MANILA, Philippines — By winning the first-ever Miss Universe Philippines, Rabiya Mateo made not just Iloilo proud, but her unlikely “family” abroad as well.
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The Ilongga beauty queen’s victory was shared by “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum and known pageant drag queen Alexis Mateo (Season 3, All Stars 1, All Stars 5).
After Rabiya was crowned, “Drag Race” fans had jokingly congratulated Alexis for her drag family’s achievement, referring to the coincidental surname she and her “daughter” share.
Rabiya Mateo is the new #MissUniversePhilippines!
Congratulations to the House of Mateo! pic.twitter.com/BaJUNRbV8R— Panlasang Pinay (@thysz) October 25, 2020
Congrats to @rabiyamateo_ for winning Miss Universe PH.????????????@AlexisMateo79 and @VanessaVanjie Mateo are living right now! ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/fygrJxGF3j
— jannbungcaras (@jannbungcaras) October 25, 2020
To their surprise, Alexis acknowledged the congratulatory posts and reposted these on her official social media accounts.
OMG! Nag-story si Alexis Mateo sa Instagram. A proud momma! Hahaha! #MissUniversePhilippines2020 pic.twitter.com/QNfprJplGp
— Josiah Antonio (@josiahvantonio) October 25, 2020
The gag would have marked a milestone for the “House of Mateo,” consisting of Alexis and drag daughter Vanessa Vanjie Mateo (Seasons 10 and 11) — who both left an indelible mark on their respective “Drag Race” runs despite sashaying away each time.
Thanks to Rabiya, Miss Universe Philippines 2020 ended with a “Bam!” for the Mateos.