Get to know Joy Barcoma, the newly crowned Miss Philippines Earth 2025
Joy Barcoma of Bacoor City has been crowned Miss Earth Philippines 2025, taking the title of the country's new environmental ambassador.
The coronation night, held at Okada Manila on Aug. 10, saw Barcoma besting 35 other candidates from across the Philippines and overseas communities.
The Bacoor beauty was crowned by her predecessor, Davao del Sur's Irha Mel Alfeche, who finished in the Top 12 at Miss Earth 2024.
During the final question and answer round, the veteran pageant queen impressed the judges with her answer to the question "How would you utilize the platform of Miss Philippines Earth to make a positive impact in the community?"
"For 25 years, Miss Philippines Earth has been at the forefront of environmentalism. If I am to become [the] queen of the Miss Philippines Earth organization, I would like to evoke eco-consciousness to the youth. Make smart innovations and inclusive investments in the Philippines for us to be able to move forward because I'd like to prove that we are not just the women of the earth—we are also women of the future."
Meanwhile, Antipolo's Liz Mabao and La Paz, Leyte's Angel Rose, were named Miss Philippines Air and Miss Philippines Water, respectively.
Jaymie Strickland, representing the Filipino Community of Tallahassee, Florida, was hailed Miss Philippines Fire, while Kriezl Jane Torres of Talakag, Bukidnon, clinched the Miss Philippines Eco Tourism title.
Barcoma will represent the country at Miss Earth 2025.
There's no announcement yet on the schedule and venue of the international edition of the pageant.
Before she vies for the country's fifth crown at the prestigious beauty pageant, get to know the new eco warrior queen.
Rooted in humble beginnings
Barcoma is the eldest among her siblings. She shared in her Miss Philippines Earth introduction video that because of this, she learned about responsibility early.
"That sense of leadership shaped who I am today," she said.
In a 2021 interview, the beauty queen shared that she had to start working as an extra for shoots when she was 15 to provide for her needs. "I had to push further with my studies by sending myself to school," she said.
"It was hard, but there is nothing that you cannot do as long as it's for the people you love and for your family."
A pageant veteran
Barcoma is no stranger to the glitz and pressures of pageantry. Before clinching the Miss Earth Philippines crown, she had already competed in several national and local competitions.
She gained various titles in local pageant scenes, including Miss Polytechnic University of the Philippines (2017), Miss Philippine Islands-Visayas (2017), Miss PASUC NCR (2017), Miss PASUC Nationals (2017), Miss Mandaluyong First Runner Up (2018), Miss San Manuel, Tarlac (2018), Limgas na Pangasinan-Environment (2018), and Binibining Quezon City First Runner Up (2019), among others.
In 2021, she joined Miss World Philippines, representing Mandaluyong City. She finished as a semi-finalist and bagged the Beauty with Purpose Award.
Communications queen
Outside the pageant stage, Barcoma wears many hats. With a degree in broadcast communication, she worked as a consultant at the House of Representatives. After two years, she worked as a Public Relations officer at the Presidential Communications Office.
Currently, she is working as a disaster resilience advocate for two tech companies in the country and as a consultant for the city government of Bacoor.
The 26-year-old pageant queen also serves as a professional host on the side.
These experiences, she said, helped her develop the confidence, discipline, and public speaking skills that eventually led to her Miss Earth Philippines win.
Mental health advocate
Barcoma is also a staunch supporter of mental health awareness and disaster preparedness.
She has organized talks and outreach programs that focus on destigmatizing mental health struggles and has partnered with local groups to conduct disaster-readiness seminars in flood-prone and coastal communities.
In 2023, she became a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Service Provider and represented the Youth for Mental Health Coalition.
"Mental Health has always been my battle cry. To look after ourselves in today's time endows us excruciating pain of having to try and try again even though the future seems bleak. But looking after one another is enough to somehow ease the pain, sufficient to make us feel alive, and worthy of us not to feel alone," she wrote in one of her posts.
Barcoma is also a volunteer and advocate of LoveYourself, an HIV/AIDS health care community-based organization.
