MANILA -- Newly crowned Miss Universe Philippines Celeste Cortesi revealed Friday that she was initially planning to join the national pageant next year.

In a virtual media briefing organized by PLDT Home, Cortesi said she wanted to make sure that she was "100% prepared" for the competition. But in the end, she was convinced by her friend, Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo, to "just go for it."

"Me and Rabiya are very close, and I remember that before submitting my application for Miss Universe Philippines, I was talking to her and I was opening up about me wanting to join next year, not this year," she recalled. "I was telling her that I just want to prepare and be ready 100%. [And] If there is something that Rabiya really told me, it's you will never be 100% prepared."

"Rabiya's so straightforward, she's really telling me just go for it, don't think about it too much. [She said] You will never be prepared, you just have to send the application and everything will follow. So it was one of the best advice because I was really listening to her and she's also one of the reasons why I decided to go for it," she added.

• Pasay's Celeste Cortesi crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2022

Prior to winning the Miss Universe Philippines 2022 crown, Cortesi represented the country in Miss Earth 2018, where she finished in the Top 8.

She hopes to be the Philippines' fifth Miss Universe titleholder after Catriona Gray (2018), Pia Wurtzbach (2015), Margie Moran (1973), and Gloria Diaz (1969).

"Now I have the experience. I know where I have to improve, I know my weaknesses, and I know how to capitalize [on] my strengths as well... In the past four years I've been thinking, I didn't do a great job in my last pageant, but now that I'm Miss Universe Philippines, I know that [Miss Earth] really helped me in improving myself so much," Cortesi said.

"You know that whatever happens to you happens for a reason, and this was the reason. The reason why that happened is because now I know what to do, I know how to work on my weaknesses more. I'm just very grateful that I got this second chance to represent the Philippines in the best way I can," she added.

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