|Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Nola Gabriel | Photos by Troi Santos
NEW YORK – With this year’s theme, “Honoring Our Cultural Heritage: Inspiring Diversity and Inclusion,” Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Nola Gabriel will join the 125th Philippine Independence Day Parade on Sunday, June 4, 2023, on Madison Avenue, from 38th Street to 28th Street, Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) President Nora Galleros-Tinio has announced.
Gabriel is the ninth delegate from the United States to win the title and made history as the first Filipino-American to win the Miss Universe title. Born in Houston, Texas, to a Filipino father, Remigio Bonzon “R. Bon” Gabriel, and an American mother, Dana Walker, she won both Miss Texas USA and Miss USA in 2022.
As part of her Miss Universe platform, Gabriel advocates for environmental sustainability and fighting pollution in the fashion industry.
“Fashion can be a force for good,” said Gabriel, “and my Filipino heritage has taught me that it’s very important for us all to come together and play our part in creating change.” Under her fashion label brand, “R’BONNEY NOLA,” R’Bonney employs sustainable design methods and uses repurposed/natural fabrics.
Parade Grand Marshal Dr. Dely Po-Go will join her. Dr. Go was also named the 125th Philippine Independence Day Parade Grand Marshal in two cosmopolitan cities on two continents. New York City and Milan, Italy.
“In addition to commemorating a day of national pride, the celebration recalls the history and dedication to freedom of our beloved country,” said Dr. Go.
The 125th Philippine Independence Day Commemoration in New York City is the biggest celebration outside the Philippines. Community-based organizations will parade alongside floats and representatives of the regions/provinces from Bacolod City (Masskara Festival), Cordillera Administrative Region (Panagbenga Festival), Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental Province (Kaliga Festival), Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) (Sharif Kabunsuan Festival), and the delegation from Aurora Province.
“Let us all come together in solidarity, knowing that what we can do together can help shape our country and our destiny as a nation,” said PIDCI President Nora Galleros-Tinio.
The parade will be graced by Filipino celebrities featured in Neocolors Productions’ “Fabulous Philippines 2” in New York. Neocolors CEO Dr. Christine May Daguno-Canoy said, “We believe in the Filipino talent and we support whatever it is that will promote the best of the Philippines to the world.”
The Filipino community in New York City is a vibrant and essential part of the city’s multicultural landscape.
Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI), is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization established in 2002 in New York, NY. (www.pidci.org)
