Iloilo's Zestah Espinosa breaks silence as last-minute gown change sparks issue at MUPH 2026

Iloilo bet Zestah Espinosa’s last-minute gown change at the coronation night of Miss Universe Philippines 2026 has sparked controversy online, which prompted official statements from the Miss Iloilo Organization (MIO), the beauty queen, and her camp.

MIO addressed the issue on Facebook, expressing concern over what it described as an uncoordinated wardrobe change during the live broadcast of the event at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday night.

“During the live broadcast, a decision was made by Zestah Espinosa and her team to wear a different evening gown from the one officially approved by the organization, without prior notice or consultation,” MIO wrote.

“As a result, the designer credited on-screen (Jo Rubio) was not the creator of the gown that was ultimately worn, leading to an unintended misattribution of creative work,” the statement added.

In its statement, MIO noted that “the organization maintains clear guidelines to ensure coordination, professionalism, and proper recognition of all contributors" and apologized to Rubio and stylist Francis Chee “for any misunderstanding.”

Meanwhile, Espinosa also took to Facebook to address the public reaction to the controversy, acknowledging the criticism she has received.

“I’ve seen all the posts about what happened with the gown—the harsh words, the blame, and the fingers being pointed,” the beauty queen said, adding that “not everything you see or hear online tells everything.”

Espinosa urged for empathy amid the controversy.

“I’m not here to add to the negativity,” she wrote. “I just hope we can choose a little more kindness and understanding, especially when things aren’t clear.”

In her post, Espinosa defended and stood by her team, saying, “I won’t let anyone tarnish the name of my team.”

“They believed in me when I had nothing, and they stayed when others walked away,” she added.

On the other hand, Espinosa’s camp released an official response to provide additional context on the events leading up to the Miss Universe Philippines 2026 coronation night.

According to the group, only a “sketch was provided,” and a “completed gown was never shown” to them before the event, despite their team “requesting updates” three days before the coronation night.

Due to the uncertainty, the camp prepared a backup option, they said.

“A white gown was created two days before the pageant, strictly as an emergency backup option,” claiming the official gown “arrived at approximately 5:00 p.m., shortly before the pageant officially began.”

Espinosa's camp also raised concerns about compliance with competition guidelines, noting that “concerns regarding the beadwork on the gown had also been raised beforehand in consideration of the Miss Universe Philippines Organization’s ‘Strictly No Beads’ guideline.”

For context, Miss Iloilo’s supposed gown made by Rubio features subtle beadwork on the left side of the waist.

They emphasized that the decision on which gown to wear was not made unilaterally.

“Zestah herself asked in the group chat which gown she should wear because she was uncertain about the best option under the circumstances,” the statement read.

“The matter was openly discussed collectively during a challenging moment and was not the result of an isolated or unilateral decision,” it added.

Espinosa’s camp maintained there was no intent to disregard protocols or disrespect the contributors.

“There was never any intention to disregard established processes, disrespect any designer, or diminish anyone’s creative contribution,” it said.

“Every action taken during that time was made under intense pressure, limited time, and the shared objective of ensuring that the candidate could continue the competition prepared and composed,” the statement added.

The camp concluded by emphasizing the need for better coordination moving forward.

“This experience highlights the importance of clear communication, coordination, preparedness, and collective understanding in high-pressure environments such as national competitions,” it ended.

Espinosa finished her Miss Universe Philippines 2026 journey in the Top 15, with Bea Windorski of La Union taking home the coveted Jewelmer crown.

Read MIO's statement. Here is Zestah Espinosa's statement. And here is her camp's Facebook post. — LA, GMA News