What a whirlwind year it has been for Dia Maté.  From competing in Miss Universe Philippines 2024, jumping straight into Miss World Philippines, and now reigning as Miss Reina Hispanoamericana 2025. She is only the second Filipina to win the prestigious Hispanic beauty title after Winwyn Marquez clinched it in 2017.

With the backing of  Miss World Philippines franchise owner Arnold Vegafria, the 23-year-old Dia is scheduled to return to Latin America within the year to fulfill her duties as a queen. At the same time, there is her budding music career to attend to. She has just signed up as the first artist of Radical Music. Her maiden single under the label, the catchy "Ikaw Ang Pinili Ko" is fast spiralling in popularity, with the music video featuring no less than her real life rock star boyfriend, JK Labajo. Before this, Dia had a viral hit "Ganda Gandahan." With close to 92,000 followers on Spotify, Dia is also prepping for a major collaboration with a "female OPM icon" and the Big Reveal on who it is, which will happen next month.

Seeing Dia, the question naturally gravitates to how she and JK are doing. All's well, they're still each other's cheerleaders. She describes JK as " very loving, caring. He's, of course, a musician like me. And we have so many things in common. And he's also, most importantly, my best friend."

How do they spend quality time? "As a supportive girlfriend, I love to go to his shows. So, whenever I have the time, I accompany him to his show. And for him, he also goes with me to my music recordings. So, we go to each other's work a lot. And that's how we can spend time with and support each other."

Are their busy schedules a hindrance to their relationship? "It's perfect for me kasi he's so busy also. So, our schedules align in the way na parang we're free and busy at the same time. Since artista siya, musician siya, we're able to understand each other's work." 

From political royalty to philanthropic queen  

Coming from a well-known political family, one might assume Dia would follow in the footsteps of her high-profile relatives. Her grandfather is Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla , the brother of another Marcos administration Cabinet member, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla. Dia's father, Mike, is a corporate lawyer who graduated with a Master of Laws from Harvard. 

Dia's youthful mother, Lea, relates that Dia was never into politics. She's the artsy type who learned to play different musical instruments at a young age. She put this skill to good use as she taught musical therapy to kids fostered by her favorite charity, Cribs Foundation, as early as she was seven years old. Lea admits that she was the one who encouraged Dia to go into pageantry because "it is a powerful platform to push for one's advocacies."

Not a few people were surprised when Dia revealed during her post Reina Hispanoamericana press conference that she had a terrible lupus flare-up while competing in Bolivia. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that attacks one's tissues and organs. 

"I was diagnosed with lupus when I was 16 years old. It's been managed while I was growing up, so I don't talk about it so much. But 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. My ankles hurt, my knees hurt, my elbows hurt. And it made the experience 10 times harder," she narrated.

“There were so many times I wanted to give up. I was calling my parents, crying. My whole body was in pain. But my team and family kept reminding me that I was already so close. I just had to push through.”  

She pushed through, turning her sickness into a phenomenal success.

Now, Dia is using her platform to raise awareness for lupus, a condition she initially kept private. “I didn’t want it to define me, but I realized that speaking up could help others going through the same struggles.”  

Her message? “No matter what you’re going through, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. Your illness does not define you. You can write your own story.”  

With a crown on her head, music in her heart, and a moving story to tell, one thing’s for sure—Dia Mate is just getting started to inspire the world with her beauty, from outside and within.

(For tips on juicy stories and other inquiries, email me at annalyn.jusay@gmail.com)