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The stage is set for another grand spectacle as the Miss Grand International 2025 pageant officially opened on Saturday, Oct. 18 in Bangkok, Thailand, with 77 candidates vying for the coveted crown.

The high-energy opening number showcased the candidates in metallic outfits. Reigning Filipino queen Christine Juliane ‘CJ’ Opiaza led the performance with her amazing dancing skills. She executed a daring hanging stunt mid routine.

Representing the Philippines this year is Emma Tiglao, who aims to achieve a back-to-back victory for the Philippines following Opiaza’s ascent to the throne last year.

For the 13th edition of Miss Grand International, Tiglao was among the finalists for Country’s Power of the Year, where she is currently leading as of the last tally.

The 30-year-old TV host also secured a spot in the Top 10 for Miss Popular Vote and in the Top 20 for Best National Costume for this year’s Miss Grand.

Tiglao has been competing in beauty pageants since 2012. She was the Philippines representative in Miss Intercontinental 2019, where she finished in the Top 20.

The first cut of tonight’s competition will see 20 delegates advance to the semifinal round, which also include the announcement of the delegate who will top the online poll for ‘Country’s Power of the Year.’

In an era of LED walls, laser beams, and viral concert clips, it’s easy to forget that the heart of live performance isn’t in the visuals but in the connection.

For Per Sørensen, the voice of Norwegian new wave band Fra Lippo Lippi, that’s the secret to staying relevant in today’s hyper-digital music scene. ‘Whether you’re an old geezer like me or a young artist,’ Sørensen told Inquirer Entertainment in a recent virtual interview, ‘it’s about being real, connecting with people. That’s much more important than trying to be some perfect artist. I’m not K-pop – but I love music, and I love new stuff. I love that they’re real.’

That authenticity is exactly what he plans to bring back to Manila during ‘The Voice of Fra Lippo Lippi’ concert on Oct. 24 at The Theatre at Solaire in Parañaque.

Sørensen hints that this year’s concert will be a little different – visually, at least. ‘I won’t give everything away,’ he teased, ‘but there will be more visuals. And some surprises.’

This time, he’s bringing his full Norwegian band – a first in his Philippine shows. ‘Since 2012, I’ve always brought my son with me on tour,’ he said. ‘But this time around, it’s my Norwegian band. They know the material really well. Of course, I’ve loved playing with local musicians here – but it just worked out this way. So yes, that’s something to look forward to.’

While he jokes that his Tagalog might not yet be concert-ready, he’s open to singing something local ‘if it’s a nice song.’

Filipino fans have always had a special relationship with Fra Lippo Lippi’s music – one that’s as enduring as the ’80s synth sound the band helped define. When asked which song resonates most with his audience here, Sørensen said: ‘It’s ‘Stitches and Burns.’ During the Cebu show, everyone stood up, waving their phones – that happens wherever we play. But of course, they also love ‘Beauty and Madness.”

Fans can expect all the hits, plus something new: ‘This Day This Time,’ a recent release that carries a touch of Christmas warmth. ‘It’s sort of a Christmas song, really,’ he said. ‘So that’s fine to add.’ Words for the next generation

Despite belonging to the same era as cassette tapes and power ballads, Sørensen’s advice to young songwriters still rings true. ‘Create something classic,’ he said. ‘Be honest. Don’t try to write a hit or adjust your work to please the fans. Write from your heart. If it connects with people, they will like it.’

If there’s one thing Sørensen never gets tired of, it’s performing for Filipino audiences. ‘It’s always about the people,’ he said. ‘You welcome us very warmly. You all sing – I love that. My drummer said last time, ‘This is fantastic. It’s unbelievable.”

Even offstage, he feels that warmth. ‘When I walk the streets, people come up to me and start singing the songs. You have karaoke everywhere here! I love it. I love the food, too.’

He recalled writing ‘Stay This Time’ with overseas Filipino workers in mind – ‘those who don’t see their families for years.’ It’s a song he hopes listeners take to heart.

Still playing, still connecting

After decades of touring, Sørensen remains eager to see more of the country. ‘I’ve been to Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Ormoc, Tacloban, Cebu, Laguna, Manila and Baguio,’ he said. ‘But I want to go to more places. Maybe Boracay next. Wouldn’t it be great to have a show on the beach?’

