MANILA – Alethea Ambrosio, hailed as Miss Supranational Asia and Oceania 2024, arrived in the Philippines Friday night following her Top 12 finish at the Miss Supranational 2024 competition held in Poland last July 6.

Ambrosio expressed her joy and gratitude upon her return and emphasized the significance of her achievement as the first Filipino to clinch the title for Asia and Oceania in the Miss Supranational pageant.

“[I’m] very excited to go back as your Miss Supranational Asia and Oceana 2024. This is the first crown for the Philippines sa Miss Supra Asia and Oceania and very excited ako to share it, 'yung journey ko, because it was really fun, it was light. Alam mo ‘yun? I was really myself. I was able to showcase my authenticity and that’s the best part for me,” said Ambrosio.

The beauty queen also highlighted the support she received from Filipino fans and her Asian counterparts, crediting them for her success. 

“[To] the Filipino fans, thank you so much for all the support dahil talaga namang ini-improve nila ko everytime. Sinasabi nila sa 'kin to do what is best for me and na-a-appreciate ko ‘yun,” she acknowledged.

Moving forward, Ambrosio shared her plans to continue with her cultural initiatives, hoping to collaborate with local government officials of the Department of Tourism (DOT) to expand her platform.

“After this competition, alam mo napakarami kong plano to continue 'yung initiative ko which is about culture and sana hopefully we will be able to join first with the local government official or Department of Tourism to have a bigger platform for my initiative,” she said eagerly.

Addressing aspiring beauty queens, Ambrosio also offered advise based on her experience. 

“Just be yourself,” she urged. “To all aspiring beauty queens, ang message ko sainyo is to just be yourself. Huwag kayo masyadong makinig sa background noise, wag kayo masyado ma distract… Relax lang, just be yourself [and] protect yourself at all costs because the important thing when you’re competing is yourself because you’re representing your country.”