A recent controversy hounded the Miss Universe Philippines (MUPh) after a visual artist claimed that he did not get paid for the trophies used in this year’s coronation night.
The issue came to light after local artist Jeff Albea claimed on his Facebook post that he had not received payment for the commissions given by the beauty pageant organization.
According to Albea, MUPh “vanished into thin air” and “refused to pay” for the trophies he designed and crafted for the coronation night.
“All the effort, dedication and passion I put in creating these pieces, ended up ignored and disregarded when payment was due,” Jeff expressed his dismay in his post.
Concluding his message, Albea stressed that he refuses to “receive a single centavo” from the organization after the incident to serve as a strong statement demanding respect and appreciation for him and his fellow artists.
Following the accusation, Borg Roxas, who introduced himself as the head of production of MUPh, addressed the allegations in a detailed Facebook post.
According to Roxas, a partial payment of P150,000 was made to Albea but no official receipt was provided.
“Naisip namin na magandang gift sya sa mga winners para hindi lang yung crystal trophy na mura lang ang souvenir items ng mga winners. Nagbayad naman ang production agad kasi konti lang suppliers,” he explained their decision to commission trophies for the candidates.
Roxas also clarified that the remaining P75,000 is currently being processed by MUPh management, adhering to standard billing procedures required for large-scale events.
He detailed the chaotic environment backstage during the MUPh finals, where the confusion contributed to the delay in processing Albea’s payment.
Roxas recounted, “During the MUPh finals, magulo na lahat sa backstage. I admit na kausap namin si Sir Jef. Pero on the day of the finals pinadala yung mga artwork, and on that day din namin nalaman through his assistant na need magbayad ng 75,000 pesos.”
The production head noted that many suppliers had submitted their invoices before the event allowing their payments to be processed more swiftly.
“Lahat ng suppliers nagpapadala ng billing statement at invoice prior to May 22 para aligned na lahat. Nauuna nabayaran yung nagpapadala agad kasi may paperwork,” he explained.
Unfortunately, Albea’s documentation was incomplete at that time, resulting in his exclusion from the scheduled cutoff for payments.
Roxas assured that Albea’s payment, saying, “With Sir Jef, aside from we are paying him, we are also promoting him. We never promoted any other suppliers kasi natuwa kami na he was willing to help elevate the gifts for the winners.”
He further expressed disappointment that Albea chose to post about the issue despite “ongoing communication” with the MUPh staff.
“Nakakalungkot lang na nagpopost na agad sya na magkausap naman sila ng staff. Hindi sya nakasama sa May 30 cut off kasi walang papers. Kaya sa June 15 cut off sya nakasama kasi magkausap sila ng staff,” reacted Roxas..
Roxas felt compelled to address the situation publicly to defend MUPh’s reputation and to clarify the production team’s efforts to manage supplier payments fairly and efficiently.
“Kailangan din namin sa production magsubmit ng tamang papeles kasi walang kasulatan with Sir Jef sa terms. Pero kahit ganun man, wala naman TINATAKASAN,” he wrote.
Roxas further defended the organization, stating, “Again, hindi ang MUPh ang nagkamali dito. Sa production side, kailangan namin idefend sa management kahit walang billing or invoice.”
He stressed the importance of proper documentation in facilitating these transactions, a standard practice for large events like Miss Universe Philippines.
“Nag yes naman agad management sa amin. Pero sa usual na may billing and proper documentation lang para pag dating sa filing ng taxes, madefend namin ang expenses,” Roxas claimed.
“Lahat naman mababayaran,” he concluded his post, emphasizing that all outstanding payments would be settled in due course.
Following , MUPh has also released an official statement on its Facebook page, denying the said allegations of refusing or ignoring to pay for Albea’s crafted trophies.
“We categorically deny that the MUPh Org. neither refused to pay, disregarded or ignored payment for the trophies. In accordance with the standard procedure of billing for suppliers to sponsors, MUPh needs proper documentation for the said transaction,” the organization’s statement read.
