Miss Grand International 2024 5th runner-up Akisha Albert poses with Miss Grand International 2025 Emma Tiglao. Albert/FacebookThe Philippines has been known as a powerhouse when it comes to pageants, so it's no surprise that many of the country's representatives emerge victorious on the international stage.
But in five of these wins, pageant enthusiasts have spotted a pattern involving a beauty queen from Curacao, with many concluding that she is the Philippines' lucky charm.
The latest to have been "blessed" by Akisha Albert's so-called pageant luck is Emma Tiglao, who scored a back-to-back victory for the Philippines in Miss Grand International 2025 last October 18.
She was present during the coronation night in Thailand as an outgoing 5th runner-up. This means she belongs to the same batch of 2024 queens as CJ Opiaza, who ascended from first runner-up to being the first Filipina Miss Grand International titleholder.
Akisha Albert with Miss Grand International 2024 CJ Opiaza. Albert/Facebook
Albert's "lucky charm" effect was traced back as early as 2014, when she represented Curacao in the Miss Earth pageant but ended up unplaced. That year, Jamie Herrell of the Philippines won the title.
In 2017, she returned to the international stage via the Latina-dominated Reina Hispanoamericana which was won by another Filipina, Winwyn Marquez. She placed second in the competition, getting the Virreina Hispanoamericana 2017 title.
A year later, Albert wore the Curacao sash once more, this time in Miss Universe, and finished in the Top 10. And we all know who won the crown in 2018 -- Catriona Gray, still from the Philippines.
Akisha Albert was among the candidates in pageants where (left to right) Jamie Herrell, Winwyn Marquez, and Catriona Gray won their respective crowns. Photos from Herrell's Instagram page, ABS-CBN News, Mark Demayo
In an interview with the pageant page Pageanthology shortly after the Miss Grand International 2025 coronation night, Albert was asked to react to remarks that she is the Philippines' lucky charm.
"This time I didn't compete," she said with a smile, then eventually acknowledged, "but yes, I was here!"
"So I should be there [for] the Philippines next time," she added in jest, prompting fans online to encourage her to watch the upcoming Miss Universe pageant in Thailand, where Ahtisa Manalo will aim for the Philippines' fifth crown.