AT A GLANCE
- Crowd favorite Yllana Marie Aduana, who finished college at Centro Escolar University, edged out 27 other eco-warrior candidates in the environment-driven pageant. She was crowned by outgoing Miss Philippines Earth 2022 Jenny Ramp.
Miss Philippines Earth 2023 Yllana Marie Aduana (YouTube screenshot
A 24-year-old model and actress, who encourages people to be eco-friendlier and live the zero waste, was crowned Miss Philippines Earth 2023 during a competition held in Toledo City, Cebu Saturday night.
Crowd favorite Yllana Marie Aduana, who finished college at Centro Escolar University, edged out 27 other eco-warrior candidates in the environment-driven pageant. She was crowned by outgoing Miss Philippines Earth 2022 Jenny Ramp.
Yllana, of Siniloan, Laguna, will represent the Philippines at the Miss Earth 2023 beauty pageant in Vietnam later this year. She stands 5'7 tall and measures 33-23-36.
She is a graduate of medical technology at the Centro Escolar University Makati, a satellite campus of CEU Manila, in 2018.
The top five candidates were asked a common question during the final question-and-answer portion. The final question was: "What do you think people in the future would say about your generation?"
She answered: "I would definitely say that our generation, although misconstrued as very ardent, I would have to say that we use our voices for a reason and that is to always speak up for the things that we know are right and for the things that we know we deserve. That is why we are very ardent about it. That is why I’m also conducting colloquiums on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and their interconnectedness to nature in hopes to precipitate people’s eco-consciousness because our future is the linebackers and the pioneers of environmental amelioration, and we should always take advantage of it at all costs."
Prior, in the top 10 hashtag question-and-answer portion, Aduana picked the word "safety" and expounded on food and water security.
"Safety plays a very salient role in our lives. We have to always be secured, not only safe but also in terms of water security, and food security because as Miss Philippines Earth, I know that I am a hardworking person and I can always incorporate this in order for us to achieve safety at all costs and protect Mother Earth the way she protects us all with all safety," she said.
Aduana earlier said that she wants to become Miss Philippines Earth 2023 because "this is really what my heart wants."
"I know that I have the capacity and knowledge to wear the crown and perform the responsibilities of spreading awareness on climate reality, encourage people to be eco-friendlier and live zero waste and a sustainable lifestyle, and most importantly, to take action to prevent ecological collapse and inspire other people through edifying them to do the same," Aduana said. "More than anything, I am primed to be not a queen of the Earth but a queen for the Earth."
Her advocacy is called E.A.R.T.H. Education. Where E.A.R.T.H. stands for Environmental Awareness and Action to Restore and Transcend Home through Education.
"As an ardent advocate of education and the environment, I am firm in the fact that education is the solution to any problem there is on this planet.
Miss Philippines Earth 2023 Yllana Marie Aduana (center) and her elemental court (Youtube screenshot)
"That’s why through my non-profit organization called Edukasyon for Every Juan, I will use it as my medium to help in the fight against climate change by organizing seminars and colloquiums and educate people on climate reality.
"One specific approach to do that is through the framework I like to call, the POSITIVE BELEAF framework where P.O.S.I.T.I.V.E. stands for all the positive things we can do to be eco-friendlier and when performed, it will result to B.E.L.E.A.F. which stands for a set of positive outcome towards a greener planet," Aduana explained.
Other winners:
Miss Philippines Air 2023: Kerri Reily (Mangatarem, Pangasinan)
Miss Philippines Water 2023: Jemimah Joy Zabala (Puerto Princesa City)
Miss Philippines Fire 2023: Sha'uri Livori (Fil-Com of Melbourne, Australia)
Miss Philippines Eco-Tourism 2023: Athena Auxillo (Toledo City)
Also in the top 10 were: Queenie Salac (Fil-Com Milan, Italy), KC Falcasantos (Dipolog City), Ma. Cristina Tallador (Iloilo City), Cea de Jesus (Taguig City) and Princes Lazaga (San Jose, Nueva Ecija).
