Ahtisa Manalo took her final walk as Miss Universe Philippines 2025 on May 2 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, ending a reign that sent her to the 74th Miss Universe pageant, where she finished third runner-up. She then crowned Bea Millan-Windorski of La Union as her successor during the Miss Universe Philippines 2026 finals night.
Manalo used the moment to frame pageantry as much more than a title. “I don't even remember a life before pageantry,” she said, adding that it had been part of most of her life and that she had always dreamed of becoming Miss Universe. She said her time on the national stage made her understand she carried a responsibility beyond herself, and that she wanted to be an example and a symbol of something larger than a crown.
That message carried extra weight because the next titleholder will soon be asked to do what Manalo just finished doing. Millan-Windorski will represent the Philippines in the 75th Miss Universe pageant, set for November 2026 at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The final walk was not just a handoff of a sash and crown; it was the public closing of a year in which Manalo moved from contestant to national representative, then to one of the top finishers on the world stage.
Manalo thanked the Filipino fans, the organization and the people working behind the scenes, saying many people were involved in her representation of the Philippines onstage. She also expressed gratitude to her GMA family, her relatives, her friends and her hometown of Candelaria in Quezon Province, along with her fan base, the Ahtistahins. Her remarks turned the coronation from a polished production into something more personal, a reminder that the weight of a pageant run is often carried by a wider circle than the woman under the spotlight.
Before stepping away, she had advice for the next generation of Filipina beauty queens: be ready for a beautiful journey, remember the path is your own, and stand proudly on the Miss Universe stage. Winning or losing, she said, would not define who they are or who they become. For Manalo, that is the answer her final walk delivered at the SM Mall of Asia Arena: the crown passes on, but the measure of the work does not end with it.