Miss Philippines Earth Yllana Marie Aduana dons an upcycled gown at the Philippine Pageant Ball. Image: INQUIRER.net/Armin P. Adina
MANILA, Philippines—Reigning Miss Philippines Earth Yllana Marie Aduana once again championed sustainability by parading an upcycled gown at the third Philippine Pageant Ball held at the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel on Sept. 6.
The laboratory scientist-turned-beauty queen walked the red carpet in a slinky long-sleeved white number with bold cutouts revealing her toned midsection and part of her hips, designed by Ken Batino and Jevin Salaysay. “This is an outfit sustainably put together, so these are the pieces from before. So we’re just waiting for the right moment to wear this one. I feel that this is the perfect outfit for tonight,” she told INQUIRER.net in an interview.
With a daring wardrobe choice, Aduana said she went on a diet for three days to pull it off. She has championed sustainable fashion throughout her Miss Philippines Earth journey, wearing upcycled pieces at almost every opportunity she could grab. During the final competition, she showcased a gown embellished with 5,000 safety pins.
Aduana also said that what attracted her to the ball was its cause. “I heard that this ball is really cause-oriented, this one is a party with a cause. And so as your “makakalikasang” (Earth-friendly) queen, as someone who’s very advocacy-driven, I always support events that really promote causes,” she explained.
Miss Philippines Earth Yllana Marie Aduana (right) and her mentor Rodgil Flores on the red carpet of the Philippine Pageant Ball. Image: INQUIRER.net/Armin P. Adina
The Philippine Pageant Ball is organized by Prime Event Productions Philippines (PEPPS) Foundation Inc. to raise funds for its advocacy projects that help promote education. It also serves as the official gala event for the Misters of Filipinas pageant which the foundation mounts annually.
The delegates to the 10th edition of the annual male competition took the runway in a fashion show featuring the collections of designers Ryan Chris, Erjohn Dela Serna and Norman Acuba. Aduana advised the gentlemen to “just be yourself, just enjoy the process, and always remember that you’re not only representing yourself, but also the people around you, your community and also your advocacies.”
The beauty queen also shared her appreciation for the emergence of competitions for men. “Male pageants are actually emerging to break barriers, I feel it. Because pageants started just only for the females, so it’s becoming more inclusive,” she said.
“I think this is a great representation that our world is continuously changing, so we’re also giving the platform to the men, for them to emerge and break barriers. I think that it is about time that we also give the men the platform in the world of pageantry,” she added.
Aduana will represent the Philippines in the 23rd Miss Earth pageant in Vietnam on Dec. 16. She will try to sustain the country’s impressive standing in the global tilt and become the fifth Filipino woman to capture the title, after Karla Henry (2008), Jamie Herrell (2014), Angelia Ong (2015), and Karen Ibasco (2017). /ra