Since she will soon pass on her crown as Binibining Pilipinas-International, Mariel de Leon shared some of her fondest memories during her reign.
In an interview with PEP, the beauty queen revealed the best and worst moments she experienced during the past year.
De Leon, daughter of actors Christopher de Leon and Sandy Andolong, went back to the night she was crowned and said that it was the best moment of her life so far.
She said that bagging the title was a life-changing experience for her.
“Parang life-changing talaga siya kasi, before Binibini, my whole life, I was sheltered—always either at home or close friends lang.
“Hindi masyadong exposed sa mga showbiz or pageant stuff, which is weird, kasi both my parents are actors. Pero growing up, they made sure na sheltered kami.
She said that the national pageant exposed her to many things that helped with her personal growth.
“So, going into Binibini and getting exposed in that way, especially after Binibini, it changed me and it was…
“Hindi naman painful, but it was new, it was something to get used to. I think it changed me for the better because it taught me how to be more sure of myself and more aware… and made me stronger, definitely, kasi, I never experienced anything that intense in my life, so it made me stronger,” she said.
De Leon also admitted that her reign was not perfect and the online bashing she received was the worst thing that she had to go through.
De Leon is a known critic of the current administration. She had a clash with Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson.
“The worst was online bashing but I learned to accept it kasi it’s part of being in showbiz, e. You can never please everyone naman,” she said.
After the criticism she has received online, de Leon said that she will continue to post her thoughts on social media but in a more careful way.
“I still post, but I’m more careful na. It’s more of respect towards my parents. Of course, I don’t want them to get hurt with people saying about me, and about them. So, I post carefully now, because I want to take care of my family and my friends,” she added.
Together with de Leon, Miss Universe Philippines Rachel Peters, Binibining Pilipinas Supranational 2017 Chanel Olive Thomas, Miss Grand International 2nd Runner-up Elizabeth Clenci, Miss Intercontinental 2017 1st Runner-up Katarina Rodriguez, and Miss Globe 2017 1st Runner-up, Nelda Ibe will also be passing on their crowns at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on March 18, 2018.
Binibining Pilipinas is the national beauty pageant that chooses the country’s representatives for different international pageants.
