Misamis Occidental welcomes Miss Universe Philippines 2026 delegates, executives
MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Delegates of the 2026 Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) pageant felt the warmth of the people of Misamis Occidental even on just the first day of their week-long visit to the province.
Throngs of cheering Misamisnons greeted the 50 delegates in their “Parade of Beauty” on Tuesday afternoon, April 21, where they boarded four floats.
READ: Miss Universe Philippines 2026 drops Top 31 swimsuit prelims video
The MUPH parade started at the newly-inaugurated AMORAP (Asenso Misamis Occidental Recreation and Adventure Park) in Sinacaban, then passed the neighboring towns of Tudela and Clarin, before ending in Ozamiz City.
After the parade, the ladies appeared at the press presentation at the Grand Pavilion, where they capped the evening with performances by Nicole Borromeo of Cebu Province and Clarissa Westram of Cotabato Province.
They also danced the night away with MUPH executives Jonas Gaffud, Ariella Arida, and Voltaire Tayag, and Gov. Henry Oaminal.
“On just our first day, we truly feel the warmth and the welcome. So this is what we expect all throughout the journey,” Arida responded to Inquirer Entertainment‘s question at the press presentation.
“The cheers and the support that the people are giving you right now will boost your morale and will truly inspire you to what really your purpose is in the pageant,” she told the delegates.
Tayag revealed that the trip took months to plan. “We hope that everybody who sees this will now realize, ‘Hey, there’s another place that we can go to, it’s not crowded as the other places, so we’re gonna have much greater time,'” he said.
Arida went on to wish the MUPH delegates luck. “May this experience help you grow more in the coming endeavors in your lives, especially in this pageant,” she said.
The pageant will hold a special swimsuit show in Misamis Occidental. And the final round of elimination before the finals will also take place in the province.
On April 25, the 10 ladies who will amass the most votes at the end of the third round of voting will be revealed at a special presentation at the Bayfront Arena, earning their guaranteed spots in the semifinals.
The rest of the semifinalists will be announced at the final competition show on May 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. Reigning queen Ahtisa Manalo will crown her successor at the end of the ceremonies. /edv
