MAPANAKIT - Mga Dulang Bittersweet All Set to Open on July 25

Marking a significant milestone in the regional arts landscape, Biñan proudly announces its first-ever homegrown theatre production to be staged outside city borders. Following a highly successful community run in December 2025, Mapanakit! Mga Dulang Bittersweet has officially transitioned into a touring-ready production, representing the highly anticipated maiden presentation of YPC Stage.

Directed by BJ Borja, the show celebrates community-rooted storytelling and professional staging discipline, making it both artistically compelling and accessible to diverse audiences nationwide.

Written by acclaimed playwright Eljay Castro Deldoc, these 'three one-act plays' present deeply human stories told through intimate performances, poetic dialogue, and emotionally grounded storytelling that resonates strongly with modern audiences.

The staging serves as an artistic bridge, featuring a powerful collaboration that unites a dynamic new generation of performers with some of the most respected and seasoned names in Philippine theater. This synergy of fresh energy and professional experience delivers an exceptional standard of performance.

At its core, Mapanakit reflects shared Filipino experiences — heartbreak, longing, healing, and hope — allowing audiences to see themselves on stage. Its relatable themes make it highly engaging for students, young professionals, cultural advocates, and general theatre-goers alike.

MAPANAKIT features:

ANG LIKNAYAN NG ATING MGA KATAWAN
Hershey Mae (Jury Sanchez) sneaks into the school’s chemistry lab under the pretense of conducting an experiment, but she is really there to confront her teacher, Sir Banakon (Ross Pesigan). He has rejected her controversial research paper, arguing that its methods and conclusions are unscientific and dangerous. The paper has already stirred chaos in the school, as several students took its claims seriously—leading to a suicide attempt, a viral fight, and a missing student.

Sir Banakon believes the study must be dismissed before more harm is done. But Hershey Mae insists that her research is grounded in real observation and experience. What she is trying to prove, above all, is that some truths—especially about love—cannot simply be invalidated.

ILIHAN AT KALINGAW
Ilihan at Kalingaw, in a mythical realm, Ilihan (Gab Pangilinan), the poet-historian of the Buringkantada tribe, is tasked with recording the stories their elders deem worthy of memory.

When the council discovers she has secretly written love poems for Kalingaw (Euden Moje) —a man she is forbidden to love—she is summoned to face punishment. Kalingaw urges her to flee before it is too late, but Ilihan refuses. She believes love, too, deserves a place in their history. By standing by her words, Ilihan challenges the tribe’s rules about what can be remembered—and risks paying the price for a love story they refuse to acknowledge.

GANITO ANG PINANGARAP KONG KASAL
France (Phi Palmos) and Noel (Kokoy de Santos) have been a couple since college, keeping their relationship quiet while maintaining the appearance of normalcy around others. Their closest friend, Kris (Loudette Barias), has long been their confidante and constant third wheel, witnessing the sweetness and intimacy of their private love story. For years, the three navigate life together while carefully protecting the secret. The balance begins to break when one of them decides to follow society’s expectations of masculinity and a conventional life. His choice forces the friends to confront what they have built—and what they may lose. The decision puts their loyalty, love, and friendship to the test.

YPC Stage is the professional performance and touring arm of the Biñan Youth Performance Council Inc.(YPC) - a platform designed to bring its community-rooted theater practice to larger stages and wider audiences. Mapanakit is YPC Stage’s maiden production.

Built on two decades of cultural work, youth formation, and socially engaged storytelling, YPC Stage produces and presents works that uphold professional standards while remaining deeply anchored in lived realities. Its productions are artistically rigorous, emotionally truthful, and socially resonant.

Serving as a bridge between grassroots practice and institutional venues, YPC Stage allows YPC to engage commercially, collaborate across sectors, and expand its reach without compromising its core values. Through this platform, the company demonstrates that theater shaped by community experience is not peripheral - it is powerful, relevant, and ready for Metro Manila and beyond.

YPC Stage proves that excellence and community are not opposing forces. They are, in fact, inseparable.

