Samantha Bernardo wows with 'Agila' costume at Miss Grand International

MAR 25, 2021 10:54 AM PHT

MANILA, PHILIPPINES

Samantha's 'Agila' costume aims to raise awareness on the Philippine Eagle

Miss Grand Philippines Samantha Bernardo made waves on social media with her eagle-inspired national costume at the Miss Grand International pageant on Wednesday, March 24.

In a post from the Bb. Pilipinas Facebook page, Samantha’s costume “Agila” is said to be a representation of the Philippines’ national bird – the Philippine Eagle.

“This costume also intends to create awareness because the Philippine Eagle is critically endangered, mainly due to massive loss of habitat resulting from deforestation in most of its range,” the post said.

Designer Patrick Isorena shared that he used gold to represent Samatha’s pageant journey and to pay homage to the Miss Grand International golden crown.

“Just like gold, it is extravagant, wealthy, rich, and indestructible, like Samantha–- a queen who never gave up on her dreams,” he said on Instagram.

You can watch Samantha’s performance in the video below starting at the 45:04 mark. Voting for the national costume will run from March 24, 11 pm until March 26, 8 am.

Earlier this week, Samantha also wowed netizens with her #GRANDnadaWalk for the swimsuit competition, where she was included in the top 5 "best in swimsuit" finalists.

Samantha, who was Binibining Pilipinas 2nd runner-up in 2018 and 2019, was appointed to represent the Philippines after titleholder Aya Abesamis was deemed unable to compete due to age restrictions.

Samantha is eyed to be the first Filipina to win the Miss Grand International title. The coronation night will be held in Bangkok, Thailand on March 27. – Rappler.com

https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/pageants/samantha-bernardo-national-costume-miss-grand-international-2021