VMAN SEA HEADLINERS
Beyond the VMAN 100: Meet the names defining Philippine fashion and entertainment as the years draws to a close.
- The list looks at the figures currently driving conversations across Philippine fashion and entertainment.
- From screen leads and stage performers to key creative forces, the selection focuses on the men making headlines this year.
The names everyone is talking about
Beyond the 100 men defining the regional conversation, VMAN SEA Headliners turns its focus toward another group of names making a distinct mark in Philippine fashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary and entertainment. These are the individuals who have consistently driven headlines, dominated discussions, and cemented their place in the 2026 cultural zeitgeist.
From breakout performers to seasoned figures whose reach only continues to grow, this collective represents the creative momentum defining the country’s current output. Whether commanding the screen, selling out venues, or setting style benchmarks, their visibility reflects real cultural traction.
Together, they offer a clear snapshot of the men steering the Philippine creative landscape today, with projects, careers, and narratives that continue to unfold as the year heads toward its final quarter.
Meet the headliners below.
Michael Sager
Michael Sager is making the jump from promising newcomer to full-fledged leading man.
The Filipino actor first caught attention as part of Sparkle’s young roster before building credits across ‘Shining Inheritance’ and ‘My Ilonggo Girl,’ while also proving his range as a singer and host.
His turn on ‘Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition’ gave audiences a closer look at the personality behind the man, and 2026 has pushed him further into lead territory with ‘Born to Shine’ and the horror film ‘Huwag Kang Titingin.’
Donny Pangilinan
Donny has grown from teen heartthrob into one of the Philippines’ most recognizable young stars.
His breakout in ‘He’s Into Her’ and ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ established him as a major screen presence, while ‘GG: Good Game’ and ‘Roja’ have expanded his range across film and television.
With acting, music, hosting, and brand work all in play, Donny has become a modern Filipino celebrity whose influence extends well beyond the screen.
Kyle Echarri
Kyle Echarri has grown up in the spotlight and is now stepping into a bigger one.
He first made his mark as a child performer before building a resume across ‘Kadenang Ginto,’ ‘Senior High,’ ‘Pamilya Sagrado,’ and ‘Roja.’
In 2026, Netflix’s ‘18th Rose’ gave him a new international platform, with the coming-of-age film reaching the streamer’s Global Top 10 for non-English films.
With music still central to his career and fashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary increasingly part of his profile, Kyle is growing into one of Philippine entertainment’s most versatile young names.
Emilio Daez
Emilio Daez is proving that a career change can come with serious star power.
A former investment banker and Management Engineering graduate, he traded finance for entertainment and quickly built momentum with ‘Pamilya Sagrado,’ ‘Love at First Spike,’ and ‘Bar Boys: After School.’
His run on ‘Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition’ brought him even closer to a mainstream audience, while 2026 has kept him busy with ‘Us in the End’ and ‘Blood vs Duty.’
Ralph De Leon
A former competitive judoka, Ralph De Leon entered entertainment through modeling before making his acting debut in ‘Zoomers’ and breaking out as Dr. Kevin Gonzales in ‘High Street.’
But it was his run on ‘Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition,’ where he and Will Ashley finished as the second Big Placer duo, that pushed him firmly into the mainstream.
Since then, Ralph has expanded into film, television, hosting, and fashion, with ‘The Secrets of Hotel 88’ and the upcoming ‘The Way Back to You’ keeping him in the spotlight.
Santino Rosales
Santino Rosales is carving out a lane where football and fashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary meet.
The Filipino model and professional footballer plays centre-back for Maharlika while building a parallel career in fashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary through modeling.
His career spans two worlds, with appearances in major fashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary and lifestyle campaigns adding another dimension to his profile beyond the pitch.
Cole Micek
Cole Micek is making basketball look increasingly like a fashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary game.
The Filipino-American athlete has built a career across professional 3×3 basketball and modeling, moving between the court and campaigns for several fashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary brands.
Cole’s crossover between sport and fashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary puts him in a growing class of athletes whose influence reaches well outside the court, with a profile that continues to expand across fashion and lifestyle.
River Joseph
River Joseph is making the jump from reality TV breakout to one of Philippine entertainment’s more intriguing new faces.
The actor and entrepreneur first built his screen credentials through ‘He’s Into Her’ and ‘Pamilya Sagrado’ before his ‘Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition’ run introduced him to a much wider audience.
Since then, he has continued expanding his range with ‘Love at First Spike,’ ‘Tayo sa Wakas,’ and new projects including ‘The Secrets of Hotel 88.’
