Reigning Miss Philippines Earth Yllana Marie Aduana/ARMIN P. ADINA
Yllana Marie Aduana will crown her Miss Philippines Earth successor in Bukidnon on May 11. The beauty queen delivered the news herself at the presentation of the delegates to this year’s national competition.
The medical laboratory scientist hosted the online presentation of the 29 Miss Philippines Earth 2024 candidates shown on the pageant’s Facebook page and YouTube channel on April 6.
At the end of the presentation, Aduana said the national pageant will hold the coronation show in the town of Talakag on May 11. The swimsuit competition will also be held in Bukidnon, in the town of Malitbog on May 4.
Aduana is leaving large shoes to fill for the eventual winner, who will attempt to exceed her 2023 Miss Earth performance, where she claimed the Miss Earth-Air title during the competition held in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam in December.
The reigning queen has set the bar high for this year’s aspirants. During her national competition, Aduana visited all 20 barangays in her hometown of Siniloan in the Province of Laguna to encourage her townmates to adopt a sustainable lifestyle.
Reigning Miss Philippines Earth Yllana Marie Aduana/ARMIN P. ADINA
The Miss Philippines Earth and the Miss Earth pageants, both founded by Manila-based organizer Carousel Productions, promote environmental protection. The winners, as well as the candidates, are expected to spearhead projects that support sustainability, and prevent the planet’s degradation.
When Aduana became Miss Philippines Earth, she attended a United Nations global conference on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in New York where she spoke about the “disheartening reality” that many Filipinos are still not aware of the goals.
And before she embarked on her 2023 Miss Earth journey, Aduana went to all the 17 regions of the Philippines to promote the 17 SDGs adopted by the UN. The body set a deadline for member-countries to achieve the goals by 2030.
For the 24th edition of the national contest this year, the Philippines’ heritage will take the spotlight as the competition’s theme throughout. The winner will raise the country’s colors in the 2024 Miss Earth pageant that will be held in Vietnam later this year.
The Philippines is the best performing country in the international pageant with four winners—Karla Henry (2008), Jamie Herrell (2014), Angelia Ong (2015), and Karen Ibasco (2017).