*PH’s Karen Ibasco wins Miss Earth 2017*
MANILA, Philippines — Miss Philippines Karen Ibasco has just been crowned as the new Miss Earth 2017.
Miss Earth 2017 was the 17th edition of Miss Earth pageant, held on November 4, 2017 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. Katherine Espín of Ecuador crowned Karen Ibasco of the Philippines as her successor. This has been the fourth Miss Earth title for the Philippines as the country has snagged the crown in 2008 (Karla Henry), 2014 (Jamie Herrell) and 2015 (Angelia Ong).
This year’s pageant theme is Heroines Fighting Climate Change. On June 23, 2017 the Miss Earth Organization announced through their official Facebook Page that the 2017 edition of the pageant will take place on the 4th day of November 2017 at the Mall of Asia Arena – a 20,000 seater indoor arena located in Pasay City, Metro Manila in the Philippines. This is the second time for Mall of Asia Arena to host this prestigious event for two consecutive years.
Ibasco’s win has not been a surprise for many pageant enthusiasts as she took an early lead in the competition. She placed first among 86 contestants with five medals, three golds and two silvers, in different categories – from swimsuit to national costume. Her Maria Clara-inspired national costume, embroidered following the grandeur of old Philippine churches’ stained glass, was designed by Louis Pangilinan and was among those that got her a gold medal. But Karen is not the only Filipina in the contest. Miss Australia, who is half-Filipina, also won as Miss Air.
According to her delegate’s profile on the Miss Earth website, Karen, 26, is a half-Filipino, half-Chinese university instructor from Manila. “I am proud to represent the Philippines because we uphold camaraderie in every aspect of life. The adversities we encountered are a catalyst that made as a resilient nation today,” she said on the website, on why she is proud to represent the Philippines.
She added, “We are known in looking to the brighter side of every hardship never forgetting to put a smile in our faces because we believe that at the end it will be for our benefit as we look to the sovereign God in control of everything.”
In the finals, her answer to the final question and answer sealed her win: “The real problem is not climate change. The real problem is us. So we have to rethink our ways to save the Earth.” During the competition’s Earth Talk segment, Karen said: “Biodiversity is important because it balances the ecosystem. As we protect it, we protect the Earth.” She also said in the Q&A, “The biggest enemies of the Earth are the people who don’t believe climate change is real.”
As the new Miss Earth, Karen is now the voice of the international beauty pageant in promoting better understanding of Mother Nature’s plight.
Reports courtesy from — www.rappler.com, www.philstar.com, en.wikipedia.org and Gaea Katreena Cabico
Photo Credit: *George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News*
