Miss Philippines Gazini Ganados finished in the Top 20 of the Miss Universe 2019 pageant held at the Tyler Perry Studios, Atlanta, Georgia, US on December 8 (December 9, Manila time).

Steve Harvey interviews Miss Philippines Gazini Ganados onstage at the 2019 Miss Universe Pageant at Tyler Perry Studios on December 08, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images/AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)

In her Top 20 speech, Ganados said: “The world is aging and my grandparents raised me and I’ve worked in an organization that was supporting for elderly care. I learned that, I realized that there’s a stigma between ageism, poverty, exclusivity, and invisibility. It is rightful for us to remember that they were the ones who paved the way for us and we should reciprocate that love and no one should ever be left behind.”

Others who were able to move forward to the competition were: USA, Colombia, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Peru, Iceland, France, Indonesia, Thailand, and Mexico.

Ganados’ predecessor, Catriona Gray, won last year’s competition.