Full Text: Q&A portion ng Top 5 Miss Universe Philippines

Si Rabiya Mateo mula sa Iloilo City ang tinanghal na nagwagi sa Miss Universe Philippines pageant noong Linggo.

Sa question-and-answer portion ng pageant na ginanap sa Baguio City, tinanong siya ng isang natatanging katanungan, at isa pang tinugon ng kanyang kapwa top 5 na kandidata.

Basahin ang full text kung paano sumagot ng mga kandidata sa Q&A portion ng kompetisyon:

RABIYA MATEO, ILOILO CITY – MISS UNIVERSE PHILIPPINES 2020

Question: If you can create a new paper currency with the image of any Filipino on it, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Answer: If I were given the chance, I want to use the face of Miriam Defensor-Santiago. For those who don’t know, she was an Ilongga. But what I admired about her is that she used her knowledge, her voice to serve the country. I want to be somebody like her - somebody who puts her heart, her passion into action. After all, she is the best President that we never had.

Question: This pandemic has made clear our priorities, essential or non-essential. Where do pageants stand in this time of crisis?

Answer: As a candidate, I know I am not just a face of Iloilo City but I am here carrying hope and as a symbol of light in the darkest of times. As of the moment, I want to help my community. I want to use my strength to make an impact. And that is the essence of beauty pageant. It gives us the power to make a difference.

MARIA YSABELLA YSMAEL, PARAÑAQUE CITY – 1ST RUNNER UP

Question: To a child who has never seen a pageant, how would you describe a beauty queen?

Answer: I would tell that child that a beauty queen is somebody who is first and foremost a human being. She’s somebody that is proud of who she is. But most importantly, she is somebody that brings hope. When she wears that crown on her head, it’s not just because she’s the most beautiful girl in the room. But it’s because she’s the woman who inspires hope, she’s the woman who inspires love and productivity, and somebody being authentic. And a beauty queen is somebody that we should always look up to.

Question: This pandemic has made clear our priorities, essential or non-essential. Where do pageants stand in this time of crisis?

Answer: In my experience with the pandemic and being in one of the most prestigious pageants in the Philippines, I’ve realized that pageants are something that can give Filipinos hope and it’s something that can give Filipinos something to look forward to. It’s something that we, as Filipinos, as a pageant-loving nation, it’s something that we are so proud of. It’s something that gives us life. That’s the relevance of what a pageant is. We help each other out. We help other people, and we help ourselves grow. We help each other prosper through any negative aspect.

MICHELE GUMABAO, QUEZON CITY – 2ND RUNNER UP

Question: If you are under strict quarantine and isolation, what is the most important mobile app for you and why?

Answer: The most important app during this whole quarantine was my bible. Having faith in the midst of this pandemic was very vital to me, not only for my mental health but also for my sanity. It got me through the toughest of times. I was able to get through others through the toughest of times, and it keeps me centered. It keeps me grounded. That’s the most important thing that I wound need in a pandemic.

Question: This pandemic has made clear our priorities, essential or non-essential. Where do pageants stand in this time of crisis?

Answer: As we all know, pageants are a very inspiring event not only to the Philippines, but to every country who supports pageantry. It is important to stage a pageant and to show the Philippines that we are much more than our setbacks, than our failures, and that we are able to overcome any adversity. Having a pageant symbolizes hope, and right now on this stage, that is who we are.

PAULINE AMELINCKX, BOHOL - 3RD RUNNER UP

Question: What factors influence you in deciding on what to buy or post online?

Answer: The factors that help me decide that is basically what I want to put out there, what I want to show the world about myself, how I want to portray myself. What matters most is that we know who were are, that we are true to our authentic selves, and that we always try our best to show and share that to the rest of the world, and hopefully inspire them to do the same.

Question: This pandemic has made clear our priorities, essential or non-essential. Where do pageants stand in this time of crisis?

Answer: I think pageants are now an amazing platform to show that not all our dreams are cancelled. They are just put on hold. For us, we are lucky that we are still able to make this one dream come true, to stand here, to spread hope, to rally people together in action and in conversation and spark change. Together, I am sure, we can make a positive impact out there on this stage.

KIMBERLY "BILLIE" HAKENSON, CAVITE – 4TH RUNNER UP

Question: What advice will give to a first time voter for the 2022 elections?

Answer: We have fought long and hard for our right to suffrage. This is not something that we should waste. For us to be able to complain and be able to appreciate the things that we have as Filipino citizens, we have to vote. We have to participate in selecting our leaders.

Question: This pandemic has made clear our priorities, essential or non-essential. Where do pageants stand in this time of crisis?

Answer: I am someone who is usually an independent person but because of this beauty pageant, I realized I needed to ask for help, that I needed to reach out to people. The same goes for everyone else. To be able to survive something as big as this pandemic, altruism should be practiced and cooperation is always the key.