Yllana Aduana thanks supporters after Miss Earth 2023 stint: 'I hope I made you all proud'
An Earth queen through and through.
Newly crowned Miss Earth-Air 2023 Yllana Aduana from the Philippines extended her gratitude to her fans and supporters after raising the country's flag at the 23rd edition of the pageant that was held in Vietnam on Dec. 22.
On Instagram, the Filipina beauty queen expressed that the "fulfilling highs and incredible lows" were "all worth it" because of her "ardent Earthlings."
"Isang Makakalikasang Araw po! Wow. What a journey it had been. All the fulfilling highs and incredible lows; they were worth it. Because of all of you," Yllana began.
"That is why I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, my Ardent Earthlings and Linebackers, for your ultimate support and love," she continued.
Alongside the video where she is seen wearing a sultry red-orange gown embellished with pearls, the 25-year-old beauty queen also enumerated the people behind her success in a lengthy message. These include photographer Lemuel Abejuro, her styling team, advocacy team, sponsors, and the Filipino community.
"Mga kababayan ko, unang-una sa lahat, maraming salamat po sa inyo. Naramdaman ko nang sobra-sobra ang bayanihan at pagmamahal niyo po sa akin. Sa lahat po ng mga bumoto at nag-take ng time para magsuporta sa social media, maraming-maraming salaamt po sa inyo," she said.
Yllana continued, "My friends and the rest of the people who have supported me in this journey; whether it be on social media or dedicating their time to go to activities to watch my activities live, maraming-maraming salamat po. Grabe, hindi ko man po kayo ma-replyan isa-isa, always know po na nakikita ko po kayong lahat-lahat na sumusuporta sa akin. Walang salita na makakapantay po sa nararamdaman kong pasasalamat sa inyo. Thank you all and I love you all."
Yllana placed second as Miss Earth Air, with Drita Ziri of Albania proclaimed the winner.
Aside from Yllana, the elemental court is composed of Thailand's Cora Bliault as Miss Earth-Fire and Vietnam's Đỗ Thị Lan Anh as Miss Earth-Water.
Her Miss Earth 2023 performance
During the first question-and-answer portion, Yllana was asked: "At what age do you think a child should be given access to social media?"
"I believe that social media can truly present itself very disparately but in accordance to how people use it. I believe that when a child is parented by their parents to practice responsible cyber-citizenship, in which he would know when to click, what to read, and who to trust online, then no matter what the age is, it should be validated and should be accepted with the proper guidance," she answered.
In the final question-and-answer portion, the ladies were all asked whether they agree on how there is no science behind calls for the phaseout of fossil fuels.
"As someone who is from the medical field, I do believe that everything roots from science, and I think that the greatest gift that we have in this generation is the sophisticated, technical installations that we have, and so there is science in the phaseout of fossil fuels," Aduana said.
"But one thing that we can also agree on is we can always live the zero waste in a sustainable lifestyle. I've always been practicing it because sustainability will always ensure the stability in our future, and if we can master the transferability skills... then we will have a greener and a more sustainable future," she added.
In a separate post on Instagram, Yllana shared that the Q&A is her favorite segment as she likes to express herself and wants to make pageantry an avenue to inspire and educate people.
"Like what I always tell to myself, words are the greatest weapons. And when you use them properly, it can do wonders," she wrote in the caption.
Aside from the Q&A portion, Yllana turned heads in the swimsuit segment in an angelic two-piece bikini that showed off her curves.
For the evening gown portion, she dazzled in an emerald dress bedazzled with sparkling gems made by Ken Batino and Jevin Salaysay. The ensemble was designed with a backpiece that seemed to resemble a flower, which she then removed to raise above her head to cap off her walk.
According to its designer, the gown was inspired by the pageant's current logo, adorned with hundreds of Swarovski crystals. It also signifies that "the woman of the earth spreads love, joy, fun, and laughter."
Despite not winning the crown, Yllana was a strong contender throughout her Miss Earth journey, having placed in the top 12 of the national costume competition and being hailed as the winner of Best Bikini.
Should she have won, it would have been the Philippines' fifth Miss Earth crown, following Karen Ibasco's victory in 2017. Other Filipinas who brought home the crown are Karla Henry in 2008, followed by Jamie Herell in 2014, and Angelia Ong in 2015.
Yllana is a graduate of Centro Escolar University and has been working as a licensed medical laboratory scientist and model.
She founded the non-profit organization Edukasyon for Every Juan, which "promotes inclusive quality education" to children and students by providing free resource materials and activities.