Ahtisa Manalo on Instagram. Image by @bong.tan
Filipino pageant fans showed the might of their “bayanihan” spirit as votes for Ahtisa Manalo breached the one-million mark in an online poll for the 2024 Miss Cosmo pageant, the first edition of the Vietnam-based international competition.
The lass from Quezon Province shared the update on social media on Wednesday evening, Sept. 4, and said, “1,000,500 votes as of 5:36 P.M.! [shocked emoji][surprised emoji] Maraming salamat mahal kong Pilipinas! [Philippine flag emoji][blue heart emoji].”
The Miss Philippines Cosmo Ahtisa Manalo/MA. AHTISA MANALO FACEBOOK PHOTO
Manalo is campaigning to lead in the selection for the “Cosmo Social Ambassador” award, whose recipient will earn a guaranteed spot in the Top 21. The poll is currently in the first round of voting among candidates split into groups.
The winners from each group will then advance to the second round of voting, where the top vote-getter will receive the award, and automatically advance to the semifinals during the coronation show. Manalo is included in Group 3.
To vote, fans must first like and follow the Miss Cosmo Facebook fanpage. A point will be counted for each reaction, comment, or share on a candidate’s photo profile. “Votes will only be counted if voters have LIKED and FOLLOWED the voting platform,” the pageant said.
Manalo is not new to global pageantry. In 2018, she was crowned Binibining Pilipinas International, and represented the Philippines at the 58th Miss International pageant n Japan. She finished second to Venezuela’s Mariem Velasco in the competition.
She earned her current international pageant participation after finishing as second runner-up in the 2024 Miss Universe Philippines competition in May. The national tilt’s sister brand The Miss Philippines chose the country’s representatives to various contests, and Manalo confirmed that she chose to compete in Miss Cosmo.
The coronation night of the 2024 Miss Cosmo pageant will be held at the Phu Tho Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Oct. 6.