The organization of Miss Universe Philippines held its grand coronation for Miss Universe Philippines 2020 on 25th October 2020 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.
Michele Gumabao representing the Quezon City at the competition was considered as one of the front runners for the title was adjudged as the second runner-up at the end of the event finale. She has recently stated that she will not be entering any more beauty pageants in the future. The diva who is a Volleyball player mentioned that she is going to reach the age limit for the beauty pageants thus, she would be focusing on putting her time and effort into being an entrepreneur.
During a recent event where the queens of Miss Universe Philippines 2020 interacted with the media, Michele stated, “Unfortunately po, because of my age, there will be no more beauty pageants for me. This is the beginning of even brighter journey 'coz I have a lot of different businesses to bring in to the Philippines and now, I have the time to do so.”
When she was asked about her being adjudged as the second runner-up, Michele mentioned, “It’s still very hectic because it’s, like, I took a two-week vacation being part of the pageant. Aside from being part of Miss Universe Philippines, I never neglected my duties as a professional athlete, also as a businesswoman.” Diva is a professional volleyball player and had mentioned that sports would always be her advocacy even after her reign ends. She is the daughter of former PBA player and actor Dennis Roldan and siter of actor Marco Gumbao.
Michele Gumabao entered pageantry in 2018 when she became an official delegate in Binibining Pilipinas 2018. She was crowned as Binibining Pilipinas Globe 2018 and represented Philippines at Miss Global 2018. Even though, she didn’t win the title of Miss Globe 2018, she placed at Top 15 and was adjudged with the title of Miss Social Media and Dream Girl. She seeks to give children the potentially life-altering option of choosing volleyball as passion.
The diva was one of the favourites for the title and she performed exceptionally well at the competition. She impressed everyone with her elegance, positive attitude, and humblness. During the final question and answer round of the competition, she 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 centred and it kept me grounded and that's the most important thing that I would need in a pandemic.”
Then she was also asked about what importance does beauty pageants hold in the time of crises, to which she 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.
We will surely miss the stunning and confident diva on-stage after her reign ends but wishing her good luck for all her future endeavours.