After being quiet this past week over her alleged deportation from France, Miss Grand International Philippines Samantha Lo broke her silence and explained the events that led her to miss her flight to Venezuela.
The embattled beauty queen however chose to keep quiet until she was able to reach Venezuela.
“I know people have been waiting to hear from me but this past week has been such a roller coaster of stress and uncertainty that I felt it was unnecessary to involve the public,” she said.
“I chose to break my silence until I arrived in Venezuela because I wanted to make sure I got here safely. Despite what happened last week and the trauma that came with it, I have moved forward and pursued this journey knowing that I did not intentionally commit any of the acts that have been unfairly attributed to me,” Lo added.
The beauty queen then revealed that it was her local organizer who failed to prepare for her travel in time for the competition.
“But yes, my local organizer, who handled my travel preparations, failed to equip me with the proper transit visa that may have enabled me to complete my earlier trip to this host country,” she said.
Lo also lamented the lack of support from her organizer in the Philippines and it was her family who got her out of detention.
“Moreso, it wasn’t them who got me out of detention and put me safely on that plane to come back home. It was my family and other well-meaning Filipinos who did – and they are still not resting until this is over,” she said.
Since she was late in some of the pageant’s preliminary competitions, Lo said that she will focus first on the competition.
“I hope to bring home the crown and glory to the Philippines and our people. It is not easy for me to do this. I still struggle with the fear and the trauma of recent days – but I know there is a bigger picture here and I will not let such fear silence me or deter me from the grand task ahead,” she said.
Lo also thanked the international organization of Miss Grand International for welcoming her with open arms.
The foreign affairs department, meanwhile, said Lo has no record in their passport database and that they are still looking into the case.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs received reports that Binibining Pilipinas-Grand International Samantha Ashley Lo was unable to continue her journey to Caracas due to alleged issues with her passport,” the DFA said in a statement.
“Based on an ongoing investigation, the DFA confirms that Ms. Lo has no record in the DFA passport database and is continuing the process of ascertaining the facts of the case,” it added.
