Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi had a life-changing advocacy trip to Marawi ahead of the Miss Universe 2022 pageant.
Celeste shared that she has been working with Save the Children organization. She went to the war-torn city together with Miss Universe Philippines Charity Pauline Amelinckx and Miss Universe Philippines First Runner-Up Annabelle McDonnell.
They visited different communities, met locals to learn their culture, and gave out some relief goods.
Celeste said that after growing up in Italy and then deciding to live in the Philippines and meet with different people gave her different perspectives of the world.
“I am not going to lie, at first, I was scared to go on this adventure and explore Marawi,” she said.
“However, since the moment I landed, I felt safe and I was immediately mesmerized by the amazing culture I was in,” Celeste added.
Celeste said that it’s an honor to meet new people in Marawi.
“It’s always a pleasure and an honor to be able to learn more about how vast and complex our people and culture are,” she added.
She also acknowledged the need for more support on children’s lives.
“Many of them still cannot access basic human rights like food, shelter, health, and education,” she said.
“It broke my heart to see it but it has reminded me of the importance to do our part to make a change. No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted,” the Filipina-Italian beauty added.
