Beauties and the Bee

By Miss Charlize - December 10, 2017

In Photo: The Jollibee team, led by President JJ Allano (standing, ninth from left) and Global Brand Chief Marketing Officer and Philippine Marketing Head Francis Flores (kneeling, second from right) team up with Miss Universe 2017 to bring joy to the children from the Kanlungan sa Er-Ma Ministry. From left are Miss Singapore Manuela Bruntraeger, Miss Russia Ksenia Alexandriva, Miss Italy Miriam Polverino, Miss Netherlands Nicky Opheij, Miss Canada Lauren Howe, Miss Philippines Rachel Peters, Miss Malaysia Samantha James, Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere, Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, Miss Spain Sofia del Prado, Miss USA Kára McCullough, Miss Great Britain Anna Burdzy, Miss India Shraddha Shashidhar, Miss Korea Sewhee Choo and Miss China Roxette Qiu.

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, the current Miss Universe, couldn’t wait to taste the peach-mango pie she keeps hearing everyone raving about. Iris Mittenaere, the previous winner, couldn’t resist taking a selfie with the mascot. Miss China Roxette Qiu, perhaps with one of the longest wing spans among the candidates, can’t wrap her arms around the biggest Chicken Joy bucket I’ve ever seen.

These awesome women were at the Jollibee Biopolis store on Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard as part of their whirlwind goodwill tour of the Philippines after the successful staging of the pageant in Las Vegas.

They were preselected to visit the Philippines because they’re from countries that are our biggest and emerging markets for tourists. Besides Demi-Leigh (South Africa), Iris (France) and China’s supermodel-stylish Roxette, they are Miss Canada Lauren Howe, Miss Great Britain Anna Burdzy, Miss Italy Mirriam Polverino, Miss Netherlands Nicky Opheij, Miss Spain Sofia del Pardo, Miss Russia Ksenia Alexandrova, Miss Korea Sewhee Cho, Miss India Shraddha Shashidhar, Miss Malaysia Samantha James, Miss Singapore Manuela Bruntraeger and Miss USA Kára McCullough. Our own Rachel Peters played gracious host.

“Many say that Jollibee is one of the first things that tourists [and balikbayan] look for as soon as they land in the airport. So, when we learned that the Miss Universe is coming back to Manila, we made sure you would be able to taste our world-famous Chickenjoy, sweet-style and comforting Jolly Spaghetti and great-tasting Cheesy Yumburgers,” Francis Flores, Jollibee Global Brand chief marketing officer, said during the event.

To make the visit more meaningful, and to spread Christmas cheer, as well, the ladies shared a meal with a little sister or brother from the Kanlungan sa Er-Ma Ministry, a non-governmental organization that helps underprivileged kids find a home.

Junikiel, a young boy, couldn’t stop staring at the goddess in front of him—Ksenia. Sofia, meanwhile, had to be alert: “Definitely, what made the event so special was the charity partnership and the time we got to spend with these kids. CJ and Deokman were so fun! I laughed a lot with them and got me vigilant all the time cause they were naughty!”

“We believe that there are no better role models that these kids can look up to than confidently beautiful ladies,” Flores said.

“All of you ladies are proof of what the pageant is all about—using your God-given talents to be a positive influence in making a difference in the world. We hope to impart to you the same joyful experience that is uniquely Jollibee—the kind of joy that you will take with you and add to your wonderful memories of visiting our beautiful country.”

In July Jollibee opened its 1,000th store in the country, with 189 stores overseas.

“And next year, we’ll continue to aggressively expand as we will be entering Milan and London, and opening a branch in Manhattan and Toronto,” Flores added. “So we hope that, as you travel the world, you will also stop by in any of our stores that may just be around the corner and sample the great- tasting food and homey service with your family and friends!”

Deeply touched, Miriam (from Naples) posted on her Instagram: “Another beautiful experience. It’s a pleasure to me to meet these special children. Thank you, Philippines!”

“I can’t begin to tell you how much these children brought a smile to our faces today. A big shout out to @jollibee for hosting this event today with some very special girls and boys, and providing them with some surprise holiday gifts,” posted Lauren, who’s from Toronto.

In her @annamariaburdzy account, the Leicester native said: “Today we got to eat lunch with little angels! My friend was Quinee, the sweetest little girl. The children are orphans and it was amazing to be able to see them so happy with their @jollibee and all their gifts! Such a great event—thank you, Jollibee!”

“Aww today was so rewarding…. We had lunch with our buddies and danced the day away. I had a ton of fun, because the joy from the children filled the room,” said DC resident Kára, who threw her arms in the air when she heard that a Jollibee will be opening in Manhattan.

“Every year, the Miss Universe pageant always brings joy and hope to a lot of people—not just to aspiring beauty queens but ordinary individuals who courageously pursue their dreams, rise up to the challenge and through all of life’s twists and turns, manage to stand tall and proud,” Flores said. “Similarly, Jollibee, for nearly four decades now, has been recognized not just as a source of national pride but also a source of joy for Filipinos and their families. It’s where every Filipino—and all Filipinos at heartfeel at home.”

https://businessmirror.com.ph/beauties-and-the-bee/