Trifter

We all love beauty pageants especially the Bb. Pilipinas Beauty Pageant, which is a much awaited yearly event in the Araneta Center. Beautiful Filipinas with gorgeous assets and various talents parades in front of us every year to get a shoot at the chance of representing the country in prestigious beauty contests. What is not much publicized is that, the Bb. Pilipinas Beauty Pageant is not just another event for the promotion of the local beauty in the world, but more importantly, it is a way of helping the marginalized sector of the society, especially the children.

The Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc., a non-stock, non-profit organization, is the official franchise holder of the three most prestigious beauty contests, Miss International, Miss World and Ms. Universe Beauty Pageants, is also one of the country’s partners in nation building.

BPCI was founded by the first Miss International title holder, Stella Marquez Sawadski de Araneta, who won the title in 1960 at Long Beach, Calfornia, USA. Miss Sawdski, who is of Colombian descent, married Filipino businessman Jorge Araneta. She started the Binibining Pilipinas-Universe Pageant in 1964 and the Bb.Pilipinas-International license four years later. In 1992, she also acquired the franchise for Bb. Pilipinas-Miss World Pageant. All of these pageants are now under BPCI.

BPCI has been actively involve in charity works to help children, the indigent families, orphans and other less privileged members of the society. Every each, during pageant duration, candidates of the Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant would visit orphaned children under the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and day care centers all over Manila to give them a day’s out dedicated to shopping, playing games, and dining out. It also holds skills training and educational programs for the less privilege to be able to provide them with alternative means of livelihood. During the difficult time in Porac, Pampanga, when Mount Pinatubo erupted, Binibining Pilipinas beauties distributed goods, medicines, and other basic needs to the people of Porac. The same initiatives are also being done whenever there are floods, fire and calamities that hit the country.

The financial backbone of BPCI is in itself, the Binibining Pilipinas Beauty Pageant, with the proceeds from corporate sponsors going directly to its charity programs. The organization is more than just a venue in discovering the beauty of Filipinas, but in a more meaningful way, a vehicle of providing help and joy to the indigent members of the society.