The Philippines has established itself as a global powerhouse in the world of beauty pageants, with the country's representatives winning crowns in various international competitions.
Among these is the Manila-based Miss Earth, considered among industry fans and experts as a major pageant, along with the likes of Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss International.
So far, the Philippines has four Miss Earth titles, and the country also holds the distinction of scoring the first and only back-to-back win in the pageant's history.
And we have these four women to thank for making history:
Karla Henry
Karla Henry/Instagram
In 2008, Karla Henry marked two milestones in pageantry: she was the first Filipina and Asian to have won the Miss Earth title.
After her pageant stint, the Filipina-Canadian went on to build a career as a model and host in Cebu, where she is now based with her husband, Rico Ammann, and their children.
On top of these, Henry was also a Cebu City government employee -- last year, she ended her two-year stint as executive director of the Sister City Commission. In 2022, she was named spokesperson of then Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.
Jamie Herrell
Jamie Herrell/Instagram
The Miss Earth crown returned to the Philippines in 2014 via Filipina-American Jamie Herrell, marking the country's second win.
The Filipina-American went on to build a career as a host and news anchor, and got engaged to then Ilocos Norte governor Matthew Manotoc earlier this year.
Manotoc, who is now vice governor, proposed to his girlfriend of six years in the "same place as our first trip together," as shared by Henry in an Instagram post.
Angelia Ong
Angelia Ong/Instagram
It was in 2015 when Angelia Ong, together with her predecessor, Herrell, set a record on Miss Earth with their back-to-back victory for the Philippines.
She also gave the country its third Miss Earth crown, on the same year that Pia Wurtzbach made history as the Philippines' third Miss Universe titleholder. The two shared an iconic magazine cover in 2021 with fellow queens Kylie Verzosa and Megan Young.
After her Miss Earth stint, Ong pursued entrepreneurship and later on become a mother. She is now engaged to her long-time boyfriend, Aaron Kemmer.
Karen Ibasco
Karen Ibasco/Instagram
Just two years after the back-to-back wins of Herrell and Ong, the Miss Earth crown returned to the Philippines via Karen Ibasco.
A medical physicist, Ibasco has been promoting the use of renewable energy as her advocacy. In 2021, she was featured in a coffee table book by the Department of Science and Technology as one of its scholars.
Ibasco went on to pursue a career as a speaker, host, and image consultant. On top of these, she is also an ambassador of World Wide Fund For Nature Philippines.