Small-town stunner to represent Isabela at Miss Universe PH 2026

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

February 1, 2026 | 12:31pm

MANILA, Philippines — The Bambanti festival held every January in the northern province of Isabela has grown so much in the past three decades. During the early years, visitors were drawn to agricultural trade booths that highlighted fresh produce from the different towns and cities. Hardworking farmers were front row and center. 

The harvest festival of this agricultural province has since incorporated the Queen Isabela pageant that used to be held mid-year. Other activities that draw locals and tourists alike include a food competition (Makan ken Mainum), a spirited street dancing competition involving hundreds of participants dancing in unison, and a contest to find the most striking bambanti or scarecrow.

The pageant this year brought together 31 young women representing Isabela’s towns and cities. Prima Joy Alamban from the municipality of Tumauini bested the other contestants with a confidence that shone in the way she walked, talked and moved. Despite her uneven answers to the questions asked during the semifinal and final rounds, Alamban still came across as the most coherent. 

Each of the five finalists was asked to give one example of Isabela’s innovation through tourism, and how she would support this innovation if she won the pageant. They were only given 30 seconds to answer what was actually two questions. Alamban kept her wits about her, remembering the new machines now being used by the province’s farmers. 

“[These help] support our farmers because they are the backbone of our society… If we support our farmers, we can have a better future [and] better tourism because people will keep coming back to Isabela not just for its harvest, but for its farmers,” she said, without any stuttering or stumbling. 

As Queen Isabela 2026, Alamban will have the opportunity to represent the province at the Miss Universe Philippines 2026 pageant as long as she and her town mates, through their mayor’s assistance, are able to raise ample funds to sustain her stay in Manila where the competition will be held.

With her bright smile and winning personality, Alamban has as much of a chance as any MUPH contestant to bag the crown and represent the Philippines on the global stage at the Miss Universe 2026 pageant to be held in Puerto Rico later this year. 

RELATED: LIST: Imelda Schweighart among Miss Universe Philippines 2026 candidates