Kelsey Merritt, Ahtisa Manalo in fans' wish list for Miss Universe Philippines 2022 screening

MANILA, Philippines — Aspiring beauty queens, heads up!

Last January 3, the Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) organization announced on its Facebook page that the most prestigious pageant in the country will start its screening next month.

The post said, "Another year, another set of queens! The most prestigious pageant in the country will start its screening in February 2022. Get your profiles and papers ready, aspiring queens! We’re brewing something phenomenal. Miss Universe Philippines 2022, this coming April. Stay tuned!"

The first three months of the year are always the screening and selection period for entrants to the country's several pageant platforms. This is where they sift the "chaff from the grain," and MUPH is one of the four major pageant systems scouring the archipelago for the best contestants.

After Beatrice Luigi Gomez's impressive Top 5 finish in the 70th Miss Universe in Eilat, Israel last month, hopes are high that the Philippines will re-enter its winning form once again.

Among the past titleholders and young popular celebrities, pageant fans have listed who they want to join the competition. Among the names that popped up in the many surveys are those of:

• Miss Eco International 2018 Thia Thomalia
• Miss Universe Philippines 2020 3rd runner-up Pauline Amelinckx
• Miss Universe Philippines 2021 2nd runner-up Steffi Rose Aberasturi
• Victoria's Secret model Kelsey Merritt
• Miss International 2018 1st runner-up Ahtisa Manalo
• Binibining Pilipinas InterContinental 2019 Emma Mary Tiglao
• Miss Universe Philippines 2020 1st runner-up Ysabella Ysmael, and
• Celeste Cortesi

According to the rumor mill, the 71st Miss Universe edition will unfold in France in mid-July. Stay tuned!