Will Eva Patalinjug get the Golden Crown?

CEBU, Philippines — After Michele Gumabao finished at the Top 15 of the recently concluded Miss Globe 2018, it's Eva Psychee Patalinjug's turn to vie for an international crown in the Miss Grand International 2018 coronation night to be held tomorrow at the One Entertainment Park in Yangon City, Myanmar.

Eva, who officially started her Miss Grand International 2018 journey early this month, has been enjoying the best that the wonderful cities of Myanmar can offer. The 24-year-old Cebuana beauty queen has seen and experienced a great deal of the host country’s culture and hospitality all the while competing with 75 other candidates from all over the world for the crown which has so far eluded the Filipina.

After arriving in tYangon last October 6, the Lapu-Lapu City native, along with the other candidates, were whisked to the Welcome Ceremony and Press Conference at the Karaweik Palace on the eastern shore of Kandawgyi on Oct. 8. They also visited tourist attractions like the Shwedagon Pagoda, Karaweik Palace, Bogyoke Aung San Market, among others.

The candidates and the MGI team then traveled to the city of Bagan for a city tour, as well as a visit the Shwezigon Pagoda, one of the oldest and most beautiful monuments on the plains of Bagan, and sites like the Ananda Temple, Bupaya Pagoda, and Dhammayangyi Temple.

More importantly, the ladies put their game faces on with the start of pre-pageant competitions. Staged at the Bagan Golden Palace last Oct. 14, the National Costume Competition showed off the colors and cultures from all over the world. Wearing a Philipp Tampus creation with a head piece by Roy Erwin Tizon, Eva was the incarnation of the title “Pearl of the Orient Seas,” a romantic and historical moniker given to the Philippines, recognized all over the world.

The candidates had the opportunity to show off their personalities with the Preliminary Interview on October 18 and 19. Not long after, they also served sizzling looks at the Miss Grand International 2018 Best in Swimsuit Event on October 20 at the five-star Grand Andaman Hotel in the town of Kawthaung.

Well into the final week and it seems the MGI team has been enjoying Eva’s company as much as she’s loving Myanmar—having photos of the registered nurse and aspiring lawyer in almost every event: Eva dancing, blowing a kiss, posing at the tourist spots, among others.

As the party returned to Yangon, the Preliminary Competition officially began yesterday. For tomorrow's coronation, the highest-scoring candidates, whose performances during the interviews, activities, and preliminary competitions have been pre-judged, will make the official 20 semi-finalists. From the 20, only 10 will remain to vie for the final five spots.

On her Instagram handle, Eva continuously thanks her supporters, saying that she is “humbled and very grateful for all the love and support.” In one of her posts, Eva wrote how she couldn’t stop her tears when asked about the Philippines, as Filipinos are the best pageant fans in the world. She hopes that they still have her back no matter the result.

Eva though has promised to bring home the crown for the Philippines.

“I’m not putting too much pressure on myself right now as I’m just enjoying everything. I’m going with the flow and preparing all that I have to bring for my pageant,” Eva said in an interview with pageant blogger Norman Tinio before flying off to Myanmar.

“I’m very overwhelmed and grateful with all the support I am getting not just from the Philippines but around the world. I’m very thankful as well that a lot of well-known designers will be helping me throughout my journey and I hope I wear their creations with justice. I will really do my best in order for us to get our first Golden crown. I am doing all that I can. The rest I leave it all up to Him.”