According to Binibining Pilipinas International Mariel De Leon, it's her parents who kept her strong during the quest to win the crown.
"I love you Nanay and Tatay"
On her Instagram account, the newly crowned Binibining Pilipinas writes:
"The most beautiful thing in this world is to see your parents smiling, and knowing that you're the reason behind that smile.' ❤️ Thank you for supporting me through whatever I want to pursue in life. Thank you for teaching me to always be kind, respectful, and hard working. And of course for always telling me to pray and to thank God for everything and everyone in my life. I am so blessed to have such loving, generous, and supportive parents. I love you, Nanay and Tatay!"
A post shared by Mariel de Leon (@mariaangelicadl) on
The 23-year-old also wrote in her thank-you post that her parents, who kept her humble, also taught her "to always be kind, respectful, and hard working."
Her mom, actress Sandy Andolong, shared on her Instagram account just how proud they were of their daughter:
A post shared by Sandy_Andolong de Leon (@sandy_andolong_de_leon) on
Second time's the charm
At the age of 19, she first joined the Binibining Pilipinas Pageant, but failed to take home the crown. She did however, become a part of the top 15 during that time.
Now, 4 years later, she won the Binibining Pilipinas International crown and will be set to represent the country in the upcoming Miss International, in which she hopes to bring home the crown for the Philippines.
Source: gmanetwork.com
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