Mariel De Leon to compete in Miss International pageant in Japan today

The Philippines’ representative Mariel De Leon is gearing up for the Miss International 2017 competition to be held in Tokyo, Japan today at 2pm.

De Leon won the crown for Binibining Pilipinas (Miss Philippines) International this year, her second attempt after joining back in 2013.

If she wins today, it would be the second consecutive win for the country in the pageant after Kylie Verzosa, won the title last year.

“This whole experience (from my first time joining BBP in 2013 to BBP 2017 and now MI 2017) has been such a long and wonderful journey. I loved every moment of it; the good and the bad. It has made me a stronger, wiser, and empowered woman, more than I thought I could ever be,” she said in an Instagram post last night.

Konnichiwa! Tomorrow is the day! This whole experience (from my first time joining BBP 2013 to BBP 2017 and now MI 2017) has been such a long and wonderful journey. I loved every moment of it; the good and the bad. It has made me a stronger, wiser, and empowered woman. More than I thought I ever could be. It has taught me to push my limits, to break down walls, to fight harder, to take risks, and to be courageous. I am proud of the woman I have become. I am proud to be able to break down stereotypes and inspire people to be themselves. But I still have a long way to go. I wouldn’t have come this far without the memories I’ve made, the mistakes I’ve learned, and the people who have supported me all the way. I would like to thank all the people who have been with me throughout this whole journey. You know who you are. I have been receiving so much love and support not only from Filipinos, but also supporters from all around the world. May God bless your kind hearts! To my family, I love you all so much! You have had my back since day 1, through all the good and bad. I can definitely say that I have the most open, loving and supportive family in the whole world! And I know that just by me coming this far and fighting this hard, you are all already so proud of me and THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS TO ME. I will not be afraid because I trust God and His plans for me, WHATEVER THEY MAY BE. God has given me a crown in my heart and that is better than any other crown in this world. This fight is not only for me, not only for my family, not only for the Philippines, but most importantly it is for GOD. To God be ALL the glory! Thank you! Salamat po! Domo arigatou gozaimasu! 💕 #MissInternationalPhilippines #MissInternationalPhilippines2017 #MissInternational #ミスインターナショナル #MissInternational2017 #ミスインターナショナル2017

A post shared by Mariel de Leon (@mariaangelicadl) on Nov 13, 2017 at 5:25am PST

“It has taught me to push my limits, to break down walls, to fight harder, to take risks, and to be courageous. I am proud of the woman I have become,” she added.

De Leon is the daughter of veteran actors Christopher de Leon and Sandy Andolong.

“I can definitely say that I have the most open, loving, and supportive family in the whole world! And I know that just by coming this far and fighting this hard, you are already so proud of me and this is all that matters to me,” she said.

The beauty queen dedicated her fight for the crown to the Philippines.

“I will not be afraid because I trust God and his plans for me, whatever they may be. God has given me a crown in my heart and that is better than any other crown in this world,” she said.

Last Nov. 5, another Filipina Wynwyn Marquez, won the Miss Hispanoamericana crown in Bolivia, the first time the Philippines participated in that pageant.

You can watch the Miss International live stream on their website here.

with a report from ABS-CBN News