It is now a very close fight for the
distinction of being named Country of the Year in pageantry between the
Philippines and Venezuela after Venezuela's candidate Alyz Henrich was named
the 2013 Miss Earth during the finals night held at Versailles Alabang in Las
Piñas last night
The Philippines and Venezuela are now tied
with two Grand Slam titles each. The Philippines reigns as Miss World and Miss
Supranational while Venezuela is the winner of both the Miss Universe &
Miss Earth titles.
Last pageant for the year and might also serve as decisive
tie- breaker is Miss International which is scheduled on December 17 in Japan.
Interestingly, both Miss Philippines and Miss Venezuela have been pegged by
pageant experts as the most likely to slug it out for the crown
Austria's Katia Wagner was named Miss Air,
Thailand's Punika Kulsoontornrut took home the Miss Water title, while Korea's
Catharina Choi placed as Miss Fire.
Pageant Coaches: Venezuela's Osmel Souza & RP's Jonas Gaffud
Henrich, whose advocacy is the conservation
of the Los Roques chain of islands in her native country, was asked during the
Question & Answer round how she thinks eco-tourism can contribute to the
protection of the environment.
The 22-year-old answered: "We are
responsible for the destruction of our nature. We need to be aware and take
care of Mother Earth."
The crowing of Henrich as Miss Earth marks
the second major win for Venezuela, considered as a pageant powerhouse, in
international beauty competitions this year.
Only last month, another Venezuelan beauty,
Gabriela Isler, clinched the Miss Universe crown. The Philippines' Ariella
Arida finished 3rd runner-up in the same competition.
Angelee Delos Reyes, the Filipino candidate
to Miss Earth, almost matched Arida's success by finishing in the top 8 on
Saturday night, alongside the delegates of Austria, Mexico, Korea, Thailand,
Venezuela, Serbia and Poland.
Delos Reyes, who got the loudest cheers
from the predominantly Filipino audience during the finals night, picked a
topic related to super typhoon "Yolanda" for the Q & A portion.
"A month after Yolanda struck the
country, how do you think Mother Earth feels now?"
The 26-year-old registered nurse answered:
"She [Mother Earth] feels sad now. It's a wake up call for us. We must
take care of Earth so it can take care of us."
Completing the top 16 were the candidates
of Turkey, Chile, France, China, Mauritius, Spain, USA, and South Africa. Special awards such as the Best in Swimwear
and Best in Evening Gown, which Jenrich and Ukraine's Anastasia Sukh won,
respecitvely, were handed out days before the coronation night.
Kazakhstan's Kumis Bazarbayeva got the Best
in Talent award, Kulsoontornrut won Best in Resorts Wear, while India's Sobhita
Dhulipala took home the Miss Photogenic trophy. She also won the Miss Earth
Eco-Beauty competition, where each candidate showcases her environmental
advoacy through a video.
Awarded Miss Friendship were Indonesia's
Nita Sofiani, Lebanon's Rita Houkayem, and Gabon's Filiane Mayombo Koundi.
Leading up to the coronation night, the
candidates took part in relief efforts for the survivors of
"Yolanda." This year's pageant had been announced to focus on raising
awareness about climate change, in relation to the devastation caused by the
typhoon.
The Philippines-based international
pageant, whose slogan is "beauties for a cause," has been held in the
country annually since 2001, except in 2010 when Vietnam hosted the finals
night.
Delos Reyes' top 8 finish in Miss Earth
follows several successes of Filipinas in other international pageants,
including Megan Young's Miss World win, Mutya Datul's Miss Supranational win,
and Arida's Miss Universe 3rd runner-up finish.
Photo Credits: OPMB
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