The Philippines won its fourth Miss
Earth title after country bet Karen Ibasco bested more than 80 contestants from
all over the world during the Miss Earth 2017 coronation night held at the Mall
of Asia Arena, in Pasay City on November 4.
Ibasco, 26-year-old, medical physicist
cum laude graduate and physics professor at the University of Santo Tomas
(UST), was crowned by outgoing Miss Earth 2016 Katherin Espin from Ecuador.
Ibasco’s court of honor included Miss
Earth Air 2017 Nina Robertson of Australia, who is a half-Filipina and former
top 10 Mutya ng Pilipinas candidate; Miss Earth Fire 2017 Lada Akimova of
Russia, and Miss Earth Water 2017 Juliana Franco of Colombia.
Ibasco, who advocates energy conservation
through renewable and sustainable energy, by coincidence had picked the
hashtag#biodiversity during the Top 8 finalists Q&A segment, to which she
replied, “Biodiversity is very important. We are very known in the
Philippines to have a lot of biodiversity, and they’re very important because
they balances the ecosystem. It’s very important for us to protect them,
because as we protect them, we protect the environment.”
But Ibasco’s final Q&A answer which
swayed the judges to her favor. Asked “who or what she thinks is the biggest
enemy of Mother Earth and why,” she said: “I believe that the real problem in
this world is not climate change. The real problem is us because of our
ignorance and apathy. What we have to do is to start changing our ways, to
start recalibrating our minds and redirecting our steps because together, as a
global community, our micro-efforts will have a macro-effect to help save our
home, our planet.”
Named in the Top 8 were Miss Thailand
Paweensuda Drouin
Miss Venezuela Ninoska Vasquez, Miss Czech Republic, Iva Uchytilová and Miss Netherlands, Faith Landman. Earlier, the Top 16 were named which included Miss
USA Andreia Gibau, Miss Tonga Diamond Langi, Miss Angola Ermelinda de Matos, Miss Guatemala Maria José Castañeda, Miss Vietnam Le Thi Ha Thu, Miss Switzerland Sarah Laura Peyrel, Miss Bosnia and Herzegovina Lela Karagic and Miss Cameroon, Angele Kossinda.
Miss Venezuela Ninoska Vasquez, Miss Czech Republic, Iva Uchytilová and Miss Netherlands, Faith Landman. Earlier, the Top 16 were named which included Miss
USA Andreia Gibau, Miss Tonga Diamond Langi, Miss Angola Ermelinda de Matos, Miss Guatemala Maria José Castañeda, Miss Vietnam Le Thi Ha Thu, Miss Switzerland Sarah Laura Peyrel, Miss Bosnia and Herzegovina Lela Karagic and Miss Cameroon, Angele Kossinda.
Ibasco’s winning the 17th edition of
the Manila-based Miss Earth pageant followed similar feat by Angelia Ong in
2015, Jamie Herrell in 2014 and Karla Henry in 2008. Words by Eton Concepcion/Photos
by Edmund Chua
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