Medical physicist crowned Ms. Philippines Earth 2017
A medical physicist from Manila, who is an energy conservation advocate, was crowned Miss Philippines Earth 2017 during a pageant held at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City last Saturday night.
Karen Ibasco, 26, bested 39 other contestants in the environment-driven beauty pageant. She will represent the Philippines in the Miss Earth international pageant in November this year.
Ibasco works as a medical physicist at St. Luke’s Hospital. She also taught at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila from where she graduated.
Ibasco said she advocates the conservation of energy and use of renewable and sustainable energy over fossil fuel.
Ibasco did not only slay the pageant stage with her poise and confidence but nailed it during the question and answer segment.
In the first round of the Question and Answer, Ibasco tackled the topic “fake news.”
“Nowadays, a lot of people distribute fake news but one of the most important mediums is social media. We have to learn (how) to use it for social good. We have to learn to disseminate… and also to filter the right information not just for yourself... but also for the people in your circle of influence.”
Later, when asked for her take on President Duterte administration’s “Change is coming” tagline, her background in exact science came to fore.
“Everyone is experiencing climate change. I’m just grateful that the Philippines has signed the Paris Treaty. What I want to see is to pass a carbon tax. In that way, we would invest in renewable energy to help our world to be a better place, greener, inhabitable for the whole country, for the whole humanity.”
Compared to other pageants, Miss Philippines Earth gives the highest percentage to intelligence, taking up 30 percent of the total score.
Completing Ibasco’s elemental court (the four elements are equally ranked) are Kim de Guzman from Olongapo (Miss Philippines-Air), Nellza Bautista from Villanueva, Misamis Oriental (Miss Philippines-Fire), Vanessa Mae Castillo from Lobo, Batangas (Miss Philippines Eco-Tourism), and Jessica Marasigan from Caloocan (Miss Philippines Water).
The five queens will serve as the ambassadors for protecting the environment and will promote projects that help save the planet.
“During the prejudging for the intelligence segment of the contest, the judges were simply amazed at her. In fact, there was a moment of silence after a few rounds of questions. One judge even said, ‘What can I say? I have no more questions to ask,’” said Patao.