Miss U leaves Bb. Pilipinas Charities after 55 years
By Inday Chikadora | 09:05 PM December 09, 2019
Former beauty queen Shamcey Supsup-Lee will head a new national pageant organization that will select the Philippines’ representative to the Miss Universe pageant starting 2020.
Supsup, who finished fourth in the 2011 Miss Universe pageant, posted an image bearing the title “Miss Universe Philippines 2020” in her Instagram account.
“I am honored with my new role for the organization that brought meaning to my life as a beauty queen and as a woman. I am more than blessed to be the National Director of Miss Universe Philippines,” she posted on Monday afternoon, hours after Miss South Africa Zozibini Tunzi was crowned Miss Universe 2019..
She continued: “As I continue to grow, I understand that being an architect and an entrepreneur are facets that will form part of my core as we continue the projects of Miss Universe and create more opportunities for aspiring beauty queens in the future. Thank you for the trust and confidence in my capabilities as a strong and independent woman.”
For over 50 years, the Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) had been holding the Miss Universe franchise for the Philippines, producing four winners si far — Gloria Diaz in 1969, Margarita Moran in 1973, Pia Wurtzbach in 2015) and Catriona Gray in 2018.
BPCI has also given the Philippines a 10-year streak in the Miss Universe semifinals, beginning in 2010 with Venus Raj, who finished fifth in her competition, and was sustained by Gazini Ganados, who finished in the Top 20 in the recent edition held on Dec. 8 in Atlanta, Georgia in the U.S. (Dec. 9 in Manila).
The Miss Universe Philippines (MUP) official Facebook page posted the same image Supsup-Lee used, accompanied by this statement:
“[MUO] expresses its heartfelt gratitude to the Araneta Group and [BPCI] for their more than 50 years of stewardship of the Miss Universe brand and franchise in the Philippines. Both organizations have made an indelible mark in the international pageant scene for celebrating the intelligence, beauty and grace of hundreds of Filipina queens, and for garnering several international titles through the years.”
According to the statement, Supsup-Lee will be joined by Albert Andrada as the Design Council head, Gaffud as the creative director, Lia Ramos as head of the Women Empowerment Committee and Charity,[lawyer Nad Bronce as head of legal affairs, and Mario Garcia as business development and marketing head.”
The BPCI has not issued anything as of this writing.
