Miss Lapu-Lapu’s mom vs Team Origin: After the glitz comes the bills

CEBU, Philippines —  The mother of the Lapu-Lapu City candidate at the recently concluded Miss Universe Philippines 2022 finals unleashed a social media tirade on her daughter’s Cebu team for being reminded to pay their bills, prompting a designer to respond that creatives can’t afford to work pro bono at all times.

In a Facebook account with the handle of Chiesa Mariz – the mother of Fil-Swiss Sashi Chiesa – this was posted right after the Saturday finals: “Sashi didn’t even make it to top 16 coz we got scammed but Sven Chua the Origin Management manager and claimed to be the AP [Accredited Partner] of Lapu-Lapu City, he collected 100k from us and promised to be Sashi’s team (who will take care of her MUP journey but he didn’t) just yesterday morning they messaged Sashi again and wanted more money from us and even threatened na if dili muhatag more i-report sa MUP.”

“To be honest Sashi was prepared/rehearsed for Top 5 then Top 10 [sic]. But ingon ana mo kadautan! I remained silent ‘til the coronation night. It’s time! Ako maningil nimo, pakit-on tika what I can do.”

Chiesa ended her bid early during the coronation as she failed to make the Top 16 cut, along with Mandaue City’s Isabel Luche. Lou Dominique Piczon of Cebu Province and Chantal Elise Schmidt of Cebu City, meanwhile, penetrated the Top 10 finalists.

Schmidt’s bid was being supported by Origin Model & Artist Management as it is also the same agency that handles her as a model. Origin also handled Sashi’s requirements, but did not promote her on its online platforms since she is not a member of Origin.

In a lengthy reply, fashion designer Axel Que, who was tapped for the national costumes of Schmidt and Chiesa, said, “I had hoped to have settled this matter privately. But since Ms. ‘Chiesa Mariz’ , mother of Miss Universe Ph Lapu Lapu city, Sashi Chiesa, has launched a libelous social media tirade about my team (Origin Model Management) and our manager and designated AP (accredited partner), I feel like I should engage her with facts and receipts in order to clear things up.”

“Chantal Schmidt settled all her payables to the team way before she left for the final stretch of the competition in Manila. In contrast, Ms. Lapu-Lapu City, despite the inability to settle her balance before flying out to Manila, my team and I still poured our hearts and soul into making sure we finish the costume, and out [of] my personal empathy and willingness to understand her situation, I still made sure to send the costume to her.”

Que, who was behind the national costumes of Miss Universe Philippines 2021 Beatrice Luigi Gomez and Miss World Philippines 2021 Tracy Maureen Perez, further said that she repeatedly messaged the younger Chiesa regarding her dues but had been ignored and “seenzoned.”

“It came to a point where I really had to put my foot down. I informed Ms. Lapu-Lapu City that if she doesn’t respond to my messages I will be compelled to reach out to the Miss Universe [Philippines] Organization to ask for their assistance in the collection of both the balance and my costume.”

“Again, I had hoped to have settled this privately and professionally, but her mother has decided to maliciously malign my team and myself on social media with the end goal of tarnishing our good name and standing,” said Que, adding that Origin has built a credible reputation over the years and has cemented that with the calibre of ladies they’ve been sending to national pageants.

In a separate post, Que said that at the end of the day, pageants are still a business and joining one entails huge expenses.

“You cannot avail of services pro bono. We are already in a time where creatives like myself and my colleagues need to be compensated for our services and hard work. It’s 2022, you cannot expect to get things for free these days, especially in a time of crisis,” Que wrote.

“The lack of respect for my craft and profession is the most heartbreaking part. To have put so much time, effort, and resources into this craft and not be given the respect of a private phone call, really goes to show that one can be educated but ignorant at the same time.”

The younger Chiesa has yet to comment on the matter as of this writing.