Miss Universe contestants
The Miss Universe fever is officially upon us!
The 86 delegates of the beauty pageant have been in the Philippines for quite a long while and, last Monday night, a few of us got to see them in person at the Miss Universe National Gift Auction, held at the Forbes Ballroom of the Conrad Hotel.
Each delegate brought along a gift from her home country that would then be put up for bids from the guests at the event. Ten items chosen at random were put up for a raucous auction (handled by host Martin Nievera and Salcedo Auctions’ Richie Lerma) in the ballroom, while the rest remained in the foyer for silent auction bidding.
That night’s beneficiaries were Pass It Forward and Pafpi (Positive Action Foundation Philippines Inc.), organizations that help spread HIV education and awareness, as well as counsel those living with HIV and AIDS. One of Miss Universe’s longtime advocacies has been HIV and AIDS awareness, so Pass It Forward and Pafpi were a perfect fit.
However, the evening wasn’t only about the gift auction.
One of the earlier parts of the night was a fashion show featuring all 86 Miss Universe beauties wearing gorgeous gowns by top Filipino designers.
Rajo Laurel, Cary Santiago, Eddie Baddeo, Fanny Serrano, JC Buendia, Francis Libiran, Frederick Peralta, Ito Curata, Martin Bautista, Randy Ortiz and Rhett Eala were just a few names picked out to design a gown in red, white or blue for the young lady assigned to them. And the gowns, as were the girls, were stunning.
Bravo to everyone!
The final part of the night was the Excellence Awards given to women who have risen to the top of their fields. It was indeed an honor to have received one, along with Dr. Vicki Belo (medicine and medical tourism), Rosalinda Bernales (kindergarten teacher in Payatas), Hidilyn Diaz (Olympic silver medalist at the Rio Olympics for weightlifting), Margarita Fores (renowned chef), Solar Lolas (arts grandmothers, who are now solar engineers), Zenaida Tantoco (president of Rustan’s) and Wanda Corazon Teo (secretary of the Department of Tourism).
It was such a lovely night, made better by hearing Martin sing a few numbers accompanied by the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by maestro Rodel Colmenar), and the delicious dinner taken care of by the hotel. All in all, it was an evening to celebrate the spirit of confident beauty: generous, empathetic, fun-loving.
Thank you, Miss Universe, for the invitation. To all the delegates, I wish you only the best of luck.
Shameless plug
If you happen to be in Australia in early February, that’s where I’ll be performing. On Feb. 3 and 4, I’ll be at the Sydney Opera House, accompanied by the Sydney Symphony, and on Feb. 7 and 8, I will be at Hamer Hall at the Arts Center Melbourne, with Orchestra Victoria. Both orchestras will be conducted by Gerard Salonga.
And not long after that, we’ll have shows in Manila on Feb. 17 and 18 at the PICC Plenary Hall, titled “Songs from the Stage,” which features songs from Broadway, West End and even Filipino musicals. It’s directed by Bobby Garcia, with the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, also conducted by my brother.
Oh, this should be fun!