The Department of Tourism (DOT) has branded as mere rumors the supposed cancellation of the 2017 Miss Universe pageant in the Philippines.
In a statement sent to INQUIRER.net on Monday, DOT Undersecretary Kat De Castro said they were not aware of any cancellation as the meetings with the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) were still ongoing.
“We are not aware of any cancellation for Miss Universe. We are still having ongoing meetings with the MUO. Let us wait for official announcements before jumping into any conclusion,” De Castro said.
De Castro also took to social media to dismiss the rumors, which she said started with her Facebook post about crying that tagged reigning Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach.
“Those cancellation rumors on Miss Universe, are simply just that… rumors. Please wait for official announcements soon from MUO. Thank you,” she said.
“Some are citing my post last Thursday BEFORE the Hitler issue. Pia & I had dinner. We were reminiscing. Hence, the “iyak” part. Chill lang,” De Castro added.
The DOT said a team from the MUO went to the country last week to conduct ocular inspections of possible venues for pageant events, including Vigan, Palawan and Cebu.
The Miss Universe pageant is slated on Jan. 30, 2017 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. RAM/rga
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