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My Final Picks for MUPH 2025

It's that time of year again.

First of all, I wasn't aware that the Preliminaries were scheduled last Monday. I just found out when I saw this post on Facebook while I was on my way home. It was supposedly scheduled at 8:00 PM and by that time, I was still on queue for the bus, so I've already accepted the fact that I may not be able to watch it stream live due to the intermittent signals on the road.

But thanks to Empire for always fucking something up. They were three hours late, and that was more than enough time for me to go home and prepare everything that I needed to watch the show comfortably.

Seriously though—what the fuck?

Anyway, while I was on the bus ride home, I watched the Closed Door Interviews which happened earlier that day. And just in the knick of time, I was able to finish watching everyone’s interview several minutes before the preliminary competition started.

Without further ado, here are my final picks for the crown of Miss Universe Philippines 2025:

Top Tier

They are the most consistent candidates this year. Any one of them can win the crown this Friday and I wouldn’t even question it—not unless they bomb that night. Four of them are pageant veterans so people have high expectations for them, and their determination to not let their fans down is evident in how they handle themselves.  

Siniloan, Laguna – Our Miss Earth Air 2023. During her Binibining Pilipinas stint back in 2022, I kinda thought that she deserved at least a runner-up placement just because of her answer. On her Miss Earth journey, although she was an outstanding candidate from the very beginning, it felt like she was too gigil and it became her downfall—and the unusual words in her answers can be over the top, really. This time around in MUPH though, she was more relaxed and at ease and it reminded me of her time during BBP. My biggest concern about her is that her boobs—which look fake—can be too distracting sometimes.

Quezon Province – Ahtisa’s back. I wasn’t that thrilled when it was first confirmed that she will be rejoining MUPH. I share sentiments with some of the fans about becoming too tired of seeing her compete all over again. However, everytime Ahtisa shows up, she proves me wrong and shows that she is still deserving of the crown. Granted, I’ve seen her do better than her performance in the preliminaries, but I think she did enough to become a finalist. And what I love most about Ahtisa this year is that she is more relaxed, letting her authenticity shine more, and you can hardly feel the pressure on her

Muntinlupa – What can I say? She is our Reina Hispanoamericana 2017. She came to prove that she not only can become the queen of hispano-american countries, she can also conquer the universe. 

Ifugao – Here’s the new face who rightfully deserves her spot here with the frontrunners. I really loved her Closed Door interview. Out of all the candidates, she was the only one who had me grinning from ear to ear in the entirety of her interview. There were very minimal issues in her swimsuit and gown performances, but they are nothing that can’t be corrected with proper training.

Taguig – I’m not a huge fan of her, considering her performance back in 2022 when I thought someone else deserves her spot in the Top 5, considering the answers. However, she totally reinvented herself this time. Her answers in her interview were less head-scratching. And gurl, the styling and the way she presented herself—she was more beautiful than ever.

Second Tier

If anyone from my Top Tier candidates bombs, I think any of this five should take her place. All of them have shown qualities that make them deserving of the crown.

Sultan Kudarat – Another veteran in the game. Although she didn’t really mess up anything in all segments of the preliminaries, there was something about her that felt off. I’m not a fan of her styling in both swimsuit and evening gown.

Tarlac – I don’t know why people are not talking about this girl more. She has always been overlooked by the other overhyped candidates. She has one of the prettiest faces in the competition—which kinda resembles a more asian version of Catriona Gray. She is my sentimental favorite. I would be totally distraught if she wouldn’t make it to the finals.

Cebu City – When she won her provincial pageant, I was not that impressed, so I didn’t have that much expectations from her in MUPH. BUT, she caught my attention during the interviews—probably one of the more well-spoken candidates. And from then on, I couldn’t help but notice her during the Swimsuit and Evening Gown.

Pasay – I first noticed her during the Aqua Boracay swimsuit presentation because she had so much stage presence. And during the preliminaries, she didn’t disappoint—except for the quite middling choice of gown.

Laguna – Also one of the prettiest faces in the competition who knows how to perform onstage. I’m just a bit unsure about her speaking skills since I wasn’t that impressed in her interview—she didn’t do bad, she was just okay.

Third Tier

With the strong batch of girls this year, I’m a bit unsure if all of these five will make it to the semifinals. But if you ask me, they totally deserve a spot there.

Camarines Sur – I couldn’t help but say, “She’s so pretty” during her interview. She did okay in the Swimsuit and Evening Gown, I’m just not sure if the judges are ready for a queen who is more on the voluptuous side.

Baguio City – Baguio always sends a tough contender for the crown and this year is no different. She didn’t do bad, but there are others who are just stronger than her.

Isabela – She’s a bit raw and needs some more pageant experience and training to be at par with the other frontrunners. But I couldn’t deny how mesmerizing she was when she went out in that Rian Fernandez gown.

Malay, Aklan – Another consistent candidate, although not as strong and as popular as several others. She has a very Miss Teen USA aura, not sure if that could work for her or against her.

Davao – She gives me supermodel vibes, especially in the way she carries herself on the runway. She is also one of the well-spoken candidates—granted, she grew up in Hawaii. I’m not sure if she’s popular enough though to make it to the semifinals.

Everything becomes shady now after this—at least, with my own rankings. With the caliber of the ladies this year, those candidates who ranked 16 to 32 have very little to no difference in my scores—lots of three-way and four-way ties.

