2010 Miss Universe 4th runner-up Maria Venus Raj arrived early Thursday morning as she called on her critics to “move on’’ and stop making fun of her answer in the beauty contest in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, last Monday night.

This developed as fellow Binibini 1979 Miss International Melanie Marquez defended Raj and asked the people to stop the “crab mentality.’’

“Kung hindi nila nagustuhan ang sagot ko wala na akong magagawa dun, lalo na kung negative ang connotation nila sa akin.Wala na tayong magagawa run kasi tapos na ‘yun. Let’s move on, let’s see kung ano’ng mangyayari sa future,’’ a beaming Raj said, at the press conference at the Gateway Suites, Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City. The program’s moderator was Barbie Atienza of the Manila Bulletin.

Raj’s answer to the Miss Universe final interview became a favorite topic when she was asked by a judge about her biggest mistake in life and how she corrected it. She said that she did not have “any major, major’’ problem.

At the airport, she appealed to critics to give her some slack. “One question is not enough to judge a person.”

Raj also thanked the people, here and abroad, who prayed for her success in the beauty pageant. Her placement in the contest ended the 11-year drought for the country in the most prestigious beauty pageant.

Marquez said that she was impressed with Raj’s achievement in the 2010 Miss Universe contest. While she said she only saw portions of the two-hour telecast, Marquez said Raj made the country very proud, especially her hometown, Bato, Camarines Sur, which prepared a big welcome for her. She asked the public to stop crab mentality.

“Stop crab mentality. Hindi ganun kadali ang sumali sa international beauty contest. Tigilan na nila ‘yan,’’ Marquez said, during a separate press conference for Psalmstre, makers of Placenta soap and other beauty products, in Quezon City. Psalmstre President Jaime Acosta also expressed support to the international achievements of the beauty queens.

Marquez shot to international fame when she won the international contest held in Japan at the age of 16. She went on to become an international supermodel, who in her early years, was also criticized for her communication skills.

She added: “Raj really made our country proud. Dalawa lang ‘yan kung bakit naging ganun ang sagot n’ya sa finals. It’s either kinabahan s’ya or na-mesmerize s’ya sa judge, kay William Baldwin.’’

Raj recalled her fond memories during the finals. “When only one spot left, what goes on in my mind is that the last name will be either Miss USA Rima Fakih or Miss Venezuela Marelisa Gibson. My name was called at lalong naging maingay yung Mandalay Center. I told myself, this is it! Start na ito.’’

Both candidates from the USA and Venezuela did not make the Top 15 semifinals.

Asian candidates in the 2010 Miss Universe contest also rejoiced when she made the Top 15. Raj, 22, was the only Asian who made it to the semifinals this year.

“Miss Indonesia, Miss Japan and Miss Korea, they all hugged me and congratulated me. They’re happy for me," she said.

Raj said that she cried when she learned that her close friend and trainer 2009 Miss International semi-finalist Melody Gersbach passed away in a car accident few days before the finals.

“I learned about it Monday morning. Ang bilis ng mga pangyayari. Melody just attended the send-off party for me tapos wala na s’ya, ’’ Raj said. She said that she was really devastated about Melody’s death that she begged off to join a party for the Miss Universe candidates that night.

Raj was expected to visit Gerbasch’s wake at The Heritage in Taguig City on Thursday.

She also said that on the eve of her departure for Las Vegas, Melody gave her a bracelet which her fellow titlist described as a lucky charm. She said that Melody wore the same bracelet when she competed in the international contest last year.

In her stint at the Miss Universe contest, Raj did not experience any discrimination among the contestants except for a minor encounter with Miss Peru.

She said that Miss Peru has introduced to people in Las Vegas as her chaperone when the latter competed in the Miss Earth beauty pageant held in Manila. But Raj said that she corrected the impression to the people and said that she indeed worked for the Miss Earth beauty contest, prior to joining the Bb. Pilipinas pageant. Miss Peru did not make the Top 15 cut.

Raj has captured the hearts of the public when she was briefly dethroned then reinstated due to inconsistencies in her birth records. The government later issued her a passport.

The country has produced two Miss Universe winners --- Gloria Diaz (1969) and Margie Moran (1973).

Raj said that she wanted to help restore the country’s image and improve relations with China in the best way she could.

She made the reaction in the wake of the bloody hostage-taking incident that killed eight foreign tourists last Monday night.

Raj said she failed to see the news about the hostage-taking but was informed about it by friends and supporters through text message.

“I’m very much willing to help,” she replied, when asked if she would join a campaign to help restore the country’s image. She added her victory at the pageant would somehow alleviate the negative publicity generated by Monday’s bloody hostage incident.

Like her namesake the planet Venus, also known as the Morning Star, Miss Universe 2010 4th runnerup Venus Raj arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 from Los Angeles on board Philippine Airlines flight PR-107 at around 4 a.m. on Thursday.

“I’m very happy to be home. It’s a relief,” said an excited Raj, flashing the trademark genial smile that Filipinos are known for and what caught her the world’s attention.

Because of excitement in returning home, she said she had little sleep at the plane, although it was hardly visible.

Raj was met by her mother Ester, family members, and organizers of the Binibining Pilipinas pageant. She wore a black hat with a bow, and a black and white dress.

In a short interview with media, she stood firm about her reply in the final question-and-answer portion at the pageant, which many pageant analysts say might have cost her the crown. She was asked by one judge what her biggest mistake was and what she did to recover from that mistake.

Raj said that “there are really no mistakes in one’s life” and that things happen for a reason.

Mistakes, she added, should be taken as a challenge and something that had to happen for us to realize there is a reason to it. “There a lesson to it and that is the challenge.”

She related that her poor background “is not a mistake, but a challenge that she had to confront and deal with. God has reasons why it all happened.”