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Maricres Castro

@marmarcastro

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TV & Event Host 🎙️
Scientist • Singer • Poet
Commissioner for Immigrant & Refugee Affairs
🇺🇸 Miss Washington U.S. Int’l 2021
🇵🇭 Agta Tabangnon Tribe

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Meet Maricres Castro, Miss Washington US International 2021 👸🏻: Hailing from Tacoma, she once witnessed her brother get into an accident after which he needed medical help, which propelled her towards a career in healthcare.

When she's not volunteering or engaging with the Filipino community, she's a molecular biology lab technician. Her ability to balance her interests with her beauty queen obligations and healthcare job is an impressive feat 🤩

Learn more about Maricres at MochiMag.com in our latest issue! by @marmarcastro

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5 years ago

“I write for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves. We’ve been taught that silence would save us, but it won’t.”
— Anne Lourdes 🌸✨💜

International Women’s Day is a reminder for us to rise up and live our truth — to be unapologetically who we are.

God created you with a purpose that only you can fulfill.

But today is more than celebration.

It is a call to action.

The 2026 theme for International Women’s Day is:

“Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.”

Because equality cannot remain a slogan.

It must become reality.

Around the world, women and girls still face barriers to education, leadership, safety, and opportunity.

Discriminatory laws, gender-based violence, and economic inequality continue to silence too many voices.

Right now:

• 1 in 3 women worldwide experience gender-based violence in their lifetime.
• 1 in 6 men are survivors of sexual violence.
• Transgender people face some of the highest rates of violence, with many experiencing assault simply for living their truth.

These are not just statistics.

These are our sisters, friends, neighbors, and community members.

Justice requires more than awareness.

It requires action.

Action means:

✨ Challenging systems that harm women and girls
✨ Mentoring and investing in the next generation of leaders
✨ Protecting the rights and dignity of every person
✨ Creating spaces where every voice is heard

Because when women rise, communities rise.

Today, I wear purple — a symbol of justice, dignity, and unwavering courage. 💜

To every woman and girl:

Your voice matters.
Your story matters.
Your leadership matters.

Speak your truth.

Advocate for one another.

And never forget: the world changes when we refuse to stay silent and when we stay unapologetically committed to what’s right.
Together, let’s turn Rights. Justice. Action. into reality — for ALL

Hair: Marlon Chun @itsmarl_02
Makeup: Kenji Lee Gomez @kenjgomez_mua
Photo: @natlitrato
Designer: Nel Claveria couture Jayson Cuaycong

#InternationalWomensDay
#IWD2026
#RightsJusticeAction
#ForAllWomenAndGirls
#WomenRising by @marmarcastro

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7 months ago

Happy Filipino American History Month! This year’s @fanhs_national theme is “From Quotas to Communities!”

This year marks the 90th Anniversary of the Philippine Repatriation Act of 1935, that aimed to encourage the over 100,000 Filipinos in USA at the time to self-deport. It was framed as compassionate humanitarianism because they faced violent racism and poverty in America, but it was racism that wrote that act to get rid of our community. People were complaining we were taking away jobs and we're an eye sore. Anyways, only about 2,000 took it on to self deport. Making it one of the most unsuccessful & failed pieces of legislation in US History.

This year is also the 60th anniversary of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 that finally ended decades of racist limitations on immigration from Asian countries to the USA.

And that is why this year, the Filipino-American History Month theme is "from Quotas to Communities," and celebrating where we are and how far we have come in America.

October 16th at the Washington State National History Museum will celebrate with "Buhay: the Filipino American Experience" as their theme in alignment with the national theme. "Buhay" means "life" in Tagalog.

October 25th at the Asia Pacific Cultural Center will celebrate with "Bayanihan: Journey of the Philippine Spirit" in alignment with with the national theme. "Bayahinan" is a Philippine values of "community unity" where we help one another rise - your success is my success, and your pain is my pain. That is why the image of the theme this year is of people carrying a bamboo house. When someone new moves to our village in the Philippines, we come together as a community to build them a home and carry it on our backs to a location in our village so they can also thrive in community with us.

