Jamie Herrell talks about the responsibilities of being Miss Earth 2014 and how The Mactan Newtown’s township lifestyle by the beach promotes the preservation of Cebu’s thriving marine life and other environmental initiatives.

It’s one of those picturesque days at the height of a Cebuano summer—the kind with cloudless sky and a bright sun that casts the sea in glistening light. The Zee Lifestyle team is on a boat, trying to dress up cover girl Miss Earth 2014 Jamie Herrell specifically for the underwater photoshoot. While being gently but routinely rocked by the waves, someone shrugs and laughs, “This is just another day at the office.”

The office, for that day at least, being the waters off the shores of Megaworld’s The Mactan Newtown – the country’s first cyberpark and township with its own beachfront in Mactan Island.

“I would really love to promote Lapu-Lapu City’s ecotourism spots because we have a lot to offer–the beaches, food, culture and most especially our hospitality. As the city’s slogan says, ‘Come to Lapu-Lapu and free yourself.'” – Jamie Herrell, Zee Lifestyle May 2015 (Photography by Jan Gonzales/Dress by Bernardo Flores/Makeup by Jonas Borces)

The Mactan Newtown has become a unique township lifestyle with a beach when Megaworld, the country’s leader and pioneer in developing integrated urban townships, has acquired a prime property fronting the famous Mactan Shrine and its partnership with Landmark, Inc. to develop the 11-hectare Portofino Beach.

“This is the most exciting time for The Mactan Newtown. With the new beach area and around Mactan Shrine up for development, we are spicing up our pioneering ‘Live-Work-Play-Learn’ lifestyle concept in Central Visayas,” says Noli D. Hernandez, President, Megaworld Cebu Properties, Inc.

For 26 years, Megaworld has established its track record of pioneering the development of integrated urban townships across the country. With The Mactan Newtown’s unique resort lifestyle community, it is now envisioned to boost Cebu’s tourism industry by having an integrated lifestyle with its own natural beach as a primary amenity to the future residents, workers, and visitors of the township. This concept effectively minimizes the carbon foot print and maximizing and improving the use of land.

“Last year, Megaworld partnered with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature–Philippines (WWF-Philippines) to plant 5,000 mangrove seedlings in Mactan. Jamie was among those who took part in the effort to save Mactan’s Mangrove forests,” says Hernandez.

Jamie Herrell was actively involved in Megaworld Corporation’s mangrove planting in Mactan Island last year (Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, May 2015)

Hailing from Mactan herself, Jamie shares the same sentiment. “I think it’s a really good deed that The Mactan Newtown is doing. For a company as big and busy as Megaworld, to still be putting in effort to do environmental activities is very impressive.”

The environment is something Jamie is very passionate about, and the opportunity to be Miss Earth and work with various organizations to address these issues is what drew her to the pageant in the first place. “When I saw how the organization of Miss Earth really pushed their advocacy, I told myself that if I would ever join a pageant, it would be Miss Earth,” she admits.

“I don’t think that marine life in Mactan is in immediate danger, but I can see that if nothing changes, our waters could be threatened in the future. That is why we should act now by preserving our seas, not just to keep tourism alive, but also to sustain a healthy community on the island.” – Jamie Herrell, Zee Lifestyle May 2015 (Photography by Jan Gonzales/Dress by Oj Hofer/Hair and Makeup by Jonas Borces/Shot on location at The Mactan Newtown beach)

It must have been a calling—the 21-year-old was crowned Miss Earth 2014, adding the prestigious title to her already impressive resume of Reyna ng Aliwan 2014, Sinulog Festival Queen 2013, Miss MegaCebu 2013 and Miss Philippines Earth 2014. Through it all, though, Jamie never felt that she was winning the title for herself. “I wasn’t the only one that worked hard for the crown,” she explains. “My advisers and my family pushed me to a certain level and made this dream come true. So when I won, I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

It isn’t hard to imagine why the people around Jamie are often compelled to work with her. She is sweet and cheerful, cracking jokes even as she floats around on the water with her elbows propped on a lifesaver. In between takes, she talks about her life in Manila, and keeps grinning while makeup artist Jonas Borces and Cebu manager Sven Chua playfully tease her about her posing. The easygoing attitude is remarkable, considering she had just flown in from Manila on an early flight, after a late night coming from an event. “Environmental activities, coastal cleanups, tree plantings, school tours, environmental seminars, promoting ecotourism in the Philippines, and even some hosting and modeling gigs,” she enumerates as what’s been keeping her busy.

