Author: INQUIRER.net

The arrival of Ahtisa Manalo in the Philippines has been postponed to a different date, as announced by the Miss Universe Philippines (MUPh) organization.

Manalo, who was supposed to return to the Philippines on Sunday, November 23, will be coming home on a different date due to “recent adjustments.” It remains unknown what kind of adjustments the organization is referring to.

“In light of some recent adjustments, the arrival of our very own Miss Universe 2025 Third Runner-Up, Ahtisa Manalo, has been moved, time and date to be announced soon,” MUPh’s post read.

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A post shared by Miss Universe Philippines (@themissuniverseph)

The national pageant nonetheless thanked Manalo’s fans for their “unwavering support and support” despite the sudden changes.

“We thank everyone for their unwavering support and understanding. As we await our queen’s return, let us continue to celebrate her remarkable achievement and the pride she brings to the Philippines,” it said. 

Meanwhile, Manalo said in a series of posts that the Miss Universe 2025 stage is the culmination of her 18-year pageant career. She also spoke of her friendship with Panama’s Mirna Caballini and Pakistan’s Roma Riaz, calling them her “greatest gifts” in her journey in the global tilt.

“After 18 years, I have finally arrived at my ultimate destination that is to represent the Philippines in the Miss Universe stage. My pageant journey may end, but the work continues. Let’s continue fighting for what we want — a better Philippines and a better universe,” she said in the caption of one of her posts.

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A post shared by Ma Ahtisa Manalo (@ahtisa)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ma Ahtisa Manalo (@ahtisa)

Despite not clinching the Miss Universe crown, Manalo was able to restore the Philippines to its Top 5 placement after a four-year hiatus. She also bagged third place in the pageant’s “Beyond The Crown” competition.

The pageant veteran also competed at the Miss International 2018 and Miss Cosmo 2024 tilts before the global tilt. /edv

MANILA, Philippines–University of Santo Tomas secured a place in the Final Four of the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball following an 80-71 win over National University on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena.

The Growling Tigers knocked down four three-pointers in the fourth quarter to create separation from the Bulldogs and claimed the third seed in the playoff round with their eighth victory against five defeats.

READ: UAAP: Crucial weekend up for UAAP Final Four chasers

Mark Llemit and Amiel Acido came through for UST by posting 11 points apiece, Gelo Crisostomo had 13 points and five rebounds even as Collins Akowe posted 11 points and 11 rebounds.

UST will finish up the eliminations on Wednesday against Far Eastern University in what would now be a non-bearing affair for the España side.

Had they lost, the Growling Tigers would have to beat the Tamaraws to secure a Final Four spot.

READ: UAAP: UST repeats over Ateneo, strengthens Final Four push

Omar John tallied 12 points and 11 rebounds but the Bulldogs finished the eliminations with a 11-3.

NU, however, was already assured of the top seed in the Final Four entering the contest.

Jake Figueroa, one of the reasons for the Bulldogs’ success, played just 20 minutes and made three points, two rebounds and two assists.

GENEVA, Switzerland — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Geneva Sunday morning for discussions on a US plan to end the Ukraine war, after Washington signalled room for negotiation on the controversial proposal.

Trump has given Ukraine until November 27 to approve the plan to end the nearly four-year conflict, but Kyiv is seeking changes to a draft that accepts some of Russia’s hardline demands.

Rubio, whose reported comments about the plan have thrown an extraordinary element of confusion into efforts to negotiate an end to the war, landed shortly before 9:30 am (0830 GMT), according to AFP journalists on site.

Ukrainian, European and Canadian officials were also gathering in the Swiss city, although the format for the talks remained unclear.

The US plan to end the Ukraine war has drawn pushback from Kyiv, its allies and US lawmakers ahead of Sunday talks.

The 28-point plan would require the invaded country to cede territory, cut its army and pledge never to join NATO. Trump told reporters Saturday it was not his final offer and he hoped to stop the fighting “one way or the other.”

Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, speaking on Fox News, described the plan as “a work in progress.”

Ukraine’s European allies, who were not included in drafting the proposal, said the plan requires “additional work” as they scrambled at the G20 summit in South Africa to come up with a counter-offer to strengthen Kyiv’s position.

Washington, meanwhile, insisted Saturday the proposal was official US policy, denying claims by a group of US senators that Rubio told them the document was a Russian “wish list.”

Rubio himself insisted on social media late Saturday that “the peace proposal was authored by the US.”

“It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations. It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”

READ: US peace plan ‘good’ for Russia, Ukraine – White House

Ukrainian dignity not negotiable

Diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff and US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll were also scheduled to take part on the US side, while the Ukrainian delegation is headed by Andriy Yermak, a top aide of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Consultations will take place with partners regarding the steps needed to end the war,” Zelensky said.

“Our representatives know how to defend Ukraine’s national interests and what is necessary to prevent Russia from launching a third invasion,” having annexed Crimea in 2014 and mounted a full-scale offensive in 2022, he said.

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the senior officials would meet in Geneva “to take things further forward”, stressing the importance of solid “security guarantees” for Ukraine under any settlement.

Starmer said his national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, would be in Geneva. Italian diplomatic sources said Rome was sending national security advisor Fabrizio Saggio.

Security officials from the EU, France and Germany will also attend, French President Emmanuel Macron told a news conference at the G20, while Canada’s national security advisor was also expected.

“There is no scenario in which Ukraine’s dignity and liberty is negotiable,” Alice Rufo of France’s deputy armed forces minister, told French radio Sunday before heading to Geneva.

READ: Ukraine would cede Donbas to Russia under 28-point US plan

‘Plan needs more work’

Western leaders at the G20 summit said that the US plan was “a basis which will require additional work.”

