What lies beyond the Werkroom?

What lies beyond the Werkroom?

The Werkroom | Photo from Drag Race Philippines Facebook Page

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Wigs, makeup, and a never ending line of brushes and pantyhose. These are common items inside the werkroom — a sanctuary covered in pink, glitter, and lights where art and identity collide.

While becoming a global phenomenon starting from the United States, drag has found its way towards the Philippine industry for the past years. We have heard “Mabu-heyy!” four times — three into the local franchise and one in the Philippines vs. the World — with the fifth one in the works. This is a testament that the drag scene is no longer confined between bars and small establishments but starts to glass ceilings.

With an iPod at hand and earphones blasting the next song, drag queens are channeling their inner creativity, integrating tricks and stunts that keep the audience engaged and entertained. However, these performances are not confined within the walls of laughter or smiles but also within walls of the sociopolitical landscape.

More than the Facade

By definition, drag is an art form featuring the exaggeration of gender expressions involving costumes and makeup. However, for Rika Polmo, 19, an enthusiast, drag is an artistic resistance.

“I would describe drag as artistic resistance.” Polmo shared. “Not only does it transgress heteronormativity, the history of drag starting as an underground/counter movement also resists the commodification of artistic performance.”

According to Polmo, drag illustrates the power of reclaiming spaces and ensuring that there are safe and inclusive spaces where everyone is free to express their art and themselves.

“Drag reminds me that it is okay to be who I am, to be different from the rest and in fact, I should be proud that I am different,” Polmo added.

Additionally, Kaya Mandala Novicio, 20, an enthusiast, shared their insights regarding drag, affirming that it is a part of resistance against common ideologies circulated and embedded in the Philippine landscape.

“The art of drag is a medium that serves as an active form of resistance against the patriarchal and machofeudal society. The body of a drag queen in and of itself will always be a freeing political statement about oppressive gender norms,” Novicio said.

During the 2022 UnkabogaBALL, Marina Summers, a notable drag queen, wore a controversial gown representing Imelda Marcos. It featured a white terno with bloodied handprints at the back side, representing the atrocities during the martial law.

Marina Summers during the 2022 UnkabogaBALL | Photo from Marina Summers Instagram Account — @marinaxsummers

Following this, other queens continued the fight, utilizing their art and performances as a vehicle for awareness, reform, and justice. Their lip-sync performances and posts became an avenue, embedded with political symbolisms — especially when the corruption on the flood control projects surfaced.

Brigiding (Left) as Maria Ressa and Vinas Deluxe (Right) as Vice President Sara Duterte in Slaysian Royal | Photo from PhilStar

Beyond the stage, drag queens have taken the fight to the streets, joining the masses in full-on glam and couture. Clutching protest placards, they transform the sidewalk into a runway, using their visibility to demand accountability.

Drag queens joining the Trillion Peso March last September 2025 | Photo from @M1sterJoedSo on X

While we have come so far since the first ‘Mabu-heyyy,’ the penetration of drag into the Filipino household was never a smooth walk in six-inch heels. It was, and remains, a trail filled with bumps and struggles — a delicate dance hanging by a thread, trying to weave a new cloth for the queer identity.

Herstory

Beyond the spot-on makeup and extravagant clothing, the foundation of drag was not as established as it used to be. As a colony of the Spainiard — forcing their values and teachings to us — it was evident that men should not use products made specifically for women. It includes makeup, wigs, clothing, and others — a clear contrary to the art of drag. But overtime, these are slowly abandoned.

Gay beauty pageants began to propagate everywhere after World War II — a platform where the LGBTQIA+ people can exercise their femininity and creativity despite living in a conservative country. It created a platform where people can connect and form a sense of community, finding solace and comfort with each other .

Over the years, drag has become a staple part of bars and small establishments as a form of entertainment. Drag queens usually come from these places like Precious Paula Nicole and Maxie Anderson who came from O BAR in Ortigas, Pasig, dubbing the place as “The Home of Asia’s Top Drag Dancing Queens.”

