Entertainment
The Phenomenon of Phi Palmos
Phi’s voice as an actor resounds as it slowly finds its way back to him.
by Em Enriquez
Published on May 20, 2025
On a Tuesday afternoon, the Newport Performing Arts Theater was quiet. The occasional hum of a vacuum would resound over the velvet seats and all the way to the stage, where tiny dots of glitter glinted under the fluorescent light. It was as if the most fabulous war was waged on the wooden battlefield.
The theater’s current offering—drag-themed musical Delia D—would explain the aftermath. Backstage, racks of sequined costumes and shelves of wigs dyed in every color of the rainbow line an entire corridor. During a typical show night, lead actor Phi Palmos tells me that the same corridor remains relatively quiet, albeit dozens of people are occupying each square meter.
“It’s a contained energy,” he explains. “May mga taong tumatakbo, may mga taong nagbibihis [but] everything is organized. It’s an organized chaos.”
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PHI PALMOS FOR PREVIEW IN FOCUS MAY 2025 / PHOTO: JL Javier.
Even when audiences have yet to pile in, cast and crew members already have natural choreography. A spritz of hairspray here, a swipe of lipstick there. Everyone is hushed until the curtains open and Delia utters the first lines of Gusto Ko Nang Bumitaw. By the time intermission rolls in, Phi steps backstage to a surge of energy from castmates who have been strutting, dancing, and singing their lungs off for a good hour. He soaks it all in as a symphony of retouches takes place: A brush of a wig here, a pat of pressed powder there, and a spritz of cologne for good measure.
Waiting in the Wings
There was a time when Phi wasn’t using his multi-octave voice to belt out tunes. Instead, he was picking up calls at a BPO company. Fresh out of college, he spent four to five years putting on his headphones and speaking to compromised customers throughout the night. When he needed a break from the monotony, he would resort to the theater.
“I loved going to the theater. Kapag stressed na ako sa graveyard shift, I just needed to watch a show. Kahit anong show pa yan,” he fondly recalls. These moments of solace kindled some wonder in Phi, making him think if the life of a performer was ever in his cards. He says, “Ganoon naman yun, ‘di ba? May mapapanood ka lang, [mararamdaman mo nang] you also want to do it.”
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Those moments of wonder remained as thought bubbles that eventually dissipated until Phi hit a dead end. A “quarter-life crisis,” if you will. The going got tough, and even a handsome promise of a promotion failed to ignite any vigor in him. “What am I doing with my life? Does this matter? Masaya ba talaga ako?” he remembered questioning himself.
After leaving his desk job, Phi took a little detour towards comedy bars where he found work on the mic. One way or another, he found something that aligned with his skill set and personality. In between stand-up sets, he would tap into something he genuinely loved whenever he sang. A close friend of his brought director Tuxqs Rutaquio to one of his shows, which unexpectedly led to his first-ever casting for a musical production. At the time, direk Tuxqs was staging the dance epic Ibalong at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
After introductions were made, he approached Phi and said:
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PHOTO: JL Javier.
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PHOTO: JL Javier.
Hesitant at first, Phi took on the proposal with nothing to lose. Being an actor was a foreign concept to a younger Phi, whose dreams solely revolved around singing at concerts. If he thinks about it, it was Kismet that directed him towards this unplanned career path.
“For the longest time, I couldn't really say that I was an actor. Hindi ko siya ma-own. Hindi ko siya ma-embrace, because it was something that I never saw myself doing as a job or as a career,” he explains. In fact, Phi still doesn’t fully accept the designation of an actor to this day. It’s partly the jabs of insecurity, but it’s also the reverence he has for the craft that prevents him from proclaiming it with all of his gusto. In his words, “it just happened” for him.
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PHOTO: JL Javier.
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PHOTO: JL Javier.
It’s been more than a decade since Phi first stepped foot on stage as an “actor,” as far-fetched as the title feels to him. His 2012 debut blossomed into more casting calls and auditions. resulting in some of his most impressive work. These include his scene-stealing characters in Rak of Aegis, Mula sa Buwan, and Huling El Bimbo, as well as a selection of TV and film roles.
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PHOTO: JL Javier.
In the Limelight
Despite having a resume many would call successful, Phi admits he is still a work in progress. It may be hard to believe after watching him not break a sweat while performing in a three hour show with dozens of outfit changes and physically demanding song numbers, but he’s still finding his voice. It’s in this regard that Delia D found him in the right place at the right time.
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A jukebox musical featuring the work of songwriter Jonathan Manalo, Delia D narrates a story of determination, dignity, drama, discovery, and drag. Phi embodies the titular character, a drag queen who yearns to have people hear her genuine voice. Coded by Jonathan’s greatest hits, the show is a total feast for the senses, with eye candy wardrobe choices, sensational vocal riff-offs, and enough heart to draw out the tears.
Throughout two acts, the show exhibits a myriad of emotions through music. There are plenty of song numbers to pick a favorite from and to potentially sing along to. Gusto Ko Nang Bumitaw, inarguably one of Jonathan’s most popular compositions to date, is interpreted as both a heartfelt ballad and a hyperpop remix.
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PHOTO: JL Javier.
