Bb. Pilipinas-World 2008 Janina San Miguel has decided to quit as the Philippine representative to the Miss World 2008 beauty pageant that will be held on December 14 in Johannesburg, South Africa,
In a statement sent to the press by the Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) earlier tonight, September 29, Janina cited the recent death of her grandfather as her reason for backing out of the competition.
The BPCI statement reads: "The untimely demise of her grandfather, among other
personal reasons, has caused her undue stress, thus hindering her from
fulfilling her duties for the said title... BPCI wishes to express its gratitude
to Ms. San Miguel for this act of graciousness and concern for the country.
They also wish her well in her future endeavors."
Per the rules and regulations of the BPCI, Binibining Pilipinas 2008 first runner-up Danielle Castaño will take over Janina's duties as the country's representative to the Miss World 2008 pageant.
Janina made the headlines earlier this year during the Bb. Pilipinas competition when she fumbled in the question-and-answer portion. The critics lambasted her for "murdering the English language" while some enjoyed watching the video on that incident in YouTube. But in the end, she still went home with the Bb. Pilipinas-World crown.
The Philippines has yet to win the Miss World crown. The closest we got to the crown was when Evangeline Pascual placed 1st runner-up in 1973. Actress Ruffa Gutierrez became 2nd runner-up in 1993.