Mary Jean Lastimosa Wins Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2014 Crown

Mary Jean Lastimosa proved that third time's a charm.

Mary Jean Lastimosa

After failing to take home a major title during her previous Binibining Pilipinas stints, Lastimosa finally won this year. She was crowned Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2014 during the beauty pageant's grand coronation night held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Sunday, March 31.

Lastimosa will be representing the Philippines in the Miss Universe 2014 pageant in Brazil later this year.

In an interview with press prior to the finale, the 26-year-old North Cotabato native, who owns a slimming center in Davao, said she was inspired by past Bb. Pilipinas winner Maricar Balagtas, who like her joined three times before winning.

"In pageants, you need a lot of courage," she said. "Knowing that a lot of people are believing in me gives me more confidence because I know I am not there alone. Having a lot of people praying for you and supporting you is not a bad thing at all. I don’t see it as pressure in any way."

She added, "I’m releasing everything, all the past experiences that I’ve had and I’m treating this pageant as a totally new experience for me to show the new MJ. And I think I’m doing good. You know, I’m just grateful to experience this one more time."

The list of Bb. Pilipinas 2014 winners can be found here: http://noypistuff.blogspot.com/2014/03/bb-pilipinas-2014-winners-grand.html