Showbiz

Ahtisa Manalo Goes Full Showbiz: Miss Universe PH Queen Signs With GMA's Sparkle

Tabloid PH Newsdesk

Mar 19, 2026 — 1 min read

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Miss Universe Philippines 2025 and Miss Universe 3rd runner-up Ahtisa Manalo is officially making the jump to showbiz — and she's doing it with GMA's Sparkle artist management. The beauty queen revealed she was actually supposed to sign with the network last year, but chose to pursue her Miss Universe Philippines dream first. Now that her pageant journey is done, she's all in.

"It feels right to be here now at this time. It feels like the perfect timing because tapos na ako sa pageant journey ko, and I can't ask for a better family than GMA," Ahtisa said during her presscon welcoming her as a Sparkle GMA artist. Before Miss Universe, she represented the Philippines at the 2018 Miss International and the 2024 Miss Cosmo, earning first runner-up and Top 10 finishes.

The newbie actress has her sights set on action roles — channeling her inner Charlie's Angel. "I've always been fascinated by action movies. I wanted to be a Charlie's Angel when I was a kid," she shared. She also admitted she's coming in with zero acting experience: "I've never done acting workshops. I don't know what I am getting myself into, but it's honestly a surprise that I'm excited to see."

When asked about her dream leading man, Ahtisa didn't hesitate — it's Alden Richards. She described him as having "a maamo face, a face that looks like he's very kind." Her publicity team also revealed she may join the cast of "Encantadia Chronicles: Sang'gre," along with other projects in hosting and high-fashion collaborations.

Meanwhile, Miss Universe Philippines 2026 is already gearing up — the coronation night is set for May 1, where Ahtisa will crown her successor. One of the candidates is actress Roxie Baeyens, representing Baguio City, who said she's excited to welcome Ahtisa to the Sparkle family.

Source: Philstar — Ahtisa Manalo decides to pursue showbiz

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