Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Philippine Stock Exchange index rose further and came close to the 6,000 level on strong buying interest and bargain hunting.

By the closing bell, the local stock barometer climbed by 1.12 percent or 66.32 points to reach 5,997.13.

Meanwhile, the broader All Shares Index rose by 2.5 percent or 83.5 points to end at 3,418.52.

Luis Limlingan, head of sales at Regina Capital Development Corp., said the local bourse sustained its upward movement as buying pressure persisted throughout the session.

‘Market sentiment improved after a favorable balance of payments, easing some concerns over external pressures. Overall, investors reacted positively, supporting the index’s movement,’ Limlingan said.

Japhet Louis Tantiangco, research manager at Philstocks Financial Inc., said bargain hunting, along with the recent government data on the country’s foreign exchange transactions, lifted the local bourse.

‘The local market rose further as investors continued with their bargain hunting. Investors also digested the Philippines’ balance of payment position last October.,’ Tantiangco said.

Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed the country’s balance of payments (BOP), which tracks all foreign exchange inflows and outflows, posted a surplus of $706 million in October.

The figure was the largest surplus since February, when inflows surpassed outflows by $3.1 billion.

Per the central bank data, the country’s 10-month BOP remained at a deficit, registering at $4.6 billion.

Among the sectors, mining and oil dipped 1.29 percent. On the other hand, holding firms took the lead with a 2.18-percent jump.

The index ended with 118 gainers, 75 declines and 53 unchanged. INQ

Billease, a consumer finance firm in the Philippines, is aiming to expand its loan book by 50 percent in 2026, betting that its recent acquisition of a rural bank will allow it to extend more credit.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Georg Steiger, the company’s chief executive, said Billease hoped to grow its lending portfolio to P15 billion in 2026 from over P10 billion this year. But the target would hinge on how quickly the firm could integrate with its newly acquired rural bank, he said.

Billease-best known for its buy now, pay later offering-recently acquired more than 90 percent of Rural Bank of Sta. Maria in Ilocos Sur, with the goal of becoming a digital-centric lender.

‘If we start the bank in the third quarter next year or if we start to bring it online in the ecosystem, I wouldn’t expect much in 2026. But in 2027, we expect that we can ramp it up very quickly,’ Steiger said.

‘Over the past months, we have focused heavily on improving the bank’s capitalization, strengthening governance and bringing in topnotch leadership,’ he added.

Competitive

At present, Billease has features that, the firm said, could rival traditional credit cards. These include zero interest for daily spend and installment options, integration with Google Pay and an in-app function that aggregates discounts from top merchants.

For his part, Dennis Valdes, president and chief executive of the rural bank, said the combined entity would offer ‘highly competitive’ deposit rates to attract funds. They are also considering zero transfer fees for interbank transactions to draw more depositors.

Valdes added that the group would keep its rural banking license for now, though it may pursue an upgrade in the future.

What’s certain now is that the company would not seek a digital banking permit, as it plans to expand its network of physical branches to meet demand for a traditional banking experience.

‘We are now in the process of completely transforming our core systems to get ready for digital-centric banking, with plans to launch our new suite of banking products next year,’ he said. INQ

Three divisions of the Sandiganbayan have issued arrest warrants and hold departure orders (HDOs) against former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co and 15 others in connection with graft and malversation cases linked to the substandard P289.5M river dike project in Oriental Mindoro.

In a document released by the anti-graft court on Friday, the Sandiganbayan Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Divisions issued the arrest warrants against Co and the following Department of Public Works and Highways officials and private individuals:

Gerald A. Pacanan (Regional Director, Department of Public Works and Highways – Region IV-B / Mimaropa)

Gene Ryan Alurin Altea (Assistant Regional Director, DPWH Region IV-B, now Director of DPWH Bureau of Maintenance)

Ruben Delos Santos Santos, Jr. (Assistant Regional Director, DPWH Region IV-B)

Dominic Gregorio Serrano (Chief, Construction Division, DPWH Region IV-B)

Juliet Cabungan Calvo (Chief, Maintenance Division, DPWH Region IV-B)

Dennis Pelo Abagon (OIC-Chief, Quality Assurance and Hydrology Division; Regular Member, Bidding and Awards Committee, now OIC-Chief, Planning and Design Division, DPWH Region IV-B)

Montrexis Tordecilla Tamayo (OIC-Chief, Planning and Design Division, DPWH Region IV-B)

Lerma Dotado Cayco (Accountant IV, Bidding and Awards Committee, DPWH Region IV-B)

Felisardo Sevare Casuno (Project Engineer III, DPWH Region IV-B)

Timojen Adiong Sacar (Material Engineer, DPWH Region IV-B)

Private Individuals

Aderma Angelie D. Alcazar (President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Sunwest, Inc.)

