MANILA, Philippines— Fil-Italian beauty queen Celeste Cortesi was crowned at the Mall of Asia Arena for the second time after winning the Miss Universe Philippines 2022 title on Saturday, April 30.
Cortesi surpassed the other 31 contestants representing different cities in the country, including front runner Michelle Marquez Dee from Makati who was crowned Miss Universe Philippines Tourism, followed by Pauline Cucharo Amelinckx from Bohol, who received the Miss Universe Philippines-Charity crown.
Meanwhile, Misamis Oriental bet Annabelle MacDonnelll was named the First Runner up, and Ma. Katrina Llegado from Taguig placed second.
Cortesi also bagged Best in Swimsuit and Miss Photogenic awards.
Last February, Cortesi shocked pageant fans when she auditioned for this year’s edition of MUPh. Many fans immediately supported Cortesi, who represented the City of Pasay, and claimed her as the winner.
Last weekend, it came true as Celeste Cortesi impressed the judges, including Miss Universe 2021, Haarnaz Sandhu, with her flawless performance on the MUPH stage and won the country’s prestigious title.
Cortesi was also crowned Miss Earth Philippines back in 2018, where she finished top 8 in the international competition at the same venue.
This time around, the 24-year-old model turned beauty queen is set to try to take home the Philippines’ fifth Miss Universe crown later this year.