Joy Barcoma doesn’t mind not getting Miss Earth crown to speak up for environment

November 10 ------ Joy Barcoma declared that she doesn’t mind losing in the Miss Earth 2025 “over and over again” if winning means she wouldn’t be given an opportunity to speak up for issues that matter to the Philippines and her countrymen.

Barcoma has been making headlines after finishing as a runner-up at the Miss Earth 2025 pageant despite her strong performance at the question-and-answer segment earlier this month. Before answering the question based on her assigned keyword, Barcoma asked the host’s permission to make a statement about Typhoon Tino and its victims. This led to some netizens speculating that it might’ve cost her spot in the finals.

In a statement written in all-caps on Facebook on Friday, Nov. 7, Barcoma called out those who used her brief speech against her. “THIS IS WHY I AM MAD WHENEVER PEOPLE CALL ME OUT FOR SPEAKING UP. TALAGA BANG MAS CONCERNED PA KAYO SA ‘AIRTIME’ KAYSA SA KALAGAYAN NG BANSA? IT’S UNFATHOMABLE HOW YOU USE MY SPEECH AGAINST ME WHEN THIS IS THE REALITY OUR COUNTRY CONTINUES TO FACE,” she said while resharing a post containing parts of the Philippines hit by the typhoon.

The pageant veteran said she would rather not get the Miss Earth 2025 crown than lose her humanity, especially when it comes to “speaking up for [her] country whenever she needs to. “SO NO. IF WHAT I DID COST ME THE CROWN, I WOULD GLADLY LOSE IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN. MAS PIPILIIN KO PANG MAWALA ANG KORONA KESA MAWALA ANG PUSO KO PARA SA TAO. AND I WILL USE EVERY SECOND OF AIRTIME ON EARTH IF IT MEANS SPEAKING FOR MY COUNTRY,” she said. “UNTIL OUR VOICES ARE HEARD, I WILL NEVER STOP SPEAKING UP WHENEVER, WHEREVER I NEED TO,” she continued.

Source: inquirer.net