Newly crowned Miss Grand International 2025 Emma Mary Tiglao was treated to a spectacular homecoming victory parade around Ayala Triangle in Makati on Monday afternoon.
Tiglao, looking radiant in a red-orange floral dress atop a flower-adorned float, basked in the cheers and adulation of crowds lining Ayala Avenue, Paseo de Roxas, and Makati Avenue. The scene drew comparisons to the raucous reception enjoyed by Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray during her own victory parade.
Her win, succeeding fellow Filipina Christine Joy Opiaza, who was crowned Miss Grand International 2024 in June, made Tiglao only the fourth Filipina to achieve a rare back-to-back victory in global pageants. It also completed the Philippines’ collection of the ‘Big Five’ pageants, making the country only the third in the world to reach this milestone. At 30, Tiglao, who bested more than 70 candidates worldwide, is the oldest Filipina to win a major international pageant.
“Words are not enough to describe how I feel during the parade. I want to thank all of you. You know how many times you made me cry, but maybe the lesson I can share with you through my journey is not to give up on your dream. Many times I placed as runner-up, but this time our ‘not yet’ became ‘finally.’ Don’t give up—soon your not yet will also become finally,” Tiglao told the ecstatic crowd.
Joining the celebrations was Nawat Insaragrisil, president of Miss Grand International and executive director of the Miss Universe Organization, who arrived in Manila alongside Tiglao and first runner-up Gotchabell Gotchapan. Insaragrisil shared selfies with fans as he was mobbed by screaming admirers, experiencing firsthand the fervor of the Philippines’ pageant fans.
“I never imagined that my first time in the Philippines would leave such an unforgettable mark in my heart. Thank you to all the Filipinos who welcomed me with so much love and made me cry happy tears more than I expected. I honestly don’t know how to thank you enough,” said Gotchabell, Tiglao’s best friend.
Tiglao’s fellow ALV Pageant Circle queens, led by Miss Grand International 2024 CJ Opiaza, joined the festivities on another float. They included Miss World-Asia 2024 Krishnah Gravidez, Miss Asia Pacific International 2025 first runner-up Anita Rose Gomez, Universal Woman 2024 Maria Gigante, Face of Beauty International 2024 Jeanne Isabelle Bilasano, Reina Hispanoamericana 2024 Dia Mate, Miss Tourism World 2022 first runner-up Justine Felizarta, Miss Eco Teen International 2022 first runner-up Beatriz McLelland, and Reina Hispanoamericana 2024 second runner-up Michelle Arceo.
