'She is such a character': Michelle Dee honors Melanie Marquez for Mother's Day

MANILA, Philippines — Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) 2022 Silvia Celeste Cortesi and her court — MUPH Tourism Michelle Marquez Dee, MUPH Charity Pauline Cucharo Amelinckx, 1st runner-up Annabelle MacDonnell and 2nd runner-up Maria Katrina Llegado — had a virtual meet-and-greet with members of the media recently. 

Simply dubbed "Simply Beautiful Morning," the online event gave an opportunity for the ladies to talk about their respective MUPH journeys, as well as the aftermath of their victories.

In time for Mother's Day, the ladies each lauded their respective mothers for fully supporting their candidacy all throughout the competition, from start to finish.

"Like Celeste, I'm grateful to have my mom, Melanie Marquez, in my life. She is such a character and is a perfectionist, but a very loving person. Her sense of loyalty and love for family are some of her most endearing traits. Growing up, I saw her giving back every chance she could get," revealed Michelle of her famous Kapampangan mom, who is also Miss International 1979.

"My most memorable moment from my MUPH journey is holding Celeste's hand during the announcement of winners, because whoever was going to be called will be carrying the country's pride. This moment made me stronger, too, because of how I dealt with the situation," enthused the Kapuso actress.

Michelle is the president of Autism Society PH, an organization with over a hundred chapters all over the country that's dealing with autism issues. "Our mental health affects our actions. We have something amazing in all of us, so let's show it to the world," she added.

Hosted by Miss Universe 2013 3rd runner-up Ariella Arida, the two-hour long media briefing was organized by PLDT Home and connected attendees to the ladies who were enjoying a brief respite in Boracay. The ladies even wished they would be enjoying the beach for a little more time had their schedules permitted it.

RELATED: Celeste Cortesi recalls Filipina mom's sacrifice in time for Mother's Day