Miss Grand International 2024 CJ Opiaza. ARMIN P. ADINA
Christine Juliane “CJ” Opiaza already has a lot on her plate after she officially received the Miss Grand International 2024 title last week. Set to visit several countries this month, the Filipino queen is now rushing to have her travel documents ready.
Holding a Philippine passport, Opiaza has limited travel travel options, and would need to secure authorization from several governments for her to be able to enter the countries that the international pageant organization plans to send her to.
“We need to have my visa for Spain and we need to have a Visa for [the United States] also, because there are some countries that I have to travel [to] for the coming months,” she said at her victory press conference at the Grand Westside Hotel in Parañaque City on Monday afternoon, June 9.
“So, if we have people who can help me also to process everything that we need, so we’ll be able to push through with this. And I’m truly, truly excited with that,” Opiaza pleaded.
The Filipino queen finished first runner-up in the international competition last year, and has just taken over the remainder of the reign left by former winner Rachel Gupta who abdicated the throne a couple of weeks back.
Opiaza was officially crowned as Miss Grand International 2024 at the MGI Hall of Bravo BKK in Bangkok exactly a week ago on June 3, becoming the first Filipino woman to wear the “golden crown.”
“And now if we’re able to process the visa, I’ll fly straight to Spain, and the Netherlands hopefully. And then, after that, I’ll be going to Myanmar. So roughly those are the events for this month,” she shared.
Miss Grand International founder, owner, and head Nawat Itsaragrisil flew in to Manila from Bangkok, Thailand, to join his new queen at the press conference. There, he said that more countries will be lined up for Opiaza to visit before passing on her crown in October.
The Thai pageant head also shared that Opiaza did not only assume the title, she will also receive the full prize package promised to the queen during the conduct of last year’s competition.
And while the new queen’s reign will run for roughly five months only, Nawat said that Opiaza will still be tapped by the organization for more official travel and appearances, and even work opportunities, after the 2025 contest in October.
The new queen flew back to the Philippines right after her coronation in Bangkok because of a work commitment in Agusan down south. “That’s how committed I am. You know, when you do some commitments, you should proceed with it, you cannot cancel. That’s just how hardworking I am, I think,” she said.
As reigning Miss Grand International, Opiaza said that she may be based in Bangkok. And with several commitments already finalized in the Philippines even before she assumed her new title, she said that she will “just fly in, fly out, and do my work.”
The search for Opiaza’s national successor is underway, with several official candidates for Miss Grand International Philippines already revealed to the public. Some of the contestants joined her victory parade held at the Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City right after the press conference. /edv
