Two int’l crowns for the Philippines
The Philippines won its fourth Miss Earth title Saturday night with medical physicist Karen Ibasco emerging the victor after taking an early lead during pre-pageant events.
The country also snagged the crown in 2008 (Karla Henry), 2014 (Jamie Herrell) and 2015 (Angelia Ong).
Ibasco’s win is not a surprise for many pageant enthusiasts as she placed first among 86 contestants with five medals, three golds and two silvers in different categories. She got medals for Best in National Costume for Asia Pacific, Darling of the Press, and Group 2 Swimsuit Competition. In addition, she bagged silver medals for the Resorts Wear Competition and Long Gown Competition.
Her Maria Clara-inspired national costume, inspired by the grandeur of old Philippine churches’ stained glass, was designed by Louis Pangilinan and was among those that got her a gold medal.
Ibasco is not the only Filipina in the contest. Miss Australia Nina Robertson, who is half-Filipina, also won as Miss Earth Air.
Other winners were Miss Colombia Juliana Franco as Miss Earth Water and Miss Russia Lada Akimova as Miss Earth Fire.
As the new Miss Earth, Karen is now the voice of the international beauty pageant in promoting better understanding of Mother Nature’s plight.
Miss Earth 2016 Katherine Espin of Ecuador passed on the crown to the 26-year-old beauty from Manila during the coronation night held at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Ibasco showed that she is a combination of beauty, grace and brains when she pointed out during the final question and answer portion that the real enemy of Mother Earth is not climate change, but its inhabitants.
“We have to start changing our ways and recalibrating our lives. Because together, as a global community, our micro efforts will have macro effects to help save our world.”
Prior to that, Ibasco also noted the importance of biodiversity to the ecosystem during the segment #EarthTalk.
“Biodiversity balances the ecosystem. It’s very important to protect them because as we protect them, we protect our environment. We make our Earth a better place to live in,” she said.
Ibasco was also one of the award recipients for the Figure and Form, and Intelligence and Environmental Awareness categories.
The beauty queen graduated cum laude both from her bachelor and master’s degrees in Applied Physics major in Medical Physics from the University of Santo Tomas.
Apart from the stunning candidates, Grammy-nominated singersongwriter Shontelle and world-renowned violinist Iskandar Widjaja also hyped the crowd with their remarkable performances.
Reina Hispanoamericana
On the other side of the globe, Philippine bet Teresita Ssen “Winwyn” Marquez was also crowned Reina Hispanoamericana 2017 Sunday morning.
Marquez bested 26 other candidates in the pageant held in Bolivia. This is the first time the Philippines joined the pageant celebrating the Hispanic heritage and culture, making Marquez the first Filipina (and Asian) to win the title.
Marquez succeeded former Reina Hispanoamericana Camila Soleibe from Colombia.
During the pre-pageant, the GMA-7 talent bagged the third spot in the Traditional Costume category where she wore a Pintados-inspired costume made by designer Edwin Uy.
Marquez also won first runner-up in the Miss Personality category and became one of the finalists in Best Smile and Miss Silhouette categories. She was likewise named Ipanema girl.
A Binibining Pilipinas 2015 finalist, Winwyn is the daughter of actors Alma Moreno and Joey Marquez.
Marquez went through a tedious question and answer portion. Asked how she would promote the Hispanic-Americana culture with language barriers, she gave a lengthy but inspiring answer which helped her clinch the title.
“Language can be learned, but the will and determination to contribute something to the organization cannot. It has to come from the heart and it has to be natural,” she began.
“I believe that kindness is a universal language. If you treat people with tolerance, patience, and love, you will understand each other. Hispanic culture is not about language only. It's about love for God, love for country, love for history and culture, and love for family. As a Filipina with a unique heritage, I have instilled that. I am ready to promote the Hispanic culture, not just in Asia, but in the whole world. It is time to celebrate the Hispanic culture. It is meant to be celebrated.”
As a fulfillment of her answer at the pageant, Marquez vowed to revive the Hispanic culture during her reign. In a Facebook live after the coronation, she said she plans to learn Spanish as one of the starting steps to revive the Hispanic culture.
“I’m very happy and I promise I will make the Hispanic culture alive. I will learn Spanish and it’s time to bring back where I come from. This is my roots,” Marquez said. “I love you Filipinas, te amo Bolivia.”
Aside from Ibasco and Marquez’s victories, Nelda Ibe also recently placed first runner-up in Miss Globe 2017 while Elizabeth Clenci finished second runner-up in the Miss Grand International 2017 pageant.