However, drag wasn’t accepted by society that easily. Just like the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights, acceptance is still too muddy for the community. While gaining popularity, drag faces issues regarding religious conservatism, stigma, and political friction.

Pura Luka Vega dressed as Jesus in a Performance | Photo from Pura Luka Vega’s Instagram account

In the case of Pura Luka Vega, a drag queen who was sued for dressing as Jesus and performing Ama Namin, shows that the boundary between artistic expression and religious tradition remains fragile. Numerous Local Government Units (LGUs) around the country declared Luka as “Persona Non Grata.” While drag is celebrated and surrounded by glitter and spotlight, it still faces systemic “pushbacks,” an effect of the deeply embedded culture of the colonists.

On the contrary, Novicio argues that with the rise of the drag scene, Filipinos are slowly reclaiming the precolonial Philippines.

“The Filipinos are slowly fostering a society that reflects precolonial times — when the Philippines wasn’t so cruel to gender fluidity. The progression of Philippine drag is a process of reclamation of the kind of mentality we used to have in the age of Babaylans,” Novicio shared.

Babaylans are spiritual leaders who embraced femininity and gender-fludity in pre-colonial times. They act as healers, spiritual leaders, and advisors among other roles in the tribe.

It is within this tension that the craft found its largest voice as struggles didn’t just stay on the streets; it moved to the screen.

Sumakses

Despite its struggle, the industry flourished with three seasons of the local franchise of RuPaul’s Drag Race and one season of the Philippines vs. the World titled “Slaysian Royale,” both hosted by Paolo “Mama Pao” Ballesteros. These platforms are nourished and serve as evidence that Filipino drag is continuously improving. From the iconic “Snatch Game” performances that mirrors our complex political landscape to runways that diverges creativity and culture, this proves that we are making a scene of our own.

Other than the success of the franchises of Drag Race Philippines, Filipino drag queens are making a name for themselves in the international stage. Queens like Eva La Queen (Global All Stars Season 1) and Minty Fresh (United Kingdom (UK) vs. the World Season 3) joined international stages which became an avenue for Filipino drag to be showcased and acknowledged by the whole world.

RuPaul, the queen of drag, acknowledged the beauty and impact of Filipino drag, extending its reach beyond the Philippines. During Marina Summers’ run in the UK vs. the World Season 2, RuPaul praised her performance, integrating the Filipino culture into their craft.

“You were born to do drag,” a famous line that RuPaul said to Marina Summers in their run during the UK vs. The World Season 2. This line is famous for only being said to drag queens who showed exceptional and unique talent in doing the craft. Jorgeous (US Season 14) and Krystal Versace (UK Season 3) were also awarded this line during their respective seasons.

Although its mainstreaming has become beneficial for the public to be aware, interested, and intrigued in the artform, it has also posed disadvantages to it.

According to Faze, a local drag queen in Baguio City, it has become a double-edged sword. It shined a spotlight on the craft, inspiring others to practice but at the same time, divides the light to many who try it.

“It’s getting hard to get booked regularly and have a show kasi they prioritize people na lumabas na sa isang TV show or like nakita sa tv…parang mas maraming audience compared to us, local girls,” Faze shared.

As seen in DRPh Season 3, there was a divide between “Manila/City Queens” and “Provincial Queens,” creating a hierarchy between them. It risks creating a rigid standard of ‘good drag’ — one that requires expensive high-fashion garments and TV-ready narratives.

Although televising and mainstreaming drag offered the spotlight to the queens, it cast a shadow on some. Whether performing under the spotlight of the werkroom or on a makeshift stage on small establishments, drag has always been a way to resist and connect back.

Sashay Away

While the journey of the Philippine drag isn’t all covered in glam and glitter, the “Sashay Away” is never an end — it’s a transition. As they say “it is only a start of the journey,” emphasizing the struggles that await them outside the werkroom.

“We’re all born naked and the rest is drag,” a line from RuPaul’s song Born Naked. It highlights that we once entered the world as authentic and vulnerable, while everything added later — clothes, accessories, and even status — are all part of a ‘performance’ or ‘drag.’

“If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?”