It was a night of glitz and glamor, where Manila’s well-heeled set stepped out in their finery in support of a great cause at The Best Dressed Women of the Philippines (BDWP) Gala Night. The Grand Ballroom of The Shangri-la The Fort had a celebratory air to it as the guests walked in, eager not only for a night of fun, but also for a chance to make positive change.

The festivities began as RJ Ledesma, the evening’s master of ceremonies, called in BDWP chairperson, Honorary Consul of Angola to the Philippines Helen Ong, to officially welcome guests to the event. In her speech, she spoke of how the event had grown since it first began over two decades ago. The testament to the work that the team behind BDWP has been doing is the combined donation of over P200 million to the Philippine Cancer Society, which includes P23 million last year alone. Afterwards, Ledesma presented the ladies who made this year’s illustrious Best Dressed Women and Men of Influence 2024 List — from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao — in a very special runway show. This year’s honorees included the likes of Rosemarie Bosch, Dr. Elsie Pascua, Anna Orlina, Ces Rodriguez, Dr. Liza Quirolgico, Antonette Gutierrez, Michelle Takijima, Ces Miranda, Jill Tan, Dr. Maricar Threadgill, Doyee Tumpalan, and Ina Sarosa. Plaques of Recognition were also handed out to the recipients of the Dr. Robert Paterno Awards, such as Jerika Ejercito, and French Baker’s Johnlu G. Koa, who was represented by his son Jonard.