Silvia Celeste Cortesi was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2022 at the end of the 3rd edition of the nationl pageant, held on April 30, 2022 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Bay City, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. The representative of Pasay succeeds and was crowned by Miss Universe Philippines 2021 Beatrice Luigi Gomez of Cebu City. The final was graced by the presence for four former Miss Universe queens, Iris Mattenaere, Pia Wurtzbach, Demi-Leigh Tebow, Catriona Gray and the reigning Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu.
In the final round of questions and answers, Celeste was asked, “If you could stop time for a day, how would you spend it?” Then her answer was, “If I could stop time, I would spend it with my family, especially mother. It’s been two years since I haven’t spent time with my family because they live in Italy, and I came here in the Philippines just by myself. If I had a chance to spend one day, I would definitely be with my mom, and I would just tell her how much I love her and I miss her. “
The 24 year-old works as a model and a future licensed real estate broker. She’s half Filipina and half Italian. She was born in Pasay City and raised in Italy. Celeste has tattoos on different parts of her body, including her wrist, bikini area, forearm, and chest. Her biggest one is a palm tree that’s inked on her thigh!
She is not a newbie to pageantry. Formerly, she represented Philippines at the Miss Earth 2018 competition and was placed among the Top 8 finalists. Celeste aspires to be role model especially to young women to not just look and focus on perfection but to embrace themselves as a whole. Celeste previously talked about her advocacy in an interview with The Qrown Philippines: “My advocacy is about indigenous people. Because me being half-Filipina I really wanted to discover who was the Filipino… I want to go to places in the Philippines and experience their culture. And I would also bring more awareness on their land rights because as a real estate agent, I also want to do that. I also want to teach people and help them be more aware of the small groups here in the Philippines that are sometimes not heard or seen enough by the community.“
Cortesi wants to use her platform as beauty queen to encourage other women to stay informed — “you have to remember that reading information is key and power” — and advocate for indigenous people in the Philippines who have been displaced from their land. “I would like to champion their cause by putting a spotlight on their situation. And also their unique and rich cultural heritage that makes the Philippines the most beautiful and unique place in the world,” she said. “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.
The 2022 Miss Universe Philippines’s court includes –
Miss Universe Philippines Charity 2022 – Pauline Amelinckx (Bohol)
Miss Universe Philippines Tourism 2022 – Michelle Marquez Dee (Makati)
1st runner-up – Annabelle McDonnell (Misamis Oriental)
2nd Runner-up – Katrina Llegado (Taguig)
Miss Universe Philippines Tourism 2022
Michelle Dee is the daughter of actress, author, former supermodel, and Miss International 1979 Melanie Marquez. Not new to the pageantry, she was crowned Miss World Philippines 2019 as she represented Philippines at Miss World 2019 and earned her spot in Top 12.
Miss Universe Philippines Charity 2022
Pauline Amelinckx is a well-known model and beauty queen in Philippines. No stranger to pageantry, Pauline has served as Miss Bohol 2017 and Miss JCI Philippines 2017. She also did well at the Mutya Ng Pilipinas 2018 finals night, where she competed, and she received two special awards: Mutyang Zen Institute and Miss Avon Fashion. Pauline Amelinckx was crowned Miss Global Beauty Queen Philippines 2018 during the Mutya Ng Pilipinas grand finale, and most recently she was the third runner-up of the Miss Universe Philippines 2020 competition.
Awards
Miss Friendship – Jewel Alexandria (Ilocos Sur)
Miss Photogenic – Celeste Cortesi (Pasay)
Best in National Costume – Julia Saubier (Albay)
Best in Swimsuit – Celeste Cortesi (Pasay)