Tropical Storm Ramil has maintained its strength while moving west-northwestward over the mainland Bicol at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour (kph), the state weather bureau reported on Saturday evening.

In its 8 p.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Ramil is still packing a maximum sustained wind speed of 65 kph, with gustiness of 110 kph. Signal No. 2 was hoisted over the following areas:

Luzon:

Southeastern portion of Isabela (Dinapigue)

Southern portion of Quirino (Nagtipunan, Maddela)

Southern portion of Nueva Vizcaya (Alfonso Castañeda)

Northern and central portions of Aurora (Casiguran, Dilasag, Dinalungan, Baler, Dipaculao, Maria Aurora, San Luis)

Polillo Islands

Camarines Norte

Catanduanes

Northern and eastern portions of Camarines Sur (Tinambac, Siruma, Goa, San Jose, Lagonoy, Garchitorena, Caramoan, Presentacion, Sagñay, Tigaon)

Eastern portion of Albay (Rapu-Rapu, Bacacay, City of Tabaco, Malilipot, Santo Domingo, Manito, Tiwi, Malinao)

Northeastern portion of Sorsogon (Prieto Diaz, City of Sorsogon)

Visayas:

Northern portion of Northern Samar (Laoang, Pambujan, San Roque, Mondragon, Rosario, Lavezares, San Jose, Catarman, Bobon, Palapag)

Signal No. 1 Luzon:

Cagayan including Babuyan Islands

The rest of Isabela

The rest of Quirino

The rest of Nueva Vizcaya

Apayao

Abra

Kalinga

Mountain Province

Ifugao

Benguet

Ilocos Norte

Ilocos Sur

La Union

Pangasinan

The rest of Aurora

Nueva Ecija

Eastern portion of Bulacan (Doña Remedios Trinidad, Norzagaray, San Miguel, San Ildefonso, San Rafael, Angat)

Eastern portion of Tarlac (Camiling, San Clemente, Santa Ignacia, Paniqui, Moncada, San Manuel, Anao, Ramos, Pura, Victoria, City of Tarlac, La Paz, Concepcion, Gerona)

Eastern portion of Pampanga (Magalang, Arayat, Candaba)

Northern and eastern portions of Quezon (Tagkawayan, Perez, Alabat, Quezon, Atimonan, Padre Burgos, Unisan, Gumaca, Plaridel, Agdangan, Pagbilao, Mauban, Calauag, Guinayangan, Lopez, Pitogo, Macalelon, General Luna, Catanauan, San Narciso, Buenavista, San Francisco, San Andres, Mulanay, General Nakar, Infanta, Real, Sampaloc)

The rest of Camarines Sur

The rest of Albay

The rest of Sorsogon

Burias Island

Ticao Island

Visayas:

Northern Samar

Northern portion of Eastern Samar (Jipapad, San Policarpo, Oras, Arteche, Maslog)

Northern portion of Samar (Matuguinao, Calbayog City, Gandara, Santa Margarita, Pagsanghan, Tagapul-An, Almagro, Santo Niño, San Jose de Buan)

Ramil is forecast to continue moving west-northwestward over the landmass or coastal waters of Bicol Region this Saturday evening before emerging over the waters near Polillo Islands early morning on Sunday. It will then pass close to or over the Polillo Islands, then make a final landfall in the vicinity of Aurora on Sunday morning or early afternoon.

‘The possibility of landfall over northern Quezon or southern Isabela instead of Aurora is also not ruled out based on the forecast confidence cone,’ Pagasa said.

According to Pagasa, there is a possibility that Ramil will be downgraded to the tropical depression category while passing over the Bicol Region. Slight intensification is not ruled out before its landfall over Aurora.

During its passage over Northern Luzon, Ramil is expected to maintain strength or slightly weaken due to the frictional effects of mountainous terrain.

Emma Tiglao of the Philippines promised to ‘give her all’ as she prepared to compete in the Miss Grand International 2025 finale night on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Bangkok, Thailand.

Hours before the coronation night, Tiglao took to Instagram to say that she was carrying with her the love of Filipinos as she stepped onto the grand stage.

‘As I walk down the Miss Grand International Grand Final stage tonight, I carry with me all the love, prayers, and the unbreakable Filipino spirit you’ve given me,’ she captioned her Instagram post that featured a video of her in an elaborate golden feather costume.

