Samantha Lo

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.

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I know people have been waiting to hear from me but this past week has been such a rollercoaster of stress and uncertainty that I felt it was unnecessary to involve the public. I chose to break my silence until I arrived in Venezuela because I wanted to make sure I got here safely. Despite what happened last week and the trauma that came with it, I have moved forward and pursued this journey knowing that I did not intentionally commit any of the acts that have been unfairly attributed to me. But yes, my local organizer, who handled my travel preparations, failed to equip me with the proper transit visa that may have enabled me to complete my earlier trip to this host country. Moreso, it wasn’t them who got me out of detention and put me safely on that plane to come back home. It was my family and other well-meaning Filipinos who did – and they are still not resting until this is over. And when this is all over, I hope to bring home the crown and glory to the Philippines and our people. It is not easy for me to do this – I still struggle with the fear and the trauma of recent days – but I know there is a bigger picture here and I will not let such fear silence me or deter me from the grand task ahead. I have come here not only as the candidate from the Philippines but as the voice of those who have faced similar situations like mine, the voice of those who have been abandoned of opportunity and pressured to remain silent. To Miss Grand International who has welcomed me with open arms, you are an amazing organization that has showed me nothing but compassion and humanity from the very beginning. Thank you for accepting me and giving me the opportunity to represent my country. Your Miss Grand International Philippines, Samantha Ashley Lo . . Designer @raus1983 MUA @theleiponce Hairstylist @iammjrone Accessories by @christophermunar Heels by @_jeffersonsi 📸 @giomarasigan . . #missgrandinternationalphilippines #missgrandinternational #giveSAMLOve #forthephilippines

A post shared by Samantha Ashley Villar Lo (@samantha_ashley_lo) on Oct 19, 2019 at 8:52am PDT

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:

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Time check 9:14PM, please don't forget to LIKE the official photo for Best in Swimsuit award on Miss Grand International's FB page and to those who already voted, thank you ❤️🤗 Good night ✨ . . . #missgrandinternational2019 #missgrandinternationalphilippines2019 #giveSAMLOve #forthephilippines

A post shared by Samantha Ashley Villar Lo (@samantha_ashley_lo) on Oct 19, 2019 at 6:20pm PDT