What does beauty mean, if it cannot remember the lives it stands beside? When the deadly Binaliw landslide struck Cebu in January 2026, Miss Eco International Philippines' Gabbi Carballo brought the tragedy into focus during the preliminary competition held on Thursday, May 21. The Eco Dress, which emerged from discarded tarpaulin and aluminum foil, was conceptualized by Cebuano designers Sarah Tutor, King Rosales and Manuel Jamio as more than a pageant requirement. It would also carry grief, remembrance and environmental accountability into a space usually reserved for spectacle.
The beads represented real lives
In a conversation with Sarah, she recalled how the most difficult part of the process was not the design itself, but what it represented. The Cebuana beauty queen entrusted the team with the concept, sending articles and reference images to guide the direction. But one question lingered throughout the process — how do you represent 36 lives without reducing them to symbolism? It can be recalled that the tragedy unfolded on Jan. 8, when a portion of the landfill collapsed in the late afternoon, triggering a landslide that buried workers and nearby structures, resulting in fatalities and injuries occurring as Cebuanos were in the midst of celebrating the Sinulog Festival.
“The longest decision we had as a team was to come up with an idea on how to represent the 36 lives,” she said. “There was the heaviness of knowing that the numbers were actual lives taken by human negligence, so we wanted to approach it as respectfully as possible.” Gabbi herself proposed the beads, each representing a life lost. The dress was strapless and form-fitting at the bodice, then broke into flowing, shredded strips at the hips, finished with a red blindfold-like scarf symbolizing the team’s concept, “Beneath Our Blindness.”
“The process brought a greater sense of urgency and responsibility not just as designers but also as citizens who are part of the community,” Sarah shared. “It was a moment of reflection for all of us, as creatives, consumers and humans, on how one’s action can significantly alter lives negatively or positively.”
Beauty is confrontation
Miss Eco International is traditionally a stage of advocacy — but still, these advocacy-forward pageantries often lean toward safe, universally palatable messaging. “Though we highly considered the design and aesthetic and pageant’s criteria for the costume, Gabbi and her creatives saw the call to bring environmental dialogue on a platform that advocates for environmental protection and sustainability,” Sarah explained. While the deadly disaster shocked residents in the mountainous barangay, SunStar Cebu reported in February that experts said it was not merely an accident, but the result of 25 years of consistent failure to enforce environmental laws.
“We were just hoping that the message of caring for one’s environment and human preservation will resonate with the general viewers,” she added, “and also awaken us to care for what is entrusted to us.” Even amid grief, the design refused to stay in despair. A dove was deliberately included — a small but deliberate counterpoint to the heaviness of the beads and crimson mourning elements. “Though grief may not completely leave a life stricken with devastation, may it yield hope and change rather than powerlessness and despair,” Sarah said.
Fashion as a public language
For Sarah, King and MJ, the Eco Dress was meant to speak outward — toward communities, leaders and systems. “With an increasing number of environmental and humanitarian-related incidents, the advocacy and purpose aspect of pageantry should get as much attention as the aesthetic segments,” Sarah said. “We believe fashion is a language that could be understood by all walks of life and is also a discourse open to everyone.” Gabbi finished in the Top 21 of the competition, while Palmira Ruiz of Mexico was crowned winner on Friday, May 22, in Egypt. Beyond her placement, she is remembered for taking the risk months before the preliminaries to spotlight the Binaliw tragedy, bringing it to the Miss Eco stage as part of a broader call for disaster awareness.
And the Cebuano young creatives hope the conversation does not end on stage — or in headlines — but continues in how communities respond to environmental neglect and disaster prevention. “We hope that it will open discussion among citizens, sectors and government on how to create long-term strategies on protecting the environment,” she added, “and most importantly to uphold the lives of men who maintain and serve the country.”
