Rechel Hoco, known to her followers as “Rechel in Dubai,” will represent Oriental Mindoro in the upcoming Miss Universe Philippines 2025 pageant. The announcement was made during the coronation night of Miss Oriental Mindoro 2024, marking an exciting milestone in Rechel’s journey from overseas worker to a nationwide icon.
Rechel, a 23-year-old Filipino expatriate, moved to Dubai in December 2022 to pursue career opportunities and reunite with her brother. Working as a full-time sales agent for a travel and tourism company, she has also made a name for herself as a vlogger, model, and brand ambassador. Her online presence has skyrocketed since she began creating content in 2019, gaining over 1.2 million followers on TikTok, 500,000 on Facebook, and 30,000 on Instagram.
In her popular Dubai-based vlog series “Tara, Kain Tayo!” Rechel highlights the city’s multicultural food scene, giving her followers a virtual taste of cuisines from around the world. Her content offers entertainment and insight into the experiences of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and showcases her dedication to inspiring others to follow their dreams, regardless of where they are in the world.
Rechel’s digital career began after she was crowned Miss Oriental Mindoro in 2019, leading her to explore vlogging on YouTube and Facebook. Despite a temporary hiatus following her father’s passing in 2021, her passion for content creation reignited after her move to Dubai. A video of her playing the Filipino toy “Lato Lato” (clackers) gained over a million views within a day, signaling her strong comeback to the social media scene.
In July 2024, Rechel’s popularity caught the attention of Taptap Send, a money transfer app for expatriates, featuring her on billboards at the NAIA terminals 1 and 3 in the Philippines as a role model for tech-savvy Filipinos abroad.
