Manila Luzon says creativity, resourcefulness are highlights of PH drag scene

Manila Luzon in the set of “Drag Den Philippines” season two.

Among the most impressive qualities of Filipino drag — according to “Drag Den Philippines” host and head judge Manila Luzon — is the ability of performers to be creative and original despite the “limited resources.”

The drag queen couldn’t hide her amazement when she looked back at one of her promo shoots with the show, which recently crowned its titleholder Deja, saying she wore a green dress adorned with flowers which is “made of water bottles.”

“I think one of the things that impresses me the most about Filipino drag is that [despite] the limited resources, this makes the queens even more resourceful,” Manila Luzon said in a roundtable interview with select media outlets including INQUIRER.net. “The creativity is even more like I was wearing an outfit made of water bottles in the show’s poster.”

Touching on the topic of creativity, Manila Luzon said “drag has always been evolving” as she pointed out that the “Filipino audience” deserves “new and interesting content” since there will always be new stories to tell.

“Drag is always evolving, there are new stories to tell and there are always different queens with different points of view,” she said.

Manila Luzon while filming for “Drag Den Philippines” season two.

The drag performer also said she wants the public to be informed about drag from a “different point of view,” while recalling her experience as a contestant in “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season three, as well as All Stars 1 and 4.

“From where I come from in ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ in the US, it shaped a lot of what the public views as drag. Because of its popularity and it has been going on for so long, it’s starting to become predictable,” she said. “We Filipinos are very proud to share our culture with everyone around the world [through ‘Drag Den Philippines’] so it’s great to present something that’s very Filipino, LGBTQIA+ community, and its allies.”

Apart from the drama, Manila Luzon stressed that drag is about allowing people to “live in the fantasy [they] want to create” which is reflected in the local drag scene as well.

“What people really like about drag is that it showcases that you can wake up a certain way and transform yourself from how you look to just how you feel,” she said. “From your mood to putting on something that makes you feel confident and really has the power to make people live in the fantasy you want to create. Drag allows you to do that.”

Deja was crowned as the reigning “Drag Supreme” of the reality show at a viewing party in Parañaque on March 8, succeeding Naia.