After bonding with students with autism during the World Autism Awareness Day last April 2, the contestants spent time with pets going through rehabilitation at the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in Quezon City.
The activity was initiated by Araneta Center’s Pet Pals program in partnership with Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. The Pet Pals initiative, which started last year, welcomes pet owners and their pets to the premier live-work-play destination in the metro. For more information, visit the Pet Pals page on the Araneta Center website (www.aranetacenter.net/petpals).
The candidates donated 140 kilos of cat food to PAWS and bonded with the dogs and cats under the institution’s care. They also talked about ways to take care of pets especially during summer.
While the candidates are busy preparing for the glitzy and glamorous events of Binibining Pilipinas, including the Grand Parade of Beauties on May 25, the Fashion Show on May 29, and the Grand Coronation Night on June 9, they have also been actively personifying the Beyond Beauty slogan by attending charity events and workshops. Aside from their participation in Big Dome Lights Blue for World Autism Awareness Day and their visit at PAWS, the candidates are also scheduled to attend an activity that promotes taking care of the environment and an art appreciation workshop.
“We want the candidates to embody beauty that’s more than just physical. We want them to live the essence of a woman that is empowered, sure of herself, fearless, courageous and at the same time, loving and caring,” psychoneurologist Dr. Lia Bernardo, who facilitated their “Empowerment is Authenticity” workshop last April 11. This was the first time that all 40 candidates participated in the workshop, which in previous years was offered only to the winners of the pageant. This is just one of the changes in this year’s Binibining Pilipinas pageant under the direction of its chair Mrs. Stella Marquez Araneta.