The episode of "Dragmo Pangdarako" introduces guest Mark Escuarta, a 34‑year‑old graphic designer from Bacolod City who dreams of becoming a drag queen. The hosts frame the show as a safe, divine‑mission space where anyone can explore drag. Mark shares his background, his desire to express himself through drag, and his experience of coming out to his family, including a heartfelt message to his father. The conversation covers the importance of pronoun respect, the political nature of drag as a challenge to gender binaries, and the parallels between graphic design and drag performance. Mark cites Filipino drag icons Nymphia and Bosco as inspirations and discusses the meaning behind his chosen drag name, Gloria Maruya/Amora, which embodies love. The hosts then transform Mark with makeup and costume, revealing his new persona and presenting a runway segment. The episode closes with a definition of pride as love for everyone, an invitation for viewers to contact the hosts via Instagram, and a celebratory affirmation of drag as a form of self‑expression and community building.
Chapters
Welcome to Dragmo Pangdarako, the only show where we do whatever we want, but we transform anyone who wants to be in drag.
Yes, a safe space for people who want to express themselves in drag.
God, you're Jesus Christ. No, I'm not Jesus. No, we don't want go there. And we have a special guest today. Yes, who's willing to be our victim.
Victim?
Yes, victim of love.
Okay, oh, come on, introduce her, girl.
Please welcome our guest for the 4th episode.
For the 4th episode, Mark Espoeta.
Oh my God, oh my God, the disrespect. Oh yeah, hello, hello! Oh, look at you!
Oh, Mark, can you introduce yourself to us? How old are you?
Are you—
and all, all the—
I'm Marcus Berta, I am a graphic designer by profession. I also do art, I'm an artist.
34 years old, from Bacolod City. 34 years old. My God, you're like so old.
Yeah, but no, actually you look very, um, H. Yeah.
Oh, compliment.
Is my friend and a recent friend, you know. I just— we just met this year, but in the small time that we've been together, I discovered— you discovered that he's actually dreams of doing drag.
Yeah, he dreams of doing drag.
He hasn't done it before.
I, I think you should consider your dreams. No, you should reconsider it.
Yeah, yeah, not all dreams are meant to happen. Tell us more about it.
Yes, tell us more about it.
Yeah, I really want to be— I want to be a drag queen, as in I've been watching Drag Race since 2019, since Season 6 or something. All the time I'm going to do drag since I'm an artist.
But weird that you've mentioned it because I have a friend who did drag because Ang sabi, sakanyan tatai niya, okay lang magimba klawak kalamagbeast babae.
Yes.
But as a form of protest, he dressed up as drag. So is that also the same kind of like, you know, motivation into doing drag?
Actually, ako, I came out to my family pero never said tate ko. Parang, he doesn't want to talk about it.
Your dad is like, no, okay nayan, mamonabog tsapan yan.
Okay nayan, basawa kalamagdad damit ko ba. That's it.
Okay, so if your dad is here right now—
hi, Dad—
would you be able to tell your dad right now, if your dad comes to watch this, what would be your message to your dad?
I love you, and I hope you understand.
Joke, joke.
Oh, di tingi lang ako.
No, but that's good.
That's nice that you love your parents regardless if they don't quite understand these things.
And you know, you're not alone in this experience.
Yeah.
Especially our generation, the older generation, we've gone through this. You know, there's where there's not so much acceptance yet, unfortunately. And you know, as a result, you know, we experience a lot of insecurities in our lives as a queer person. But, you know, we all have our chance to really affirm ourselves, like what you're doing right now.
Yeah. And appreciate everyone, like, oh, she looks so good.
Oh, yeah. I think it's not that important for—
I mean, Yeah, I mean, pronouns are important.
Pronouns are important, but we don't—
I don't vilify you.
Yeah, I don't persecute people then if they mess up my pronouns, you know, because we forgive people. Just don't do it for the sake of making fun, making fun of people.
Yeah, that's good respect.
Yeah. Yes, I mean, if you did it for— because, you know, it was a mistake. Yeah, it wasn't an Unintentional.
Yes, right, unintentional. Okay, relationship out of drag.
Really?
Yeah. How did you meet? By Grindr?
No, just verifying.
Okay.
Yeah, I forgot about that app already. It's been years.
Wow, good for you, girl. You're celibate. Wow.
Masanto.
I am.
So I kind of am curious as to— I'm sure as an artist, you already know the similarities of what you do as an artist and what we do as drag, you know, as a drag artist. But what exactly do you feel like you're scared about, or are you scared into being put into drag right now?
No, I'm not.
You're not?
Yeah, I'm excited.
Oh, she's excited, y'all!
But did you know that drag is a crime?
Is it not a crime? It's not a crime. It's not a crime. Oh, but you know, you know, are you aware of being drag?
As you know, in the— is drag political? Do you agree drag is political?
It can be.
It can. It can be. It can be. It depends on how you look at Okay, I mean, she does have opinions, so should we give her the rundown? Sure, we should.
Well, we'll let her think. Yeah, we'll let her think.
Okay, I just think that, you know, whenever you do a drag— yeah, when you step out into the world, you're actually suggesting to the rest of the world to question the status quo, to question the binary. Yeah, so therefore, because of that, drag is always, always political.
It's inherently political.
Yeah, because the binary is the one dictating a lot of things in this world, even the basic things. The way we are entertained at the hospitals, in schools, you know, these things that are an election.
What she said, what she said.
No, no, which is, which is for a lot of us very limiting and also very discriminatory.
That's true. I mean having experienced this firsthand. But I do agree that— so I do agree your viewpoint at times because some people might forget that it's not just all glamour. You're trying to destroy the status quo.
