To celebrate and promote Filipino drag in the Philippines and to the world was the common aspiration of “Drag Race Philippines” Season 1 contestants.
They expressed this during the show’s finale viewing party on October 12, Wednesday.
To end the season with a bang, the Philippine edition of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” held an event where all the contestants, including some of the judges, watched the much-anticipated grand finale with other guests at the Cove Manila in Okada in Pasay City.
Drag artist Gigi Era attended the event virtually as she is currently in Australia.
LOOK: 11 queens of the first season of “Drag Race Philippines” converge ahead of the grand finale of #DRPH. @interaksyon pic.twitter.com/nA6UnJQh63
— Rosette Adel (@rosette_adel) October 12, 2022
During the program, Precious Paula Nicole, the country’s first drag superstar, finalists Marina Summers and Eva Le Queen were thankful that the show paved the way to popularize Philippine drag artistry and reached many Filipino viewers.
Precious initially extended her gratitude to Season1 queens’ fans, especially those who just started to rally behind them because of “Drag Race Philippines.”
“Kulang ang gabing ito para i-celebrate natin ang pagkakasama-sama nating lahat dito ng dahil sa drag race. May mga dati ng fans ng drag race. At marami ring naging fans ng ‘Drag Race Philippines.’ Kaya maraming maraming salamat po sa inyo,” she said.
Precious then expressed hopes that viewers will still continue to support them even with a possible new season of “Drag Race Philippines.”
“Sana kahit magkaron ng season 2, anjan pa rin kayo para samin kasi mahal na mahal namin kayo. Thank you so much. Mabuhay ang ‘Drag Race Philippines’,” she said.
Marina Summers, the runner-up in the competition, also described the Philippines’ version of the drag race as a “cultural reset.”
“Ultimately, I just wanna thank you all the girls for being part of ‘her-story’, for championing queer talent and queer excellence. Di dito natatapos yung journey natin. ‘Drag Race Philippines’ is a cultural reset. This is the beginning of the rest of our lives,” she said.
Moreover, Eva dedicated the occasion as “a win” for all aspiring drag performers and the LGBTQIA+ community.
“Tonight, everyone, is a celebration of not just whoever wins the crown. This is a win for all the drag kids, for all the LGBTQIA+ who are told that they are not good enough. Finally, we are taking space, and now we are the mainstream. We are all superstars and tonight, we are all celebrating that. Thank you so much,” she said.
Precious bested 11 other queens Marina, Xilhouete, Eva, Minty Fresh, Lady Morgana, Viñas DeLuxe, Brigiding, Turing, Gigi Era, Prince and Corazon in the drag race competition with her performances, runway looks, creativity and personality.
The Bicolana drag queen, also known as “Boss Rodolfo” by her close friends, dedicated her crown to her fellow queens, both on-screen and off-screen.
“Mahal na mahal ko kayo My precious loves. And of course, sa lahat ng queens na nakasama ko sa loob, my divine sisters, mahal na mahal ko kayo. Para sa ating lahat ‘to. Hindi lang ‘to para sa’kin kundi sa lahat po ng queens na nasa Pilipinas na malapit niyo pa makilala if may bagong Season 2,” she said.
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