From three exotic locations, the Miss Earth 2006 Preliminary Competition made waves as the candidates took center stage in their best forms and figures to vie for a spot for the Best in Swimsuit Special Award.

With the candidates divided into three groups, the preliminaries were held simultaneously in Trace Aquatic Sports Complex in Los Baños, Laguna; Golden Sunset Resort in Calatagan, Batangas; and in Coron, Palawan.

In Laguna, the five candidates who emerged on top of their group were Bolivia, Jessica Anne Jordan; Poland, Francys Sudnicka; Thailand, Patra Rungratansunthorn; USA, Amanda Pennekamp; and Venezuela, Marianne Puglia. 

That same evening, another group wowed the crowd in the breathtaking Golden Sunset Resort in Batangas. Another five finalists were fielded from their batch who will advance to the Swimsuit Finals. They are Brazil, Ana Paula Quinot; Canada, Riza Raquel Santos; France, Anne Charlotte Triplet; Paraguay, Paloma Navarro; and Tanzania, Richa Adhia.

Rounding off the top 15 finalists were the candidates who impressed the special panel of judges in Coron, Palawan – Guatemala, Amalia Lorena Aros Alvarado; Philippines, Catherine Untalan; St. Lucia, Cathy Daniel; Tahiti, Raimata Agnieray; and Ukraine, Karina Kharchynska.

The 15 finalists will be competing the in the Final Swimsuit Competition, which will be held on November 18 at the Fontana Leisure Park in Clark Field, Pampanga. From the 15 finalists, one candidate will emerge as this year’s Best in Swimsuit. The winner will be announced during the grand coronation night on Sunday, November 26 at the National Museum, telecast live on ABS-CBN 2 at 9:30 P.M.

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  Miss Earth 2006: Global beauties against global warming

From the seven continents of the world come the women who personify a more significant meaning of beauty - that which inspires people to make a stand against pressing issues concerning the environment. That inspiration will soon find its ambassadress among the delegates to Miss Earth 2006 who were presented to the members of local and international media at the poolside of Traders Hotel Manila, the official residence of the candidates.

Carousel Productions Inc., the independent television production company responsible for transforming a regular beauty pageant into one with relevance and meaning, proudly assembled the biggest Miss Earth contingent in the pageant’s six-year history, with close to 90 deserving candidates vying for the coveted title. With each candidate possessing stunning looks and stature coupled with a message to save the environment, Miss Earth will go down the history as the most competitive major international beauty pageant that crowns the deserving woman who is truly beautiful inside and out. As Carousel president Ramon Monzon puts it, “As Miss Earth moves forward, it continues to attract more and more countries that want to send participants to this competition. It is very satisfying to be able to attract so many young women who want to get involved in Miss Earth’s environmental mission. It proves the youth today want to make a difference.”

Global warming will be the environmental issue this year’s Miss Earth candidates will focus on. They will embark on a promotional campaign to shift the people’s perception of global warming from abstract threat to pressing reality. Through the candidates’ campaign, the pageant hopes to educate everyone on the simple steps one can take right now to cut global warming pollution.

In addition to their environmental platform, the Miss Earth candidates will also be busy with their mission to help promote the Philippines as a competitive and desirable tourist destination. They will stay and bring world attention to the beauty and attraction of our historic National Museum, the exotic island of Coron in Palawan and other tourism destinations in the provinces of Batangas, Laguna, Lucena, Pampanga and Quezon.

The coronation night will be on Nov. 26 and will be held at the grounds of the National Museum in the city of Manila. The viewing public will be treated to another television extravaganza as the creative production team of ABS-CBN implements an interesting concept of mixing the world’s future earth savers with our country’s rich past. It will be televised nationwide on ABS-CBN 2 at 9:30 p.m. and on delayed basis on The Filipino Channel (TFC) in Australia and in the countries in Asia, Middle East, Europe and North America where TFC is shown. The show will also be televised by Star World in 35 Asian and Middle East countries on Dec. 9 at 9 p.m. with repeat airings on Dec. 10 at 1 a.m. and 7 a.m., and on Dec. 11 at 10 a.m.

Miss Earth 2006 will have the Traders Hotel Manila as its official residence; Gandang Ricky Reyes chain of salons as its official make-up artists and hair stylists; New City Studio as its official photographer; and Super Ferry as its official sea carrier. Cocolife will provide the insurance coverage for the Miss Earth 2006 candidates while Karilagan International Travel and Tours Corp. (KITTCO) will provide all the travel requirements of the candidates and their delegation. The Miss Earth Foundation will, as always, be the moving force behind Miss Earth.

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  Alexandra, the Great
   By: Giovanni Yazon

AFTER the “unpleasant blows” we got from Mother Nature last week, when the strongest typhoon, Milenyo, hit our country, it’s once again time to lead our call to heal the Earth, through a beauty contest that actively promotes the preservation and protection of the environment—the Miss Earth pageant. 

