THE HEAT IS ON for Misters of Pilipinas 2016, as 22 hunks out of the 35 called for the final screening were selected today at the grand callback at House Manila club, Remington Hotel, Resorts World Manila in Pasay City.

Organized by Prime Event Productions Foundation, Inc. (PEPPS), the Mister of Pilipinas pageant aims to select the next set of Filipino men to compete in international male pageants that include Mister International, Manhunt International, Man of the Year, Mister Globe, Mister Southeast Asia, and Man of the World, as well as the newest addition to their franchise, Mister Supranational.

PEPPS President Carlo Morris Galang said this is an exciting year for the pageant, which has been marred by controversies since its first staging in 2014. One of its successful products is Neil Perez, who won Mister International 2014. Last year, PEPPS hosted the staging of Mister International 2015 here in the Philippines.

Perez is among the judges who selected this year’s set of official candidates, together with reigning 2015 Man of the Year Philippines Karan Singhdole and reigning 2015 Manhunt International Philippines Don Mcgyver Cochico. Singhdole and Cochico will compete in their respective international pageants in August and November this year, respectively.

30 Official Candidates

There will be 30 official candidates for this year’s edition of the pageant. The 22 contestants selected today will be joined by eight more contestants coming from Filipino communities abroad. These 30 contestants will be presented to the media on August 28, three weeks before the final competition, set for September 18, at Resorts World Manila’s Newport Performing Arts Theater.

Pardon the quality of this photo, taken using only my cellphone, but here are the 22 candidates selected today. But to make sure we got it right, we will publish their names on our next update.

Read also: The Hot Guys of Misters of Pilipinas 2016 (Video)

The official candidates of Misters of Pilipinas 2016. These 22 hunks will be joined by eight others in the next few weeks.

This year’s batch is not without familiar faces. Last year’s first runner-up, AR Dela Serna, tried again this year and was selected as one of the official delegates. Issa Janda, winner of the controversial Mister United Continents Philippines 2016 title but since resigned due to mismanagement (including his prize money) of the said pageant, also made it to the list of official candidates. Then there’s reigning Mister Culture Asia Bob Royo and Miguel Guia of San Pablo, Laguna. Also in the competition is CJ Querol, the gasoline boy whose photo went viral on social media just recently.

There are two Igorots who are vying for a title at Misters of Pilipinas 2016.

Two of my favorite candidates at Misters of Pilipinas 2016, Roshson Barman and (sorry, I forgot his name), cheerfully obliged when some members of the media asked for photos without their shirts. Check out the list of our Top Picks in our next blog post.

New Format

PEPPS President Carlo Morris Galang said the new format will be in place for this season, the third edition of the local pageant.

“These guys are more than handsome faces and gorgeous bodies. They all have stories and backgrounds to tell. That is why this year, people can follow their journey through our web series which we will post in all our online media,” Galang said. “It will be interesting to see how these guys will transform before our eyes.”

This year’s set of contestants is very diverse. While there’s another policeman in the group (policemen have done a great job in this pageant over the past years, with Perez and Cochico), there’s also a teacher, a windsurfer, a singer, a model, and a gasoline boy, among others.

Based on their physical appearance and their performance during the grand callback, we already have a few names to include among our top contenders for this year’s titles. We are sharing our favorites with you in our next post.

Who do you think will win this year’s pageant? Who are you rooting for? Let us know in the comments.

The contestants before the announcement of those who made it to the list of final contestants during today’s callback for the Misters of Pilipinas 2016 pageant.

This blogger with Mister International 2014 Neil Perez and beauty queen maker Makoy Manlapaz. Makoy served as the host for the grand callback, while Neil served as one of the judges.

This blogger with Roshson Barman, one of the official candidates we are rooting for.