Ahtisa Manalo says Miss Universe 2025 was a close fight

Ahtisa Manalo, the third runner-up in Miss Universe 2025, believes the competition was a close fight primarily between her and the representative from Côte d'Ivoire.

During a guest appearance on Vice Ganda's vlog, Manalo shared that while she focused on herself during most of the competition, she paid close attention to the answers during the question-and-answer portion.

She felt her answer, which highlighted her work with Alon Akademie to empower youth through entrepreneurship and education, was strong, humorously adding that she would have declared herself the winner if she were a judge.

Manalo also recalled a past pageant experience where the stage collapsed during rehearsals, causing her to sprain her ankle and leading to other complications that made walking difficult.