Dragged Out of Darkness: Welcome to The House of Xilhouete


Explore The House of Xilhouete’s captivating performances at Krib+, where Quezon City celebrated Pride Month with flair. Wong Israel, aka Xilhouete, leads this talented group of drag artists who bring creativity and a spirit of inclusiveness to each dazzling show.

On stage, a drag queen slowly emerged from a zipped-up luggage bag, her wig tattered and her dress soaked in blood. The haunting sounds of “Spolarium” from the Filipino musical Ang Huling El Bimbo filled the room, adding to the eerie scene as the bloodied figure crawled out, a chilling reminder of a tragic reality. This is the fate of Ashley Anne Reilly, a 23-year-old Filipina transgender woman who was brutally murdered by her live-in partner in 2016, her lifeless body stuffed into a suitcase and discarded along Coastal Road in Cavite. 

On the evening of June 23, Krib+, a vibrant gay nightclub in Quezon City, honored Pride Month with a tribute to the resilience and struggles of the LGBTQ+ community. While I’m a sucker for a drag show with death-defying splits and lifts (and Krib+ definitely delivers on that front), it’s the highly conceptual acts like these that I truly adore and have come to expect at Krib+.

This is thanks to the brilliant members of The House of Xilhouete (THoX) and the inspiration of the nightclub’s co-owner and Drag Mother, Xilhouete, who has a powerful knack for storytelling through her drag.

Days later, away from Krib+’s lively atmosphere, I had the honor of interviewing the queen herself. But where is the angsty and villainous queen from television known for her sharp tongue? Tonight, the library is closed and Xilhouete will not be reading me to filth (phew). The person sitting across from me is her alter ego: Wong Israel – silly, approachable, and friendly. And he is not the mean queen the media painted him to be.

From Pageant Queen to Drag Icon

Catapulted to fame in 2022 by his participation in the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Philippines (RPDR PH) where he finished third place, Wong has worn many hats. Before honing his drag persona and starting Krib+, Wong began as a pageant queen in his province of Cabanatuan, where he quickly gained acclaim for his boldness and creativity. 

His talents soon extended beyond the stage, as he became a sought-after makeup artist and costume designer for several Filipino celebrities and directors. With only his creativity and connections, Wong worked his way up the career ladder, collaborating with big names in show business, including actresses Maricel Soriano and Ai-Ai delas Alas, as well as renowned directors like Wenn Deramas, Chito Roño, and Olivia Lamasan. 

Also an entrepreneur at heart, Wong served as a co-owner and creative director of Nectar Nightclub, a gay club in Taguig. 

Xilhouete in the Spotlight

A career as a drag artist might seem unlikely for Wong, whose grandmother had always dreamed of him becoming a nurse. She encouraged him to start a nursing degree, but his fear of blood got in the way. Instead, his compassion for the elderly led him to a short course in caregiving, which turned out to be a better fit. When asked about the source of his creativity, Wong is quick to credit his grandmother.  

“Growing up we used to have a turntable. Si lola marami siyang plaka. Play niya si Tina Turner, Etta James, Barbara, Whitney. Yun yung mga music na kinalakihan koMaglalaro ako ng maliliit na mga toys with those music playing in the background. I would always create a scene based sa kung anong naririnig ko na music. Feeling ko doon pa lang, yung young heart mo, matuturuan na siya of what art is.” 

In the first season of RPDR PH where she won two challenges, Xilhouete stood out as one of the queens with the most consistent branding. True to her namesake, she has a distinctive affinity for the color black. With black-painted lips, smokey eyes, and long black wigs, Xilhouete’s looks are dark and villainous yet upscale and conceptual. When asked to describe his drag style, Wong used three words: theatrical, high-end, and enigmatic. 

“Even the name Xilhouete , kinuha ko yan from a cinema technique: silhouette – a black image against the light. You’ll never know what the object is until you turn on the light… you’ll never know what you’re gonna get from me.”

While he takes great pride in the looks he’s created, Wong believes his dark and subversive branding sometimes held him back. He feels it contributed to his loss to Minty Fresh in Nectar Nightclub’s Drag Cartel, a monthly drag competition showcasing up-and-coming local queens. 

