Mister International Singapore contestant suddenly withdraws, agency to take legal action

SINGAPORE – The Singapore representative for Mister International 2025, Mr Mhar Jayson Cortez, has withdrawn from the pageant set to take place in Thailand.

In an Instagram post dated Sept 2, the 30-year-old wrote that he had made the decision “with a heavy heart”.

“This dream has guided me, challenged me and shaped who I am, but I have realised that to grow and protect my well-being, I must take a step back. Every lesson, every moment and every inspiration from this journey will stay with me forever,” he added. “It’s time to dream a new dream.”

However, pageant organiser and talent agency Beam Artistes told The Straits Times Mr Cortez had made the post without its approval, and that it plans to take legal action against him.

The competition in Bangkok starts on Sept 12 and the finals will take place on Sept 25.

A Beam representative said: “In any procedures of pageantry, no candidate can announce his or her withdrawal without the national organisation confirming it.”

He added that Beam has to bear the costs of obtaining the franchise fee, travel expenses and other preparations, and that Mr Cortez’s withdrawal jeopardises future opportunities for other candidates from Singapore to participate in international pageants.

Beam Artistes is still in discussions about the possibility of finding his replacement, but the process is challenging due to the short timeframe.

According to Beam, Mr Cortez was a finalist in another pageant, Mister Nusantara, that took place in May. The following month, he offered himself as Singapore’s candidate for Mister International, and Beam agreed.

The initial agreement was that Beam would cover the costs of flying him from Singapore to Bangkok.

Mr Cortez later told Beam that he had received a job offer in New Zealand.

The Beam representative said Mr Cortez asked the organisers for a loan of $2,900 to cover his travel to Singapore, as well as his living expenses during the competition period.

Beam offered to fly him from New Zealand to Bangkok instead.

The representative said: “He didn’t bother to reply, and then went on to post about his withdrawal. So I guess he didn’t agree.”

Mr Cortez declined to be interviewed by ST. On Sept 5, he uploaded a series of Instagram stories refuting several of Beam’s claims.

In response to Beam’s claim that he did not reply to them during ongoing discussions, and instead went on to post about his withdrawal on social media, he said: “This is not accurate. Before I made my withdrawal public, the communication from Beam was already inconsistent and, at times, intimidating.”

He alleged that Mr Samuel Seow from Beam Artistes sent him messages which were “inappropriate and crossed professional boundaries” and contained threats related to his workplace.

“(Mr Seow) suggested that if I did not comply with his demands, my employer would somehow be dragged into the situation. At that point, I realised that what was happening was no longer about dialogue… but rather about pressure tactics”.

Mr Cortez also said he never signed any contract with Beam. He wrote: “The only record they could point to was a Google Form I submitted when joining Mr Singapore, something that clearly does not constitute a binding agreement.

“The constant threats of legal action without any valid legal basis showed me that the situation had deteriorated beyond repair.”

According to a post on Beam’s Instagram page, Mr Cortez is a father and a husband. He was born in the Philippines and moved to Singapore nine years ago.

His LinkedIn page lists him as a principal engineer at a Singapore-based industrial electrical solutions company.