MANILA, Philippines — Binibining Pilipinas Grand International 2022 Roberta Angela Tamondong has been formally crowned as this year's Miss Grand International (MGI) fifth runner-up in a grand fan meet in Thailand last night, despite Binibining Pilipinas' formal withdrawal from MGI.
MGI President Nawat Itsaragrisil himself placed the fifth runner-up sash and crown on Tamondong, as seen in a video MGI posted on Instagram earlier today.
Tamondong is the last Binibini sent by Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) to compete in MGI. As a Top 10 appointee, RoAn is now in Bangkok with the nine other queens in an official capacity. They will be touring around Thailand and some other Asian countries to promote MGI's cause to stop war and violence.
In what could be the answer to Filipino fans' clamor since 2021, Binibining Pilipinas, which carried MGI as one of its four titles since 2016, made the announcement in its social media account. In a post, it wrote, "BPCI officially withdraws from the Miss Grand International and will no longer renew its franchise. We thank the organizers of MGI and wish them the best in their endeavors.