PARAÑAQUE, Philippines — Nellys Pimentel became the first woman from Puerto Rico to win the Miss Earth crown as she bested 84 other delegates in the 19th edition of the Manila-based pageant.
She inherited the Miss Earth crown from Nguyen Phuong Khanh, the first Vietnamese woman to win a prestigious international beauty title, in ceremonies staged at the Cove Manila club at Okada Manila in Parañaque City, Oct. 26.
The competition, staged in the afternoon, was beamed live to international audiences through the FoxLife cable channel. It was also seen live on the pageant’s official Facebook page.
Completing the winners’ circle are Miss Earth-Air Emanii Davis from the United States, Miss Earth-Water Klara Vavruskova from the Czech Republic, and Miss Earth-Fire Alisa Manenok from Belarus.
Janelle Tee of the Philippines finished in the Top 20. No Asian advanced to the Top 10.
The judging panel included international Filipino theater actor Leo Valdez, Filipino theater pillar Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, Bantay-Bata 163 CEO Ernie Lopez, and international RnB singer Shontelle, who also performed in the show.
The Miss Earth pageant is an annual international beauty pageant that promotes environmental awareness. Its winners, dubbed “beauties for a cause,” embark on environmental projects in different parts of the planet.
The Philippines currently holds the record for the most number of crowns with four winners — Karla Paula Henry (2008), Jamie Herrell (2014), Angelia Ong (2015), and Karen Ibasco (2017).
/atm