Philippines’ candidate to the 69th edition of Miss Universe, Rabiya Mateo went a quick Instagram live on Friday shortly after her performance in the pageant’s national costume competition.
The beauty queen got too emotional as she apologized to her fans for disappointing them with her performance, emphasizing that she gave her utmost best.
She even revealed that she accidentally cut her finger while wearing her heavy costume.
“I’m so sorry kung na-disappoint man kayo sa akin. But I know na I did my best. I even cut my finger earlier and ‘yung stockings ko puno na rin siya ng dugo. But I kept fighting,” she said.
She also stressed that she even run out of time in retouching her hair and make-up.
“I was running for pins, I was running for scissors, for everything, just to be able to execute the costume really well,” Mateo also revealed.
Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray immediately came to the rescue for Rabiya Mateo.
In her post, Gray wrote: “@rabiyamateo does not need to apologize! She worked that stage and PER-FORMED National costume is a segment to celebrate culture and a country’s identity, but isn’t a part of the scoring towards the crown. Kaya laban lang, Queen!”
Despite her defense to Rabiya, Catriona Gray found herself in hot water as she got questioned about her support for Rabiya Mateo. Several Filipino Netizens chastised her for a tweet that made many feel insensitive move for the country’s current candidate.
In her opinion, via a tweet, Gray named six countries that stood out during the much-anticipated national costume show. The Philippines was conspicuously absent from her list. The former Miss Universe listed Indonesia, Nepal, Peru, Thailand, Ukraine, and Vietnam as her faves.
She quickly clarified that her choices for the national costume segment were based solely on the costumes, not the candidates’ performances.
My best in National Costume picks are my favorite National Costumes, not based on the candidates performance. I love the celebration of culture and a country's expression of identity which is why its one of my favorite segments! @MissUniverse
— Catriona Gray (@catrionaelisa) May 14, 2021
Nonetheless, Mateo still earned praises for her “powerful performance” on stage.
She is preparing for the finals night on May 16 (the morning of May 17 in Manila). She will compete for the country’s fifth Miss Universe title.