Cesar X. Buenaventura (Treasurer and Member of the Board of Directors, Sunwest, Inc.)

Consuelo Dayto Aldon (Member of the Board of Directors, Sunwest, Inc.)

Engr. Noel Yap Cao (Member of the Board of Directors, Sunwest, Inc.)

Anthony L. Ngo (Member of the Board of Directors, Sunwest, Inc.)

Currently, 16 individuals, including Co, have an existing warrant of arrest.

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure initially recommended filing charges against Co and 17 others.However, two of those recommended to be charged – Grace D. Lopez, a regular member of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), and Friedrich Karl Camero, BAC vice chairperson – were not included in the issuance of arrest warrants by the Sandiganbayan.

It was President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who announced that warrants of arrest are already out against Co and 15 others.

This move was welcomed by the Office of the Ombudsman, as it urged law enforcement agencies to immediately execute the arrest warrants.

In response, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it is ‘working closely’ with the Sandiganbayan to enforce the orders.

Civil society groups on Thursday slammed the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for what they called a ‘dangerous pivot’ toward corporate interests and false climate solutions, as the bank reviews its 2025 energy policy and faces scrutiny over decades of support for incineration and fossil fuels.

In separate statements released on November 20, the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) Asia Pacific and the NGO Forum on ADB scored the multilateral lender for continued financing of polluting waste-to-energy (WtE) incineration and fossil gas infrastructure.

Both groups argue that the Bank’s draft policy fails to adequately protect climate-vulnerable communities, disregards human rights safeguards, and undermines global climate goals.

Billions in incineration financing since Paris Agreement

GAIA, a global alliance of over 1,000 grassroots groups and organizations in 90 countries, warned that ADB remains the region’s top backer of incineration-based waste management.

Since the Paris Agreement in 2015, GAIA noted that the Bank has financed 49 projects with incineration or co-incineration components amounting to USD 15.3 billion. Meanwhile, a separate analysis by the Climate Policy Initiative found that over 94 percent of climate finance intended for methane abatement in the waste sector continues to go to incineration.

‘This reflects a troubling pattern,’ GAIA said. ‘Money intended for climate action is being diverted to technologies that worsen pollution and drain public resources.’

GAIA’s Climate and Anti-Incineration Campaigner Brex Arevalo emphasized that incinerators-regardless of technology-continue to pollute and create hazardous byproducts.

‘Incinerators remain polluters no matter the technology,’ Arevalo said. ‘While incineration reduces waste volume, the remaining ash, wastewater, and emissions are hazardous and must still be disposed of in landfills. This exposes the myth that incineration eliminates the need for dumpsites. It does not. It creates even more toxic byproducts.’

He added that WtE is also ‘among the most expensive technologies today’ and ‘more polluting than coal per unit of energy produced.’

Communities in debt, distress, and danger

GAIA and its regional partners stated that ADB-backed incineration projects are exacerbating economic and environmental risks for vulnerable countries.

In the Maldives, Zero Waste Maldives’ Afrah Ismail warned that the Bank is pushing a massive WtE incinerator in Thilafushi, despite the archipelago’s high debt burden and climate vulnerability.

‘ADB has backed waste-to-energy incineration through loans and grants for a major WtE plant in the Maldives, a climate-vulnerable archipelago whose public debt now exceeds 120% of GDP and which international financial institutions classify as being at high risk of debt distress,’ Ismail said.

Chythenyen Kulasekaran of the Centre for Financial Accountability cited India’s experience as further proof of failure.

‘The ADB should not be funding waste-to-energy incineration, which has a massive track record of failure across South Asia. All 21 waste-to-energy plants in India are highly polluting and do not comply with the environmental policy standards, as reported by the government itself.’

