Dia Maté was crowned Reina Hispanoamericana this year.
The Cavite-born beauty queen and R&B singer-songwriter — who also previously represented Cavite in Miss Universe Philippines 2024 — bested 24 other candidates and took home the crown at the pageant's coronation night in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia on February 9 (February 10 Manila time). 2024 winner Maricielo Gamarra of Peru crowned Maté as his successor at the end of the night.
Aside from winning the pageant's prestigious crown, Maté also won Best in National Costume, where she wore a dress designed by Ehrran Montoya inspired by the Baroque Churches of the Philippines.
She made history as the second Filipina to win the title, following actress and beauty queen Winwyn Marquez, who first won the crown in the 2017 edition of the pageant. Since 1991, Reina Hispanoamericana has featured beauty queens with Hispanic influence from around the world, celebrating Hispanic heritage, language, and culture.
“I did not expect to win, but I entrusted everything to God. I said to myself, if the crown was for me, this would be my destiny — and that was my destiny,” said Maté in an interview with sports reporter and former tennis player Dyan Castillejo after his coronation.
"It still hasn't fully sunk in but all my hard work paid off in the end," he added.
Following his win, many fellow artists and personalities extended their congratulations to Maté on social media. Juan Karlos, a pop hitmaker and Maté's boyfriend, shared on Instagram his love and support for Maté, “To my sweet, kind, loving, and beautiful soul — inside and out — my baby girl, baba, queen: I love you more than words can express. Te amo mucho, mi amor.”
Meanwhile, Cebuano pop singer Dom Guyot shared on X (formerly Twitter) how happy he was to see his best friend Maté win the pageant, “My best friend won Miss Reina Hispanoamericana. I cry the ocean, I love you Dia Maté.” In his Instagram stories, Marquez congratulated Maté as the second Filipina winner of the title, “Dia, I love you. You are very good. I know. I told you that you will win," he said.
In November 2024, Maté released “Ganda Gandahan,” a song that reflects her Filipina pop-girl energy, “beauty queen” persona, and display of uniqueness and individuality. You can listen to the song here:
