Miss Universe Philippines Beatrice Luigi Gomez will immediately return home to her family in Cebu City following the onslaught of Typhoon “Odette” (international name: Rai).
Cebu City was among the areas severely affected by the typhoon after it made landfall on December 16.
In a statement on Friday, December 17, the MUP organization said that Gomez’ family was among the affected residents of the storm.
“According to Bea, her family was trapped in their home during the typhoon and it badly damaged the apartment building. Thankfully, they are physically safe now,” it said.
“Bea’s priority is her family’s welfare at the moment. As soon as she is out of quarantine, she will head to Cebu to assist them,” it added.
In line with this, the MUP advised that any media interviews with the beauty queen are postponed in the meantime.
“We know that many of our media friends want to congratulate and celebrate Bea’s Miss Universe Top 5 placement. However, we will be postponing any interviews in the meantime,” it said.
Gomez ended her Miss Universe journey after she failed to make it to the top three of the competition that took place in Eilat, Israel last Monday, December 13.
She managed to advance to the top five finalists.
India’s Harnaaz Sandhu was hailed the 70th Miss Universe. This was the first time the country won the elusive crown since 2000 or 21 years ago.
READ: Former beauty queens cheer Bea Gomez after Top 5 finish at 70th Miss Universe
Two days after the event, the MUP shared photos of Gomez’s arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport 3.
Gomez, a navy reservist, was welcomed by the Philippine Navy.
READ: Beatrice Luigi Gomez returns to Philippines after Miss Universe 2021 journey
Call for donations
The MUP also added that welcome festivities normally organized for returning beauty queens will also not push through.
Instead, the organization called on pageant fans to support the relief efforts of Gomez and the foundation called SimplyShare Foundation Inc. for the typhoon victims.
The Cebuana beauty is the foundation’s ambassadress.
“Instead of our originally planned welcome festivities, the MUPh Organization appeals to the public to support in the relief efforts of Bea, along with Simply Share Foundation Inc. to help the victims of the typhoon,” it said.
“We will be posting details on where you can donate as soon as it is available. We thank you for your understanding,” it added.
SimplyShare is a Cebu-based non-profit organization dedicated to fighting hunger malnutrition in the Philippines.
In its Facebook page, it posted details of its bank account and office address for those who are interested to donate to typhoon victims.
Several entities have also launched donation drives to distribute relief goods and other emergency aid to affected communities.
These include the Ateneo de Manila University and the Tulong Kabataan Network.
READ: Rundown: Donation drives for ‘Odette’ victims