Ahtisa Manalo signs with Sparkle, names Alden Richards her dream leading man

MANILA, Philippines, March 11 ------ Beauty queen Ahtisa Manalo is truly leaving pageantry behind after signing with GMA Network's talent agency Sparkle.

The move was made official last March 10 in one of GMA's studios as Ahtisa signed her contracts alongside executives, including the network's Senior Vice-President Annette Gozon-Valdes. Annette shared during the event that she began watching Miss Universe Philippines after seeing Ahtisa compete. "I saw how beautiful you are, not just physically, you have such a beautiful personality and heart na bagay na bagay talaga sa Sparkle," the executive added, teasing that there were already projects lined up for the former beauty queen.

Ahtisa expressed her gratitude to the network for welcoming her. She noted she was initially supposed to sign with Sparkle last year before opting to give Miss Universe Philippines another go. The decision resulted in her getting to represent the Philippines at Miss Universe 2025, where she finished as the third runner-up, the Best National Costume winner, and placed third in the Beyond the Crown competition. "It feels right to be here now, it's the perfect time because I'm opening my doors to opportunities and new things because tapos na ako sa pageant journey ko," Ahtisa said.

Dream projects, co-star

During the question and answer segment with present media representatives, including Philstar.com, Ahtisa shared being a fan of action movies and her hopes of possibly exploring such. "I wanted to be a Charlie's Angel when I was a kid, so if given the opportunity, I'd love to do that," Ahtisa said. "It's time for adventure, it's time to see what I can do." Ahtisa later stated she was open to try everything and anything that GMA would throw at her, adding that she'd also prefer doing something light.

One media individual asked the former beauty queen if she had a dream leading man, and Ahtisa, who stands at 5' 8" without heels, quipped if the co-star had to be taller than her. She eventually shared watching "Eat Bulaga!" before and having a crush on Alden Richards, a response that earned a loud reaction from those in the studio. "[Alden] has a maamo face, one that looks very kind," Athisa explained to end.

Source: philstar.com