Thailand's Sasiwararin Atsawahirankarn was crowned Miss Asia Pacific International 2026 on Saturday night, October 10, at the Mactan Expo in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. She succeeds Isabela Fernandes of Brazil, who won the title in 2025.

Thirty-eight candidates took part in this year's edition, which narrowed the field to a Top 25 and then a Top 5 on coronation night.

The court

Joining the new queen on stage were:

  • 1st runner-up: Gia Angelique Franceschi of Costa Rica

  • 2nd runner-up: Nompumelelo Malindi of South Africa

  • 3rd runner-up: Gabrielle Galapia of the Philippines

  • 4th runner-up: Itzel Silva Borbon of Mexico

A strong run for Galapia

The Philippines' bet, Gabrielle "Jiji" Galapia, entered the finals as one of the standouts. She swept the preliminary competition on October 6, winning both Best in Swimsuit and Best in Evening Gown. She also finished second in the national costume competition and won Darling of the Press after receiving the most votes.

Galapia was named Second Princess at Miss World Philippines 2026 earlier this year and won the Miss Asia Pacific International Philippines title in June.

Cebu hosts again

It was the second straight year that Cebu hosted the pageant. Candidates arrived in late September and spent nearly three weeks touring northern and southern Cebu before the coronation. The national costume competition was held at the Mactan Shrine in Lapu-Lapu City, where Sri Lanka's representative took the top award.

Organizers said the pageant marks its 58th anniversary this year. Founded in Asia, it later opened to candidates from around the world and took its current name in 2005.

The Philippines' record

The Philippines remains one of the pageant's most successful countries, with five crowns. Filipina winners include Gloria Dimayacyac in 1983, Lorna Legaspi in 1989, Michelle Aldana in 1993 and Sharifa Akeel in 2018. Last year, Anita Rose Gomez finished first runner-up.

The new queen and her court are expected to travel to Manila and visit destinations around the country in the coming weeks, following the tradition of previous titleholders.