Miss Universe pays a courtesy call to the Philippine Consulate General in New York

The first ever Fil-Am Miss Universe, Ms. R’Bonney Gabriel, met with Consul General Senen T. Mangalile on Monday, 06 March 2023 at the Philippine Center. During the meeting, the reigning Miss Universe spoke of her pride in her Filipino roots and her desire to hone her grasp of the Filipino language. Consul General Mangalile congratulated Ms. Gabriel on her victory and invited her to support the programs of the Philippine Consulate and Sentro Rizal New York. This special meeting was held to celebrate the victory of R’Bonney Gabrile as the first Filipina American beauty to win both the Miss USA and Miss Universe contests.

During the meeting, R’Bonney Nola Gabriel spoke about being proud of her Filipino heritage and Tagalog Language. She shared her personal story as a first-generation Filipina American. After her father immigrated to the USA from Manila, Philippines with a college scholarship and the American dream. He was able to pursue this through hard work, determination, and his strong Filipino roots laying down the foundation for R’Bonney’s life for many generations to come. She has been fortunate to travel to the Philippines with her family, it has connected her to the beautiful Filipino heritage but she wants to share the importance of learning about where we are from, and where our fathers and mothers are from to learn about our ancestors. It has helped her to connect about R’Bonney’s identity and it is everyone’s responsibility as Asian American and Filipino American to share the message of the beauty of our culture the hard work, the family-oriented background we possess, and the amazing food. Her favorite Filipino dish is ensaymada she advises everyone to visit the Philippines and explore the authentic and warm Filipino hospitality.