The management of the millions of dollars Puerto Rico has committed to hosting Miss Universe 2026 is now causing political concern on the island. Puerto Rican senators are demanding greater oversight of how this public money is used and want to know precisely where the funds have been spent.
These questions were addressed in a report broadcast by Univision on the program El Gordo y La Flaca . The report focused on $4,2 million related to the organization of the pageant and the checks carried out by authorities after the payments were made. In total, Puerto Rico committed $8,7 million in public funds to host the 75th Miss Universe pageant.
The senators want to know where the money went.
Elected officials questioning the matter are asking: when several million dollars from public funds are given to a private organization, the authorities must be able to explain precisely who received the money, what it was used for, and how its use was monitored. One of the politicians interviewed summarized the problem this way: "When the Puerto Rican government gives money to an organization, there must be a process in place to determine where the money is spent and, therefore, an audit process."
This request now places the management of Miss Universe funds directly in the political arena. Senators specifically want precise tracking of payments, to know the identity of the beneficiaries, and to verify that the expenditures correspond to the commitments made to organize the competition in Puerto Rico.
$8,7 million of public funds committed
As a reminder, Puerto Rico has allocated a total of $8,7 million to Miss Universe 2026. This sum is intended to finance the organization of the competition, infrastructure, hotels, local production, and various service providers necessary for the event.
The final is scheduled for November 24, 2026, at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseo in Puerto Rico. However, elected officials now want to ensure that the funds allocated for these expenses have indeed followed their intended path. The Univision report specifically raises questions regarding $4,2 million and the mechanisms in place to verify its destination.
The controversy follows the publication of compromising baccalaureate records by Nawat.
The senators' questions follow revelations by Nawat Itsaragrisil, who this week published several bank documents concerning Miss Universe funds. The Thai leader has been accusing Raúl Rocha Cantú for several weeks of using some of the organization's funds for purposes unrelated to the competition. Nawat had declared: "The money is gone . "
He then released bank statements showing over $3,27 million in transactions following payments from Puerto Rico . These documents notably show two entries identified by the notations "PRTC 1st Payment" and "PRTC 2nd Payment ," PRTC standing for Puerto Rico Tourism Company. The first payment was for $1 million . The second was for $2 million.
Several important transfers to Raúl Rocha are intervening
Following these two payments, several withdrawals to various beneficiaries were recorded. The documents published by Nawat notably show a $300,000 transfer in the name of Raúl Rocha Cantú and a $295,236.07 payment presented as a mortgage payment associated with his name. Other transactions totaling several hundred thousand dollars also appear. In total, the bank transactions disclosed by Nawat amount to $3,279,043.15 . These documents fueled Nawat's revelations against Raúl Rocha regarding the use of Miss Universe funds.
The elected officials are now demanding a genuine audit
Where did the money go? That's what Puerto Rican politicians want to find out. For them, the publication of bank statements and the accusations surrounding Miss Universe necessitate a complete audit of the funds spent by Puerto Rico. Specifically, they want to verify the signed contracts, the companies that received the money, the accounts used, and the supporting documents submitted to release the various payments. The goal is to be able to trace public funds from their disbursement by Puerto Rico to their final use.
The authorities claim that the payments were checked.
For its part, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company asserts that the payments were made in accordance with the contracts concluded for Miss Universe 2026. It maintains that the payments were accompanied by supporting documentation and that the representatives who signed the agreements were authorized to do so.
The organization also states that expenses are being monitored and that Miss Universe will be held accountable for the use of the funds. However, these explanations do not quell the elected officials' questions. Senators demanding greater transparency believe that public funding of several million dollars must be fully and independently traceable.
"If I speak, Puerto Rico will tremble."
The pressure surrounding the case is also fueled by Nawat Itsaragrisil's statements. A few weeks earlier, he had warned: "If I speak, Puerto Rico will tremble; I still have a lot to say." We detailed these threats of further revelations concerning Miss Universe and Puerto Rico . Since then, Nawat has indeed published several bank documents and specific amounts that prove he wasn't bluffing.
With just over two months until Miss Universe 2026, one question now dominates the case in Puerto Rico: where did the millions paid to the competition go and can the authorities precisely justify every dollar spent?
