May mensahe ang pang-apat na Pilipinang kinoronahan bilang Miss Earth sa mga kandidatang lalaban sa virtual pageant ng Miss Philippines Earth 2020.
Sa exclusive interview ng Star FM Baguio kay Miss Earth 2017 Karen Ibasco, sinabi nitong nais niyang iwan sa mga candidates ang mensahe na dapat ay i-enjoy lang nila ang kanilang experience at pahalagahan ang mga bagong kaibigang kanilang makikilala sa kompetisyon.
“One thing that I really wanna tell them is to enjoy the competition. This really comes once in a lifetime, and it may never happen again. What I did, I really made friends. You should remember the first thing that made you join. Hopefully, it’s really your heart for the environment,” aniIbasco.
Bilib rin ito sa effort na ginagawa ng bawat kandidata na bahagi ng virtual pageant.
“Hindi naman talaga biro yung panahon ngayon. It’s very different when you do it personally and virtually. [The candidates] are putting so much effort compared to us kasi they really have to prepare on their own in their houses. Hopefully, whoever is gonna win is gonna be the best one to represent our country in the international competition,” dagdag niya.
Ibinahagi naman ng 29-year-old physicist beauty queen na proud ito sa outgoing at reigning Miss Philippines Earth na si Janelle Lazo Tee.
Naniniwala rin itong ipagpapatuloy ng dating TV host ang kanyang partisipasyon sa iba’t ibang mga organisasyon at kahit ipasa nito ang kanyang korona ay isasabuhay pa rin nito ang kanyang mga advocacies.
“Thank you for doing your best. I know she is one of the people that brought so much pride to the country. She has a big heart. Even before she competed, she already had a lot of things in her hands. She’s helping a lot of people already. During her time, she was actually a deserving person to win. Up until now, she is helping a lot of organizations especially in this time of pandemic. I really hope that after her reign ends, she will still continue to be a role model as Miss Philippines Earth 2019.”
Dahil naman sa nalalapit na historic coronation ngayong taon ay naalala niya ang kanyang naging journey mula sa pagiging national title holder hanggang sa magwagi ito sa international stage.
Sa kwento nito, overwhelmed pa rin siya kahit na tatlong taon na ang nakakalipas mula ng koronahan siya sa international pageant.
“All that experience is unforgettable. You know, until now, I’m still happy and everytime I think about my experience, there’s still a huge smile on my face, because I know it’s gonna be in the history of the Philippines forever. The greatest memory that I have had is when I went on stage and I heard that the whole Philippines was supporting me. It was so overwhelming. Hindi lahat ng tao, makaka-experience ng ganoon. Sobrang pasasalamat ko.”