They are Nueva Ecija, San Jose, Las Piñas, Bohol, Camiguin, Iligan City, Oriental Mindoro, Manila, Camarines Norte, Occidental Mindoro, Los Baños, Quirino, Siargao, Benguet, Tacloban City, and Bulacan.

So… yeah that’s it.

Also, I will be watching the finals live with my boyfriend. 😄 It’ll be the first time either of us gets to watch a national pageant… so, you can only imagine how excited we both are.

[akocomyk]

Sunud-sunod mong pinipilit yung mga gusto mo kahit ayaw ko tapos magtataka ka bakit nagagalit sa’yo. Eh di wow.

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Peste.

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My March in 9 Pictures

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🫥🫥🫥🫥🫥🫥

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He who thinks that only his feelings matter.

Your body fat isn’t the problem.

It’s the way you wallow on negative feelings instead of confronting your issues.

The way you go to Twitter and write your heartaches there instead of communicating with the person involved.

It’s as if your life’s drama is a drug you’re addicted to and you’d do anything to prolong them instead of seeking solutions.

It’s as if you’d want to drag other people with you—to sympathize with you—so that you can all unite in antagonizing the person whom you believe have wronged you.

[akocomyk]

Staying would’ve been a great disservice to all the people who loved me and cared for me—even those I never loved back.

They wished for my happiness. They wished for me to find someone who gives me peace. Someone whom I can talk to about anything and communicate with, and doing so would just be so natural and easy.

Yeah. I owe that to them.

[akocomyk]

Why is being weird deemed like it’s negative trait?

Just heard someone's impression of me. They said I look good, neat, and seem like a nice person, BUT the catch was that I look weird.

I'm not offended by it because I know that I am weird, and I will never apologize for embracing who I truly am.

But why would anyone think that weirdness is bad? What's so wrong about being different anyway? Ironically, normal and ordinary sounds very boring and uninteresting to me.

In a world where everyone's forced to conform with what's on trend or "normal," I'd rather be the one who is original. The one who goes against the tides of normality to rise above the waves and be true to who I really am.

[akocomyk]

Ayoko lang talagang sabihin na, “Hindi kita nagustuhan kasi bad breath ka tsaka shushunga-shunga ka. Di ko alam kung immature ka lang o bobo ka talaga. Teacher ka pa naman, kawawa mga studyante mo. Major in English, pero wrong grammar kung minsan. Juice colored.”

“Yan ang dulot ng pakikinig lamang sa sarili mong paniniwala at opinion. Di lumalago ang isip mo.”

[akocomyk]

It’s frustrating to live through the consequences of the decisions made by someone else.

[akocomyk]

Running my first 10K at Milo Marathon 2025

I’m not sure if this was my fourth or fifth time joining the event. Back in college, our school participated in the Milo Marathon annually as a requirement for students in their P.E. class. Fortunately, I wasn’t affected by that mandatory participation, yet I volunteered to join anyway. 😄

For at least three times that I joined, it was because I had been assigned to cover the event and take pictures as the designated photojournalist. We only ran 5K each time. Nevertheless, it has become a sentimental memory for me and I always knew that I would run in Milo Marathon again someday.

When I first picked up jogging and running in 2023, then lost the habit, and restarted it in December of last year, I usually ran 5 kilometers on average—sometimes 6. In preparation for this year’s Milo Marathon, I managed to stretch that 6 to a 7 in two of my runs.

So… yeah. I just ran the longest distance of my life.

And I did it with my ever-loving and supportive boyfriend, who always sees the best in me—even when I don’t. 🧡

[akocomyk]

Stuff from my 31st birthday last month

Simple party at home. Cooked some food and had some friends over.

Teammates gave me cupcakes, while we’re having our planning session. Then an unexpected delivery of a bouquet of flowers came.

Then a dinner date with my boyfriend.

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[akocomyk]

1st Place – Top 5 Books of My 2024

The Electric State by Simon Stålenhag

This is an eerie and hauntingly beautiful masterpiece—a unique take on a dystopian Earth set in the 1990s, where humanity and civilization are in complete disarray after being ravaged by technology.

Admittedly, there isn’t much to the story if you look at it solely on the surface, even with a heart-wrenching plot twist in the book’s final chapters.

But as they say, the beauty of a story isn’t just in how it ends but in savoring the journey toward the finish line. Pair that journey with Stålenhag’s unsettling and surreal illustrations, and you’ll find yourself living in a melancholic dream.

I love that a huge part of the book explores themes of people becoming addicted to gadgets—or mobile screens—to the point where they lose themselves in that reality and forget that there’s a world out here where all that virtual shit doesn’t matter.

In my experience, I often see people in a trance while using their phones, to the point where you really have to make an effort just to get their attention. Technology may have made our lives easier and serves as a tool to foster connections, but we shouldn’t forget that the connections we make in real life are far more essential.

I haven’t read many books this year, but even if I had, this one would probably still top my list. I can’t wait to read it again.

[akocomyk]

2nd Place – Top 5 Books of My 2024

Some People Need Killing by Patricia Evangelista

I guess this one doesn’t need much explanation. This is one of the two books I’ve reviewed in the past year—and the only one that received a positive review.

The mixed emotions I felt while reading it initially led me to conclude that it would top my list last year. However, I struggled with it and, instead of finishing it in 2023, I only managed to complete it in early 2024. I kinda thought it would top this year instead, but it got edged out by another truly deserving book.

Anyhow, you can read my previous post about this here.