Philippine city declares New Zealand beauty queen “persona non grata”

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While today’s “epic fails” are tomorrow’s birdcage liners, the city of Cagayan de Oro has topped today’s “let’s make an ass out of ourselves” by filing a resolution to declare Nicole Harding, Miss New Zealand-Pancontinental as a “persona non grata”.

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Local politician Rufus Rodriguez filed the motion after Harding posted derogatory statements on her social media that he said put the city in a bad light.

The incident unfolded when Harding fled the city due to poor accommodations and lack of preparations by pageant organisers.

Harding compared the city to Afghanistan on her Facebook page – claiming that local officials had told her the city was dangerous for foreigners.

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Rodriguez says that Harding’s complaint was “malicious and false” and harmed the city’s reputation.

The proposal written by Rodriguez says: “There is a further need to look into the malicious and irresponsible statement made by Miss Harding in order to verify if such statement are true and if proven otherwise, to hold her persona non grata for disparaging the city of Cagayan de Oro and to request the Bureau of Immigration to put her name on the blacklist that she may never be admitted in the Philippines.”

The Cagayan de Oro house Representative also wanted to summon the pageant’s national organiser Mylene Miranda and local organizers Lourdes Stanley and Cheryl Macale, as well as local tourism officials.

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