Mapanakit! Mga Dulang Bittersweet will be staged at the KAL-IBG Theater, UP Diliman, Quezon City, with performances on July 25, 26, August 1, 2, 8, and 9 at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM. A special Gala Show will be held on August 7 at 7:00 PM.

Tickets: Get your tickets now at ticket2me.net/mapanakit!

For interested showbuyers and sponsors, you may contact 0917-8700496.

For more details about the show, visit ypcstage.com/mapanakit and follow the FB Page: YPC Stage and IG Account: ypcstage

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The Star-studded Cast of The Sandbox Collective's "People, Places and Things"

Get to know the cast in Duncan Macmillan's acclaimed play about addiction, recovery, and the search for one’s truth and identity.

The Sandbox Collective returns with another production, this time a staged reading, bringing Duncan Macmillan's celebrated play PEOPLE, PLACES, AND THINGS to Philippine audiences for a strictly limited engagement this August.

Directed by Sab Jose, the production follows Emma — a successful actress whose carefully constructed life unravels as she enters a rehabilitation center and confronts addiction, memory, and the difficult process of recovery. Alternating in the lead role are acclaimed actresses Bela Padilla and Gabby Padilla.

Bela Padilla makes her theatrical debut in this year’s staged reading of People, Places, and Things. She is a Filipino actress, host, singer, writer, and director. She is best known for her roles in television dramas on GMA and ABS-CBN, as well as critically acclaimed films such as 100 Tula Para Kay Stella and Meet Me in St. Gallen.

Gabby Padilla is an acclaimed and awarded theater, film, and television actress. She is recognized for her leading role in the coming-of-age film Billie and Emma, and in the Cinemalaya film Kono Basho. Her recent theater credits include I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change and Tiny Beautiful Things.

Joining them is an exceptional ensemble drawn from the country's finest theater and screen performers.

Award-winning actor Jake Cuenca returns to the stage and takes on the role of Mark.

Jake Cuenca is a Filipino actor known for appearing in ABS-CBN television series Los Bastardos and Tayong Dalawa. He won Best Actor awards for his performance in Mulat at both the International Film Festival in Manhattan, New York, and the 2016 World Cinema Festival in Brazil. He was last seen on stage in The Sandbox Collective’s Lungs.

First Lady of the Philippine Theater Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo takes on the roles of the Doctor, Therapist, and Mom. Alongside her is King of Philippine Theater Audie Gemora who will appear as Paul and Dad.

Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo is a multi-awarded actress with extensive stage credits. Her iconic roles include Eva Peron in Evita, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Fantine in Les Misérables, Maria in West Side Story and The Sound of Music, and Miss Hannigan in Annie, among many others. Her onscreen work includes the television series One Good Day and films such as Ang Larawan and EDJOP. Most recently, she played Maria Callas in Masterclass and Adult Woman in Spring Awakening.

Audie Gemora’s name is synonymous with the performing arts. Hailed the King of Philippine Musical Theater, he has appeared in over 70 plays, spanning Broadway and West End productions to original Filipino works. His acclaimed performances have earned him major accolades, including Gawad Philstage awards for Sweeney Todd and The Producers, and a Philstage Gawad Buhay for La Cage Aux Folles. He is the current President of PHILSTAGE. He recently starred in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Little Shop of Horrors, and Spring Awakening.

Completing the cast are acclaimed director, actor, and writer Robbie Guevara as Foster; Gawad Buhay Award-winning performer Reb Atadero as T; award-winning actor and fight choreographer Brian Sy as Shaun and Mark (Understudy); actor and arts executive Mariella Laurel as Laura; performer and writer Pamela Imperial as Charlotte; actor, director, and teacher Miel Abong as Jodi; and writer and the production’s dramaturg Salve Villarosa van Schoonhoven as the Narrator.

 

Robbie Guevara and Reb Atadero

Brian Sy and Pam Imperial

 

Miel Abong and Mariella Laurel

Widely regarded as one of the most important contemporary plays of the last decade, People, Places, and Things is Duncan Macmillan's searing, compassionate, and darkly humorous exploration of addiction, rehabilitation, and the fragile, often painful journey toward healing.

