Gazini Ganados grateful for MGI All Stars journey that 'challenged, humbled me'

BANGKOK, Thailand — Barely a week after she capped her MGI All Stars journey with a Top 5 finish, Palestinian-Filipino beauty queen Gazini Ganados of Cebu reflected on her international pageant comeback.

In a social media post where she also shared photos from the opening number of the “Grand Final” event held at the MGI Hall in Bangkok on May 30, she expressed her thoughts about her return to pageantry, seven years since placing in the Top 20 of the 2019 Miss Universe pageant.

“Everything was somehow a blur,” said Ganados, one of the five candidates from the Philippines in the first edition of the competition among global pageant veterans, mounted by the Miss Grand International Organization.

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“The rehearsals, the lights, the laughter, the friendships, the moments on stage it all passed by so quickly. Yet amidst the whirlwind, what remains clear is the overwhelming gratitude I feel,” she wrote.

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“This journey challenged me, humbled me, and reminded me why I started in the first place. I am proud of the woman who showed up every day, gave her all, and embraced every moment with courage and grace,” Ganados continued.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gazini Ganados (@gazinii)

The Cebuana actress delivered impressive performances, since the “welcome” event where she cemented her position as a frontrunner, to the crucial preliminaries where she asserted her status, and in the final competition where she commanded the stage with grace and precision.

When the dust settled, the crown and the $100,000 cash prize went to Vanessa Pulgarin, who was also in Thailand in November last year for the 74th Miss Universe pageant where she finished in the Top 12.

Faith Maria Porter from Ghana settled for the first runner-up spot. She also competed in Thailand last year, for the 2025 Miss Grand International pageant where she was proclaimed third runner-up.

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The second runner-up position went to Nguyen Huong Giang from Vietnam, who was crowned Miss International Queen in 2018, and took part in the 2025 Miss Universe pageant.

MGI All Stars will start accepting applicants on June 6 for its second edition, expected to be held in December. Pulgarin will return to defend her title and for a chance to raise her prize to $1 million if she wins in three consecutive editions.

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