Rabiya Mateo declares she is ‘your next Miss Universe’ in an interview
It’s been said over and over again that if you want something, you should manifest it. And perhaps Rabiya Mateo is simply manifesting her dreams as she declares during an interview that she will be the next Miss Universe.
Rabiya said this in a video clip posted on Instagram by beauty pageant training camp Aces & Queens on Thursday, April 15. In the video, the current Miss Universe Philippines titleholder was asked to complete the sentence: “I am Rabiya Mateo and I am…”
Rabiya confidently answered: “I am Rabiya Mateo and I am your next Miss Universe.” Her response naturally elicited cheers from the crowd of people in the background.
Pageant fans would know that past Philippine winners of the Miss Universe pageants such as Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray have also manifested their dream of becoming the pageant titleholder. And many are hoping that Rabiya will be the country’s fifth Filipina to win the Miss Universe crown, after Gray, Wurtzbach, Margarita Moran, and Gloria Diaz.
Rabiya is already in the US in preparation for the 69th Miss Universe pageant on Sunday, May 16 (Monday morning, May 17, in the Philippines).
The beauty queen decided to leave the Philippines early following the declaration of the enhanced community quarantine earlier this month. “Nahirapan kami dito (Philippines). For the past two weeks, dapat ang dami naming trainings, photo shoots, press con. Nawala lahat dahil sa ECQ. So…dali-dali kaming nag-decide, punta na lang tayong US,” Jonas Gaffud, creative director of the Miss Universe Philippines pageant, said in a TV interview.
ABS-CBN News reported that Rabiya on Friday, April 16, met with other Miss Universe contestants—Vanessa Velasquez of El Salvador and Laura Olascuaga of Colombia—in Cerritos, California to film segments for the pageant.
While continuing her training in the US, Rabiya is limiting her exposure outdoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I would always tell myself that this is not just my dream. This is a dream of a lot of Filipinos. It's going to be a great gift if I will be able to bring home the fifth crown," she told ABS-CBN.
Banner photo from Instagram/Aces & Queens