By Jodi Bustos
Eagle News Service
(Eagle News) — Two Filipina beauties conquered two prestigious international beauty pageants, bringing home back-to-back crowns over the weekend.
Karen Ibasco, a 26-year-old licensed physicist and a university instructor from Manila won Miss Earth 2017 title on Saturday night at the Philippine Mall of Asia Arena, beating 86 competitors, while Teresita Ssen “Wynwyn” Marquez, the first ever Filipina delegate to compete in the Reina Hispanoamericana won the title on Sunday, November 5 in Sta. Cruz, Bolivia.
During the competition, both of them shone at their brightest throughout their respective competitions.
Marquez, who bested 27 other candidates has won several awards during the early stages of the competition. She bagged the Miss Ipanema award at the second Gala de la Belleza or Gala of Beauty; a first runner-up in the Miss Personalidad Udabol competition where she answered a special jury question; and among the Top 3 for Best National Costume for her Pintados Warrior Queen ensemble by Edwin Uy. Aside from being the crowd favorite, she was also featured in the Bolivian newspaper as the “La Reina De Asia” even before she arrived in Bolivia.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba5VIn6gvTM/?taken-by=aces_and_queens
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ3tNS1FFkg/?taken-by=wynmarquez
Meanwhile, Ibasco was recognized as Best in Swimsuit and Miss Earth Darling of the Press Award on October 30, followed by Miss Thailand and Miss Zambia for the 2nd and 3rd place respectively. She also grabbed the gold medal for the national costume competition of the pageant, and silver medals for the resorts wear and long gown.
Q&A Portion
(Photos courtesy to Wyn Marquez & Karen Ibasco IG accounts)
–Wowing the audience during the Q&A portion-
During the Reina Hispanoamericana pageant’s question-and-answer portion, Marquez was asked how she would promote the Hispanic-American culture despite the language barrier.
“Language can be learned but the will and determination to contribute to the organization cannot; it has to come from the heart… it has to be natural,” she answered, “I believe that kindness is a universal language, that if you treat people with tolerance, patience, and love, you will understand each other.
“The Hispanic culture is not about language only. It’s about love for God, love for country, love for history and culture, and love for family. As a Filipina with a unique heritage, I have instilled that. I am ready to promote the Hispanic culture not just in Asia but in the whole world. It is time to celebrate the Hispanic culture. It is meant to be celebrated,” she added.
Cheers of happiness echoed from the crowd when Marquez was crowned as the new Reina Hispanoamericana by her predecessor, Maria Camila Soleibe from Colombia.
Winwyn is known to be the daughter of actor-politicians Joey Marquez and Alma Moreno and the niece of Miss International 1979, Melanie Marquez.
(Photos courtesy of Wyn Marquez Instagram account)
Ibasco, on the other hand, made it to the top when she rocked the two question-and-answer portion of the Miss Earth 2017. For the first segment, the final 8 were given 30 seconds to express their thoughts on a certain hashtag they will pick up from the bowl. Ibasco chose #biodiversity.
And she answered, “Biodiversity is very important. We are very (much) known in the Philippines to have a lot of biodiversity, and they’re very important because they also balance the ecosystem. It’s very important for us to protect them, because as we protect them, we protect the environment to help save our home, our planet, our Earth, to be a better place to live in.”
In the final round, the four contenders: Australia, Colombia, Philippines, and Rusia were asked the same final question: “Who or what do you think is the biggest enemy of Mother Earth and why?”
“I believe that the real problem in this world is not climate change; the real problem is us because of our ignorance and apathy. What we have to do is to start changing our ways, to start recalibrating our minds, and redirecting our steps, because together, as a global community, our micro efforts will have a macro effect to help save our home, our planet,” Ibasco confidently responded.
(Eagle News Service)
