MANILA – Sweden's Cloie Syquia Skarne finished in the top eight of the Miss Earth 2016 pageant which was held at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday.

While she may have not won the title, Skarne was able to share during the semi-finals question-and-answer portion of the competition what she thinks is the importance of being a beauty queen.

“To me, being a beauty queen has been a dream. Ever since I was young, growing up in Sweden, I know it’s very important to take care of our environment and I believe that no matter who you are or where you come from, it’s our duty as people of the earth to take care of our earth for our future generations and that’s what it means for me to be a beauty queen right now,” she said.

Miss Earth 2016 was the first major pageant Skarne joined. To prepare, she trained under the same people who helped Filipina beauty queen Pia Wurtzbach win the coveted Miss Universe crown.

Skarne is the daughter of actor Gabby Concepcion and former actress Jenny Syquia. She is the half-sister of actress and TV host KC Concepcion, who was at the coronation night.