Miss Earth dethroned!

It’s beauty-contest season again, with the new Miss Universe (could she be our very own Carla Gay Balingit?) to be proclaimed on June 4 (Manila time, covered live by RPN 9 starting at 9 a.m.) at grand finals in Panama.

But before that, here’s a breaking news about an international beauty queen who has just lost her crown, with Gerry Diaz (of Mabuhay Beuaties.org; message board at http://www.voy.com/61263) as field reporter:

Last Monday, you wrote an article on losers who end up as winners and you featured Noela Ella Evangelista, the Bb. Pilipinas second runner-up who won the Queen of Tourism International Crown in Mexico City. Here is another such story. Last year’s Miss Earth Kenya, Winfred Omwakwe, a crowd favorite to win the crown, was declared first runner-up to Dzejla Glavovic of Bosnia and Herzegovinia. Six months after the contest, Miss Kenya has been declared the new Miss Earth.

The beauteous but controversial Miss Earth 2002 Djezla Glavovic has been stripped of her crown. According to Carousel Productions, organizer of the Miss Earth contest, Miss Glavovic has been dethroned because of "her inability to fulfill the duties and responsibilities as the Miss Earth title holder, in accordance with the rules and regulations set forth in the Miss Earth contract that she signed."

It is not the first time that an international beauty queen has been dethroned. Miss World 1973 Marjorie Wallace of the USA was asked to resign because of adverse publicity about her personal life. The Miss World organization felt that she did not maintain the image expected of a Miss World. In a rather unusual development, first runner-up, Miss Republic of the Philippines Evangeline Pascual, declined to take over.

At least two other Miss World titlists were stripped of their titles, including Helen Morgan (of Wales), Miss World 1974, who was discovered to be an unwed mother. It will be recalled that Helen was adjudged first runner-up in the 1974 Miss Universe contest held in Manila which was won by Spain’s Amparo Muñoz. In a strange coincidence, Amparo seemed to have suffered the same fate.

After her victory, she became a film actress and starred in films where she did some nudity. At the defunct Manila International Film Festival, one of her films was shown, with Amparo in a prolonged breast exposure and frontal nudity. Although there was no confirmation of her status, she was not present at the 1975 Miss Universe finals to crown her successor.

Last year, Oxana Federova, a police sergeant from Russia, won the Miss Universe crown and was hailed by pageant aficionados as one of the most beautiful Miss Universe winners ever. Oxana was dismissed in Sept. 2002 for breach of contract because she failed to fulfill her duties almost three months after she won the title. She was replaced by first runner-up Justine Pasek of Panama, which is the host country of the 2003 Miss Universe Pageant. The year 2002 will go down in pageant history as the year when the winners of two major world beauty titles were officially ousted.

Omwakwe, a 20-year-old student stands 5’9" and measures 33-25-37, was well-applauded for her charm, confidence, intelligence and good interview skills. With those traits, she shows great potential as Miss Earth and spokesperson for the environmental concerns and programs that the Miss Earth organization supports.

The new Miss Earth, currently in Canada, is expected to come to Manila in July after finishing her personal and professional commitments. Omwakwe, who expressed elation over the development, will have a very busy schedule when she arrives in Manila. This early, Carousel Productions has already lined up a lot of activities that will take her to different parts of the country.

The 2003 Miss Earth winner will be known in October at the pageant finals to be held in Manila.

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