Pig heaven

Entablado (stage) is a student theater group of the Ateneo de Manila University organized just before the EDSA People Power Revolution. It focuses primarily on experimental and street theater and chooses plays which have strong socio-political content. The last play they staged certainly had a heavy dose of it, but it was also whimsical and hilarious. Titled "Ang Unang Baboy sa Langit" (The First Pig in Heaven), it was a musical adaptation of the children's story written by Rene O. Villanueva, a playwright and author of children's books in Tagalog. The story won first prize in the 1990 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, which is probably the Philippines' most prestigious literary award. The script was written by Christine S. Bellen, who also wrote the script for "Batang Rizal" (The Boy Rizal). The story takes place on Babuyan Island (roughly, Island of Pigs—baboy is the Tagalog word for pig) and the simple yet creative and very effective stage was designed by Gino G. Gonzales, a protégé of Philippine National Artist for Theater Design Salvador F. Bernal. The tree trunk platforms' bark is little pieces of bamboo glued to the sides of the painted wood.

Bug off!

This will be my last post about Entablado's production of "Ang Unang Baboy sa Langit" (The First Pig in Heaven), I promise. The coolest costumes in the musical belonged to the villains, but of course. What creatures thrive in dirt and dust? According to the playwright, it's mosquitoes, cockroaches and spiders. I agree that mosquitoes and cockroaches are almost villainous, but I don't agree that spiders are in the same category. Some of my best friends are spiders because they feed on pesky bugs. I can live with the webs.

A very hygienic pig

Butsiki was a most unusual pig. She was born with shining nails and a star on her forehead. Unlike the other pigs of Babuyan Island who liked wallowing in mud, she liked bathing in clear, clean water and liked her surroundings free of dirt and cobwebs. With a greedy mining company and a corrupt head pig, I think you can guess where the story goes. Staged as a whimsical, funny musical, "Ang Unang Baboy sa Langit" (The First Pig in Heaven) is a cautionary tale about what happens when we don't take care of the environment. This is Patricia Ruth Peña, one of two students who alternately played Butsiki in Entablado's production. If all goes well this month, she will be graduating from the Ateneo de Manila University in March with a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Nativity scene with pigs

The story of "Ang Unang Baboy sa Langit" (The First Pig in Heaven) is a derivation of the messiah story. Ponyang, a pregnant pig and resident of Babuyan Island, is told by an angel in the form of a rabbit that she would give birth to only one piglet, the pig of prophecy who will save the other pigs of the island from certain destruction. The corrupt head pig, who wants everyone to sell their farmlands to a mining concern because he's getting a large cut, is threatened when he hears rumors of Ponyang's unusual pregnancy. Pig and wife run away from their town. They arrive at another town just as Ponyang is about to give birth and they have to ask several households before a kind family gives them shelter. Ponyang gives birth to Butsiki, who is soon visited by three friends who had been looking for her: a dog, a cat and a mouse.

A modern folk tale

I am loving the theater group Entablado's musicals of seeming children's stories. Last year, it was Rene O. Villanueva's "Ang Unang Baboy sa Langit" (The First Pig in Heaven) with its environmental message; this year, it is Christine Bellen's "Si Pilandok at ang Bayan ng Bulawan" (Pilandok and the Country of Bulawan), a folkloric retelling of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution. Bulawan is a country named after its sun whose population is divided into two factions that can't get along with each other. The corrupt leader and his evil henchmen steal the Bulawan so they can start selling its light and heat to the people and make lots of money.




Pilandok is the resident trickster with a good heart who decides to steal it back. He asks help from the nation's five gods (Faith, Strength, Wealth, Beauty and Wisdom) but their very natures work against them in their rescue efforts. So Pilandok tries it on his own but he is caught, and it is only when the two factions decide to work together—with their gods—that they manage to rescue both Pilandok and the Bulawan.




I'm sorry that I don't have a picture of Pilandok but his character was moving around so much I couldn't get a clear shot. We watched the play at the Rizal Mini Theater of the Ateneo de Manila University but it is also going to be shown at the Meralco Theater on September 11. More information about it on Oliver Oliveros' blog.