Under the new leadership, the first edition of Miss Universe Philippines 2020 was held a few hours ago at Cordillera Convention Hall, Baguio and Rabiya Mateo from Iloilo city was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2020 and became the official representative of Philippines at Miss Universe 2020. The diva succeeds Miss Universe Philippines 2019 Gazini Ganados for the title.

Before she was crowned as Miss Universe Philippines 2020, the top five delegates; Michele Gumabao, Kimberly Hakenson, Pauline Amelinckx, Rabiya Mateo, and Maria Ysabella Ysmael were put to a grilling question and answer round which was their last chance to impress the judges and the audience with their intelligent and witty answers in thirty seconds. Let’s look at the final question asked to the Top 5 finalists for the title of Miss Universe Philippines 2020 and the exceptionally well-defined answers by them:

All the five delegates were also asked a common question, “This pandemic has made clear our priorities, essential and non-essential. Where do pageants stand in this time of crisis?” along with their respective individual questions.

Michele Gumabao representing the Quezon City at the competition was asked, “If you are under strict quarantine and isolation, what is the most important mobile app for you and why?” The diva confidently answered, “The most important app during this quarantine was my bible. Having faith amid this pandemic was very vital to me not only for my mental health but also for my sanity. It got me through the toughest of times, it helped me get through others in the toughest of times, and it kept me centered and it kept me grounded and that's the most important thing that I would need in a pandemic.” To the common question Michele answered that everyone is aware about the fact that beauty pageants are very inspiring event not only in the Philippines but across the world. The diva added that it is important to stage a pageant and to show the Philippines that we are much more than our setbacks and our failures and we can overcome our adversity. “Having a pageant symbolizes hope, and right now on this stage, that is who we are,” added Michele.

Kimberly Hakenson representing Cavite at the competition was asked, “What advice will you give to a first-time voter for the 2022 elections?” Billie answered the question very confidently and stated, “We have fought long and hard for our right to suffrage, and this is not something that we should waste. For us to be able to complain, and be able to appreciate the things that we have as Filipino citizens, we must vote, we have to participate in selecting our leaders.” Kimberly mentioned that she is an independent woman but because of the beauty pageant, she had realized that she needs to ask for help, reach out to people and the same thing goes for other people as well. “To be able to survive something as big as this pandemic, altruism should be practiced and cooperation is always the key,” added the diva for the common question.

Pauline Amelinckx representing Bohol at the competition was asked, “What factors influence you in deciding what to buy or post online?” Pauline answered, “The factors that help me decide that is basically what I want to put out there, what I want to show the world about myself, how I want to portray myself. What matters most is that we know who we are, that we are true to our authentic selves, and that we always try our best to show and share that to the rest of the world and hopefully inspire them to do the same.” To the question asked about the beauty pageants’ standing in the time of crises, Pauline answered that beauty pageant currently are an amazing platform to show that all the dreams are not cancelled; they can be put on hold but not cancelled. “And for us, we're just lucky to make this one dream come true, to stand here, to spread hope, to rally people together in action and conversation and spark change, and together.” The diva hopes that the divas all together can make a positive impact on the world and that is the essence of beauty pageants in the times of a pandemic.

Rabiya Mateo representing Iloilo City at the competition was asked, “If you could create a new paper currency with the image of any Filipino on it, dead or alive, who would it be, and why?” The stunning and confident diva answered, “If I were given the chance, I would want to use the face of Miriam Defensor-Santiago. For those who don't know, she was an Ilongga, but what I admire about her is that she used her knowledge, her voice to serve the country, and I want to be somebody like her, somebody who puts her heart, her passion into action, and after all, she is the best president that we never had.” Rabiya stated that as a candidate of Miss Universe Philippines 2020, she is not just a face of Iloilo City but she is carrying hope as a symbol of light in the darkest times referring to the pandemic. She mentioned that she wants to help her community and use her strength to make an impact and that’s the essence of the beauty pageants; it gives us the power to make a difference.

Maria Ysabella Ysmael representing Parañaque at the competition was asked, “To a child who has never seen a pageant, how would you describe a beauty queen?” Maria answered, “I would tell that child that a beauty queen is somebody who is first and foremost a human being. She is somebody that is proud of who she is, but most importantly, she is somebody that brings hope when she wears that crown on her head, it's not just because she is the most beautiful girl in the room, but it's because she's the woman that inspires hope, she's the woman who inspires love and productivity and somebody being authentic. And a beauty queen.” To the question asked about where do pageants stand in this time of crisis, she answered, amidst everything going right now she has realized that beauty pageants are something that can give Filipinos hope, and something that can give Filipinos something to look forward to. “It's something that we as Filipinos, as a pageant-loving nation, it's something that we're so proud of, it's something that gives us life, and that's the relevance of what the pageant is. We help each other out, we help other people, and we help ourselves grow, we help each other prosper through any negative aspect,” she added.

All the five delegates sounded confident, strong, and assured with their answers and focused towards winning the title of Miss Universe Philippines 2020.