Karen Ibasco

Ibasco was born on December 17, 1990 in Manila, Philippines. She studied at Hope Christian High School in Manila and she speaks Chinese fluently.[2] She obtained her bachelor's degree in applied physics major in instrumentation and a master's degree in applied physics major in medical physics at the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, where she graduated cum laude on both degrees. She was also a former college instructor at the College of Science of the University of Santo Tomas and worked as a medical physicist at St. Luke's Medical Center, Global City.[3]

Ibasco was a candidate at Binibining Pilipinas 2016 pageant and represented the city of Manila.[4] Ibasco participated the following year and won in the Miss Philippines Earth 2017 on July 15, 2017 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City and earned the right to represent the Philippines at Miss Earth 2017 pageant.[5]

In August 2017, Ibasco was invited in the Senate of the Philippines and voiced her support for the fuel excise tax provision at one of the hearings conducted by the Senate ways and means committee on the proposed Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN).[17][18] She indicated in the hearing that "as a signatory to the Paris climate change treaty that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Philippine is committed within a specific timeframe to cut its carbon emissions, which can be done partly by approving the fuel excise tax provision under TRAIN."[18]

Ibasco went to Cambodia in November 2017 and took part with the environmental and social activities such as school tours, tree planting and visited historical landmarks Angkor Wat and Siem Reap.[19]

She joined a climate change conference on December 7, 2017 where she delivered a welcome message at the first Kasugbong Kalibutan International Climate Change Conference in Catbalogan, Samar.[20][21]

She traveled in Vietnam in January 2018 to grace a fashion event together with Miss Earth Vietnam 2010 Lưu Thị Diễm Hương and supermodel Võ Hoàng Yến which was organized by fashion designer, Tuyet Le.[22] She was also the guest of honor in the opening of Shira Clinic and Spa in Hanoi.[23]

During her reign, she collaborated in the Philippines with the Conservation for Ocean Resources and Aquatic Life (CORAL), a non-governmental organization to plant corals in the oceans, worked with Plastic Solutions to reduce the consumption of plastic, conducted school tours to educate children about the environment and promoted the use solar power.[24]

In June 2018, she went to Mexico to attend social and environmental activities of the Miss Earth Mexico pageant.[25] She was accompanied by Miss Water 2017, Juliana Franco of Colombia.[26][27] Ibasco proceeded to Reunion Islands together with Miss Earth Fire 2018 Lada Akimova of Russia and served as guest speakers at the very first Environmental Conference in Réunion Island and visited the city of Saint-Pierre to raise ecological awareness through school tours where they educated children on the daily actions in favor of the environment, spearheaded the planting of more than 1000 trees in the Saint-Pierre territory with the introduction of various endemic species.[28]

In July 2018, she led the tree planting activity in Balasan, Iloilo called "One Thousand Trees for the Future, A Tree Planting Activity" in coordination with The Open Arms for Children, Inc and the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources.[29] She also participated in the opening of the two-day Bataan Environment Summit 2018, which tackled Bataan's environmental conservation and protection achievements.[30]

She traveled to Singapore in August 2018 as special guest for the Miss Earth Singapore 2018 pageant in which she crowned Kara Dong at the Grand Ballroom of One Farrer Hotel on August 3, 2018.[31] She then proceeded to Bogotá, Colombia to attend the Miss Earth Colombia and crowned Valeria Maria Ayos Bossa as Miss Earth Colombia 2018 on August 26, 2018 and then traveled to Belgium and met with the Philippine ambassador in Brussels and talked about the diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Belgium.[32][33]

In addition to her numerous trips around Philippines, during her reign as Miss Earth, Ibasco had traveled to Cambodia, Vietnam, Mexico, Réunion Island, Singapore, Colombia and Belgium.