Miss Universe Philippines organization has announced the Top 40 delegates who will be competing for the fourth edition of Miss Universe Philippines. The finale date and time is yet to be announced for the pageant where Celeste Cortesi Miss Universe Philippines 2022 will crown her successor at the end of the event finale.

In a series of features, lets introduce the Top 40 delegates of Miss Universe Philippines 2023. Klyza Castro, representing Mati City, Davao Oriental, has entered as one of the official delegates at the national competition.

Klyza, on making it as the official delegate, took to her official social media as she wrote, “I am thrilled to be officially in the running for Miss Universe Philippines 2023! I grew up in the world of speech. At the age of 9, I started joining public speaking competitions. As I got older, I became a passionate debater, extemporaneous speaker, and host.”

Klyza realized that her voice is her power as a public speaker. She joined Miss Universe Philippines to speak for her cause for indigenous livelihood to a national audience and act upon it. As for her advocacy, Klyza wants to share the same advocacy that she has been working for the past two years.

As a pure filipina with indigenous roots from the Mandaya tribe of Davao Oriental, Castro feels a personal connection with sustaining the culture and livelihood of the IP communities. She can’t wait to share the projects that she has worked on and the agencies that she has partnered with to make that happen.

Klyza also connected the Sangab Mandaya tribe with the Department of Labor and Employment’s Livelihood Assistance Program here in Davao Oriental. In the recent visit to the Mandaya tribe, the chieftain and her members, DOLE officers and Klyza discussed the machinery and equipment needed to accelerate abaca production. “Sustenance of livelihood also means preservation of culture, and this is the core of my advocacy”, Castro quoted.

The Miss Universe Philippines 2023 winner will be the successor of Celeste Cortesi, who represented the Philippines at the Miss Universe 2022 in January. The winner of the upcoming pageant will compete at the 72nd Miss Universe which will take place in El Salvador in late 2023.