By Alvin V. Evangelio – Sandra Seifert, a New York-educated nurse from Negros Occidental, was crowned Miss Philippines-Earth 2009 at The Arena in San Juan City (Metro Manila) on Sunday night.
Seifert, a 25-year-old Filipino-German and evidently the crowd favorite, bested 49 other contestants representing various towns, cities, provinces and overseas Filipino communities in what organizers billed as the only beauty pageant in the world that promotes environmental causes.
The four runners-up were Adie Adelantar of Victorias City, also in Negros Occidental, who was named Miss Philippines Eco-Tourism and Miss Pagcor; Patricia Marie Tumulak (Quezon City), Miss Philippines-Fire and Miss Science and Technology; Michelle Martha Braun (Aklan), Miss Philippines-Air; and Catherine Loyola, who represented the Filipino community in Sydney, Miss Philippines-Water.
They and Seifert were picked from 10 semifinalists, anyone of whom, according to the organizers, would take the place of any of the five major winners in case they failed to fulfill their obligations as “environmental diplomats.”
Seifert, who was disqualified from the 2009 rival Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant for posing in a men’s magazine, will represent the Philippines in this year’s Miss Earth 2009 contest, whose reigning titleholder is another Filipina, Karla Paula Henry, the first from the Philippines to take the international crown.
Making a difference
Tall, articulate and heavily into waste segregation in her hometown, the Filipino-German big winner said that, as a little girl, she already “dreamed to make a difference in this world.”
“I believe that everyone has a purpose in life and that participating in the Miss Philippines-Earth 2009 contest has brought me closer to [my dream],” Seifert said to wild applause on coronation night.
She had won four special awards—including “Best in Swimsuit”— before Sunday’s event.
The Miss Philippines-Earth beauty pageant, the organizers said, “has always been known for its unprecedented regional search for a true Filipina who cares for and helps in the preservation of the environment.”
“As the pageant becomes bigger, the voice calling to preserve Mother Earth becomes bigger too. It only shows that more and more Filipinos from all parts of the globe are heeding the call to join our cause,” said Ramon Monzon, the president of Carousel Productions Inc. that is behind the beauty pageant.
On its ninth year, the pageant would zero in on the “green” lifestyle that promotes eco-friendly practices among Filipinos and, Carousel said, maybe in the world too.
Sunday’s finale was hosted by actor-singer Billy Crawford and actress-singer Nikki Gil, who were seen to have made the night fast-paced and gaffe-free.
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