Chelsea Manalo's victory at Miss Universe-Philippines 2024 came as a pleasant surprise for many. The Bulacan representative was a dark horse for numerous forecasters, and now that the La Mer en Majeste crown rests on her head, fans are eager to see how she'll fare on the global stage.
Prior to the coronation night, the 22-year-old beauty queen had to deal with the struggle of financing her pageant journey. In a recent interview with Boy Abunda, she details how she almost quit due to a lack of resources.
Chelsea Manalo on Almost Quitting Miss Universe-Philippines 2024
Upon discussing the struggles of competing, Boy brought up how there were reports that Chelsea almost threw in the towel. True enough, she attests, "I was on the verge of quitting na po."
She went on, explaining how being an independent candidate made things even more challenging for her. "We have to face it, tito Boy, medyo matagal yung competition this time. Inabot sya ng four months. Ako po, I came in here as an independent [candidate]. Wala akong resources," she says.
She adds that there were times when the costs would get too much that she had to resort to buying dresses from online stores. On top of this were other expenses for makeup and transportation.
"Magastos sya kasi, ako, I [go] back and forth from Bulacan. So, siguro yung transportation. The dress, the makeup, everything you have to provide on your own," Chelsea expresses. "I didn’t have [financial] resources. So [dumating] talaga sa point na [naubos ako]. And I was almost there, [about to] quit."
It came to a point where Chelsea had to reach out to the local government units of Bulcan for support. Thankfully, with an extra push from her glam team, she saw the competition through and made it all the way to the top spot. "Sila yung nag-support sa akin when I almost gave up. Sila yung nagtiwala sa akin," she states. "Most especially my mom and my dad, hindi nila ako iniwan."
Watch Chelsea's full interview with Boy Abunda below.
WATCH: Chelsea Manalo's Full Interview with Boy Abunda
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