Update: Miss Larissa Ramos of Brazil is Miss Earth 2009. Full list of winners here

Miss Earth 2009, an annual pageant where beauty queens from different countries espouse the environmental cause, will hold its pageant and coronation night in the world-famous island of Boracay tonight. There are about 80 of them vying for the prestigious crown of Miss Earth, Miss Earth-Air, Miss Earth-Water and Miss Earth-Fire.

Sources say the Philippine bet, Sandra Inez Seifert, has a strong chance of winning after she was named Best in Swimsuit and Best in Long Gown in the pre-pageant competitions. She was previously disqualified from Binibining Pilipinas because of her sexy photos that appeared in men’s magazines FHM and Maxim. I have to say Miss Seifert is lovely, but the other ladies are equally as stunning.

We were able to take a close look at the Miss Earth 2009 contestants in the Long Gown Competition held at the PAGCOR Grand Theater last week. Some of those who made an impression: Miss Brazil, Miss Spain, Miss Korea, Miss Cuba, Miss Czech Republic, Miss Venezuela and a lot more.

Here are some of the photos I took backstage. Was testing my new toy, the Panasonic Lumix LX3. Results were good, but I felt like I should have used the Canon DSLR and a bazooka lens, since the stage looked so far away

If you happen to be in Boracay tonight, the event happens at the Boracay Eco-Village Resort and Convention Center. Good luck, ladies!