Sandra Seifert, Miss Philippines-Earth 2009

She was a strong contender for the concluded Bb. Pilipinas 2009 pageant last March only to be disqualified prior to the pageant.

Sandra Inez Surravilla Seifert (24, 5’9”, 35-24-35) got disqualified days before the pageant night for the grounds of posing in a men’s magazine in 2007. The organizers, the Bb. Pilipinas Charities Inc., led by Stella Marquez Araneta, urged their cardinal rule that a candidate should not have posed for an adult magazine prior to joining the pageant otherwise face disqualification.

Trampled by the incident, Seifert still pursued her dream of becoming a beauty queen. She then joined the recently concluded Miss Philippines-Earth pageant and won the title besting 49 other contestants.

Seifert, together with the other queens (Grezilda Adelantar of Victorias City, Miss Philippines-Eco Tourism and Miss PAGCOR; Patricia Marie Tumulak of Quezon City, Miss Philippines-Fire and Miss Science and Technology; Michelle Martha Braun of Aklan, Miss Philippines-Air; and Catherine Loyola from the Filipino Community of Sydney, Australia, Miss Philippines-Water) paid a courtesy visit to the Manila Bulletin recently. In the said visit, Seifert answers all the issues thrown at her for her win, her reason for disqualification and why she is at a happier place today.

Going through the storm

Seifert justified the real reason behind her disqualification, contradicting rumors that she got disqualified because of being a sex symbol. “It’s because one of my photo shoots was published in FHM. And the problem there is not the photos. It’s the name of the magazine. It’s a men’s magazine. They [the Bb. Pilipinas Charities Inc.] don’t want their queens to be associated with men’s magazine. Because we are known to be a conservative country, being traditionally.”

She also added that there was more to the issue. “Apparently I heard that someone put the magazines in an envelop and dropped it in Araneta. Someone slanted it out and there was an intention there.”

Seifert also said that she has a wholesome image since then, because of her mom, a Filipina. “Just to clear it up, I did not photo shoot with a group of people that are very professional. I did not want to compromise my own image coz I have a wholesome image na ever since I was young coz my mom is also protective of me. But I want to showcase my range as a model. Every model has a portfolio and one of her photos includes a swimsuit thrust, para makita din yung katawan. You know for me, having modeled professionally in the Philippines, China and in Thailand, I have photo shoots, but they are all in good nature.”

The turning point

Like sweet revenge, Seifert won in the Miss Philippines-Earth 2009 pageant. Boy Abunda said a crown was due Seifert, she just “joined the wrong pageant.”

“I heard that [Boy said that]. It’s very sweet of him. It’s a very rewarding feeling and sometimes di ba when you have experiences, you don’t understand why they happen. Pero in time, it will all connect. And it will reveal itself and you can tell what is His plan for all of us.”

And to all she has been through, she has these words to say. “All I can say is, it’s a pity that I have to go through that. But at the same time, I’m at a happier place today. I can’t complain coz I’m doing a really important thing for the environment.”

Miss Philippines-Earth 2009 Sandra Seifert is expected to represent the country in the Miss Earth 2009 later this year, the 9th edition of Miss Earth international pageant, one of the three largest beauty pageants in the world. Seifert will serve as the spokesperson for the Miss Earth Foundation, the United Nations Environment Programme and other environmental organizations during her reign.

A native of Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Seifert was born in Taipei, Taiwan and is a half-German. She is a registered nurse (2008) having graduated from Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York. She is a former co-host of German “Kuya Germs” Moreno in “Walang Tulugan with the Master Showman.”