The 30-year-old beauty queen described her Miss Grand journey as one filled with purpose as she aims to give her best for her fellow Filipinos.

Citizens may start submitting complaints or reports on idle super health centers with the launch of the Department of Health (DOH) ‘Oplan Bantay Super Health’ on Monday.

Health Promotion Bureau Director Tina Marasigan on Saturday said that this complaint desk is part of DOH’s Citizen Participatory Audit.

‘The Department of Health receives reports about idle super health centers, that’s why the agency will launch Oplan Bantay Super Health on Lunes that will serve as a citizens’ complaint desk,’ Marasigan, speaking in Filipino, said in a segment on DZMM Teleradyo.

Marasigan said that citizens can send pictures or videos of what they observe as ‘idle’ hospitals in their areas. After his appearance at an inter-agency coordination meeting with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure on Friday, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said that the number of non-operational super health centers across the country rose to 300. Herbosa submitted the list of these facilities to the probe body for further investigation.

During an inspection of a super health center in Marikina City, which he tagged as ‘non-operational,’ Herbosa revealed that 297 super health centers across the country are ‘non-operational or non-functional.’ He said that only phase one of the project, worth 21.5 million, was completed. The DOH also inspected another super health center in Antipolo City, which the agency tagged as completed but non-functional. The agency said that the over P18 million facility only began operating on Thursday, ahead of Herbosa’s visi,t despite being completed in 2024. /mr

At least 7,777 families or 21,945 people were evacuated in the Bicol provinces of Albay, Masbate and Catanduanes on Saturday, October 18, amid heavy rains and strong winds spawned by Tropical Storm Ramil, which made landfall over Gubat, Sorsogon on Saturday afternoon.

In its 5 p.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said ‘Ramil’ – which packed a maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 90 kph, was projected to make another landfall in Aurora province by Sunday morning.

Gremil Alexis Naz, spokesperson of Office of Civil Defense Bicol said 4,782 families or 12,677 people were evacuated in the towns of Daraga, Guinobatan, Jovellar, Libon, Malilipot and Pio Duran in Albay province.

In Baras town in Catanduanes, 2,957 families or 9,135 people were evacuated, while 38 families or 133 people were moved to safer grounds inUson town in Masbate. As of noon Saturday, 3,142 passengers were stranded in the various ports in the region after the Philippine Coast Guard ordered the suspension of sea travel.

About 1,004 rolling cargoes, six vessels, and two motorized banca were also stranded. Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 2 was hoisted in northern portion of Aurora (Casiguran, Dilasag, Dinalungan), Polillo Islands, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, the northern portion of Camarines Sur (Tinambac, Siruma, Goa, San Jose, Lagonoy, Garchitorena, Caramoan, (Presentacion), the extreme eastern portion of Albay (Rapu-Rapu), and the northeastern portion of Sorsogon (Prieto Diaz); and in the northeastern portion of Northern Samar (Laoang, Palapag, Mapanas, Pambujan, San Roque, Mondragon, Gamay) in Eastern Visayas.

Under TCWS No. 1 in Luzon were Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, the rest of Aurora, Nueva Ecija, the eastern portion of Bulacan (Doña Remedios Trinidad, Norzagaray, San Miguel, San Ildefonso, San Rafael, Angat), the eastern portion of Tarlac (Camiling, San Clemente, Santa Ignacia, Paniqui, Moncada, San Manuel, Anao, Ramos, Pura, Victoria, City of Tarlac, La Paz, Concepcion, Gerona), the eastern portion of Pampanga (Magalang, Arayat, Candaba), the northern and eastern portions of Quezon (Tagkawayan, Perez, Alabat, Quezon, Atimonan, Padre Burgos, Unisan, Gumaca, Plaridel, Agdangan, Pagbilao, Mauban, Calauag, Guinayangan, Lopez, Pitogo, Macalelon, General Luna, Catanauan, San Narciso, Buenavista, San Francisco, San Andres, Mulanay, General Nakar, Infanta, Real, Sampaloc), the rest of Camarines Sur, the rest of Albay, the rest of Sorsogon, Burias Island, and Ticao Island

Those in the Visayas were the rest of Northern Samar, the northern portion of Eastern Samar (San Policarpo, Arteche, Oras, Dolores, Maslog, Jipapad, Taft, Can-Avid), and the northern portion of Samar (Matuguinao, San Jose de Buan, Calbayog City, Gandara, Santa Margarita, Pagsanghan, San Jorge, Tagapul-An8

Emma Tiglao moved one step closer to the Miss Grand International 2025 crown after clinching a spot in the Top 10 of the competition held in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, Oct. 18.

