“It’s her destiny!” ang natawang sagot ni Ahtisa Manalo sa pabirong obserbasyon ng Cabinet Files na kung birthday niya noong November 9, 2018, malaki ang posibilidad na siya ang nanalo ng Miss International crown.
But as fate would have it, si Miss Venezuela Mariem Velasco ang nag-uwi ng korona at si Ahtisa ang first runner-up niya.
May mga nagsabing ang Philippine delegate ang deserving na manalo ng Miss International 2018 title, pero nakuha ni Mariem ang simpatiya ng mga hurado dahil birthday niya sa araw ng koronasyon na ginanap sa Tokyo, Japan.
"Maybe that will have a big impact [if it’s my birthday], pero hindi natin alam. It’s her destiny.
"Maybe my destiny is different so if it’s for you, it’s really for you so it’s for Venezuela that night!" ang tawang-tawang pahayag ni Ahtisa.
Tiyak nang papasok sa showbiz si Ahtisa, ayon sa kanyang manager na si Jonas Gaffud.
Ano naman ang reaksiyon ni Ahtisa sa mga nagsasabing siya ang dapat na nagwagi sa international beauty pageant na sinalihan niya?
Sagot niya, "We all have different perceptions and we all have different opinions and judgments.
"The sad thing is I hope those people who said that I should have won are judges, but the sad thing is they’re not, so it’s really the judges opinion pa rin and the organization."
Para kay Ahtisa, very good ang once in a lifetime na paglahok niya sa Miss International 2018 dahil sa mga taong kanyang nakilala at mga hindi makalilimutang karanasan.
"For me, it’s a once in a lifetime experience.
"We were treated there like royalties.
"We were given the best food, the best accommodations, the best of everything in Japan.
"I think that’s the best way to experience Japan for me and they treat us there with utmost respect and they really think that we can do something.
"We weren’t just able to meet just normal people. We were able to meet ministers. We’re able to meet leaders of the government, leaders of certain causes.
"I really feel humbled to have that experience," kuwento ni Ahtisa, na dumating sa Pilipinas mula sa Japan noong November 19, 2018.
Humarap si Ahtisa sa mga miyembro ng media sa send-off presscon para kay Jeff Langan na ginanap sa Empire Studios nitong Sabado ng hapon, November 24.
Si Jeff ang official candidate ng Pilipinas sa Manhunt International 2018 na mangyayari sa December 2, 2018 sa Goldcoast, Australia.