By Kimberly Jane Tan, ABS-CBN News
Imelda Schweighart relinquished her crown as Miss Philippines Earth on Monday, following her controversial statements and lackluster performance as the country’s representative in the pageant.
Organizers of Miss Earth and Miss Philippines Earth accepted her voluntary resignation at 5:52 p.m. Monday.
Miss Philippines Earth first runner-up Kiara Giel Gregorio will fulfill all of Schweighart’s remaining obligations. Gregorio is a pre-law student who participated in the tilt as a representative of the Filipino community in London.
The decision came after Schweighart and her mother Annabeth Bautista met with Lorraine Schuck, executive vice president of Carousel Productions, which runs the pageant.
Bautista was reportedly alarmed from the bashing that her daughter had been receiving on social media.
Schweighart failed to qualify in the top 16 of Miss Earth 2016, which was won by Miss Ecuador Katherine Espín.
After the pageant, a video of Schweighart bashing the newly crowned Espin circulated online.
Schweighart earlier drew flak for likening President Rodrigo Duterte to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
Schuck said she wishes Schweighart the best of luck in all her future endeavors. – With reports from Mario Dumaual, ABS-CBN News
Source: http://news.abs-cbn.com/life/10/31/16/imelda-schweighart-quits-as-miss-philippines-earth
