Flonique Guimary

MGI 2025 1st Runner-up Sarunrat Puagpipat “fell in love” with PH during her recent visit

Article (news)

Nikka Avegail Sabio

Push Team

<p>Miss Grand International 1st runner-up Sarunrat Puagpipat of Thailand, fondly known as Gotchabell, took to social media to look back on her memorable experience during her recent visit in the Philippines.</p><div> </div><p>On her Instagram page, Gotchabell looked back on what she described as the “most beautiful” eight days as she held her first international fan meeting.</p><div> </div><p>“Thank you for the most beautiful 8 days in the Philippines 🤍,” the Thai beauty queen wrote. “This trip was more than my first international fan meeting — it became a memory I will carry in my heart forever,” she wrote.</p><div> </div><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-8" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DUimuz9k5Cf/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=607&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A8%2C%22os%22%3A24086743.39999962%2C%22ls%22%3A16414852%2C%22le%22%3A16415143%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="1573" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-8" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div><strong> </strong></div><p>Apart from meeting Filipino fans, Gotchabell shared that she and her team flew to Camiguin where she experienced work and adventure.</p><div> </div><p>“We traveled to a small island to film a short movie, blending work with adventure. I woke up surrounded by breathtaking nature, lived simply, and discovered beauty in everyday moments — in new places, new faces, and a new way of life,” she added.</p><div> </div><p>Despite an unexpected typhoon, the beauty queen found meaning in the pause as she was accompanied throughout her trip by Miss Grand International 2025 Emma Tiglao of the Philippines.</p><div> </div><p>“When the typhoon arrived and we couldn’t return to Thailand as planned, everything slowed down. But thank you, Emma, for reminding me of the burnt toast theory — sometimes delays are not bad luck, but quiet protection. Maybe this storm came to save us from something worse and gift us something better,” she stated.</p><div> <strong><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773040126032631761216_18559053139046113_194035561195216012_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">@emmatiglao Instagram</span></span></span></strong></div><p>Being stranded turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it allowed her to have “extra time to rest, to connect, to build new friendships, to share stories over Filipino food, to learn Tagalog, and to truly feel the warmth of the land and its people.”</p><div> </div><p>“Thank you, Emma, and all your friends, for taking such gentle care of me and making me feel that the Philippines feels just like home. I now understand why so many people fall in love with this country — the kindness, the smiles, the easy laughter, even between strangers,” she expressed.</p><div> </div><p>Gotchabell also promised to return the same warmth when Emma visits her home country Thailand.</p><div> </div><p>“One day, when you visit my home, I’ll return the love — with Thai food, night markets, sweet desserts, and warm hospitality… and yes, you can say ‘Pautang’ as much as you want, because that one will be on me 😁,” she said.</p><div> </div><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-9" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUaVuXCk_Rj/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=607&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A9%2C%22os%22%3A24086748.39999962%2C%22ls%22%3A16414852%2C%22le%22%3A16415143%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="970" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-9" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div> </div><p>The Thai queen likewise penned an emotional message to her Filipino supporters, admitting that while she sometimes struggles with English, she never felt disconnected from the crowd.</p><div> </div><p>“Thank you for your love and support—I’m truly beyond words. Every time I meet you, I want to speak from my heart. But I have to use English, which I’m not very good at, and that makes it hard for me to fully express how I feel—how grateful and touched I truly am. But somehow… that was never a barrier. You understood me anyway, as if we were speaking the same language. As if we simply connected heart to heart, loving each other for who we truly are,” Gotchabell wrote.</p><div> </div><p>Though her visit lasted just over a week, Gotchabell said it left a lasting impression: “The 8 days I spent there may not have been very long, but I learned so much. From strangers I had never met before, yet they smiled at me and greeted me with such kindness. Thank you, Philippines, for making me fall in love with this beautiful country 🤍.”</p><div> </div><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-10" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DUQLyWRk74Y/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=607&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A10%2C%22os%22%3A24086752.799999237%2C%22ls%22%3A16414852%2C%22le%22%3A16415143%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="1087" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-10" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div> </div><p>Gotchabell was in the Philippines for the <em>BELLMA 1st Fan Meeting</em> with Emma in February. The two queens formed a close bond after becoming roommates during the Miss Grand International coronation night in Bangkok, Thailand, in October 2025.</p>

<p><b>MGI 2025 1st Runner-up Sarunrat Puagpipat shares her memorable experiences during her visit to the Philippines with Miss Grand International titleholder Emma Tiglao.</b></p>

MGI 2025 1st Runner-up Sarunrat Puagpipat shares her memorable experiences during her visit to the Philippines with Miss Grand International titleholder Emma Tiglao.