Herlene Nicole Budol (right) listens to her manager Wilbert Tolentino (second from left) at her send-off press conference last month. Also in photo are Bb. Pilipinas 2022 second runner-up Stacey Gabriel (left), and Shandy Montecarlo, Miss Planet International pageant’s national director for the Philippines. Image: Philippine Daily Inquirer/Armin P. Adina
MANILA, Philippines—Filipino pageant fans were abuzz this morning with news that the 2022 Miss Planet International pageant in Uganda had been canceled, with two delegates making statements on social media. But the camp of Filipino contender Herlene Nicole Budol said the competition is not yet over.
“The CEO of [Miss Planet International] will arrive on Nov. 12. Let us wait for the official statement from the organization,” Wilbert Tolentino, Budol’s manager, said in a statement posted on his Facebook account in the afternoon of Nov. 11 (Manila time). He also assured the people that the entire “Team Philippines” is safe.
Tamila Sparrow of the Czech Republic and Tonille Watkis of Jamaica both announced on social media that the competition had been canceled. Sparrow also released a series of posts narrating her personal experience in Kampala, Uganda, and her views about the way the pageant has been organized.
Sparrow said, “We’re stuck in Uganda,” and revealed that the organization had not settled the payment for their accommodations and food. She also said, “35 contestants (who [haven’t] left yet) were scammed.”
She also shared that she filed a testimony against the “production manager here” at the police department in Kampala. “All we know — we are leaving the country as soon as possible,” she continued.
For his part, Tolentino said, “We cannot blame the different emotions of all the candidates affected by the disorganization, and they have not been eating at the proper time.”
He said more than half of the supposed delegates were not able to enter Uganda for failing to have the yellow fever vaccine administered. Also, the original official residence, Speke Resort Kampala, withdrew its sponsorship because of the Ebola outbreak. “There was a ‘Plan B’ and they brought us to Zara Gardens yesterday.”
But the organization was not able to settle its obligations with the hotel, Tolentino revealed, and the candidates were forced to leave. “Each candidate had to find a way to book accommodations via Airbnb. There were about four or six who already withdrew because they will run out of funds if they stay any longer in Uganda,” he said.
“We may not have a favorable experience here, but we are proud to say that we are survivors. Whether or not the pageant will push through, we fought and prepared in good faith,” Tolentino continued, with a promise to post further updates.
Budol was crowned first runner-up in the 2022 Binibining Pilipinas pageant. Her post did not come with an international assignment, but Tolentino looked for a global competition for her to compete in.
He got in touch with Shandy Montecarlo, the national director for the Philippines of the Miss Planet International pageant, for his ward’s participation, and sought the approval of the Bb. Pilipinas Charities Inc. to allow Budol to compete in an international contest whose franchise is not under the organization.
Budol also mentioned before she left for Uganda that GMA Network put “Magandang Dilag,” her first lead project, on hold to give way to her Miss Planet International preparations. /ra
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