Julia Christine Botin

Miss Cosmo Tata Juliastrid congratulates PH's CJ Opiaza on Miss Grand crown

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17492007719132-Composite (1).jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Miss Cosmo 2024 Tata Juliastrid (left) and Miss Grand International 2024 CJ Opiaza. Photos from Instagram: @tatajuliastrid, @missgrandinternational </span></span></span></div><p>A titleholder from another pageant has extended her congratulations to the Philippines&#x27; CJ Opiaza, who was recently proclaimed the new Miss Grand International (MGI). </p><p>Miss Cosmo 2024 Tata Juliastrid of Indonesia took to social media to say that Opiaza deserves the crown despite the controversy surrounding the MGI organization and its founder, Nawat Itsaragrisil.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/6/3/-this-is-my-golden-moment-cj-opiaza-in-tears-at-miss-grand-international-coronation-1626">&#x27;This is my golden moment&#x27;: CJ Opiaza in tears at Miss Grand International coronation</a></div><p>&quot;Congratulations to CJ Opiaza. Her win may be surrounded by noise but that does not make it any less valid. She stepped into a hard-earned and well-deserved role with strength, and no one should take that away from her,&quot; Juliastrid declared.</p><p>The reigning Miss Cosmo went on to stress that Opiaza is &quot;not responsible for the words or actions of the organization&#x27;s leadership and should not be blamed or dragged through the controversy.&quot;</p><p>&quot;She doesn&#x27;t owe anyone an explanation for accepting the crown. She earned it,&quot; the Indonesian beauty queen said. &quot;Her achievement stands on its own and she deserves to be seen for who she is, not overshadowed by someone else&#x27;s actions.&quot;</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1749200953034Capture.JPG" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Screenshot from Juliastrid&#x27;s Instagram Stories post </span></span></span></div><p>Opiaza was crowned MGI 2024 last June 3 in Thailand following disagreements between the organization and its former titleholder, Rachel Gupta of India.</p><p>The issue turned into a messy public feud, with allegations of mistreatment and bad behavior coming from both parties. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/5/29/stepped-down-or-kicked-out-miss-grand-international-founder-ex-titleholder-in-messy-public-feud-1438">Stepped down or kicked out? Miss Grand International founder, ex-titleholder in messy public feud</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/5/29/miss-grand-international-lists-reasons-why-it-revoked-crown-of-rachel-gupta-2010">Miss Grand International lists reasons why it revoked crown of Rachel Gupta</a></div><p>Before publicly congratulating Opiaza, Juliastrid posted a statement on her Instagram page, calling out &quot;the president of a major international organization&quot; after he &quot;went on record to body shame and degrade a woman.&quot;</p><p>She did not mention a specific name, but many believe she was addressing Itsaragrisil, who made comments about Gupta&#x27;s body amid their feud. </p><p>&quot;He called her delusional. He mocked her body. He made cruel comments about how she smells,&quot; Juliastrid said.</p><p>&quot;This is no longer about personal issues or whose side you&#x27;re on. It&#x27;s about a man in power publicly body shaming a woman. It&#x27;s about a leader, someone who claims to fight against violence, making degrading and objectifying comments about a woman&#x27;s body,&quot; she added.</p><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DKg3Lz6zBO-/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A16477494.300000072%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" 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><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>Juliastrid made history as the winner of the first-ever Miss Cosmo pageant held in Vietnam last year.</p><p>The Philippines&#x27; representative, Ahtisa Manalo, finished in the Top 10. She will grace the international stage again later this year as the country&#x27;s delegate in the Miss Universe pageant. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2024/10/5/ahtisa-manalo-ends-miss-cosmo-journey-in-top-10-2323">Ahtisa Manalo ends Miss Cosmo journey in Top 10</a></div>

<p>A titleholder from another pageant has extended her congratulations to the Philippines' CJ Opiaza, who was recently proclaimed the new Miss Grand International.</p>

A titleholder from another pageant has extended her congratulations to the Philippines' CJ Opiaza, who was recently proclaimed the new Miss Grand International.