MPE2016: Who will Mother Earth bless?

This coming Saturday night at the UP Theater in Diliman, the winners of Miss Philippines Earth 2016 will be crowned. And having reviewed the performances of each of the forty-seven (47) candidates, I applied my personal gut-feel for each one of them. By now, the real front-runners have emerged, and it will take a combination of good luck and excellent Q&A to finally nail the #1 spot and become the national successor of Miss Earth 2015 Angelia Ong.

Allow me to share my Top 16:

Kiara Giel Gregorio of London

Imelda Schweighart of Puerto Princesa City

Melanie Mader of Austria

Fatima Alsowyed of Dumaguete City

Shannon Bridgman of Rosales, Pangasinan

Ellyz Santos of Laoang, Northern Samar

Loren Mar Artajos of Laoag City

Jessica Zevenbergen of Murcia, Negros Occ.

Korina Christiene Reyes of City of San Fernando

Niña Sherra Tagalog of Palo, Leyte

Athena Catriz of City of San Pedro

Krissandra Marie Abel of Lobo, Batangas

Anna Mae Cagurangan of Piat, Cagayan

Liza Cacho of Anda, Pangasinan

Vallerie Joy Jereza of Bacolod City

Bellatrix Tan of Zamboanga City

Truthfully, the upper tier of my Top 10 could already be a foregone conclusion in the sense that I can already tell who would be locks for the all-important placements. Keep in mind that the lower tier during the actual finals are already assured of runner-up positions. Hence, five winners and five runners-up.

My five runners-up could be:
Shannon Bridgman
Loren Mar Artajos
Korina Christiene Reyes
Niña Sherra Tagalog
Krissandra Marie Abel

Some of you might wonder why Ellyz Santos of Laoang suddenly jumped to the upper 5 and may possibly do better than a runner-up ranking. I just feel that she has a special quality in her that could be looked at by the judges and organizers as advantageous for a more long-term elemental affiliation.

While the battle for the crown is fierce between Kiara Giel Gregorio of London and Imelda Schweighart of Puerto Princesa City, I am strongly leaning on the former taking the spot after the announcement of winners.

Kiara ticks all the required boxes in my opinion. I can see her as the next-in-line for Angelia Ong, but with a soft British accent for a change. She has also the charisma to win people over, on top of showing an all-around pleasant personality and an articulate self.

But I’m not closing my doors on an Imelda Schweighart win yet. She could also get the nod of the decision-makers in the end. She is gorgeous and can express herself very well. I simply wanted to make a choice between the two.

As for the rest, I am giving Water to Melanie Mader, Fire to Fatima Alsowyed and Eco-Tourism to Ellyz Santos.

Regardless of the outcome on June 11, these ladies have made big strides in advocating for Mother Earth. And with the added upgrade to Climate Change Adaptation in their causes, Miss Philippines Earth has really become a most significant player in the national and international pageant scene.

All the best, Earth Warriors!😀