Her passion for the title and the responsibilities that come with it is evident in how she describes her duties. “They expect you to always be on top of everything, because being a beauty queen is not just about looking pretty. It’s a job where you can’t slack off, and you have to be consistent in all the activities,” she shares. “Right now, my reigning queens and I are working on an advocacy that we hope will spread around the world. It’s not just to make people aware of the environmental issues, but also to inspire them to act and get involved.”

Being Miss Earth, Jamie has her hands in various environmental projects, but there are a few that she considers her priorities. “Climate change is the biggest issue, not just in the Philippines but also around the world,” she shares, pointing out how hot it’s been in the last few weeks. She’s also been known to speaking about educating children, considering they have the future in their hands, as well as being anti-animal cruelty.

Of course, Cebu and Mactan are still considered home, and they hold a special place in her heart. A few days after the shoot, she participated in the island’s Kadaugan Festival by playing Reyna Bulakna in the reenactment of Lapu-Lapu and Magellan’s legendary battle.

Jamie Herrell as Reyna Bulakna with Vin Abrenica as Lapu-Lapu during the Kadaugan Festival (Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, May 2015)

“I think Mactan is improving, and it’s really good to see how Lapu-Lapu is becoming one of the biggest tourist attractions in the Philippines,” she says. “This is why I would really love to promote Lapu-Lapu City’s ecotourism spots because we have a lot to offer—the beaches, food, culture, and most especially our hospitality. As the city’s slogan says, ‘Come to Lapu-Lapu and free yourself.’”

It’s an idea she shares with Megaworld, as The Mactan Newtown gears toward taking their Live-Work-Play-Learn by the Beach concept to fruition. With a land area of 28.8 hectares, the township will offer a complete resort lifestyle for its residents and guests at the 8 Newtown Boulevard, One Pacific Residences and One Manchester Place; workers at various BPO offices in One World Center and Two World Center; and students at the La Salle-supervised The Newtown School of Excellence.

The recently opened Mactan Alfresco, located near the township’s main entrance, is a charming gazebo to enjoy the famous local and international dishes from some of Cebu’s up-and-coming restaurants.

“We offer Mactan Alfresco to showcase some of Cebu’s best culinary kitchens, restaurants in a hawker-style food place. It is an exciting new dining concept at The Mactan Newtown that could boost the food tourism in Cebu,” shares Hernandez. (READ MORE: Eats in Cebu: Mactan Alfresco)

The Mactan Newtown’s Mactan Alfresco brings the joy of eating to the outdoors (Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, May 2015)

Much like Jamie, Megaworld also intends to promote tourism in the area by rehabilitating the historic Mactan and Lapu-Lapu shrines.

The shoreline, of course, is another major aspect. Although Megaworld already has a number of township projects around the country, The Mactan Newtown is the first to boast of a beachfront, and Megaworld is working hard to ensure it remains pristine and protected.

“As a fully-integrated urban township, the township is spicing up the beachfront area, which will have first-class hotels overlooking the Hilutungan Channel, an exclusive world-class beach club, and sports facilities that will also promote active lifestyle by the beach. Aside of improving the area as a tourism hub, we will also have a long-term marine preservation and conservation through our various environmental initiatives in The Mactan Newtown,” says Hernandez.

“I don’t think that marine life in Mactan is in immediate danger, but I can see that if nothing changes, our waters could be threatened in the future,” Jamie adds. “That is why we should act now by preserving our seas, not just to keep tourism alive, but also to sustain a healthy community on the island.”

In the end, it only takes a few hours out at sea to remember why preserving the environment is such an important cause. As the salty breeze rushes past you and the ocean’s gleaming waves crash against the boat, the experience, you realize, is too good to rob the next generations of. Jamie shares a tactic that anyone can do to contribute to the effort of keeping such an experience a reality. “Think twice,” she says simply. “Think twice about what you do in your everyday life, and find alternatives that will help the environment. Even the littlest things that we do for Mother Earth count.”

by Shari Quimbo photography Jan Gonzales production manager Patty Taboada
stylists Blaq Mafia hair and makeup Jonas Borces
special thanks to Islands Banca Cruises, Kawayan Marine Resort and Feel Deep Scuba Diving
Originally published in Zee Lifestyle May 2015