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Charmie Joy Pagulong - The Philippine Star
May 6, 2025 | 12:00am
Newly crowned MUPH 2025 Maria Ahtisa Manalo with her mom, Elsie.
Photo from Ahtisa and Elsie’s Facebook pages
The mother of newly crowned Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) 2025 Maria Ahtisa Manalo described how kind and loving her daughter is.
“She’s been very kind ever since. She’s down-to-earth and very helpful to her loved ones especially to me and her family. She’s very kind as a sister to her siblings, I have no words,” Elsie shared to The STAR and another publication, shortly after Ahtisa was hailed as the new MUPH queen. The coronation night took place on Friday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Ahtisa has been in the world of pageantry for 17 years, her mother said. She started entering pageants at the age of 10 when she was in Grade 5.
The 27-year-old stunner from Quezon Province was crowned Bb. Pilipinas International 2018 and placed first runner up at the Miss International 2018 in Tokyo. Last year, Ahtisa was second runner-up in MUPH 2024 edition, where Chelsea Manalo won. She was appointed as the representative of the Philippines to Miss Cosmo 2024 where she was among the Top 10.
Elsie furthered that Ahtisa never gave up her dreams in pageantry. “She really wanted to be a beauty queen,” she told this paper. “She did it to support her dreams because hindi naman mayaman ang pamilya namin so that’s when it started.
“You don’t get to win all the battles. She also had failures. Last year, all of us, (felt) sobrang sakit. The stars didn’t align last year. So we thought it was not her time (yet).”
Three days before the contract signing of MUPH 2025, Ahtisa asked her mother, “’What do you think? Shall I join?’ Bigla talaga yun. It was unplanned. She just came from Laoag. I told her, ‘Kaya mo ba? If you could do it, go.’ I know that once na ginusto niya, kakayanin at kakayanin niya no matter how difficult it is.
“That’s Ahtisa, she has a strong personality even though she’s going through something. I’m really proud.”
Ahtisa with her grandmother who passed away early this year.
Photos from Ahtisa and Elsie’s Facebook pages
When Elsie saw Ahtisa stumbled during the evening gown competition, she never doubted her daughter and knew that she would get back up. “That fall, diyan lang yun eh. Mas mahirap yung ‘fall’ that she went through. I know my daughter, whatever happens, tatayo at tatayo siya. She’s used to it, sabi nga immune na siya.”
Ahtisa was born in Candelaria, Quezon and she was raised by her grandmother who passed away early this year. Her estranged biological father is Finnish-Swedish.
“Parehas kaming (grandmother) very close (to Ahtisa). It was her grandmother who supported her studies and my brother who is also her ninong.
So ako naman, as her mommy, I’m always there for her.”
“Now everything has paid off, in everything that she went through, in our family and in our lives. So ngayon ito na, binigay na sa kanya,” Elsie conveyed this message to Ahtisa.
She firmly believed that the opportunity will be given to Ahtisa because it’s her “destiny.”
“Whatever happens, kahit hindi ipilit, if it’s for you, it’s for you. That’s what I always say to her. Everything happens for a reason. So kung last year, natalo, bumangon ka muna. Kung nadapa ka once, kailangan mong tumayo. You have to show the world that you can do it,” Elsie concluded.