‘Zero marks across the board’

In a separate assessment, the NGO Forum on ADB-a network of civil society groups monitoring the Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank-gave the ADB a failing grade on climate, human rights, and transparency.

Citing the 2025 Energy Policy Review and draft amendments, the Forum warned that the Bank continues to support the expansion of fossil fuels and extractive industries, while ignoring demands for genuine stakeholder consultation.

‘The Bank’s process violated its own Access to Information Policy and commitments to stakeholder engagement,’ the group said. ‘Key documents were disclosed late, consultations were brief and selective, and feedback was not meaningfully integrated.’

The draft policy retains fossil gas as a so-called ‘transition fuel,’ allowing continued investment in gas pipelines and exploration, despite what the Forum calls ‘overwhelming scientific consensus’ that no new oil or gas fields are compatible with limiting global warming to 1.5°C.

The Forum also raised concerns over the ADB’s Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM), which critics argue may prolong fossil fuel use rather than accelerate coal retirement. Loopholes in ADB’s coal ban remain, it added, and mining is now being rebranded as ‘green’ through the Bank’s Critical Minerals for Clean Energy Technologies (CM2CET) initiative.

ADB is also reportedly considering lifting its nuclear energy financing ban.

‘This is a reckless regression,’ the Forum said. ‘Nuclear remains expensive, unsafe, and produces long-lived radioactive waste, while Small Modular Reactors are unproven and financially burdensome.’

Other so-called ‘false solutions’ identified in the revised policy include coal co-firing, large hydropower, waste-to-energy, and geothermal projects sited in Indigenous territories-all of which, the Forum said, come with risks of displacement, repression, land conflicts, and gendered harm.

‘Energy transitions that violate rights are neither just nor sustainable,’ the coalition added. ‘ADB’s silence speaks louder than its rhetoric.’

Civil society demands

Over a hundred civil society organizations endorsed the Forum’s Climate Scorecard, which uses lived experience as its grading system: ‘gas pipelines through Indigenous lands-zero; opaque financial intermediary lending that hides coal exposure-zero; promotion of nuclear, extractives, and incinerators while claiming climate leadership-zero.’

‘ADB’s score of zero is a mirror reflecting the Bank’s own choices,’ the coalition said.

They are now calling on the ADB Board of Directors to reject the draft energy policy in its current form and implement urgent reforms. These include:

A fully transparent review process through 2026

Closure of all coal financing loopholes

A time-bound fossil gas phaseout

Rejection of nuclear energy and CM2CET extractive-driven initiatives

An end to all false solutions

Binding human rights and just transition standards

Full alignment with the 1.5°C climate goal and a complete fossil fuel phaseout by 2030

‘ADB’s Energy Policy Review remains a failed test and a failing grade,’ the Forum concluded. ‘The climate emergency demands leadership rooted in justice and science – not profit, not technofixes, and not exclusion. Communities across Asia refuse to accept another generation locked into fossil fuels.’

More than a decade ago, my electrical engineering class of 2011 at the Technological University of the Philippines Taguig had our plant visit to Cebu as part of the curriculum. I still remember how thrilled I was at the idea of riding a plane for the first time, spending time with my classmates and friends, and savoring the province’s beauty, grace, and mystery while integrating ourselves with the industry.

We stayed in the province for three days and two nights. The tour included a visit to an internationally recognized battery company, an environmental friendly property powered entirely with solar power and a day-long trip to a National Grid Corporation of the Philippines facility. I enjoyed Cebuano food, but the people? They were as vibrant as the sun.

But that stark picture of the Queen City of the South changed overnight with Typhoon ‘Tino’s’ recent onslaught.

As of this writing, the casualty count has surged to 114, while 127 people remain missing. Photos of the destruction fill social media: dirt-tainted piles of cars in the streets, dead bodies on the sidewalk, houses reduced to flash flood debris, and endless, delirious calls for help by my fellow Filipinos in the south. The whole situation has been disheartening.

One can always point to climate change why it happened. Based on the 2025 World Risk Index, the Philippines is the most vulnerable country to natural disasters, ranking as the most disaster-prone country in the world. Key factors include high exposure to natural disasters like typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions, as well as vulnerability due to its fragmented geography and large coastal populations.

