

Half-Ilongga.
Half- Indian.
100% Filipina.
In this blog entry are the different photos of Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo for her editorial shoot with Seven Barretto for Mega Magazine. Below is the inspiration and the credits.
MAHARLIKA
The term maharlika is a loanword from Sanskrit
maharddhika (महर्द्धिक), a title meaning “man of wealth, knowledge, or ability”. Contrary to modern definitions, it did not refer to the ruling class, but rather to a warrior class (which were minor nobility) of the Tagalog people, directly equivalent to Visayan timawa. Like timawa, the term also has connotations of “FREEMAN” or “freed slave” in both Filipino and Malay languages.
Miss Universe Philippines
#RabiyaMateo
Photo & Creative Direction • @sevenbarretto of @studio7manila
Art Direction • @erwnbotin of @botinstudios
Styling • @mikeeandrei
Makeup • @carissacielomedved
Hair • @ariesmanal_hair
Gown Designer • @francislibiran8 @victorharryhartman
Accessories • Christopher Munar
Photography team • @claudevillahrmsa @darielmiraflorphotography
Special thanks to @themissuniverseph @bessiebesana @peeweeisidro
Behind the photos:
Inspiration- Maharlika- “free men”
The brave and strong composed of warrior class
Set- inspired by the ancestral houses that are mostly found in Iloilo City
Fashion & Beauty Direction- Maharlika
Old meets new. (Representing modern Filipina women) &
Inspired by the beautiful works of @lenaberishaofficial
“For a country whose pre-colonial ancestry has left meagre evidence—no grand monuments or architectural structures and very few original manuscripts— these beautifully crafted solid gold pieces are a direct link to our heritage. “The pre-colonial gold bears witness to an advanced society with cultural ties to other, better-known cultures in Asia such as India & Java. It demonstrates that we had the technical skills and resources to produce these wonderful objects. It also suggests familiarity with Hindu-Buddhist ideas that have largely been erased from our cultural memory.”
Seasoned collector, Jomari Treñas, is fascinated by this intermingling of societies and how they are clearly translated in the designs. “You see the different cultures in the gold-making, such as the gold heads or earrings with figures that have very Indian influences.”
Sources: google, the Boxer Codex (1590) and Fr. Alcina’s Historia de Las Islas e Indios Visayas (1668), Philippines Tatler


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