Fridae

Drag Race Philippines is at the business-end of Season 2.

Let’s get into it.

The Runway

As well as welcoming all of the cast back to the stage, we get three runway looks from the Top 4 queens.

It’s not really clear why we need three runway looks in the finale, but I guess they had the looks ready to go and we had the time.

The categories were Animal, Jewel, and then Eleganza.

These are four queens who brought top-tier looks with them.

The knockout lip-syncs

To get to crowning a winner, the Top 4 had to face off in a knockout lip-sync battle. The match-ups were determined by a spin of the wheel.

The tracks were both RuPaul songs.

First up, it was Katkat versus Bernie. We got similar approaches from both Katkat and Bernie – accomplished veterans of the stage. It could have gone either way, but Bernie had some issues with her wig reveal, so it wasn’t a surprise when Katkat went through and Bernie was eliminated.

The second lip-sync was Arizona versus Jade. Jade looked stunning and delivered a really compelling performance. Arizona went with personality and clowned it up. It really depends on what you’re looking for from a drag performance, but even though it was messy, Arizona’s performance was probably a bit more dynamic. It was Arizona that went through to the finale and Jade was eliminated.

The Final Lip-sync

The track was Kapangyarihan by iDolls.

This seems a bit of an odd choice for the finale lip-sync – it’s got power, I guess, but it’s a boy-band track?

This final lip-sync seemed very close – you really could have made an argument for it to go either way.

But, at the end of the day, it was Katkat that was declared the winner. Not a huge surprise and well deserved.

Season 2, done!

What's life like for LGBTQ people in the Philippines?

What’s life like for LGBTQ people in the Philippines? Let’s take a look at some of the key equality indicators.

Is homosexuality legal in the Philippines?

Yes. Same-sex sexual activity is legal.

Are there anti-discrimination protections in place for LGBTQ people in the Philippines?

There are some anti-discrimination protections place, but further work needs to be done to implement comprehensive protections against discrimination on the grounds of sexuality.

Is there Marriage Equality in the Philippines?

No. There is no legal recognition of same-sex relationships. Marriage is specifically limited to opposite-sex couples.

What’s life like for LGBTQ people in the Philippines?

In general, the Philippines is a fairly welcoming and accepting place in relation to LGBTQ people.

However, there is quite a lot of variation in the experience of LGBTQ people. Some parts of the country are very religious, and homophobia is frequently encountered.