Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi. Image: Seven Barretto via Instagram/@themissuniverseph
Aiming for the Philippines’ fifth Miss Universe crown is a tough act for Celeste Cortesi to follow, but her journey has earned support from her fellow queens.
Some Filipina beauty queens who have walked in the same Miss Universe shoe have expressed their support for Cortesi’s journey as she competes at the pageant’s preliminary round on Thursday, Jan. 12 in New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States.
Shamcey Supsup, Miss Universe Philippines 2011 and Miss Universe Philippines organization national director, said Cortesi would “rock the stage” at the pageant.
“Best of luck @celeste_cortesi [emojis]. We have 100% faith that you will rock the stage tonight! Let’s go Pilipinas,” she said on Instagram.
Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo cheered for Cortesi at the preliminary rounds on her Instagram Stories, as she hoped that the latter would win the pageant.
“[Fifth] Crown na to for the country (She will win the fifth crown for the country),” she wrote on top of Cortesi’s introduction video.
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@rabiyamateo
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@rabiyamateo
MJ Lastimosa, who represented the Philippines at Miss Universe 2014, took to her personal Twitter account to praise Cortesi’s performance.
“Ang galing ng overall performance ni Celeste. You can’t deny pasok sa banga si ante,” she said.
(Celeste’s overall performance was great. You can’t deny that she’ll enter the [Miss Universe 2022 semifinal round])
Ang galing ng overall performance ni Celeste. You can’t deny pasok sa banga si ante
— MJ Lastimosa (@MJ_Lastimosa) January 12, 2023
She also voiced her support for Cortesi’s Darna-inspired national costume.
“Ding ang bato ng koronaaaaa (Ding, the stone of the crown),” she said on Twitter.
Ding ang bato ng koronaaaaa #darna
— MJ Lastimosa (@MJ_Lastimosa) January 12, 2023
Binibining Pilipinas 2022 contestant Graciella Lehmann also praised Cortesi’s national costume on her Instagram Story.
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@graciella.lehmann
On the other hand, Miss Universe Philippines Tourism 2021 Katrina Dimaranan said Cortesi looked like a “winner” at the evening gown preliminaries.
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@themissuniverseph
The upcoming 71st Miss Universe on Jan. 14 (morning of Jan. 15 in the Philippines) will be its first edition under the Thai-owned conglomerate JKN Global Group.
The pageant will be hosted by Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo and celebrity stylist Jeannie Mai Jenkins, while Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray and “American Ninja Warrior” host Zuri Hall will be the backstage commentators.
Cortesi will be vying for the Philippines’ fifth Miss Universe crown after Gloria Diaz (1969), Margie Moran (1973), Pia Wurtzbach (2015), and Gray (2018). EDV