Rachel Peters savors Miss Universe Philippines 2017 win

RACHEL Peters said it's a dream come true to wear the coveted Miss Universe Philippines 2017 crown.

On wee hours of Monday, the Camarines Sur native bested 39 other candidates and will represent the country in the upcoming Miss Universe 2017 pageant.

"It's a dream come true. I have no words. I am so happy and I'm so grateful for all the people who helped me along the way," Peters said after the pageant.

According to the beauty queen, she didn't expect to win as there's a lot of good candidates in the 54th edition of the Binibing Pilipinas competition.

"This year everyone told us that it's a very level playing field. So, it was very hard for them to tell who's going to win. Backstage we were all holding hands, we were all praying. I'm really, really happy."

Peters impressed everyone when she talked about unity, diversity and respect when asked about her message to leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"I believe that one of the biggest problems that our country faces today is divisiveness in politics, in religion and also in culture. And I believe that is something the same across the world. That is something I want to address. I believe that when people can learn to tolerate each other’s differences and respect each other’s opinions then we will just going to be a stronger nation and world," she said during the question and answer round.

The 25-year-old shared she was nervous during the interview portion but was satisfied with her answer.

"As soon as I got off stage, I was trying to think about what I was saying and I couldn't remember. But all the girls were saying, 'You did really good.' So, it kind of calmed my nerves."

She said it takes a lot of practice and guidance from her support group to stand out among all the candidates.

Peters added that it took her two years to gain again the confidence to join a beauty pageant and this time, she gave her all.

The beauty queen hopes to bring another international title to the country.

"Thank you to all my family, my friends, to my supporters who are here tonight. I love you all and I hope I can make the Philippines proud," she ended. (SunStar Philippines)