The winners of Miss Grand International 2020 led by Abena Appiah have been thoroughly enjoying #AmazingThailand at a most leisurely pace. But soon, they will each move on with their lives and look back at the wonderful memories of the time spent together.
Here are photos taken at Banana Beach, Coral Island, Koh Hey, Phuket.
I never imagined I would be blogging this, but Nawatt Itsaragrisil and his pageant has now set a benchmark on how to properly host an international competition amidst the global pandemic. And to actually have all five winners touring Thailand for almost two weeks after the finals is just icing on the cake.
The 14-day quarantine upon arrival should be mandatory. But the most important detail is that the host country and its government is also effective in keeping the COVID virus from spreading.
MUO should be observing their movements more closely before the 69th Miss Universe delegates start arriving in Hollywood, Florida next month.
Rumours are rife that Miss Universe will have new owners soon (could be known before the year ends or at the start of 2021) and that IMG is allegedly exiting as well. Since no official statement has been made, the buzz going around in pageant circles is that any of the following could be taking over:
The pageant community will always crave for any information about the staging of Miss Universe. And thus far, the rumors going around are that:
From where I blog, the possible truths so far are below:
Every night before she sleeps, Miss Universe Philippines Gazini Christiana Jordi Ganados thinks of pleasant thoughts (just like in the video clip below when she was with Baby Stellan of MUO’s Shawn McClain) to set her up for a positivity-filled early morning once she wakes up and faces another day of Miss Universe competition in Atlanta, Georgia.
The next Miss Universe Philippines will occupy a very unique spot in our country’s modern pageant history if plans of the Miss Universe Organization to bolt out from Binibining Pilipinas finally comes to fruition and becomes a stand-alone marquee in the search for the best Filipina to represent the Philippines in the annual Miss Universe beginning 2020. And what a year to start that endeavor – with the clearest vision (read: 20/20) in their mission – widen the brand reach on a largely independent scale and make it a dedicated national crown that will attract only the best of the best aspirants to join.
Aya (right photo) is the lady almost every seasoned pageant chronicler would wishfully want to win as Miss Universe Philippines – the most obvious reason being that she is the daughter of Bb. Pilipinas Universe 1984 Desiree Verdadero-Abesamis. But I distanced myself from such justification because newsworthiness is not the best suit to anchor anyone’s decision on – at least not in our kind of pageantry that has evolved though decades of change. Frankly speaking with no offense meant, will IMG even bother making a big deal out of that relatively novel detail?
Hannah is a Filipina-Australian sweetie who has grown so much more in nearly three months of involvement as a Binibini than perhaps any other significant chapter in her 24 years of existence. From being a wide-eyed cheerer of a spectator who watched the Victory Parade of Miss Universe Catriona Gray unmindful of the random street shots taken of her in a casual and lightly-made look, she has transformed to a more refined competitor who can now play by the rules of the pageant game without losing her trademark gentleness. The charming accent is icing on the cake.
Filipina-French Julia is the exact opposite of Hannah. She is headstrong, verbally aggressive in a politically correct way and extremely focused on every fine detail that went into her preparations leading to Sunday night’s Grand Coronation. She doesn’t mince with words when she says that the only title worth fighting for is Miss Universe Philippines. After all, it was the victory of Catriona Gray last December that greatly inspired her to join the nationals one year in advance (she was originally eyeing Bb. Pilipinas 2020). And her game plan seems to be working nicely at this point where she is being considered as a dead-serious contender for the crown. Her facial beauty may have elicited mixed reactions for some. But the minute she opens her mouth to speak, all cautions get thrown in the wind.
And then we have Attorney Bea Patricia Magtanong who was allegedly asked this question during the closed door interviews: ”We have sent lawyers before, and they all failed in Miss Universe, what do you think is different this time?” Don’t ask me what her answer was, but I’m pretty sure she was able to acquit herself well from that targeted grilling. Besides, I don’t consider her new professional status as one strong basis for selection. It would even be doing some kind of disservice to her own personal merits if being an Attorney is the only thing that would tilt things in her favor. She represents the Quintessential Filipina a lot of Filipinos could be clamoring for. Add to that her level of articulation plus beautiful face and you have someone who can be the last woman standing.
I recently responded (in a previous blog) to reader named “Sky” that I was still waiting for my epiphany moment for the title of Miss Universe Philippines. True enough, I started writing this blog entry at around 5pm yesterday. At just half past six, I ate dinner with my mom. And when I resumed writing this last paragraph at 7pm, it dawned on me after browsing through all the photos on my iPhone. I have only one taken with any of the last three Binibinis above. And that side-by-side image was not even planned because during the PLDT event in Makati, she was the one nearest me when a colleague offered to take the shot just seconds before the organizers asked us to vacate the conference room as the top officials started to arrive. I took this as one final sign – on top of all the multiple considerations inside my head – as to why it was only with Patch that I had that opportunity when it would’ve been just as easy with either Julia or Hannah. And in my heart, I can now rest easy knowing that she is the one who can close the gap between who could win and who will win.
I wanted so much to end 2018 with a big bang. If only clarity on the issue of whether the Miss Universe franchise remains with BPCI or crosses over to LCS has been settled in the last few days, then it would make for an explosive year-end blog entry. But then again, that would be asking for way too much confirmation during the uber busy Holiday Season.
Pageants fans and followers are divided on the matter. But I reckon that – if we play by percentages – there would be a lot more who are in favor of the franchise staying put with Bb. Pilipinas to maintain the prestige of the country’s biggest national pageant as well as to preserve its glorious place on top of the pedestal in full hierarchial view of the entire Philippines. Besides, the record of the leadership of Madame Stella Marquez de Araneta is something that other National Directors can only hope to achieve in their lifetime.
Until we get an Official Statement, it will all remain a rumor. But a strong rumor, I must add. 
