The Miss Philippines-Cosmo 2024 Ahtisa Manalo IN HER ‘Dyesebel’ national costume. Image: Facebook/Miss Cosmo

Ahtisa Manalo, the Philippines’ representative in the pioneer year of the Miss Cosmo pageant in Vietnam, sprained her ankle following a “technical incident” days before the scheduled preliminaries on October 2, and the coronation night on October 5.

On Sunday afternoon, Sept. 29, The Miss Philippines issued a statement confirming that Manalo sustained a sprained ankle, resulting in her absence in recent activities. “But rest assured, our Queen is safe, and opted to rest so she can be well enough to take on the coming challenges,” the national organizers said.

Manalo also took to social media after The Miss Philippines issued its statement. “Hey loves! I am well and safe. I just need to rest to make sure my sprained ankle heals and recovers for the upcoming competition,” she said.

“I’m sad to miss our activity today where I can interact with supporters, sponsors and other candidates but my health and recovery is my top priority now,” continued Manalo, who also pleaded to her fans to wish for the immediate healing of her ankle.

The Miss Philippines, meanwhile, thanked the Miss Cosmo Organization “for attending immediately to Ahtisa and taking care of her every need.”

At around midnight on Sunday, Sept. 29, Miss Cosmo issued a statement on social media regarding its preliminary night and grand finale stage at the Phu Tho Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This followed some local Vietnamese news and social media accounts of a stage collapse, with photos making the rounds of social media showing the stage truss where lighting fixtures are mounted collapsing to one side.

Miss Cosmo stage showed a collapse stage truss. Images from VietnamNet.

It’s not immediately known if Manalo’s injury stemmed from the same incident, and if other candidates also suffered injuries.

“On [Sept. 28], a technical incident occurred during the finalization of the main stage for the Miss Cosmo 2024. Upon immediate discovery, the Miss Cosmo organization swiftly collaborated with technical experts, medical units and relevant authorities to address the situation,” the organizers said.

“Initial assessments confirm that there were no significant damages. We will continue to work with related parties to determine the root cause of the incident and provide updates to the public as soon as possible,” the Miss Cosmo said.

“We have promptly implemented measures to ensure the well-being and stability of all contestants. Their safety remains our top priority at this time. All information regarding the Preliminary Night and the Grand Finale rounds of Miss Cosmo 2024 will be shared with you as soon as it becomes available,” the Miss Cosmo organization continued.

The preliminary night is scheduled on Oct. 2, while the grand finale is set on Oct. 5, but the organization still has not announced if they will move the two events to a different venue. This is the first edition of the Miss Cosmo pageant.