Charles Teves
While many Filipinos are rejoicing over Maria Luisa Varela’s victory in the ‘Miss Planet International’ pageant held in Cambodia on January 29th, talent manager Wilbert Tolentino has advised them to hold their excitement.
Tolentino has raised concerns about the possibility of “crown buying” in the pageant.
“Huwag po muna tayo magdiwang sa pagkapanalo ng Miss Planet Philippines sa international stage ng MPI,” he said in a lengthy Facebook post.
Tolentino revealed, “FYI lang po guys, bayad po ang korona, ang napanalunan ng Miss Planet Philippines, at alam na niya ang final question bago siya lumipad ng Cambodia para sumabak sa MPI.”
The talent manager shared a screenshot of a conversation with someone named “Miki” who claimed that the owner of the international pageant was after Tolentino’s money. The conversation also revealed that “Miki” claimed to be the first national director for the Philippines in the global competition. However, the international pageant organization recognized Michael “Miki” Antonio as the national director for 2023 in a post on January 20th.
Tolentino also directed his anger at Varela. He criticized her for not competing fairly and urged her to show empathy for the other participants who traveled to Cambodia for the pageant.
“Deserve mo itong post ko,” he said.
As of Jan. 21, Michael “Miki” Antonio has been named the national director for ‘Miss Planet Philippines’, as per an announcement from the Miss Planet International organization.
Despite winning the Miss Planet International 2023 pageant held in Cambodia on January 29th, Varela is still facing criticism and scrutiny.
Beauty camp Kagandahang Flores has stated that Varela is not connected with or taught by their organization.
Meanwhile, Herlene Nicole Budol commented on the post, expressing her concern for Varela regarding the difficulties she experienced during the competition. She also shared her view that the pageant is fraudulent due to financial and franchise ownership problems. She suggested that if Varela wins, it may not be due to her own abilities but for other reasons.
Tolentino previously stated that he continues to possess the authority to appoint the Philippines’ official participant in the Miss Planet International pageant.
He initially selected Herlene Nicole Budol, the first runner-up in the Binibining Pilipinas competition, to represent the country, and brought a significant group of Filipinos with him to Kampala, Uganda where the pageant was scheduled to happen in November last year.
He pulled Budol out of the contest when several other contestants withdrew due to the inability of the local organizers to handle the situation. This was during the Ebola outbreak in Uganda.
The organization announced the restart of the pageant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in January and recognized Varela as the official representative from the Philippines.
