MANILA, Philippines — The National Director of Miss World Philippines Organization, Arnold Vegafria, contested the revelations of former Bb. Pilipinas-World Janina San Miguel regarding conditions in the domestic pageant scene.
In an episode of Channel News Asia's investigative program "Undercover Asia" which focused on how local pageant contestants are being targeted by sexual predators, Janina bared in an interview that indecent sexual propositions were among the reasons why she relinquished her Binibining Pilipinas title.
“Noong nandoon na kami, sinabi na three million (pesos) for a one-night stand. ‘Yung 25 million (pesos), gagawin ka niyang girlfriend, bibigyan ka niya ng car, condo, resort, lahat,” San Miguel, who was only 17 when she entered pageantry, recalled.
Related: Where is Janina San Miguel now? Ex-beauty queen bares ‘ugly truth’ behind Philippine pageants
Nonetheless, Vegafria, who is also the owner of ALV Talent Circuit and managed Miss World 2013 Megan Young, said that Janina’s experience was likely among “isolated cases” of pageant abuse.
“In light of recent revelations by a former beauty queen alluding to questionable practices in the local pageant industry, we believe that such immoral and indecent acts are merely isolated cases, and are not encouraged nor perpetrated by the organizers,” Vegafria said in a statement sent to Philstar.com.
“The Miss World organization believes that pageant organizers in general will never tolerate such unethical acts that will compromise their integrity and contradict the values they strive to uphold, particularly the upliftment of the Filipina beauty’s image in the global pageant scene.”