Image: Instagram/@supsupshamcey
Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) national director Shamcey Supsup disclosed that the decision to disregard the Top 10 finalists during the coronation night was due to “discrepancies” in the initial results, which showed numbers that had “highly improbable nature.”
At the coronation night held last May 13, host Xian Lim suddenly announced that the Top 10 finalists had been disregarded due to “technical issues,” thus allowing the Top 18 semifinalists to compete in the evening gown competition and for slots in the Top 5.
Those who were announced as included in the Top 10 were eventual winners Michelle Dee from Makati City (Miss Universe Philippines), Pauline Amelinckx from Bohol (Miss Supranational Philippines), Krishnah Gravidez from Baguio City (Miss Charm Philippines), and Christine Opiaza from Zambales (first runner-up), with 2020 Aliwan Fiesta Digital Queen Jannarie Zarzoso from Agusan del Norte, 2021 Binibining Pilipinas Grand International Samantha Panlilio from Cavite, 2019 Mutya ng Pilipinas Asia Pacific International Klyza Castro from Davao Oriental, Jan Marie Bordon from Bacolod, Airissh Ramos from Eastern Samar, and Rein Hillary Carrascal from Sorsogon.
Lim added that the organization decided to manually count the results, which were initially tabulated by the multidisciplinary professional services firm SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co. (SGV & Co).
This immediately drew criticism from the public, with some calling out the organization for not providing further explanation on the incident.
A week after, Supsup released a statement through her Instagram page on Friday, May 19, “to address the recent controversy and provide some clarity on” what transpired during the event.
“Following the [Top 10] announcement, which was based on the independently tabulated results provided by the accounting firm, those very same results were submitted to the board of MUPh for record-keeping purposes,” she said. “However, as I carefully examined the figures, my attention was drawn to the highly improbable nature of the numbers. This gave rise to concerns that the integrity of the results may have been compromised.”
“In order to ensure absolute fairness and transparency, the board made the decision to initiate a manual counting of the judges’ votes. This meticulous process was conducted with the utmost diligence and in the presence of the accounting firm,” she continued. “As a result, it became evident that there were discrepancies in the initial top 10 results.”
This finding, Supsup noted, prompted the organization to bring back the Top 18 finalists to compete for the next round, the evening gown competition.
“Our primary objective as an organization is to promote integrity, transparency and accountability in all aspects of the pageant. We believe in providing equal opportunities for all candidates and to do what is right no matter the consequences,” she stressed.
In separate Instagram Stories, Supsup also talked about how mathematics is one of her favorite subjects as it is “an exact discipline where the truth is indisputable.”
“[Twelve] judges x 10 votes = 120 total votes; Paano po naging 106 total votes? Any gradeschooler would have noticed,” she said, without elaborating.
Image: Instagram/@supsupshamcey
Image: Instagram/@supsupshamcey
Prior to this, Supsup expressed her gratitude to those who showed support to the MUPH organization, noting how the organization has made her proud as it “stayed strong in the face of unjust accusations.”
The 2023 contest is the fourth edition of the standalone national competition that chooses the Philippines’ delegate to the Miss Universe pageant. Dee will represent the country in the global tilt’s 72nd edition in El Salvador later this year.
This is also the first time that the national organization proclaimed representatives to two more international competitions. Amelinckx will represent the Philippines in the 14th Miss Supranational pageant in Poland in July, while Gravidez will compete in the second Miss Charm contest in Vietnam next year. /ra
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