Miss World Philippines National Director Arnold Vegafria issues clarification

Arnold Vegafria, the national director of the Miss World Philippines Organization, was compelled to release a clarificatory statement after he was put on the spot at a recent media event where he was forced to respond to a query about the recent Miss World pageant.

At the quadruple-billed media conference hosted by his ALV Pageant Circle at the vestibule of the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Pasay City on Sept. 10, an online content creator asked his position on a having six Vietnamese judges at the 2026 international pageant held in Vietnam earlier this month, an insinuation that was later proven erroneous.

Vegafria tried to keep mum, saying he might lose the Miss World franchise if he spoke, but the insistent content creator managed to extract a response from him. “Are you serious, that’s really your question?” he asked the guest.

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He then proceeded to answer: “Of course, if I am the owner of the organization, and it’s really my decision who will be the final judges of the coronation, I would definitely include the host country, but not that [many]. Maybe two or three [are] enough.”

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READ: Miss World 2026 runners-up join roster of ‘continental queens’

In the statement issued on Saturday evening, Sept. 12, Vegafria said, “Upon conducting a more thorough review of the coronation night festivities, particularly the introduction of the esteemed panel of judges, we have confirmed that there were only three Vietnamese who sat in as judges.”

Three of the seven judges, or almost half of the panel, were Vietnamese–Shinhan Beauty Center CEO Cao Thi Hoan, 1992 Miss World Vietnam Ha Kieu Anh, and Miss World Vietnam National Director Pham Kim Dung.

Pham’s inclusion in the panel of judges raised a lot of eyebrows, with many pageant fans citing conflict of interest. She was the main person responsible for fielding Vietnam’s Miss World delegate Le Nguyen Bao Ngoc.

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Several vidoes taken by members of the audience during the final competition in Nha Trang showed Pham waving the Vietnamese flag from the judges’ table, and cheering alongside the predominantly Vietnamese spectators.

The rest of the judging panel included former Miss World titleholders Karolina Bielawska from Poland, Krytyna Pyszkova from the Czech Republic, and Wilnelia Merced from Puerto Rico; and Miss World Organization Chair Julia Morley.

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In the two preceeding editions held in India, there were several Indian personalities who were part of the judging panel, but the Miss World India national director did not join the selection committee.

In the 2021 and 2019 editions held in Puerto Rico and England, respectively, the Miss World national directors of the host countries were not included in the judging panel.

Miss World national directors have joined the judging panel in other editions in the past, but the 2025 competition was the first time in recent memory that the national director of the host country was a part of the selection committee.

Vegafria himself was once tapped to join the Miss World judging panel. He was included in the selection committee of the 2017 competition held in China, the first year he headed the Miss World Philippines Organization.

In his recently-released statement, Vegafria sought to end what he cited was a “misunderstanding” through his clarification, and said the “issue” was “misinterpreted and magnified on social media.”

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Vegaria has been sending the Philippines’ delegates to the Miss World pageant since 2017, but he has never scored a victory yet. He, however, has been successful in his other franchises. /edv