclaiming, “ANG FRESH NG BATA’NG ‘TO”! ❤

        She was #38 at that Callback, but was assigned another number as THE OFFICIAL one, which I cannot remember. 😦

        Beke, nemen, puwede siyehh se EMJEE-AYPEE… 🙂

    • This happens when one is trying too hard to compete with other beauty pageants such as Miss Earth (everyone are all aware of the story/history) choosing publicity over credibility.
      I bet it’s Nawat’s intention to have the launch while Miss Earth is currently having its festivities.

      I admire MGI because of its lavish production but this year, I can no longer stand its lack of credibility when someone who was not even a part of the top 10 like Roberta suddenly became a Runner-Up just to spruce up its launch in the Philippines. The sad thing is Roberta agreed to be used much more so that ALV has likewise agreed to finance a stand alone search for such a joke pageant.

  5. Welcome to the Philippines Uncle. Nawat🙂 Have Fun😀 Try to mukbang Fresh? delicious pinoy offered to you or requested by you😆 cherette lungs 🫁

  6. Arnold “walang-delicadeza” Vegafria strikes again.

    Uhaw sa pageant franchise?

    Anyway, Nawat is the real queen of MGI. Lagi mukha nya nakabalandra instead of the reigning queen. Buti sana kung gwapo e

  7. Filipinos have learned that the best way to “kill” a pageant is not “talk” about it. It’s a more decent move than openly bash it and give it undue buzz and hype. We’ve seen that happen with Roberta not getting the public voting support. Anyway, the general interest continues to wane for all franchises managed by the ALV Group – I see this as a definite misstep on choice of partner by the MGI Org (but who cares).

    For sure, we can not stop MGI from mounting a standalone pageant now that another local party is willing to take it on. However, the thing is, Filipino pageant fans will no longer walk a mile longer to hype it (reposting videos, making call outs, chatting, etc.). They’ll probably just tolerate its presence. Not many Pinoys follow the MGI gueens post coronation. Simply put, the MGI affair is just a one-time per year entertainment broadcast not worth following through. Just saying.

  8. Mas may ingay pa ang hanash ni Miss Earth Bulgaria kesa sa pakulo na ito. Na-disappoint daw s’ya sa pageant, at dapat hindi na daw s’ya pumunta ng Pilipinas. Pinakinggan na lang daw sana n’ya ang damdamin n’ya. Tapos ang background n’ya ay ang Mayon Volcano at naka-smile emoji sa last statement n’ya. Nasabi n’ya pala ‘yan out of desperation due to lack of trash bin in the area they visited. Kakaloka.

    Sa mga pageants talaga, mayroong lalabas na bitterana o reklamadora. Hindi mo maririnig ang reklamo sa mga frontrunners. That means, hindi frontrunner si Miss Earth Bulgaria. Kakaloka.

    That’s all.

  11. Nawat has been a notorious character even before MGI. MGI then was his claim to power on pageants. But it turned out to be an anti-beauty pageant just like his character. Nawat’s forehead is screaming, I have to save MGI from a powerhouse when MU invaded his turf. I need to save the pageant from anti-MGI sentiment.

    Naaaaahhhh. Why was this accepted at all?

  14. So now Roberta’s 5th runner-up placement is “a much-heralded post-pageant decision announced a week after the Miss Grand International 2022 coronation night”. What happened to the bad taste left in those filthy-to-begin-with mouths?

    Not bashing. Just kidding. It’s all for fun!

    Back to washing laundry na. 😊

  15. Congratulations to the team.
    This is how I rate the major National pageants in this country in descending order. My basis are: longevity, popularity, social relevance, and production value
    1. Bb Pilipinas
    2. MUP
    3. MPE
    4. MWP
    5. MGP
    6. MnP

  17. First, it was a press release during the UN World Toilet Day. Now, it’s a launching during American Thanksgiving Day. But wait—the day is also the recognized observance of America’s National Day of Mourning, a day to reflect on Native American heritage and the role Thanksgiving played in the lives of their ancestors. Even the dates are ominous.

  18. The new owner of MUorg will bury the MGIorg into becoming a nothing pageant
    From the looks of things, I think they can turn into mortal enemies pretty quickly

    • The only way, imHo, it can get muddy is when/if business interests come into play. I surmise the pageant bosses represent opposite ends of their country’s economic elite.

      (You seem to have an ear on the train tracks. What are the Thais murmuring? Please tea!)

  19. Hay Arnold kulang lang sya sa lalaki. Bakit bakit. MGI pa sinabi nang wag na magpadala ng candidate dyan.

    • Kung nagkataon, pala, we would end up the only major (pageantry-wise) ASEAN country with no Grand license. Vietnam, Indonesia, & of course Thailand do. Cambodia now wants to have more participation. At kung hindi, lang, siguro nagka-averja sa Myanmar, 🙂

      Imagine a geographically-similar picture, ReinaHispanoAmerica’s ‘Central American cluster’ with no Puerto Rico. Everyone else along the ‘rim’ – Mexico, Panama, etc. (‘di ko na iisa-isahin para ‘di magmistula’ng geography quiz bee) – present at the party. Odd, isn’t it?

  21. Basura pageant = Basura organizers

    I would rather support our very own Miss Earth over this.

    • Looks ridiculous on stage when a quarter of the contestants are crowned.
      Don’t know who to look at. Almost as ridiculous as 5 5th runner ups.

    • It does seem odd that Supranational is now rubbing shoulders with Grand, considering that whole online ‘war’ with Andre Sleigh… 😦

      But, yeah. Grand Philippines is stand-alone. MWP will be its ‘big sister/sibling’! Kahit mag-tantrum si bunso, si ateng pa, rin, ang masusunod. ❤

      (But speaking of Supra, they have now gone the mile, having worked with all the major pageant nationals in the country for representation – Mutya, BBP, & now MWP. The logical next step will, also, be a stand-alone. But Grand seems to have made more traction… I hope Mr. Gerhard finds an agile~savvy group/person to partner with, if it ever gets to that point. But for starters, it wouldn't hurt to also have Lalela visit, no?)

      • @Edible Flor, with the direction MS is heading to in its brand development, I don’t think it will be comfortable being placed side by side with commodified pageants with a cringey advocacy. Same case with MW. With MW currently in co-ownership talks with a big business conglomerate of Nepali roots, I’m sure its interest for an upward business trajectory will compel it to wigggle out of the clutter of low-tier brands and non-brands.

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