May sagot ang Thai businesswoman na si Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip o Anne JKN sa hindi pagpasok ni Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi sa Top 16 ng Miss Universe 2022.
Si Anne ang chief executive officer at bagong owner ng Miss Universe Organization (MUO).
Ang Pilipinas ay consistent top performer sa prestigious international pageant at laging pasok sa semifinals mula noong 2010.
Dalawang beses na ring nasungkit ng Pilipinas ang korona sa nakalipas na 12 taon: si Pia Wurtzbach noong 2015 at si Catriona Gray noong 2018.
Ito ang unang beses na hindi nakapasok sa semifinals ang Pilipinas pagkalipas ng 12 taon.
Sa vlog ng Filipino businesswoman Olivia Quido nitong January 19, 2023, diretsahan niyang tinanong si Anne tungkol sa hindi pagkapasok ni Celeste sa Top 16 ng Miss Universe 2022.
Si Olivia ay isa rin sa judges ng 71st edition ng Miss Universe.
Simula ni Olivia, “Filipino fans are surprised that they are not in the Top 16…”
“I’m surprised also, Thailand…” sagot ni Anne, pagtukoy sa kanyang home country na isa ring consistent placer sa Miss Universe pageant.
“Coz I sit down and I thought, ‘Goodness heaven[s], what is happening here?!’ You know what, Italy doesn’t come in…”
Aminado si Anne na nagulat siya sa iba ring representatives na hindi nakapasok sa Top 16 gaya ng Cambodia, Mexico, at Indonesia.
Kung tutuusin daw ay maraming previous placers ang ligwak ngayong taon sa semifinals.
Naniniwala raw si Anne na ginawa ng mga hurado ang trabaho nilang mamili kung sino ang mga karapat-dapat sa Top 16.
Sabi ng trans businesswoman: “I counted myself, like 15, all 20 of them that used to be in the poll internationally, everyone just ripped off the poll.
“Like, ‘Oh my goodness, everything just went upside down.’ So you wouldn’t know."
Ang tinutukoy ni Anne na "poll" ay ang annual forecast ng pageant fans and experts sa top contenders sa Miss Universe.
Giit ni Anne, “I’m surprised but I’m not shocked by the quality or by the high standard, benchmark of the judges.
“That’s why I think we have a good curriculum, I think we have a good term in term[s] of judging the beauty Olympics here, the beauty of humanity here.
“Because we see so many aspects, that’s why I'm not shocked…
“But I’m surprised, because usually they get [in].”
Sa kabila nito, naging maganda rin daw ang resulta dahil nabigyan ng pagkakataon ang ibang bansa, na hindi nakakapasok o matagal nang hindi nakapasok, sa semifinals.
“The first time that we have Laos, and a few other countries, like Australia, never get in, like, in the Top 16 for a long time, got in also...
“And some of the island in the Caribbean also, they got in.
“They’re happy to have, to [be] give[n] the equal chance to everyone.”
NOT RIGGED; MESSAGE TO BASHERS
Mariing itinanggi ni Anne na dinaya ang resulta ng Miss Universe 2022 pageant.
“Why do we have to do that? What for?” sabi niya.
“And did you think long term, okay.
“How much do I pay for the organization when I acquired [it], yeah?
“Do I have to jeopardize myself by doing this particular rigging? No.”
Hindi rin daw niya ikokompromiso ang pangalan ng organization.
May iniwan ding mensahe si Anne sa pageant fans.
Pinasalamatan niya ang supporters, at may pakiusap din siya sa mga kritiko.
Saad niya, “We have to be rational also. We must have reason.
“We just cannot have backlash all the time and we're gonna get high of having a good standard of good benchmark.”
Ang adhikain daw ng Miss Universe ay humanap ng mga karapad-dapat na kandidata na hindi lang korona ang habol.