Marcus Asis of Masbate and Sophia Nicole Sy of Makati City are Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Philippines 2026. They were crowned on November 3 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Newport World Resorts, Pasay City, and they succeed Tyrone Tan and Yza Thalia Uy, the 2025 titleholders.
Gabby King of Makati City and Clarice Elaine Lin of Taguig City were named first runners-up. Ozzie Llige of La Union and Monique Angelika Santos of Bataan finished as second runners-up.
The Winners
Asis is a commercial and print ads model. He came into the finals with two preliminary titles: Best in Swimwear and Anytime Fitness Ambassador. He reached the Top 6 through the People’s Choice slot and went on to win the crown.
Sy took the same route to the Top 6. Away from the pageant, she is a co-founder of SOFI AI Tech Solution Inc., a company that builds custom AI systems for businesses. Its services include AI chat and sales support that runs around the clock, AI agents, workflow automation and document digitization. The company lists NVIDIA Inception, Google for Startups Cloud and AWS for Startups among its partners, and an ElevenLabs grant.
The Top 10 and Top 6
Each division was cut to a Top 10 and then to a Top 6. The public vote decided one slot at each stage.
Mister Chinatown Philippines 2026 Top 10: Ethan Chan (Tarlac), Gabby King (Makati City), Jeduthun Jake Ligan (Mandaluyong City), Mark Louis Ballada (3rd District Manila), Marcus Asis (Masbate), Excel Trystyne Yaranon (Iligan), Ozzie Llige (La Union), Christian Dizon (Pampanga), Jesse Glenn Rodriguez (Zambales) and Lyle Uy (Zamboanga City, People’s Choice).
Top 6: Marcus Asis (People’s Choice), Gabby King, Ozzie Llige, Ethan Chan, Lyle Uy and Jeduthun Jake Ligan.
Miss Chinatown Philippines 2026 Top 10: Tracy Choi (5th District Manila), Lok Shi Lee (Davao), Jessaiah Baldesco (Albay), Elijah Desiree Tan (Las Piñas City), Sophia Nicole Sy (Makati City), Angelie Kate U. Dy (Tarlac City), Genesis Gwyneth Go (Muntinlupa City), Rhian Dy (3rd District Manila), Monique Angelika Santos (Bataan) and Clarice Elaine Lin (Taguig City, People’s Choice).
Top 6: Sophia Nicole Sy (People’s Choice), Clarice Elaine Lin, Monique Angelika Santos, Tracy Choi, Jessaiah Baldesco and Lok Shi Lee.
Special Awards
Four finalists arrived with preliminary awards. Asis and Santos won Best in Swimwear and Anytime Fitness Ambassador in their divisions. Jeduthun Jake Ligan and Lin were named Mr. and Ms. Photogenic. All four made the Top 6, and Santos and Lin later placed as second runner-up and first runner-up.
Who Made the Cut
Some finalists had been in the conversation since August. When the 26 official candidates were presented to the press on August 24, Llige was one of the two Darlings of the Press. The other, Izabella Charis Benet Lee of the Bicol Region, did not make the women’s Top 10. Llige went on to finish as second runner-up.
Lyle Uy of Zamboanga City competed with an advocacy for queer youth empowerment, a pointed choice for a pageant built on the Filipino-Chinese community. In media coverage of the run-up, he described the community as not exactly intolerant but still a long way from full acceptance. Tracy Choi of Manila is Chinese-Korean and grew up in the Philippines. She has spoken about growing up across three cultures without fitting herself into just one.
The public vote shaped both cuts. Uy and Lin entered the Top 10 through People’s Choice. Asis and Sy took the People’s Choice slots in the Top 6, and both went on to win.
The Finals Panel
The finals panel included Crystal Jacinto, CEO of VMP Regenerative Clinic; Dr. Edzel Magtoto, CEO and medical director of Nova Aesthetics and Wellness Clinic; Dr. Ralf Figaroa de las Alas of Urban Smiles, founder of The Med Club; and Gazini Ganados, Miss Universe Philippines 2019 and a Sparkle artist, who made the Top 5 of Miss Grand International All Stars 2026.
Thirteen Years of Chinatown
Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Philippines began in 2013 under Miss Chinatown Foundation Philippines, and the organizers count this edition as their 13th year. It runs under the theme “Rooted in Culture, Elevated by Elegance,” paired this year with the Year of the Fire Horse on the Chinese zodiac.
The alumni list explains why the pageant draws attention beyond the community. Nicole Cordoves won Miss Chinatown in 2014 before going on to Binibining Pilipinas and a first runner-up finish at Miss Grand International 2016. She now directs the separate Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Global pageant. David Licauco was first runner-up for Mr. Chinatown that same year. Ben Siao first joined in 2016 and last month won the inaugural Mr. Chinatown Global Philippines title.
Recent winners show the same pull toward entertainment. Denzel Royce Chang and Maria Lourdez Chiong De Leon won in 2024, and Tan and Uy took the 2025 crowns. Tan has since signed with GMA’s Sparkle talent roster.
Not to Be Confused With the Global Search
Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Philippines is a separate pageant from Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Global Philippines. That one crowned Ben Siao and Yna Uy at the Metropolitan Theater on October 20, and they will represent the country at Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Global in February 2027. The two pageants run separately and neither feeds into the other, as ElysPlanet explained in September.