R'Bonney Gabriel admits having 'identity crisis' as Filipino

As a Filipino-American, R’Bonney Gabriel admitted to having a bit of trouble with her identity.

In an episode of "Updated with Nelson Canlas," the Miss Universe 2022 said there was a point where she wondered about where she truly fit.

"You know sometimes, I would feel a bit too white for my Filipino family and a bit too Filipino to my white family so I kinda bounce back and forth between that kind of identity crisis," she said.

Despite this, R'Bonney said she "grew up being able to love both of them."

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Having a Filipino father, R'Bonney said she grew up with lots of family gatherings where they would enjoy some karaoke and at times, even lechon.

"For me, Filipinos [are] very fun, we don't take ourselves too seriously. I cannot sing, but I will sing if I have to, if my family does karaoke. And I feel like we're always enjoying good food."

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R’Bonney added she is fortunate to not have experienced something "terrible" because of her race.

"I feel like I don't remember a lot of the bad things in my life like I always focus on the good," she said.

"Probably just here and there, my friends would make fun of me, but still love me for being Asian but it was nothing crazy," she added.

R’Bonney made history as the first Filipino-American Miss Universe after being crowned last month.

—Franchesca Viernes/MGP, GMA Integrated News