Miss PH Earth 2023 Yllana Aduana on winning her dream crown

June 27 ------ The third time's a charm for Yllana Marie Aduana who won her dream crown at the Miss Philippines Earth this year.

This was the second attempt of Yllana to win the title. She first joined the said beauty pageant in 2021, where she finished as part of the Top 10 and was crowned as Miss FIT Philippines. After her first stint in Miss Earth Philippines, Yllana participated in another popular beauty competition, the Binibining Pilipinas, in 2022. She was part of the Top 12 and received the special award called Face of Binibini (Miss Photogenic).

According to the 24-year-old beauty queen from Siniloan, Laguna, her decision to join Miss Philippine Earth again was definitely worth it. “Kasi, I also worked hard for it. People might think that I am a veteran na, that I'd be low-key for the second time around in Miss Philippines Earth. But I didn't go low-key. I went all out and poured all of my hard work, my commitment, and my purpose to it. Kaya I'm really happy that I won my dream crown,” Yllana told GMANetwork.com in a short interview at the opening of Morph Aesthetics held on Sunday, June 25, in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan.

Now that she's wearing her dream crown, Yllana said, “I'm enjoying every second of it.” She added that traveling to different provinces has become her training somehow. Yllana explained, “I haven't actually properly trained for the competition like the conventional training ground. But, definitely, traveling to different provinces and places, I feel like that's an unconventional way of training for Vietnam. “I get to PR my way through and I also get to do tree-planting drives whenever I go to their places. At the same time, meet different sponsors in the area.”

Likewise, she said, “If I may share, I've been pageant judging, too. So, I get to experience the flip side of pageantry. One wouldn't normally think na it's a way to train a beauty queen for an international competition. But ako kasi, I know myself to be really taking advantage of every situation that I am in. So, whenever I pageant judge, I also get to learn a lot from just seeing the girls on stage. I know what to do and what not to do when I get on stage naman.” In connection with this, Yllana mentioned that she's looking forward to the international competition that will be held in Vietnam in December. “I'm actually excited that it's gonna happen in Vietnam because it's one of the rare times that Miss Earth is gonna be held abroad. Kasi, it's always held here in the Philippines, 'di ba? Now, this year, it's gonna happen in Vietnam. I'm excited to see the culture of Vietnam; experience the food, the hospitality, and their coffee. I heard a lot of great things about their coffee.” While she admits that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, Yllana is confident about her stint, especially with the help of her team.

She said, “I've been hearing from pageant fans that it's actually an advantage [that it's gonna be held in Vietnam]. But for me, it always boils down to the preparation, to my commitment. It's all about the preparation at the end of the day and about how committed I am with the journey. “I still have a lot of things to prepare, especially with my Miss Philippines Earth journey, I feel like I've poured out all of my best. Now, it's a challenge for me to put more effort into that. Definitely, it's a pressure, but I'm confident with the team behind me.”

Before concluding the interview, Yllana asked for prayers again from her supporters. “I would love to take this moment to thank all of you for all the warmth, the love, and the support you've been showering me with ever since I stepped into the world of pageantry. I felt really loved and really supported in every step of the way. I would like to ask for your prayers, too, as I compete for the Philippines in the upcoming Miss Earth International in December.”

Source: gmanetwork.com