Maria Isabela Galeria, Sorsogon's representative for Miss Universe Philippines, has backed out from the competition.
The beauty queen took to Instagram to announce that she is no longer competing as her body is still recovering from COVID-19.
"I'm forever grateful to each of you who invested so much time and effort in helping me through this journey; however, even with a strong will to fight, my body is not well conditioned yet," she posted on Instagram.
Maria Isabela continued, "With a heavy heart, I believe now is not the right time to join the pageant. I still feel tired, and I don't think my body will allow me to participate in the activities of Miss Universe Philippines," she added.
The beauty queen asked for understanding as what transpired is already something beyond her control.
"I've thought hard and cried for so many nights about this. I have the willpower, but my body is not cooperating," she stated.
It was in September when Maria Isabela revealed that she contracted COVID-19.
"I started to develop signs and symptoms on September 27, 2020, starting with nasal congestion and loss of sense of taste/smell. I occasionally felt like there was something heavy on my chest. Fortunately, it was bearable and didn't progress to a more severe level of DOB (difficulty of breathing)," she said recalling the day she started experiencing the symptoms.
"I then started to manifest rashes accompanied by extreme itchiness and dry skin. I woke up last October 3 with red, itchy, and teary eyes. I was under a handful of medications for more than two weeks to manage my symptoms," she added.
It was on October 11 when Maria Isabela and her father were declared to be COVID-free.
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"Following the 14-day quarantine, I was supposed to be released on October 8. As per protocol, I needed to be asymptomatic for three days before discharge. Unfortunately, I was still manifesting some symptoms. Last October 11, DOH declared my dad and me as COVID survivors. Praise be to God!" she shared.