MANILA -- Bea Gomez is excited to see who will join her, Celeste Cortesi, and Rabiya Mateo as the next Miss Universe Philippines titleholder.

In an interview with the entertainment website Pep, the Miss Universe Philippines 2021 winner was asked to give advice to this year's batch of candidates.

She stressed the importance of seeing Miss Universe as a platform, saying that the organization is looking for a representative who can bring something to the table.

"Most of the girls kasi, they join pageants because they want to experience what [a] pageant is like. But as we all see in this year's Miss Universe, you have to go to the pageant with experience. You have to see Miss Universe as a platform talaga," she explained.

"You're not just going there to experience [the pageant], but to bring all your experiences and then show to everyone what you can offer," she added.

Gomez, who finished in the Top 5 in 2021, went on to note that the Miss Universe Organization seeks a "transformational leader" like the recently crowned R'Bonney Gabriel of the United States.

She also emphasized that the Philippines' Miss Universe representative should be authentic and have a "strong core."

"Going to Miss Universe, there's a lot of challenges that you will go through and you will also evolve as a person. But you must also never forget where you came from, who you are," she said.

"That will be your core -- when everything is difficult and challenging, you have yourself to depend on," she added. "If you know who you are, you will not be lost during the competition."

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