Build up for Miss Supranational 2024 pageant has been low-key special for Pinoy fans, as two titleholders visited the country over the past few months.
It was late October when incumbent queen, Andrea Aguilera, graced the inaugural The Miss Philippines pageant along with her organization's president, Gerhard Parzutka von Lipinski. In a decidedly poignant moment, the Ecuadorian stunner took the stage to present the Miss Supranational Woman of Substance Award to her Pinay runner-up, Pauline Amelinckx. It was a touching reunion, as it marked the duo's first time together onstage since Małopowska. The emotion in that embrace was palpable, and it was a fitting culmination to Pauline's pageant career.
Making Andrea's visit more eventful was she spent time with the Philippines' first and only winner, Mutya Datul, over dinner.
Fast forward three months later, and another former winner set foot on our shores - albeit under a different mantle. Still, it's worth remembering where Anntonia Porsild had her start. Long before she won hearts as Miss Universe 2023 First Runner-Up (and "Mommy" to Michelle Dee's "Daddy"), she was Thailand's first Supranational winner. Having been crowned three months before the pandemic, she wound up with the longest reign.
That's understandably eclipsed at this point (look at her IG bio). But if the powers-that-be have graciously accepted this reality, then, so should fans. Indeed, these are peculiar times in pageantry. It's not just the standards that have evolved. So have the norms. In no time, they should be easier to digest.
Either way, Anntonia's visit was nothing short of a milestone, whether you're #PorDee shipper or a fan of the queen since 2019. Indirectly, it still fueled anticipation for the 15th edition.
This year would have welcomed 72 delegates. It's not exactly a record high like 2013's 83, but still an abundance, compared to the maiden edition's 36. The pageantwas always never a stranger to fluctuating delegations. That strongly held true in 2021, when they returned from pandemic hiatus with only 58 delegates. It's understandable, given the circumstances then. Fortunately, numbers have recovered steadily since. Hopefully, we see the roster surpass 70 again in coming years.
So, who are this year's no-shows? Well, aside from Togo's Claire Kougbleame, who's still listed in the app, at least three ladies took part in the online Supra Chat Challenge, but never arrived in Poland. They are:
EQUATORIAL GUINEA - María José Nzang. Originally introduced in Group Five, this business graduate is now the second Equatoguinean in a row to pull out post-Supra Chat.
KOREA – Choi Jeong-Eun. This model was from the all-Asian Group Eight but was quietly dropped from the roster thereafter. She also didn't submit an Introduction Video. With her withdrawal, her country now joins Belarus and Namibia as this year's non-participating previous champs, but at least her Mister Supranational counterpart is present and making waves.
CAMBODIA – Chhum Chandara. This reality show winner and singer appeared in Group Ten and had a promising start as a Miss Influencer Opportunity qualifier. Unfortunately, visa issues prevented her to proceed. It's a shame, because she seemed to be her country's best shot yet.
This brings this year's total to 68 - again, far from a record, but still a decent count as the pageant marks its crystal year. It's also fortunate that that number stayed intact post-arrival. Thus, this year kicked off without a hitch. And among this year's pre-pageant events was a Summer Solstice celebration, which proved to be a visual feast.
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