City council awards P50T to Cebuana Miss Earth

CEBU - The City Council has approved a P50,000 award to recently-crowned Miss Earth Karla Paula Henry for the pride she has given to Cebu as the first ever Cebuana and Filipina to win Miss Earth, the third biggest beauty pageant in the world after Miss Universe and Miss World.

Henry is the eighth winner of the Miss Earth pageant, which she won over three other top contenders Mexico, Tanzania, and Brazil and 80 other contestants during the coronation night last November 9 at the Clark Expo Amphitheater in Pampanga.

Henry joined the Miss Earth- Philippines search middle of this year after getting snubbed at the 2008 Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant last March.

Born in Bataan, she spent her childhood years in Vancouver, Canada but came back the country several years ago and took up BS Tourism at the University of Cebu while working as a part-time model. She also worked as a guest service associate at the Marco Polo Hotel.

During the Miss Earth pageant, she was voted Miss Photogenic and won the Miss Earth Designers’ Award. Henry nailed down her win during the final question and answer portion wherein she said she would want United States President-elect Barack Obama to push for the inclusion of environmental studies in the curriculum of schools around the world.

Meanwhile, the City Council is also set to approve a resolution to grant financial assistance to the 11-year-old Johnwell Polleros who saved his one-year-old sister during the fire in barangay Basak San Nicolas last month.

Despite the fire and blinding smoke, Polleros went back twice to their house in an attempt to get his sister out of the burning debris, not knowing that a neighbor already got the child out of the house earlier. He suffered second-degree burns during the ordeal. — Ferliza C. Contratista/JMO (THE FREEMAN)