Auditing firm SGV (SyCip, Gorres Velayo & Company) finally broke its silence over the technical error encountered during the grand coronation night of Miss Universe Philippines 2023.
SGV issued an exclusive statement to the Inquirer setting the record straight as questions persist on the integrity of the results of the pageant.
It can be recalled that after announcing the Top 10, host Xian Lim made an announcement that the Top 18 will be competing again for the Top 5 slot.
“A technical issue occurred that affected the tabulation of the judges’ scores in the selection of the Top 10 finalists, which was immediately detected. Upon detection, MUPh and SGV immediately implemented the contingency plan to perform manual validation of the results in observance of the agreed protocols,” the auditing firm added.
“In light of the situation, SGV recognizes the efforts of the MUPh board, led by Mr. Jonas Gaffud, to immediately resolve and uphold the fairness of the competition by allowing the 18 delegates to compete in the evening gown competition.,” SGV added.
Miss Universe Philippines National Director Shamcey Supsup also explained after the pageant on what transpired in the competition.
“I carefully examined the figures, my attention was drawn to the highly improbable numbers. This gave rise to concerns that the integrity of the results may have been compromised,” she said.
“MUPh and SGV are committed to fairness, transparency, and impartiality of the selection for the country’s representative to Miss Universe. MUPh has established policies and procedures for the tabulation process, including the engagement of SGV as an independent tabulator for the past four years,” a joint statement from MUPh and SGV stated.
“With the foregoing, we were able to uphold and preserve the integrity of the process and the results,” SGV and the Miss Universe Philippines organization added.
