The 26-year-old Filipina beauty, Justiene Ortega is beginning her 2020 with her participation in Miss Earth Philippines 2020 as she will represent the city of Manila. Standing 166 cm tall, Justiene is a college graduate (BSBA major in Marketing Management from San Beda University Manila). Currently, she works as a Business Development Manager at the SunSmart Solar Power Technology.
Justiene’s achievements include Miss Tourism Philippines 2017 1st Runner Up, One of Miss World Philippines 2019's Top 5 in the Top Model Competition, Lustre Awards 2019's SunSmart Fast Starter Awardee, One of MarkProf Foundation's Top Young Marketing Leaders, Graduated college with 9 Medals including Ten Outstanding Students of San Beda-CAS, Philippine Marketing Association's Academic Excellence Award, and National Youth Commission's Leadership Excelence Award and is an Academic Scholar and President of Bedan Scholars' Guild.
Justiene has decided to join Miss Earth Philippines 2020 because with the climate crisis happening right now, it's high time for everyone especially queens to focus on the fight for our one and only Mother Earth. Her advocacy is to educate people about Renewable Energy that is not only clean but as well as sustainable. This was inspired by her current work and by headlines saying "not even planting trees alone can reverse the reality." She believes there is always hope and she envisions to one day see the earth back to its glory.
Here she is, the stunning Filipina beauty, talking about her journey in pageantry, her upcoming pageant, dreams, ambitions and guilty pleasures in an exclusive interview with Angelopedia.
Q. You have so many achievements under your belt in the national pageants in your country. How does it feel to try once more at Miss Earth Philippines 2020?
It feels exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time! I started joining pageants outside school when I was 23 and that is when I realized I entered the industry late so I used to always be intimidated by girls who were younger, had more pageant experience and as well as titles. Joining Miss Earth Philippines 2020 at the age of 26, I feel more confident and equipped thanks to my training in KF and 2 national pageant experiences. Hopefully, with these, I will be given the chance to represent the Philippines in a major pageant and be an ambassadress of Mother Earth.
Q. What inspired you to the world of pageantry?
It was just part of my bucket list… or at least that’s what I thought. I guess when you get a taste of something and end up liking it, you simply cannot get enough of it. Similar to other young girls, I’d see past beauty queens on TV and visualize myself becoming like them, I even remember cutting scrap wrappers during Christmas and making a crown out of it. My family would push me to join school pageant and competitions, but I still grew up shy and with fear of failures so I never really thought I would have the courage to pursue it. However, during college, being exposed to school organizations and outreach programs, I started falling in love with what I do and went out of my shell. I was also inspired by a speaker that shared a famous quote, “You will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did.” So my fear of FAILURE shifted to fear of REGRET and told myself, “Just try and see where it takes you.”
Q. Who is your role model, if any, and what values of his or her do you wish you could inculcate in your own life, and teach the next generation?
I have 3 role models, my 3 mothers, my biological mother, grandmother, and nanny of 26 years. They are the women in my life who deserves the most credit for who I have become. Each of them has her own value but if I were to choose the most important values I apply in my life and I would wish to teach the next generation, it would be integrity, compassion, and excellence. First, having integrity or a moral compass in making decisions is important. I want to teach not just the next generation but everyone to stop, think, and ask their conscience “is this the right thing to do? (Actually, my name “Justiene” was derived from the Latin word “Justinus” and its root word “Justus” which means “to be fair and rightful” so I really believe integrity is embedded in my core.) Second, compassion, learning to put ourselves in another person’s shoes, seeing it from their perspective, and having the desire to help them with the best of our abilities. And lastly, excellence, in everything we do, we should always put our best foot forward and strive for excellence.
Q. What is the one thing that keeps you going and inspires you to be the best version of yourself?
My WHYs. When I was in high school, my adviser placed a big question on our bulletin board, “What on Earth am I here for?” and it got me thinking, what is my purpose? Our purpose in life is not something we discover the moment we start searching for it, usually it just comes out of nowhere. They say purpose is that “thing” we are good at and we love doing, could be a skill, a project, etc. That purpose is our why, why we wake up every morning ready to face the day despite knowing traffic will be there again. It may be big whys or little whys, but this is what keeps me going. And I believe that purpose is not meant to kept but rather to be passed on and shared to let others find the best version of themselves as well.
Q. Would you like to share your most special childhood memory with us?
My most special childhood memory was when I was chosen to join a school dance presentation with a “Rosalinda theme” (an Mexican TV series in 1999.) I was a shy kid back then but you can always expect me to cooperate and give my best so I will just keep dancing. I was originally placed in the 4th row and after a month of practice, on the last rehearsal before the show, I was surprised to be placed in front. Looking back, it makes me realize that sometimes, you just have to continue doing your thing and let life write the rest for you.
Q. If you could be invisible for a day, how would you like to spend it?
If I could be invisible for a day, I would like to shadow any interesting personality from the government. I want to see a day in their life, their routine, their meetings, and how they balance taking care of the country while doing the same for their family.
Q. What or who empowers you to be yourself and work hard every day?
No other than the Father as well as my loved ones, my family, my partner, my mentors, every person who invested their time in me. With everything they have given and inculcated in me, I feel responsible to make the most out of it to be able to give back and reap the fruit of all their collaborative labor. If not for their love and patience, I am nothing.
Q. What is the one thing you can label as your guilty pleasure?
Eating French fries! When I’m sad, tired, or just want to munch, French fries is my go-to. As much as it is oily, unhealthy, and labelled as junk food, it’s just too good to resist. But don’t forget to sweat it out after!
Q. We’re sure that this competition is another milestone in your life. What is that one thing that you ultimately want to achieve?
Definitely the crown, but beyond that, I want to be a gamechanger in terms of environmental projects. Admittedly, I don’t know everything and along the process of learning, the more I am realizing that there is so much work to do to save Mother Earth. I pray that with or without crown (but hopefully with), I can find more projects that I can participate in and put my skills into good use.
Q. If you are granted three wishes right now, what would you ask for?
Win Miss Earth Philippines 2020
Win Miss Earth 2020
That landfills would disappear without any carbon footprint
Q. Lastly, is there any message that you would like to give to your fans of Angelopedia?
For those who have seen and supported my previous journeys in Miss Tourism Philippines and Miss World Philippines, I hope you continue to support me as I focus on a bigger fight for Mother Earth. For those who have not encountered me, please join me and look out for my Eco Activities on Miss Philippines Earth’s Facebook page as I share some stories and insights on how to protect and save Mother Earth. Let’s learn together!