Singer, songwriter, and model Deanna Marie “Dia” Mate will represent the Philippines at the Reina Hispanoamericana 2025 pageant, set for Feb. 9 at the Fexpocruz Convention Center in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.
The 23-year-old Caviteña displayed confidence during her send-off event on Wednesday at La Noire Boutique Club in Makati City, expressing her readiness to compete against 25 candidates from Hispanic-influenced countries.
Mate, a Communication Technology graduate from Ateneo de Manila University, gained recognition in the music industry at 19 with her EP Don’t Quote Me and later signed with Universal Music as a recording artist.
She earned the Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas 2024 title under Miss World Philippines 2024 and was previously awarded Miss Cream Silk at Miss Universe Philippines 2024. Mate has undergone extensive preparation to become the second Filipina to win the Latin-based pageant, following Winwyn Marquez, the first Filipina and Asian winner in 2017.
In the 2024 edition, the Philippines’ Michelle Arceo placed second runner-up, with Peru’s Maricielo Gamarra taking the crown.
Reina Hispanoamericana is an international beauty pageant that celebrates the shared cultural heritage of Spanish-speaking countries and nations with Hispanic influence. Founded in 1991 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, it originally focused on Latin American countries but later expanded to include participants from countries with historical or cultural ties to Spain, such as the Philippines, the United States, and Canada.