On her grand return to pageantry, Pampanga’s Emma Mary Tiglao has once again proven herself a force to be reckoned with, winning this year’s Miss Grand Philippines title.
The 30-year-old beauty queen, model, and media personality bested 28 other candidates to claim the coveted crown during the grand coronation on August 24, 2025, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Her strong performances throughout the competition earned her not only the crown but also major awards, including Best in Swimsuit and Best in Evening Gown.
The pageant returnee also swept numerous sponsor awards, such as Face of Marinova, Miss Bench, Miss Charity, Miss Hot Babe, Miss Juan Hand, and Miss Monarch Montage.
As she prepares to represent the Philippines once again on the international stage in Bangkok, Thailand, this coming October 18, Good News Pilipinas highlights five things to know about the newly crowned Miss Grand Philippines.
She was named after the Immaculate Conception
Her name, Emma Mary, hinted at the story behind it. The youngest of four sisters, she was born on December 8, 1994, and was christened Emma Mary in honor of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which coincided with her birthday.
She’s a tourism degree holder
Emma earned her bachelor’s degree in Tourism Management from Holy Angel University in Angeles City, Pampanga.
Her background in tourism helped sharpen her skills in communication, cultural awareness, and presentation—qualities that later proved invaluable in her pageant journey and eventual career as a media personality.
From 2016 to 2017, she worked as an ambassador for NagaWorld Hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. By 2020, she had ventured into the media industry.
She’s a news anchor and host
After her pageant stint, Emma returned as one of the news anchors of Mata ng Aguila on Net25, serving from 2020 to 2023.
In 2021, the Kapampangan beauty joined Pia Guanio and Daiana Menezes in the morning talk show Kada Umaga, which airs on the same TV channel.
This August, Emma was nominated for Best Morning Show Host at the 37th PMPC Star Awards for Television.
She’s a pageant veteran
Before winning the Miss Grand Philippines 2025 crown, Emma had joined several beauty pageants, starting during her school years.
Her first national pageant was in 2012, when she represented Mabalacat City in Mutya ng Pilipinas at the age of 17, finishing as first runner-up.
In 2014, she competed in Binibining Pilipinas and reached the semifinals in the same year Mary Jean Lastimosa won the top title of Miss Universe Philippines.
The following year, in 2015, Emma joined Miss World Philippines and was named fourth princess to Hillarie Parungao.
She made another attempt at Binibining Pilipinas in 2019 and clinched the Bb. Pilipinas-Intercontinental crown, alongside Gazini Ganados, who won Miss Universe Philippines, and Patch Magtanong, who secured the Bb. Pilipinas-International title.
She’s aiming for a back-to-back win…again
When she won Bb. Pilipinas-Intercontinental 2019, Emma was expected to replicate the achievement of her predecessor, Karen Gallman, who made history in 2018 by winning the Philippines’ first-ever Miss Intercontinental crown after 47 years.
However, she only reached the Top 20 at the Miss Intercontinental 2019 pageant in Egypt.
Now that she has been crowned Miss Grand Philippines 2025, Emma once again faces the delicate pressure of securing a back-to-back victory and defending the crown currently held by her predecessor, CJ Opiaza.
If she succeeds, Emma will become the second Filipina to wear the golden Miss Grand International crown.
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