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MANILA, Philippines – Days after competing in Miss Grand International in Venezuela, Samantha Lo, the country’s bet in the pageant posted a lengthy message to thank family, friends, and the team who lend their help to train her.
Samantha failed to win the crown. Venezuela’s Valentina Figuera won the title. (IN PHOTOS: Samantha Lo’s Miss Grand International 2019 journey
On Instagram Tuesday, October 29, Samantha began by saying that it was “safe to say that thousands know the story of what happened to me along my journey to the crown but only a handful know the thoughts and feelings I experience everyday.”
The Cebuana beauty queen made headlines when she confirmed that she had trouble with her travel documents on her way to Venezuela. Binibining Pilipinas Charities (BPCI) confirmed that Samantha got held because of her passport. The Department of Foreign Affairs said they had no record of her on their passport database.
“Thoughts and feelings that barge into my head everyday like uninvited guests making themselves at home and turning everything upside down and scattered in the process. The fear that someone is going to take me and the thought that ‘I am a failure’ are the two most common uninvited guests that love to show up frequently during the day. But there was a new guest that showed up, and they showed up by the hundreds of thousands. Physical people, from around the world, warmly embracing me with words of kindness. Letting me know that I am not doing this alone, that I am loved and I have inspired, that I am special. To these people I want to say thank you for your love and compassion, you have inspired me to keep fighting. I am the product of your butterfly effect,” she wrote.
“To my family, thank you for always protecting me in any circumstance. For being the foundation of the morale I carry in life and for teaching me that if we receive hate we do not send hate back, we send back understanding, compassion, and justice.”
She also thanked Stella Araneta, the chairperson of BPCI for trusting her with the Miss Grand International title, and the Miss Grand International organization, for accepting her despite her travel hiccups. She also thanked the Aces and Queens team for believing in her.
Samantha thanked her fashion and styling team – Edwin Uy and Ryan Ablaza Uson, Bessie Besana, and Christopher Munar. She also thanked sponsors who backed her during the preparations.
“Philippines, its been a hell of a ride. I’ll see you on the next one.”
She also gave a special message to Carlos “Caloy” Buendia Jr for teaching her the “Maria Clara walk.” She also thanked beauty queens Nicole Cordoves and reigning Miss Universe Catriona Gray.
“I will never forget the day we met, the peaceful aura you had and the joy in your eyes. Never once did you want me to be anyone else, never once did we use the word “No” during our time together. You instilled the mentality in me that I am perfect just the way I am and let’s appreciate every quality I have, let’s use them to our advantage to create and explore, to make something iconic. And we did. You have given me a new confidence, a new person to be proud of. I could not have done any of this without you,” Nicole said of Caloy.
“@binibiningnicolecordoves and @catriona_gray, you are genuine, funny, intelligent, honest, and always there to catch me when I fall. You guys are the greatest mentors, thank you for always looking out for me.”
—Rappler.com
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