Another Binibini takes Miss CosmoWorld Philippines crown

Miss CosmoWorld Philippines Samantha Viktoria Acosta waves to the crowd after her coronation. Image: INQUIRER.net/Armin P. Adina

Another alumna of the Binibining Pilipinas pageant was crowned Miss CosmoWorld Philippines when Samantha Viktoria Acosta inherited the title from fellow Binibini Elda Louise Aznar at the culmination of the national competition on Wednesday evening, Nov. 6.

Third time’s the charm for the Bulacan lass, as she finally snagged a title on her third national competition. She just came fresh from her participation in the 2024 Bb. Pilipinas pageant in July, where she advanced to the Top 15 and was proclaimed as Playtime Binibini. She also joined the 2017 Miss Philippines Earth pageant.

Acosta bested 11 other aspirants in the competition held at the Winford Manila Hotel and Casino. She also took home the Best in Swimsuit award and was proclaimed as Miss JC. She also earned her spot in the Final Five with her Miss Popularity award.

The Miss CosmoWorld Philippines pageant is a national competition that is mounted by another Bb. Pilipinas alumna, 2021 runner-up Meiji Cruz who became the first Filipino woman to bring home the Miss CosmoWorld title from Malaysia. She posted her international victory in 2022.

Aznar finished second in the international competition last year, and Acosta hopes to sustain the Philippines’ strong showing by duplicating Cruz’s feat.

Not to be confused with the “Miss Cosmo” pageant that held its first edition this year in Vietnam, where the Philippines’ Ahtisa Manalo finished in the Top 10, the Miss CosmoWorld pageant is based in Kuala Lumpur and has been holding competitions since 2017. Cruz won in the sixth edition of the Malaysia contest.

Acosta will have very little time to prepare for her international competition. Cruz told INQUIRER.net that the new queen is set to leave for Kuala Lumpur on Monday, Nov. 11, just four days after the national pageant.

But this will not be the first time that a Filipino delegate just had days to prepare for a global tilt. CJ Opiaza, who was proclaimed first runner-up in the recently concluded Miss Grand International pageant, won her national crown only three days before flying to her international competition.

Two more international pageant representatives were proclaimed alongside Acosta, Miss CosmoWorld Philippines Tourism Leean Jame Santos from Manila, and Miss CosmoWorld Philippines Charity Angel De Jesus from Bocaue. But their global competitions were not yet announced.

Angel Araña from Aurora Province finished as first runner-up, while former child actress Anna Katharina Go Kauffman from the province of Albay was second runner-up.

Bb. Pilipinas alumna Shanon Tampon, who was first runner-up in the 2021 Miss Elite pageant in Egypt and first runner-up in the 2023 Miss Grand Philippines contest, failed to advance to the finals and just went home with the Best in Evening Gown award.