DIA Mate from the Philippines was crowned Reina Hispanoamericana 2025 in ceremonies held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on Feb. 9 (Feb. 10 in Manila).
Mate, who hails from the political clan of the Remullas of Cavite, bested 24 other aspirants in the Latin-dominated international competition to inherit the title from 2023/2024 winner Maricielo Gamarra from Peru. Her victory is the second time that the country was able to bag the crown after Filipino actress Teresita Ssen “Winwyn” Marquez in 2017.
The contest, as in the past, also proclaimed a “Virreina” or vice-queen, Sofia Fernandez of Venezuela, who will take over in the event the winner fails to perform her duties.
Proclaimed as runners-up were: Primera Finalista – Miss Colombia; Segunda Finalista – Miss España; Tercera Finalista – Miss Perú; Cuarta Finalista – Miss Brasil; and Quinta Finalista – Miss Polonia
In her sheer Rian Fernandez gold column gown, Mate delivered her winning answer to the question: What value do you think is the most important to our society, and why do you think this is important?
“I think the one most important value that we should have is kindness. And my experience here in Bolivia is that you have showed me so much kindness and so much love even though racially I am not Latina. 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,” she said.
“And I hope this shows to everybody that if we use kindness, that we are all the same, then we can create a better world and a better society for us all,” she added.
Prior to the coronation, Mate showed that she is a force to contend with, having won the Best in National Costume or the “traje tipico” contest, after showcasing three major Philippine religious and cultural festivals in one ensemble.
Mate, a singer and model, first joined the 2024 Miss Universe pageant where she received a special title from a sponsor.
She then joined the 2025 Miss World Philippines pageant months later, where she inherited the Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas title from Michelle Arceo. (Armin P. Adina © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
