Ahtisa Manalo declares she will give her all in ‘last’ pageant
As Ahtisa Manalo is set to represent the Philippines at Miss Universe 2025, she declared that she will give it her all, especially that the global tilt will be her final foray into pageantry.
Manalo confirmed that Miss Universe 2025 will be her last pageant in an interview with CNN on Thursday, Nov. 20, while looking back at her 18-year run as a beauty queen.
The interview also featured glimpses of the Quezon Province-based stunner training her “pasarela” (catwalk) with Miss Universe Philippines (MUPh) president Jonas Gaffud and interactions with MUPH EVP Voltaire Tayag.
“This is my last pageant, so I’m seeing it as an opportunity to close that chapter of my life. There’s always a pressure of carrying the Philippine sash with you because of the women who came before you,” she said.
One of the reasons why Manalo wanted to join Miss Universe was to fulfill a dream of her late grandmother, as she pointed out that backing out would be doing her a “disservice.”
“After losing my grandmother, it put into perspective what things are important in life. I realized that with how my grandmother worked, if I don’t push for that dream of being Miss Universe, I would be doing her a disservice,” she said. “My theory is that beauty queens are usually stories of inspiration, stories that inspire us to do better, and work hard.”
Noting her attempts to clinch the Miss Universe Philippines title, the pageant veteran also noted that she wanted to join the global tilt to “be a symbol of hope” when it comes to not giving up on one’s dream.
“Miss Universe is one of the most influential platforms, if not the most influential, when it comes to beauty pageants. When you come from a poor background, you always think that the world is limited, that the world is very small for you and dreams are not possible to [be] achieved. It would mean a lot to be that symbol of hope for people to never give up on their dreams,” she said.
Before competing in Miss Universe, Manalo joined national competitions before representing her hometown in Binibining Pilipinas 2018, Miss Universe Philippines 2024, and Miss Universe Philippines 2025.
The pageant veteran has been a fixture in the international pageant scene where she placed first runner-up and Top 10 semi-finalist at the Miss International 2018 and Miss Cosmo 2024 tilts, respectively.
She is hoping to win the Philippines fifth’ Miss Universe crown, with the coronation happening at the Impact Challenger Hall in Nonthaburi, Thailand, on Nov. 21. /ra
