An 18-year-old senior high school student from Iloilo City was named Miss Philippines Water during the Miss Philippines Earth 2021 pageant’s coronation on Sunday, Aug. 8.
Rocel Angelah Songano competed against 65 other women from all over the country.
She also took home the gold awards in the Talent (Creative Category) and Casual Competitions.
Those who made it to the Top 10 of the beauty competition were asked a common question: “You have goals in life and things you want to do. Given the ongoing pandemic with lots of restrictions, how do you plan to move forward?”
Songano answered: “I plan to move forward through my passions. And one of those passions is serving and protecting the environment. I can do this through my other passion, which is also through arts. Through this, I know that we can attain an ideal environment – where both humanity and the natural world can thrive together in harmony. Thank you.”
The Ilongga model’s environmental advocacy was entitled “Hearth: Home. Earth. Art.”
“I chose this advocacy for two reasons: One, I am an artist, so I feel inclined to amplify Mother Earth’s voice through the arts. Two, art is the key to the heART, because if you want to change people’s minds, you have to change their hearts first,” said Songano.
Meanwhile, Naelah Alshorbaji from Parañaque City was crowned Miss Philippines Earth 2021. Other winners were Ameera Almamari from Atimonan from Quezon (Miss Philippines Air), Roni Meneses from Mandaluyong City (Miss Philippines Fire) Sofia Grace Galve from Rizal (Miss Philippines Eco-Tourism).
Alshorbaji will represent the country in the international edition of the pageant.IMT
