A Bulacan native, Chelsea Anne Manalo, was crowned as Miss Universe Philippines 2024 at the Mall of Asia Arena today. The 22-year-old Filipino-American gained attention after a rumored list of Miss Universe Philippines 2021 aspirants was posted on a Facebook page. Manalo, who hails from Meycauayan, Bulacan, previously competed in Miss World Philippines in 2017 and made it to the Top 15 finalists. A photo of her on the Philippine Pageants Facebook page garnered significant attention with over 242,000 likes, 5,500 comments, and 11,000 shares. Fans have been supportive and have even projected her as the next Miss Universe. Since winning the crown, Chelsea’s Instagram following has rapidly grown to over 48,000 followers. She is set to be the first-ever Filipino-African American to represent the country in the Miss Universe competition in Mexico later this year.
