Beauty of Miss Earth 2017

The Miss Earth 2017 finale has just ended in the Philippines with victory belonging to the host country. Beauty Karen Ibasco surpassed 85 contestants to receive the crown from her predecessor Katherine Espin.

The Filipino beauty was one of the representatives who won the most medals in the contest. She was also favored in the press judging round.

In the final night, in the behavioral round,when asked:“Who and what do you think is the enemy of mother Earth? Why?”.She replied: “I believe the biggest problem is not climate change, but us. What we need to do is start changing our thinking, our awareness, our actions. If done globally, a small action can create a huge impact, helping to save our home, our planet.”

On beauty forums, fans debated the beauty queen’s appearance. Most Thai and Vietnamese fans thought the winner was unworthy because of her unattractive appearance. However, others supported her, saying that Karen Ibasco was beautiful, intelligent, and confident. Her response clearly demonstrated that.

Karen Ibasco is of Filipino and Chinese descent.

She is a teaching assistant at the University of Santo Tomas and is fluent in English.

“When I was young, I never imagined myself working in science because I was bad at math and science,” she said in her beauty pageant application. “But it’s true that if you dedicate yourself to a field you’re weak at, you’ll step out of your comfort zone. I never wanted to be a teacher because it’s a very responsible profession, but surprisingly, it was the first job I had.”

Karen Ibasco competed in Miss Philippines 2016 but was unsuccessful. In 2017, she continued to register for Miss Philippines Earth, won the title and became the country's representative in the international competition.

Karen Ibasco's victory marks a string of consecutive successes for the Philippines at Miss Earth. In 2015, beauty Angelia Ong was also crowned Miss Earth. In 2014, another Filipino beauty, Jamie Herrel, took the top spot.

Karen Ibasco spent a year promoting environmental protection and doing charity work before passing the crown to her successor.