Binibining Pilipinas Janicel Lubina finished in the top 10 of the 2015 Miss International pageant held on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan.

Lubina was also hailed Miss Best Dresser. This year’s Miss International is Edymar Martinez of Venezuela. Miss International First Runner Up was Jennifer Valle of Honduras; Second Runner Up was Kenya’s Eunice Onyango; Third Runner Up was Vietnam’s Phạm Hồng Thúy Vân; and Fourth Runner Up was the United States’ Lindsay Becker.

Lubina, who once worked as a housemaid to help her family, became emotional while delivering her final speech. She said that while life is full of challenges, these must not stop one from working hard to achieve one’s goals, and that poverty is not a hindrance in succeeding in life.

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“To represent the Philippines here in Miss International is a great honor and an achievement for me. As a simple woman who came from a poor family, my dream to have a better life for my family motivates me to never give up. At a young age, I had to work at the rice fields to help my parents while taking care of my brothers since my parents were working. “

“Life then was full of challenges and hardships but I never stopped dreaming and working hard to achieve my goals in life. I want to be an inspiration to young people that nothing is impossible. Keep following your dreams and have strong faith in God. If I become Miss International, I would like to share my story to the world that poverty is not a hindrance to achieve success in life,” she said.

The beauty queen from Palawan earlier said that she was prepared and motivated to compete, despite criticisms from social media.

“I am more motivated now to win the title. I am so thankful for the trainings that Binibining Pilipinas offered to all our queens and I can say that at this point, I am really prepared to compete internationally,” she said.

Lubina also considered competing in the Miss International pageant as a way to inspire other girls through her life story.

“I can inspire a lot of girls, especially those from the province,” she added. CDG