For most of Saturday night at APT Studios in Cainta, Rizal, the Misters of Filipinas 2026 crowd thought it already knew how the night would end. Vincent Mark Caringal of Novaliches, Quezon City, kept getting called up for special awards: Best in Physique, Best in Swimwear, Mister Skin, Mister Urban Smiles. Each time, the room got louder. When the final results were announced, Caringal was first runner-up. The night’s top title, Man of the World Philippines 2026, went to Kendrick Reiken Abarquez of Cebu City.
You could hear the surprise in the venue. It’s harder to tell how the result went over with the audience watching the Facebook livestream. Inside the room, though, the most decorated man of the night had just missed the crown.
Misters of Filipinas is the national male pageant of Prime Events Productions Philippines Foundation Inc. (PEPPS). It doesn’t crown one winner. Instead, it gives out a set of national titles, and each one sends its holder to a different international competition. This year, six men left with a sash.
Six Sashes, Six Different Flights
- Kendrick Reiken Abarquez (Cebu City): Man of the World Philippines 2026
- Robert Jeriko Reyes (Plaridel, Bulacan): Mister Fitness Supermodel World Philippines 2026
- Klyde San Diego (Pangasinan): Mister Asian Global Philippines 2026
- Ken Baldovino (Laguna Province): Mister Teen of the Year Philippines 2026
- Ishe Venn Quiray (Tarlac Province): GentlemanX Supermodel World Philippines 2026
- Rainzel Castillo (Quezon Province): Teen GentlemanX Supermodel Philippines 2026
Abarquez’s case built steadily through the night. He won Creative Costume and Best in Formal Wear, and the Man of the World title automatically carries the Mister Avignon award. He also inherits the most closely watched sash in the PEPPS system. In June, Oliver Eugen Kretz turned that same title into the country’s first-ever Man of the World crown, so Abarquez now goes abroad defending a result the Philippines waited years to get.
Reyes faces a different kind of pressure. He was the night’s Best in High Fashion and Mister Anytime Fitness, and he takes over a franchise the Philippines has never won. The country has placed on the Mister Fitness Supermodel World podium four years running, most recently when Jacob Gomez finished second runner-up in Vietnam in September.
Baldovino’s title came with a twist from his predecessor. Calix Esguerra, the outgoing Mister Teen of the Year Philippines, wasn’t at APT Studios on Saturday. That same night, he entered Bahay ni Kuya as one of the housemates of Pinoy Big Brother Collab 3.0, the newest season of the long-running reality show, which premiered October 24.
Castillo had the most unlikely route to a title. He reached the Top 11 through the Jojo Bragais Highest Seller award, a sponsor award from the pageant footwear brand that came with an automatic slot in the cut. He left with a national title. Quiray, from Tarlac, rounds out the six as GentlemanX Supermodel World Philippines.
San Diego, who also took Mister Personality and Best in Barong, made it back-to-back for Pangasinan. The province’s previous holder of the same franchise, Rey John Paul Sabado, went on to win Mister Global Asian 2026 in Kuala Lumpur in January, and Sabado celebrated the repeat on his social media. San Diego won’t be the only Filipino chasing that crown. Patrick Sy, sent by Mr. Philippines, a separate national male pageant, is also competing for the Mister Global Asian title.
How the Field Narrowed
The Top 15 competed in swimwear first. Two of those slots came from the popular vote: Baguio City and Plaridel, Bulacan entered automatically as the popular-vote finalists, and the vote winner was guaranteed a place in the Top 10. Plaridel ended up advancing on the judges’ scores, so the popular-vote slot went to Baguio, whose delegate was also named Mister Love Yourself.
The next cut was 11 men: the Top 10 plus the Jojo Bragais awardee. They competed in formal wear and an advocacy round. The judges then named a Top 7 for the final question and answer, and that Top 7 became the night’s winners’ circle. All seven left with either a title or the runner-up spot.
The Favorite Who Finished Second
On paper, nobody had a better night than Caringal. His four special awards were the most of any delegate, and two of them came in the swimwear and physique categories the crowd reacted to most. The judges’ final ranking still put him one place short.
In PEPPS’s system, first runner-up is the fail-safe if a titleholder can’t serve, and it can lead somewhere. John Nietzche Hipolito, the 2025 first runner-up, was later handed a slot at the inaugural GentlemanX Next Male Supermodel, set for Bangkok from November 23 to 30. He won’t be going. In a short conversation with ElysPlanet on Saturday, Hipolito said a conflict is keeping him from competing internationally. The runner-up spot can open a door for Caringal, but last year’s showed it doesn’t guarantee a trip through it.
The 2025 Class Takes Its Final Walk
Before the new titleholders were named, members of the outgoing class took their final walks. Most of them have already competed abroad:
- Oliver Eugen Kretz: the reigning Man of the World, crowned in Manila in June
- Jacob Gomez: second runner-up at Mister Fitness Supermodel World 2026 in Vietnam
- Kristzan Delos Santos: crowned Top Model of Universe – Asia 2026 in Istanbul, his first international win after two runner-up finishes
- Marck Marasigan: won Mister Celebrity International in Kuala Lumpur in December 2025, the first Filipino to hold that crown
- Rey John Paul Sabado: won Mister Global Asian 2026 in Kuala Lumpur in January
- John Nietzche Hipolito: the 2025 first runner-up and GentlemanX Next Male Supermodel Philippines, assigned to the franchise’s inaugural international edition in Bangkok, November 23 to 30
How that one class scattered across the year is traced in our August piece on the 2025 kings.
The show was well attended and ran in an organized way. The one visible exception came during Gomez’s farewell walk, which was interrupted by technical problems.
Were You There?
If you were in the audience at APT Studios on Saturday night or watched the livestream, we’d like to hear from you. Are you happy with the results? Did Caringal deserve more than first runner-up? Tell us in the comments.
Full Results
Titleholders
- Man of the World Philippines 2026: Kendrick Reiken Abarquez (Cebu City)
- Mister Fitness Supermodel World Philippines 2026: Robert Jeriko Reyes (Plaridel, Bulacan)
- Mister Asian Global Philippines 2026: Klyde San Diego (Pangasinan)
- Mister Teen of the Year Philippines 2026: Ken Baldovino (Laguna Province)
- GentlemanX Supermodel World Philippines 2026: Ishe Venn Quiray (Tarlac Province)
- Teen GentlemanX Supermodel Philippines 2026: Rainzel Castillo (Quezon Province)
- First Runner-Up: Vincent Mark Caringal (Novaliches, Quezon City)
Top 7: Cebu City, Laguna Province, Novaliches, Pangasinan, Plaridel (Bulacan), Quezon Province, Tarlac Province
Top 11: the Top 7, plus Baguio City, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Quezon City (Quezon Province entered as the Jojo Bragais Highest Seller)
Top 15: the Top 11, plus Bulacan Province, Isabela, Laoag City, Montalban (Rizal)
Special Awards
- Mister Congeniality: Batangas
- Mister Photogenic: Nueva Ecija
- Mister Personality: Pangasinan
- Creative Costume: Cebu City
- Best in High Fashion: Plaridel, Bulacan
- Best in Barong: Pangasinan
- Best in Beach Wear: Quezon City
- Best in Physique: Novaliches
- Best in Swimwear: Novaliches
- Best in Formal Wear: Cebu City
- Jojo Bragais Highest Seller: Quezon Province
- Mister Urban Smiles: Novaliches
- Mister Love Yourself: Baguio City
- Mister Skin: Novaliches
- Mister Anytime Fitness: Plaridel, Bulacan
- Mister Avignon: Cebu City (awarded automatically to Man of the World Philippines)