The 2019 Miss Grand International held its welcome ceremony and press conference with its official candidates at TELEVEN TV Station in Caracas, Venezuela on October 15, 2019. Filipino beauty pageants were worried why Samantha Ashley Lo, 26, of the Philippines was not among the candidates who participated in the event.
Neither Miss Grand International nor Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Incorporated has released a statement about Lo’s absence. According to reports, the beauty queen from Cebu, Philippines missed her plane to Venezuela when she arrived in Paris, France where she was not allowed to stay for more than one day.
Lo reportedly had a passport issue, was sent back to the Philippines and is currently trying to get a ticket again to go to Venezuela. These claims have yet to be confirmed.
On October 2, 2019, a send-off press conference was held at the Versailles Tent of Novotel Manila Araneta City in Quezon City, Metro Manila for Lo and Bb. Pilipinas Globe 2019 Leren Mae Bautista. Representing the Philippines, Bautista and Lo will compete in Miss Globe 2019 on October 21, 2019 in Tirana, Albania and in Miss Grand International 2019 in Caracas on October 25, 2019.
On October 9, 2019, Lo took to Instagram to share a photo of herself leaving the Philippines while holding the Philippines flag. She expressed her excitement to arrive in Venezuela.
As of October 16, 2019, Lo’s pre-arrival photo is still in Miss Grand International’s Facebook page. If she makes it to the competition and wins, she will become the international beauty pageant’s first ever titleholder from the Philippines.
Lo is an English as a Second Language instructor. She was crowned Bb. Pilipinas-Grand International 2019 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on June 9, 2019.
CONAN Daily 