MUPh 2024 update

 Frontrunners and faves garner social media traction

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

Five delegates from the Miss Universe Philippines 2024 edition has garnered the most number of likes from the official headshots posted by the national organization on its Instagram page.

Leading the list, initially, is the delegate from the Overseas Filipino Community of the United Kingdom, Christina dela Cruz Chalk, with 153, 044 likes. She's followed closely by the candidate from the Overseas Filipino Community of Hawaii, Patricia Bianca Tapia, with 150, 916.

The most voted local delegate, albeit only achieving a fifth of the highest votes, is Quezon Province's Ma. Ahtisa Manalo with 27, 458 likes. Iloilo's Alexie Mae Brooks got close to half of Ahtisa's number with 13, 053 while Bacoor's Victoria Vincent lands on the fifth spot with 12, 056 likes.

Polls are important because this is how a candidate advances to the semifinal round, where she gets a chance at winning the crown. It's a kind of barometer to gauge where her chances stand, in the perception and estimation of the pageant community.

While Kananga's former representative Natasha Jung withdrew from the race due to personal reasons, the number of delegates in the lineup has remained the same. The Kananga organization replaced Jung with Phoebe Adriana Veloso Torita. She earned the right to represent Kananga as the 2nd placer in their local competition.

Meanwhile, the Miss Universe Philippines Organization has also released the candidates' fabolous swimsuit photos. And, like the headshot challenge, the same frontrunners and early favorites have won the hearts of fans and supporters alike.

Filipino pageant fans are hoping that the eventual national winner will perform like Michelle Dee when she competes with other international delegates in Mexico towards the end of the year.