Hundreds of Pinoys trooped to the Manila Bay over the weekend to see for themselves the faux white sand that Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said would improve their mental health. Out of the hundreds of curious onlookers, one person stood out — a woman clad in a scarlet swimsuit, who was later identified as mother-of-three Renalyn Macato.
In an online post that appeared on Sunday, Macato shared photos of her visit, and wrote in the caption that “[t]he depth of my beauty is like this bay – it is immeasurable by the surface.”
Thanks to her chutzpah, Macato’s #ManilaBayChallenge became viral and has been shared almost 39,000 times since it appeared. Most people thought it was hilarious, while other people congratulated the Las Piñas resident for breaking the internet.
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In a chat interview with Coconuts Manila, Macato said she went to the bay with a friend upon hearing that the government has given the highly-polluted area a much-needed facelift.
“I just wanted to have my photo taken at Manila Bay. Because I heard it’s already clean. I thought it would be appropriate to go there wearing a swimsuit. I really like wearing swimsuits,” the 46-year-old grandmother said.
Read: ‘Completely absurd’: Pinoys blast gov’t for dumping white sand on Manila Bay
Macato arrived at the area wearing her now-memorable red swimsuit underneath her dress.
“When I saw people [at the beach] standing far from each other, I removed [my dress]. I noticed that they only stared at me when I removed my dress,” she said.
Macato assured critics that she wore a face mask and face shield during her visit.
“I just removed it when I had my photo taken. You can see it in the photos I have uploaded,” she said.
“I was happy [I did it]. Of course, there are people who said negative things. But I just ignore them. I’m more concerned about how I felt [when I did that]. Good vibes only,” she said.
You do you, Renalyn. Keep having fun!
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