Miss Philippines Ahtisa Manalo wins hearts with her 'hope-filled' Miss Universe 2025 answer

Miss Philippines Ahtisa Manalo, who was a finalist at Miss Universe 2025, doesn’t do fake. So, obviously when she was in the spotlight during the QnA section of the show on Nov 21, she answered quickly and with conviction.

When judge and change maker Minnie Baloy asked her at the Bangkok event, ‘As a global ambassador or citizen, what will be your contribution to humanity?’, Manalo said: “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.”

Manalo may not have won the crown, but her answer will continue to resonate with people around the world long after the music has been shut off and the stage been cleaned of confetti. In doing so, she has written her name with the greats in Philippines’ beauty pageant history, which includes Gloria Diaz (1969), Margie Moran (1973), Pia Wurtzbach (2015), and Catriona Gray (2018).

This year’s edition was the largest in Miss Universe history, with more than 120 contestants participating. Want to know more about this boss? Click here.