Miss Universe 2023 Sheynnis Palacios says Manila visit ‘very special’

Miss Universe Sheynnis Palacios. Image: INQUIRER.net/Armin P. Adina

When Miss Universe Sheynnis Palacios had her motorcade at the Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City during her visit here, she was seen sobbing all the way throughout the parade. The Nicaraguan beauty shared why it became a tearful experience for her.

“Thank you for everything, for the most beautiful welcoming and homecoming that I received. It’s meaningful to me. I cried a lot because you made me feel like my home,” she said at the Miss Universe Philippines Sponsors Night held at the Maynila Ballroom of the Manila Hotel on May 6, the night before she left.

Palacios, the first Miss Universe winner from Nicaragua, has not returned to her home country following her victory, because of tensions between her national pageant organization and the Ortega administration. The organizers have also been barred from the country.

“It’s very, very special to me, this visit as part of my Asia tour, because you [Filipino] people [made] me feel very, very [like Filipino]. Thank you for that,” said the international queen, whose tour had already brought her to Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and China. The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) has announced that the tour’s Indian leg is from May 7 to 9.

Palacios may have already gone, but the Philippines has definitely filled a huge spot in the queen’s heart because of her week-long stay in Manila.

Miss Universe Sheynnis Palacios (center) with the 2024 Miss Universe Philippines delegates/ARMIN P. ADINA

“It’s a pleasure to me to be here one more time and I want to say thank you, maraming salamat po (thank you very much), and muchas gracias (thank you very much). Thank you, in the name of the Miss Universe Organization, and the name of the Miss Universe Philippines, and thank you in the name of the more than six million Nicaraguan people in my country,” Palacios said.

“Being Miss Universe is more than a crown. It means responsibility, love, patience, and a great job. So thank you [for making] this journey the most amazing job that I have, and the most incredible experience that I live in my life. Gracias, Filipinas (Thank you, Philippines), I love you,” she continued.

MUO Vice President for International Relations Mario Bucaro also declared that the organization will return for the national pageant’s coronation show on May 22, to be held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. But he did not expound any further, if Palacios will also be back.