Philippines bags first Miss Intercontinental crown

MANILA, Philippines — More than a month after Catriona Gray bagged the fourth Miss Universe crown for the Philippines, Karen Gallman, 26, won the country’s first Miss Intercontinental title at the grand finals Saturday night at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena, beating aspirants from 82 other countries.

Gallman won the judges’ nod with her answer to the Final Six question, “How do you define success?” asked by host Billy Crawford.

With cool confidence, Gallman said, “For me, success is not just about winning in life. It’s about setting goals, achieving your dreams, working hard for everything you want and always looking up to God and be thankful for everything.”

Former Philippine National Police and Bureau of Corrections chief Gen. Ronald dela Rosa was in the board of judges chaired by Joanna Leonisa Oquera Gimena Miyanae, CEO of Miss Intercontinental-Japan and Miss Intercontinental Events & Management.

The other judges were Hollywood actors Lorenzo Lamas and Vincent de Paul.

Gallman and Gray have many things in common. Both are half-Filipino and half-Australian. While Gray was born in Melbourne and came to the Philippines with her Filipina mother to pursue a modeling career, Gallman was born in Ubay, Bohol, where her mother Editha Boyones hails from and spent years in Brisbane where she graduated with an AB Management degree from Griffith University.

Like Gray who, even before she won 2016 Miss World Philippines and 2018 Miss Universe Philippines, had been helping a foundation that sent to school poor students in Tondo, Gallman also has the same advocacy.

Asked what position she would take in the government after winning Binibini in March last year, she told The STAR, “I would like to be with DepEd. My advocacy is to help in the education of the youth especially in the rural areas of the Philippines. I would be useful in that department.”

Her court includes Miss Costa Rica Adriana Alvarado, first runner-up; Miss Slovak Republic Laura Longauevova, second; Miss Colombia Hillary del Prado, third; Miss Vietnam Ngan Auh Le Au, fourth; and Miss Ethiopia Bella Lapso, fifth.

Since the start of the pageant 47 years ago, the Philippines has finished only as runners-up: Koreen Medina, third in 2013; Kris Tiffany Janson, second in 2014; Christi McGarry, first in 2015; and Katarina Rodriguez, first in 2017 (who also represented the country in last year’s Miss World pageant).  – With Celso de Guzman Caparas