Binibining Toledo 2023 calls out organizers for allegedly canceling her farewell speech at the last minute
Miss Universe Philippines Toledo 2024 and Binibining Toledo 2023 Kim Placibe aired her grievances at the pageant's organizers online after her farewell speech at the June 10 coronation night was allegedly canceled at the last minute.
The beauty queen took to Facebook to share about how she felt "insulted" by the organizers.
"I've never been insulted in my whole life. My farewell speech was canceled last minute. Pero nihatag gyud kog assurance sa org na ipaguide ko what to mention and what not to, (But binigyan ako ng assurance ng org na i-guide ako what to mention and what not to)" she wrote on June 11.
Placibe added that she was called "ungrateful" by someone from the Binibining Toledo organizers.
"Standing at the very stage earlier was like torture knowing that I truly deserve better than that. I was already called 'ungrateful' [by] someone [from the organization]," the beauty queen added.
Organizers issue statement
After her post, the Toledo City Public Information Office shared a statement from the organizers posted on a page named "Binibining Toledo 2024 Fanpage."
They claimed that Placibe's farewell speech wasn't included in the final program "due to time constraints."
"Ms. Placibe was informed just a few hours before the show that she might be asked to prepare a speech. It's important to note that she wasn't given advance notice, such as a week or a month before, to prepare for the speech," the organizers said, adding that the short notice "didn't allow for a technical rehearsal."
"Given her experience in the pageant arena, she understands the necessity of technical rehearsals for all stage proceedings, and it's expected that she understands why her speech was not included in the program," they added.
The organization added that a video was prepared and shown before Placibe's grand entrance on stage instead of the usual recorded farewell walk and speech.
It also added that it's been a "longstanding tradition" for city officials to crown the new queens instead of the reigning ones.
"This should not be a point of contention, as it has been an annual practice. The coronation of winners is a moment for the new queens and the new Binibining Toledo, and nobody should steal this moment from them, not even the previous queens, including Miss Placibe."
The organizers didn't explicitly apologize to Placibe about the misunderstanding but "hoped" that it would not "overshadow the success of this event."
The beauty queen afterward released another statement where she said she was asked to make a short farewell message but was later told by someone from the organization that she would no longer deliver her speech "minutes before" she was going on stage, she said in Cebuano.
She also clarified that just because she criticized the Binibining Toledo organization, doesn't mean she's not grateful for them.
Placibe then ended her message with a congratulatory post for newly crowned Aliyah Kim Regalado.