Celeste Cortesi

Cortesi is the winner of the first edition of Miss Philippines Earth-Italy pageant in Rome. She joined the pageant as she was encouraged by her Filipino mother.[9]

During the #EarthTalk portion, the candidates were given time to express their thoughts on trending topics pulled from Twitter. On her topic, #ZeroWaste, Celeste had this to say:

"Zero Waste. Let me think about the 5 Rs. I think that we have to practice the 5 Rs everyday: reduce, reuse, recycle, rot, and refuse. Thank you."[12]

During the question round, she was asked: "The deterioration of Boracay left our President with no choice but to close the island for 6 months for rehabilitation. What should be done to make sure that what happens to Boracay doesn’t happen to our other tourist destinations?" She responded:

"I agree with the decision [of] President Duterte. And I think that Boracay needs a drainage system because the 'juice' of trash goes directly on the ocean. We have to control the capacity of hotels."[12]

On May 19, 2018, she was crowned as Miss Earth Philippines 2018 by the outgoing titleholder Karen Ibasco.[13]

Cortesi also won the following awards:

• Swimsuit Competition
• Long Gown Competition
• Resorts Wear Competition
• Cocktail Wear Competition
• Darling of the Press
• Miss Laus Group
• Hana Beauties finalist

After winning the Miss Earth Philippines 2018 pageant, she gained the right to represent the Philippines at the Miss Earth 2018 pageant.[4]

During the hashtag portion of the Top 8 finalists, she was randomly asked to give her take on #Malnutrition. She responded:

"My perspective on malnutrition actually depends on my values and beliefs. I think that it’s about respect, and I think that respect is the key to serve the purpose of our knowledge and humanity."[14]

At the end of the competition, she finished as a Top 8 finalist.[5][15]

On April 6, 2022, representing Pasay, Cortesi was confirmed as one of the thirty-two official contestants for the Miss Universe Philippines 2022 pageant.[16]

During the casual interview of the Top 10 finalists, she was asked: "You grew up in both Italy and the Philippines. What would you say are your best Filipino and Italian traits?" She responded:

"If there is something that I can say that is in common with Italian heritage and Filipino heritage is that we are strong women and that we always value family. If there is something that my mom always taught me is be grateful for your family, for your loved ones, and people around you, because when you're grateful and kind, people will be kind as well and grateful for you."[17]

During the question and answer portion of the Top 5 finalists, she was asked: "If you could stop time for a day, how would you spend it?" She responded:

"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."[18]

Cortesi won the Miss Photogenic and Best in Swimsuit awards. She also bagged the Frontrow Best Arrival Look, Miss Avana, and Miss Aqua Boracay awards. At the end of the event, Cortesi was crowned by the outgoing Miss Universe Philippines 2021 Beatrice Gomez as Miss Universe Philippines 2022.[19][20]

Cortesi will represent the Philippines at the 71st edition of the Miss Universe competition.