After a lot of speculations and anticipation around Steffi Aberasturi’s return for the title of Miss Universe Philippines 2022, the diva has officially confirmed that she will not be be joining this year’s national pageant as she bids farewell to pageantry. Aberasturi said she intends to pursue her “true desires with new goals and priorities” this year.

Steffi, who recently got engaged to her long-time boyfriend, Karl Arcenas, said that she wanted to already move forward as she has been “blessed with immense love and support by a community of dreamers” since she first joined the national pageant in 2021, where she was adjudged as the second runner-up.

“This has made my decision, of not joining MUPH 2022, one of the most pivotal in my life as it is not just my dream at pay here. I’ve come to realize that the honor to inspire, uplift, and touch people’s lives has been what I’ve been searching for all along. That alone is beyond the universe,” she shared.

 “I will forever be grateful to all of you who dreamed with me and believed that the universe is just a Steff away,” she addressed the pageant fans, who had been immensely pouring in love and support for the #OneSteffAtATime trend in the past few days.

The 27 year-old further added, “Every end is a new beginning. As I close this chapter, looking forward to the bright unknown ahead, I am following my true desires with new goals and priorities. My heart has been telling me that I have the power to decide how this story will end. With this, I will boldly declare that this is not the one last Steff. Be it on top of a bridge, runway, on stage, or a church aisle, this will not be the final Steff either.”