Yllana Marie Aduana/ARMIN P. ADINA
MANILA, Philippines — Yllana Marie Aduana went to all 20 barangays in her hometown of Siniloan in the province of Laguna to plant coconut trees to signify her intention to grab the Miss Philippines Earth crown. The endeavor, for her, also symbolically channels the national pageant’s theme this year “ME (Miss Earth) Loves 20TREE.”
But the licensed medical laboratory scientist said she can do more than just plant trees. “I’m super ready to offer myself to them (the pageant organization),” she responded when the Inquirer asked why she is taking a second shot at the Miss Philippines Earth crown when she faced a select group of media members at Luxent Hotel in Quezon City recently.
Her first foray on the national arena was in the national pageant’s second virtual edition conducted in 2021, where she finished as a runner-up. Since then, she has joined two more competitions. She was crowned 2021 Miss FIT (face, intelligence, tone), and finished in the Top 12 of the 2022 Binibining Pilipinas pageant where she was also proclaimed the “Face of Binibini” (Miss Photogenic).
“Miss Philippines Earth is really my first love. You know the saying, ‘the heart wants what it wants.’ So this is the time now,” Aduana said. She also shared that after the 2021 pageant’s winners were proclaimed, she gathered her team and declared her intention to return to the same competition someday. “We are going to go back to Miss Philippines Earth because this is really where my heart is,” she recalled telling her team.
“I could have chosen to join a pageant where I’m very much comfortable. But I chose this one because I am just hardworking, and I’m very much committed. I feel like those qualities that I have speak so much about the Miss Philippines Earth, and the organization is in need of a woman, a queen, who has the same qualities,” Aduana continued.
And with just days before the next queen will be crowned, the Siniloan siren showed she is not playing around. She has been noticed wherever the competition has brought her, topping the swimsuit competition held in Bukidnon, and dominating a special competition also held in the province that was participated not only by the candidates but by homegrown Bukidnon beauties as well. She was also proclaimed as “Miss Philippines Earth-Talakag” in that trip to Mindanao.
She also amassed the most votes from members of the media to top the “Darling of the Press” poll, finished third in the talent competition, is one of the 10 “Hana Beauties” in the running for the “Miss Hana Shampoo” special title, received the Miss Cellumina award, was proclaimed “Manok ng Bayan” by pageant sponsor Chooks to Go, and was recently hailed as “Miss Ecooter” at a corporate visit by a group of candidates.
Aduana said if she would be fortunate enough to capture the crown she has been yearning for, she will be “an effective, hardworking, committed, passionate, and purposeful” Miss Philippines Earth, who “will not get tired whatever is thrown at her.”
She will join 28 other delegates at the 2023 Miss Philippines Earth coronation night at the Toledo City Sports Center (Megadome) in Toledo City in the Province of Cebu on April 29, at 6 p.m. The ceremonies will be livestreamed on the pageant’s official Facebook page and YouTube channel, with a delayed telecast on A2Z on April 30, at 10 a.m. EDV