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PHOTO: JL Javier.
For Phi, however, just a few lyrics in one of Delia’s most pivotal scenes are what pierces through the most. As the embattled protagonist, she borrows lines from BINI’s Strings as she’s swallowed whole by her anxiety and self-doubt.
“I'm on strings, don't cut me off. No wings, don't let me fall off this now,” the track goes.
“How many times na natin nasabi sa sarili natin na, ‘Tama na muna, hindi ko na yata ‘to kaya,’” Phi articulates. It’s in this thread where the character’s struggle coincides with the actor’s humanity. Delia’s larger-than-life-ness was cloying for Phi in some way, as it forced him realize the strings he himself is tethered to right now. “Hindi ako nahirapan [buhayin si] Delia,” he states.
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PHOTO: JL Javier.
In the constant search for his voice, Phi came to the resolution that he has to stick to what he knows. And what he knows best is himself. Similar to Delia, Phi was fortunate to have family and peers that had no problem with his queerness. “Wala akong coming out, because hindi ko kinailangan mag-come out” he says with a grin. He came of age with no restrictions or expectations governing how we would express himself.
Uplifted by a solid support system, Phi makes it a point to champion the bakla in whatever he does, even in the fictional realms. He has no fear of getting “typecast” or boxed in queer roles, as he views them as opportunities to best showcase his caliber as an actor.
“Ang laging issue kapag queer actor ka ay kailangan mong mag-play ng straight roles para lang masabi na magaling kang actor… Hindi naman yan yung pamantayan sa straight actors [tulad nina] Vilma Santos at Sharon Cuneta,” Phi illustrates. “Bakit hindi natin sila tanungin if takot silang ma-typecast sa babaeng roles? They’re just playing who they are, so I’m also just playing who I am.”
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PHOTO: JL Javier.
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PHOTO: JL Javier.
In Phi’s perspective, queer actors playing queer roles doesn’t limit their capabilities—in fact, it expands them. Who they are as people, devoid of any fictional persona, is the most valuable weapon actors wield, and it's for them to define alone.
“Gender expression is so varied and fluid,” he states. “But we all feel the same emotions. Walang emotion na bakla lang ang nakakaramdam. Pareho-pareho tayo riyan… Ang dapat batayan of being a great actor is the ability to portray authentic emotions, regardless of one’s gender."
Encore
It’s in Phi’s queerness that he found semblances of the voice he’s looking for. This voice resounds in the purpose he’s found on stage, whether as an ensemble member stationed by the wings or as the pretty-in-pink main character taking center stage.
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A striking realization he’s arrived at is how any insecurities he’s had as an actor may have rooted from the undesirable portrayals queer people were seen in.
“Kaya siguro hindi ko nakita yung sarili ko as an actor growing up is because wala akong nakita na katulad ko,” he shares. "Bakit yung bakla, laging binabatukan? Laging binubuhusan ng tubig? Pinagtatawanan?" As someone with a tenure in the entertainment scene, he takes it upon himself to change the narrative for those watching from across the stage.
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PHOTOS: JL Javier
“It's only in theater where queerness is not an issue,” Phi emphasizes. “Sometimes, it just so happens that this or that character is gay. But that character's queerness, hindi siya struggle. It’s not an issue. You don’t get those kinds of materials on film and TV.”
“I aim to play as many queer roles as possible so when little baklas see me, they won’t have to feel like they have to be anyone else [to become what they want to be,]” he declares.
When Phi himself was a little bakla, he dreamed of being Kim in Miss Saigon, majorly because there weren't any queer-coded characters as grand or special as her. Nowadays, Phi hopes that young audiences won’t have to aspire to be Kim anymore, because they can just be someone like Delia—they can just be themselves.
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PHOTO: JL Javier.
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PHOTO: JL Javier.
“You won’t have to pretend to be someone else [because] here’s a character, front and center, na bida. Hindi nya kinakahiya yung pagiging bakla nya, yung pagkatao nya. I think that's very important. Seeing a character like that on stage, grabe yung effect for a queer person like me,” he states.
“I mean, how often do we get representation like that?” he asks rhetorically, the intonation in his voice rising towards the end of the question.
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PHOTO: JL Javier.
Produced and Styled by the Preview Team
Editor-in-Chief: Marj Ramos-Clemente
Creative Director: Bacs Arcebal
Managing Editor/Producer: Reg Rodriguez
Co-producers: Em Enriquez, Kat Cabral
Assoc. Multimedia Director: Jana Jodloman
Photographed by JL Javier, assisted by Juella Bautista. Styled by Em Enriquez. Makeup and hairstyle by Luis Bunag. Story by Em Enriquez. Video direction by Jana Jodloman, shot by Teddy Garcia Jr.. Social media coverage by Sophia Rosello. Shot on location at Newport Performing Arts Theater. Special thanks to Aina Elinon and Judd Jhocson of Newport World Resorts
Em is queer and probably daydreaming somewhere. They're Preview's associate entertainment editor who's often spotted in cowboy boots and lemon-tinted sunnies.
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Phi Palmos ,Preview In Focus ,Preview Original ,edi-00378 ,Delia D ,Newport World Resorts