Philippine candidate Michelle Dee performed remarkably at Thursday’s 72nd Miss Universe pageant’s preliminaries held in El Salvador.

She was named among the Miss Universe 2023 Voice for Change Silver finalists.

Before that, Dee stunned the crowd as she was strutting the runway. She was fiery in her red swimwear and a symbol of hope in her dazzling green evening gown.

The host of that evening, Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel, described Dee as a candidate advocating for autism.

“Nakakataba ng puso kayo! I feel so much love and I couldn’t be any more grateful to everyone who watched yesterday. Nasa exciting part na talaga tayo!!!” She exclaimed in the caption of her Instagram post, where she shared some snaps of her taken during the prelims.

Dee, a daughter of Miss International 1979 Melanie Marquez, is vying for the country’s fifth Miss Universe title.