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A post shared by Ma Ahtisa Manalo (@ahtisa) on Nov 12, 2018 at 2:06am PST

MANILA – Philippine bet Ahtisa Manalo had a homecoming press conference on Monday, with the beauty queen looking back on her journey as a Miss International 2018 candidate.

Manalo, who finished first runner-up to Venezuela’s Mariem Velazco, thanked all of those who have supported her throughout the pageant.

“I’ve prepared for six months and I think I did my best,” she added. “But sadly, my best is still not the best for Miss International. I hope I still made you proud even though I finished first runner-up.”

• ‘Binigay ko lahat’: Ahtisa Manalo on runner-up finish in Miss International

Manalo stressed that Velazco deserved the Miss International crown, contrary to remarks by other people that she only won because it was her birthday.

“I don’t think she won because it’s her birthday… All of us, all 77 of us girls worked hard for it. We prepared for it, so I think it’s unfair for us to say that Mariem won just because it’s her birthday. She worked hard for it also,” she explained.

The Filipina beauty queen went on to talk about “destiny,” believing that this year’s Miss International crown was not meant for her.

“I really think it’s her destiny,” she said, referring to Velazco. “We also wanted the crown, but it’s her destiny.”

“And maybe I have a different destiny.”

As first-runner up, Manalo is set to take part in various Miss International events in Japan, along with Velazco and the rest of the Top 5.

“All five of us are going back to Japan and there are certain events that are lined up… They treat us all equally, all five of us. They treat us all as queens,” she said.

When asked about her cash prize, Manalo replied with a laugh: “It’s just a little amount, just enough to cover the expenses of the pageant.”