Through Emma's story, the play asks profound questions about identity, truth, and what it really means to recover when the lines between performance and reality begin to blur.

Known for championing bold, contemporary works that challenge and move audiences, The Sandbox Collective continues its commitment to presenting urgent, thought-provoking storytelling through this special staged reading event.

The Sandbox Collective's staged reading of People, Places, and Things will have a strictly limited run at The Blackbox at the Proscenium Theater, Rockwell, Makati, with four performances only on August 15–16, 2026.

PEOPLE, PLACES, AND THINGS was first presented at The Dorfman Theatre, National Theatre London, in a co-production with Headlong on 1st September 2015.

For more information, follow The Sandbox Collective on Facebook, Twitter and Tiktok – @TheSandboxCo. You may also visit our website at www.thesandboxco.com.

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ABC-MART Grand Stage brings the latest Football & FIFA World Cup kits to Manila

ABC-MART Grand Stage is kicking off the football season with a premier in-store and online collection. Celebrating both local pride and global football culture, the special showcase brings together the fusion of pitch performance and streetwear styles from Puma, Nike, and Adidas.

PUMA | FOR THE LOVE OF THE SHIRT

One look at the kits and you know Portugal is about to make waves. The Home Kit stays true to its roots with a classic red base, green accents, and a wave pattern inspired by the nation’s maritime heritage. The Away carries the same fearless spirit in white and lagoon green – a nod to Portugal’s iconic players and generations who’ve given everything for the badge. When the whole world’s watching, you’ve got to show them what you play for – por amor à camisola.

Technology:

RE:FIBRE: Made of 95% recycled polyester, using polyester textile waste as the primary source of material

COMFORT: dryCELL sweat-wicking technology designed to keep you dry and comfortable 

NIKE | RIP THE SCRIPT

“Rip the Script” is Nike’s new football rallying cry that celebrates instinctive, creative, and joyful play over rigid tactics. Designed as an expansive, interactive campaign for the summer tournament, it invites fans and creators into the Nike Football universe through Easter egg-packed content and unexpected subplots. The accompanying film features a massive, star-studded cast—blending current icons like Kylian Mbappé and Vini Jr. with legends like Ronaldinho and cultural figures like Travis Scott and Kim Kardashian—to showcase both Nike's deep football roots and the sport's massive influence beyond the pitch.

 

 

ADIDAS

Gear up for the world’s biggest stage with the official adidas FIFA World Cup 2026™ federation kits, now available at ABC Mart. These are not just country-inspired lifestyle apparel—they are the authentic, official federation kits worn on the pitch by football’s elite. Discover the collection's standout design details, including Germany’s home jersey featuring clean white tones with dynamic modern lines and national flag accents, Spain’s home kit boasting vibrant red and dark blue punctuated by elegant, yellow vertical pinstripes, and Japan’s striking home kit, which channels the team's calm and focused spirit through a wave-inspired white horizon graphic against deep blue. Every official federation kit is engineered with adidas’ advanced cooling and moisture-wicking technology to offer a streamlined, high-performance fit built to deliver under pressure. Whether you are stepping onto the pitch or cheering from the stands, embrace the true legacy of the game with the official gear of champions.

 

With football culture dominating both global sports and casual streetwear trends, these new collections give fans access to some of the season's most iconic kits. Each collection is now available at ABC-MART GRAND STAGE and online, with prices ranging from Php 2,000 to Php 10,000.

Store Hours:

Sunday to Thursday: 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Friday to Saturday: 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM

Website

Stay tuned for more updates by follow ABC-MART Philippines on:

Instagram: @abcmartph.grandstage and @abcmartphilippines
Facebook: @abcmartph.grandstage and @abcmartphilippines
Official Hashtags: #ABCMARTGSPH #ABCMARTPH #ABCMARTGSBGC

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4 Travel Pro Tips to Plan and Spend Smarter on your upcoming Trips this Year

Despite higher costs in recent months, travel remains firmly on the calendar for many Filipinos, whether it’s for a family vacation booked months in advance, a work-related trip, attending a highly-anticipated concert, watching a sports event, or joining a fitness competition. And while the desire to travel remains strong, many are now being more intentional about how they spend once they’re abroad, becoming more mindful with their budgets.

