November 22, 2023 | 5:05pm

MANILA, Philippines — The Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) organization has clarified an incident involving reigning queen Michelle Dee during a television guesting in Mexico City.

Following the coronation of Nicaragua’s Sheynnis Palacios as Miss Universe 2023, several of this year’s delegates travelled to Mexico, which will be hosting the 73rd edition of the pageant.

A video has gone viral of the candidates attending a shoot for local television show “Venga La Alegria,” and Michelle was seen being escorted from the line-up early, an incident that prompted suspicion from fans.

MUPH released a statement to clear up speculations and explained that Michelle had to be excused after not feeling well due to the hectic schedule. 

“Michelle had to excuse herself to drink water because she wasn’t feeling well due to the past weeks’ tedious back-to-back schedule,” the statement read. “Upon seeing her condition, the MUPH team decided that it was best for her to go back to the hotel to get some rest.”

The organization also pointed out that by the time Michelle was escorted, the segment she was involved in had already finished.

MUPH ended its statement with well wishes for Michelle who later joined a planned city tour but cut her participation short in order to rest more.

Michelle finished in the Top 10 of Miss Universe 2023 and received three recognitions: the Spirit of Carnival Award, a Gold winner for the Voice for Change competition, and the most fan votes for this year’s pageant.

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