Philippine bet Ahtisa Manalo has fallen short of the coveted Miss Universe crown at the 74th Miss Universe pageant on Friday, November 21, as she finishing as 3rd runner-up.
Meanwhile, Fátima Bosch of Mexico was crowned Miss Universe 2025.
Manalo was joined by 4th runner-up Olivia Yacé, Miss Côte d’Ivoire; 2nd runner-up Stephany Abasali, Miss Venezuela; and 1st runner-up Praveenar Singh, Miss Thailand.
Asked about her potential contribution to humanity as a global ambassador, Manalo shared: “I want to be the hope of people. I come from a very poor background. I started pageants at 10 years old to put myself through school and to lift my family out of poverty. And if there's anything that I want to show the universe, I'm here right now. I'm standing as Miss Universe because I was able to get myself out of any situation because I was hardworking, I was persistent, and I fight for what I want. Thank you.”
In response to the follow-up question on empowering young girls through the Miss Universe platform, she said:
“I work with an organization called Alon Academy, where we work with young people to provide them opportunities to make them realize that it doesn't matter what your life circumstances are; it doesn't define where you will go. And I want to continue working with Alon Academy and a bigger platform like Miss Universe to pursue making sure that people who come from low-income backgrounds are given the same opportunities as everyone else.”
Manalo’s journey in pageantry began at the young age, driven by her determination to support her education and uplift her family. After earning her college degree, she continued to pursue pageantry at higher levels.
In 2017, she became 2nd runner-up at Reyna ng Aliwan, a national pageant held during the Aliwan Fiesta. The following year, she competed in Binibining Pilipinas, which eventually led her to represent the Philippines at Miss International 2018 in Tokyo, Japan, where she finished as first runner-up.
Prior to Miss Universe, Manalo also represented the country in international pageants such as Miss Cosmo and Miss International, earning the Cosmo Tea Beauty Ambassador and Cosmo People’s Choice Award.
