MANILA, Philippines — Truly, it was a vision that came to reality — a vision that Miss Universe 2015 and global icon Pia Wurtzbach-Jauncey thought of early this year: to auction her exclusive Miss Universe memorabilias for a greater cause.
At the recently held 5th Love Gala hosted by the City of Taguig and Love Yourself, there were 700 attendees from the world of politics, celebrities, fashion and pageantry, including Miss Universe 1969 Gloria Diaz and Miss Universe 1974 Margie Moran.
During her speech, the global icon shared that she decided to stage the auction online so people outside the Philippines can participate.
She added: “We can ship these items to you internationally and we will keep updating the website to add in more items so we can continue raising funds for this cause.”
Proceeds of the auction will be used in the building of a Youth Center in Taguig that will offer young people wholistic support — from HIV education to mental health.
The glitzy and glamorous gala saw world-class performances from singer Jed Madela, band Ben&Ben and the iconic drag queen Marina Summers.
This year’s gala highlights the remarkable creations of esteemed Filipino designers Mark Bumgarner, Francis Liberian, Michael Cinco and Albert Andrada alongside Pia’s various memorabilias, including her diaries on her journey as Miss Universe.
Pia excitedly revealed that Albert Andrada, who designed her iconic winning Miss Universe gown, has made a replica of the iconic blue gown — to the delight of the audiences, especially die-hard Miss Universe fans.
This will also be part of the auction and the winning bidder can tailor-fit the size of the replica gown.
Pia added that the showcased items are the first batch of the items to be auctioned.
“I am already speaking to more designers to help us with this cause. I see this becoming really sustainable and really turning the Love Gala into something that we’ll look forward to," she said.
The global icon further emphasized: “ I am not getting anything from this. This is all 100% going toward the advocacy and I really want to scale up and do more for the community."
Truly confidently beautiful with a heart, Wurtzbach once again proved that one’s influence can do ripples of positive impact to society.
To those who would like to participate in the Love Auction, you may visit www.lovegala.ph.