Although the schedule was too packed for a proclamation this year, I’m grateful for last year when we had the opportunity to be a part of Tacoma’s first Filipino-American History Month Proclamation last year with so many community leaders! Mabuhay! taken in Tacoma, Washington by @marmarcastro

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a year ago

@walacestyle_fashion makes me feel like a @victoriassecret runway model! 🤍 Thowback to this awesome shoot I did back in 2024 with the iconic @opulensphotobygaspaire at the Tacoma @ioniklabs 🤍😍🙌🏽 by @marmarcastro

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an hour ago

Concert tonight honoring the late Letty Veltkamp of American Jeepney 🥹💙🇵🇭🇺🇸 Honored to be the co-emcee! by @marmarcastro

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We need to do better for our Filipina American youth. And we need to change the systems that are making youth feel unwelcome in America that create a breeding ground for self hate and self destruction. If you or anyone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis please call 988. And for individuals living in Pierce County, you can also contact @apcc96 or email me at maricres@asiapacificculturalcenter.org or sinoun@asiapacificcultutalcenter.org for the intake form for 5 free sessions of mental health therapy through our Pierce County Grant that funds our AANHPI partnered mental health therapists.

This weekend has truly been a roller coaster of emotion, from the Pasifika Health Conference in San Francisco to the Filipino American National Historical Society in Seattle, my heart is broken, but in a way bent on justice. by @marmarcastro

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a day ago

Hindi pa tapos!! That’s right! Back-to-back FIRST-EVER Filipino-American History Month proclamations happening in October! Yall our community can’t stop and wont stop! 🥹❤️🇵🇭🇺🇸🙌🏽 literally love this month and the opportunity we have to be unapologetically PINOY while celebrating our history, culture, contributions, and collective strength.

Tara na! Join us as the City of Bremerton officially recognizes Filipino American History Month with a proclamation presented by Mayor Greg Wheeler.

Let’s continue making history together and showing the power of our community throughout Washington State! 🇵🇭✨

MABUHAY!

#FilipinoAmericanHistoryMonth #FAHM2026 #PinoyPride #Bayanihan #Mabuhay taken in Bremerton, Washington by @marmarcastro

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2 days ago

Abangnan!!! More history being made this historic Filipino-American History Month under the leadership of Dr. Conrado Julian, next week on October 19th at 6:00 (community reception) followed swiftly by the first-ever Filipino-American History Month Proclamation in the City of University Place, WA!! Tara na kababayan!! 🥹🙌🏽❤️🇵🇭🇺🇸

Location:
University Place City Hall
3609 Market Place West, Suite 200
University Place, WA 98466

Date: Wednesday October 19th

Time:
6:00pm - Community Reception
6:30pm - Proclamation

Also! There will be time for folks who would like to make public comment afterwards so please feel free to come and speak! All are welcome! MABUHAY! taken in University Place, Washington by @marmarcastro

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2 days ago

Come through for a phenomenal evening of comedy, culture and community as we gather round the comedic stylings of the original Filipino Comedian, @rexnava and support the @filam.educators.wa ❤️🇵🇭🇺🇸 by @marmarcastro

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2 days ago

Come check out the “Bebot Bagel” at @howdybagel 👀😍🌺🇵🇭❤️🇺🇸 by @marmarcastro

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10 days ago

Thank you so much to our Filipino American kababayan Ava at @howdybagel and to her other Filipinx coworker for putting our Filipino-American culture on display at Howdy Bagel in Tacoma! Come check it out 😍🇵🇭❤️🇺🇸🌺 taken in Tacoma, Washington by @marmarcastro

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10 days ago

Happy Filipino-American History Month! Along with getting connected to Filipino-American History this month, that began when the first Filipinos arrived aboard Spanish ships in what is now Morro Bay California back on October 18, 1587, get connected to our awesome Filipino-American Therapists!

Email maricres@asiapacificculturalcenter.org or sinoun@asiapacificculturalcenter.org or call/text (253) 4147208 or fill out our online intake form to access therapy services here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/5303388d1da64a83a6a18a31fae54d34 by @marmarcastro

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11 days ago