Rabiya Mateo arrives at pageant's official hotel; apologizes to Filipino fans for being late

Rabiya Mateo arrives at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Photo by Thai Sashes.

Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo arrives at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida on Thursday, May 6 (May 7 morning Manila time) to officially register at 69th Miss Universe.

Wearing white mini-dress and mask for safety, she was greeted by some pageant fans who waited for hours at the hotel lobby.

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Pageant blog Thai Sashes is at the hotel and interviewed the Ilongga beauty.

She was asked to greet her Thai fans.

"This is Rabiya from the Philippines. I'm so excited to go visit Thailand," she said in the ambush interview.

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She also revealed that she's a huge fan of Mario Maurer and Thailand's Boy Love (BL) series.

"I'm a huge fan of Mario Maurer to be honest. I've been watching your Boy Love series. Yeah maybe soon, I will be able to the country of smiles. Thank you so much."

Many Filipino pageant fans online patiently waited Rabiya to arrive at the hotel. She then apologizes to them.

"Hello everybody. I'm so sorry I got here late. I know a lot of my Filipino fans are waiting for me there in the Philippines. Maraming salamat po. And yes we're gonna fight. We're gonna do  our best to perform well on May 16."

Rabiya was also seen showing her pasarela at the hotel lobby.

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Pageant blog Thai Sashes could not get enough of Rabiya when they saw her in person. 

Here's what they think of her: "I love this woman very much. When I first saw her, she said the words I'm sorry that I was late. This woman really speaks from the heart. And as you walk, you will say that I remember you... Thai Sashes. . We love you too. @rabiyamateo."

"Today I am very glad I met you. I waited for you 9 hours. It's 9 hours to be happy to see you," they added.

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Today is the arrival date of the 69th Miss Universe contestants. They are expected to undergo COVID-19 test. While checked-in at the hotel, they have to wait 24 hours for the result. Any contestants who will get positive will not be able to join the competition.

What to expect at the 69th Miss Universe Registration and Fittings?

 

Pia Wurtzbach, tries on her casual dress during registration at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on December 1st, 2015. Photo by Miss Universe

The 69th Miss Universe delegates will start to check-in tomorrow, May 7, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. This year is different with other editions of Miss Universe as COVID-19 hits not only USA but also the rest of the world.

Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe South Africa 2019 upon arriving to the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel on November 28, 2019. Photo: Miss Universe

 

Here are some of the expectations during the registration and fittings*:

• Contestants will be tested once they attend at HOTEL / MISS UNIVERSE CHECK-IN.
• They will be in lockdown at the hotel tfor 24 hours.
• If the result is positive, he contestant will not be able to compete at the 69th Miss Universe pageant.
• The organization will measure the temperature of the contestants everyday.
• Contestants must wear mask during the activities.

Here is the tentative schedule of events and activities of 69th Miss Universe competition to be held in the US on May 16 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. This schedule was sent to all national directors and is subject to change. Dates indicated here are US time.

May 6 & 7

Delegates Arrivals @ the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

May 7, 8 & 9

Delegates Registration & Fittings

Photography with Fadil Berisha

Video Shoots with MUO Digital Production Crew

Telecast Film Crew Shoot

May 10, 11 & 12

Choreography Rehearsals (no audience allowed)

May 13

Delegates Interviews/Judging 7:30 am - 4:30 pm

National Costume Show 8:00 - 9:00 pm

May 14

Preliminary Competition 7:00 - 9:00 pm

May 15

On-Camera Rehearsal (no audience allowed)

May 16

Dress Rehearsal 1:00 pm

Live TELECAST 8:00 - 11:00 pm

May 17

Delegates depart Florida

*Updates courtesy of Road to Miss USA

Rabiya Mateo shares thoughts of having Filipino sponsors in Miss Universe

Photo: Soriano Studios Manila

Having Filipino sponsors in Miss Universe is not an assurance in winning the crown says Miss Universe Rabiya Mateo. This was revealed by the Ilongga beauty during the interview with Rappler correspondent Voltaire Tayag.

Some of the major sponsors of the 69th Miss Universe are companies that are owned and managed by Filipino entrepreneurs. 

Filipino-American Olivia Quido-Co is the official skincare. Leading eCommerce platform, Lazada, strikes an exclusive partnership with the Miss Universe Organization to be the official voting platform in the Philippines. Meanwhile, Jojo Bragais has been chosen as the official footwear provider. 

The Miss Universe Organization has also inked a partnership with iQiyi International for the free streaming in the Philippines that will air live on May 17 at 8 a.m. 

