The 24-year-old beauty queen, who bested 34 other candidates from around the country, will be representing the Philippines in the upcoming Miss World 2017 in Sanya, China on November 18.
During the question and answer portion, Laura was asked to send out a message to people "who believe that pageants do not provide an opportunity to empower women."
She said: "To anyone who doesn't believe in pageants, I would ask them to take a look at the girls that we have on stage tonight. Because we have lawyers, we have architects, we have women of substance who are here today not only because of what they look like, but also because of what's in their heart, what's in their mind, and because they brought forth beauty with a purpose. They’re helping represent the Philippines and become the best version of the Filipina and for me that’s something only to celebrate.”
Other winners are:
Miss Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas: Winwyn Marquez
Miss Eco Philippines: Cynthia Tomalla
Miss Multinational: Sophia Senoron
1st Princess: Glyssa Perez
2nd Princess: Zara Carbonell