Miss Philippines-Earth tilt tackles forest conservation

Holding placards and narra samplings, the 49 candidates of the 2011 Miss Philippines-Earth beauty pageant reminded the public of one major responsibility --- care for Mother Earth.

Now on its 11th year, the advocates of Mother Earth will work hand-in-hand to address the need for reforestation and to bring attention to the increasing numbers of species in the extinction list, during press presentation of the advocacy-driven Miss Philippines-Earth.

They will take the role of Amazon guardians on their quest to preserve and conserve the deteriorating forests. After all, the United Nations has declared 2011 as International Year of the Forests.

With advocacies and enthusiasm to shift people’s minds towards the Green Revolution, the candidates will soon realize the true meaning of Going Green.

This year, Miss Philippines-Earth has tied up with one of the greenest cities in the country, Puerto Princesa to address the environmental issue. They will also work together with the Miss Earth Foundation which in turn has been collaborating with many environmental organizations to restore Philippine forests by planting back native trees.

Carousel President, Ramon Monzon, said: "What these girls do is really admirable. They are serious in their tree-planting activities, active in coastal clean-ups, eager to open the eyes of children to environmental issues, while at the same time they continuously maintain the poise and stature of a beauty queen."

Now on its 6th year, Miss Philippines-Earth has proudly produced some of the country’s most beautiful advocates who have collaborated and partaken in many greening campaigns.

They are known for getting their hands dirty for the environment, from tree planting to coastal clean-ups, from school tours to street rallying for cleaner air, and have established their mark with supporters from the pageant industry.

The Miss Earth Foundation, under the leadership of its Executive Director Ms. Catherine Untalan, has guided and led each batch to live and breathe the essence of true beauties for a cause by creating and implementing legacies that tackle environmental issues each year.

"I have been observing how each batch of reigning queens strives to bring their respective projects to life since 2006. I must say that I am very impressed with the previous winners and am looking forward to the legacy of this year's batch," said Carousel Productions Inc. Executive Vice-President, Lorraine Schuck.

The coronation night will be held on Sunday, June 5, 2011, 7 p.m. at the Coliseum in Puerto Princesa. It will be telecast on ABS-CBN Channel 2 at 10:30 p.m. and on a later date on The Filipino Channel.

By Robert R. Requintina