“When I first premiered Xilhouete inside Nectar… yan na yung rise of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and what you would see inside that competition is big hair, mga may balakang, at colorful na costumes. Si Xilhouete, opposite lahat non. Minty back then was the mainstream kind of drag. Siya yung ma-ge-gets mo. Ako underground. Alternative yung approach ko. It (my drag) never changed. I stick with what I feel.” 

Xilhouete’s preference for dark colors, her snarky attitude, and abrasive comments made it convenient for the media to cast her as an antagonist, but she is far from the evil queen she is often depicted to be. “When I did the commercial for Netflix… I wanted to show people na I can play jokes, I could be silly about myself. If people could just give me a bit of their time, sit down, and talk with me, they’ll see na ang chill ko lang pala.”

Call Me Mother

Behind Krib+ is a tight-knit family known as The House of Xilhouete (THoX). Formed by Wong as a space that could hone the talents of drag queens and artists, THoX consists of eight active members: Muah Dayaw, BB Manika, Xitrina, Hurricane Rica, Stare Decisis, Riley Nicole, Regina Gorge, and Shewarma.


“The house is a home,” Wong said. “And it wouldn’t be a home without my kids – without the people behind me, behind the queens, the staff, the PAs, the stylists, and the costume designers. Maraming bumubuo sa kanya to make it a home.” 

More than just a space to hone talent, Wong assembled THoX to instill values within queens. “Nung fi-norm ko sila, yung pinaka main na sinabi ko na i-carry nila within themselves is respect, gratitude, humility, and family. You’re all gifted, but you can’t just rely on your talent and skills, kasi one day magulat ka may mas magaling and wala ka na. Your heart that you carry with you is more important than what you do onstage.”

When recruiting queens for her house, Wong values personality over talent. The first queen to join The House of Xilhouete was Hurricane Rica, recommended by a colleague to choreograph Xilhouete’s shows. Despite being a plus-sized queen, Hurricane Rica’s ability to do splits and death drops was impressive, but what truly captivated Xilhouete was her craftiness.

“One night nag-re-rehearse kaming dalawa. I asked her, do you know drag or do you at least impersonate? Can you lipsync? She tried, and she did kind of well. Sabi ko, meron akong performance two weeks from now. Ikaw si Valentina ako si Darna. Gumawa kami ng narrative. It started there. Natuwa ako sa kanya. She made a do-it-yourself ahas. Made out of manila paper… Gusto ko ‘tong bata na ‘to, aside from meron siyang effort, naramdam ko sa kanya yung genuine love for the arts.” 

Wong has mothered some of the most popular drag queens in local mainstream media, including RPDR PH favorite Minty Fresh, UK Versus the World Season 2 third runner-up Marina Summers, and Drag Den runner-up Shewarma.

BB MANIKA
HURRICANE RICA
XITRINA

 

This House is a Home 

Krib+ is one of the newest additions to the drag nightclubs in Quezon City, joining the likes of Rapture and Rampa. Located at 116 Timog Avenue in Diliman, Quezon City, Krib+ is claimed by Wong to be the first club owned by a drag queen-cum-drag mother. 

Krib+ is an all-inclusive space that aims to welcome everyone, regardless of their beliefs. “We all differ from one another,” Wong says. “My opinion might be different from yours, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. It doesn’t mean we have to fight because we don’t understand one another. May matututunan tayo sa isa’t isa.” 

In the quiet moments after the show, as the echoes of applause fade into the night, Krib+ remains a place where shadows reveal their secrets. Beyond the glitter and glamour, Krib+ is a sanctuary where identities bloom, and the shadows, once feared, now tell tales of triumph and transformation.

MUAH DAYAW
RILEY NICOLE
STARE DECISIS


Photographer: Von Buenconsejo
Creative Director and Producer: Janno Novenario
Words by: Joshua Lagandaon
Production Head: Gel Jimenez
Tech Head: Jericho Crescini
Production Assistants: Jaja Collins, Danica Pelayo and Joseph Secillano
Shot on Location: Krib+