MANILA — Samantha Panlilio, the Philippines’ representative to Miss Grand International 2021, has revealed she battled depression after the pageant.

The beauty queen opened up about her mental health at a virtual event of Trinity University Asia, where she was a guest speaker. Panlilio shared a clip from her speech on Instagram early this week.

Panlilio did not make it to the semifinals of the Miss Grand International competition — a shock to many pageant fans given her impressive preliminary performance.

“After competing in Thailand, I felt so lost, frankly, because of the way that some things turned out and I was also reading so many comments online,” she in a part of her talk. “I felt that people were putting out each and every flaw that I have and it was just so hard to accept.”

Compounding her situation at the time was a death in the family; Panlilio’s sister-in-law died due to cancer shortly after she returned to the Philippines.

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“Not only was I dealing with my own personal heartbreaks, but I was also dealing with my family’s… Because of this, I did fall into depression. I was just so lost,” she said.

Panlilio credited her family and loved ones for helping her through the dark episode. Stepping away from social media also benefited her mental state, she recalled.

“I think that was one of the healthiest decisions I made because it was during this time that I learned that happiness is always a choice,” she said.

Panlilio went on to share how she has learned to cope when her mental health suffers, urging the youth, her audience, to prioritize their own well-being, too.

“People may say things about you, but it’s up to us how we react to these uncertainties, how we react to these uncontrollable situations. That really is what inherently makes us a stronger and better person at the end of the day,” she said.

“We really need to prioritize our mental health just as much as our physical health. If that means you taking a break from social media, distancing yourself from everyone, then that’s okay because you know yourself best.”