Miss Earth Northern Marianas pageant goes virtual

Miss Earth NMI 2020 candidates are ready for the virtual pageant that’s going to be held on Sept. 19, 2020, at the Hyatt Regency Saipan from 4pm to 6pm. (Contributed Photo)

The much-awaited Miss Earth Northern Marianas Pageant 2020 will push through this year, with organizers breaking norms and traditions in this new normal by proceeding with the pageant virtually.

The Miss Earth 2020 Northern Marianas pageant will be on Sept. 19, 2020, at the Hyatt Regency Saipan from 4pm to 6pm. The international pageant itself will start on Sept. 21, 2020, and the finals will be on Nov. 29, 2020—all done virtually.

Dee Clayton, president of Exquisite Productions that organizes the Miss Earth Northern Marianas, said the pursuit of strong environmental programs in the CNMI and around world remains important despite the pandemic. “It is important to address climate change as well as the pandemic. This is the time where we take responsibility to bring awareness to the environment and to also advocate and spread the word to have a safe community and be aware of our health,” she added.

According to Clayton, the pandemic makes it difficult to organize a pageant even virtually. “This is due to the protocols that we have to follow but, as long as we take precautions, commit to the directives and restriction orders from our government leaders, I think we can still move forward with the pageant,” she said.

Organizer will be using Facebook Livestream that will also capture the activities of each contestant and include the swimwear, evening wear, native costume and the question-and-answer portion. They will be prejudged and the finals will be at the coronation itself.

The current titleholder, 2019 Miss Earth Northern Marianas Leisha Deleon Guerrero, is a student at the Northern Marianas College. Among the projects that she has undertaken for environmental awareness and sustainability as Miss Earth Northern Marianas promotes the 5R Campaign, which intends to spread the idea of “Reduce. Reuse. Refuse. Respect. Rethink” as a lifestyle in the Marianas.

In an earlier interview, she said that it is her responsibility as Miss Earth NMI to lead the community and the youth to be part of this beneficial change within the islands. “The 5R campaign is a call for members of the community to reduce the amount of waste they generate, to reuse materials, to refuse excessive packaging, to respect the environment, and to rethink lifestyle choices.”

“The Miss Earth NMI pageant and mission is one of the most relevant to date, considering we are in a global climate crisis. Miss Earth is also known for our motto, ‘Beauties for a Cause,’ and that’s exactly what being Miss Earth NMI is all about,” Deleon Guerrero added.

This year, seven young women will vie for the chance to represent the Marianas at the Miss Earth international pageant in December. They are Arianne Cabrera, Zoe Stephanson, Jessme Jones, Maria Terlaje, Jaybriana Manalo, Kaitlin Borja, and Tawnie Ngeskebei.

Clayton said that putting up a virtual pageant has its own unique challenges. “It was very hard because, while we are preparing and setting the date, new directive orders will come out and then we have to maneuver the plans and change it. We also have to follow the guidelines, which includes social distancing, wearing of masks and washing your hands so those things make it a challenge with this preparation. But we are ready to overcome. …The whole world as well as the Marianas are going through a tough time at the moment. There is a lot of uncertainty with this new norm but I believe that people in other parts of the world and our community are very supportive of the environmental leaders that will inspire and encourage future generation,” Dee added.