The Miss World Philippines Organization released a statement on Friday, December 17 hours after it was announced that the Miss World competition in Puerto Rico was postponed.

In the statement, national director Arnold Vegafria said that the country’s representative Tracy Maureen Perez has tested negative for COVID-19 and is taking all safety precautions, following news of 17 candidates and staff members testing positive for COVID-19.

“We would like to assure local pageant fans that our official candidate, Ms. Tracy Maureen Perez has been tested negative and is taking all precautionary measures to ensure her safety and well-being. Amid the unexpected turn of events, she continues to uphold her promise to do her best to bring home the crown.”

The MWP organization also assured that they are behind the decision of MWO to reschedule the pageant within 90 days.

This is the second time the pageant was postponed. The 70th edition was moved to 2021 following the pandemic around the world.