The City of Manila and MARE Foundation, together with VIVA Live once again work in partnership to crown Miss Manila 2016.
And the 33 Manileña beauties were presented to the members of media on June 15 at Diamond Hotel, with Mayor Joseph “Erap” Ejercito Estrada in attendance.
On its third consecutive year, the search is not only looking for a woman of exquisite beauty, but also empowered, personifies social awareness and embodies a true Manileña with grace, passion and optimism.
The grand coronation night will be held on June 24, Araw ng Maynila, 7 p.m. at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) with delayed telecast on TV5. Edu Manzano and KC Concepcion will host the pageant.
Proceeds of this year’s pageant will benefit MARE Foundation, a non-profit institution headed by Chairperson and Pageant Director Jackie Ejercito.
The winner will receive 500,000 pesos, and a contract with VIVA. She will also represent the City of Manila in different functions and events.
The mission of MARE Foundation is to help improve the quality of life of the underprivileged Filipinos all over the country. It has committed itself to the uplifting and promotion of the welfare and interest of less privileged Manileños through its various socio-economic programs. After 23 years of implementing its pro-poor programs, it has helped thousands of men and women, seniors and youth through its free medical, surgical and dental missions, medical assistance program, feeding programs, livelihood projects, scholarships, and relief assistance to families who are victims of floods, fire and other calamities including conflict situations.
In Manila alone, close to 100 medical and dental missions were conducted last year benefitting some 250,000 indigent individuals. Almost everyday a team of volunteer doctors, dentists, nurses, health promoters and other medical staff visit the different barangays of Manila to give free consultations, do diagnostic examinations, refer for medical management to different hospitals, teach proper hygiene and nutrition and provide supplemental feeding to young children.
Equally worth mentioning is the Dialysis Center Project of the Foundation in partnership with the City Government of Manila which provides free dialysis sessions to poor Manileños. This kind of project goes back to the time when Dr. Loi Estrada was First Lady and helped build a dialysis center in Malacañang.
The foundation also encourages families to raise varieties of nutritious vegetables to promote urban farming as a mode of livelihood program. One good example of such is found in Baseco including in some selected school grounds.
MARE is also there when calamities like fire strikes to poor communities. It gives assistance like food, medicine, clothes, person hygiene kits and even construction materials to the affected families.
MARE has continually networked with various hospitals, NGOS and the private sector to gain support and cooperation in successfully conducting and promoting its programs and activities.
