Michael Angelo Toledo might not have been named Man of the Year 2025, but he considers his performance in the male pageant as his best one yet.
“I’m feeling really happy with this milestone. I was able to represent the Philippines in an event of cultural excellence,” Toledo told Inquirer Entertainment weeks after the male pageant was held in Bali-Lombok, Indonesia last November. “In my years of being in this industry, this is my best performance yet. I’ve seen my progress and I’m so glad with what I achieved.
Toledo brought home the second runner-up title in the male pageant, while Taiwan’s Ven Lee was named the eventual titleholder. Before the global tilt, he competed at the Mister World 2024 pageant in Vietnam where he finished in the Top 20.
“I competed before in Vietnam in an international pageant and from there, I learned a lot as someone in this industry. I’m proud to say that I applied those learnings in the Man of the Year pageant,” he said.
According to Toledo, he focused on improving his runway performance, which somehow played a role in why his Man of the Year stint is his “best” yet.
“I think it was my runway because during Man of the Year, we usually stayed in the hotel, [events], and at the yacht, so it was hard to walk on a moving platform. I think I had to tweak that,” he said.
Since the Philippines has long been noted for its “sash factor” in pageantry, there is always a pressure for candidates to prove themselves worthy of representing the country in global tilts.
But for Toledo, he didn’t want to rely on the country’s strong sash factor, and instead focused on developing his own abilities.
“I really didn’t rely on representing the Philippines. I relied on myself,” he said. “I think relying on myself means that you have confidence and the strength to carry the responsibility. Not just myself, but also the team behind me. They helped me a lot to gain this victory, and it is also dedicated to them.”
While looking back at his career as the country’s national titleholder, Toledo — who shared that seeing the water temples was his best experience at Man of the Year 2025 — confirmed that Man of the Year will be his final foray into pageantry.
“This would be my last. I need to move forward now sa life ko and I have different priorities now related to my career, family, and reconnecting with my loved ones,” he said.
He shared that he wants to be a pilot someday. “My lifelong dream is to be an airline pilot for a commercial airline and I’m still doing baby steps to reach that,” he stated. /ra