WHO says you can’t have your cake and eat it too? OK, in this case, instead of cake it’s vegetables hehe

Alicia Mayer, who a few months ago wore a lettuce bikini in a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals photo shoot to promote vegetarianism in the Philippines, has reportedly taken the early lead in this year’s World’s Sexiest Vegetarian poll sponsored by PETA US. Check out this pic that the local PETA office sent us.

INQUIRER.net reporter Alex Villafania and I had fun covering that photo shoot, and it was great interviewing Alicia and finding out why she became a vegetarian.

She told us that this was after she viewed videos of factory farms on PETA.org, and saw the kind of cruelty being committed against animals. She’s always had a soft spot for animals, and she’s been a passionate volunteer for PETA.

Here’s an excerpt from the PETA press statement:

In the month-long poll, which is sponsored by PETA US, Mayer is duking it out with other celebrity contenders, including Isabel Roces, Corey Wills, Chin Chin Gutierrez, and Yasmien Kurdi.

Previous winners of the poll include Carrie Underwood, Chris Martin, Andre 3000, Tobey Maguire, Prince, Alicia Silverstone, Shania Twain, Kristen Bell, and Natalie Portman.

“When you look at the more than 200 gorgeous celebrities in this year’s poll, there are no bones about it — a vegetarian diet makes you beautiful inside and out,” says PETA Asia Pacific Director Jason Baker. “After all, going vegetarian is the best thing that you can do for animals, the Earth, and yourself. Plus, everyone knows that there’s nothing sexier than someone who exudes both passion and compassion.”

So if you get the chance, go to the site and vote for your chosen celebrity. I gotta admit I’ve liked Alicia even during the days when she was still Alicia Bonifacio and gaining popularity as an Internet celebrity, before making the leap to show biz. Here’s wishing you luck, Alicia.

The results will be out in late June, according to PETA.

Here are some pics from Alicia’s lettuce bikini shoot courtesy of Agence France-Presse.

And here are two video clips from the photo shoot from INQUIRER.net VDO or iVDO, the new online video service we’ve launched in partnership with Yahoo!