
The 24-year-old stunner from Pasay beat out 31 other contestants to win her second national pageant crown. On Saturday, April 30, Celeste Cortesi was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2022 during the pageant's coronation night.
Celeste Cortesi is a 24-year-old actress from Pasay, Philippines. She made her first appearance in a local pageant in 2018. In 2018, she returned to the Philippines after competing in Miss Earth Philippines in Rome. She also took first place in the competition, and she went on to compete in the Miss Earth Pageant, where she finished in the top eight. She was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2022 for the second time after four years.
The winner of Miss Universe Philippines 2022 was born in the Philippines on December 15, 1997. Her parents are of different ethnicities, as her mother is Filipino, and her father is Italian. Celeste Cortesi is an Italian pageant queen who traveled to the Philippines to pursue a career in pageantry. Celeste Cortesi talked about how she takes care of her family while at the event.
Celeste recalled how her father used to read her and her sister poems that he had written himself during the first interviews. “That’s kind of a story that really puts a smile on my face, because whenever I feel nervous, whenever I feel pressured, I always remember his poems, and always remember him telling it to me and my sister,” she stated.
Celeste works as a model and studies to become a real estate agent when she is not donning her beauty queen crown. Meditating, working out, spending time with her fur babies, and traveling to the beach are some of her favorite pastimes.
Celeste wants to use her platform as a beauty queen to encourage other women to become more informed. Celeste wants to use her platform as a beauty queen to encourage other women to become more informed. “I would tell young women to first, read. If you read, you will be able to be aware of what is happening in your country and also all over the world. You must remember that reading information is key and power,” she said during the preliminary interviews.
She also fights for indigenous peoples in the Philippines who have been forced to leave their homes due to modernization and development: “I would like to champion their cause by putting a spotlight on their situation. And their unique and rich cultural heritage that makes the Philippines the most beautiful and unique place in the world.”
Celeste also emphasized the significance of beauty pageants in difficult times. “A beauty queen is a symbol of hope for the people. Us beauty queens, we can use our platform to uplift other people, to influence, and inspire the people around us. It makes us very powerful and influential,” she said.
Celeste will compete in the Miss Universe 2022 pageant for the Philippines, hoping to win the country's fifth Miss Universe title.
References: