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WATCH: Celeste Cortesi talks about cyberbullying with Miss Universe Organization president

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi (right) talks to Miss Universe Organization president Paula Shugart. Screengrab from Miss Universe" s="" YouTube="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/tvpatrol/07/28/celeste-cortesi.jpg"/><figcaption>Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi (right) talks to Miss Universe Organization president Paula Shugart. Screengrab from Miss Universe&#x27;s YouTube page</figcaption></figure></div>Philippine representative Celeste Cortesi had the opportunity to have a conversation with Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization. She and another Miss Universe 2022 delegate, Laksmi Shari De Neefe Suardana of Indonesia, were invited to discuss cyberbullying with Shugart in a livestream on Thursday (Philippine time).The Miss Universe Organization president noted the huge fan base of the two candidates, and hoped that pageant fans will work together to &quot;keep each other in check&quot; amid incidents of cyberbullying in the community.<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BXTr0nk0NfM?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>&quot;It&#x27;s so exciting to get behind a person that is representing your country that you want to support them in any way possible. And I think sometimes, unfortunately, it takes the shape of feeling that you&#x27;re lifting up your delegate by tearing down those rival countries, or what you perceive to be your rival countries,&quot; she said. &quot;With Cheslie&#x27;s passing, I made a commitment -- everyone came together and we all committed to each other -- to be kind,&quot; she added, referring to the late Miss USA Cheslie Kryst. &quot;Let&#x27;s all commit to each other to continue to be kind and support each other. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/01/31/22/miss-universe-mourns-loss-of-former-miss-usa-cheslie-kryst">Miss Universe mourns loss of former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst</a></li></ul>During the online session, which lasted for nearly an hour, Cortesi opened up about her experience of being bullied and stressed the importance of having a good support system. She also reminded people to be careful with their words as these can greatly affect others. &quot;I&#x27;ve been bullied so many times, even in my high school and when I was a little girl. And if I didn&#x27;t have the right people around me, I don&#x27;t know what I would&#x27;ve done... So you never know how much words can hurt someone. You have to be mindful. you have to be sensitive enough to put yourself in other people&#x27;s shoes,&quot; she said. The Philippine representative said she also turns to meditation whenever she needs to look after her mental health, as well as blocking negative and destructive comments. &quot;To be completely honest... I&#x27;m not the kind of person that always reads the comments. But when I see something that is not true or it&#x27;s very hurtful, I usually just block the user. And it is a way for me to just block the negativity, and I think that there is nothing wrong with that,&quot; she said. &quot;I am always open to constructive criticism, but I do not support any kind of violence and cyberbullying. So I think that in these kind of situations, you really have to prioritize your mental health first,&quot; she added.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/07/26/22/celeste-cortesi-opens-up-about-working-as-a-cashier">Celeste Cortesi opens up about working as a cashier before becoming a beauty queen</a></li></ul>Cortesi also took the opportunity to remind her fans and supporters to stop attacking her fellow candidates online.&quot;Bashing another candidate won&#x27;t make me win. If they really want to support me then they have to love me and also love other candidates,&quot; she added. &quot;I think that&#x27;s very important because Miss Universe Organization is about empowering other women, it&#x27;s about supporting each other. And I know that fans are very, very passionate about beauty pageants, but you should never cross the line. You should always think about saying something because you never know how much it can hurt,&quot; she stressed.Cortesi is hoping to win the Philippines&#x27; fifth Miss Universe crown after Catriona Gray (2018), Pia Wurtzbach (2015), Margie Moran (1973), and Gloria Diaz (1969).The Miss Universe Organization has yet to announce a date and venue for its next pageant.

Philippine representative Celeste Cortesi had the opportunity to have a conversation with Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization. 