- We’ve probably heard so much stories about people making lewd comments about men groping women without their consent especially during beauty pageants where women are asked to don in their swimsuit best.
- This year’s Miss Philippines Earth 2017 is no different.
- A beauty pageant contestant, Kim de Guzman revealed that a member of the media [a photographer] allegedly grabbed her behind during the press presentation recently.
- Kim de Guzman is a former hoursemate of ABS-CBN’s “Pinoy Big Brother.”
- De Guzman, 24, said would’ve wanted to ask the hotel’s police officer to invite the said photographer for further investigation but decided not to at the last minute. De Guzman believes it will be blown out into proportion.
- During the time of the said untoward incident, there were around 40 candidates wearing their two-piece swimsuits.
There was an untoward incident which had happened during the Miss Earth Philippines 2017 beauty pageant where one of the candidates was grabbed from behind by a photographer.
“I was so upset that he thought I was so insignificant that he could just do that,” Kim de Guzman, 24, told the media.
She decided to come forward and relate her experience.
“I would’ve wanted to meet him face-to-face, I even asked to security personnel of the hotel where we held out swimsuit preliminaries to hold him for further discussion.” But De Guzman decided not to at the last minute. “Ayoko na rin kasing palakihin pa. Rather than lose my focus on my goal in joining this contest,” she said.
According to the source, the said photographer was indeed a legit media but he didn’t want to be identified. Lorraine Schuck, EVP of Carousel Productions, organizer of the annual Miss Earth pageant, confiscated the photographer’s ID and brought him to the office of the hotel.
Carousel Productions will not tolerate these things. They assured all the candidates that this incident will not happen again in the future.
The victim, De Guzman, was actually one of the frontrunners in the said beauty pageant. She has won special awards in the pre-pageant activities last week.
The Miss Earth Philippines 2017 beauty pageant grand coronation night will be held on July 15 at the Mall of Asia Arena.