The Miss Philippines-Cosmo 2024 Ahtisa Manalo/ARMIN P. ADINA
Part of the preparations in joining a pageant is to review past competitions and learn from the previous titleholders. But Ahtisa Manalo does not have this privilege as she embarks on her Miss Cosmo 2024 journey because the international contest is just holding its first edition this year.
At her send-off press conference held at The Vault at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City on Saturday, Sept. 7, INQUIRER.net asked her how challenging it has been not having a history or background to study for her Miss Cosmo quest.
“I actually saw it as an opportunity. I thought that having no history, it’s a great thing to for me to be a trailblazer, I can set the standard. So I didn’t see it as a challenge,” said the entrepreneur from Quezon Province.
“I want to set the standard that they need an Ahtisa, hopefully, for them to be a Miss Cosmo, someone who has a heart to effect long-lasting positive change, not just for herself, but for the community that she lives in, and the people around here,” continued Manalo.
She earned her national title after finishing as second runner-up in the 2024 Miss Universe Philippines pageant in May. The national tilt’s sister brand The Miss Philippines holds the franchise for Miss Cosmo and other contests, and chose the country’s delegates to various global competitions among the finalists.
Manalo herself and Miss Universe Philippines Executive Vice President Voltaire Tayag confirmed that it was she who chose the Miss Cosmo from the list of international competitions up for grabs. MaNy pageant observers at that time perceived it as a “downgrade” for the queen, who has already finished second in the Miss International pageant in 2018.
But Manalo said she wanted to throw her support for a “startup” like Miss Cosmo, because as a young entrepreneur, she could relate to the optimism of a budding enterprise, as someone who has experienced being the newbie in a field.
And this appeared to be a wise decision, as the Miss Cosmo pageant has been generating a lot of interest. Manalo said the international organization hopes to change the face of pageantry, and many fans have now been eagerly anticipating how the Vietnamese organizers are planning to accomplish it.
The poll for “Cosmo Social Ambassador” award has already generated millions of votes from around the world for the delegates, with Manalo amassing more than 1 million votes during the first round of voting to lead in her group.
The winners from the four groups will advance to the next round of voting, where the top vote-getter will earn a guaranteed spot in the Top 21. Meanwhile, the international pageant has launched another online poll that will give the winner a direct entry to the Top 10.
“Are you ready for an exciting new way to support our Cosmo queens on their journey to the Top 10 Finalists? Get ready to ignite the competition with the ‘COSMO PEOPLE’S CHOICE’ AWARD! The voting website, powered by Eventista, will be announced soon,” the Miss Cosmo pageant posted on social media.
The recently-announced voting has different stages, and the first stage has already commenced. For details on both online polls, visit the Miss Cosmo pageant’s official social media accounts.
The 2024 Miss Cosmo coronation night will be held at the Phu Tho Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Oct. 5. The delegates are expected to arrive in Hanoi this week.