Beauty queen to auction Mikimoto crown for fishermen rammed by Chinese vessel
MANILA, Philippines — Miss International 1970 Aurora Pijuan has put her Mikimoto crown up for auction and will donate the proceeds to the 22 Filipino fishermen who recently made headlines after their boat was rammed by a Chinese vessel in the West Philippine Sea.
According to an ABS-CBN News report, the beauty queen said the crown was just kept in her home’s attic, so she decided to give it up to help the fishermen.
"I'm going to give the proceeds to them in the hopes that this gift to me, really, a gift to our nation when I won the title in 1970, will have real value and significance today," Aurora said.
The 14-karat-gold, pearl-studded crown is set to go on sale from July 20 to 21 as part of an online auction by Makati City-based art gallery, León Gallery.
The bid starts at P60,000, but Aurora hopes it reaches P500,000 to match former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario’s donation for the fishermen.
"Albert del Rosario gave P500,000 and it didn’t hurt his pocket. I hope to get a similar amount, and it won't hurt my pocket either because it was never in my pocket. It was in my attic," Aurora said.
The crown was handcrafted by the Tokyo-based jewelry company, the same company that made the crown worn by reigning Miss Universe, Catriona Gray.
