Beyond the glamour, glitz, and grandeur of pageantry, Dia Mate‘s journey to victory at Reina Hispanoamericana 2025 was marked by resilience and an inspiring battle against lupus, which she was diagnosed with at the early age of 16. 

Maten revealed this at her victory press conference Wednesday.

"While I was in Bolivia, there have been so many instances where it was flaring up. So my whole body was in pain. I had arthritis a lot of the time,” she said.

She explained that the symptoms caused pain to her joints, particularly her ankles and shoulders.b “It made the experience 10 times harder,” Mate added.

There were moments when the pain was unbearable and giving up seemed like the only option.

“I was calling my parents. I was crying. I was so depressed in the sense that physically, I couldn’t take it anymore,” Mate said.

However, the encouragement from her family, friends, and supporters pushed her to persevere.

"I remember that I am here for a reason. And I am here to win. I want to win. And I want to make my country proud. So I can’t let anyone down," she said.

Through all the struggles, Mate remained focused on her goal: “There were so many times I wanted to give up. But I told myself, ‘You are already here. You’ve worked so hard to get here. You cannot give up now.’ And I pushed through. And now, we have the crown."

And in the midst of all the pressure, Mate also faced another unexpected challenge as her national costume was left behind at the hotel.

“All of the boxes were in the national costume area, somewhere we didn’t let people go. And then they left me and Bolivia, our national costumes, in the hotel. But we brought it down at the time we were supposed to. We were responsible about it. We were actually the first ones to put our national costumes downstairs. But they forgot about it," she recalled.

Thankfully, quick thinking saved the day. "The venue was about 20 minutes away, so they were able to book a taxi to get it to us. But it was a super stressful moment when they didn’t let me or Bolivia distract us from being there with our national costumes."

Despite the pain and struggles, she remained steadfast in her goal to represent the Philippines with pride.

"What was really in my mind was, no matter if I win or not, what I want to get out of the experience is to grow as a person and to truly enjoy what I am doing. Because if I'm not enjoying what I'm doing, then why am I here?" Mate shared.

She was open about the challenges that came with pageant life — lack of sleep, intense preparation, and the pressure to always look flawless.

"International pageants, di ba? All you see on the feed is us looking our best. But remember, we have editing apps, guys. In reality, a lot of these girls, we barely had sleep. We slept max four hours a night. So many girls got sick. We weren’t really eating,” she revealed.

Growing up, Mate was an athlete who played sports such as surfing, figure skating, and crossfit, which she sees as a factor playing into why she loves pageantry so much.

“So I’m really the type of person that when I start something, I need to finish it. And I need to finish it well,” she said.

She believes that her athletic background helped prepare her for the rigors of pageantry.

“That’s why I love it (pageants) so much. Because the way you train, it’s like an athlete. You train your body. You have to be healthy. And mentally, it’s also a challenge. So I love a good challenge."

Mate’s victory is not just for herself but for all those battling lupus and other chronic illnesses. "There are so many people that are going through the experience of lupus. And there are not enough people talking about what it’s like to actually have it and to be dealing with it every day. And my message to these people is, no matter what you are going through, there’s always going to be a light at the end of the tunnel," she said.

She also emphasized that illness does not define a person.

“Even though you are experiencing these pains, this illness, it doesn’t define who you are. You are destined to make your own story. You are destined to make your own fate and your own journey. And you can do whatever you set your mind to — because I did,” she said.

As she embraces her reign, Mate expressed deep gratitude to her supporters.

“I truly wouldn’t be here without each member and supporter of my team behind me. My success is not just mine, but it’s all of our success. And it’s the success of the Filipino people." 

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