Joining Tiglao in the Top 10 are the delegates from Colombia, Czech Republic, Mexico, Venezuela, Guatemala, Thailand, Tanzania, Ghana, and Spain.

The announcement came after the swimsuit round, where contestants walked the runway in deep aqua blue swimsuits to the tune of Tate McRae’s ‘Just Keep Watching.’

Tiglao’s confident strut and radiant smile drew cheers from Filipino fans in the audience. Thailand bagged the Best Swimsuit award while Colombia was named Miss Popular.

Earlier in the evening, Tiglao was awarded the Country’s Power of the Year award after she topped the online poll of the category.

Reigning Filipino queen Christine Juliane ‘CJ’ Opiaza is set to pass on her crown by the end of the night.

Emma Tiglao of Philippines delivered a strong start as she entered the Top 22 of the Miss Grand International 2025 pageant held in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, Oct. 18.

Tiglao’s name was the first to be announced as winner of a special award, which automatically entitled her to a slot in the Top 22. She won the Country’s Power of the Year special award after she topped the online poll of the category.

The announcement came after the show’s high-energy opening segment, where all 77 delegates introduced themselves in sparkling gold ensembles.

Aside from the Philippines, other delegates who advanced to the Top 22 included representatives from Ghana, Japan, United Kingdom, Ghuatemala, Dominican Republic, Czech Republic, Martinique, Indonesia, France, Zambia, Paraguay, Laos, Brazil, Tanzania, Thailand, Mexico, Valenzuela, Belgium, Spain, USA, and Equador.

Given the promising performances of the delegates, the MGI announced that they are expanding the finalists into Top 22 instead of 20.

Brazil, India, and Thailand bagged the Best National Costume award, while Miss Ghana won the Grand Talent Award.

Tiglao is seeking to inherit the crown from reigning Filipino queen Christine Juliane ‘CJ’ Opiaza and become the second titleholder from the Philippines.

From 22 semifinalists, the finalists will be trimmed in half to proceed to the next round, which also include the delegate who will top the ‘Miss Popular’ paid poll online, where Tiglao ranked 10th in the last tally.

Paul Telfer of ‘Days of Our Lives’ and Nancy Lee Grahn of ‘General Hospital’ won lead acting honors at the Daytime Emmys on Friday, with ABC’s ‘General Hospital’ claiming six trophies in the major categories, including drama series.

Sir David Attenborough broke Dick Van Dyke’s record for oldest Daytime Emmy winner, taking the trophy for daytime personality, non-daily as host of Netflix’s ‘Secret Lives of Orangutans.’

Attenborough, who is 99, wasn’t on hand. The Brit’s career as a writer, host and narrator spans eight decades.

Van Dyke was 98 when he won as guest performer in a daytime drama series for ‘Days of Our Lives’ in 2024.

Telfer, a 45-year-old native of Scotland, plays Xander Kiriakis on Peacock’s ‘Days of Our Lives,’ which he first joined in 2015.

‘My mom always loved soaps and she loved villains,’ he said. ‘She’s been gone for over 20 years, and so to win this on a soap opera playing the villain is really amazing. Thanks, Mom.’

Grahn earned her third career trophy at the 52nd annual awards, having played Alexis Davis on ‘General Hospital’ since 1996. She regularly uses her platform to speak out on political matters, and she carried a silver clutch that she had hand-lettered with the words ‘Democracy dies in silence.’

‘Our democracy is worth fighting for, the people in it are worth caring about, and whether you have a platform or not, now is the time, guys, to show up, stand up, speak up for human decency, for democracy,’ she said, shouting, ‘Stand up!’ multiple times to the audience. Jonathan Jackson of ‘General Hospital’ and first-time nominee Susan Walters of ‘The Young and the Restless’ won supporting acting honors.

