Only two days after the Binibining Pilipinas 2017 grand coronation, reports came out on Tuesday that one of the winners – Binibining Pilipinas Intercontinental Katarina Rodriguez— might have to step down, sending a flurry of yet to be confirmed speculations on social media.
CNN Philippines reported that Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. (BPCI) received a text message from Katarina herself expressing that she might not accept the crown. “BPCI is waiting for a formal letter of resignation until today May 2,” the report said.
Neither the Binibining Pilipinas website nor its official Facebook page has made any official announcement regarding the issue.
Katarina, on the other hand, through her Twitter and Instagram accounts, has denied the reports.
“Hi fam. Never made an announcement to anyone that I’m resigning the crown. It’s been two days since one of the most intense AND fun experiences of my life. I’ve been sleeping & talking to my family, friends & loved ones. Also wanted to say whatever decision I make in regards to ANYTHING I will always consider where my heart & mind lie simultaneously. There’s a lot of magic in honesty. Remember that,” she said in her Instagram post.
Katarina’s Twitter updates communicated the same message.
“I never made any announcements that I’m not accepting the crown? Is it alright if everyone refrains from making assumptions first.”
“And maybe think it’s been two days since coronation which I obviously enjoyed so much. It was one of if not the funnest things I’ve done.”
Pep.ph stated in a similar report that the supposed resignation might happen due to a “residency issue.”
While it enumerates proof of citizenship and proof of residency as two of the requirements for joining the pageant, the Binibining Pilipinas FAQ page does not state a minimum required number of years for residency.
Citizenship, on the other hand, should not be an issue even if Katarina had spent most of her youth in the United States of America. Her family moved to Orlando, Florida when she was merely 3 years old.
However, Katarina moved back to the Philippines after graduating from high school in 2011. She pursued further studies at the De La Salle University, taking up Business Management and Philosophy. Katarina was still in college when she competed in Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 2 in 2014, where she became one of the finalists.
Retaining her citizenship could not have been a problem for Katarina. R.A. 9225 or the “Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003” warrants that a natural-born Filipino citizen who has resided in a country can retain or re-acquire citizenship by taking the Philippine Oath of Allegiance before a duly authorized Philippine official and submitting required documents.
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