The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Tuesday said it is cancelling the scheduled cultural fashion show of the upcoming Miss Universe pageant in Davao City after local designers expressed disappointment over a decision of the organizing committee.

Tourism Undersecretary Katherine de Castro said she decided to cancel the side event set on Jan. 19 at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City “to prevent controversies that may arise from the statement made by local designers of Davao City.”

De Castro was referring to the statement made by the Davao Fashion and Design Council, Inc. (DFDCFI), saying they were insulted that Miss Universe candidates will wear designs of a non-Mindanaoan designer Renee Salud during the fashion show, which was supposed to highlight Mindanaoan textile.

“Call it proper and befitting, the Mindanaoan designers have all the rights and benefits to best represent the distinctive fashion and style of Mindanao, in the first place,” the statement from DFDCFI read, as aired on ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol.

“DFDCFI will continue to uphold its stand and will use all its resources and capacity to have this issue properly addressed by the Miss Universe committee, at the soonest. Should it not be, this turn of events will continue to become a blunder for local pride of place, where the President himself is coming from,” the group added.

The Davao-based designers said they were not consulted by organizers regarding the decision, and that the proposal of the committee for them to dress up local models instead “added insult to injury.”

In the same TV Patrol report, Salud said it was Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo who made the offer to him.

The Miss Universe coronation night will be held at the Mall of Asia Arena on Jan. 30, 2017. RAM