Miss Earth : Interviews : Miss USA : Abby Royce

By Kyle T.

A friendly and approachable lady, Abby was an easy subject to interview. And since the Filipinos are more conversant in American English, starting a conversation with her is a breeze.  But she being one of the more popular interviewees among the 35 ladies, catching her can be difficult because the other reporters are lining up just to get a few minutes of her time.  I never gave up, though.  The moment she was by herself with no press in sight, I rushed to her side and was able to shoot four questions before all of them were herded back to their rooms.  Here are excerpts of my talk with Miss USA:

Did you come here for the Miss Earth Pageant to win, to place, or to just participate?

"…Honestly?  I f I was to win or anyone is to win, you get money, whatever. Money comes, money goes.  But this experience and meeting the girls from all over the world and being in Manila and the press, this will last a lifetime. It really will.  I mean, the experience by far."

After the pageant is over, how do you want the other candidates to remember you by?

"… As their friend!  I will email them.  Now I have friends from all over the world.  I can go to places and visit everybody!"

As a beauty queen, you are expected to stay fit and healthy, name me one food you cannot resist eating.

 "…Chocolates!  I know a lot of us cannot resist eating chocolates.  The other day we went to the Nestle' factory, and they said that they're into bio-technology.  I asked them if they have found a way to make chocolate healthy."

I know this sounds political, but any message for Osama Bin Laden?

"Find God!"

 1. Q: Before arriving here, what are the first words / things that come to mind when you hear the word “Philippines”?  And now that you’re here, what’s your impression of this country so far?

A: First word that came to mind was “Islands”. [NOTE: I have to transcribe the rest of her answer – she gave a very good answer here, but even I cannot decipher my horrible handwriting…]

2. Q: Have you done any special preparation for this contest?  If yes, what is it?

A: I have been working with various environmental organizations in California and Florida and have been studying about current issues affecting the world.

3. Q: What is the current environmental issue affecting your country right now, and what is being done about it?

 A: In my state, we have the problem of rolling blackouts.  My state government has since set up new power plants, but doing that pose new problems, such as the issues of acid rain and ozone depletion.  For my country as a whole, we emit a large amount of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.  In my state, at least, some measures taken to reduce that include taking carpools and having buses that run on natural gas.  But there is more to be done and we need to do our share.

 4. Q: How would you counter some peoples’ negative perception of pageants?

A: People are entitled to their own opinions.  However, this type of pageant is not your typical pageant because it espouses a cause.  I believe this pageant will provide an opportunity for media attention and promotion of such a worthy cause like environmental preservation.  Nobody should object to promoting such causes.

 5. Q: What is most important for you in joining a contest: to win, to place, or to participate?

A: The experience, by far…  And I’m not saying this because I’m in this contest. When you win, the money comes and goes, and the prizes come and go.  However the experience will stay with you forever.

6. Q: If you were chosen Miss Earth, what activities and/or causes would you intend to focus on during your reign?

 A: I would like to be involved in every cause affecting each of us, but I would like to focus on policy development and enforcement of environmental policies.