RS Francisco opens LGBT-friendly nightclub Rampa

Actor, entrepreneur and producer Raymond “RS” Francisco is best known for his iconic portrayal of Song Liling in “M Butterfly,” the Tony award-winning play about a French man who falls in love with a Chinese opera singer (Song Liling), unaware that “she” is in fact a “he.”

RS is also one of the two dynamic partners behind Frontrow, a multilevel marketing company in the health, beauty and wellness industry. 

Among the many hats he currently wears, RS is also the force behind Rampa Drag Club along Eugenio Lopez Drive across ABS-CBN. At a lunch he hosted recently for a handful of entertainment writers, RS shared that Rampa is an LGBT-friendly nightclub that promotes inclusivity while showcasing the talents of drag queens. He also expressed his hopes of transforming that area of Quezon City into a district where the bountiful artistry and creativity of Filipinos can be expressed in the performing arts.

Rampa employs 17 drag queens and five hosts who rotate nightly, Wednesdays to Sundays, for the audience’s enjoyment. The club also has regular “theme nights” for variety. The performances are world-class and stellar, to say the least, said entertainment journalist Dondon Sermino of a recent show. RS also enthusiastically recalled a Rampa party where everyone was dancing and singing the hit song of the sensational girl group Bini, Pan Tropiko, when suddenly, Bini itself appeared onstage to the crowd’s delight!

RS is proud that Rampa is an inclusive place where everyone feels safe and accepted. Pressed on what he means by “accepted,” he elaborates that some people don’t want to go to clubs for fear of being judged because of how they look or their fashion sense. He thus emphasizes to the drag performers that they are to treat guests equally without prejudice and bias so that everyone can enjoy their time at the club. He is happy that in the four short months since its opening, Rampa has already achieved a high level of awareness and gotten lots of traction on social media as the newest drag club in Quezon City.

Asked if he will ever perform in drag at Rampa, RS said that he did so on opening night as Ching Ching Yamamoto. He confessed, however, that he doesn’t want to do it too often since it was so difficult and he felt so haggard due to the layers of make-up, the three wigs, and the pads he had to don to transform into a drag queen.

As to whether or not he will act again, he replied that the pandemic changed his outlook on life. Pre-pandemic, he would never turn down any acting offer even if it was just a cameo role. But after the pandemic, he had a shift of heart and mind. He pointed to close friend Gretchen Barretto as the one who influenced him to retire from acting.

He shared that as far back as 2017, Gretchen was already telling him to retire since there was no need to work so hard. He also blamed the pandemic for his change of priorities and mindset. And because his business ventures were growing and successful, he could afford to let go of his acting career.

Now he prefers to be low-key and to concentrate on charity projects and his growing businesses, which include Frontrow, his newly launched blog, his T-shirt line and the dealership of the high-end sports car Maseratti.

Rampa Drag Club, however, is what he is laser-focused on right now. A self-confessed “very tactile person” who sorely missed the human contact which the lockdown deprived everyone of, how rewarding it must be for RS to see patrons crowding the club and having a fab time while enjoying good food and the glitzy showmanship of his talented drag performers.