According to the weather bureau, the rainfall in Cebu surpassed a 20-year return period, which translates to a 5-percent chance of extreme rainfall or worse happening in any given year. But the impact could have been mitigated had the budget allotted for flood control projects been fully implemented with integrity?

Pamela Silagan Baricuatro, the governor of Cebu Province, indicated that there’s corruption in the flood control projects amounting to billions of pesos. Meanwhile, former Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia indicated that the Department of Public Works and Highway’s shortcomings in implementation contributed to the fiasco.

We have seen this movie before. Calamity happens. People die. Government officials blame each other. Isn’t it tiring?

Our people must realize that corruption kills. When funds do not go to their proper destination to improve people’s lives but to the elite, soulless pockets, someday, somehow, they will be affected and inflicted with a catastrophe unimaginable to the human condition. It’s evident that during calamities, the most vulnerable sector is the poor. Our electorate must remember the names of officials who didn’t push for what’s best for them. We must push the government to do better and implement institutional changes to protect our forests, waterways, and observe a holistic technology and data-based approach for mitigation similar to what Singapore and Japan have.

It’s inevitable, the Philippines will face another typhoon, calamity, or super typhoon. The time to wake up from the cloud of corruption is today-before it’s too late.

Governor Sol Aragones ordered the demolition of 67-year-old buildings at Calo Elementary School on Friday, citing safety risks from the deteriorating structures.

The governor conducted an ocular inspection of the Bay town school, built in 1958, where she observed cramped classrooms and learned about recurring flooding during heavy rains.

‘We saw here that the classrooms are very old,’ Aragones said, stressing the urgency of replacing the hazardous structures.

Provincial Engineer Gil Agarri led technical inspections to assess structural integrity and plan new construction, which may include a multi-story building.

‘We’re going to build new school buildings and fix this problem right away,’ the governor said.

The Philippine women’s futsal team absorbed a 6-0 defeat at the hands of Poland on Friday in a rough start to its Fifa Futsal Women’s World Cup campaign before a home crowd at Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Despite efforts to keep the match close, the Filipina5 eventually got battered by a Polish side that led by two goals from Julia Basta, including the opener more than six minutes into the contest.

Early chances by Inday Tolentin gave the mostly partisan audience of 2,211 hopes of an upset but Poland proved why it was ranked 14th in the world and secured the maximum three points.

Poland equaled the scoreline produced by Argentina earlier against Morocco to conclude the tournament’s first matchday.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino was on hand to witness the Filipina5’s first match that capped off the opening act of the inaugural futsal competition for women.

Tolentin nearly got the Filipina5 on board but her attempt hit the post. Poland would respond when Basta fired a shot that goalkeeper Samantha Hughes couldn’t secure, eventually going past the line for the score.

The Filipina5 of coach Rafa Merino tried to keep as close as possible. However, Natalia Matuzewska produced a tapper from close range with less than two minutes before halftime that doubled Poland’s lead.

Flanigan had a chance early in the second half to pull one back, but her attempt went for naught. Poland would shortly score for the third time behind Julia Szokstak, followed by Basta’s second.

It became 5-0 after Klaudia Kubaszek’s shot hit Filipina5’s Lanie Ortillo’s foot for an own goal, then the sixth came from Klaudia Dyminska with 10 minutes remaining.

Although Ahtisa Manalo did not take the Miss Universe 2025 crown, her fellow Quezonians celebrated her strong showing after she was named third runner-up in the pageant held at Impact Challenger Hall in Nonthaburi, Thailand.

‘Still our Miss Universe!’ Quezon Gov. Angelina Tan posted on Facebook after Manalo’s placement was announced.

‘The whole Quezon province is so proud of you! Mabuhay ka.’

Tan praised Manalo’s long journey, saying her 18-year pursuit is ‘a testament to your courage, determination, and the heart that fuels your advocacy.’

A native of Candelaria town, Manalo, 28, began competing locally at age 10, joining her first pageant as a fourth-grader. Her rise on the national and international stages has drawn strong local support.

Candelaria Mayor George Suayan likewise expressed the town’s pride.

