Miss Universe Philippines 2020 and actress Rabiya Mateo has shared a promising development in her search for her father, Syed Mohammed Abdullah Moqueet Hashmi. During a recent press conference where she was named the CEO of a jewelry brand in Cavite, Mateo revealed she received an email claiming to have information about her father’s whereabouts.
“Somebody emailed me, ‘this is your dad.’ I have a good feeling about it because his year of birth matches,” Mateo stated in an ABS-CBN News report. She also mentioned specific details like having a son and an address. However, when she called the provided contact number, a woman answered and denied knowing her father.
Mateo emphasized her determination to verify the information. “I can only confirm if I go and do a background check. It was out of the blue. I am hoping and praying I find him,” she said.
Her friends, including television personality Kuya Kim, have offered to assist in the search. “Kuya Kim and my close friends know about this. He said he will help me because he has connections in the US to do a background check,” Mateo explained.
In a 2020 interview with Tim Yap, Mateo recounted how she and her mother expected her father to return after he flew to the US, but he never came back. “I think it was his plan to abandon us,” she said, adding that all connections with her father’s brothers were also severed.
Despite these challenges, Mateo remains optimistic. Her new role as CEO will provide the financial means to support her search. “Now that I’m a CEO, I have more funds to look for my dad. It’s not easy to find someone who doesn’t want to be found. But whether I find him or not, it will be my fulfillment as a person,” she expressed.
Mateo, who believes her father is now 57 years old, wishes to care for him and holds no grudge against him. “I was never raised to say anything bad about my dad. I hope to find him because he is getting old,” she said. “Many people say he probably knows about me but doesn’t want to be found. I have no anger.”