Filipino Pride: Secret Pals Is A Collective Bridging The Scenes Of Singapore & The Philippines

Secret Pals is connecting the Filipino creative community in Singapore (Credit: Courtesy of Secret Pals)

Singapore’s a melting pot, and that means you’re always gonna find a crossroads of cultures and communities from different countries. The nightlife scene here is no exception; if you dig deep enough, you’re also gonna spot the passion of The Philippines flowing through its veins. Instrumental in pumping that pulse is Secret Pals, a Singapore-based collective that pays homage to its roots back home in The Philippines by being a promotional platform via events and collaborations. It’s a twin-flame project that loves to see its community thrive while giving back to the Singapore scene that its founders have grown up with, creating a sense of belonging and unity amongst its vibrant diaspora.

Secret Pals always throw in a Filipino element in their affairs whether it’s through their music, food or art. They recently collaborated with indie zine The Slow Press to concoct a programme where disco meets adobo – with beats dished out by co-founder April Luistro AKA Apetalkstrash, and eats cooked by Patrick Gerard Elicaño (also a co-founder) who recreated his lola’s recipe of the Filipino national dish. And they’ve done partnerships with trailblazers of the Filipino community, including a capsule collection with silkscreen studio July Grocery and guest bartenders from The Philippines during World’s 50 Best Bars week.

Secret Pals regularly host showcases from Filipino DJs based in Singapore and The Philippines (Credit: Courtesy of Secret Pals)

They’ve grown a strong community in just over a year (Credit: Courtesy of Secret Pals)

The collective has made it possible for Filipino DJs to break into the Singaporean performance circuit. With their Thursday gig series at Moonstone, Secret Pals have hosted sets from visiting selectors such as CRWN, Pillow Talk and St Vincent & The Grenadines from Manila. Collaborations with venues like Catfish Izakaya and Origin Bar, alongside collectives like Groovetop and Last Saturdays, have also given Secret Pals extra street cred and legitimacy in their antics. And for their first anniversary in August 2023, Secret Pals organised a Sunday Tambay pop-up at Baby Rascal with a flurry of Filipino DJs including Mari, Casfade and Hapimeel, and pinoy dishes and drinks up for grabs. Lechon at a day rave? How can anyone say no to that?

“2023 was us being brave, putting ourselves out there, exploring, growing and nurturing this not-so-secret secret project haha,” shares April on the community-building path of Secret Pals. “But more than anything, we really owe our journey to the folks back home in the Philippines as well as our local scene here. The community has been so open and supportive, and we’re really just grateful for the trust and friendships we made along the way. We hope to continue building that SG x PH bridge, opening more doors for our pals to connect with the scene here, and hopefully bring it full circle by linking up some of our local selectors with The Philippines’ nightlife too!”