The highs and lows of the Miss Universe Philippines 2026 pageant

Drag star Marina Summers was the first Filipino transwoman to host the Miss Universe Philippines Pageant.

Her experience onstage in Drag Race Philippines and as a finalist in season 2 of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. The World was apparent in Summers' stage presence and the way she shone through four costume changes, each one an exquisite gown.

Summers showed her fire particularly in her spiels, turning the pageant stage into a place of inspiration. 

"Everybody is understandably invested in this pageant. Let's just hope we have the same standards when we elect our country's future leaders. Tama, mali?" Summers reminded the audience. 

She was also one of the most vocal advocates of female empowerment that night. 

"This night is all about dreams coming true. This night is all about power," Summers said. 

Encouraging the ladies onstage before she finished naming the top 30 candidates, Summers said, "Losing should never be an ending. Take it from me."

Although her energy level seemed to dip toward the end of the night, Summers kept at it and finished on a beautiful note. 

LOW: Technical glitches and awkward silences 

For 7 minutes, Pinoy boy group BGYO got the evening going with their hit song "All These Ladies" as the delegates danced around them. Unfortunately, the singers' voices could hardly be heard over the music. At times, all you could do was watch helplessly as the boys did their best to rise above the glitch. 

The technical challenges cropped up again toward the end of the competition when Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition 2nd big placer Ralph de Leon stepped onstage to introduce Miss Universe Philippines 2025 Ahtisa Manalo. 

For three excruciating minutes, to cheers and laughter from the crowd, de Leon tried six times to begin his spiel, but for some reason, he never got through the first few words. Finally, on the seventh try, he apparently got the signal to continue beyond the first sentence and complete the script. 

Throughout the night, Summers also made occasional pauses between lines, looking like she was waiting for the teleprompter to catch up or a stage manager to give her the cue. It was made even more obvious because Summers, like de Leon, stopped in the middle of sentences, leaving the audience hanging. 

HIGH: Stage design

Providing some depth to the stage was a wire pillar representation that kept the stage from appearing one-dimensional. LED screens behind the pillars provided dynamic graphics, such as colorful vintas during the swimsuit competition and water-like reflections during the evening gown segment. 

HIGH: A patriotic question

Rather than ask about trivial matters, the organizers threw a thought-provoking question at the top seven candidates for the final segment: "Many Filipinos are getting frustrated with the country. For you, why is it still worth it to represent the Philippines on the global stage?"

Many of the ladies mentioned Filipinos' resilience, courage, and untapped potential; answers that showed the audience the candidates' true love for the country. 

HIGH: Miss La Union's surprise

When National Director for Miss Universe Philippines Organization Ariella Arida announced her as the new Miss Universe Philippines, Bea Millar-Windorski began clapping without realizing she was applauding herself. It took her a few seconds to truly understand what was going on, and not before the queens beside her, Allyson Hetland of Pampanga and Jenrose Javier of Sultan Kudarat clued her in. It was a light-hearted second in a highly charged moment. 

In any case, all the important details of the night panned out successfully. Ahtisa Manalo, 74th Miss Universe third runner-up, had bequeathed her crown to La Union's Bea Millar-Windorski, and the Philippines is, once again, gearing up to showcase the universal beauty of the Filipino on the world stage.