As your travel plans take shape in the coming months, take note of these smart travel pro tips that can help you make the most out of your travel budget without cutting back on the experience!

1. Be smart and look out for promos and deals

One of the most practical ways to manage your budget while abroad is to stay open to better-value choices as you move through your trip, like checking for limited-time offers on hotel accommodations, researching ongoing promos at restaurants, or comparing prices before booking tours and experiences.

Give yourself time to compare prices so you can get the best value out of every experience. Sometimes, the best promos and deals appear when you least expect them, and with a little bit of patience, this is a way to stretch your budget further without changing any of your plans.

2. Don’t overlook travel insurance

Speaking of changing plans, should they happen through disruptions like a flight delay or lost baggage, having travel insurance adds an important layer of protection and helps you avoid significantly larger expenses. When you use GInsure Travel Protect on the GCash app, you can find international travel insurance starting at PHP 299, covering a range of accidents, emergencies, and inconveniences.

3. Skip expensive roaming charges with an eSIM

When you have to rely on online maps and ride-hailing apps to get around abroad, it’s important to stay connected, and the most seasoned travelers know that the smarter way to guarantee this is by having an eSIM. What makes these so convenient is that you can activate them even before you arrive, so that you’re connected the moment you land.

On the GCash app, you can now purchase eSIMs for as low as PHP 1, with coverage across more than 160+ countries. Access this travel pro tip via GCash Travel on the app – it only takes 5 minutes to set up, even right before your flight!

4. Be ready for every payment moment

The last thing you want while on a trip is to encounter an issue with your payments just when you’re already at the counter! While cash still comes in handy for smaller merchants, street vendors at the night market, or transportation in certain destinations, it’s most practical to carry multiple ways to pay for your different purchases abroad.

With GCash as your partner for international travel, you can manage different payment methods through a single e-wallet, access low forex rates, and have real-time spend tracking on the app.

You can use GCash to Scan to Pay via Alipay+ at merchants that accept QR payments when dining at restaurants or purchasing snacks at a convenience store. For instant, on-the-go payments especially in crowded areas or pasalubong shops, you can also use GCash with your Android phone to Tap to Pay so you don’t need to worry about scrambling for cash.

For high-value purchases, the GCash Card offers another layer of flexibility with your payments. You can simply swipe or tap your card to pay, without worrying about hidden fees or extra charges that you would typically encounter with a credit card. And for when you need it, you can also use your GCash Card to withdraw money from ATMs abroad!

The Best Travel Pro Tip? Travel with GCash!

Heading out to your next international adventure is exciting but keeping things convenient and worry-free when paying abroad makes it even better. Take note of all these GCash travel pro tips and download the GCash app today to stay ready for your upcoming trip!

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PETA Opens “Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 4,” Bringing the Franchise’s Signature Satire to Live Theater

After months of anticipation, the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) officially opens the first live theatrical installment of the iconic satirical franchise, “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sht! It’s Live sa Cheter!”, running from June 19 to August 16, 2026 at the PETA Theater Center.

The production embraces everything audiences have come to love about the “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank” universe: humor, larger-than-life personalities, outrageous situations, and a meta look at the messy business of making art. The result is a theatrical experience that is hilarious, self-aware, and chaotic.

At the center of the story is a play within a play—a wildly ambitious adaptation of Aurelio Tolentino’s “Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas,” one of the most significant works in Philippine theater, first staged in 1903. Somehow, against all odds and perhaps better judgment, it finds itself inside the world of “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank,” where questions of power, resistance, and revolution are refracted through celebrity, spectacle, and theatrical chaos.

