IT has been a mystery for Filipino ENGENEs, or fans of K-pop boy group ENHYPEN, if Miss Universe Philippines 2025 Ahtisa Manalo is one of them.
This was after an old photo of her attending the Philippine leg of the septet’s “FATE” concert in New Clark City circulated online, showing her standing in a crowd wearing a black tube top and sunglasses. Ahtisa also posted Polaroid selfies with her sister during the “FATE” concert on her Instagram page for her February dump.
Assuming that she is an ENGENE, some fans wonder who among the seven ENHYPEN members is her bias.
In an exclusive interview with republicasia, Ahtisa confirmed that it is her younger sister who is an ENHYPEN fan, and her viral photo was the time she accompanied her sibling to her idols’ concert in Clark.
“Not me, personally, because I feel like I’m too old for ENHYPEN,” she laughed. “But when I was watching, I had my pick.”
When asked what ENHYPEN song caught her attention during the concert, Ahtisa mimicked the choreography of “Bite Me” as she tried to recall the title of ENHYPEN’s 2023 track.
“I like the one with the—what’s this dance step?” she asked the republicasia team, placing her right hand on her neck. “‘Bite Me!’ I like ‘Bite Me!’”
“You know, my sister is such a big ENHYPEN fan that I know their songs by heart now because she would play them non-stop when I’m in the room,” Ahtisa shared.
Of course, Ahtisa did not go home without a souvenir. The team handed her an ENHYPEN merch and asked her to choose which among the idols would be her bias. Lo and behold, Ahtisa pointed at the boy group’s leader, Jungwon.
Debuted in 2021, ENHYPEN is composed of Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-ki, the final members of the survival show “I-LAND.” They are formed by BE:LIFT Lab, an agency under the South Korean multinational entertainment company HYBE.
ENHYPEN last visited the Philippines in March for its “WALK THE LINE” concert at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bulacan. The group is also known for its songs “XO (Only If You Say Yes),” “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC),” “SHOUT OUT,” “No Doubt,” and “Bills,” among others.
Hoping on TikTok trends
Ahtisa also took on other viral TikTok challenges during the interview, and among them was ranking Filipino food and lip-syncing the viral “What hafen Vella?” phrase.
The team asked the Quezon Province pride to strike different poses based on how much she likes the mentioned Filipino food, including Adobo, Sinigang, Lechon, Kare-Kare, Dinuguan, and Pansit.
Looking at her poses, it was evident that Ahtisa likes Sinigang the most.
There are different versions of this challenge on TikTok, with some ranking Filipino food based on their facial expressions or dance steps.
Ahtisa’s interview in the Gen Z newsroom concluded by making her join the “What hafen Vella” trend on social media. The trend originated from an episode of the noontime variety show “It’s Showtime,” where a contestant dressed up like Jacob Black (played by actor Taylor Lautner) from “The Twilight Saga” during the program’s “Kalokalike” portion.
This time, the team handed Ahtisa a mobile phone to record herself while lip-syncing the viral phrase.
“What hafen Vella? Why you crying? I know… vamfire, right?” Ahtisa uttered while laughing.
Ahtisa tried to compose herself before doing the trend, but she—and all the staff in the newsroom—ended up bursting out in laughter.
It was indeed a fun and fruitful night in republicasia’s newsroom, having to learn about Ahtisa’s kalog side, her advocacy, and her years-long journey to the coveted Miss Universe Philippines crown.
The Gen Z team hopes that every Filipino would give their full support to Ahtisa, as she competes for the country’s fifth crown in the 74th Miss Universe competition on November 21 in Bangkok, Thailand.
