Sharifa Akeel

Akeel was born in Lebak, Sultan Kudarat. She has a mixed blood of Qatari and Filipino (who belongs to the Maguindanao ethnic group). She plays softball, holds a degree of Bachelor in Elementary Education from the Notre Dame of Salaman College, and presently works as Human Relations Officer at the Congressional office of the Province of Sultan Kudarat.^[2]

Akeel was selected as one of the fifty candidates of the Mutya ng Pilipinas 2018. She was crowned as Mutya ng Pilipinas – Asia Pacific International 2018 on September 16 at 7:00 p.m. at SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena, Pasay and represented the country on Miss Asia Pacific International 2018.^[3]

Akeel competed at the Miss Asia Pacific International 2018 pageant held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater at Pasay. At the end of the pageant, she was crowned as the winner by the outgoing titleholder, Francielly Ouriques of Brazil. She is the fifth Filipina to be crowned Miss Asia Pacific International.^[4]

She ran for governor of Sultan Kudarat in the 2022 elections under the Aksyon Demokratiko banner. She was handedly defeated by her sole opponent, incumbent Datu Abdullah Sangki Mayor Pax Ali Mangudadatu, whose candidacy was cancelled, but was allowed to run via a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court.^[5][6][7] During the campaign, she supported the presidential campaign of the then-Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, before eventually supporting the campaign of then-Vice President Leni Robredo.^[8]

On August 25, 2021, Akeel married Esmael Mangudadatu.^[9][10] A native speaker of Maguindanao language, she also speaks Tagalog, Cebuano, Hiligaynon and English.^[11]