MANILA, Philippines – The search for the next Miss Universe Philippines title holder is heating up as the organization released on Wednesday, February 21, the candidates’ official headshot pictures. 

Initially, 55 candidates were introduced by the Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) organization as the candidates for their pageant’s 2024 edition. 

However, on Thursday, February 22, Natasha Jung, the delegate from Kananga announced her withdrawal from the competition.

“As of the moment, I would like to prioritize my personal growth and commitments, and not further involve the organization on the matter,” she wrote in a social media post. Notably, Jung’s headshot photo wasn’t uploaded by the MUPH organization on Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, the 2024 competition is faring up to be an interesting edition as it marked several firsts in the pageant’s history. To note, this year’s delegates were chosen through the Accredited Partners Program, wherein only accredited partners approved by the MUPH organization selected the candidates from their respective localities through local pageants or appointments. 

Also for the first time, the 2024 roster also includes candidates representing overseas Filipino communities, such as Australia, northern and southern California, Florida, Hawaii, Miami, Sydney, the United Kingdom, Virginia, and Washington. 

The Miss Universe 2024 pageant will also be the first edition without age restrictions for the candidates. This comes after mothers and wives were welcomed into the competition starting 2023. 

As of writing, the organization has yet to announce additional details for its national pageant. Fifty-four candidates are competing in the hopes of succeeding Makati’s Michelle Dee, who finished in the Top 10 of the international edition. 

Familiar names among this year’s hopefuls are pageant veterans Victoria Velasquez Vincent (Miss Universe Philippines-Charity 2021), Kris Tiffany Janson (Miss Intercontinental 2014 2nd runner-up), Stacey Gabriel (Binibining Pilipinas 2022 2nd runner-up), Ahtisa Manalo (Miss International 2018 1st runner-up), and Christi McGarry (Miss Intercontinental 2015 1st runner-up). 

Here are the official photos of the delegates posted by the MUPH organization:

Albay

Angeles

Australia

Bacolod

Bacoor

Baguio

Bantayan Island

Batangas

Bohol

Bukidnon

Bulacan

Cabanatuan

Cagayan de Oro

Cainta

Camiguin

Cavite

Cebu

Davao City

Davao Region

Florida

Hawaii

Iloilo City

Laguna

Leyte

Lucban

Mandaue

Manila

Mariveles

Miami

Naic

Northern California

Nueva Ecija

Occidental Mindoro

Pagadian City

Palawan

Pampanga

Pangasinan

Pasig

Quezon City

Quezon Province

Quirino

San Pablo, Laguna

Siargao

Southern California

Sydney

Tacloban

Taguig

Talisay City

Toledo City

Tuguegarao

United Kingdom

Virginia

Washington

Zambales

– Rappler.com