“This is dedicated to our Filipino agriculture, our national animal and our farmers.”
Philippines’ representative Jenny Ramp shared this on her social media post about her national costume for Miss Earth 2022.
Ramp wore a colorful outfit with ethnic prints and a large, black water buffalo headpiece.
There are also different items that form part of her costume. These include a basket of fruits and vegetables, fans made of anahaw leaves, a straw hat, and a wooden structure that carries the basket.
In a video, which she shared with her followers on November 6, all these elements helped Ramp seemingly transform into a statue of a carabao when she bowed down in front of the camera.
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In her accompanying post, the young beauty queen recalled her favorite story about carabaos that her late grandfather used to tell her before.
“My lolo passed away when I was a young age, but my favorite story to always hear about him was that he would ride his Carabao after farming in our town of Santa Ignacia, Tarlac,” Ramp said.
With this, she dedicated her national costume to the country’s agriculture, the water buffalo and the Filipino farmers.
“May we never forget where our roots come from. This is dedicated to our Filipino agriculture, our national animal and our farmers,” she said.
In a separate post, Ramp also shared still photos of how her costume transforms into the kneeling water buffalo figure.
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She explained that costume is a tribute to the Kneeling Carabao Festival, an annual event that honors Saint Isidore the Laborer or San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers.
This occasion is also the same as the well-known Carabao Festival in some provinces.
“The Carabao Festival is celebrated in various provinces while in some, they celebrate the Kneeling Carabao Festival,” the beauty queen said.
“The festival is celebrated by towns and municipalities whose patron saint is San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers. The feast is to honor both San Isidro and the Carabaos,” she added.
Ramp further explained why she chose the water buffalo as her inspiration for her outfit.
“The carabao is a species water buffalo found in Southeast Asian countries, like the Philippines. It has a special place in Filipino culture, symbolizing hard work and perseverance, traits that are dear to people of the Filipino heritage. It is in this reason that the carabao is a symbolic animal to Filipinos,” she said.
“Carabaos are warmly associated with farmers as their helper especially during harvest – ‘MASAGANANG ANI’,” the candidate added.
Ramp also previously made headlines when she showcased a black mermaid look in line with the pageant’s theme this year, “ME (Miss Earth) Loves Fauna.”
In her photoshoot, the Miss Earth contestant sought to raise awareness of the dire situation of the world’s marine biodiversity.
READ: Miss Earth PH 2022 Jenny Ramp’s black mermaid look spotlights marine wildlife protection
The coronation night of Miss Earth 2022 will take place at the Cove Manila, Okada Manila in Parañaque City on November 29.
