It's the new normal for staging a beauty pageant.
A 23-year-old Filipino-Belgian beauty queen from Baguio City who promotes urban gardening won Miss Philippines Earth 2020 in the first-ever virtual presentation for a pageant aired over GMA 7 network on Sunday afternoon, July 5.
(FILE PHOTO / MPE)
Roxanne Allison Baeyens, an artist and commercial model, edged out 32 other candidates in the environment-driven beauty contest. But the coronation of Baeyens would be delayed due to the social-distancing measures being imposed by authorities.
Her crown would be delivered to her soon. Outgoing Miss Philippines Earth Janelle Tee did not pass her crown during the broadcast.
Broadcast and taped via the Zoom video platform, the MPE candidates paraded from the comfort of their homes. The telecast judges also did their judging chores from home.
Pageant fans said the staging of the Miss Philippines Earth 2020 was historic because it is the first virtual presentation ever for a popular pageant.
Other national and international pageants have either been delayed or postponed this year because of the health crisis. But the Miss Philippines Earth pageant chose to continue with the competition following strict measures. During the preliminaries, the 33 official candidates wore face masks in front of virtual judges
Baeyens will represent the Philippines in the Miss Earth 2020 international pageant. It is expected to be staged later this year but so far, contest organizers Carousel Productions have not made any official announcement.
"My environmental advocacy is urban gardening because the cities are no longer green and we have to start making changes and start planting," she said.
Baeyens added: "I want to be the Miss Philippines Earth 2020 because all my life, I was a witness of my mom being an environmentalist and I wanted to continue the legacy in my family and be the change I want to see in the world."
A graduate of St. Louis University in Baguio City, Baeyens rose to fame when she won Face of Tourism Philippines 2019 in the contest organized by Annie Refrea. Then she represented the Philippines in the Miss Tourism Culture Universe 2019 pageant in Myanmar where she won first runner-up.
Other winners were: Patrixia Santos, from Daraga, Albay, a graduate of law at the University of the Philippines, was named Miss Philippines Earth-Air; Gianna Llanes, reporter and TV host, of Mandaluyong City, Miss Philippines Earth-Water; Shane Quintana Tormes, events host and singer from Atimonan, Miss Philippines Earth-Fire; and Ilyssa Marie Mendoza, Dermal Science student, of Melbourne, Australia, Miss Philippines Eco-Tourism.
Lorraine Schuck, Executive Vice President of Carousel Productions, admitted that the MPE preparations for this year have been greatly affected by the pandemic, considering that they have prepared early for the pageant.
As early as December 2019, the MPE now in its 20th year already announced the staging of the 2020 pageant and then opened the screening of its official candidates.