July 25, 2026
YPC Stage is a new theater company, so it stands to reason that we talk about them first. This company was founded in the city of Binan, Laguna, an offshoot of their Binan Youth Performance Council (YPC) Inc. They have been producing plays with local talent for the past 20 years, so now they feel they are ready to bring Binan talent beyond their city limits into Metro Manila, and allow them opportunity to work with professional actors. YPC Stage was borne with these noble aims, and "Mapanakit" is YPC's very first show.
The three one-act-plays in "Mapanakit" were written by prolific playwright Eljay Castro Deldoc. These were the same three plays they staged last December 2025 during their annual Telon event. Director BJ Borja, being an alumnus of Dulaang UP, thought it would be good to stage these plays in UP Diliman as the inaugural presentation of YPC Stage. The Binan cast and crew were already familiar with Borja's staging of the plays, but this time some choice roles were offered to professional actors, affording platform for sharing talents and trust.
Each one act play was roughly one hour long each, presented one after another, with a 15 minute intermission in between, like a set in the Virgin Labfest. The three one-act plays of "Mapanakit: Mga Dulang Bittersweet ni Eljay Castro Deldoc" were stories that dealt about romantic love, but all of these relationships were unduly challenged by difficult circumstances and prickly issues of morality. Here are my thoughts about each of them:
1. ANG LIKNAYAN NG ATING MGA KATAWAN
Hershey Mae (Jury Sanchez) was a brilliant high school student. For her final research paper, she reported about a topic so controversial that it resulted in the major issues affecting three of her classmates and their significant others. One day, she went to the chemistry lab to confront their teacher Mr. Banakon (Ross Pesigan) why he decided that her paper was dangerous and was not based on scientific evidence. Hershey stood her ground that her methodology was sound, and her conclusions about the physics between two bodies were valid.
I just learned that "Liknayan" is the formal Filipino word for "Physics." This two-hander was not that easy to get into at first. Ross Pesigan and Jury Sanchez were spouting scientific jargon with so much confidence in their rapid-fire arguments, you'd be second-guessing yourself if any of this mumbo-jumbo actually made any sense or not, until it became obvious what this "physics between bodies" was all about. Nevertheless, science majors will enjoy all those name-drops, from Kepler to Newton to Darwin, their laws and theories.
2. ILIHAN AT KALINGAW
As the historian of the Buringkantada tribe, Ilihan (Gab Pangilinan) was only allowed to write about the stories that her Elders assign her to record for posterity. However, during moments of inspiration, she would write love poems dedicated to her love, the warrior Kalingan (Euden Moje), carving them onto the trunks of bamboo in the forest. When he learned that the elders are coming to arrest her, Kalingan went to help her evade punishment. However, Ilihan remained steadfast on her belief that their love story was part of their tribe's history.
This for me was the best of the three one-act plays in this set. Deldoc's language here was poetic, mostly Tagalog, but some lines were in other local tongues. The story was intricate, with elements of mythological beings and strict traditions about marriage. The graceful ending was an elegant full circle moment that clarified the beginning. The bamboo forest set and the local woven costumes evoked an atmosphere of rustic mystery. Gab Pangilinan's Ilihan was a powerful symbol of feminine fortitude on matters of freedom and self-expression.
3. GANITO ANG PINANGARAP KONG KASAL
France (Phi Palmos) and Kris (Loudette Barias) had been best of friends since childhood. Kris had a crush on one of France's classmates in math named Emmanuel "Noel" (Kokoy de Santos). However, Noel turned out to have a crush on France, and soon became his boyfriend. Despite the awkwardness, France and Kris still hung out together with Noel as good friends for several years, even beyond college. Everything was going well until one night, a distraught France called up a radio advice show to consult about a big problem.
Judging from the rousing laughter from the viewers, this play was easily the clear audience favorite. Phi Palmos owned the show, with his witty hilarious banter with Loudette Barias, and cute, coy and flirty interactions with De Santos. The transitional shift of the play's mood from riotous comedy to serious drama was also squarely balanced on Palmos's shoulders and he certainly delivered the goods. The scenes where France was defining the alternate meanings of wedding symbols was the best-written and best-executed sequence in this play.
Congratulations to director BJ Borja for conceptualizing YPC Stage and successfully transporting your maiden show all the way from Binan to UP Diliman. Kudos to his production crew led by John Carlo Pagunaling (Production Design), Gabo Tolentino (Lighting Design), Arkel Mendoza (Sound Design). The rest of the acting ensemble, proudly Binan natives all, include: Sheena Gonzales, Joy Angeline Orzo, Rus Dale, Rozel Ancheta, Danica Samson, Jenver Mallete, Rinoa Lockhart and Jamir Alzate.
In Play #2, there is a featured role of the lead Elder. Yesterday, it was played by veteran stage performer Nazer Salcedo, who certainly made a strong impact. This cameo role will be played by a different guest artist in different shows. Among the artists who have committed to join future shows include Adrienne Vergara, Bayang Barrios, Arkel Mendoza, Baha Vergara, Carlo Cannu, Charm Aranton, Gabo Tolentino, Ge VIllamil, Jules dela Paz and Katte Sabate.
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MAPANAKIT runs from July 25 to August 9, 2026 at the IBG-KAL Theater, UP Diliman, Quezon City, with shows at 2pm and 7pm. There will be a Gala Show on August 7, at & pm. Tickets at P1,500 each from Ticket2Me at this LINK.
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