MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – GABRIELA Rep. Arlene Brosas on Wednesday opposed the hosting of the Miss Universe pageant in the Philippines, calling it an objectification of women and a cover-up of the country’s societal problems.

In a prepared statement read during a press conference, Brosas said the hosting was a “manipulative and deceptive tool that projects an image of peace and stability to cover up the creeping influence of fascist repression of poor women’s rising protests.”

GABRIELA is a network of grassroots organizations that advocates for women’s issues.

At the same time, Brosas called for the banning of all city and town fiestas across the country where beauty pageants are held as part of the festivities. She also asked the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to condemn the holding of the annual ‘Santacruzan’ a religious festival which features women depicting biblical characters, including “Reynas.”

She also asked the Movie and Television Ratings and Classification Board (MTRCB) to pull two movies that recently screened at the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) because they showed beauty pageants: “Die Beautiful” and “Sunday Beauty Queen.”  Both films garnered awards at the MMFF.