Precious Lara Quigaman gave her honest opinion about the results of the Miss International 2018 beauty pageant which was held on November 9 at Tokyo Dome City Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
In an interview with the entertainment website Push, Quigaman, who won the same pageant back in 2005, poked fun at the results and even joked that Miss Venezuela Mariem Velazco was given the crown because it was her birthday.
Velazco mentioned in her final speech during the pageant that she was celebrating her birthday and her wish is to help underprivileged children as Miss International.
“It’s a very special day for all Miss International delegates, but for me, it’s double special as today I am also celebrating my birthday. In my country, we have the custom of not revealing our birthday wish, but today I want to make an exception. My dream, my birthday wish is that if I were to be privileged enough to be your next Miss International, I can continue to stimulate children around the world to read,” Velazco said.
Miss Venezuela was given the crown and the Philippines’ bet Maria Ahtisa Manalo finished as first runner-up.
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Quigaman then said in jest during the interview, “Birthday kasi ni Miss Venezuela, binigay tuloy sa kanya. Dapat birthday na lang din ni Ahtisa. Sobrang ganda ng performance niya, sobrang ganda niya.”
But on a more serious note, she said that Miss Venezuela was truly deserving of the crown since she was articulate and attractive.
“In fairness naman kay Venezuela, magaling siyang magsalita at maganda rin naman talaga siya,” she said.
Quigaman recalled being a judge of Binibining Pilipinas 2018, the national pageant where Manalo earned the privilege to represent the Philippines in Miss International, and said, “Sinabi ko talaga sa mga kasama ko na judges doon, you put Ahtisa in Miss International kasi Miss International ang face niya. So, sayang lang talaga, pero she really did well. Sobrang proud ako sa kanya”.
Aside from Quigaman, previous candidates who represented the Philippines in the Miss International pageant also congratulated Manalo for her first runner-up finish in the said pageant.
Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa posted photos on her Instagram Story to show her followers how proud she is of Manalo.
Meanwhile, Binibining Pilipinas International 2017 Mariel de Leon shared a photo of when she relinquished the crown to Manalo with the caption: “Congratulations to our Filipina doll for the runner-up finish! You did amazing! We are all proud of you! You are a true queen. May God bless you on the next chapter of your life.”
