2 months ago
121
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
MANILA, Philippines – Dia Maté was crowned Reina Hispanoamericana 2025 on Monday, February 10 (Manila time) in Bolivia, defeating over 20 other contestants from countries with Hispanic roots.
The young beauty queen succeeds Peru’s Maricielo Gamarra, and is only the second Filipina to take home the crown, following Winwyn Marquez’s victory in 2017.
From her pageant history to her life outside being a queen, get to know Dia here.
Family, personal life
Deanna Marie Maté, or Dia for short, is a member of the Remulla political clan from Cavite. She is the granddaughter of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla.
She is also in a relationship with OPM singer Juan Karlos Labajo, who she referred to as her “best friend” and “greatest love.”
Juan Karlos confirmed his relationship with Dia on Valentine’s Day in 2024. He shared a photo of Dia and himself snuggled up, captioned with a simple heart emoji.
The “ERE” singer has been openly supportive of Dia’s pageant career. He showed up at the Miss World Philippines 2024 coronation night in support of Dia, and even penned a letter for her after her run.
“I have seen how you’ve gone through all the challenges and difficulties of the pageantry world with grace and elegance and I couldn’t be any prouder. You have been my queen since day one and the only difference now is that you’re wearing the crown that you so deserve. This is just the beginning. To my sweet baby with the kindest heart and a smile that lights up my world, congratulations! I love you,” he wrote.
Life outside pageantry
Beyond pageantry, Dia is also a recording artist. In 2020, she was a contestant on The Pop Stage, an online talent show, where she notched a Grand Finals finish.
Dia had already been writing songs for years, but it was only in 2020 when she learned how to produce music. Shortly after, in 2021, she began releasing her own music on online streaming platforms, starting with the sultry R&B track, “Heart Hates Me.”
Her most popular song to date — and perhaps the most fitting to her pageant journey — is “Ganda Gandahan.” Released in November 2024, the synth-pop song, which is about owning your beauty and confidence, sees Dia mix her sarcastic humor with the desire to convey the harsh realities women face in the entertainment industry.
Pageant experience: from MUPH to Reina Hispanoamericana
Dia is a fresh newcomer in the pageant scene, making her beauty queen debut in Miss Universe Philippines 2024 as Cavite’s representative.
After falling short of a Top 20 finish, she then tried her hand at Miss World Philippines 2024. There, she was named the Philippines’ representative to the Reina Hispanoamericana 2025 pageant.
She then competed at Reina Hispanoamericana 2025 in Bolivia. Even before the coronation night on February 10, Dia already had a strong showing after winning the Best National Costume (Mejor Traje Típico) award.
Her national costume, titled “Banaag,” was designed by Ehrran Montoya. The stunning look is inspired by the ancient Baroque churches of the Philippines, a UNESCO-recognized architectural treasure.
During the pageant’s jury interview, Dia was asked why she wanted to win the Reina Hispanoamericana crown. Her reason? Because she wants to act as the bridge between the Hispanoamerican and Filipino cultures.
“I want to be a testament that you don’t need to speak the same language to create deep cultural connections. For example, here in Reina Hispanoamericana, I don’t speak Spanish, but I felt the love of my sisters, of the organization, and the Bolivians here in Bolivia,” she said.
She played into her strengths as a singer, adding that music can also be used a vessel to show Filipinos’ love to everybody.
Meanwhile, in the Top 12 question-and-answer portion on coronation night, Dia was asked: “What value do you think is the most important to create a fair society, and why do you think this is important?”
Dia highlighted the value of kindness in her answer, sharing that Latinos have been kind to her throughout her stay in Bolivia despite not being Latino herself.
“I think the one most important value we should have is kindness. In my experience here in Bolivia, Latinos have shown me so much kindness and so much love even though racially I am not Latino. 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 to everybody that if we use kindness and we can show that we are all the same, we can create a better world and a better society for us all,” she said.
Advocacy
Dia’s winning answer is reminiscent of her Miss World Philippines 2024 Top 10 Q&A answer, where she spoke about how her family taught her a lot about kindness when she was growing up.
“That’s what I want to preach to others, that you can spread kindness and you don’t have to have a loving family, you don’t have to grow up well and privileged to spread kindness to the world, and if we’re able to keep that motto within us, we will have a better world,” she said.
Dia also teaches music to young girls at CRIBS Foundation Incorporated, a non-profit organization that cares for “abandoned, neglected, [and] surrendered babies and female minor survivors of sexual abuse.”
With this, it’s clear that Dia is also a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and the prevention of violence against women. In an interview with Manila Bulletin, the 22-year-old beauty queen said that she aims to change people’s lives for the better through the use of music therapy, which she said has helped with her own mental health.
What do you think of Dia’s Reina Hispanoamericana performance? – Rappler.com
