Philippine bet Dia Mate has won the Reina Hispanoamericana 2025 crown!

The Caviteña pageant queen was adjudged the competition’s overall winner during the coronation night on Monday (Philippine time) in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where she became only the second Filipina to take home the coveted crown. 

She donned a shimmering gold gown embellished with glowing beads and sequences that embraced the Filipina’s natural curves– coincidentally befitting her golden fate as the pageant’s finale queen. 

In the question and answer portion, a judge asked Dia: (in Spanish) “What values do you think are the most important to our society, and why do you think this is important?”

The Filipina started off by greeting the audience in Spanish, before fully engaging with the question with the aid of a translator. 

She answered:  “I think the most important value that we should have is kindness. In my experience here in Bolivia, Latinas have shown me so much kindness and so much love even though racially I am not Latino.”

“And the most beautiful thing I've noticed is that even though we don't speak the same language, we share the same culture, same heart, and same faith in God, and I hope this shows everybody that if we use kindness we can show that we are all the same and can create a better world and a better society for us all.”
According to a report by Hermes Joy Tunac of GMA Integrated News, she also took home the Best in National Costume award for her Ehrran Montoya-designed dress that drew inspiration from the Baroque Churches of the Philippines. 

Reina Hispanoamericana is a 1991-established annual pageant regularly held in Bolivia that celebrates Hispanic heritage and culture. 

It attracts competitors from more than 20 countries all around the globe that have Spanish roots and/or historical ties with Spain, such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and the Philippines. 

Venezuela holds the record for the most titles won with seven, while Brazil comes in second with five. 

Following the Dia Mate victory, the Philippines is now tied with Peru, Ecuador, and Paraguay at the fifth spot with two crowns. 

The first Filipina to win the Reina Hispanoamericana crown was Sparkle actress and model Winwyn Marquez in 2017.