Rabiya Mateo gets emotional after Miss Universe national costume show

Rabiya Mateo got emotional after showcasing her national costume for the Miss Universe 2020 competition on Friday.

An Instagram Live clip that made the rounds on social media showed the Filipina beauty queen in tears as she expressed her gratitude to those who supported her during the event.

“It felt so great that I was onstage and then I kept everybody cheering for me, and I did my best during the competition and I am just really overwhelmed,” she said in a mix of English and Tagalog.

“That is why I want to thank everyone who showed their support and love for me.”  

Before signing off, Rabiya apologized to those who were “disappointed” in her and revealed she had a mishap while she was getting ready.

She said the preliminary competition for swimsuit and long gown would be held tomorrow, so they needed to be up early. “I just wanna do a quick live to tell you guys that I’m so sorry if you’re disappointed with me,” she said.

“I even cut my finger earlier and my stockings were covered in blood but I kept fighting,” she added.

The IG Live post, which bore the beauty queen’s username, seems to have been deleted from her account as of writing.

Nevertheless, Rabiya capped the day off with an optimistic post featuring a snapshot of her costume.

“Tonight was a good night. I had fun. That’s what really matters,” she wrote.

Rabiya earlier said in a behind the scenes clip that she felt like a “Victoria’s Secret angel” during the show.

She walked on the stage wearing a massive winged outfit inspired by the Philippine flag.

It was created by the late Filipino fashion designer Rocky Gathercole in collaboration with costume and jewelry designer Manny Halasan.

Creative director Jonas Gaffud said that the ensemble weighed more than 20 kilos.

The Philippines dominated the national costume portion of last year’s Miss Universe competition, with Miss Universe Philippines 2019 Gazini Ganados wearing a shimmering Philippine eagle-inspired outfit made by Filipino designer Cary Santiago.

The national costume round of the 2020 Miss Universe pageant was streamed live through Lazada and the official Miss Universe YouTube channel.

Fans can vote for their favorite costume at http://missuniverse.com/vote. Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. on May 15. – RC, GMA News