Beauty queen may reclaim crown

MANILA, Philippines - Dethroned Binibining Pilipinas-Universe Maria Venus Raj can regain her title if she can get a Philippine passport, Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) said in a statement yesterday.

“We have reassessed the situation pertaining to Miss Maria Venus Raj and have decided, for humanitarian reasons, that if she is able to obtain a valid Philippine passport, we will reinstate her as the reigning Bb. Pilipinas-Universe,” the BPCI said.

Raj was stripped of her crown last March 29 because of citizenship issues. The BPCI executive committee said they found inconsistencies in her birth record and the information she provided during the pre-pageant interview.

“We are sensitive to her (Raj) situation, but we are aware, too, of our responsibilities, an entity existing under Philippine law... Our intention with respect to Ms. Raj was always to protect her in the way we felt appropriate,” BPCI said.

Abs-cbnnews.com yesterday reported that Raj has been informed of the BPCI decision and is consulting with her lawyers.

“I’m discussing it with my lawyers and my family. But definitely I will get a passport,” Raj said during a guest appearance on popular noontime show Wowowee.

The Filipino-Indian beauty from Camarines Sur maintained that the pageant officials were aware of the incorrect entries in her birth certificate from the beginning.

Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chief Leila de Lima had said Raj’s dethronement “deserves serious scrutiny.”

De Lima said she would like to know if BPCI gave Raj a chance to explain the inconsistencies in her birth record.

When Raj was dethroned, she also missed the opportunity to compete in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant.

Second runner-up Helen Nicolette Henson, a 21-year-old Broadcast Journalism major at St. Scholastica’s College, will compete in the international pageant. First runner-up Dianne Necio was disqualified from competing in the Miss Universe because she is only 17 years old. The pageant has a minimum age requirement of 18.