Ahtisa Manalo has found one familiar face when she set foot in Thailand for the 74th Miss Universe pageant – recently-crowned Miss Grand International Emma Tiglao.
The two Filipino queens met at the Chatrium Hotel and Residence Riverside Bangkok on Sunday, Nov. 2, where the Miss Universe delegates are staying for the initial leg of this year’s pageant edition.
The Miss Grand International Ltd. Co. is organizing the Miss Universe pageant’s staging in Thailand, and Tiglao was part of the team that welcomed the ladies. She will be involved in other activities as well. Manalo, who is representing the Philippines in the Miss Universe pageant, flashed a gleeful smile at Tiglao upon seeing her, and the two were filmed having a tight embrace, while Miss Grand International Pres. Nawat Itsaragrisil looked on.
Tiglao also got to be with Miss Universe Victoria Kjær Theilvig. ‘Such an honor to witness the arrival of the Miss Universe candidates with the reigning Miss Universe,’ she said.
There was a time when such a scenario was highly unlikely to have happened, especially because Itsaragrisil had challenged the Miss Universe pageant’s position as one of the leading international competitions.
But earlier this year, he snagged the Miss Universe Thailand franchise from TPN Global Co., the country’s former licensee.
Itsaragrisil’s company secured a five-year contract to conduct a search for Thailand’s Miss Universe delegate for five years for a staggering THB130 million (roughly P309 million).
Later, the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) announced that Thailand’s hosting of the 74th competition would be handled by Itsaragrisil’s Miss Grand International Ltd.
This got many pageant fans excited because Miss Grand International has been known for its glossy production, with massive stages and huge LED panels.
But the MUO and Itsaragrisil are seemingly locked in conflict now, after the organization issued a statement that said his online poll on the Miss Universe Thailand page is ‘not authorized.’
The organization added: ‘All official communications, announcements, and voting initiatives from the Miss Universe Organization are published exclusively through verified channels.’