'I don't remember a life before pageantry': Ahtisa Manalo passes on her crown after her final walk as MUPh 2025
There was some nostalgia in the air when Ahtisa Manalo, third runner-up in the 74th Miss Universe pageant, took her final walk as Miss Universe Philippines 2025 on May 2 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. The country's queen was just minutes away from crowning her successor who would represent the Philippines in the 75th Miss Universe Pageant in Puerto Rico in November 2026.
Wearing a sequined fuchsia gown with a thigh slit, Manalo was a regal presence onstage, no doubt inspiring the delegates watching from the wings.
"I don't even remember a life before pageantry," she began her farewell speech on video. "It feels like most of my life, pageantry has been there."
"It was always one of the dreams to be Miss Universe. It wasn't the only dream, but it is a dream of mine. It feels so embedded in my life that it's hard to just pull from that experience and quantify what I learned from it because it has been present for...most of my life," she said.
"After a while, when I stepped on the national stage, then I realized that I have more responsibility than just to myself. And ever since then, I thought that...I have to be an example, and I have to serve as a symbol of something. I've always thought that my life experiences—being hardworking, being persistent—are something that I could show people that, with these values, when you know what you're fighting for, and when you know what you want to achieve, hard work, patience, persistence, these are the things that can make your dream come true," the beauty queen said.
Manalo humbly pointed out that it may have been just her on the 74th Miss Universe stage last year, but there was a tribe of people who made sure she got there.
"Everyone lumalaban: the Filipino fans, the organization, the people who are working behind the scenes. I'm the representation of the Philippines. Ako lang 'yung nasa stage. Pero there are so many people behind what you see who worked for me to be Miss Universe Philippines. And it's about them as much as it's about me. I'm forever grateful for everyone who helped me reach my dream," Manalo said.
Concluding her message, Manalo enumerated a long list of people who joined her Miss Universe journey in one way or another. The Sparkle artist included a shoutout to her GMA family, as well as her family, friends, and her hometown of Candelaria, Quezon Province.
Ahtistahins, her fan base, received a special thank you from the beauty queen.
Addressing the next generation of Filipina beauty queens, she asked them to "be ready. It's gonna be a beautiful journey. You're gonna learn a lot about yourself," she said.
"Just remember that your journey is your own. Remember to be present in every moment no matter how hard that is; and it's gonna be really hard when you're tired and you have so many things in your mind... surround yourself with the right people, the people who lift you up, the people who make you feel good about yourself," Manalo said.
"Stand proudly when you're on the Miss Universe stage. Remember you're carrying the hopes, the stories, and the beauty of the Filipino people," she reminded the ladies.
"Winning or losing won't really define who you are and who you're gonna be in the future," she said. "Only you can define your own story."
Manalo crowned her successor, Bea Millan-Windorski of La Union, during the finals night. The new queen will represent the Philippines in the 75th Miss Universe pageant, which is set to take place at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The finals night was held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. It was hosted by international drag superstar Marina Summers—a finalist at Season 2 of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. The World. Check out PhilSTAR L!fe's full coverage of the MUPh 2026 pageant here.
