MR. PHILIPPINES Finals Night Slated August 2!

It was a fun and exciting afternoon at Regal Entertainment's very own Valencia Events Place in Quezon City. It was immediately filled with pageant, bloggers, micro influencers, media and hunky men vying for the crown of Mr. Philippines 2026.

The organization will be looking for men to represent the Philippines in international pageants such as Grand International, Model International and World Quest. These 3 titles are of equal bearing, and from the looks of it, we're one of the countries to look out for (as Filipinos are absolutely good looking, smart and have great personalities).

This was also the opportune time to showcase their formal wear and active wear (courtesy of the folks from BENCH). Pageant Director Albert Bryan Abelido thanked and welcomed the sponsors and signed the Mr. Philippines 2026 with brands who will make the finals night happen on August 2 at the Palacio de Maynila in Del Pilar Street in the city of Manila.

Here are highlights from the red carpet:

The finale press presentation was also done to recognize the Mr. Philippines 2026 Media Choice Award. It was done by press voting that afternoon wherein 3 candidates will be given commemorative sash and cash prizes courtesy of the Philippine Entertainment Bloggers Association (PEBA). After hours of deliberation, contestants hailing from Makati, Mandaluyong and Pasig were announced as winners (Aethan Calix Cervantes, Zandro Sales and Angelo Dripin respectively). Congratulations!

If you wish to be part of the finals night, you can secure tickets via TicketMelon ( https://www.ticketmelon.com/mrphilippines/MrPhilippines ). You'll witness how the judges would choose the right men for the titles, in the quest of bringing home the international crowns and muster the courage to represent the country on the world stage. We can't wait to see who will win! Remember, the finals night will happen on August 2, and gates open at 6PM! 

For more updates, follow the Mr. Philippines 2026 FB page HERE.

Susana's by Pelayo's: Comforting Pasta That Might Change Your Life

Susana's mouthwatering signature Lasagna

Quezon City certainly has some really remarkable food havens and one of them is the Banawe area. There's a multitude number of cuisines, and each street still has some dishes to discover, but this one might change your life (oh yes we love puns!).

For those who are familiar with Pelayo's Cafe + Bistro (and their restaurants across Luzon), they've been in the food industry for a couple of years now. Solidly known for their mouthwatering Crispy Pata and Patatim, they have been able to satisfy countless Filipino homes with their quality cooked dishes and hosted tons of events and gatherings too. With the success of the brand in recent years, they continued to innovate, research and develop recipes for the ones at home, and to be able to make their lives easy in preparing ready to eat meals especially for those who they love.

Native Salad with Poached Egg

My personal favorite, the Patatim

Their well loved Crispy Pata

Beef Sinigang for those rainy days

Bangus Sisig

Hearty and corn lovin Suam

That's the secret ingredient to the food they serve and this month, they're launching Susana's Lasagna, a namesake of the owner's (Rad Pelayo) grandmother. We had a half serving of it on a plate to whet our appetite, and to tell you honestly, their version is a really good one. If you're often being served the tangy Italian versions of it in high end restaurants in Manila, Susana's Lasagna is a lot different because they managed to modify the dish to fit the Filipino palate. It's not too sour, not too sweet, but just right. It's also very cheesy, where one should note that even if they made it affordable, they didn't shortchange in the quality of ingredients. This is something they take pride on.

How This May Change Your Life

Susana's by Pelayos is actually starting to grow their business. This means, that YOU have the opportunity to be part of that by becoming a reseller or a franchise owner. It's the holiday season and Susana's Lasagna knows there's a lot of people who dread cooking for a lot of people during this time.

Conveniently sold frozen, you would just need to have this delivered, thawed (if you need it for other days) and put in the microwave or oven. Their goal is to be able to help other entrepreneurs to start their own business by selling them, or even have it be supplied to restaurants and cafe's as well. This means that as a seller, you don't need to do hard labor cooking. Customers have been loving the pasta like we did and the products can last a few months (best to consume in 2 months) but it could last in the freezer for more than that.

Franchise owners have the option of having time tested products both from the Pelayo's bistro menu and the Susanas by Pelayos line of pastas to sell or enjoy. If you're interested, please get in touch with them via their BANAWE BRANCH at 0917 119 3366 or visit them at 74 P. Florentino st. Sto. Domingo Banawe, Quezon City or their LUBAO BRANCH by calling 0917 144 4628 or their address Purok 3, Lourde Lauc Pao, Lubao, Pampanga.

They have these dishes combined in boxes with drinks and other viands so you can conveniently serve guests during events. The pasta from Susana's are also available in Solo, Sharing and Party Size. I bet there's going to be a lot of people who would order this during Christmas or New Year. Ordering is also easy as referrals will be done with nearby sellers/franchisees once they get in touch with their page Susana's Lasagna on FB.

iStudio Plus Levels Up iPhone 17 Midnight Launch

Had so much fun at iStudio Plus' iPhone 17 Midnight launch at the Bonifacio Highstreet grounds in BGC. Countless folks lined up early to make sure they get the much coveted iPhone 17 and the perks that come with it if you get it from iStudio Plus. 

BGC's B3 area was transformed into an activity center filled with various brands like HAVIT, Insta 360, EcoFlow, Union Bank who partnered with iStudio to make sure everyone gets an experience out of the launch even before the release of iPhone 17 began. Several performers like DJ Nico Yabut, artists Yoki and Kiyo performed on stage to the delight of patrons who stayed and partied for hours, and got prizes from booths inside the activity area. They also had coffee and fruit drinks given for free if you complete the passport and celebrities saying hi too. This includes artist Raki who partnered with iStudio, he certainly had talent and his art work and merch was a hit with everyone at the venue!

Angel Guardian, PBB Celebrity Collab alumnus AZ Martinez, Asian Cutie took their sweet time to participate in booths, and later went with us to unbox their very own iPhone 17. Here's a few videos we took when the clock struck 12!

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Then we also saw the first person in line named Vanessa Marcelo who hails from BGC. She really waited online to sign up for the form and went there as customer number 1 which means aside from owning an iPhone 17, she'll be getting various products and apple services amounting to Php 70k+. This also happened in different tiers with other folks who also spent the day lining up and enjoying the fun party that iStudio Plus had at their BGC branch. 

If you want one, you should definitely follow their social channels to make sure when stocks become available, you can avail it from them. Who knows?! You might get perks like them too!