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By Vince Jacob Visaya, Manila Times
CAMP MELCHOR DELA CRUZ, Isabela: From a beauty queen to a military officer. This is the career path of 23-year-old Lyka Chamberlaigneh Lagasca who once held the title of Eco-Angel Warrior when she joined Miss Earth Philippines 2020.A week ago, she passed the rigorous Officer Candidate Course (OCC) to earn the rank of second lieutenant in the Philippine Army. Lagasca first entered the military as a non-commissioned officer in 2021 before taking part in the one-year training school."Never in my wildest dream. I did not dream to be a soldier, but the opportunity came so I tried my luck. Everything went through as if anything was possible. We know that only a few women join the military," Lagasca said in an interview with The Manila Times.She said her perseverance and sacrifice have yielded good results.
As a youth leader under the Youth Leadership Seminar initiated by the military years back, Lagasca said her "eyes and heart were opened by the community engagement of the soldiers."So, I decided to join the Army," said the Ilocano native from Magapit, Lal-lo, Cagayan.Lagasca started joining local pageants at age 9 in their village and town where she bagged several awards and titles. She used to represent her school in pageants and later represented the province in the Miss Earth-Philippines 2020."Being a beauty pageant contestant brought me to places and opened more opportunities for me just like in the military circle," she added. A graduate of Travel Management at the University of Santo Tomas in 2019, Lagasca said she will still find time to join pageants if the military will allow her.
