MANILA -- Miss Earth 2017 Karen Ibasco was part of the virtual live audience in the recent speech of United Nations secretary-general António Guterres.

In an Instagram post, the Filipino beauty queen said she is "so honored to be chosen" to virtually join the event, which was held at Columbia University in New York City.

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A post shared by Karen Ibasco (@karenibasco)

"The speech was compelling, insightful, comprehensive, and full of truth. He delivered it in a manner of urgency for all to hear," Ibasco said of Guterres' address on the state of the planet.

"If there was one thing that really hit me the most during the event, [it] was when he said to one of the students who asked a question, not to repeat the same mistakes his generation have made," she went on.

"There is hope for a better tomorrow, we just need to learn from the mistakes of the past, not letting history repeat itself and to act now for the next generation."

Ibasco is the fourth Filipino to win the Miss Earth crown. She is a medical physicist whose advocacy is embracing renewable and sustainable sources of energy.

Last October, Ibasco revealed that she has recovered from COVID-19, with the beauty queen releasing a vlog about her experience as a survivor of the virus.

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