Vlad Bunoan

Article (news)

Elora Espano

Jude Cartalaba

Elora Españo has never been one to seek the spotlight, but in Jun Robles Lana’s one-act play &quot;Anino sa Likod ng Buwan,&quot; she commands attention not with fame, but with the raw intensity and depth of her performance. As Emma, a woman navigating love, fear, and moral complexity amidst conflict, Españo brings both empathy and authenticity to a role that challenges societal expectations and stereotypes.While Españo isn’t a big name in Philippine show business, she has slowly climbed to where she is now by giving herself to grow through every character she portrays.The veteran actress has proven herself many times over and been noticed by film critics. Recently, the Society of Philippiine Entertainment Editors (SPEEd) nominated her as best supporting actress for the movie &quot;Your Mother’s Son.&quot; In 2022, she also earned her best actress nomination at the Gawad Urian for &quot;Love and Pain in Between Refrains.&quot;But her first acting nomination for best supporting actress was in 2015 via the Metro Manila Film Festival for her work in &quot;Tandem,&quot; which got her another nomination at the Star Awards for Movies as best actress. Her second best actress nomination was from ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards for &quot;Signal Rock.&quot; But her best supporting actress award win came in 2024 via the film &quot;Her Locket&quot; at the Sinag Maynila Film Festival.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176238476805812edde00-f1ce-4d91-8aec-ae599167c4fd.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-dragging"/>Elora Españo. Erickson dela Cruz</div>Españo may come across as an unassuming artist, but she consistently shines in every role she takes on — delivering depth, nuance, and moments of surprise, as she does in her portrayal of Emma in &quot;Anino sa Likod ng Buwan.&quot;“To be honest I don’t use any personal ‘hugot or karga,’ however, I fully empathize with Emma, not just being a woman who is constantly put in a box, sexualized, judged when I choose what I want to do with my body, always being looked at, but not really seen,” she said.She also shared that meeting survivors from Marag Valley had a profound impact on her. The conflict there, a major battleground between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the New People&#x27;s Army (NPA) during the 1980s and early 1990s, gave Españo a firsthand perspective on the horrors and human cost of such experiences.For this rerun of the IdeaFirst Live! production, she stressed, “Malalim naman ‘yung pagunawa ko kay Emma kasi hindi lang siya basta character — tao siya na may mga sugat, takot, at hangarin na totoo rin sa akin. Also, hindi din siya simpleng babae lang na nasa gitna ng giyera at gulo — isa siyang taong puno ng takot, pangarap, at lihim.&quot;“Para sa akin, si Emma ay representasyon ng mga taong naipit at nabuhay sa gitna ng kasinungalingan, manipulasyon at korapsyon — na minsan nalilito na kung ano nga ba ang tama at mali. Ano ba ang dapat gawin sa kawalan ng hustisya at kawalan ng dignidad?” she added.As a human being, Españo believes that there is a bit of Emma in everyone.“We are daughters, we are lovers, we are fighters, and sometimes we can even be deceivers — constantly battling for what we think is right,” she said.“I also see her as a woman taking up spaces of power and making her voice heard kahit nasa gitna ng giyera at kahit patriarchal ang mundong ginagalawan niya.“Wala akong pakialam kesehodang di kayo naniniwala sa akin at hindi ako pag-aari ng sinuman.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1762406520140571326039_1276098754535023_3840758158200810021_n.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>A scene from &#x27;Anino sa Likod ng Buwan.&#x27; The IdeaFirst Company/Facebook</div>Asked whether she believes she would ever resort to violence — if push came to shove — to achieve something like peace or freedom, she said: “Ayoko sanang umabot sa karahasan. Pero kung malala na talaga, &#x27;yung tipong nasa harap ko na, I would not want to imagine of what I could do. Kasi ipaglalaban ko talaga kung ano sa tingin ko ay tama. Baka magdilim paningin ko lalo na kung may mahal ako sa buhay na inaapi.”And if she met Emma face-to-face, she would tell her, “Pwede ka nang huminga. Pwede ka nang maging totoo.&quot;“Gusto kong iparamdam sa kanya na hindi niya kailangang patuloy na mabuhay sa takot o sa kasinungalingan. Ang bigat ng mundo niya — puro pagtatago, puro pakikisama, puro sakripisyo. Sasabihin ko sa kanya na hindi siya masamang tao dahil sa mga desisyon niya; tao lang siya, sinusubukang mabuhay sa gitna ng giyera, gutom, at pag-ibig,&quot; she said.“Hindi mo kailangang humingi ng tawad sa pagmamahal. Kasi sa dulo, ‘yun lang naman ang hinahanap ni Emma — ‘yung karapatang magmahal at maging totoo, kahit sa isang mundong hindi nagbibigay ng pahintulot.”<div> </div><div>&quot;Anino sa Likod sa Buwan&quot; runs at PETA Theater in Quezon City until Sunday, November 9.</div>

Elora Españo has never been one to seek the spotlight, but in Jun Robles Lana’s one-act play "Anino sa Likod ng Buwan," she commands attention not with fame, but with the raw intensity and depth of her performance.

Elora Españo has never been one to seek the spotlight, but in Jun Robles Lana’s one-act play "Anino sa Likod ng Buwan," she commands attention not with fame, but with the raw intensity and depth of her performance.

Elora Españo embodies character Emma’s courage in ‘Anino sa Likod ng Buwan’

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Elora Españo embodies character Emma’s courage in ‘Anino sa Likod ng Buwan’

Jude Cartalaba

Published November 06, 2025 01:30 PM PHT

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Elora Españo

Emma

ANINO sa Likod ng Buwan

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PETA

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