Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel with her parents in the Philippines. Images: Instagram/@missuniverse, Instagram/@okadamanila
Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel returns to the Philippines for the first time in five years as she is set to make a special appearance at the Miss Universe Philippines 2023 coronation night.
Gabriel expressed her excitement to be in the Philippines, as seen in a video on Miss Universe’s official Instagram page on Wednesday, May 10, where she was spotted interacting with her staff and airport crew at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The beauty queen was accompanied by her parents, Remigio Bonzon and Dana Walker, Miss Universe Organization (MUO) president Paula Shugart, and former Miss Universe talent director Esther Swan.
“Hello! Magandang araw sa lahat sa inyo. I just landed in the Philippines. Mabuhay! We are so excited. We just landed after a 17-hour flight. We are so happy to be here in the Philippines. Everybody is so nice,” she said.
The Filipino-American stunner then shared that it’s been a while since she returned to the Philippines, saying her last visit occurred sometime in 2018.
“I’m so happy to be back. So, I haven’t been back in five years. The last time I was here was in 2018 with my parents,” she said.
The New York-based international pageant also shared glimpses of Gabriel’s time in the airport where she was seen hugging her parents and meeting with reporters.
“Mabuhay Philippines! @rbonneynola arrives [in] Manila for the first time since winning the Miss Universe title,” the caption read.
Gabriel and her Miss Universe team are currently staying at Okada Manila in Parañaque, as seen in photos uploaded by the luxury hotel’s Instagram account.
The beauty queen then shared that she’s preparing for a special event that is yet to be disclosed, as she showed snaps of herself being dolled up by her glam team.
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@rbonneynola
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@rbonneynola
Gabriel is the first Filipino-American to be crowned as Miss Universe in January 2023, where she was lauded for her desire to use “fashion as a force for good” during the pageant’s final question-and-answer portion.
The beauty queen spoke about using her platform to inspire Filipinas to “go after pageantry” in a July 2022 interview, where she was still Miss USA at the time.
“It’s an honor because I’m getting messages… on social media from Filipina women, Filipina girls telling me they’re so excited. They’re [also] happy and crying tears of joy because they are inspired to go after pageantry, like I’m paving the way for them to just go whatever they want,” she said. EDV