Iloilo City Rabiya Mateo's road to the Miss Universe Philippines 2020 crown

Iloilo City's dusky beauty Rabiya Mateo bested more than 40 candidates to win the Miss Universe Philippines 2020 crown. 

A strong contender since the very beginning of the pageant, Rabiya's star even shown brighter as the coronation event drew closer.

She won best in swimsuit during the preliminaries, as pageant website Missosology gave a fearless forecast for Rabiya to win the crown.  

Rabiya may not have won Best in Costume, but on Instagram, she proudly posted a photo of herself portraying Maniwantiwan, the wife of Marikudo, chief of Aeta tribe of Panay Island, and thanked her team.

 

 

 

 

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Hala Bira Iloilo! This post is an appreciation to one of the best designers in Iloilo. Thank you so much Tata Blas Pinuela for pouring your creative mind and artistic spirit in making this amazing National Costume.You have been a genuine and a supportive friend. I love you from the bottom of my heart. I can't wait to go home and hug you when everything is back to normal. I also want to extend my gratitude to the rest of his team. Special thanks to the following person: Sarah Mae Sulit John Ryan Pinuela Rheno Mar Soqueño Tito Bo Parcon Pangging Rosales Joe Agriam I am portraying Maniwantiwan, the wife of Marikudo who is the chief of Aeta tribe of Panay Island. Photographer: @paulchiongson phenomenalwoman #MissUniversePhilippines2020 #MUPHIloiloCity #aribarabiya #halabirabiya #beyondthecoastline #beautifultransformation #sustainabletourism

A post shared by Rabiya Mateo (@rabiyamateo) on

Oct 24, 2020 at 2:13am PDT

Rabiya not only turned heads in her exquisite red long gown and the Furne One-designed swimsuit, she also demanded for viewers' utmost attention as she gave remarkable answers one after another. 

See Rabiya's journey toward the Miss Universe Philippines crown below:

You can catch the replay of the Miss Universe Philippines 2020 coronation event on GMA-7 at 10:30pm tonight. — LA, GMA News