Marck Marasigan had six days.

That’s how much notice the Batangueño model and pageant titleholder got when the Philippines’ slot at Mister Celebrity International 2025 — an annual pageant for public figures and content creators held under the broader Mister and Miss Celebrity International banner — opened up. The original designate, Alei Del Rosario, who won the crown at Misters of Filipinas 2024, had to withdraw after an unexpected injury; the slot was then offered to Juan Carlos “Jaycee” Lopez, who turned it down as not yet ready. Six days to sort a wardrobe, book a photoshoot, and mentally reset for an international stage he hadn’t planned on standing on that year.

“I only had six days to prepare for the competition, including the photoshoot, preparing my wardrobe, and taking care of all the other things I needed to do,” Marasigan told ELYSPLANET. “I’m just so happy that everything went according to plan within those six days, and that there were a lot of people who were willing to help and support me.”

On December 21, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he won it outright — the first Filipino ever to hold the Mister Celebrity International crown. This December, almost exactly a year later, he crowns his own successor at the same pageant, in China — and the Philippines’ bet for the crown is Jaycee Lopez, the man who turned down the same shot a year earlier.

Six Days, One Shot

The call-up wasn’t the start of Marasigan’s pageant story — it was the strange, late-breaking reward for a run that had mostly gone the other way. Weeks earlier, he’d represented Lipa City at Misters of Filipinas 2025, the flagship national search staged by Prime Events Productions Philippines Foundation Inc. (PEPPS), a pageant and entertainment production outfit founded in 2013. He didn’t walk away with one of that night’s headline titles. When the Mister Celebrity International slot opened up unexpectedly, PEPPS handed it to him instead.

He didn’t have time to overthink it. “The first thing that came to my mind was, ‘Is it even real?'” he said of the moment his name was called in Kuala Lumpur. “Because ever since I started competing, I’ve always ended up as a runner-up, and now I finally won an international competition. It brought back so many memories and flashbacks from my pageant journey that it made me cry.”

That reaction wasn’t for show. Before Kuala Lumpur, Marasigan’s résumé was a run of close calls: first runner-up at Mister Friendship International Philippines 2023, then first runner-up again at Mister Tourism World Philippines 2024, in Lingayen, Pangasinan. Two near-wins, no crown, in two straight years.

He doesn’t frame those losses as dead weight he had to carry into Kuala Lumpur — he frames them as the actual preparation. “I think it taught me about heart, sincerity, and purpose,” he said. “I realized that it’s not just about wanting the crown or proving that you can win. It’s also about having a genuine heart for what you’re doing, knowing your purpose, and being able to connect with the people around you.” Patience, too, came out of those years — “you can give your best and still not get the result you want, but that doesn’t mean you’re not ready, it may simply not be your time yet.”

There was a point where he nearly walked away entirely — not after Kuala Lumpur, but before it, right after missing a title at Misters of Filipinas. “I was so heartbroken at that time because I had worked so hard for it, and ending the journey without any reward made me feel like, ‘Okay, maybe I should stop now,'” he said. “I thought maybe I should focus on my studies and try other fields instead. I was really close to stepping away from pageantry, but looking back, I’m glad I didn’t completely close that door.”

The Batch That Kept Producing Kings

Not making a headline title at Misters of Filipinas 2025 put Marasigan in an unusual position: watching from just outside the spotlight as his own batch turned into one of the more productive classes Philippine male pageantry has produced in years. That same October 2025 coronation crowned Man of the World Philippines Oliver Eugen Kretz, the Puerto Princesa fitness model who went on to become the first Filipino to actually win Man of the World, in June 2026. Marasigan’s own international win, five months earlier, came from the same room.

He doesn’t talk about that batch competitively. “I can say that we were one of the best batches because we witnessed each other’s journey toward the crown,” he said. “Even though I didn’t make it at Misters of Filipinas, being part of that batch gave me the opportunity to prove myself, not only on the national stage, but also on the international stage.”

What Tourism Management Actually Prepared Him For

Marasigan studied Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management at Royal British College Inc. in Lipa City — a degree that turned out to double as unofficial pageant training. “Tourism is not just about beautiful places; it’s also about the people, the culture, the hospitality, and the way we make others feel when they experience our country,” he said. “As a titleholder, I see myself as someone who can showcase not only the beauty of the Philippines, but also the warmth and character of Filipinos.”

Lipa City has claimed the win as its own. Marasigan describes a homecoming parade and a city council resolution recognizing the title — the kind of hometown reception that, in his account, keeps the title tethered to a specific place rather than turning abstract. “Whenever I represent the Philippines internationally, I feel like I’m also carrying Lipa City and Batangas with me,” he said.

The Loop Closes in China

This December, Marasigan hands the crown off — and the symmetry of who’s chasing it isn’t lost on him. The Philippines’ representative to Mister Celebrity International 2026 is Jaycee Lopez, now competing under a different local franchise than the one that originally produced Marasigan’s own title after the domestic rights to the pageant moved on from PEPPS. Lopez is chasing the same crown he passed on a year ago, when he turned down the slot that went to Marasigan instead.

Marasigan isn’t treating it as an awkward rematch. “From stepping in unexpectedly, to winning internationally, and now having the opportunity to crown my own successor in China, it feels like everything has come together,” he said. “I’m just excited to see Jaycee have his own journey, and I hope I can pass on not only the crown, but also the experience and lessons I gained along the way.”

What he’s carrying into that role is a clear memory of the seconds just before his own name was called in Kuala Lumpur — not the win itself, but the wait leading up to it. “We just wanted to feel and take in the moment because it was such a nerve-wracking experience,” he said. “I was just praying, ‘Lord, please give it to me.'” It’s that same tension, from the other side of it now, that he expects to feel watching for Lopez’s name in China.

Beyond the Sash

Nearly four consecutive years into pageantry, Marasigan is already looking past it — not out of it, but past it. “I want to try different things away from pageantry, but pageantry will always have a special place in my heart,” he said. “I don’t see it as leaving pageantry behind completely, but rather as opening myself up to new opportunities and experiences.”

What he wants people to take from the whole arc isn’t the six-day headline. “I want people to understand that being the replacement pick was just the beginning of my journey, not the definition of who I am,” he said. “Not everyone would have the courage to step into a competition with only six days to prepare, especially knowing how much pressure the Philippines sash comes with. Sometimes, an unexpected opportunity can lead you exactly where you’re meant to be.”