The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
While some candidates of the 65th Miss Universe Pageant were enjoying the cool breeze of Baguio City and the warmth of its residents last Wednesday, others were in Manila to support a non-governmental organization (NGO) that delivers about 3,600 meals to women in need.
At least 56 candidates gathered at the Conrad Hotel in Pasay City to help Rise Against Hunger (formerly Stop Hunger Now) and the Department of Health (DOH) pack meals for pregnant and lactating women and their babies.
The meals packed by the candidates include chicken arroz caldo, beef congee, fish flakes, ginataan, and champorado.
Rise Against Hunger Philippines Executive Director Jomar Fleras told reporters in an interview that the meals would benefit pregnant women who live in the two pilot areas selected by the DOH, namely Pampanga and Zambales provinces.
These packed meals will be given to 50 nutritionally-at-risk women in Pampanga’s Porac town and another 50 in Zambales’ Candelaria municipality.
Fleras said the meals have iron-fortified rice, texturized vegetable protein, dehydrated vegetables, and flavoring mix with 23 essential vitamins and minerals added.
Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial said the meals can help reduce low birth weight and prematurity, and stop malnutrition and the stunting in children of the beneficiaries.
The candidates, who wore hairnets and gloves while packing the meals, said they felt humbled by the opportunity to help nutritionally-at-risk women, especially since most, if not all of them, were no stranger to volunteer work.
In an interview, Miss Universe Philippines Maxine Medina said joining the meal-packing activity was her way of “giving back” to poor communities and raising the spirit of volunteerism.
With Medina at the event were the delegates from Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Curacao, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Angola, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
Singer Gerald Santos serenaded the candidates as they packaged meals. He also closed the event with his rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World,” during which he replaced the lyrics “heal the world” with “feed the world.”
Eighty-six candidates are in the Philippines to attend pre-pageant activities leading up to the 65th Miss Universe coronation event at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City on January 30.
The contestants went to Boracay in Aklan province on January 14, Vigan City in Ilocos Sur province on the 15th, Cebu province on the 17th, Baguio on the 18th, and Batangas province and Davao City on the 19th.
They are scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Duterte at Malacañang Palace on Monday. PNA