Maria Katrina Llegado made history after being crowned Miss Supranational 2026, becoming the second Filipina to capture the Poland-based pageant’s title, 13 years after Mutya Datul delivered the country’s first victory in 2013.
She emerged victorious over 66 other delegates from across the globe during the 17th edition of the pageant, held in Nowy Sącz, Poland, on July 31 (Aug. 1 in Manila).
The new queen is the first titleholder to receive the “Fioletowa” crown, which features purple stones, a departure from the usual blue stone highlights of the previous crowns.
Llegado is a 28-year-old model and entrepreneur from Taguig City who graduated cum laude with a degree in financial management from the De La Salle University.
In 2021, she co-founded the beauty brand Clocheflame, of which she serves as the chief financial officer. She also worked as a marketing and public relations consultant for the City Government of Taguig.
Llegado completed her military reservist training with the Philippine Air Force in 2023, joining a growing list of beauty queens who are Armed Forces reservists that also includes Miss Universe Philippines titleholders Michelle Marquez Dee and Beatrice Luigi Gomez.
Her 2026 Miss Supranational victory serves as a triumphant culmination to a long and colorful pageant “career” for Llegado, which saw her on different local, national and international stages.
She broke into the pageant scene via the 2018 Mutya ng Taguig contest, where she was proclaimed third runner-up. A year later, she stepped on the national stage via the 2019 Miss World Philippines competition.
The main crown at the national pageant went to Dee, while Llegado received the Reina Hispanoamericana title. This served as her ticket to the 2019 Reina Hispanoamericana contest in Bolivia, where she finished as Quinta Finalista (fifth runner-up).
Llegado and Dee faced off once again at the 2022 Miss Universe Philippines pageant. But the two fell short of the main prize, and the crown went to another international pageant veteran, Celeste Cortesi.
Dee received the Miss Universe Philippines-Tourism title, while Llegado settled for the second runner-up position. They would return in separate years.
Llegado staged her Miss Universe Philippines comeback in 2025, in a competition many fans considered was one of the most competitive in the national pageant’s history.
The top prize went to returning candidate Ahtisa Manalo, with Llegado landing a spot in Top 6, joining other international pageant veterans Yllana Marie Aduana, Chelsea Fernandez and 2017 Reina Hispanoamericana Teresita Ssen “Winwyn” Marquez.
Llegado, Fernandez and their fellow finalist Gabriela Carballo, received their own national titles under The Miss Philippines, a sister brand of the Miss Universe Philippines pageant.
Fernandez got to compete at the 2025 Miss Cosmo pageant in Vietnam, while Carballo flew to Egypt in May for the 2026 Miss Eco International pageant. Llegado was the last from her batch to be sent abroad.
Llegado had already crowned her successor as Miss Supranational Philippines in May, Allyson Hetland from Pampanga, who was a finalist at the 2026 Miss Universe Philippines pageant.
As Miss Supranational, Llegado will now work as an “ambassador” of the international pageant organization, and will serve as an “aspirational” and “inspirational” queen as she travels around the world.