Caught in the middle of it all is Eugene Domingo, who recruits the “Ugeng-gengs” (a troupe of aspiring performers personally recruited by Eugene), rallies an eclectic team of collaborators, and pushes the project far beyond the limits of practicality. Visionary, charismatic, exasperating, and impossible to ignore, she becomes the driving force behind a production that threatens to spin gloriously out of control just as she tries harder and harder to keep it under her full control.

Eugene Domingo and the Ugeng-gengs

Andoy Ranay

JC Santos

Ensemble

Yet the production deliberately resists easy or didactic conclusions. As playwright Chris Martinez explains: “The play doesn’t try to resolve that. It just puts it onstage.” The production invites audiences to laugh at them, wrestle with them, and continue the conversation long after the curtain falls.

That philosophy has always been central to the “Septic Tank” franchise. Previous installments challenged audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about independent filmmaking, commercial cinema, and historical revisionism. This latest chapter continues that tradition by exposing the tensions within contemporary theater and the society it reflects.

As Marlon Rivera, director of the first three “Septic Tank” installments and now a cast member in the fourth, puts it: “Once the tyrant is expelled and the star is covered in shit, does the audience walk out clean, or are they left holding the ticket stubs of their own complicity?”

Audience demand has already translated into strong ticket sales, starting with two sold-out weeks and several other performances fully booked throughout the run.

Tickets are still available via TicketWorld at bit.ly/SepticTank4Tickets and through Showbuyers at bit.ly/SepticTank4Showbuyers.

For more information and updates, follow @petatheater on social media.

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Over Drinks and Unfinished Stories: Boxstage Manila Opens the Season with Tagay Para Sa Ex

Set during a night of drinking among friends, Boxstage Manila opens its new theater season with Tagay Para Sa Ex, a stage production about love, breakups, and the honest conversations that often surface only after a few drinks.

Written and directed by Dudz Teraña, president of Boxstage Manila and Senior Artist Teacher of the Philippine Educational Theater Association, the play explores how people navigate relationships after they have ended and how notions of love evolve with age, experience, and the world around them.

The story unfolds inside a low-rise condominium during a drinking session among five friends: Mark, a BPO team leader; Liz, a freelance designer; Benj, a senior marketing officer; Mich, a virtual assistant; and Poch, an events coordinator. As the night progresses, the characters begin to question their own emotional maturity, confront their differing moral views, and reflect on the choices they have made in love and in life.

In an era when relationships are often shaped by technology, social expectations, and online validation, Tagay Para Sa Ex presents situations that many people can relate to.

The characters discuss commitment, boundaries, ambition, and loneliness in ways that feel familiar, especially to audiences navigating modern dating, work culture, and digital connections.

Loosely inspired by What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver, the play focuses less on romance and more on reflection. It invites audiences to sit with the characters as they speak honestly, sometimes awkwardly, about love that has changed or ended.

The cast includes Jonas Cunanan (Sala Sa Pito) and Buknoy Gonzales (Rampa, Love Laban 2026 Host) as Poch; Brigitta Marilla (Bagets The Musical) and Karyl Oliva (Sala Sa Pito) as Mich; RB Pascua (FTG’s Karne, Niyebe) and Jel Tarun (20 Questions 2024 Rerun, My Bespren Emman) as Benj; Kloren Flores (Sala Sa Pito) and Yesh Burce (Replacing Chef Chico, Incognito) as Liz; and Kobie Hachero (Sala Sa Pito) and AJ Sison (The Kangks Show, Marahuyo Project) as Mark.

 

 

 

 

 

Intimate and relatable, Tagay Para Sa Ex offers a close look at how people try to understand love in a fast, connected world, one conversation and one drink at a time.

Performance Schedule:

• Saturday, August 8, 3 p.m. & 7 p.m.
• Thursday, August 13, 3 p.m. & 7 p.m.
• Saturday, August 15, 3 p.m. & 7 p.m.
• Saturday, August 22, 3 p.m. & 7 p.m.
• Saturday, September 5, 3 p.m. & 7 p.m.

