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A post shared by Miss Earth (@missearth) on May 27, 2020 at 5:15pm PDT

MANILA -- Organizers of the Miss Earth competition are set to make another milestone in international pageant history as it holds its first virtual coronation event on November 29, 2020.

Lorraine Shuck, head of Carousel Productions and management company of Miss Earth, made the announcement to ABS-CBN News Wednesday.

“Mas nakakahiya kung hindi ituloy because we are an advocacy-driven pageant for environmental protection,” she said. “This is the time when we’re more needed for awareness to inspire people to take action on many environmental issues.”

Schuck is targetting over 80 candidates to participate in the pageant, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. It will take on the theme “Eco Angels” to stress the role of candidates as guardians of nature and lifestyle innovators in the new norm.

Schuck is also excited about Miss Earth’s national costume highlight, with its eclectic display of beauties amid the setting of their respective countries.

“They will shoot it themselves. It will be a very rich video presentation," she said.

The candidates will also undergo the question-and-answer portion through teleconference. Schuck hopes to stream and air the pageant in as many platforms she can tap.

Puerto Rico’s Nellys Pimentel will pass on the crown to her successor in the November 29 virtual ceremony.

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A post shared by Roxie Baeyens (@roxieebae) on Jul 10, 2020 at 4:45am PDT

The Philippines will be represented by Roxy Allison Baeyens, a model and tourism management graduate from Baguio City. She clinched the Miss Philppines Earth crown in its first virtual pageant last month with her winning answer on the best qualities of a leader during the pandemic.

She said: “A leader should display having a green thumb because at this point in time we have a shortage in food supply so it's important to open the eyes of people to embrace having a sustainable life to start urban agriculture at their own homes after all a green life is a better life and I hope the leader will give that to us.”

Local and global beauty competitions have largely been put on hold as a result of quarantines imposed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Miss Earth’s decision to push through with its virtual pageant comes on the heels of the postponement of the holding of other international pageants, notably Miss World, Miss International, Miss Supranational, for 2021.