THE Top 10 finish of Ahtisa Manalo in the inaugural edition of Miss Cosmo 2024 was a heartbreaking loss to pageant fans, including fellow beauty queens, who witnessed Manalo’s strong performance despite her ankle injury.
Manalo ended her Miss Cosmo 2024 stint at the Top 10. Despite her loss, she bagged the People’s Choice Award and was named the Miss Cosmo Tourism Ambassador at the pageant, which was held at the Saigon Riverside Park in Ho Chi Minh City.
Ketut Permata Juliastrid of Indonesia was crowned as the first Miss Cosmo, while Thailand’s Karnruethai Tassabut was the first runner-up.
Despite Manalo’s loss, Miss Universe Philippines 2014 MJ Lastimosa congratulated the Quezon-based beauty queen for representing the country, via her X (formerly Twitter) page.
“Haaaay!!!! Congratulations Ahtisa!!!! Inilaban mo (You fought for it), injured and all!!!! We love you,” she wrote.
Miss Eco Teen Philippines 2024 Raven Doctor said the Philippines is “proud” of Manalo, as seen in the comments of The Miss Philippines’ Instagram post and on her Instagram Story.
Mutya ng Pilipinas International 2011 Vickie Rushton reshared a clip of Manalo during the pageant’s evening gown competition on her Instagram Story, describing her as a “queen.”
Ilongga beauty queen and Miss Eco International Philippines 2025 Alexie Brooks is likewise proud of Manalo on her Miss Cosmo 2024 stint, as seen on her Instagram Story.
Miss Supranational Philippines 2025 Tarah Valencia shared a photo of Manalo which contained the caption: “the true winner” on her Instagram Story. She also expressed her love for her pageant sister in a follow-up post.
Miss Charm Philippines 2025 Cyrille Payumo, on the other hand, reshared INQUIRER.net’s art card congratulating Manalo on her Instagram Story.
Meanwhile, netizens expressed their disappointment over the results of the Vietnam-based pageant, with some pointing out that Manalo “deserved better.”
Others stressed that the Quezon-based beauty queen and entrepreneur is the reason why Miss Cosmo caught the attention of pageant fans.
It remains unknown if the Miss Cosmo 2024 tilt will be Manalo’s final foray into pageantry. Before the newly minted pageant, she was named the first runner-up of Miss International in 2018. (Hannah Mallorca © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
