TingTing Cojuangco with kids Demi Zini, and Lucia Gonzalez

It’s been five years since the first set of Elegant Filipinas were presented to the Filipino audience. They were Tootsy Angara, Ching Cruz, Lucy Gomez, Zelda Kienle, Fortune Ledesma, Amparo Lhuiller, Mandy Dela Rama, Cindy Yang, and Vicky Zubiri, just nine then. All have been considered the epitome of refinement, intelligent and graceful, whose choices in their wardrobe expensive and inexpensive were exceptional.

Through the years Tingting Cojuangco, Tina Maristela Ocampo, Fortune, Zelda, and Vanessa Suatengco, general manager of Diamond Hotel, have been instrumental in organizing the The Elegant Filipinas and its charitable endeavors that benefit so many, such as the weavers of La Trinidad in the Mountain Province, the survivors of Yolanda in Leyte, the widows of SAF 44 in in Mamasapano in Maguindanao, the Center for Possibilities Foundation for Autistic Children, and the PLDT-Smart Gabay Guro because our nation’s children depend on our nation’s teachers to lead them to the future.

This year, the main beneficiary of the Elegant Filipinas will be the World Wide Fund for Nature, Philippines in aid of its policy-building, education, and various projects, such as recycling and the substitution of plastic with more earth-friendly materials, for the protection of the environment.

On Sept. 10, at 6:30 p.m., this year’s batch of Elegant Filipinas, otherwise known as Tingting’s List, whose names have yet to be released, will be presented at Diamond Hotel.

The “Elegant” knows the language of fashion. She is refined, cultured, and well-mannered. She commands respect in her chosen field, possesses beauty and humility, and makes a great contribution to society.

Here are some of the past Elegant Filipinas and the organizers shining with their Arnel Papa jewelry.

Fortune Ledesma

Stephanie Gonzalez

Zelda Kienle

Tina Ocampo

Ching Cruz

Stephanie Crespo