Miss Philippines-Earth 2016 Imelda Bautista Schweighart. (INQUIRER PHOTO / LEO M. SABANGAN II)
NEWLY-CROWNED Miss Philippines-Earth 2016 Imelda Bautista Schweighart claims to have been bullied by fellow candidates during the beauty pageant.
“I am a victim of pageant bullying. There were vicious women in the pageant. Everybody hated me,” said the 21-year-old beauty queen in an interview with Philippine Daily Inquirer that went out last Sunday.
Schweighart bested 45 other lass competing for the crown during the coronation night held at University of the Philippines (UP) Theater sa Quezon City last June 11.
The Filipino-German beauty hails from the city of Puerto Princesa in Palawan.
Schweighart, in an interview with PDI, claimed that her shoes and make-up kit were stolen and no one of her fellow candidates helped her find her lost things.
“I’m surprised they went missing because I’m a very organized person. They were stolen, and my fellow candidates didn’t help,” she said.
Schweighart blamed jealousy of fellow candidates since she was a strong contestant and had earned minor awards during the preliminary round. She shared that she was even duped into drinking an oil she believed to be a brain booster when a fellow candidate gave it to her.
“But it made my sinuses act up and gave me a sore throat. I still felt sick until coronation (night). I even got a toothache and I felt pain all over,” she said.
“I had to kill demons and survive,” Schweighart describing her pageant experience.
For all her ill-wishers, she said she could only wish “forgiveness and peace” for them.
Schweighart will compete for the third consecutive crown for Miss Earth, following the back-to-back win of Jamie Herrell and Angela Ong, who also warned him of the dirty tactics in the international pageant arena.