PH lady pilot flies high among Miss Globe 2017 bets

BY ARLO CUSTODIO ON NOVEMBER 2, 2017 

Nelda Ibe strikes a pose wearing the official swimsuit of Miss Globe 2017 (FROM NELDA IBE’s FACEBOOK PAGE)

A LADY pilot who hails from Tarlac is this year’s bet in the Miss Globe beauty pageant to be held on Friday in Tirana, Albania.

Nelda Ibe, 23, who stands 5’10” and a pilot by profession, hopes to improve the placement of the country in the pageant in 2016 when Nichole Manalo was adjudged Miss Dream Girl of the World and 3rd Runner-Up to India’s Dimple Patel. First Runner-Up was Miss Colombia Yenny Carillo and Miss Albania Katrina Skurra was 2nd Runner-Up. Rounding up the Top 5 was Miss South Africa Natasha Joubert as 4th Runner-Up.

In 2015, the first time the Philippines sent a delegate to the Canada-based beauty pageant thru Binibining Pilipinas, Ann Lorraine Colis won the crown. Her runners-up were Miss France (fourth), Miss China (third), Miss Macedonia (second) and Miss Albania (first). Colis was crowned Binibining Pilipinas Tourism but was assigned to be the delegate to the contest, which turned out to be lucky for the University of Santo Tomas Accountancy graduate from Mexico, Pampanga.

Ibe was Willie Revillame’s co-host in “Wowowin” on GMA before joining the 2017 Binibining Pilipinas pageant. She was also Miss World Philippines 2nd Princess in 2014 won by Valerie Weigmann.

Miss Globe’s advocacy and focus is culture and heritage, which Ibe said she was ready for the contest with some tips she received from Colis and Manalo.

The AB English Literature graduate of Tarlac State University who also went to Clark Aviation School is a volunteer of Gawad Kalinga.

She said it’s hard to duplicate the feat of Colis or even that of Manalo, but was confident in wearing the Philippines sash in the contest.

“Their advice is just for me to be myself and enjoy the contest. I have studied about Albania and knowing their culture and heritage before getting to the country has given me [an]idea how I can best merge it with the culture of the Philippines I’m bringing to everyone I’m going to meet there,” she told The Manila Times in a sit-down interview during the send-off for her, Elizabeth Celis (who won 2nd Runner-Up in the Miss Grand International 2017 pageant held in Vietnam on October 25) and Mariel de Leon, who’s now in Japan hoping for a back-to-back win in the Miss International 2017 pageant come finals night on November 14.

As of posting time, Ibe is reported to be one of the seven finalists in the Talent Competition of the pageant. She also placed second runner-up to Miss Nigeria in the Miss Bikini portion, with Miss Albania as first runner-up.

The time difference between the Philippines and Albania is seven hours. The pageant will start at 8 p.m. on Friday in Tirana (3 a.m. Saturday in Manila).

http://www.manilatimes.net/ph-lady-pilot-flies-high-among-miss-globe-2017-bets/360241/