By Alex P. Vidal
“I may or may not win the crown. But one thing is for sure: I’m gonna make you proud.”—Rabiya Mateo, Miss Universe Philippines 2020
RABIYA Occeña Mateo, 24, described internationally as “Filipino-Indian model and pageant titleholder”, was relatively unknown before she was crowned as the Miss Universe Philippines 2020.
Now, the Ilongga beauty from Balasan, Iloilo is on top of the world regardless of who will be crowned as the Miss Universe 2020 during the 69th edition of the Miss Universe competition at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida on May 16, 2021.
Even if she was not yet the Miss Universe crown holder, she’s already the toast of the pageant world; lucrative modeling and endorsement contracts may be waiting on the horizon.
And if popularity should be the basis for selecting the next Miss Universe, Mateo was already a runaway winner based on the number of her followers in the social and mainstream media, and the abundant glowing adulation from both her fans and admirers.
Coming from a very humble beginning and a family that had longed for a father figure, Mateo, an underdog both in life and in pageant competitions, vaulted into stardom in the Miss Universe Philippines competition when the world was besieged by the pandemic and people paid little attention to how she amassed the spectacular victory in Baguio City.
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God indeed has chosen another underdog in this field to rise to the occasion and make a king-sized difference in a competitive world.
He has big plans for Mateo who will certainly never be the same again after the Miss Universe competition—win or lose.
This reminds us of what Robert Morris had emphasized that the great paradox of living the blessed life is when we give without thought to whether or not we will receive, then we receive.
Truly, nothing feels blessed about being broken.
“In fact,” Charles Stanley once said, “certain circumstances in life hurt so intensely that we think we will never heal. But blessing can come in the wake of our being broken.”
In the video, uploaded by the Miss Universe Organization on May 13 (May 12 in the US), Mateo was asked about her pageant journey. She admitted that she was never really a favorite and was a dark horse going into the Miss Universe Philippines competition.
“Nobody noticed me. When I won, I received different comments. There were people who did not expect me to do well, who thought I cheated,” quipped Mateo, who will vie for the country’s fifth Miss Universe crown. “That’s why I needed to do well in Miss Universe, I needed to do well in this competition.”
She may or may not win, but Rabiya Mateo has already made many Filipinos proud of her with her beauty and intelligence combined with gracefulness and humility seldom found in any beauty crown holder.
Good luck, Rabiya.
May the full force of our prayers and moral support give you the coveted Miss Universe 2020 crown.
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An email dated May 13, 2021 sent by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo which he also shared to other New Yorkers:
Dear Alex, Late last night, the New York State Clinical Advisory Task Force approved the use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 12 – 15-year-olds. This approval allowed us to begin administering the vaccine to this newly eligible age group today. Reminder: All New York State vaccination sites are open for walk-in appointments to all eligible individuals. You can also make an appointment online through the Am I Eligible tool or by calling 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829). Let’s get vaccinated, New York.
Here’s what else you need to know tonight:
- COVID hospitalizations dropped to 1,852. Of the 204,531 tests reported yesterday, 2,216, or 1.08 percent, were positive. The 7-day average percent positivity was 1.25 percent. There were 433 patients in ICU yesterday, down 30 from the previous day. Of them, 258 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 22 New Yorkers to the virus.
- As of 11am this morning, 60.9 percent of adult New Yorkers have completed at least one vaccine dose. Over the past 24 hours, 111,885 total doses have been administered. To date, New York administered 17,166,220 total doses with 50.4 percent of adult New Yorkers completing their vaccine series. See additional data on the State’s Vaccine Tracker.
- The moratorium on disconnecting utilities is extended until the COVID-19 state of emergency is lifted on December 31, 2021. This week, I signed legislation extending a moratorium that prevents utility companies from disconnecting utilities to residential households and small businesses that are struggling with their bills due to pandemic-related hardship. The moratorium is extended for a period of 180 days after the COVID-19 state of emergency is lifted or 180 days after December 31, 2021, whichever is earlier.
- I signed legislation protecting New Yorkers’ COVID stimulus payments from debt collectors. All relief payments to New Yorkers under these federal acts, including stimulus payments, tax refunds, rebates, and tax credits to support individuals and children qualified for or received prior to the effective date, will be protected.
Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: A 10-year-old boy earned the title of National Chess Master, becoming the 28th youngest person to do so. Tanitoluwa “Tani” Adewumi, a refugee from Nigeria, won the New York state chess championship in 2019 and has continued to hone his skills to win the national title on May 1. Next up in Tani’s chess ambitions is to become the world’s youngest grandmaster. Ever Upward, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo)
