RABIYA Mateo has emphasized the importance of education in her introduction video for the 69th Miss Universe.
A teacher by profession, the Ilongga beauty queen said education transformed her life from “humble beginnings.”
For her, education is the “social equalizer” of the poor families in the Philippines.
“I live in a country where there’s a lot of poor families and education is our social equalizer that regardless of what background you have, what’s status of your family, if you educate yourself you will be able to land a great job,” she said.
“If I will be crowned as your next Miss Universe, I will do my best to champion for other people because we need nowadays is not just a beauty queen with a pretty face, but we need phenomenal women who are not afraid to speak and to stand for the things that they believe in,” she ended.
The 69th Miss Universe competition will be held on May 16 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.GMA News/PN
