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25/01/2018
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By: Robert R. Requintina
Updated January 25, 2018, 9:19 AM
The Philippines continued to be a pageant powerhouse with model and video jockey Katarina Rodriguez emerging as first runner up at the Miss Intercontinental 2017 beauty pageant in Egypt last Wednesday.
Veronia Salas Vallejo of Mexico was crowned Miss Intercontinental 2017.
Other winners were Catherlijne Heppenhuis, Netherlands, 2nd runner-up; Amanda Cardoso, Brazil, 3rd runner-up; Lizeth Mendieta, Colombia, 4th runner-up; and Lee Su Jin, Korea, 5th runner-up.
The Philippines has never topped this international competition. In 2015, Christi McGarry won first-runner up in the same contest.
Rodriguez is the last of the reigning batch of Bb. Pilipinas beauty queens who competed in international pageants. Other Binibinis who won abroad were Elizabeth Clenci who placed 2nd runner-up in the Miss Grand International pageant and Nelda Ibe, 1st runner-up in Miss Globe.
Rodriguez, 24, is a graduate of Business Management and Philosophy at the De La Salle University on Taft Avenue in Manila.
Aside from reading and modelling, this 5’5 beauty queen is a cycling instructor and a competitive long distance runner.
Before she competed in pageants, Rodriguez was a familiar face on television as a runner-up in Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 2 in 2014. She was also an MTV video jockey and was under contract with Viva Artists Agency.
A few days before the finals of the international pageant, Rodriguez thanked her supporters on social media.
“Philippines! I know that the voting has not been working and for me specifically, but please do not give up hope on me or Miss Intercontinental.
“Instead, just pray to Papa Jesus that I win what I came here for– the crown. I know everyone wants to vote and is frustrated that they cannot vote, but let us remember by grace through faith and that being negative no matter how heavy a feeling we have will help us triumph;
“Please pray with me and I will do my best here to perform for you, our country and God. Thank you so much for your passion, but let us keep positive. With all the gratitude in this universe, thank you,” she said on Instagram.
Rodriguez was referring to the hacking incident of the Miss Intercontinental pageant website at the height of the online voting for the candidates. It was closed prematurely.
The Filipina beauty queen finished third online with 2,213 votes. Miss Korea topped the online voting with 3,638 votes and Miss Indonesia was second with 3,635 votes.
“Due to renewed massive hacking attempts of the voting, we were forced to end the voting prematurely. We regret that people tried to manipulate the election in such a way,” organizers of the pageant announced on their website.
A total of 68 candidates competed at the 46th Miss Intercontinental beauty pageant this year.
Other candidates who finished in the Top 18 semi-finals were delegates from Serbia, Australia, Egypt, Hungary, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia, Nigeria, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Russia and Vietnam.
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