This six-year-old “search for a cause” organized by Carousel Productions Inc. has not only grown bigger, but it also developed into one of the top three international pageants—along with Miss Universe and Miss World—even it has always been surrounded with controversies before and after the coronation night. Among the intriguing circumstances that have made Miss Earth tabloid fodder was the abdication of Dzejla Glavovic of Bosnia/Herzegovina and takeover of Kenya’s Winfred Omwakwe as Miss Earth in 2002. In 2004, Miss Philippines Tamera Marie Szijarto reportedly earned near-to-the-ground scores from judge-cum-former Miss Earth 2003 candidate Vida Samadzai of Afghanistan—causing her exclusion in the final four, and the non-inclusion of strong contender Yevgeniya Rudenko of Ukraine in the semifinal round—for allegedly hitting beauty expert Ricky Reyes’ crotch during a swimsuit video shoot in Calatagan, Batangas—last year. 

Actually, this year is no exception. Miss Earth was supposed to be held outside the country for the first time, in Santiago, Chile. But due to “inevitable circumstances,” the organizers decided to stage it here again. 

“Like in any big event, there are certain timelines that must be met by the organizers to give confidence [to us] that they [Chileans] can host the pageant there. Certain deadlines were not met, certain requirements had not been fulfilled… and so we came to a decision that maybe it would be best if we just bring it back to Manila this year,” said Carousel Productions Inc. president Ramon Monzon at the Miss Earth 2006 press conference held in Trader’s Hotel last Tuesday. 

Executive vice president Lorraine Schuck added: “We [actually] learned our lesson… somebody [from among us] should have stayed there in Chile months before the pageant to keep an eye on all aspects of the contest [insurance, security, venue, etc.].” 

In spite of the “dramatic changes in plans,” Monzon promised that this year’s Miss Earth would still be a spectacular event, as it had been in the last five years. 

Carousel Productions expects more than 90 candidates from around the world to come here in Manila to compete for the pageant. “Appropriately enough, this year’s search will undergo activities that will help spread awareness on global warming. As we all know, it’s a major environmental concern that’s greatly affecting the world and it really needs our attention,” Schuck added. 

The queen returns 

Last year, one lady’s dream to become a beauty queen came true, and last Tuesday, Alexandra Braun Waldeck of Venezuela returned to the country that embraced her as one of her own, in search of another deserving lady who will carry on the duty to help save the Earth. At her welcome press conference, she was greeted with much enthusiasm by her fans and members of media. 

“My stay in Manila last year was very memorable,” she said. “Aside from being the first Venezuelan to be crowned Miss Earth, I was able to spread awareness on the situation of our environment and on how people can participate in protecting our planet.” 

When she went back home after the competition, her advocacy became even more meaningful. Backed by the utmost support of the Sambil Group, the franchise holder of Miss Venezuela-Earth contest, Alexandra spearheaded a reforestation program in Caracas, Maracaibo and Valencia. It was followed by the launching of the SAMI Tree Program, a fund-raising activity that educates children on the importance of protecting trees to save the environment. 

“Lack of education is the main problem that faces the Earth today. Many people do harmful things to our nature without being fully aware of the consequences of their acts. People should be educated—to change the way they see the significance of all natural resources today in danger. There are little things we can all do: saving water, not throwing garbage just anywhere and planting more trees,” she said. 

Becoming Miss Earth, she said, is like going back to school. “I had to study every day to keep myself up-to-date about the ecological problems that each country faces as well as the current studies being done to solve them.” 

When asked about interesting things that come to her mind on her participation in Miss Earth last year, she said: “I met President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at the Palace and it was an amazing experience, truly unforgettable! Mr. Lito Atienza, the mayor of Manila, took me to a shopping mall where I did a lot of shopping for free (she smiled).” 

The key point to win in Miss Earth pageant, she said, is just to be your natural self. “I am sincere and a humble person. I get along well with many people and I try to be nice always. Speaking the English language is also an edge—it helped and allowed me to be more visible on the papers and on television.” 

‘Victorious loser’ 

Alexandra was a favorite to win the Miss Venezuela crown in 2005, but only managed to finish first runner-up to the three queens. “When I was called among the five finalists, I prayed to the Lord to allow me to go as far as He wishes. I see my placement as a victory because it didn’t bind me up with the Miss Venezuela Organization—it gave me the chance to be sent by Sambil Group to the Philippines to compete in Miss Earth. It took me to something better… He knows what’s best for me!” 

Venezuela is well-known for the beauty of its women and their unbeatable global beauty contest record. But among the Venezuelans who have won an international title, its Miss Universe 1986 Barbara Palacios that has inspired her the most. “Her beauty is timeless. She’s also a great mother and businesswoman. She remained humble despite all the successes she had and I admire her a lot.” 

After relinquishing her crown, Alexandra plans to establish her own business. “I also want to be a movie actress and TV host.” Should she get movie offers here in the country, she said: “I will definitely give it a try!” 

But what if rumored boyfriend Carlos Morales would be her leading man? She just smiled and said: “Oh, I met him once in an event, but nothing really romantic happened between us. I always have my chaperone with me. Besides, it’s very difficult to have a long-distance relationship.” 

When it was time to say good-bye, she gave us all a huge embrace. She isn’t just beautiful: She’s also very sincere, friendly and witty. The Earth, indeed, is blessed with this exquisite Venezuelan goddess: "Alexandra, the Great!" Credits: Manila Standard Today  

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