Jackson accepted the trophy for playing Lucky Spencer, a role he originated in 1993 and has played on and off ever since.

‘General Hospital’ also claimed trophies for Alley Mills as guest performer in a daytime drama and its writing and directing teams.

It was Mills’ second career win for playing Heather Webber. The 74-year-old, who first won in 2023, is best known as the mom on ‘The Wonder Years.’

‘We’re living in really dark times right now. Everything’s crazy,’ Mills told the audience at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. ‘We just got to keep our spirits high.’

Walters plays Diane Jenkins on CBS’ ‘YandR,’ which she has appeared in during three different stints.

‘I’m so happy that I won so I can thank my husband of 40 years,’ she said, singling out Linden Ashby, who has appeared on the same show and lost to Mills in the guest actor category.

Drew Barrymore claimed her first win as daytime talk series host for her eponymous New York-based show. She beat out Kelly Clarkson, Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa, Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb, and Jennifer Hudson. ‘Live With Kelly and Mark’ won daytime talk series.

Lisa Yamada of CBS’ ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ won the emerging talent category, which replaced the younger actor and actress awards. The 23-year-old plays murderous Luna Nozawa.

‘Acting has been my dream since I gained consciousness, and my dreams are coming true right now,’ Yamada said, her voice choked with emotion. ‘I’m ugly crying.’

The night’s most exuberant winner was Kardea Brown, honored as culinary host for the Food Network’s ‘Delicious Miss Brown,’ which has aired for 10 seasons. The show also won for culinary instructional series.

‘Is this real?’ Brown said, mascara-stained tears streaming down her face. ‘These are tears of joy. As a young Black woman from Charleston, South Carolina, nobody would have ever thought that this would be possible, but I know one person that did. That’s God.’

Lindsey Vander Weide scored five consecutive cross-court kills to lift Petro Gazz past winless but gritty Chery Tiggo, 25-15, 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, in the PVL Reinforced Conference on Saturday at Capital Arena in Ilagan City, Isabela.

After yielding to Creamline in four sets on Tuesday, the Angels continued to lean on the one-two punch of Vander Weide and Brooke Van Sickle, who scored 25 points each, while also making major adjustments with rookie Jules Tolentino running the plays and Myla Pablo playing as the starting opposite spiker. With the Crossovers threatening to force a decider with a 21-19 lead in the fourth set, Vander Weide caught fire, accounting for five in the Angels’ blistering 6-0 run to close the match in two hours and eight minutes.

‘I think the season is shorter than it was when I was here the first time. So, every game counts,’ said Vander Weide. ‘We’re only three games into season. But at the same time, that’s kind of a good portion in the season. So, I knew we couldn’t take another L on the road. And I think all of us kind of lit that fire underneath us.’

The returning American hitter, who led the team to a championship in 2022 as the Best Import and Finals MVP, had 19 kills, five aces, and a block to go with 11 excellent receptions.

Van Sickle, the reigning Season MVP, also had a tremendous floor defense with 20 digs and 15 excellent receptions to lead the Angels’ rise to a 2-1 record behind unbeaten Pool B leaders Akari and ZUS Coffee. Tolentino dished out 21 excellent sets, as Pablo and MJ Phillips had 10 points each after combining for seven of the team’s 13 kill blocks.

‘The whole team stepped up, came in, and contributed. So, overall, a great team win,’ said Petro Gazz coach Gary Van Sickle.

Petro Gazz, which rebounded after a four-set loss to rival Creamline on Tuesday, battles unbeaten Akari on Thursday at FilOil EcoOil Centre at 4 p.m. After splitting the first two sets, Petro Gazz squandered a 21-17 lead in the third, off two big blocks from MJ Phillips and Ranya Musa. But it committed three errors in Chery Tiggo’s four straight points to tie the frame.

Cess Robles and Yuni Batista kept the set tied at 23. But Van Sickle came to the rescue with a massive cross-court kill to reach set point, followed by a frame-clinching off-speed for the 2-1 match advantage.

Mylene Paat also had her moment in the fourth, drilling four straight points to gain a 19-16 advantage before Van Sickle and Vander Weide’s heroics for Petro Gazz.

Chery Tiggo remained winless in three games, as it continues to search for its first victory against Galeries Tower also on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.