(Eagle News) — Three Miss Earth contestants have come forward and accused a pageant sponsor of sexual harassment during the contest run in the Philippines.
In a social media post, Miss Guam Emma Mae Sheedy identified the sponsor as Amado S. Cruz.
Apart from Sheedy, Miss Earth Canada Jaime VandenBerg, Miss Earth England Abbey-Anne Gyles-Brown took to social media to share their experiences of sexual harassment.
“He showed up to almost all of my events telling me he could take care of my needs and asked for sexual favours in exchange to get me further in the pageant. I was disgusted,” VandenBerg said.
Gyles-Brown narrated a similar story, saying she was approached by the sponsor at an event at the Manila Yacht Club.
According to VandenBerg, the sponsor also “took all of the delegates in my group to his yacht and had some girls take sultry photos.”
“There was no respect or compassion shown to myself or Jamie. I felt traumatized by this experience and had many sleepless nights,” Gyles-Brown said.
In an interview over CNN Philippines, Lorraine Schuck, one of the heads of Carousel Productions, which organized the pageant, said she immediately acted upon learning about the incident.
She said Cruz was banned from pageant events.
But according to Sheedy, Cruz was present in events even after Schuck was told about their concerns.
“I shouldn’t have to face any kind of harassment in order to represent my country,” VandenBerg said.
