Rabiya Mateo shares Pia Wurtzbach’s advice to her: ‘Run like a horse with blinders’

It’s queens for queens, indeed, as Pia Wurtzbach made sure to give Rabiya Mateo guidance ahead of the Miss Universe pageant.

In Cata Tibayan’s “24 Oras” report, Thursday, Rabiya shared that the Miss Universe 2015 titleholder advised her to stay focused on her own progress.

“She told me, ‘because the competition’s near, don’t stalk your co-candidates. Stay on your lane, run like a horse with blinders,’” said Rabiya.

“‘That’s how you should be because doing so is gonna add some pressure to you. You might think you’re not enough,’” she said.

The Iloilo beauty queen added that Pia reminded her to stay true to herself.

“‘This is your moment to shine and don’t try to fit yourself into the mold of other beauty queens. They’re different and you are, too,’” she recalled Pia saying in Filipino.

“‘This is your time to show the universe who Rabiya is,’” she added.

According to Rabiya, Pia also lent her an earring which she carries around and treats as her “lucky charm.”

The Miss Universe grand coronation will be held May 16 in the US. While waiting, Rabiya makes sure to use her time to prepare through workshops.

Apart from photoshoots, she also attended personality workshops, a hair and makeup session and workout training.

On her free time, she prepares for the Q&A portion by testing herself.

“There are moments when a question will just pop up in my mind and I would look in the mirror and I would try to answer it in the most powerful way I can,” she said.

According to Rabiya, she really is giving it her all and is continuously striving to improve herself to make sure that she’ll do well in the pageant.

“These past few months, I was able to squeeze everything out of me. I trained really hard for my body, I spend time to read, to improve my communication skills.”

“Now, it’s all about the game of destiny,” Rabiya said, adding that her “source of energy” were the Filipinos who believed in her.

“You believe in me as a person and as a beauty queen and I hope I’ll bring the fifth crown home for the Philippines. I’m offering this fight to you,” she said in Filipino.

On Thursday, Rabiya topped the partial tally of a local online poll for Miss Universe on the Lazada shopping app.

Rabiya is currently in the United States preparing for the Miss Universe 2020 grand coronation, which will be held at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. – Franchesca Viernes/RC, GMA News