Miss Universe Philippines 2020 delegate Sandra Lemonon who is representing the province of Taguig at the competition came out to defend her pageant sister and dear friend Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray after her ex-boyfriend Clint Bondad’s controversial posts on social media.
Clint Bondad became a trending topic on social media after he posted several cryptic messages on his social media account’s stories on Wednesday night i.e., 15th July 2020. These posts or stories came after Clint sent a direct message to actor and Catriona’s beau Sam Milby; asking him if he wants to become his "client." He also posted that that "dating app" is not equivalent to "church," which made some netizens wonder if Bondad is alluding to how Milby and Gray met. He also said in three consecutive posts that there’s no need to worry because he is only the ex. Towards the latter part, Bondad posted “Become my Client, Friend.” The ex-boyfriend also wrote “P.S. I create Queens” followed by another post which says “Because I push You Beyond all your Limits.”
After the entire Clint’s cryptic posts, a fan page of Catriona posted a picture with a caption in which they mentioned that they are “disgusted” with the “chismis culture” in the Filipino online community. The handler of the account said those participating in this culture are also “degrading” Catriona’s reputation.
Sandra who is not only vying for the title of Miss Universe Philippines 2020 but is also a very close friend of Catriona Gray as the two were part of Binibining Pilipinas 2018 where she was placed at Top 15 while Catriona won the title of Miss Universe Philippines 2018. The two have stayed friends since then and keeping her friendship the diva defended her friend online with commenting on the post stating how alarming it is that some people are supporting what she has described as toxic behavior. Seemingly referring to Clint, Sandra said he is not in a healthy state of mind. “It seems like most people forget that when you are in the public eye that doesn’t mean you are not Human… that you don’t have feelings, that you are perfect,” she said.
The diva also stated that one day, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray will share her side of the story and come out stronger than ever. “To every person that ever doubted her good intentions, accused her of things she didn’t do, I hope that you will all learn how to not judge anyone or quick to react especially when you don’t know the full story,” she ended.
After Miss Universe Philippines 2020 delegate Sandra Lemonon, Miss Grand International 2016 first runner-up Nicole Cordoves also came out in support of her friend and pageant sister, Catriona. She said, "Yes, he poked around and played games but still enough to keep himself from trouble," without mentioning Clint’s name. She further added, "Guess who filled the gaps of lies? Everyone else. Opportunistic people who want to discredit her and people who want to believe in the narrative that, 'finally, cheaters have faced consequences' like some twisted way of perceiving justice for themselves. BTW, not true. I'll leave it there."
Nicole mentioned that it is very sad and hard to listen and read online that Catriona was being judged by everyone only based on mere speculations and she called on the public to "actively disempower toxic masculinity." Over the weekend, Gray's legal counsel denied the authenticity of the Miss Universe 2018 titleholder's alleged topless photo, and said they will take legal action against those involved in its publication. Catriona’s boyfriend, actor Sam Milby, has also defended himself and Gray against "false stories and fake news that people are creating to fill in the blanks."
Former Miss Universe Catriona Gray is mentoring the Binibining Pilipinas 2020 batch along with friend Miss Grand International 2016 first runner-up Nicole Cordoves. She is also ready to release her new single “We’re in This Together” along with boyfriend Sam Milby on her YouTube channel. It was also announced that all streams and digital download proceeds from the performance will go towards Young Focus Philippines' "Quality Education for All" campaign which aims to raise one million pesos to kickstart an online education program for the students of Young Focus amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.