“We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force. We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack,” the leaders of key European countries, Canada and Japan said in a joint statement.

Macron said the plan contained points that had to be more broadly discussed as they concerned European allies, such as Ukraine’s NATO ties and Russian frozen assets held in the EU.

He said the 30 countries in the “coalition of the willing” supporting Kyiv will hold a video call on Tuesday following the Geneva talks.

“We all want peace, and we are agreed. We want the peace to be strong and lasting,” he said, insisting a settlement must “take into account the security of all Europeans.”

Zelensky said in an address to the nation on Friday that Ukraine faces one of the most challenging moments in its history, adding that he would propose “alternatives” to Trump’s plan.

“The pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest. Ukraine may face a very difficult choice: either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner,” Zelensky said, referring to a possible break with Washington.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the blueprint could “lay the foundation” for a final peace settlement, but threatened more land seizures if Ukraine walked away from negotiations.

MANILA, Philippines—Karl Eldrew Yulo had mixed emotions after claiming his first medal in the 2025 Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships on Sunday.

Yulo bagged the bronze medal in the floor exercise final–a victory that also came at the expense of one of his friends, Arsenii Dukhno.

READ: Karl Eldrew Yulo wins floor bronze at Junior World Championships

Savor it, Eldrew 👏

WATCH: Karl Eldrew Yulo talks about winning bronze in the 2025 Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships’ floor exercise finals. @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/XzZBkQtl36

— Rommel Fuertes Jr. (@MeloFuertesINQ) November 23, 2025

Dukhno, who is from Russia and was coming off a gold medal win in the all-around final, was the last competitor to perform in floor. That’s why Yulo was sitting on pins and needles the entire time Dukhno was doing his routine.

“I got so nervous. I just started telling the Lord, ‘if you’re really kind, you’ll give this to me,’ but I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” Yulo told reporters after hanging on to his spot on the podium with a score of 13.733.

“When he stepped outside, I didn’t know what to feel. I don’t know if I should feel bad or good. I feel bittersweet. I don’t think of him as my enemy; he’s my opponent and also my best friend.”

READ: Yulo vs Yulo? Dad thinks siblings will face off soon

Dukhno’s routine took a hit after he landed outside of the mat, leading to a costly penalty.

“We’ve been together to talk about things while we were on the floor. I feel bad and good at the same time. Really mixed emotions,” the 17-year-old Yulo said.

MANILA, Philippines–Spain and Colombia produced contrasting victories to open their respective campaigns in the Fifa Futsal Women’s World Cup on Saturday at Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

The Spaniards drubbed Thailand in a battle of highly-ranked nations, 5-2, while Colombia downed Canada, 2-0, in a pair of matches in Group B.

READ: Futsal World Cup: Coach ‘happy’ despite PH’s 6-0 loss to Poland

Both teams joined Argentina and Poland, which beat Morocco and host Philippines with 6-0 scorelines in Group A on Friday when the inaugural tournament kicked off.

Laura Cordoba struck twice as world No. 2 Spain took command after the Thais, ranked fourth, tied the game twice in the opening half.

Also finding the net for Spain were Vane Sotelo, Irene Cordoba and Maria Sanz Navarro.

READ: Filipina5 routed by Poland in Futsal World Cup curtain-raiser

Spain took the group lead with Colombia in second after scoring in each half against the Canadians.

Angely Camargo scored the opener in the first half before Nicolla Mancilla extended Colombia’s lead midway in the second half.

Robin Padilla has nothing to say except “good luck” to his estranged son-in-law Aljur Abrenica, who was confirmed to share three kids with his girlfriend AJ Raval.

Abrenica made headlines after Raval confirmed in a “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda” interview earlier this month that she has three kids with Abrenica, and two with an undisclosed ex-partner. Since then, the couple went public with their family and even marked their first family outing.

On the sidelines of Robin’s media con with Viva, he was asked to comment on the bombshell involving his estranged son-in-law, to which he wished him luck. 

“Wala, anong ire-react ko dapat? Dapat si Kylie. Wala naman akong masasabi kundi good luck sa lahat. Maganda na maayos sila. Hindi sila naga-away… Good luck, magsipag ka lalo kasi madami kang anak,” he said.

(Nothing, how should I react to that? Kylie should react to that. I don’t have anything to say except good luck. What’s good is that they’re doing well. They don’t fight. Good luck, work harder because you have a lot of children now.)

The actor-politician said he “has no idea” of Abrenica’s kids with Raval, although he noted that it doesn’t surprise him anymore.

“Wala akong alam na ganyan. Pero hindi na ako nabigla… hindi na kabigla-bigla ang mga ganyan sa panahon ngayon (I don’t know anything about that. But I’m not surprised. It’s not surprising to see stuff like that these days),” he said.

Robin also said that he doesn’t like to pry much into the private life of his daughter and Abrenica’s estranged wife Kylie, saying she knows how to deal with the matter on her own.

“Matanda na kasi si Kylie at lumaking independent ang batang ‘yun. Mabuti [siyang] ina, masipag, so hindi ko na siya masyadong inaalala pa sa ganyang usapin (Kylie is old enough and she grew up independent. She’s a good mom and is hardworking, so I don’t think about her too much when it comes to dealing with these matters),” he said.

Hours after Raval’s revelation, Kylie confirmed in a Facebook post that she has long been aware of her estranged husband’s new family. She also clarified that they chose to keep things private out of protection for their children.

Kylie and Abrenica, who tied the knot in 2018, have two children, Alas and Axl.

Robin was the one who confirmed Kylie and Abrenica’s breakup in July 2021 in an interview with Ogie Diaz. He admitted that while their split was “painful” for him, he didn’t want to get involved because it was a matter between the estranged couple. /edv