Beauty queen Roberta Tamondong is only a few hours away from passing on her crown to her successor as Miss Grand Philippines.
The grand coronation night of the pageant's pioneer edition is scheduled for tonight, July 13, 2023, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Read: 11 stunning national costumes at Miss Grand Philippines 2023 prelims
A few days before the pageant's finale, Roberta expressed her thoughts about her upcoming final walk as Miss Grand Philippines before relinquishing her crown.
"I feel emotional because it's been almost a year since my reign from Miss Grand Philippines and I've learned so much," she told PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) at a press conference on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, at Holiday Inn Express in Parañaque City.
She continued, "And I just can't wait for you all to hear my speech. And we've come a long way for the Philippines. We're one step closer to our goal.
"Maybe for [our] next representative, we might get the golden crown with their dedication and hard work. And all of that I've been doing in my reign is purely and entirely for the Filipino people."
Read: Miss Grand Philippines 2022 Roberta Tamondong keeps focus on going back to school
Roberta also took the opportunity to share some last-minute words of advice with the Miss Grand Philippines 2023 candidates.
According to her, possessing the drive and determination to work hard is of utmost importance in their journey.
She said, "Like Sir Nawat [Istragisil] said, you have to have that [eagerness] to work every single day because that's what we do.
"And that's what we did during our time when we got the chance to be in Thailand for like a month and a half."
Nawat Istragisil is the founder of the Miss Grand International pageant.
Roberta underscored the importance of candidates radiating energy during the opening introduction and runway segments of the pageant.
Furthermore, she expressed her own excitement for these specific parts of the pageant.
She said, "I'm really looking forward for the girls to be more in character, be more energetic, be more themselves.
"Because if you're a person who is very comfortable with walking down the stage, like saying your city or your province with confidence, then I think you are really, really good... to be one of the representatives in the Philippines for Miss Grand International.
"And of course, you do have that certain eagerness... to be determined every single day, to work every single day when it comes to call times."
Lastly, Roberta emphasized the significance of showing respect to everyone they work with, particularly the dedicated staff of the pageant.
She said, "When it comes to the staff, you have to be very respectful.
"And that's one thing that I've learned during Miss Grand International is that you build a relationship with the staff, with the people every single day.
"And I hope the girls will also take my advice for it because I've experienced it.
"And it's one of the best pageants that I've experienced by far because Miss Grand International is definitely a pageant to beat."
Following her reign, Roberta stated that she intends to prioritize completing her college studies.
In a previous interview with PEP.ph, she said, "Definitely, I’m gonna go back to school, because the last time when I joined Binibini, I filed an LOA [leave of absence].
"Like long story short, I’m going back to school to finish my studies. I’m taking AB English, and I wanna be a journalist in the future."
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