While on one end hosting the Miss Universe pageant in Philippines has brought excitement and thrill among the fans, on other hand the news has also stirred a controversial question on the minds of few. According to the former Ilocos governor Chavit Singson, although the budget to host the pageant is being shouldered by private sectors, the country might operate on a financial loss and do not expect a return on investment.
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In one of the interviews, talking to the media Chavit Singson mentioned:
“Walang balik. Baka malugi pa kami diyan dahil malaki ang 12 million dollars pero marami kaming katulong. Kailangan kaya nating gastusan. In-assure ko naman sila. Of course, may mga sponsor pero baka malugi kami diyan dahil malaking gastos. But we don’t mind that, ma-advertise naman ang lahat ng mga negosyo dito sa buong mundo”
Translated...
“We might even have losses because 12 million dollar is a huge amount. We need to be able to spend [for it]. I assured them. Of course we have sponsors but we might experience a loss because it’s a big expenditure. But we don’t mind that, our businesses will be advertised around the world.”
An article on ManilaTimes.net by journalist Katrina Stuart Santiago also pointed out the reasons why hosting the pageant in Philippines is not really a great idea. Katrina listed out the reasons as to why hosting the Miss Universe pageant in Philippines is not such a good idea. Few highlights from the article are listed below...
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“Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo Teo is evading a whole lot of questions when she says that government will not spend a single cent on hosting the Miss Universe pageant in the country. The mere fact that the Department of Tourism (DOT) is all agog about finding sponsors, about doing press releases on this pageant, is already the Duterte government spending on the Miss Universe.
For a pageant like Miss Universe, the DOT will be spending the rest of the next six months just working on this one thing, using whatever’s left of its P3.61 BILLION-peso budget for 2016. And you know this to be true because what else have we heard from the DOT since Secretary Teo was appointed? Nothing.
Remember the City of Doral? No? Well, that was the host city of the 2015 Miss Universe pageant. That city government spent millions on the pageant, even when it promised its people that it would not spend taxpayers’ money. You know why the government spent money anyway? Because the cash raised from sponsors wasn’t enough, by which time it was too late, and the city put out millions in cash.
Fact: in 1994, when we held the Miss Universe here, there was no tourism growth from 1993. And it didn’t grow either in 1995 or 1996. So no long-term growth either”.
In 2015, the Miss Universe pageant instigated a hullabaloo by crowning the wrong winner, this time it seems like the pageant has garnered much controversy even before the pageant. What is your take on the whole issue?
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