The 2008 Miss Young International Scam...

Let me give you a background:

This successful pageant was held in Japan (1970-79), the Philippines (1980-81) and South Korea (1983). Many women who went on to international success in Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International, Miss Hawaiian Tropic and other contests had their so-called “start” here.

This pageant was born in Tokyo Japan in 1970 alongside with the prestigious one other International Beauty Pageant. Although it had been held in Japan for more than 10 years, the pageant travelled to the Philippines in 1980 and 1981 respectively in 1983 Korea and Latvia in 2002.

Due to high cost of the hosting of the pageant, the organizers decided to cancel its hosting and concentrate on their mother pageant and its officially close its existence in 1983. In October 2006 the Elite Productions International Company acquires the ownership of the pageant and re-launch it in Manila, Philippines . The Organization is hosting the pageant worldwide in Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China this October.

Miss Young International

For its fifteen years in service to the world, the Miss Young International Beauty Pageant is not only a beauty pageant search and presentation of the most beautiful young women worldwide. It also served as the meeting grounds to delegates in helping the less fortunate people around the world specially the children who are in deep poverty.

One of the main objectives of this pageant is to help increase awareness on the issues about children, poverty and violence against children worldwide.

Charities and more:

Starting last year, the celebration of this pageant is done worldwide. With increasing numbers of delegates competing for the prestigious crown. The winner to this title will embark her year reign in visiting different charity organization worldwide, especially the poorest country wherein poverty and lack of education is very rampant.

As Ambassadress of beauty with a purpose, the winner uses her title to help different charity organizations for children. The scope of providing them the best education, personal and physical awareness and services that will bring them realized that there is still hope for this world.

The Delegates:

One major purpose of this pageant is to build up a strong friendship with all the delegates regardless of their nationality, language, religion, customs and traditions. It will also give them good experiences that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. This will help them become good citizens in their respective countries. An Ambassadress of Goodwill and a true champion of Service to charities.

The Crown:

In October 2006 the Elite Productions International Company acquires the ownership of the pageant and re-launch it in Manila, Philippines. The Organization is hosting the pageant worldwide in Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China this October.

Miss Young International

The winner of Miss Young International is chosen through the Beauty Pageant not simply as a "Champion of Beauty with a Purpose". She is chosen with beauty, talent and the strong ability to help other people, supported by her intelligence and ability to take action, in addition to possessing a "great international sensibility" appropriate for the ultimate representative of all the national representatives who are trying to achieve contributions to international society. Miss Young International is officially called "Charities of Beauties and Style”.

Organizer:

The Elite Productions International Company is equip with new breeds of talent in today’s new generation. The company is in line with events managements in the Philippines. It also covers International events worldwide in the field of fashions, Charity Gala, Expositions and events marketing.

Only last year the re-launching of the MISS YOUNG INTERNATIONAL Beauty Pageant gives the Company a genuine recognition and respect despite of negatives publicity by its detractors. The 2006 event shares its own success in the field of beauty pageant. The true bearing of style and Charity work lies in the hands of the entire organization and its supporters in bringing the best of its journey to success


The 2008 Scam/ Scandal:

• PAGEANT FROM HELL : Mark Ancheta, the organizer and self-proclaimed president of the revived Miss Young International pageant, has once again unleashed his powers of deception in the third edition of the pageant that is taking place in the Philippines. Alicia Michioka Jones, a former Miss Hawaii USA and the national director for Miss Young Hawaii and Miss Young USA, wrote to me yesterday to share some information that she had gathered from her two representatives who - along with the remaining contestants - are literally being held hostage by Ancheta. The pageant is so bad that several girls have already returned home. Jones gives the following report:

"The girls actually wanted to be there for the competion but left because it became no longer safe for them to be there. It was confirmed that Mark tried to take their passports, then tried to keep them there at all cost! Because Mark is using this pageant as a front to exploit the girls and make money off them by booking dinners and practically using them as escorts! When they finally were able to leave, they had to be escorted out by government officials who were Americans from the Embassy! Even then, they still tried to keep them there! They confirmed that the lines had been tampered with and they had been cut off of communication via phone in the hotel, Internet and pre-paid Philippines cell phone. With all the terrorism in the world, the girls were never given any reason to feel secure or safe. It was clear that there was going to be no prize money. Mark has year after year cheated the winners from their promised money. It was not worth it for the girls to stay there and compete for a $25 crown and spray painted banner! It wasn't worth it to stay and see if they would fall victim of something more!"

I wanted to find out more details about Ancheta's misdeeds so I called Alicia last night and spoke to her for over half an hour. Alicia picked up the phone, and I introduced myself. Alicia mentioned the following:

- the Internet votes have generated approximately US$150,000 in revenue, and that Ancheta is obviously using the pageant to make money

- Ancheta took the girls outside of Manila and into the province of Nueva Ecija so he could present the girls to the mayors and businessmen (presumably for sexual favors)

- Miss Ukraine and Miss Belarus were so fed up with the lousy treatment that they decided to leave the pageant (and when the other girls inquired why their two fellow contestants had left, Ancheta told them that "they were arrested" - which was a big lie)

- the accomodations outside Manila were substandard, the girls slept in mattresses infested with termites and bedbugs and covered with blood-stained sheets and they had to relieved themselves in buckets

- Miss Hawaii and Miss USA's titleholder sashes were confiscated and replaced by cheap, stenciled banners

- Miss Venezuela was informed that she could not leave the pageant because she had signed a contract that would prevent her from leaving the pageant before it was over (which is entirely false, as no such clause is found in the contract)

- that there was dissension even among Ancheta's staff; the quarreling became so intense that the staff broke up into two camps - one consisting of loyalists to Ancheta, and another consisting of followers of a certain "Roland" who had met Ancheta less than a month ago

- some of the girls, including Misses Hawaii and USA, were told that they would not make the finals because they had chosen not to go out with the group and participate in "absurd" events

- that the mother of Miss Bahamas, a wealthy woman, would suck up to Ancheta by paying for some of the expenses

- when the girls finally returned to Manila, they were kept in their hotel for two days without any planned activities and that their passports were confiscated

- Ancheta's staff had keys to all the girls' rooms, and some of them suspected that their room might have been bugged

- Ancheta would hysterically laugh at the girls if they got involved in a quarrel

- the mother of Miss Philippines felt so embarrassed by Ancheta and his staff's arrogance and unprofessionalism that she came up to the mothers of Misses Hawaii and USA to apologize (subsequently, a staff member warned the mother of Miss Philippines that she was forbidden to talk to others

and so forth, and so on...

It's interesting to note that the official MYI website has been "temporarily unavailable" for nearly two weeks now, which implies a couple of things: first, that Ancheta had not paid his Internet service provider, or second, that he intentionally shut it down to avoid publicity. A pageant organizer that does not share information with the public has definitely something to hide. Alicia also said that last Friday the contestants complained to the Philippine police about the mistreatment that Ancheta had been giving them, but the police remained nonchalant to the situation. The girls suspect that the police had been bribed by Ancheta to work for him, The finals of the pageant was supposed to have been held Monday night, but I have been cruising the Internet looking for information but I could not find any. We'll find out sooner or later.

I feel very much for Alicia and for all the national directors who had been conned by a smooth-talking and sly serpent who exploits young women and shatters their chances of winning a beauty crown. Unfortunately, Ancheta will continue with his ugly deeds as long as there are gullible people out there who will take his bait, or until he is apprehended by honest authorities and jailed.


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