Miss Universe Philippines 2024 preliminaries: frontrunners, favorites

MANILA, Philippines — In 36 hours or so, a new Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) will be crowned. She will be the country's representative to the forthcoming pageant edition in Mexico. But the question is: Who among this year's 53 aspirants will wear the crown?

The fifth edition of Miss Universe Philippines has been touted as a "bloodbath" as a huge number of qualified entrants are fighting for just a single title (not including the four other titles that will be handed out after the coronation).

Before the coronation night on Wednesday, let's take a look at the frontrunners and favorites that the pageant community has set its eyes on.

Needless to say, there are the dark horses like Mary Josephine Paaske of Talisay City, Chelsea Manalo of Bulacan, or Kymberlee Street of Australia; to name a few. These aspirants were simply under the radar throughout the pre-pageant season and may simply come out of nowhere and shine come finals night. Much like what Raquel Pelletier of Haiti did during the Miss Universe 2016 pageant held here in Manila.

So whether the 53 hopefuls fall under the frontrunner, favorite, or dark horse category, we wish all of them the best in their Miss Universe Philippines odyssey!