Ongina speaks and performs at Colorado Health Network’s 40th Anniversary Gala
3 years ago
Philippines Ongina, an internationally recognized drag performer and HIV activist, is celebrated for her impactful appearances on RuPaul's Drag Race and her continued advocacy for HIV awareness.
Ongina filmed commercials for Mac Viva Glam, a makeup line that collaborated with RuPaul to create a campaign.
Ongina collaborated with the Indie Brand, Lurella Cosmetics.
Ongina served as a spokesperson for OraQuick, one of the first at-home HIV testing kits.
Ongina hosted "Constellations of Change", a live-streamed cabaret show produced by ViiV Healthcare as a part of its annual Community Summit.
Ongina is involved in an amfAR campaign called Epic Voices, whose mission is to find a cure for AIDS by 2030 and to reengage the conversation about the virus.
Ongina hosts group travel experiences
Ryan Ong Palao, known by his stage name Ongina, was born in the Philippines in 1982. In 1994, he and his family relocated to Lynnwood, Washington. His drag career began in 2003 at Lucky Cheng’s, an Asian restaurant in Manhattan, New York, where he performed alongside Laverne Cox. Ongina gained international recognition as one of the nine contestants on the inaugural season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, which premiered on February 2, 2009. During the fourth episode, she publicly disclosed her HIV-positive status, winning her second challenge in the same episode. She was eliminated in the subsequent episode, placing fifth overall after a lip sync battle against BeBe Zahara Benet.
Following her time on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Ongina has maintained a visible presence in both entertainment and activism. She has appeared in several web series produced by World of Wonder, including “Wait, What?”, “Ring My Bell”, and “Fashion Photo RuView”. Ongina also made multiple guest appearances on “RuPaul’s Drag U”. In 2020, she returned to the franchise for the fifth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars”, where she placed ninth. Ongina has also hosted events like the Los Angeles AIDS Walk in 2021 and has been featured in photography books such as Magnus Hastings’s “Rainbow Revolution”.
Beyond her entertainment career, Ongina is a vocal HIV activist. She hosted the online web show “HIV and Me”, which featured interviews with individuals living with HIV/AIDS. In 2013, she served as a spokesperson for OraQuick, one of the first at-home HIV testing kits. Her advocacy earned her the NewNowNext Award for Most Addictive Reality Star in 2009. Ongina consistently uses her platform to raise awareness about HIV, trans equality, and human rights, and is involved with amfAR’s Epic Voices campaign, aiming to find an AIDS cure by 2030.
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