Child Protection Dinner raises PhP10M

CPN president and Philippine Tatler head Irene Martel-Francisco with the Bradleys at ‘Generous Gourmets’

Fernando Zobel de Ayala and wife Kit welcome Bradley at dinner. (Courtesy of CPN)

PhP10.1M was raised in one night during the Child Protection Dinner 2025 last March 10 at Shang at the Fort. The benefit dinner-auction Generous Gourmets drew 150 guests who expressed their concern about the growing sexual exploitation of Filipino children, and decided to donate for the fight against child abuse.

The sexual exploitation of Filipino children has spread from the streets right into the bedrooms of families, with parents selling their children to online predators. In his informative opening remarks, Child Protection Network founder David Bradley revealed that Filipino children have become the preference of online foreign predators ostensibly because they are made accessible by their own parents.

Bradley, an esteemed American philanthropist and business leader, flew in from Washington DC with wife Katherine for the dinner to meet local philanthropists from business, society and the academe. Organizing the gathering was CPN president and head of Philippine Tatler, Irene Martel-Francisco, whose family has known the Bradleys for decades. Ms. Martel-Francisco has been organizing the CPN charity dinner for some time now.

Chefs Josh Boutwood, Miko Calo, Joris Rycken with host Issa Litton

For last March’s dinner, she gathered the country’s star chefs Josh Boutwood, Miko Calo and Joris Rycken to prepare a multi-course gourmet dinner.

Founded 20 years ago, the Child Protection Network Foundation (CPN) is a non-government organization committed to the prevention and treatment of child abuse in the Philippines.  Under executive director Dr. Bernie Madrid, CPN now operates 149 Women and Children Protection Units (WCPUs) across the country. These WCPUs provide crucial access to medical, psychological and legal services to victims of violence against women and children. Last year alone, over 14,000 children and women were served by WCPUs across 68 provinces and 10 cities in the Philippines. 

Today, CPN continues to expand its work to include the prevention of online child sexual abuse and exploitation. 

Apart from tickets to the plated dinner-for-a-cause, the evening raised funds in an auction hosted by Issa Litton and auctioneer Tonico Manahan. The lots consisted of four artworks: a Cesar Legaspi watercolor on paper, from Leon Gallery’s Jaime Ponce de Leon; a Jaime Zobel del Ayala’s 2001 photograph in giclee printing donated by his daughter Monica Zobel de Ayala; archival pigment prints on Hahnemule by Hannah Reyes Morales donated by Tarzeer Pictures.

Also strongly bidded in the auction were a vintage Rolex Oyster Perpetual, and a bespoke Hong Kong experience at The Peninsula Hong Kong, both donated by Vintage Grail. Easily the most sought after was a one-week stay for 12 guests in the home of David and Katherine Bradley in Valfond in Provence, France, with a starting bid of almost PhP1M. The Valfond experience includes fine services such as wine and light meals, daily breakfast and rented transportation.

The Generous Gourmets dinner consisted of Seafood Kinilaw by chef Joris Rycken, Fregola by chef Josh Boutwood and chef Miko Calo, Seabass Sol Cauliflower by Boutwood, Canette (miso cured duck) by Calo, Guyabano Kamias Sherbet by Rycken.

Find out more via www.childprotectionnetwork.org