Miss Earth rocks

Miss Philippines Earth 2016 Imelda Bautista Schweighart had always wanted to be a rock star.

“I like ACDC and Metallica. I write songs and I actually want to enter the rock music industry after Miss Earth,” says the Filipino-German beauty.

But for the time being, Imelda is preparing for the 16th edition of Miss Earth with empowered women at the forefront of promoting environmental awareness. More than the beauty queen training, Imelda is preparing for the pageant emotionally and spiritually.

“I am into healing first from the wounds I got from the national competition where I was surrounded by toxic people. For my country, I am willing to battle with inner balance,” adds Imelda who lived in Switzerland for years before coming back home to the Philippines.

Imelda’s advocacy for the earth, particularly in the country, is organic farming. She also believes that more Filipinos should possess positivity in thoughts and attitude and we must have good leaders.

For Imelda, the Filipina is beautiful because “we have to fight in order to get honor and respect all over the world and country.” She adds, “As a woman living in a third world country, people tend to drag each other down for survival. To surpass the degradation of our own countrymen is enough to say that Filipinas are most beautiful in their sense of hope, wonder, and strength. We deserve to influence people globally,” says Imelda.

Imelda describes being a beauty queen as a lifestyle. She ensures being consistent in the things she does and showing royalty in her thoughts, actions, and choices. Having parents from different cultural backgrounds also kept Imelda’s life both interesting and challenging. Her mother is a tribal queen and her father is a Bavarian prince.

Part of being a beauty queen is maintaining her fitness and health through diet and exercise. Imelda is engaged in surfing, yoga, and dancing. She takes the stairs, walks to avoid heavy traffic, and bikes if the weather is good. She was a swimmer in her younger years and while she has not found time to train in swimming again, Imelda is proud to have influenced her niece, Kyla Soguilon, to pursue swimming. Kyla is a young swimming medalist competing for the pride of the Philippines.

After Miss Earth, Imelda just wants to share her art: music. She describes herself as an artist standing her ground no matter how difficult it is in this time and age. Imelda used to study theatre arts because her parents thought she was a natural born actor, but her passion is really into music.

“I want to influence with my own interpretation of life, art and mind,” ends Imelda.