Rabiya Mateo condemns bullying of Miss Universe candidates
No stranger to hurtful comments, Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo is asking the public to refrain from bashing other candidates in this year's Miss Universe pageant.
She made the appeal after Miss Universe Canada 2020 Nova Stevens became the subject of insulting comments on social media from Filipino netizens.
“With all that has been going on in the world 'Black lives matter' 'Asians are human' you would think this would bring us together.
"Instead, looks like some people are still stuck in their ignorant and racist ideologies,” Nova posted on Instagram accompanied by screenshots of the cruel comments mocking her skin color.
“I'm really disappointed with some pageant fans from certain countries.
"Your hate takes away the fun and enjoyment from this once in a lifetime experience.
"Is it really that difficult to spread love instead of hate?
"No one is saying you have to support all contestants, all we're saying is that you support your delegate without bringing others down. You don't need to dim someone's light in order for you to shine.”
In her latest post today, May 5, Nova apologized to Filipinos and included screenshots of, this time, positive and encouraging words.
“To my Filipino fans: I'm sorry if my previous post caused you any harm. My post wasn't intended to incite more hate; rather shed light on the toxicity that sometimes hails from fans (from all over the world),” wrote Nova.
“The last thing I want is for anyone to experience hate so please don't bash or generalize the Filipino fans; not all are racist.”
She added, “Let's get back to spreading love, celebration and making Pageants fun for all! Root for the girls, they deserve to be celebrated and spoiled with lots of love. They've worked so hard.”
No to bullying
Rabiya is saddened by the unfortunate incident and has already reached out to Nova to apologize for what happened.
“Nobody deserves to be in that position. I've been bashed and there was a moment in which a lot of people would tell me, 'That's normal, you're a beauty queen.'
"But I've seen how it affected not just me but also other candidates,” Rabiya told members of the press in a virtual press conference this morning.
Rabiya said that she and her co-candidates openly talked about their frustrations in dealing with hurtful remarks on social media.
“I would always campaign, as a person, I do not tolerate bullying in all forms and ways,” remarked Rabiya.
The 24-year-old beauty queen from Iloilo and the Miss Universe Philippines organization plan to make a video appealing to the public to be respectful and responsible on social media.
Rabiya knows too well the feeling, having her own share of unfair criticisms especially after winning the Miss Universe Philippines title in October last year.
“It's been really toxic,” lamented Rabiya, who admitted feeling bogged down by all the negativity she reads on social media.
“The good thing is that the organization gave me a life coaching session which really helped and allowed me to find myself again,” she revealed.
“It may be dramatic to hear, but it's real and sometimes it crushes you. My goal is to represent our country, to make you guys proud, and I'm doing my best.”
Rabiya also got some valuable advice from Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach to help her deal with the outside noise throughout the pageant.
“She told me, don't open your social media. Focus and protect your inner peace.”
One of the hottest social issues recently was the hate crimes directed towards Asians in the U.S.
The issue struck a chord among many of our local celebrities who voiced out their concern about the rise of violence against Asian nationals. Here are some of them: