Duterte meets Catriona Gray, thanks her for bringing home Miss Universe 2018 crown

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday met with Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray before she leaves for New York City, where she will reside during her one-year reign.

Photos released to the media by presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo showed Duterte presenting Gray with a bouquet of flowers.

LOOK: Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray on Thursday pays a courtesy call on President Duterte at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City before she flies to New York. ????: Palace @gmanews pic.twitter.com/keBtDeJskZ

— Virgil Lopez (@virgillopez) December 20, 2018

Duterte and Gray were also photographed having a conversation during the courtesy call held at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

“They are just exchanging pleasantries. He thanked her for bringing the crown. He said everybody is euphoric about her win,” Panelo said in a text message when asked about the details of the meeting which lasted for nearly an hour.

“He [Duterte] told her she made every Filipino proud. He told her that [his partner] Honeylet wanted to go with him to meet her but had to stay in Davao to attend to her daughter Kitty.”

Gray returned to the country from Thailand on Wednesday for a brief visit to fulfill a charity commitment. Details of her official homecoming slated for early next year have yet to be disclosed.

The courtesy call came three days after the 24-year-old Gray bested 93 countries to take home the Philippines’ fourth Miss Universe crown.

Gray succeeded South Africa’s Demi Leigh Nel-Peters in the finals held in Bangkok, Thailand on Monday. 

Malacañang earlier congratulated Gray for her victory.

“Ms. Gray truly made the entire Philippines proud when she sashayed on the global stage and showcased the genuine qualities defining a Filipina beauty: confidence, grace, intelligence and strength in the face of tough challenges,” Panelo said in a statement.

Panelo also said Gray’s success in the international pageant scene showed that Filipino women “have the ability to turn dreams into reality through passion, diligence, determination and hard work.”

“Ms. Gray’s triumph sets the bar high in empowering more Filipino women to believe in themselves and to fight for their own place in the universe. We salute and admire her victory,” the Palace official said. — BM, GMA News