Roxanne Allison Baeyens
MANILA, Philippines — Miss Philippines Earth found a way to navigate through the “new normal” and successfully crowned its 2020 set of winners on Sunday morning.
Organizer Carousel Productions held a virtual coronation program via the video-conferencing platform Zoom, with the candidates participating from their cities or provinces.
Telecast on GMA on Sunday morning, the program saw the delegates parading through individually shot videos in the different segments of the competition.
Even the question-and-answer round was conducted virtually.
Part-Belgian artist Roxanne Allison Baeyens from Baguio City bested 33 other aspirants for the Miss Philippines Earth crown.
Patrixia Santos from Daraga, Albay, was hailed Miss Philippines Air, while Gianna Llanes of Mandaluyong City was proclaimed Miss Philippines Water.
Shane Tormes of Atimonan, Quezon, was declared Miss Philippines Fire, and Ilyssa Mendoza from the Filipino community in Melbourne, Australia, was crowned Miss Philippines Ecotourism.
“We do not want to stop doing it this year. We believe that with technology, it is doable,” Carousel Productions executive vice president Lorraine Schuck told the Inquirer in a phone interview.
She said her decision to proceed with a virtual competition was met by opposition, but she stood her ground.
“I tried to convince them that it is actually needed more now. We can provide a little entertainment and inspiration,” Schuck said.
All preliminary activities and competitions were held virtually, even the crucial judging for fitness and form, beauty of face, and intelligence and environmental awareness. All these were posted real-time on the pageant’s official Facebook page.