Julia Christine Botin

Article (news)

Dyan Castillejo

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1777264037351950x633 1 (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Miss Universe Paraguay 2026 Gretha Matiauda in Manila. Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News </div>Fresh off her appointment, Paraguayan beauty queen Gretha Matiauda is currently in Manila as she begins preparations for the upcoming Miss Universe pageant.During her press conference in Manila, Matiauda shared that competing in Miss Universe has long been part of her vision.&quot;Two years ago, I would say to myself that I&#x27;m going to run in Miss Universe 2026. No matter what, I&#x27;m going to do that,&quot; she said.&quot;And every day, day by day, I was manifesting. So yes, I was expecting because I know that it&#x27;s gonna happen. I don&#x27;t know, but God leads me through this journey,&quot; she added.Matiauda is happy that this year&#x27;s competition will be held in Puerto Rico, citing its similarities with her home country.&quot;I am so excited because Puerto Rico has a mixed culture like in Paraguay because we speak two languages, Guarani and Spanish,&quot; she said.&quot;And in Puerto Rico, they speak also Spanish and English. It&#x27;s so exciting to me because Latinos mean a lot for me and also all the cultures around the world. And I am so excited for the 75th edition. It&#x27;s gonna be the diamond edition of Miss Universe and I am really, really so fortunate.&quot;According to Matiauda, her trip to Manila will include intensive <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/pageants-beauty-queens/2025/10/18/miss-universe-candidates-egypt-denmark-pakistan-and-sweden-in-training-in-manila-0002">training sessions</a>, particularly on runway work and interview preparation.&quot;Now we&#x27;re gonna do training, pasarela, questions, answers, and all that Miss Universe requires,&quot; she said.The beauty queen from Paraguay is all praises for Filipino pageant fans and cited two of the country&#x27;s most celebrated Miss Universe titleholders -- Catriona Gray and Pia Wurtzbach -- as her inspiration.“The fandom is so big here. Filipinos&#x27; opinion is so important and they know a lot since they have amazing queens like Catriona Gray and Pia Wurtzbach. They are my inspiration, too,&quot; she said. &quot;I feel honored because I want to close my pageant career with Miss Universe. So that’s my last one and I&#x27;m gonna give my all and my 200 percent day by day.&quot;Matiauda has built her platform around women empowerment, youth development, education, cultural preservation, and national pride. She has positioned herself as a voice for young people, encouraging them to believe in themselves and pursue their ambitions despite obstacles.Outside of pageantry, she is finishing her thesis in economics and is set to officially become an economist in August.&quot;I want to make an impact because as an entrepreneur, I know what leaders need today. Young people need to believe in themselves and no matter the situation, they don&#x27;t have to be pushed by nobody in the world. They have to push hard for their dreams,&quot; she stressed.Meanwhile, the Philippines&#x27; Miss Universe 2026 representative will be known on May 2.

Fresh off her appointment, Paraguayan beauty queen Gretha Matiauda is currently in Manila as she begins preparations for the upcoming Miss Universe pageant.

Fresh off her appointment, Paraguayan beauty queen Gretha Matiauda is currently in Manila as she begins preparations for the upcoming Miss Universe pageant.

Paraguay candidate in Manila to train for Miss Universe 2026

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Paraguay candidate in Manila to train for Miss Universe 2026

Dyan Castillejo,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 27, 2026 12:28 PM PHT

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