Dressed for a cause

MANILA, Philippines — Angola Consul Helen Ong has been at the helm of the Best Dressed Women of the Philippines (BDWP) for the past 18 years and for almost two decades, she, along with the BDWP board of directors, has continued to raise funds for the Philippine Cancer Society. 

The fundraising event was originally supposed to be a dinner held at Manila Polo Club years ago, but a much larger concept came into fruition once Angola Consul Helen Ong met with another benefactress, Imelda Cojuangco. Together with the BDWP committee the inception of the annual Best Dressed Women of the Philippines Awards Ball was born. Year after year, this fashion for a cause event honors the country’s admired personalities who possess beauty and compassion for fellow Filipinos.

“Going through this pandemic only intensified our desire to continue raising awareness and funds to help our fellow Filipinos who have been gravely affected by cancer,” says Ong. “It’s been a trying two years to say the least but we are determined to proceed in making a difference. After much thought, we came to the conclusion that it was time to raise funds not through the festivities of our annual fashion ball but rather the publication of a timeless coffee-table book for the second year in a row.” 

This year, the BDWP aims to surpass last year’s achievement and aim to raise an even bigger amount for the Philippine Cancer Society (PCS). With the help of their incredible sponsors — namely PAGCOR, IPM Holdings, Hermès, Museo Orlina Foundation Inc., St. Peter Life Plan and Chapels, BA Securities, Inc., Flora Chua, Beging Soriano, Aspen Philippines Inc., Book Committee chairwoman Ruby Chua, and San Miguel Corporation — they remain optimistic in reaching their objective. 

The launch of the coffee-table book last year allowed the Best Dressed Women of the Philippines to raise $8 million. The committee was able to reach its goal of giving back and doing what it could in order to shed light, awareness and assistance to this important cause. Funds raised will directly go to the Philippine Cancer Society where they will use the amount to help sustain their numerous existing programs as well as implement new ones to help save the lives of cancer patients. 

Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the PCS mobile clinic services were able to conduct 26 outreach missions, performed 1,189 clinical breast examinations, and 797 cervical cancer screenings. For the cancer awareness program, the PCS conducted webinars to several cancer patients and support groups, organizations, offices and schools. 

The highlight of the fundraising initiative is the annual staging of the selected Best Dressed Women of the Philippines. The final candidates exemplify elegance, style and a giving heart.