Having a genuine support system is important for anyone participating in a competition. In an exclusive interview with MEGA Man, David Guison shares how he shows up and cheers on his girlfriend, Angelique Manto, as she pursues her dreams in the Miss Universe Philippines pageant
Women in the beauty pageant industry are under a lot of pressure to always look their best and speak passionately for the causes they believe in. In the face of these challenges, it’s important for their partners to be their biggest supporters, and David Guison is setting a great example of this. From helping girlfriend Angelique Manto create content to just being a shoulder to cry on, David shows different ways men can support their beauty queen girlfriends. In this interview, he shares his pride in Angelique’s progress and transformation, and how he constantly encourages her through the demands of the pageant industry.
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A lifelong dream realized
Competing in pageants can be physically, financially, and emotionally demanding, so we asked David if Angelique had consulted with him before making her decision. According to him, he did not see the point of stopping this because this journey had been a long time in the making—nearly eight years, to be exact. Surprisingly, he shared that it was not Angelique who talked about pageants the most, but rather, her mom. David recounted their trips to Pampanga and how Angelique’s mom would enthusiastically share her daughter’s achievements in the local pageant scene. David knew that Angelique’s ultimate goal was to compete on the Miss Universe stage, and he would even use this as a conversation starter with other influencers at events. Now, that dream is close to becoming a reality.
His bold stance against the pageant curse
When asked about pageant terms like “the pageant curse in couples,” David said he really had no idea what it meant before. But ever since Angelique’s competition started, pageant videos have taken over his YouTube suggestions and TikTok FYP. When asked about his thoughts on this, he gave us his honest opinion. “Baka na-tethreaten ‘yung ibang guys sa exposure or sa success ng mga girls na parang na-fefeel siguro nila na inferior sila or wala ng time sa kanila.” David also joked that people used to want to take pictures with him more often than they do with Angelique, but that has changed since the competition began.
“Instead of ma-intimidate ako or ma-feel ko na mas successful siya sa akin, I see it na we are a team and I am just offering kung ano ‘yung mga pwede kong ibigay sa kanya at sa journey niya.”
Talking about support, David shared an interesting story about how they initially planned not to post too much about themselves as a couple while Angelique is in the competition. However, they soon realized that David’s strong following could be used to their advantage in rallying more support for Angelique. This just shows and proves David’s dedication to his girlfriend’s journey and his willingness to go the extra mile to help her achieve her goals.
His way of standing by his queen
David Guison shared that Angelique doesn’t have a pageant camp, which could have been helpful right now. Instead, she handles everything herself, from reaching out to designers to asking for help from other creatives. However, David ensures that his girlfriend won’t feel alone. He takes care of booking photographers, studios, makeup artists, and believe it or not, even something as small as handling coffee during shoots. Moreover, he manages Angelique’s TikTok account at the moment and sorts out and edits photos from events, so that his fellow content creator can take a well-deserved rest. Sometimes, he even waits for her to finish an event just to take her home and spend some quality time together.
David’s support for Angelique was particularly evident when he drove all the way to Pampanga to help her shoot her video for Miss Universe Philippines. With David’s creativity and expertise, it was no surprise that the video turned out exceptionally well.
Their journey together
David was very honest when he said that there are moments when he misses spending time with his girlfriend. But when they talked about this before Angelique joined, they both knew that they would need to make sacrifices, especially in terms of time.
Aside from that, he also feels sad every time he sees his girlfriend feeling hurt or down because of the competition. He shared that Angelique would talk to him once or twice a week just to breakdown and cry, and he knows that other girls in the competition might be going through the same thing. To help out, David, together with other partners of the girls, set up a group chat so they could offer each other support and figure out the best ways to be there for their partners.
With the numerous sacrifices they’ve made and continue to make, we asked David what keeps him and Angelique going. He shared a memory from their early days of dating, when they were setting goals for the upcoming year. Two years later, Angelique admitted she wasn’t sure what to put on the list at the time because she hadn’t experienced a defining moment yet. Today, this very moment is what Angelique considers her defining moment. Thus, David believes that the best thing he can do at the moment is to be present and cheer for his girlfriend.
Man-to-man tips
David imparted an important lesson in being a supportive boyfriend, which is that no matter what you and your partner are chasing, you must both take steps to establish a strong foundation in your relationship and stop viewing one another as rivals. “Kahit marami kayong makasamang ibang team, may mga fans, may mga bashers, at the end of the day, you have each other. So, kayo rin ‘yung magtatakbuhan,” he emphasized. The content creator added that it’s crucial to steer clear from toxicity and understand that it doesn’t make you less of a man to step aside and let your partner reach her full potential.
A promise to Angelique
David beamed as he shared how, everyday, it feels like he’s dating a new girl as Angelique never fails to surprise him with different looks and facets of her personality. He is so proud to see her transformation into the remarkable queen she is today. With so much pride, David made a heartfelt promise to Angelique: “We will make your journey an iconic one.”
Photos: DAVID GUISON (via Instagram)