Reigning Miss International Jasmin Selberg/ARMIN P. ADINA
MANILA, Philippines — Reigning Miss International Jasmin Selberg is currently in the country to take part in the 2023 Binibining Pilipinas Grand Coronation night. But before her trip here, she was in neighboring Vietnam.
The German beauty kicked off her Southeast Asian tour with a visit to Indonesia, where she also graced the final show of the Puteri Indonesia pageant. But her first official trip in May was in the Czech Republic in Europe, for a total of four countries in just a month. Since her coronation in December, Selberg has made official trips to six countries as Miss International.
She has also been invited to two other countries in her home continent of Europe, in Belgium and in Estonia where she was born. Stephen Diaz, head director of Miss International pageant organizer International Cultural Association (ICA), told the Inquirer that the reigning queen still has more countries to visit in the coming months.
It has only been five months since Selberg captured the crown at the 60th Miss International pageant held in Tokyo, Japan, in December, but she is already on her way to become the global organization’s most well-traveled titleholder despite having a truncated reign. She is already set to relinquish her crown in October, giving her a 10-month tenure.
“We’re grateful to the national directors who finally see the worth of Miss International,” Diaz told the Inquirer in an interview when he dropped by the rehearsals of the 2023 Bb. Pilipinas Grand Coronation Night, together with Selberg, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum at the Araneta City in Quezon City on May 27.
“Before, they didn’t see any value of inviting the reigning queen to their respective national pageants. So this is a testament of the national directors finally understanding and recognizing how important Miss International is,” he continued.
Diaz hinted on a possible staging of the international pageant in his home city Bacolod in a previous social media post. But he said nothing has been finalized yet, and the hosting is on the exploratory stage as of the moment. “We are going to follow it up, because [Bacolod Mayor Albee Benitez] is also busy. There are some pressing issues, locally, and we have to respect that those are more important,” he shared.
“Nothing is official so far. He’s aware of it, he’s interested, and he wants to see whether it’s a good investment on his part, if it’s good for Bacolod,” Diaz continued, while also confirming that several other countries have signified their intention to host the 2024 Miss International pageant.
Selberg will crown her successor at the 61st Miss International pageant in Tokyo, Japan, in October, where 2022 Bb. Pilipinas Nicole Borromeo will represent the Philippines, and try to become the seventh Filipino queen to be proclaimed winner.
Catch Selberg at the 2023 Bb. Pilipinas Grand Coronation Night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on May 28. Tickets to the show are now available at Ticketnet. The contest will be shown on A2Z channel 11 on free TV, Kapamilya Channel and Metro Channel on cable, and the Bb. Pilipinas official YouTube channel at 9:30 p.m. It will also be beamed to other countries via The Filipino Channel. EDV