Lab scientist is PH bet for Miss Earth

Pageant veteran Yllana Marie Aduana made good in her second attempt at the Miss Philippines Earth crown, as she snagged the coveted title during the coronation night at the Toledo City Sports Center (Megadome) in Cebu province on Saturday.

Inheriting the title from last year’s winner Jenny Ramp, Aduana, a licensed medical laboratory scientist from Siniloan, Laguna, earned the right to represent the Philippines in the 2023 Miss Earth pageant in Vietnam to be held later this year.

There, the new queen will try to sustain the country’s stature as the most successful nation in the global tilt by becoming the fifth Filipino woman to capture the crown, after Karla Henry (2008), Jamie Herrell (2014), Angelia Ong (2015), and Karen Ibasco (2017).

Aduana asserted her dominance early in the competition.

During the candidates’ visit to Bukidnon, she was proclaimed “Miss Philippines Earth-Talakag,” after one of the municipalities there.

She also topped the swimsuit competition held there and finished first in the “creative wings” competition among fellow delegates and homegrown beauties from Bukidnon.

She earned the most votes from the media to win the “Darling of the Press” poll, and finished third in the talent competition.

During the candidates’ visit to several sponsors, she received the Miss Cellumina award, was proclaimed Chooks to Go “Manok ng Bayan,” and was hailed as “Miss Ecooter.”

In the final competition she was also proclaimed Miss Hana Shampoo.

‘Very ardent’

Aduana punctuated her upward trajectory with an impressive answer during the final round of the competition.

The finalists were asked, “What do you think people in the future would say about your generation?”

She responded: “I would definitely say that our generation, although misconstrued as very ardent, …we use our voice for a reason, and that is to always speak up for the things that we know are right, and for the things that we know that we deserve. That is why we are very ardent about it.”

The winner also shared her advocacy work, conducting discussions about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations “and their interconnectedness to nature, in hopes to precipitate people’s eco-consciousness.”

Aduana’s first appearance in the advocacy-driven national pageant was in the virtual pandemic edition conducted in 2021, where she finished as a runner-up.

She later joined the 2021 Miss FIT (face, intelligence, tone) pageant and captured the crown.

In 2022, she took part in the Binibining Pilipinas pageant, finishing in the Top 12, and earning the “Face of Binibini” (Miss Photogenic) award.

‘First love’

In an earlier interview, she said she had always wanted to return to Miss Philippines Earth “because it is my first love.”

Wearing her new crown, Aduana shared the stage with her “elemental queens,” Miss Philippines Earth-Air Kerri Reilly from Mangatarem, Pangasinan, Miss Philippines Earth-Water Jemimah Joy Zabala from Puerto Princesa City, Miss Philippines Earth-Fire Sha’uri Livori from the Filipino community of Melbourne, Australia, and Miss Philippines Earth-Ecotourism Athena Auxillo from Toledo City. —CONTRIBUTED INQ

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