Nicole Cordoves (left) and Chelsea Manalo | Image: Contributed photo/ Instagram, @manalochelsea
Miss Chinatown 2014 Nicole Cordoves extended her good luck to Philippine bet Chelsea Manalo as she began her journey to the Miss Universe crown.
During the media conference for the Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Global on Thursday, Oct. 24, Cordoves extended a message to Manalo, who’s currently in Los Angeles, California, gearing up for the international tilt’s coronation night.
“Hi, Chelsea, very very sweet, angelic girl. Good luck on your journey and I’m sure your kind, gentle soul will emanate throughout your journey. Make as many friendships as you can and just enjoy the whole process and be as authentic as you can because that’s what you showed us in the Miss Universe Philippines pageant. You’re good, girl!” she said.
Manalo officially began her journey in Miss Universe 2024 ahead of the coronation night on Nov. 16 (Nov. 17 in Manila) in Mexico. Aside from the preparations that she will take in LA, the Bulakenya beauty queen’s side trip aims to “acclimatize” the Filipino delegate to the different timezone of the host country, as per MUPH Executive Vice President Voltaire Tayag.
The Philippine bet will be up against 120 delegates to inherit the Miss Universe crown from Nicaraguan Sheynnis Palacios. Manalo is vying to be the fifth titleholder from the Philippines, following Gloria Diaz, Margie Moran, Pia Wurtzbach, and Catriona Gray.
Meanwhile, Cordoves, who shared that she was supposed to have a hosting gig with Gray in Sorsogon, also extended her prayers to the affected areas amid the onslaught of tropical storm Kristine.
“We have hosting gigs together but because of the typhoon, they got postponed. We were supposed to be in Sorsogon. So I’m really praying everyone is okay in the region because they were hit really hard. Stay safe, everyone,” she expressed.
For the meantime, the Miss Grand International 2016 1st runner-up asked her supporters to continue listening to her podcast with Gray, as she shared that they are also planning to host meet-up events to bond with the fans.
Meanwhile, Cordoves was recently announced as the first-ever ambassador for the inaugural Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Global, which is set to take place in January 2025.