A former hotel ambassador, who resigned from her job in Macau just to compete in the 2016 Bb. Pilipinas beauty contest, has been disqualified from the prestigious beauty pageant due to her racy photos as a model.
In an exclusive interview days before she was fired in the pageant, Kim Ross delos Santos, 26, said that she had been a hotel ambassador in Macau when she decided to give up her job and compete in the contest. She was Binibini No. 20
Considered a front-runner in the upcoming contest, Delos Santos had been encouraged by her supporters in the past to join the contest. But it was only this year that she decided to join the pageant.
“I turned 26 already. I’ve been told that it’s gonna be fun joining Bb. Pilipinas. I’m looking forward to it. It’s a different field for me and I wanna experience it,” said Delos Santos (prior to joining the pageant), a fashion model of the Mercator Artist and Model Management, Inc, also headed by Gaffud.
The Filipino-American candidate praised the training under her beauty camp which she described as strict but necessary. The dead-ringer for actress Sarah Lahbati, wife of actor Richard Gutierrez, is one of the tallest girls in this year’s batch of 40 candidates.
Gaffud, mentor of 2015 Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, expressed disappointment over the disqualification of his model.
Geisha Naganuma, who belongs to John dela Vega’s camp, will replace Delos Santos.
Unconfirmed reports also said that two more Binibini candidates might get the axe allegedly due to several violations. Earlier, five candidates were disqualified for various reasons.
“Its sad that our candidate was disqualified because of her work as a model. A Filipina model photographed by the same photographer who worked with BPCI in the past, in an expressive (sic) of art alongside with a respected male international supermodel,” said Gaffud in Instagram.
“These works of art are not deemed pornographic. It saddens me that while we celebrate love and equality, the very organization that should uplift women, denies them the chance to demonstrate empowerment. Hello lawyers of the Araneta Group. Hello Mar Roxas,” Gaffud added.
He also asked: “Last year, they did not disqualify someone who posed half naked for FHM. Hello?”
The Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc, which organizes the annual beauty contest has yet to issue a statement about the disqualification issue.
Roxanne Talosig, corporate communications and public relations officer of the Araneta Center, Inc., said in a text message: “Wala pang statement as of the moment. We will update you.”
Wurtzbach, who belongs to the same beauty camp with Delos Santos, will be the guest of honor at the 2016 Bb.
Pilipinas beauty pageant at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City on April 17.