Gianne Kryssee Tecson Asuncion of Cagayan Province has backed out of the Miss Universe Philippines 2021 Competition to rest and recover after she was tested positive for COVID-19.
Asuncion revealed she was tested positive for the virus moments after she made it to the top 50 official candidates of the prestigious national pageant.
The Cagayan Province beauty who consistently made it to the top 15 of the MUPh challenges said she wanted to continue her pageant journey, but needed to rest and recover.
She thanked her supporters in the pre-pageant events of the Miss Universe Philippines 2021 pageant.
Parts of her post on Instagram read:
"We were halfway there.
"Funny as it sounds, discovering that I have COVID and pnuemonia gave me more motivation to push through with my supposed MUPh journey. An idea hit me about being an instrument of hope and courage for all patients like me who are battling for their lives. I wanted to keep on fighting while I still can. I wanted to show the universe that I can get up and continue on this journey. That’s also how I want everyone else to handle life right now.
"However, I am only human. My body has its limits. I should be first to respect it if it needs to rest and recover. As much as my heart wants to continue on the journey and enjoy the rest of it, my body also needs to function well.
I" wanted to showcase more of my Cagayana side. I wanted to make my Province proud and be the best representative that they deserve. I saw how the people in my province united to produce a strong Cagayana contender for MUPh. With the efforts they’ve done, collectively, we were able to consecutively land on the top 15 on all the challenges."