Has Miss Planet International been canceled?

Tamila Sparrow, Herlene Budol and Tonille Simone Watkis. Image: Instagram/@tamila_sparrow, @herlene_budol, @tonillewatkis

Will Miss Planet International’s pageant in Uganda push through? Speculations rise as two candidates said the competition has been canceled, with Miss Czech Repulic Tamila Sparrow alleging that candidates had been “scammed.”

Sparrow made this accusation against the pageant’s organizers in a series of Instagram Stories today, Nov. 11.

“I have to apologize, but unfortunately we were robbed. We haven’t had even 10% of the activity, nothing was paid, nor our accommodation nor our food. We’re stuck in Uganda,” she told the public.

Sparrow claimed that some individuals who were “not involved [in] the pageant” have paid their own money to keep the delegates fed and safe, adding that she felt she “couldn’t be silent anymore.”

“I apologize for everybody who put a lot of effort in us monetary or mentally wise. But this has to be seen by the public. [Around] 35 contestants who [haven’t] left yet were scammed,” she said.

Image: Instagram/@tamila_sparrow

Sparrow added that she spent a few hours with police in Kampala, Uganda, to file a testimony against the production manager involved in Miss Planet International, and that they planned to leave the country as soon as possible.

Image: Instagram/@tamila_sparrow

Image: Instagram/@tamila_sparrow

Sparrow then claimed in another Instagram Story that “involved parties are being compromised [or] bribed,” and they have not received any information, solutions or support from the Miss Planet International organizers.

“[If you were] a management of the pageant, would you let your contestants suffer for a week not doing anything?” Sparrow asked.

Image: Instagram/@tamila_sparrow

Meanwhile, Miss Jamaica Tonille Simone Watkis said the competition has been canceled, via her Instagram Stories, also today. She did not provide the reason for the pageant’s supposed cancellation or commented on Sparrow’s accusations.

“Thank you all for your support up until this moment. Unfortunately, the competition has been canceled. But it was such an honor to have the chance to represent my beautiful Jamaica again,” she told fans.

Image: Instagram/@tonillewatkis

Meanwhile, Wilbert Tolentino, the manager of the Philippines’ bet, Herlene Budol, spoke about the issue on his Facebook page today.

According to him, more than half of the candidates did not get to enter Africa because they did not have yellow fever vaccine. The pageant’s sponsor resort in Kampala has also opted to back out of their agreement with the organizers due to the Ebola outbreak in Uganda.

Tolentino assured that everyone accompanying Budol in Uganda is safe. He also said the public should wait for an official statement from the pageant organization.

Organizers of Miss Planet International and Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. haven’t released official statements on the issue as of this writing.  /ra

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