MANILA, Philippines — The sponsor accused of sexual harassment by some Miss Earth 2018 contestants cried foul after his name was dragged in the pageant’s controversy.
Amado Cruz, who is sponsoring various pageants, denied the sexual harassment claims of Canada’s Jaime Vandenberg, England’s Abbey-Anne Gyles-Brown and Guam’s Emma Mae Sheedy.
In a report by ABS-CBN News, Amado confirmed he sponsored the event as well as the dinner party at the Manila Yacht Club, but denied any sexual abuse accusations as he said, he could not understand why his sponsorship would be given a malicious meaning.
He also denied asking for any of the candidates’ phone numbers, as well as asking for sexual favors.
Miss Earth Guam named Amado as the accuser in a lengthy Instagram post.
“The sponsor who’s name is Amado S. Cruz became a problem for many of the delegates, including myself. To focus on ONLY myself, I was pulled aside multiple times to be invited to Boracay, private islands and into his house and insisted that I and ‘the latino women dance for him,” she wrote.
“Amado S. Cruz grabbed my bare backside at the National Costume Competition where I was able to push him away, but he consistently told me not to tell anyone about any of the instances,” she added.
Amado also denied the accusations, saying he could not do it in a public event. As for the Boracay invitation, he said the candidates are the one who want to go to the island.
The sponsor also said that he is consulting his lawyers for possible legal actions to counter the accusations.
Meanwhile, Miss Earth Organization said that Amado is forever banned in the pageant. The organization is also encouraging the alleged abuse victims to submit written statements for a formal complaint.
Photos of the accused and the Miss Earth contestants have also recently surfaced online, as posted by netizens.
— Prince Puaso (@ohyeahprince) November 8, 2018