Performances will be held at the FEU Center for the Arts (FCA) Black Box Studio at Far Eastern University (FEU) Manila.

Boxstage Manila invites theater audiences and the public to experience Tagay Para Sa Ex, part of the current season of FTG’s alumni theater company in Morayta. For tickets: https://ticket2me.net/event/22957. Visit Boxstage Manila’s official social media page for more information.

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2TinCans Philippines and The Kabilin Center present Ang Kawatan: A Public Reckoning with the Stories We Steal

Some stories are written. Others are stolen and celebrated by the very people who should have known better.

 

2TinCans Philippines and The Kabilin Center present Ang Kawatan (The Thief), the second production of Kulukabildo II: Stories in Direct Light, running June 27 and 28 at The Kabilin Center, Eduardo Aboitiz Street, Tinago, Cebu City.

Directed by 2TinCans Theatre Company member, Vanessa Fe, and written by journalist and playwright, Maverick Avila, Ang Kawatan is a tragicomedy set during a live televised book launch — Open Book with Frankie, a fading cultural program.

Celebrated novelist Mateo Robles (played by Dave Feril) takes his seat across from veteran host Frankie (played by Lord Lawrence Latonio), ready to tell the story behind his acclaimed bestselling book. What he does not expect to walk into the studio and refuse to be invisible is Ana (played by Judee Kriselle Rallos), a young woman whose trauma he silenced, repackaged, and sold as fiction.

Lord Lawrence Latonio as Frankie

What unfolds is a public confrontation that cracks open the creative community it is set in, exposing the fault lines of complicity, victim-blaming, and the ease with which those who control the narrative can turn a stolen truth into a prize-winning lie.

Fe notes that this story is not new. It has always been there, just repackaged the same way Mateo repackaged Ana's truth into a prize-winning book.

“Tragedy doesn't come in loudly. It lives in the quiet moments: a community that keeps applauding, people who knew and said nothing. I didn't want to put a survivor's trauma on display. I wanted people to watch this and recognize themselves not as strangers to this story, but as someone who has watched another person be exploited and stayed quiet. It's the perfect setting to show that the live show was the one place Mateo cannot hide. However, the same system that exposed him is the one that never protected Ana,” Fe said.

The production marks Fe's directorial debut, a milestone made more meaningful by the story she has chosen to tell. She brings to this production both a director's precision and a woman's intimate understanding of what it means when a survivor's truth falls into the wrong hands.

Ang Kawatan is also the result of many years of creative partnership. Fe and playwright Avila first developed the story in college — a shared conviction that has taken three years to find its stage.

2TinCans Producing Artistic Director, Sarah Mae Enclona-Henderson, hopes that audiences leave Ang Kawatan carrying with them not only memories of a compelling performance, but also a renewed sense of curiosity, awareness, and responsibility.

“If the play encourages even one person to see an issue differently, ask a difficult question, or take meaningful action, then it has fulfilled its purpose,” Enclona-Henderson said.

Ang Kawatan arrives as the second installment of Kulukabildo II: Stories in Direct Light, a monthly theatre series running April through November 2026. Rooted in the Bisaya concept of kulukabildo — an informal exchange, the kind of honest conversation that happens when people feel safe enough to speak freely. The series features the distinct visions of eight emerging Cebuano directors under the 2TinCans Directors Program. The series opened in March with The Second Eulogy, directed by Mario Alcoriza.

Completing the cast featuring 2TinCans Theatre Company members are Shiella Pestaño-Gemperoa as Gab, Shane Rennel Ayong as Kirby, and Grant Bacaltos as Patrick. The production is supported by stage manager Regina Binueza.

As a hub for Cebuano culture and community, The Kabilin Center continues to serve as the home for stories that demand to be told — narratives that do not ask for comfort but ask instead for honesty, attention, and the willingness to sit with what is true.

Ang Kawatan runs on June 27 at 7:00 PM and on June 28 at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM at The Kabilin Center. Tickets are available online at 2tincans-philippines.yapsody.com.

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