Model-entrepreneur Brandon Espiritu has reflected on the backlash he received over his controversial remark about “half-Filipinos” in pageantry.
The Mister Supranational 2024 second runner-up appeared in a man-on-the-street interview of content creator Eren Wayne Jr. in Japan, where he admitted that his remark was “arrogant.”
Brandon previously drew flak after telling an online user that the Philippines “wouldn’t have a chance on the national stage without us halfies,” referring to Filipinos of mixed heritage.
Brandon is a Filipino-American but represented the Philippines at Mister Supranational 2024, where he became the first Philippine delegate to secure a podium finish in the competition after placing second runner-up.
His remark about half-Filipinos gained attention after he posted an Instagram video showing himself and fellow pageant delegates challenged to sing their respective national anthems.
Instead of singing the Philippine national anthem, “Lupang Hinirang,” the delegates representing the Philippines sang “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the national anthem of the United States.
When one online user questioned why they did not sing the “Lupang Hinirang,” Brandon replied, “Because we aren’t from the Philippines. Why would we lie.”
After the same online user suggested that he should not have represented the Philippines, Brandon responded, “Tell that to all the frontrunners for the Philippines. This country wouldn’t have a chance on the national stage without us halfies.”
Altgough the post has since been deleted, it drew criticism from some Filipinos, including beauty queens of mixed heritage such as Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray and Miss Supranational 2023 first runner-up Pauline Amelinckx.
Some critics argued that Brandon’s remark were demeaning to full-blooded Filipinos, as they appeared to suggest that they were somehow “less” than those of mixed heritage.
Following the backlash, Brandon deactivated his social media accounts. He was later spotted in Osaka, Japan, where he shared that he was taking a “break.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be ill intent, but it just blew up,” Brandon described his “halfies” remark in Eren’s video.
Brandon added that he is “taking a break from social media for two months” following the incident, and said this was also one of the reasons for his trip to Japan.
“It was an arrogant comment. I shouldn’t have dropped that and I do respect my country, my people… I definitely see myself where I went wrong but, yeah, mean, I gotta take a break,” he said.
Brandon also credited his “faith” for holding him together despite the incident, saying that one can “still find confidence in God.”
“I’m only here and you’re only here because of faith. Without him, I’m not confident at all. So, like, you can take anything away from me, but you can’t take that away,” he said.
View on Threads
“The coolest thing about him, was to take his time to apologize [for] whatever wrong things he said about Filipinos. He recognized his mistake, also mature enough to take this opportunity to send a positive message,” Eren wrote on Sunday, June 21.
“The lesson on this video is, we never know what people [are] passing through. So let’s kind and respectful, we are all working on [ourselves] and doing our best,” he added.
Brandon is also a Sparkle artist and is described as a model-entrepreneur who manages several businesses, including a sleep performance app, a bar-cafe in Poblacion, Makati, a fitness gym, and a men’s skincare line.
— with reports from Philstar.com/Kristofer Purnell