Miss Charm Luma Russo. Image: Facebook/Miss Charm
Annabelle McDonnell from the Philippines finished second in the inaugural edition of the Miss Charm pageant held at Hoa Binh Theatre in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, on Thursday, Feb. 16, with the top title going to Luma Russo from Brazil.
Second runner-up Olivia Tan from Indonesia rounded up the circle of winners. Thirty-eight delegates from different parts of the world participated in the competition.
The pageant’s initial salvo was mired in production glitches, starting when an initial roster of 19 semifinalists suddenly found an additional member in the Vietnamese delegate.
And then when McDonnell walked the stage during the semifinal swimsuit round, “Netherlands” was displayed on screen, as well as the name of the European country’s delegate instead of “Philippines” and McDonnell’s name. The Dutch lady did not even survive the first cut.
Miss Charm first runner-up Annabelle McDonnell. Image: INQUIRER.net/ARMIN P. ADINA
The Miss Charm organization initially planned to mount their first pageant in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the staging of the competition aside.
Reigning Miss Eco Philippines Ashley Subijano Montenegro was supposed to represent the Philippines at first, having captured the Miss Charm Philippines title at the Global Asian Model Philippines competition in 2019.
But she abdicated the title when she competed in the 2022 Miss World Philippines pageant, where she earned her ticket to the 2023 Miss Eco International pageant.
Empire Philippines, which holds the national franchise for the Miss Charm pageant, awarded the title to McDonnell, who was first runner-up in the 2022 Miss Universe Philippines pageant.
In an interview with the Inquirer, McDonnell said she learned from an earlier trip to Ho Chi Minh, upon the invitation of the international organization, that the Miss Charm pageant is looking for an ambassador of sustainable tourism, and “somebody who can be a great spokesperson to inform and better educate people on the merits of web3 technology, particularly blockchain technology, and how we can grow financially, and personally as well, from engaging in cryptocurrencies and NFTs.” /ra