Miss Universe PH - Mountain Province 2026 Lyneree Yodong responds to favoritism allegations
Lyneree Wly Montero Yodong, the first Miss Universe Philippines – Mountain Province titleholder, pushed back against the allegations that she benefited from bias within the regional pageant organization.
The issue appeared to stem from fellow beauty queen Cristeta Longey's statement on Feb. 8 where she claimed that "another individual was already being prepared to be the one competing this year as Benguet's representative on the Miss Universe Philippines national stage."
Longey chose to let go of her crown because of this as she criticized the organization's lack of transparency.
While she did not specify the individual she was referring to, some social media users pointed fingers at Yodong, prompting her to address the issue in a lengthy statement on her social media accounts.
"I never intended to take anything away from anyone since I am competing for Mountain Province, and I want to make it clear that as I compete for the national stage, none of the support or even sponsors overlap with another province," Yodong began.
She explained that she chose not to release a statement immediately as she "did not want to speak out of pain, pride, or anger."
"I also wanted to respect the National Organization, the Local Organization, and the other party by allowing conversations to happen internally first. I did not want to add fuel to the fire, and I did not want unnecessary hate to fall on anyone else," she reasoned.
She continued, "I know my truth. And I trust that the people who truly know me.. know it too. I believe they know my heart well enough to know that I could never harm somebody else's dream. Women can dream boldly without one dream canceling the other."
Yodong emphasized that she accepted this role with "pure intention" to represent her home.
"This is the first time ever that Mountain Province will be represented on the national Miss Universe stage. And I believe that any queen, if given the right support, resources, and opportunity, would not allow her people, her home, to go unrepresented," she highlighted.
She expressed her gratitude to those who believed her without asking her to defend herself.
"I hope this serves as a reminder that there is always a bigger story beyond what is shown online. Kindness costs nothing. Truth takes time. And there is more than enough space for all of us to rise and win," Yodong ended.
Prior to her statement, Yodong received support from Miss Universe Philippines – Benguet 2024 Lovely Bomowey, who urged others in a Facebook post to "be mindful of the words we choose."
"We often see only one side of the story, when in truth, there is always more beyond what is visible. It takes years (and a village of which she mentioned during her interview yesterday) to build a queen," Bomowey said.
"Many may not fully know her story, and even I am still learning it. What is clear, however, is that she has spent years building not only herself, but also uplifting others through quiet consistency," she added.
The seventh edition of the Miss Universe Philippines pageant is expected to take place sometime in 2026. Ahtisa Manalo of Quezon will crown her successor at the end of the event.
