Tens of Thousands of Votes Were Cast to Help PETA Pick the Winner at PETAAsiaPacific.com
Manila — Singer and actor Geneva Cruz has been crowned the Philippines' Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity for 2011 after a fierce, month-long battle that recently ended at PETAAsiaPacific.com. Geneva narrowly beat out Delara frontwoman and TV personality Lougee Basabas for the title. Other popular contenders included actors Yasmien Kurdi, Chin-Chin Gutierrez, and Raymond Bagatsing, actress Alicia Mayer, and international stars Natalie Portman, Hayden Panettiere, Russell Brand, and Leona Lewis.
Geneva has appeared on the covers of several magazines, including FHM, Uno, and Maxim. Her fame grew after the album that she released with pop group Smokey Mountain went double-platinum. Not long after that, her first solo album, I Like You, went platinum. She recently performed at a sold-out show on Valentine’s Day.
Geneva has been vegetarian since she was 15 and made the decision to switch to a compassionate diet after she interacted with animals in their natural environment while filming a shampoo commercial. "[We] were in this location in Palawan where all the animals were just roaming free! Free! All I had to do was feed one of them and say 'Natural!' We kept doing that, take after take. … I couldn't take it anymore. Not after that." Now a staunch vegan, Geneva says, "For me, being vegan is not about the diet. It's really about my love for all creatures."
"There's no easier way to put passion in your life than to put compassion in your diet," says PETA Asia Vice-President of International Operations Jason Baker. "Geneva knows that going vegetarian is the best thing that you can do for animals, the Earth, and your health. Plus, she's living proof that being vegan keeps you slim and sexy."
The complete list of vegetarian celebrities who were in the running in this year's poll is available at PETAAsiaPacific.com.
