Rabiya Mateo was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2020 on 25th October 2020 at Cordillera Convention Hall, Baguio Country Club in Baguio, Benguet, after which she earned the chance to represent the Philippines at the 69th edition of Miss Universe in the United States on 16th May 2021 where Mexico’s Andrea Meza was crowned at the end of the event finale.
Right after her crowning as Miss Universe Philippines 2020, Rabiya was considered as one of the favorites for the title of Miss Universe 2020 as she had showcased her immense dedication, focus, and desire to win the title and make the Philippines proud. She was being seen as someone who could make a sandwich win happen for the Philippines after Catriona Gray won the Miss Universe crown in 2018 and even though Rabiya performed exceptionally well throughout the competition, she could only make it to the top 21 at the end of the event finale.
In a recent interview with Boy Abunda, the diva shared that she knows a lot of people want her to apply for Miss World Philippines and represent the Philippines at Miss World in the future because they see the potential and desire to win in her and she is touched by the gesture. Rabiya also shared that she is aware of the crossover beauty queens who have made it to the top in either of the beauty pageants.
Soon, the beauty queen will hand over the crown to another potential and strong Philippine candidate for Miss Universe 2021. Rabiya stated that she read the trend online that said 'Rabiya for the World' and was making jokes about it in a fun way, but on a serious note, when she was asked to comment on Rabiya Mateo joining Miss World Philippines, she mentioned that there is a possibility of that happening in the next two years.
The Filipina beauty mentioned that she is not closing any doors on the opportunities that will help her to make the Filipinos proud and bring a crown back to her home country. Boy Abunda stated that there were many fans online who stated that Rabiya had all the qualities to win Miss Universe 2020 but she was unable to let go and get into the right headspace that was required to win, to which she agreed and stated that it was difficult because as a competitive woman she is, a lot of things were getting to her and she had a difficult time letting go of the moments and juggling. She mentioned that she did her best at the competition and she is proud of herself.
Rabiya said that she had done everything possible to win the competition, but sometimes maybe your best is not the best and the end decision depends upon the judges. During the conversation, she had mentioned that while she was performing at Miss Universe 2020, she was constantly trying to make the Filipinos happy and satisfied with whatever she was doing at the competition since she comes from a pageant-loving country. She added that it is very difficult to be in that situation and have expectations from people and not be able to make it. Rabiya went onto compliment Miss Universe Nepal 2020 Anshika Sharma as very beautiful, strong, and a very good communicator who unfortunately couldn’t make it as well
Now, that Rabiya has mentioned that she is not closing any doors on the opportunity to represent the Philippines at Miss World, we think that she could be a perfect candidate to represent the Philippines at Miss World in the future. She is strong, experienced, and very powerful with her vision and voice, something that a Miss World must be. She was considered as a dark horse at Miss Universe Philippines 2020 and she ended up winning the competition, so, maybe she will be a strong contender for Miss World Philippines too.
What do you think?