About

Soroptimist International of Founder Manila

Our Founder Ms. Mariquita was born on August 30, 1912 in Sto. Domingo, Nueva Ecija. She was the 9th of the 11 children of Victor Castelo and Carolina San Vicente.

She earned her BS Education at the University of the Philippines in Manila.

After college, she returned to Nueva Ecija where she taught English and became

the Head of its English Department and was eventually promoted as English

supervisor. On May 18, 1947, Mariquita was elected as member of the GSP

Central Committee at the GSP’s First National Convention. In the same year,

she was given a Juliette Low scholarship grant to Camp Edith Macy National

Training School in New York, USA. When she enrolled as a graduate student in

Social Work at the University of Southern California, Mariquita met a Japanese

student who was staying at the Soroptimist House at that time. It was her new-

found Japanese friend who introduced her to Ms. Betty Beck Prosser,

the President of the Soroptimist Federation of the Americas and June Reed, Chairman of the Los Angeles Soroptimists. Soroptimist meaning the “best of women or women at their best helping others to be at their best”. When Mariquita returned to the Philippines in 1964, she spent all her free hours and weekends to prepare the groundwork for the establishment and chartering of the first Soroptimist club in the country. After so much hard work Mariquita was able to recruit 18 outstanding women who were all respected professionals and entrepreneurs in their respective fields. She established the Soroptimist Club in the Philippines which was then known as the Soroptimist Club of Greater Manila and later became Soroptimist International of Founder Manila. The first club which was affiliated with the Soroptimist International of the Americas was chartered in Malacanang on May 05, 1966 by founder Mariquita S. Castelo.