Young beauties bat for the environment

Since my dalaGAY, IC Mendoza is a frustrated beauty queen, the next best thing for him is to be a part of the newest beauty pageant with a cause, Miss Teen Earth and Little Miss Earth Philippines (www.missteenearth.ph).

The inaugural pageant will happen tonight at the SM MOA Arena. The show will be mounted by Runway Productions. The telecast is on June 8, on GMA 7’s SNBO (10 p.m.).

The finals night will feature performers Joey Ayala, Bayang Barrios, Gloc-9, La Diva, Kyla and Hail Mary the Queen Children’s Choir. Carla Abellana, Shamcey Supsup-Lee, Patricia Fernandez and Gwendoline Ruais will host the affair. The pageant is supported by PLDT Home Telpad (PHT) which will hand out the PHT Choice Award.

Vas Bismark, the pageant’s trademark owner, could pass for a movie star, but he opts to work behind-the-scenes. Kudos to Vas and his team for staging a pageant that will go over and beyond the call of beauty! Bravo to the 40 beautiful candidates. Let’s make way for the Young and the Relentless!

TEEN hopefuls seem to be having a blast.

Here’s my tête-à-tête with Vas:

Why did you choose to stage Miss Teen Earth and Little Miss Earth pageant?

I wanted to make a difference. I wanted a better world for us to live in.

How is it different from other beauty pageants?

We have no swimwear competition; we have a recycled gown contest instead. I refer to it more as an advocacy than a pageant.

How will you help the winner implement her advocacy?

We’re working closely with the Philippine Climate Change Commission and the Whale Call Project. With them, we’ll support, educate and guide the winners.

What advocacy is closest to your heart?

It’s helping others in the path of self- discovery, in the process of understanding one’s identity. For us to understand and appreciate what the world and life has to offer, we first need to understand ourselves.

What are the future projects lined up for your team after the pageant?

As of now, we have lots of ideas, but there’s nothing definite yet. The team is discussing whether to get into concerts or plays by bringing in international artists. For now, our focus is the pageant and the winners.

What is Mother Earth telling you, after mounting Miss Teen Earth/Little Miss Earth?

This is just the beginning. There is more work to do.