Miss Universe Philippines Rabiya Mateo became emotional as she thanked her fans who continue supporting her in her journey.
“I don’t want to be emotional right. I feel like this is parang my send-off party,” Mateo said during a virtual meeting with Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi.
The virtual event organized by e-commerce application Lazada became Mateo’s send-off party since she was not able to have one due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Maraming salamat po talaga sa init ng suportang binigay niyo sa akin. It’s hard to be far away from home, you know,” she said.
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“But every time I see a Filipino, you know, would send me a message of love, it meant a lot. It gives me the energy to do well in the competition.” Mateo added.
Mateo also sends a message to Filipinos who are still reeling from the impact of the coronavirus surge.
“And alam ko, maraming pinagdadaanan iyong bansa natin ngayon, maraming problema na kailangan ng solusyon,” she said.
“Kailangan natin magtulong-tulong. Kailangan natin mahalin muna iyong sariling atin at hindi tayo dapat magpaapi sa problema kasi Pilipino tayo,”Mateo added.
The Miss Universe bet said that she will do her best to bring home the 5th Miss Universe crown in the Philippines.
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“At iyong pangako ko, ilalaban ko talaga itong Miss Universe. Gagawin ko ang lahat lahat para maging proud naman kayo sa akin,” she said.
During the same virtual press conference, Mateo said that pressuee has already started to sink in.
“Definitely. I know every Miss Philippines has been in this position and I would always remind myself that this is an opportunity for me to show who I am as Rabiya and not as a copycat of somebody else,” she said.
“I wouldn’t allow myself to be into a mold of somebody who is not me. And the pressure is there simply because Philippines is a pageant-loving country and we really want to win. I want to win, you know, I want to make you all proud,” Mateo explained. (TDT)
