Ahtisa Manalo bonds with Catriona Gray, R’Bonney Gabriel at Mega Ball (2025)

(From left) R’Bonney Gabriel, Ahtisa Manalo and Catriona Gray during the 2025 edition of the MEGA Ball. Image: Hannah Mallorca/INQUIRER.net

Ahtisa Manalo took a break from her pageant preparations to hang out with Miss Universe titleholders Catriona Gray and R’Bonney Gabriel at the MEGA Ball.

The Miss Universe Philippines 2025 titleholder bonded with Gray and Gabriel at the star-studded event at the Marquis Events Place in Taguig on Thursday, June 12.

Manalo turned heads in an elegant Anthony Ramirez mini dress with a train. She finished her look with a half-ponytail, black pumps, and silver earrings.

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The Quezon Province-based stunner, who was seated next to Gray, was smiling and laughing with her fellow queens throughout the event. She also snapped photos with the Miss Universe titleholders and gamely agreed to photo requests.

OUR 5TH MISS UNIVERSE? 👑

LOOK: Ahtisa Manalo was all smiles as she posed for photos with Miss Universe titleholders Catriona Gray and R’Bonney Gabriel, who won in 2018 and 2022, respectively, at the MEGA Ball. | @HMallorcaINQ

Visit https://t.co/SJREtQ9HPf for more updates… pic.twitter.com/QILxi1sXt2

— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) June 12, 2025

Speaking about Manalo’s upcoming Miss Universe journey, Gray said she is “very excited” about her close friend competing in the global tilt. The Filipino-Australian stunner also clarified that their recent sighting with Manalo was brief, as it happened at a birthday party.

Manalo and Gray were batchmates at the 2018 edition of the Binibining Pilipinas tilt, bringing home the International and Universe titles, respectively. This earned Manalo’s nickname as “bunso” as she is the youngest of the batch’s titleholders.

“I’m very excited for her upcoming journey. It’s already near, [in] November. And the [time goes] very fast. So, I’m very excited for her,” Gray told reporters on the sidelines of the MEGA Ball. “I always reach out to our queens whenever they meet and I tell them, ‘Whenever you want to meet up, I’m here.’ Or like a resource.”

Gray added that she looks forward to her “long-form” discussions with the reigning Miss Universe Philippines titleholder.

“It’s a unique experience to represent our country on that stage. It comes with a lot of pressure, and as the years [pass], the org is constantly changing, and I’m the most recent Miss Universe [from the Philippines] naman,” she said.

“I look forward to discussing with her anything that she wants to add, anything she’s curious about, she’s my bunso talaga from 2018. I’m very proud of her… We’re planning a long-form chika very soon,” she added.

Other beauty queens present at the event were Winwyn Marquez (Reina Hispanoamericana 2017 and Miss Universe Philippines 2025 first runner-up), Chelsea Manalo (Miss Universe Philippines 2024) and Katarina Rodriguez (Miss Intercontinental 2017 first runner-up and Miss World Philippines 2018). /ra