Last night, we chose Carmelle and “Sobra-Sobra” as the Philippines’ entry to the Eurovision Song Contest Asia 2026, with the song penned by Nica del Rosario and Mat Olavides. I had the feeling early on that this song will take the crown. Crown daw oh?
The top three were revealed, with “Mapadama,” performed by JM Dela Cerna and Marielle Montellano, placing third, while SAGA’s “Broken Beyond Repair” secured second place. Taking the crown was Carmelle’s “Sobra-Sobra,” which was declared the first-ever winner of Philippine Selection Night.
But when the competition heads to Bangkok on November 14, there’s one question fans are asking: Can we vote for our own?
Under the established Eurovision Song Contest voting rules, viewers are not allowed to vote for the entry representing their own country. The rule is intended to keep the competition fair and prevent participating countries from giving their own entry an automatic advantage through domestic support. Pano yan keyboard warriors living in the Philippines?
If Eurovision Song Contest Asia 2026 adopts the same voting principle for its Grand Final, Filipino viewers watching from the Philippines may not be able to cast a vote for Carmelle and “Sobra-Sobra.” Instead, the Philippine entry would have to win points from viewers and juries representing the other participating countries.
However, Eurovision Asia has yet to announce the complete voting mechanics for the November 14 Grand Final. This means it is still too early to say definitively that Filipinos will be unable to vote for Carmelle. Fans will have to wait for the official announcement to find out whether Eurovision Asia will follow the traditional Eurovision voting system or introduce adjustments specific to the Asian competition.
For now, Filipino fans can still support Carmelle by streaming, sharing, and getting “Sobra-Sobra” heard across Asia. We may not get to vote for our own—but we can definitely make some noise for her. Watch Carmelle’s performance here:
It may feel sad that we won’t be able to directly support our own entry through our votes, especially after Filipinos rallied behind Carmelle during the national selection. But ultimately, this is about fairness and maintaining the integrity of the competition. Every participating country should have an equal opportunity to earn points based on the song and performance—not simply because of support from its home audience. We may not be able to vote for Carmelle, but we can still show our support by streaming, sharing, and getting “Sobra-Sobra” heard beyond the Philippines.
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