Brazilian beauty queen Isabela Fernandes is back in Cebu a year after winning her country’s second Miss Asia Pacific International title. And she has also welcomed the delegates of the pageant’s 2026 edition to the province.
For the second year in a row, Cebu is hosting the oldest and longest-running international beauty pageant founded in the Philippines. And all of the events and activities will be taking place there.
During last year’s edition, the delegates arrived in Manila where the initial activities were held, including the press presentation and the national costume competition. But this year, all the participants went straight to Cebu to kick off the 2026 pageant.
Wearing their sashes bearing the names of their respective countries and territories, the 2026 Miss Asia Pacific International delegates arrived to a warm welcome at the Mactan Cebu International Airport on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Host delegate Gabrielle Galapia, who was crowned Miss World Philippines Second Princess before her appointment as Miss Asia Pacific Philippines, flew to Cebu ahead of the other delegates to meet the Cebuano media.
The Kapampangan bet later joined the Brazilian reigning queen in welcoming her fellow 2026 delegates to Cebu, many of whom are visiting the Philippines for the first time.
Last year, the staging of the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant took a more philanthropic turn after a massive earthquake struck northern Cebu, affecting the entire province and neighboring areas.
What was initially envisioned as a week of glamorous event shifted to a humanitarian endeavor when the participants took part in relief efforts to aid those who were hit hardest by the tremor.
For this year’s pageant, the 39 delegates are scheduled to visit different towns and cities in Cebu to explore the province’s world-class destinations, and experience the rich and vibrant Cebuano culture.
The 2026 Miss Asia Pacific International Grand Coronation Night will take place at the Mactan Expo, a 3,000-seater pillarless convention facility inside The Mactan Newtown in Lapu-Lapu City on Oct. 10.
Galapia hopes to score the Philippines’ sixth victory in all of the pageant’s iterations, following Miss Asia winners Maria Del Carmen Ines Zaragoza (1982) and Gloria Dimayacyac (1983), Miss Asia Pacific titleholders Lorna Legaspi (1989) and Michelle Aldana (1993), and 2018 Miss Asia Pacific International Sharifa Areef Mohammad Omar Akeel.