It is very easy to believe that Maryrose Salubre possesses a Midas touch. Her successes so far have been numerous both on the personal stage and in the pageantry spotlight. She’s a breast cancer survivor and a paralegal. She evolved from a beauty pageant contestant into a beauty pageant queen. She is the founder of Salubre Models Inc and has seen the rapid growth of the 4 pageants under the Australasia Official banner – Miss Teen/Miss/Mr/Mrs Australasia. And after being crowned Mrs Southeast Asia in April 2016, Maryrose travelled to China to compete in Mrs Universe in late August and walked away with the title, Mrs Universe Courage. Maryrose also represented Philippines in the Mrs Classic Universe pageant and walked away with the Mrs Classic Galaxy crown. She’s hoping to compete again in the near future.
The title could not have been more apt for Maryrose. Her achievements have shown her to be a woman of grit, determination and yes, courage. She has used her personal struggles as a springboard for initiatives to help others. After beating breast cancer, she became a fervent advocate for breast cancer awareness. When Typhoon Yolanda swept through her hometown of Bunga, Leyte in 2013 and heavily damaged the Bunga National High School and Bunga Elementary School, Maryrose was not idle. The 4 Australasia Official pageants have all raised funds for breast cancer, BrainStorm (a charity dedicated to research into brain tumours run between Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the University of Sydney) and for rebuilding of the two Bunga schools as well as providing them with much needed supplies.
Maryrose has definite hopes for her involvement in the Mrs Universe pageant and it’s in keeping with her ever-present goal to be a voice for others who feel powerless. She hopes to bring awareness to the exploitation of animals and animal cruelty, and to shine an even bigger spotlight on domestic violence. She wants to break down the stereotype of pageants being all about beauty and instead, show that it can be a powerful tool in bringing attention to a wide variety of causes. Maryrose also dreams of using her time in the Mrs Universe pageant to open more doors to her work building kindergartens and orphanages not just in her hometown, but in other areas that desperately need them. For now, she’s hoping to raise enough money this coming 26 May to finish the kindergarten in her hometown and she’s also planning a much bigger project in August to further raise funds for her hometown.
Maryrose wants to go global and her plans are big – Guiness World Records-big. She longs to see children properly housed in an environment where they are safe and clean and have the opportunity to attend school. The Salubre legacy will be one of substance, confidence, courage, compassion and a job well done. Maryrose is well on her way to achieving this goal and making it one that will be well remembered and admired.