Eugene Reggio
Eugene Reggio has built a life between places without feeling the need to belong to just one.
The British-Korean model has made Manila home while maintaining ties to London, bringing a perspective shaped by two cultures and an instinct to question the labels placed on him.
Moving between worlds has become central to his story, giving him a distinctive place among Southeast Asia’s rising fashion faces.
Vince Maristela
Vince Maristela has been in front of the camera since he was six, but his path to becoming one of the Philippines’ rising actors has hardly been a straight line.
After an early start in entertainment, he stepped away to finish a degree in marketing before finding his way back to acting.
Now, with roles across television and film, including ‘Love Before Sunrise,’ and ‘Love You So Bad,’ he is proving there is more to his story than the child-star beginnings that first put him on screen.
Gab Lagman
Gab Lagman has spent years proving he can do more than play the heartthrob.
The Filipino actor built his screen resume across film and television before landing his first major leading roles opposite Hyacinth Callado in ‘Sem Break’ and ‘Chasing in the Wild.’
His turn in the latter earned him Best Drama Series Actor at the 2025 Platinum Stallion National Media Awards, marking a new chapter for an actor who has steadily moved from supporting roles into the center of the frame.
Khalil Ramos
Khalil Ramos has spent the past 15 years turning an unexpected start into a career built on choice.
After finishing as runner-up on ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ at 15, he moved from teen roles into more challenging work, with ‘2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten,’ ‘LSS,’ ‘GomBurZa,’ and ‘Olsen’s Day’ marking a shift toward character-driven performances.
His Best Actor win for ‘Olsen’s Day’ at the 2025 CinePanalo Film Festival only reinforced that evolution, while 2026 brings an even busier slate with ‘Honor Thy Mother,’ ‘Saving Cherry,’ and ‘Patay Gutom.’
Will Ashley
Will Ashley is no longer just the former child actor people remember.
After more than a decade in the industry, the Filipino actor found a new wave of attention through ‘Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition,’ where he finished as a second big placer, before turning that momentum into a run of stronger screen roles.
His performance in ‘Bar Boys: After School’ earned him Best Supporting Actor at the 2026 EDDYs, while ‘The Secrets of Hotel 88’ and ‘Amir’ keep him firmly in the mix.
Now he is expanding into music with his debut single ‘Paborito’ and upcoming album ‘Liham,’ proving there is more to Will than the actor image.
Dustin Yu
Dustin Yu is quickly moving from promising newcomer to one of Philippine entertainment’s names to watch.
The Filipino actor first broke into television with ‘Mano Po Legacy: The Family Fortune’ before appearing in ‘Black Rider’ and films including ‘Shake, Rattle & Roll Extreme’ and ‘Guilty Pleasure.’
His 2024 Star Awards for Movies win for New Movie Actor of the Year gave him an early career boost, while ‘Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition’ introduced him to an even wider audience.
Jarren Garcia
Jarren Garcia first caught national attention as the “Charming Crooner of London” on ‘Pinoy Big Brother: Gen 11,’ before winning the 2024 MYX VJ Search and launching his self-titled debut album in 2025.
Now a MYX VJ, singer, and rising R&B artist, he has followed it up with ‘LUVBOMB,’ a seven-track EP that moves through the highs and lows of modern love.
At just 19, he is already building a cross-platform visibility that makes him one of Gen Z’s names to watch.
Dylan Menor
First making waves online before moving into acting, Dylan Menor has since taken on roles across film and television, including ‘The Kingdom’ and ‘Manila’s Finest.’
But there’s more to Dylan than his screen credits. A former basketball player, he brings the same discipline to his fitness and performance work, while music has become another growing part of his creative repertoire.
With his debut concert ‘Dylan Menor in D Major’ on the horizon, he is proving that his next act could be bigger than the one that first put him on the map.
Josh Ford
Josh Ford has already lived several chapters of a career that is only getting started.
The British-Filipino actor entered the entertainment industry as a child, later returning to the spotlight as one of Sparkle’s young talents before finding a fanbase as a housemate on ‘Pinoy Big Brother: Collab Edition.’
Since then, he has kept building his screen credits, from ‘MAKA’ to his role as Justin Almazan in ‘The Secrets of Hotel 88.’
Joaquin Arce
Joaquin Arce may have entered the spotlight with a recognizable surname, but reality television gave audiences a closer look at the young star on his own terms.
As the third big placer of ‘PBB Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0,’ he came out of the house with a growing following and a bigger platform for what comes next.
With his youthful appeal and growing momentum in entertainment, Joaquin is shaping up as one of the newer names to watch as he moves toward bigger roles and a more established career.
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