Kung may Adam and Eve sa story of Creation, sa Dragzilla, ang Eba namin si Ms. Betty La Borta, while our Adan is none other than a boy named “Sam.”
Sam is an Ilonggo native from the province of Negros Occidental, and for some reason, lahat ng Ilonggo pinsan nya. That’s just the charm he has. When he was younger, or when Betty met him, he was at the prime of his youth. Gifted with a pretty face and lanky body, he was super fair, courtesy of Likas Papaya soap. Hindi pa naiimbento ang glutathione, maputi na si Sam, and unknown to us, that was actually a major clue on his gender preference. Yes, Sam, after all these years, turned out to be one of us. But before we made that discovery, Ms. Betty thought all the while that sya na yung soulmate nya, as in the guy meant for her and kasama nya pagtanda. But in life, nothing really goes straight as expected (pun intended).
So before nagladlad si Sam, there was the unbeatable tandem of Betty and Sam. Kung ang setting ng meeting nila Adam and Eve was the Garden of Eden, Betty and Sam first came across each other in another garden within the city, which we shall call Green Valley. Betty is one go-getter, so the moment na nakita nya si Sam, pinursue na nya to, and from then on, naging sila na.
Sam is a blue collar worker. He works as a merchandiser or sales clerk sa mga mall, starting with Isetann Recto (tama ba Ms. Betty?). At dun na nag-start ang paglago ng family nila Betty and Sam.
Lahat ng mga co-workers ni Sam na gwapo (???) and game sa inuman and chorvahan with PSGs, sinasama nya sa mga date nila ni Betty, at nakasanayan na ang practice na ito kaya naging masaya ang mga gimik nila, especially for Betty. Imagine, with her pulutong of young boys na karag-karag ng baklita eh di ang haba ng hair ni Betty. But, since the malls impose a contractual system of employment, hanggang 6 months lang lagi ang mga friendships na ito. So hindi lang de-lata ang may expiration date, pati ang mga boys nina Sam and Betty.
From being assigned to one mall to the next, mas lalong nag-grow ang mga anak ng dalawa; may umaalis may pumapalit naman. Yung mga friends nila na nalipat sa ibang mall, gagawa naman ng sariling group, networking ba. Until one such time, naisip ni Betty na why not isama ang kanyang mga sisters na sila Rio at Randiva sa mga gimik na ito.
This went on and on. Every week, not just once but twice to at least four times ang gimik ng mga vakla with the mall boys. Sa mga videoke, boarding house at iba pang venue, minsan out of town pa, karay karay ng mga vakla ang kanilang mga boys.
Until one such Christmas season, which was in the year 2007, naisip ng 3 vakla na mag-mount ng performance for the boys, and not just any other performance, mind you, but a mind-boggling one. Enter Dragzilla’s original Drag Mother, na tawagin na lang nating si Mommy. Owner sya ng isang bar sa Orosa St. Malate which the group frequents. Mommy turns out to be a promoter for Japan, coz dati uso pa yung pag-form ng groups of entertainers para ipadala sa Japan. And since that time naghigpit na ang land of Ms. Universe Rio Mori (my namesake), ayun laocean deep ang career ni Mommy at nahinto ang promotion business nya.
So when we reserved the entire venue para sa Christmas party namin, Mommy jumped at the chance to help us mount our first drag show. Para syang bata na galak na galak na bihisan ang mga vakla. Na-challenge ba lalo na kasi on the heavy side ang star performer namin na si Randiva eh, ang liliit ng costumes nya. Ayun, nung nilabas ni Mommy isa-isa ang mga feather boa, wig, costumes na nagkikintaban sa sequins, ayun kuminang din ang mga mata namin. Parang may nabuhay na babae sa loob ng aming mga pamhintang pagpapakalalaki.
The show was a fabulous success. We had around 70 guests – all boys – na naaliw sa mga numbers namin, kasi first time nila kami nakita na nakadamit-velat. Randiva had 3 costume changes, first as Marimar or a Conga queen, then as an Arab princess, and third as a Vegas showgirl. I had 3 costume changes din kasi naiingit ako jejeje. First as an ambiguous Conga dancer, then as a diva singer, and third as another Vegas showgirl na sinubukang i-upstage si Randiva by (accidentally) removing her wig jejeje. Uso na pala ang pagka-fierce nung time na yun even before Jealous of my Boogie.
The following year, 2008, I was celebrating my 25th (cough, cough) birthday. And to make it more momentous, I decided to organize a mini-drag show of my own. We held it in a bar in Bocobo, Malate for a smaller number of guests, which included our girl friends na na-shock sa aming paglaladlad. On the day of our performance, I assigned one of our friends, si “Ms. Joyce” na magpagawa ng tarpaulin. And when we unfurled it, ang nakalagay “Dragzilla II: The Aftershock” sa title. Ms. Joyce actually was the one who christened us with our group name which has stuck with us eversince. And Ms. Betty, who was at the time hesitant to do drag, started with an ambiguous look. Nag-inarte pa lola nyo bibigay rin pala sa drag bug.
And there was no stopping us from then on. Every Christmas since, we’ve held a Dragzilla drag show. 2008 xmas was “Dragzilla 3: Triple Threat” in a bigger venue along Roxas Blvd. By that time Betty was on full drag as well.
2009 xmas was “Dragzilla 4: Four-Play @ Forbest”
Our latest performance was during the wedding reception of Ms. Joyce. That was “Dragzilla 4.5: Ikakasal Ka Na.”
Next stop? “Dragzilla V: Viva La Diva!” on Dec. 22 this year.
So what happened naman to Betty and Sam? Ayun, they eventually called it quits after some 7 years of being together, kasi nga hindi na ma-stand ni Betty na sisterette din pala ang dyowa nya, which in drag language means “KAI-KAI” or two drag queens na nagchochorvahan. It’s sad, but for us, everything in life happens for a reason. And kahit may pagkapasaway si Sam, we are acknowledging his contribution to Dragzilla, because without him, wala lahat ng fabulousness na itoh.
O diva ang saya ng kwento namin? Sorry na lang kayo kasi for a limited audience lang ang shows namin. We do these things for the heck of it, and to express our creativity as (filinggerang) artists. If some day for some reason sumikat kami (mangyari kaya to?) eh di that’s a bonus na lang. But for now, Dragzilla will remain an ultra-exclusive secret show for a few lucky boys who are sure to get enchanted by 3 goddesses on the merriest time of the year.
Live, Love and Believe! Mwah3x
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