Fil-Ams Brandon Espiritu, Jether Palomo under fire over pageant ‘halfies’ remarks
Updated June 11, 2026, 11:00 a.m.
Filipino-American male pageant titleholders Brandon Espiritu and Jether Palomo, who represented the Philippines in their respective competitions, are under fire for their “halfies” remarks that seemingly demeaned home-grown Filipino beauty pageant aspirants
Guam-born Kapuso star Brandon Espiritu represented the Philippines in the 2024 Mister Supranational contest in Poland, and won for the country its highest placement in field for winning second runner-up.
Meanwhile, Palomo is a fitness enthusiast from the United States who won the Mister-Pilipinas Global 2025 and became a semifinalist on the global pageant. He also won 1st runner-up at the 2023 Mister Tourism World, representing the Philippines. He recently withdrew as a candidate of the 2026 Mister World Philippines pageant due to conflict in his schedule.
READ: Pageant ‘halfies’ weigh in on Brandon Espiritu, Jether Palomo’s remarks
The backlash stemmed from a reel posted by Espiritu on his social media platforms where he and pageant kings from other countries were having a drink and then each began to sing their national anthem, or at least sing in their native language. Instead of singing in Tagalog, the video showed Espiritu singing in the Chamorro language, while Palomo sang the “Happy Birthday” song.
Palomo commented that he is pledging allegiance to the American flag. This drew critics to comment on Espiritu’s post. When one netizen asked why they did not sing in Tagalog, Espiritu said, “Because we aren’t from the Philippines. Why would we lie?”
“Then you should have represented your country,” the netizen further said, to which Espiritu quipped, “Tell that to all the frontrunners for [sic] the Philippines. This country wouldn’t have a chance on the national [sic] stage without us ‘halfies.'”
Another commenter called them “opportunists,” to which they replied in the affirmative.
Espiritu has deleted the video, along with the comments, but netizens were able to take screenshots of the titleholders’ remarks and reuploaded them on social media.
“Titas of Pageantry,” a prominent pageant duo vloggers, was among those who reuploaded the screenshots of the comments of the two Fil-Am male pageant kings.
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“Halfies” is a term used to denote mixed-blood Filipinos.
Apologies
After several hours, Espiritu posted on his Instagram Story an apology, but he deleted that, too.
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“I responded impulsively and made a remark that came across as disrespectful to many Filipinos. That was not my intention, but I understand why people were upset, and I deleted the comment shortly after.I am proud to represent the Philippines and proud of my Filipino heritage. The last thing I would ever want is to diminish the accomplishments of Filipinos, whether they are full Filipino, mixed Filipino, or anyone who has had the honor of carrying our flag on the international stage,” he said in his now-deleted apology note, but were recaptured and uploaded online by netizens.
He likewise asked that any “frustration” should be directed at him and not at the organizations and business that he represented.
“They had absolutely nothing to do with my comment and do not deserve to be affected by it.Thank you to everyone who held me accountable. I’ll learn from this and do better moving forward,” he aded.
For his part, Palomo addressed his statement about pledging allegiance to the US, admitting that his remark was “inappropriate and that it contributed to a conversation that touched on issues of heritage, background, and representation.”
As for Espiritu’s quip about being a “halfie,” Palomo said that he is fully Filipino and a dual citizen, his parents being both Filipinos at birth even though he himself was born in the US.
“My heritage is something I have always been proud of and embraced as a core part of who I am. That said, I understand this does not excuse what I said or diminish the impact it had on others. I take full responsibility. I know these are not light topics, and I should have been more thoughtful. This moment has pushed me to reflect, listen, and genuinely learn and I believe that growth only comes when we are willing to hold ourselves accountable,” he said.
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“To everyone I hurt, offended, or disappointed I am sincerely sorry. I will carry these lessons with me and continue to strive to be better,” Palomo further said. /edv
