2010 Bb. Pilipinas Universe dethroned

MANILA, Philippines - Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. (BPCI) has stripped 2010 Binibining Pilipinas-Universe titleholder Maria Venus Raj of her crown because of citizenship issues.

“Yesterday, March 29, 2010, Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. decided, with a heavy heart, to let Binibining Pilipinas-Universe 2010 Maria Venus Raj go after the organization discovered inconsistencies contained in her birth records, in contrast to her personal account of her birth,” BPCI said in a statement issued yesterday.

BPCI corporate and public relations manager Genny Marcial said Raj’s birth certificate showed she was born in Camarines Sur. She and her mother, however, claimed she was born in Doha, Qatar.

Her father, Vincent Raj, registered as a Catholic Filipino in her birth certificate, was discovered to be an Indian national and is not married to her mother, contrary to what is stated in her birth record.

“The legal document (Raj’s birth certificate) is indeed authentic. The information in the document, however, is fabricated, it being filed three years after Venus’ birth by her mother’s cousin who, at the time, worked in the civil registrar’s office,” Marcial said. “BPCI only discovered this accidentally after the coronation, the admission coming straight from the mouth of Ms. Raj, and later on, her mother.”

Binibining Pilipinas Universe second runner-up Nicolette Henson will replace her as the country’s representative to the 2010 Miss Universe pageant. First runner-up Dianne Necio is not yet qualified to join the international pageant because she is only 17 years old. Miss Universe has a qualifying age requirement of 18.

Three Bb. Pilipinas-Universe titleholders had been dethroned for nationality issues. These are Anjanette Abayari (Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 1991) and Tisha Silang (Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 1998), both born and raised in the United States; and Janelle Bautista (Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 1999), who was born in Canada.