Yes.
This idea of what gender can be, and you know, like, that's exactly what drag is all about. It's trying to like, you know, shake things up.
Yes.
And sometimes by shaking things up, you can get yourself in a bit of trouble.
But I don't mind.
We need to clarify, why are we shaking things up?
Because things need to be changed. There are a lot of people who benefit from trying to destroy, so we also would like people to benefit from, from what we're doing so they can exist, they can live their lives freely and safely. Because sometimes people can be so mean just because you're different.
Yeah.
And what we're trying to put out there is like, being different is actually okay. Being different can be celebrated. You can transform yourself, you can be whoever you want to be. And that's our mission in life. This is doing God's work.
Yes.
Yeah, so I have a question.
Oh, go.
If you're saying that it's political, so every time we're in drag, whether you like it or not, yeah, people are gonna ask themselves.
I think so.
I don't know.
Sometimes people might not be aware that what they're doing is already very political.
The personal is political.
Yes, personal. Anything that's personal is political.
Exactly.
At least me, I'm thinking now If I'm in drag, if I want to do drag, yes, I'm thinking that I just want to share my art.
Exactly.
Exactly.
And that is political.
That is political because you are creating your own without, you know, much of a thought of what other people might think. Exactly. Because this is your story and you're aware that sometimes doing your art, people might also think that, oh, I don't quite like it, I don't, I hate it. Would you, how would you feel If people would invalidate your art as a painter, you're gonna get upset, rightfully so. But, but you're gonna do it anyway, right?
You're gonna still keep on creating.
Yeah, because it makes me happy.
Yeah, these are his paintings.
But anyways, who do you want to become in drag?
Yeah, what is your— who is your ideal, like, siguro, your idol drag?
I really like Nymphia.
Nymphia and Little Miss Virginia. Nymphia talaga.
Oh, siguro, Nymphia and Bosco.
I love Bosco. What is it about Nymphia and Bosco that you really, really like?
Nymphia, ang kanayong drag talaga, is meron talaga siyang pinukwas sa kanayong culture.
Love it.
And like, do you like banana?
Do you like bananas? Very specific. I'm a ton dang girl. I don't like lakatan, I'm a ton dang girl. Yeah. What are you? What banana will you be? I forgot. Senorita, just laugh, just laugh. Alam nyo, for anyone out there who's like really into masculine drag show, get her number, okay? She needs to be watered.
Watered.
Well, I'm so excited to see you in your fantasy.
Yeah, and then hopefully—
Yeah, instead of drag.
Oh, I know, when you go out, you have to give your best.
Yes.
The only thing that you can guarantee is—
that you're not gonna die.
That you're not gonna die. That's it. We'll see her in a bit.
She'll be transformed into her closest idol and regain this new sense of persona.
Banana. Banana.
As, I don't know, Anita Banana.
We'll think of your drag name, girl, and you'll share your drag name later, right?
Yes. Okay, great.
We'll be back. And we're back! Ay, nang a—
after a lot of hard work, hardware tools, mga 3 Rs in the pressure cooker, ang pagpalambot natin dito sa guest.
No, ma-bot pero no bakayong ulo. Sobrang kalamo. Kusado na ga. Kalamo, kusino maganda. Let's welcome our guest, Mark Escuarta! Mark, look at this, Mark! Hi, hi, hi, Chef!
Oh, go! Oh, Mark! Yes!
Go, Gloria! And then your last is Amora.
Gloria Amora. Gloria Maruya. Yeah, Gloria Maruya the Third.
First time.
First time.
Oh, now how does it feel to—
how does it feel to be the next Miss Universe? Feels—
I don't feel any pressure. Transformation. Fantasy.
Fantasy.
You guys for hours. Yeah.
Would you do this again?
You sure? Well, not now, but would you try to probably do this again?
Maybe.
Yes, maybe.
Aside from the hair up, like, how do you feel right now?
How do you feel? Yeah, yeah.
Wow, very potent. So the next Marina Summer.
Sorry, sorry. No, no, no, no. Well, what's her name again? Gloria Maria.
Work, work, work.
Gloria Amora.
What's Amora?
Why Amora?
Amora means love because I want my drag to just exude love.
Actually, you can stick with Amora din naman. What I like about drag din naman kasi you get to choose the name if you try to embody it as far as you can because a lot of drag queens also change their names, right? Yeah.
Yeah, parang from Sumalis sa Drag Race and then pagbalik nila iba nang name.
Correct, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So you have that freedom.
It is because you have the power to be who you want to be.
Exactly.
Drag is a crime.
Is it worth it?
Worth it so much. There's no harm in trying.
There's no harm in drag.
Yeah, there is no—
there is no harm in drag.
Yeah, but we want you to actually feel the fantasy, so we'll We'll take a video of you like making a runway out of this corridor.
Corridor?
Ayang, wheeling, go, go, go. Okay, bago 'n lahat. What is pride for you?
Pride is everyone. Like yung sila gatwa ka ni na.
Ba si nang gatwa ka ni na? Kasumagot eh.
Pride is everyone. Pride is love.
Ah. Yung pala, at the end of the day, pride is love. Oh, pala makakana't eh. Si Gloria Amora Maruya. Actually, Gloria Maruya Amora.
Jimmy.
Jimmy. Gloria Maruya Amora. Yeah, I am sorry. Give it some time. Magiging hilong bilsha.
Well, anyways, for those who want to be in Dragged— yes, like Gloria Maruya— you can message us on IG, on Instagram, @purulakovega or @virginia_pls.
Correct.
Like, you know, just reach out to us and call our names and we'll be there.
All right, and for her first runway performance, we present to you—
