(UPDATED) Katarina Rodriguez was a whisker away from making history on Wednesday (Manila time) as she placed first runner-up in the Miss Intercontinental 2017 pageant.

Rodriguez finished behind Veronica Salas Vallejo of Mexico during the coronation night held at the SUNRISE Garden Beach Resort in Hurghada, Egypt.

Here are the winners:

Miss Intercontinental 2017 - Veronica Salas Vallejo of Mexico

1st runner-up - Katarina Rodriguez of Philippines

2nd runner-up - Cathelijne Heppenhuis of Netherlands

3rd runner-up - Amanda Cardoso of Brazil

4th runner-up - Lizeth Villanueva of Colombia

5th runner-up - Lee Su Jin of Korea

• WATCH: Katarina sizzles in this Miss Intercontinental video

• LOOK: Katarina Rodriguez's national costume for Miss Intercontinental 2017

• READ: No bad blood: PH, Colombia queens show love for each other

'MERAKI'

During the question and answer portion, Rodriguez was asked what is the most important thing that she learned in joining Miss Intercontinental.

Her answer was "The most important thing that I have learned in joining Miss Intercontinental is an Arabic word named after one of the Sunrise Resorts and that is Meraki. It means to do all things with passion, soul, and creativity."

"When I heard this word and its definition, it resonated with me 'til now and I think it will for the rest of my life. Therefore, that is the most important thing I learned while participating at Miss Intercontinental."

"That is to do all things with soul, passion, and creativity."

During the pageant's finals night, the 24-year-old Filipina was also declared as Miss Intercontinental Asia and Oceania. She placed third in the pageant's online voting.

Rodriguez first came to prominence when she joined cycle 2 of Asia's Next Top Model in 2014 and came in second place.

The Philippines, despite its status as a powerhouse in the world of pageantry, has never won the elusive Miss Intercontinental title.

The closest, before Rodriguez, was back in 2015 when Christi Lynn McGarry also finished 1st runner-up.