Yolina Lindquist of the United States was proclaimed winner after a final debate round with Fernandez. She succeeded Ketut Permata Juliastrid of Indonesia and bested 70 candidates.
Chelsea Fernandez nearly won the Miss Cosmo crown as she placed first runner-up in the 2025 edition of the pageant in Vietnam on Saturday, December 20.
The rest of the Top 5 include delegates from Brazil, Panama, and Myanmar.
Fernandez slayed the runway during the swimsuit competition, consistent with her preliminary performance.
She also showed grace and elegance on stage, winning Best in Evening Gown. On top of this, the Filipina beauty queen also received the People’s Choice award.
During the question and answer portion, Fernandez challenged the mindset that women are not leaders, emphasizing that they can excel in any field. “That is not true. We women, we have that innate value of leadership; however, sometimes we are not given opportunities and spaces and chances,” she said.
“And as Miss Cosmo, who ignites change, I would like to empower every woman to immerse yourselves in activities that could enrich your skills and in order for us to move forward. Because we women can stand on our own, and women could also have it all,” she stressed.
In the final head-to-head with Lindquist, Fernandez placed a spotlight on her Paradise of the Mangroves project, which aims to protect the environment and boost the local economy.
“The Philippines is home to more than 7,000 beautiful islands. However, with that beauty comes an ugly truth: we faced extreme flooding, harsh calamities, and natural disasters,” she noted.
“And [with] this action plan, we are planning to plant 5,000 propagules in one hectare, and that would be set in the Municipality of Lebak, Province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines,” she continued.
“With this, I believe that the economic growth will definitely go up to 20 to 30 percent in just one year. And I hope you continue to support me in this mission because I believe the little seeds that we plant today will grow into a forest of change tomorrow.”
Miss Cosmo marks the second time that Fernandez represented the Philippines internationally.
In 2022, she competed in Miss Globe, where she finished in the Top 15.
Special Awards
Best Carnival: Nigeria, Impactful Beauty: Namibia, Woman Leadership: Greece, Cosmo Beauty Icon: Panama, Cosmo Tourism Ambassador: Laos, Social Ambassador: Myanmar, Best Evening Gown: Philippines
Top 2: USA and Philippines.
Top 5: Philippines, Brazil, USA, Panama, Myanmar.
Top 10: Brazil, Zimbabwe, Cuba, USA, Vietnam, Colombia, Myanmar, Philippines (People’s Choice), Panama and Thailand.
Top 21: Greece, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Cambodia, USA, India, Colombia, Indonesia, Brazil, Thailand, Germany, Vietnam, Laos, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Myanmar (Cosmo Social Ambassador), Cuba, Zimbabwe, Philippines and New Zealand.
(ABS-CBN)
