When Ahtisa Manalo, 2025 Miss Universe-Philippines landed the Third Runner-Up post, many, especially Filipinos from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and abroad felt she should have won the title because of her winsome performance in the international pageant held at Pan Kret Nonthaburi, Thailand.
But Miss Mexico, Fatima Bosch, romped away with the crown instead.
When Ahtisa finally refused to accept the seemingly consolation prize as Miss Universe Asia, the beauty contests’ observers took to social media and shared with the sentiments of the charming Filipino representative to the world stage.
“Tama lang na huwag niyang tanggapin. Siya dapat ang nanalo ng 2025 Miss Universe at hindi third runner-up lang (It’s right that she didn’t accept it. She should have won the title and not only as a third runner-up),” angrily said Cesar Pangon of Lopez, Quezon.
The Filipino beauty’s assertion that she must decline the elected title has gained a lot of supporters especially when Olivia Yace of Cote d’Ivoire returned the Miss Universe Africa and Oceania title.
Apparently, it meant that there were other disgruntled individuals who protested the proclamation of Bosch.
“Dahil pa ang owner ng Miss Universe Organization ngayon ay si Raul Rocha Cantu ay isang Mexican kaya nanalo ang Miss Mexico? Grabe (Is it because the owner of MUO is a Mexican would mean that Miss Mexico would win? That’s too much),” commented Art Tapalla, an entertainment journalist from Hilabaan, Dolores, Eastern Samar.
Art said that Olivia and Ahtisa deserve the crown more than Mexico. "Either of them," emphasized the writer.
“Palakasan lang talaga ‘yang Miss Universe (It is also whom you know in Miss Universe in order to win),” observed Tapalla who has a high standard in choosing beauty queens.
“Dapat, makipaglaban ang mga kababaihan o kaya ay mag-rally sila dahil mali-mali ang desisyon ng (Women should fight o they stage rallies because of the misjudgment in the) Miss Universe,” pointed out Art, a political activist and a progressive artist in our midst.
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