Whenever I cover a pageant and get the chance to know each of the candidates better, the task of coming up with final predictions can become both daunting and tricky. First of all, pageant watchers might think that – just because I spent days and nights with all of them – assigning titles to the probable winners is the easiest thing to do. On the contrary, I also come to realize that nobody is really perfect and that the eventual winners are very likely to engage in a see-saw battle with each other before the winners’ sashes are finally placed around the necks of the declared victors.

In this light, here are my Top 15 choices to move forward from the original roster of 23:

1) Denver Hernandez – FilComm Italy
2) James Alfred Ventura – Bulacan
3) Joshua Reginald Banatin – Laguna
4) Virgilio Llego – Cebu
5) Aljun Cayawan – Agusan del Sur
6) Mark Anthony Beltran – San Antonio, Nueva Ecija
7) Zyrus Mores – San Pablo, Laguna
8) Lester Ventura – General Trias, Cavite
9) Justine Ysrael Peña – Rizal
10) David Joshua Soledad – Floridablanca, Pampanga
11) Eris Jan Godoy – Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija
12) Ken Haron Ampang – Cotabato
13) Arjoy Elbenbuena – La Union
14) Richard Flores – Candelaria, Quezon
15) Woody Andres Jr – Pangasinan

Truly, it is difficult to finalize how the chips will fall once the announcement of winners is made tonight. But my personal choices need to be made. And my judgement has narrowed down to the following and how I rank them accordingly.

Here are my choices for the titles at stake:

Mister Global Philippines 2017:
James Alfred Ventura – Bulacan

Mister Philippines Tourism 2017:
Aljun Cayawan – Agusan del Sur

Mister Universe Philippines 2017:
Denver Hernandez – Fil-Comm Italy

Mister Grand International Philippines 2017:
Joshua Reginald Banatin – Laguna

Mister Global Teen Philippines 2017:
Zyrus Mores – San Pablo, Laguna

Mister Montage International 2017:
Woody Andres Jr. – Pangasinan

The Sun (1st RU):
Virgilio Llego – Cebu
The Stars (2nd RU):
Mark Anthony Beltran – San Antonio, Nueva Ecija