MANILA, Philippines – Ma. Ahtisa Manalo of Quezon Province was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2025 during the pageant’s coronation night on Friday, May 2, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Ahtisa bested 65 other candidates to snag the title. She was crowned by her predecessor, Bulacan’s Chelsea Manalo, who was named Miss Universe Asia during her run.
The 27-year-old stunner will represent the Philippines in Miss Universe 2025 on November 21 in Thailand, where the reigning queen, Denmark’s Victoria Kjær Theilvig, will crown her successor.
Ahtisa will look to win the Philippines’ fifth Miss Universe crown, following the victories of Gloria Diaz (1969), Margie Moran (1973), Pia Wurtzbach (2015), and Catriona Gray (2018).
In one of the night’s heart-stopping moments, Ahtisa took a fall during the evening gown segment, but got back up with a smile — even using it as a jump-off point for her winning answer in the Q&A segment for the pageant’s Top 6 candidates.
“I fell a while ago on stage. And the thing with me is, whenever I fall in life, I always make sure I come back stronger. Last year, I was here on this stage, and for the second time this year, I’m here, putting everything on this stage to be Miss Universe Philippines, because this is mine and my grandmother’s shared dream. And she passed away early this year. And this is my ode to her,” she said.
The Quezon Province beauty is a veteran in the pageant scene. In 2018, she was the first runner-up of Miss International. She also competed in Miss Universe Philippines 2024, where she was named second runner-up. She went on to represent the country in Miss Cosmo 2024, and finished in the Top 10. – Rappler.com