Miss Universe Philippines 2024 Chelsea Manalo (left) Miss Manila-Tourism Angela Okol (middle), and reigning Miss Manila Gabrielle Lantzer (right). Images from Instagram, Armin P. Adina
Newly-crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2024 Chelsea Manalo was considered by many as an underdog in the recently-concluded national competition, with many other aspirants generating a lot of noise leading up to the finale. But a couple of beauty queens said they already saw a winner in her earlier on.
“People are labeling her (Manalo) as the dark horse of the competition. But to me, she has always stood out, especially with how she presents herself, how she’s really confident with her skin,” reigning Miss Manila Gabrielle Lantzer told INQUIRER.net at the sidelines of the presentation of the city pageant’s 2024 candidates held at the Manila City Hall on May 24.
Reigning Miss Manila-Tourism Angela Okol also heaped praises on the dusky national queen. “I think she’ll do really well in Mexico, because as we know a lot of Latinas there have lighter skin. So sending someone like Chelsea there with her fierce aura, she kinda reminds me of Naomi Campbell, the supermodel, so I think she’ll do really well,” she said.
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For Lantzer, Manalo truly deserved the title, even from the get-go. “It’s really proper for her to get the crown, because she’s also just a wonderful person to look at, and she’s presented herself and such. So I like it, I love it!” the Manileña beauty said.
Okol, herself a former Miss Universe Philippines aspirant, said Manalo only needed “a little bit more polishing” on her communication skills, “and I’m sure she’ll be able to do great on the [Miss Universe] competition.”
When Lantzer won the city crown last year, many pageant fans wanted her to try getting a national title. But the then 18-year-old beauty instead focused on her duties as Manila’s ambassador of tourism, culture, and heritage, while pursuing her pre-medicine degree at the De La Salle University.
She and Okol, along with Miss Manila-Charity Anne De Mesa, will relinquish their respective city titles to their successors, who will be proclaimed at the 2024 Miss Manila pageant’s coronation show to be held at the Manila Metropolitan Theater on June 22.
Twenty-four aspirants representing different districts and villages are competing in this year’s pageant. Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray will return to host the ceremonies. Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna said the pageant’s pursuit of looking for “Women of Worth” that started in the competition’s revival edition last year will still be the guiding principle in choosing the winners.
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