Celeste Cortesi reveals Rabiya Mateo helped push her to join Miss Universe Philippines this year

Celeste Cortesi is no doubt worthy of the Miss Universe Philippines crown, but did you know that she hesitated about joining this year?

According to a report on PEP.ph, Celeste had a conversation with her close friend, Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo, before applying for the pageant.

She said she was thinking about pushing back her application to next year.

"I remember that before submitting my application for Miss Universe Philippines, I was talking to he, and I was opening up about me wanting to join actually next year, not this year," Celeste said.

"And I was telling her I just want to prepare, to be one hundred percent [ready]," she added.

Rabiya then gave her some solid advice that helped her decide to send in her application.

"... Rabiya told me, 'You will never be 100 percent prepared. But it’s your choice. It’s either to do it next year or this year,'" Celeste said.

"Rabiya is so straightforward. She was really telling me, ‘Go for it. Don’t think about it too much. You will never be prepared. You just have to send the application and then everything will follow,'" she added.

Celeste said it was one of the "best advice" she got, and that Rabiya was one of the reasons why she decided to go for it.

"Thank you, Rabiya," she said.

Celeste was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2022 during the grand coronation night on April 30.

She is also the Miss Earth Philippines 2018 titleholder. —JCB, GMA News