Making it big in the international pageant scene.
On Saturday, June 6, Filipino-German model Oliver Eugen Kretz competed in the Man of the World 2026 pageant, which was held in Manila.
The said pageant looked for the successor of 2025 winner Juul Missiaen among the group of delegates from different countries, which includes the Philippines’ Oliver Eugen Kretz.
The Palawan-native aced the pageant, as he was the frontrunner with his performance in the swimwear and beach wear competitions.
He also performed well in the written segment called the Intelligence Round and the Statement of the World portion.
In the former, which was a round where the Top 5 contestants went through, they were asked: “If you were to write a book about your Man of the World experience, what would its title be?”
In response, he said: “Life is full of journey. If you won’t try things, you will not fail. If you don’t fail, you will not learn in life.”
“Life is full of growth and experience, and I believe I’m here with a purpose to use my platform to raise awareness, to inspire unity, and to encourage people to take positive action. ‘Cause I am not just here to wear the crown, but to make the crown worth wearing… and to do the work that makes the crown worth wearing. Thank you,” added Oliver.
In the end, he emerged victorious and was hailed as the first ever Man of the World winner from the Philippines.
Meanwhile, named 1st Runner-Up was Abel Diaz from Ecuador, 2nd Runner-Up is Fidel Arellano of Chile, with Luis Arturo Jauregui 🇲🇽 from Mexico as the 3rd Runner-Up and Afiq Naufal of Malaysia closing the Top 5 as the 4th Runner-Up.