
The country's newest Miss Grand Philippines CJ Opiaza hasn't left the country yet, but already is a contender in one of the Miss Grand International's challenges.
In one of the more recent posts on the Miss Grand Philippines official Instagram account, the organization shared that CJ is in the top six of the Miss Grand International pre-arrival voting. Making up the top five are Miss Myanmar, Miss Indonesia, Miss Vietnam, Miss Cambodia, and Miss Thailand. In the caption to the post, the organization shared that the 10 highest-ranking contestants will win a dinner with the pageant president.
CJ is set to leave for Phnom Penh, Cambodia today, at 10 p.m. Before flying off, CJ will be given a send-off as well as hold a press conference. The Miss Grand Philippines called on pageant fans and followers to send her off with “confidence and determination”.
CJ was crowned Miss Grand Philippines last Sunday, September 29. While she is flying in to Cambodia for some of the Miss Grand International activities, the pageant's coronation night will be held on October 25 in Bangkok.
CJ was crowned at the final show held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, Newport World Resorts, besting 19 other queens.
Related Gallery: The Final 20 Miss Grand Philippines candidates
CJ won the crown thanks to her answer during the question and answer portion of the show, where she was asked if beauty queens should also receive the same monetary rewards as medal-winning athletes. She responded that beauty queens should use the attention to push for their advocacies instead.
“Being able to stand here is already a reward for us. Actually, I think that we actually don't need an incentive or a monetary reward to be able to be seen or to be heard," she said. "Just the very platform like this is already championing the lives of the people believing us, the people who we inspire. I hope all the beauty queens here will continue their legacy to push for their causes, to present themselves around the world."
CJ Opiaza is succeeding Miss Grand Philippines 2023 Nikki de Moura, who represented the country in the Miss Grand International pageant last year at the Phú Thọ Indoor Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
TAKE A LOOK AT NIKKI MOURA'S PHOTOS BELOW