Katrina Llegado blossoms at Miss Supranational 2026 in Poland

July 31 ------ The ubiquitous “gumamela” (hibiscus) flower of the Philippines has found its way to Poland, thanks to Katrina Llegado. The Filipino beauty queen paraded a voluminous creation by designer Mitch Viray, inspired by the typical red variety of the popular flower, at the 2026 Miss Supranational pageant’s costume showcase in Nowy Sacz.

“I’m honored to wear this national costume inspired by the gumamela, a flower that can be found all across the Philippines,” Llegado posted on social media as she shared photos of her couture piece. “It may look delicate, but it blooms with resilience, strength, and beauty wherever it grows. Those are the same values that I am carrying as I represent our country on the Miss Supranational stage,” she continued.

Llegado also wore red to the “elegance round” of the preliminary evaluation of the competition, a fully-beaded gown by her go-to designer Pablo Mendez. Her gown presentation, as well as her performance in the “confidence round” in an asymmetrical black swimsuit, were among those that caught the attention of many pageant analysts and fans.

Llegado’s Filipino counterpart in the 2026 Mister Supranational pageant, national athlete Felipe Marasigan, has also made quite a stride in his own competition, and has left quite an impression on the spectators and judges. He was among the Top 5 in the Supra Model competition, the Top 4 of the “Influencer Challenge (Facebook),” and the Top 10 of the “Supra Chat” challenge.

Llegado is competing for the Philippines’ second Miss Supranational victory, 13 years since Mutya Datul posted the country’s first win in 2013. The final competition will be on July 31 (Aug. 1 in Manila). Marasigan is hoping to score the Philippines’ first-ever victory in the Mister Supranational competition at the finale show on Aug. 1 (2 in Manila).

Source: inquirer.net