After online abuse, Imelda Schweighart relinquishes Miss Earth Philippines crown

Imelda Schweighart gave up the Miss Philippines Earth 2016 title on Monday after drawing flak for her comments on the outcome of the Miss Earth pageant.

Her resignation was accepted by the Carousel Productions, Inc., organizers of Miss Earth and Miss Philippines Earth, a "24 Oras" report said.

The organizers said Schweighart wishes to return to New Zealand with her mother Annabeth Bautista.

Schweighart is the first Miss Earth Philippines titleholder to cut short her reign since the competition began in 2001. She held the title for only four months, since June.

There is no word yet on who will succeed her.

The 21-year-old bowed out early during the Miss Earth 2016 coronation night on October 29, failing to make it to the top 16 and breaking the Philippines' winning streak over the last two years.

After her loss, Schweighart hurled criticisms at the pageant's winner, Katherine Espin of Ecuador, a video of which is going viral online.

In the video, she is seen telling supporters that Espin has a fake nose, chin, and breasts, and that the Miss Earth winner should be "natural."

Schweighart has since apologized for her remarks.

"She apologized for the incident and she's really sorry about what she said, but she was angry when she said it and she didn't know she was being video-ed," said Carousel Productions executive vice president Lorraine Schuck.

The Palawan native also posted a video on Facebook fitting a yellow gown by Leo Almodal that Espin ended up wearing in her coronation.

Schweighart has been on the receiving end of online vitriol even before the latest video surfaced. She was earlier bashed for comparing President Rodrigo Duterte, who has unleashed a bloody war on drugs, to German dictator Adolf Hitler. — Virgil Lopez/BM, GMA News