‘The entire town of Candelaria is filled with pride and joy because of your achievement. You have shown the world the beauty and heart of a true Candelariahin!’ he wrote on Facebook.

‘You remain a winner in the hearts of the people of Candelaria. We are proud of you,’ Suayan added.

Quezon 2nd district Rep. Cong. David Suarez also extended his congratulations to Manalo for her ‘remarkable performance’ at the 74th Miss Universe pageant.

‘From right here in Candelaria, Quezon – from our beloved second district – you carried the Philippine flag with honor, excellence, and a truly Filipino heart,’ Suarez said in a post in Filipino on social media.

He described Manalo’s achievement as ‘more than the crown, you became a light of hope’.

‘You proved that with hard work, courage, and belief in oneself, there is no stage in the world that a young Quezonian cannot reach,’ the solon emphasized.

Mexico’s Fatima Bosch won the Miss Universe 2025 crown, defeating 119 contestants.

Thailand’s Praveenar Singh was first runner-up, Venezuela’s Stephany Abasali placed second, while Manalo and Côte d’Ivoire’s Olivia Yacé finished as third and fourth runners-up, respectively

Some red flags remain in the 2026 national spending plan despite some welcome shifts in the Senate, a coalition of budget watchdogs said Thursday, as they make a last-minute appeal to make more changes as the budget is headed for the bicameral conference committee soon.

In a statement, the People’s Budget Coalition (PBC) said that while they welcomed several positive changes to the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) introduced by the Senate, Congress must still work to further pare down allocations for pet assistance programs, confidential and intelligence funds, unprogrammed appropriations, and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac).

The group, composed of civil society organizations, researchers, and grassroots advocates pushing for a more transparent and rights-based budget, said the Senate’s committee report reflected ‘significant corrections’ to the House-approved version but still fell short of what is needed to prevent another flood-control-style corruption scandal.

For example, while the Senate cut risky and possibly duplicate projects in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), some P600 billion in infrastructure items still require closer review, PBC said.

This includes the P16-billion budget for farm-to-market roads, which recent congressional inquiries say are often overpriced, as well as the Department of Health’s P14.5-billion health facilities enhancement program, which was found to have idle super health centers.

Congress should likewise scrutinize the confidential and intelligence funds, which increased by P629 million to P11.6 billion in the Senate version-a move the coalition called ‘a step backward.’

Over-funded agencies

Also still incorporated into the Senate version is the unexplained increase of P11 billion that the House of Representatives gave itself during the third and final reading of its version last September.

Perhaps more importantly, the Senate also increased its own budget by P1 billion to P8.6 billion, or a 14-percent jump compared to the original proposal.

The Office of the President also has a bigger budget at P27.4 billion, in large part because of the budget for Manila’s hosting of the 2026 Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and its confidential and intelligence funds.

‘At the time of the flood-control corruption scandal, the worst corruption scandal in recent history, where members across government have been implicated by witnesses who have come forward, we call for prudence and moderation in these proposals to restore public trust,’ they warned.

The DPWH’s flood management budget, meanwhile, plunged from P250 billion as proposed in the National Expenditure Program to just P10 billion in the Senate version.

However, the coalition urged lawmakers to mandate the agency to update outdated design manuals to align with climate resilience, accessibility, and road safety standards.

PBC also noted that although the Senate halved NTF-Elcac’s budget from P8 billion to P4 billion, more cuts are warranted given recurring concerns over the task force’s barangay development allocations.

Under-funded programs

Transport advocates within the coalition also raised alarms over the underfunding for key public transport and active mobility programs under the Department of Transportation (DOTr) that remain underfunded.

For road safety, for example, the DOTr asked for P100 million for maintenance and other operating expenses, but got zero in the committee report.

For active transport, the DOTr requested P2 billion to fund safe pedestrian pathways and protected bike lane networks, but was only given P105 billion.

For road-based public transport, P4.6 billion was requested for service contracting and the public utility vehicle modernization program, but only half of it, or P2.5 billion, was allotted in the committee report.

The watchdogs also pressed Congress to reconsider cuts to major social protection programs, including the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), which lost P11 billion, and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., whose allocation remains below what public health advocates estimate is required to meet universal health care targets.

