Samantha Ashley Lo, 26, is officially the candidate of the Philippines to Miss Grand International 2019. On October 20, 2019, the Cebuana beauty queen took to Instagram to break her silence.
According to Lo, it was her local organizer who handled her travel preparations. She explained that the organizer failed to equip her with the proper transit visa that may have enabled her to complete her earlier trip to Venezuela, the host country of Miss Grand International 2019.
To get to Venezuela from the Philippines, Lo traveled to Paris, France where she was supposed to have a connecting flight. She had issues with her passport so she was held at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris for 13 hours and was deported back to the Philippines.
Thanks to Lo’s family and “other well-meaning Filipinos” who got her out of detention and put her safely on the plane to come back to the Philippines, she revealed. Unfortunately, her local organizer did not do anything to help.
Including Lo, 60 candidates will compete for the Miss Grand International 2019 title. Reigning queen Clara Sosa, 26, of Paraguay will crown her successor at Poliedro de Caracas on October 25, 2019.
Since Lo missed the Best in Swimsuit competition of Miss Grand International 2019 at the Tamanaco Intercontinental Hotel in Caracas on October 17, 2019, she was given a chance to have her own swimsuit photoshoot. Here is her official swimsuit photo: