Sam Mangubat, a returning contestant from Luzon, defeated one-time defending champion Yvette Celoso on It’s Showtime’s singing competition “Tawag Ng Tanghalan” on Saturday, November 19, 2016.
The young singer from Laguna impressed the judges and audience and won the daily rounds of the show after performing his version of The Chainsmoker’s “Closer.”
During the final rounds, Celoso belted out her own cover of “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston while Mangubat performed “When We Were Young” by British singer Adele.
After their performance, the judges decided to give the title to Mangubat. He received a total average score of 96.6 percent. He will return on Tawag Ng Tanghalan stage on Monday to defend his title.
Last August, Mangubat lost his chance to secure a place in the third semi-final rounds of the competition after contender Aillen Udtog from Metro Manila won his title.
Sam Mangubat sings When We Were Young #ShowtimeULtimateToughModeL pic.twitter.com/8Co5mxuLnl
— Pinoy@mbisyoso (@ambotweets) November 19, 2016
VIDEO CR: ABS-CBN, Tawag Ng Tanghalan