How the Baguio Queens catalyzed the local queer community in the City of Pines.
Empy Radora is a pandemic-born queen. Like everyone cooped up in houses during that time, we needed an outlet to direct our boredom, frustrations, and, sometimes, depression. Some of us baked bread or made dalgona coffee, and many young queer people who grew up watching RuPaul’s Drag Race joined Zoom parties that held drag competitions. “I was so down because of COVID when one day, I saw a shared live Zoom party called BaklaRun Nights that Peabo and Eva Le Queen hosted,” recalls Empy. “I kept joining while drinking one bottle of Empirador, and that’s how Empy Radora was born.” She has amassed several drag experiences and titles since then: winning second place at her first online pageant, The One 690 Drag Race 2023 grand winner, and finished top 8 (and a crowd favorite) at Drag Cartel All-Stars 4.
No artist encounters no challenges. What are yours?
The biggest challenge I’m currently facing is the travel time from Baguio to where my gigs are. It is very tiring to travel alone carrying a lot of things. But I believe that these challenges help me appreciate and enjoy the art of drag a bit more because it makes it worth it because I know I worked my ass off.
What are the challenges of being a drag artist in Baguio?
Well, as you know, drag is not very big in Baguio. Sometimes, we perform even though only a few people are in the audience. Drag being taboo in Baguio is one of the biggest challenges we face, but little by little, the scene is building up.
What role does drag play in your local queer community?
It catalyzed the local queer community because we made sure that we accept and respect you in Baguio, whatever your SOGIE is. We always ensure that in our bar, whether you’re femme, masculine, straight, or bi, we respect and accept each other, whatever our differences are.
Describe the drag scene in Baguio.
It is very diverse. We have queens who are very talented in dancing and queens who can slay the stage even if they’re just standing. Some even do pyrotechnics! People are very generous in terms of tipping. Planet G may be a small bar, but it has become one of the safest places for our queer friends to be themselves.
Has the scene changed over the years?
Back when I was starting, we didn’t have a lot of audiences. But, it was also mainly because not many people know we exist. We put in the effort for our scene to thrive, and now, even if it’s not a big night, many people (not only from Baguio) come to Planet G to watch us perform.
What are some memorable performances or events that have taken place in your local drag scene?
The most memorable event was the pride ball last June 2022, because it was fun and full of surprises. That was also when the LGBTQIA+ community in Baguio really started to support us.
What can we expect from your performances?
Expect the unexpected. I don’t do just one thing: I do ballads, I dance, I do stunts. So, expect I’ll keep you entertained and make your jaws drop!
How could the local drag scene be improved or expanded?
We can do it by doing our best to make many drag fans know that the queens from Baguio also have the charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent that other queens from other places have. I think we made a mark in Poison Wednesday Drag Cartel All-Stars 4. Four out of the twelve finalists are from Baguio City.
