Immediately after cinching the the Miss Universe 2022 crown, Filipino-American beauty queen R’Bonney Gabriel thanked her fans from both sides of the globe.
By Jose Paolo dela Cruz and Iko Gabay
“Mabuhay Philippines, Mabuhay Filipino fans,” newly crowned Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel said during her first post-pageant press conference. “Maraming, maraming salamat sa tulong ninyo. The support is everything. I feel it in my heart. I heard it in the room. It was an amazing energy. The Filipino blood is so strong, we are hardworking we’re fun and we’re determined and I am so proud to be a half-Filipina.”
The 28 year-old also said that while her world “got turned upside down but I absolutely would love to visit the Philippines. I was speaking with a friend a couple of months ago who’s in the Philippines. He’s a designer, and I told him I would love to set up some sewing workshops and teach little girls how to sew because it was all about planting the seeds and giving them a creative opportunity.”
A fashion designer herself, R’Bonney also talked to PeopleAsia about her much-talked about black and magenta gown, which she wore to the preliminaries. “Yes, it was from (Filipino designer) Rian Fernandez. And the whole idea was to have a beautiful pop of color, something different, something that I hadn’t done,” she said. R’Bonney also said that she wanted to stand out and thus chose magenta, and mixed it up with New Orleans’ Mardi Gras by adding lots of beads to the design.
One thing that’s also top of mind for this beauty queen is sustainable fashion. “I think it’s one of those things where people don’t realize it’s an issue. It’s kind of out of sight out of mind, when you think of how clothing is made in factories, and there’s a lot of extra fabric that’s just gone to waste. And nobody even realizes that because when are we visiting factories every day? So, for me, I’m always trying to bring awareness on that,” she said.
Shortly after the preliminaries, R’Bonney also told PeopleAsia that she had a really good feeling about her performance. “You know, I feel really good about it. I went over that routine so many times in my head, and to be able to actually execute it, it’s such an amazing feeling like I went to bed on Cloud 9, I couldn’t even sleep. I think I went to bed at, like, 3 a.m. So, I’m running on three hours of sleep, but it’s just adrenaline and happiness right now,”
And now that she has what many Filipinos are calling the “4.5th” Miss Universe crown of the Philippines (in reference to the four previous Miss Universe crowns won by the country’s beauty queens), R’Bonney has definitely earned more than a bite of her favorite Filipino treat. “Definitely the ensaymada! I know that’s a dessert but that is my absolute favorite.”
