Rajo Laurel wants to see comedy queens compete in 'Drag Race PH 4'
MANILA, Philippines — Celebrated designer Rajo Laurel reopened his eponymous The Rajo Store on October 14 at the second level of the Power Plant Mall in Makati City. It coincides with the launch of the gender-neutral 2025 Collection, which he collaborated on with his sisters Venisse Laurel-Hermano, the brand’s chief operator officer, and renowned makeup artist Gela Laurel-Stehmeier.
At the sidelights of the event, which included a fashion show at Rockwell The Fifth, Rajo, the ever-engaging subject, also shared his thoughts on his other exciting venture — as a judge in “RuPaul’s Drag Race Philippines (RPDR).”
“Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale,” an all-stars season that gathered drag queens of Asian descent from other global franchises, just wrapped up, with Brigiding of “DRPH” Season 1 crowned as the champion. What are Rajo’s thoughts on this?
“For ‘Drag Race PH,’ congratulations Brigiding! I think that she’s such a very talented performer and she deserves all the flowers that she’s receiving and I love the fact that she’s essentially claiming her space as a true queen of the drag community.
“[As for who I want to see in the upcoming season 4, I really like a comedy queen so I like people like Jinkx Monsoon and I love Bianca del Rio. That's my kind of drag entertainer that makes me laugh. I love that. That’s why I love Viñas Deluxe because I find her so hilarious and so intelligent and I know that her future is going to be bright after this," the designer revealed.
Another “DRPH” resident judge, Jiggly Caliente, passed away this year. What are Rajo’s fondest memories of the Fil-Am drag queen and actress?
“Jiggly Caliente was such a kind, kind heart. She would appear to be kind of tough on the exterior but really soft on the interior. I would see her literally give away her things; her earrings, her wigs, her necklaces, her jewelry, all to the queens until she would even have nothing left because that’s her heart.
“She was so generous and she was so good but she was also so real. I think in the exterior you could really see that she was quite tough because of the environment she had to grow up in. But inside, she’s really soft.
“My special memory of Jiggly was when she first met [Miss Universe 2015] Pia Wurtzbach [who was a guest judge in one episode]. You know, Jiggly is very talkative and very loud and very extroverted to the fullest. However, when she met Pia for the very first time, you could see that she was literally starstruck and she was quiet and I was like laughing at her and she said, na-startsruck daw siya, and I said I have never seen you at a loss for words. That’s a special moment that I have with Jiggly. And, of course, you know, our relationship really behind the scenes was quite special so that was lovely," Rajo shared.
RELATED: Brightest star 'Brigiding' wins 'Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale'
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