Major sponsors of 69th Miss Universe.

"I'm actually happy to share this opportunity. Now we're not just supporting a candidate in Miss Universe. We are also supporting Filipino products, what we can offer to the global community. It speaks a lot for the quality of service, quality of products that we were able to produced over these past few years. And I'm very happy," Rabiya said in the interview.

As much as she is proud with this milestone, Rabiya is not complacent while in the competition.

Rabiya Mateo in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

"I would always remind myself because other people think that I might have an advantage you know because there's a lot of Filipino sponsors. That's not the case. I really need to work hard. I really need to work double or triple my effort because it's not an assurance. I shouldn't be complacent of what is happening right now and I really need to work my way up. That I would always remind myself every time I wake up in the morning. If you wanna win, you need to do this with all your heart, with all your mind," she added.

In a separate interview, official footwear provider Jojo Bragais debunked the issue that Rabiya has advantage in the pageant.

"We are not part of the judging panel. Para sa akin wala naman talagang kaming say eh. So parang it's still the organization,"Jojo said.

"Si Rabiya man no matter kung anong mangyayari, kung ano ang kahinanatnan niya, naniniwala ako na marami siyang learnings na matututunan dito. That is already a winner. So ngayon palang Rabiya is a winner and every Filipino should celebrate that," he added.

Paula Shugart reveals who is the next Miss Universe

 

Last night, Miss Universe Organization organized a Q&A to the VIP ticket holders. Here are some of the key points:

• The girls will wear neon colored Sherri Hill dresses for the opening.
• Swimsuits will be custom made for each girl. Swimsuit competition will have an energetic feel.
• Winner will be someone that connects with people and isn't trying too hard. Social causes don't make you a winner.
• Opening introduction are going to be filmed around the hotel.
• Miss Universe 2014 Paulina Vega, Miss Universe 2017 Demi Tebow and Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst will be the backstage correspondents.

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The VIP Q&A was attended by MUO President Paula Shugart, producers and choreographer Kent Parham and David Profeta and MUO Director of Communications Meg Omecene.

VIP Q&A Session via Zoom. Photo via @missuupdate

Special thanks to @missuupdate for these details.

Miss Universe Free Online Streaming

GET EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ON THE 69TH MISS UNIVERSE ONLY ON iQiyi Philippines!

iQiyi has partnered with Miss Universe to bring you exclusive content! On top of that, iQiyi will be streaming the competition LIVE and for FREE on May 17 (8:00am, PH time)!

To celebrate this partnership, we are giving away VIP access to our followers in partnership with iQiyi Philippines!

Here are the mechanics:

1. Download the iQiyi application
2. Comment on Facebook (see our pinned post) the screenshot of the app. For Instagram, comment "DONE" in the post and don't forget to send the screenshot via direct message (DM) (@enpofficial).
3. We will randomly select winners from FB and IG.
4. This promo starts from May 4 until May 7. Winners will be notified via DM on May 8 and instructions on how to redeem the VIP voucher code.
5. This promo is available for PH residents only.

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Rabiya Mateo sizzles in 'Victoria Secret' inspired photoshoot

 

Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo as Victoria Secret model? Why not. Miss Universe Philippines Organization released the Episode 1 of 'Following Rabiya' on it's official application. Before you can watch it, you have to download the application first. For now, it's only available for Google users or at PlayStore.

Don't worry because we got you covered.  See the video below to watch the Episode 1.

Screenshot: Official Miss Universe Philippines application

Teaser:

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Episode 1 of 'Following Rabiya' 

For Episode 2, we will follow Rabiya's journey in California. Be the first to watch it by downloading the application.

Preview: 69th Miss Universe National Costumes

 

National costume of Australia, Indonesia, South Africa and Norway

The official 69th Miss Universe activities will kick off on May 6 as the candidates start to check-in at the official hotel, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, located at Hollywood, Florida.

One of the exciting events of the pageant is the national costume show. It is an international tradition where contestants display an authentic costume of choice that best represents the culture of their home country.

Entertainment News Portal compiled some of the costumes to be shown during the competition. Let us know what country is your favorite.

Albania

Aruba

Australia

Belize

Bolivia

Brazil

Cambodia

Chile

Croatia

Curacao

Czech Republic

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

El Salvador

Finland

Indonesia

Israel

Italy

Laos

Malaysia

Mexico

Myanmar

Nepal

Netherlands

Nicaragua

Norway

Panama

Puerto Rico

Romania

South Africa

Thailand

Ukraine

Vietnam

If you are looking for Philippines, traditionally the national costume is only shown during the day of the event. So let's just wait for that.