The day was filled with smiles and learning as this year's Binibining Pilipinas candidates had their tour at the Manila Bulletin head office in Intramuros on June 26.

The girls' big smiles and waving hello to everyone showed that they were in for an exciting day. Badette Cunanan, Public Relations Manager, Manila Bulletin, and other Manila Bulletin employees welcomed the candidates.  

The girls were fascinated by the paintings and sculptures displayed in the lobby. During the tour, they were also presented with a short video about the history of the Manila Bulletin.

According to Badette, it is always a pleasure to see the new faces of the Binibini candidates and one of the goals of the annual tour is to give them a little time to relax.

"We always look forward to hosting them here in the main of Manila Bulletin, kasi parang the way we will treat them when they come here, they can relax. We want them to know the Manila Bulletin a little better than usual, and the other thing is we want to make it a treat for them, so we make sure there are no demanding chores," Badette said.

With the longtime partnership between the Manila Bulletin and Binibining Pilipinas, the candidates will also have the chance to be named the winner of the Manila Bulletin Readers Choice Award during the grand coronation on July 7.

Badette discussed the prizes the girls would take home when they won the award. "As a partner of the pageant for more than 20 years, and we were given by the Binibining Pilipinas Charities, in particular, have given us the right to this special award. So we're giving the winner a vacation and pampering treatment worth a hundred thousand at the Manila Hotel, and of course, they will be given a one-year free subscription to Manila Bulletin."

The candidates met with editors, writers, and graphic designers in the newsroom and witnessed the newspaper printing process from the inside.

After taking several selfies and getting to know about Manila Bulletin, a few Binibinis expressed their thoughts on what they enjoyed about the tour.

Bb. 22 Tracy Sunio (Bacolod City): "So this is my first time here in Manila Bulletin; the tour was surprising for me because of the architecture; I didn't expect it to be this good. I don't know what the Manila Bulletin looks like, so I didn't expect it to be very artsy and the experience is good because I also saw editors here making drawings and stuff."

Bb. 2 Corrine San Pedro (Taguig City): "Although this is my first time in Manila Bulletin, I have this expectation since this is located in Manila, so it gave me a homey feeling, but I'm surprised with how much space this office has.

Bb. 35 Kylie Atilano (Zamboanga City): "This is my first time, and the tour was quite an eye-opener for me because I didn't know that Manila Bulletin is an establishment that has lasted for 124 years already. It's quite amazing because Manila Bulletin has a well-known platform for being the best news in the city; I'm getting goosebumps because it shows that it's an amazing experience for me."

Bb. 36 Samantha Acosta (Bulacan): "Aside from the beautiful architecture and kind people, what I like most about this tour is that I have seen that Manila Bulletin supports sustainable development goals with their tables, to their sofas, and their restrooms. And as beauty queens, we should also know more about the current events, wherein here in Manila Bulletin we have the actual creation of news. So yes, it was a great experience for me."

Bb. 19 Liezle Jones (Ormoc): "Yes, this is my absolute first time here, and walking in here, I'm honored to be able to have this opportunity to come here in the first place. Manila Bulletin is an important place that I can come and see, especially when it comes to the behind-the-scenes. We got to walk into the media room and get to see some of the graphic designers and some writers as well, so it was very surreal. Having had the opportunity to get a glimpse inside the longest newspaper company, the candidates also gave their takeaway on how to battle fake news."

Bb. 40 Myrna Esguerra (Abra): "What we should do to fight fake news is we entertain ourselves with what we believe in. Especially on social media everyone is using social media now, and it's so easy to spread anything that we want. Before we believe something, we should fact-check because that's very important to know that things are really true; we should check credible sources in order for us to check fact or false news."

Bb. 32 Carmella Cuaresma (Aurora Province): "Fact check is necessary, so we need to research the right resources and rely on credible materials to avoid fake news."

Bb. 31 Zianah Famy (Cavite): "To fight fake news, we must make sure to check on the reliable outputs, and in that way, we wouldn't be able to be informed with fake news, especially in social media a lot is going on people just post anything they want, so we must be careful about which people we would believe in."

Bb. 14 Vienne Feuch (Laguna): "We can all agree that it is our responsibility as citizens to fact-check reliable sources, and we need to double check aside from fact-check if it's true. Even though sometimes it might be credible it's still not, so try to read multiple resources to have firm evidence that the news is true."

Bb. 13 Roella Solis (Calumpit, Bulacan): "I think we have to be responsible citizens by knowing where the news comes from and if it's reliable, and I think we should always think before we click."

The grand coronation of the Binibining Pilipinas 2024 beauty pageant will be held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on July 7, at 8 pm. SB19, Gary Valenciano, and Martin Nievera will render performances while former Binibini queens Catriona Gray, Nicole Cordovez, MJ Lastimosa, and Kylie Versoza will serve as hosts.