NAG-SORRY si Rabiya Mateo sa dalawang kapwa kandidata sa Miss Universe 2020 pageant na nakaranas ng pambu-bully sa social media mula sa ilang mga Pinoy.
Personal na humingi ng paumanhin ang Filipina beauty queen kina Amanda Obdam ng Thailand at Nova Stevens ng Canadan na nakatanggap ng hate messages mula sa Pinoy pageant fans.
Usap-usapan sa social media ang mga ipinost ni Miss Canada tungkol sa mean comments na natanggap niya sa kanyang Instagram account. Aminado siya na medyo naapektuhan siya sa mga toxic na netizens sa socmed.
Kasunod nito, nagsalita naman si Rabiya sa isang Zoom presscon kaninang umaga nang matanong kung ano ang reaksyon niya sa mga fans na namba-bash ng ibang kandidata sa Miss Universe 2020.
“You know what, it makes me really sad. I saw the post of Nova earlier today and I really feel sorry for her because nobody deserves to be in that position.
“I’ve been bashed, you know. And there was a moment that a lot of people would tell me, ‘That’s normal, you’re a beauty queen.’
“But I’ve seen how… it affected not just me but also other candidates. We have a WhatsApp group and we would talk about it.
“Even Miss Chile would be very much open about the frustration that she’s getting from reading her social media,” paliwanag ni Rabiya.
Patuloy pa niyang pahayag, “I would always…from time to time, I would ask a general meeting with my solid support group and I would tell them, ‘Once you see somebody getting bashed, you report that account, you correct them.’
“And it doesn’t feel good, it doesn’t feel nice (to be bashed). And I need to do something to stop it,” aniya pa.
Dagdag pang paliwanag ng dalaga, “Actually, I talked to several girls. I actually personally sent messages to Amanda, to Nova saying sorry.
“Because these hate speeches that we see online, this is not a reflection of who we are as Filipinos. I can say that we do love pageants, and we support girls.
“And with Miss Universe, the goal is to celebrate the differences and to be with the girls and the cause that they stand for,” apela pa ng Pinay beauty queen.
“That’s why this is a very emotional topic. And I would always campaign, as a person, I do not tolerate bullying in all forms and in always.
“That’s why I’m actually planning to make a video, me and the organization is planning to make a video to make an appeal to the public to stop being rude. Because it costs nothing to be kind,” dagdag pa niyang paliwanag.
Magaganap sa May 16 (May 17 sa Pilipinas) ang grand coronation night ng Miss Universe 2020 sa Seminole Hard Rock & Casino sa Hollywood, Florida.