Controversial stage

The bicameral conference committee, composed of select senators and House members, is expected to meet in the coming days to consolidate the final version of the 2026 national budget before it is sent to Malacañang for signing in December.

PBC said lawmakers must use the bicam as the last opportunity ‘to restore public trust’ by prioritizing transparent, science-based, and rights-based budgeting.

The Liberal Party bloc in the House of Representatives has also called for an ‘open and transparent’ bicam as the 2026 budget process nears its most controversial stage.

On Thursday, the bloc led by Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima said opening up the notoriously secretive bicam, where insertions to the budget were allegedly made in the past years, was ‘long overdue. It is not optional, it is non-negotiable.’

‘It is a gross injustice to continue denying access of the public to the proceedings of the bicam, which constitutes a deprivation of the constitutionally guaranteed right of the Filipino people to information on matters of public concern. They are entitled to know where every centavo of their taxes goes,’ they said in a joint statement.

Among others, they demanded that Congress ensure the livestreaming of the full bicam meetings and deliberations and that comprehensive meeting minutes be published.

Congress must also publish a detailed matrix of the differences between the House and Senate GABs and how they were reconciled, and disclose proponents of amendments.

The media must also be allowed to cover the bicam proceedings, and civil society organizations must also be given access and opportunity to raise questions and comments.

Aside from De Lima, other signatories include Representatives Edgar Erice of Caloocan City, Adrian Michael Amatong of Zamboanga del Norte, Arlene ‘Kaka’ Bag-ao of Dinagat Islands, Jaime Fresnedi of Muntinlupa City, Cielo Krisel Lagman of Albay, and Alfonso Umali Jr. of Oriental Mindoro.

After the victory of Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch as the new Miss Universe 2025 titleholder, French-Lebanese musician Omar Harfouch couldn’t help but speak out to allege that she is a ‘fake winner,’ as the results of the pageant had already been predetermined.

Bosch was declared the winner amid protests from pageant observers, pointing out that the Mexican beauty queen’s performance in major competitions and even in the question-and-answer portion paled in comparison with her runners-up, among them the Philippines’ Ahtisa Manalo.

Harfouch courted controversy when he resigned as part of the eight-member Miss Universe 2025 selection committee who would adjudge the delegates given the pageant’s laid out criteria.

Just minutes after the announcement, Harfouch took to his Instagram page on Friday, Nov. 21, to say Bosch’s victory is merely due to her father’s dealings with Miss Universe owner Raul Rocha.

‘Miss Mexico is a fake winner. I, Omar Harfouch, declared yesterday exclusively on HBO America, 24 hours before the Miss Universe final, that Miss Mexico would win because Miss Universe owner Raul Rocha is in business with Fatima Bosch’s father,’ he wrote.

The singer-composer alleged that Rocha earlier urged him to vote for Bosch ‘for the sake of business.’

‘Raul Rocha and his son urged me, a week ago in Dubai, to vote for Fatima Bosch because they need her to win ‘because it will be good for our business,’ they said to me!’ he continued. Harfouch announced his resignation on Tuesday, Nov. 18, just three days before the coronation on Friday in Bangkok, Thailand, where Ahtisa Manalo of the Philippines was named third runner-up.

The composer-businessman said that his resignation was due to a ‘disrespectful conversation’ with Rocha as he accused the organization of arranging an ‘impromptu jury’ tapped to draw the 30 semifinalists.

Harfouch further alleged that the secret panel is made up of ‘individuals with personal relationships with some of the Miss Universe contestants,’ stating that a member of the unofficial group had a romantic relationship with one of the delegates.

MUO refuted Harfouch’s allegations, stating that the competition evaluations continued to follow the organization’s ‘established, transparent, and supervised’ protocols.

‘[MUO] firmly clarifies that no impromptu jury has been created, that no external group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists, and that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols,’ read the statement in part.

Aside from Harfouch, another judge, former Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele, has announced his stepping down as a member of the selection committee, citing ‘unforeseen personal reasons.’

Bosch previously went viral after a standoff with Thai hosting committee chair Nawat Itsaragrisil, resulting in a walkout which was supported by then reigning queen Victoria Theilvig and other delegates, amid the seeming power struggle within the Miss Univerge Organization