Columbia University’s Liga Filipina is so proud to announce and host the 25th Annual Mr. Philippines Pageant on Sunday, November 16th, 2025.
Mr. Philippines is a male cultural pageant and our organization’s largest event during the fall semester. Contestants from over twenty Filipino organizations in the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue’s District Three universities (spanning across the New York City and New Jersey area) will participate in a friendly competition, with the intention to explore personal cultural identity and celebrate school and Filipino pride. Last year, we had approximately 1,000 guests in attendance at Lerner Auditorium at Columbia University. We consider it a celebration of Filipino culture and a platform for the talent, charisma, and intelligence of the youth of District III to shine through.
Our theme this year is “Pagbabalik-tanaw,” translating to “looking back.” It beckons us to return to the past and learn from it—the sorrows and the overlooked joys. Even when we forget the names and the faces of the people who came before us, our inherited memories endure, intertwining with our own lives. It lives on in the way our Lolos and Lolas laugh, the food they cook, the stories they hold, and the songs they hum when no one is listening. But sometimes, we take our inherited memory for granted; we forget how to pass it on. For this year’s pageant, we encourage you to actively express your inherited memory, whether it be from your lived experiences, your family’s renditions, or your definition of Filipino culture. Dance to it like it’s the Otso-Otso and belt it like your favorite OPM song. In the spirit of pagbabalik-tanaw, we invite everyone to reflect: how do you celebrate your memory and how does looking back help you to move forward, bravely, confidently, proudly Pinoy?
