Brandon Espiritu scores PH’s highest placement in Mister Supranational

Mister Supranational 2nd runner-up Brandon Espiritu from the Philippines. Image: Facebook/Mister Supranational

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino contender Brandon Espiritu recorded the highest placement for the country at the 2024 Mister Supranational contest in Poland on July 4 (July 5 in Manila), finishing third overall.

The Mister Pilipinas Worldwide titleholder was proclaimed second runner-up at the culmination of the global competition held at the Strzelecki Park Amphitheater in Nowy Sacz.

Since the male pageant started in 2016, Filipino delegates have always landed in the semifinals but never advanced beyond the Top 20, until Espiritu cracked the Top 5 in the 2024 contest.

South African physician and actor Fezile Mkhize won the top prize, and inherited the Mister Supranational title from Ivan Alvarez, last year’s winner from Spain.

Mkize bested 35 other aspirants to become the first winner from Africa, and first black Mister Supranational winner.

Casey De Vries from the Netherlands finished second, while Marcos De Freita from Venezuela placed fourth.

Sanonh Maniphonh from Laos rounded up the winners’ circle as fourth runner-up, giving Asia two placements in the Top 5, the only continent with more than one delegate in the final round.

The counterpart female pageant Miss Supranational will hold its coronation show in the same venue on July 6 (July 7 in Manila).

Alethea Ambrosio is aiming to score the Philippines’ second victory in the international competition, following Mutya Johanna Datul who won in 2013.