Vlad Bunoan

Divina Cavestany and Phil Panganiban. Fred Hawson

Article (news)

Fred Hawson

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17765664053431000097306 (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">Divina Cavestany and Phil Panganiban. <em>Fred Hawson</em></span></span></span></div><p>Tongyong (a nickname given by his Chinoy father) spent his boyhood in Bacolod with his Mamay. One of their bonding activities was to bang noisily on pots and pans during nights with a lunar eclipse, done in the belief that this would drive away the legendary dragon-like creature called the &quot;bakunawa&quot; which eats the moon. Tongyong never imagined that this monster would be a metaphor for a dreaded disease which will eat up his mother&#x27;s luster. </p><p>In 1991, the family migrated to Perth in Australia. Tongyong used his real name Benny professionally as a theater practitioner in Sydney. Everything changed when it was noted that his Mamay began behaving strangely, and saying the most unusual things. She was diagnosed with vascular dementia. She was only 67 years old. Because his sisters both had their own families, Tongyong was obligated to stay and care for his ailing mother. </p><p>When I watched, Mamay was played by Divina Cavestany, who once performed alongside the legendary Rolando Tinio and Ella Luansing in Teatro Pilipino, the CCP resident company from 1976 to 1986. Cavestany was a force of nature as her Mamay slowly deteriorated in front of our eyes onstage. Her transitions to worse stages of dementia were subtle and nuanced, never histrionic until its final fulminance. (Arlene Abuid-Paderanga alternates as Mamay.)</p><p>Tongyong was played by Phil Panganiban. Chan reminds that the dementia patient herself is &quot;blissfully&quot; unaware of her illness, so it is the caregiver who goes through a gamut of difficulties while attending to their every need and keeping them safe from harm. Panganiban&#x27;s Tongyong had a notably colorful personality (he worked in theater, after all) so he tended to be hyperdramatic, very open with his feelings. (Remus Villanueva alternates as Tongyong.)</p><p>Veteran director Roobak Valle heads the creative team, with production designer Julio Garcia built the homey wooden frame outline of Mamay&#x27;s house, as well as the seven moons above it. Roman Cruz&#x27;s lights and TJ Ramos&#x27;s sound effects and music gave the show an atmosphere of suspense and foreboding. Sheik Completado was the video designer/technical director responsible for the haunting &quot;bakunawa&#x27; visual effects in the background. </p><p>This play was written by Ben Nitoy Chan, Jr. He shared that he was his own story, about the eight years when he was the sole caregiver of his mother as she went through dementia. His deeply emotional script felt lived in, not a mere product of imagination and research. You will feel that that the writer had gone through this challenging mission of filial piety himself, so audience members who live with elderly folks will identify closely and connect. </p><div><br/></div><div><em>‘The Moon and the Bakunawa’ runs for two weekends April 18-19, and 25-26, 2026, with shows at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Jayne Offemaria-Abuid Auditorium located at the 12th Floor of the AIMS Tower, in the campus of the Asian Institute of Maritime Studies, Libertad St. near Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City. </em></div><div><br/></div><p>This review was originally published in the author&#x27;s blog, “<a href="https://3xhcch.blogspot.com/2026/04/review-of-moon-and-bakunawa-connecting.html">Fred Said</a>.”</p>

<p>Drawn from personal experience, ‘The Moon and the Bakunawa’ captures the emotional toll of dementia through a son’s journey, brought to life by deeply felt performances.</p>

Drawn from personal experience, ‘The Moon and the Bakunawa’ captures the emotional toll of dementia through a son’s journey, brought to life by deeply felt performances.

Theater review: ‘Moon and the Bakunawa’ explores quiet devastation of dementia

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Theater review: ‘Moon and the Bakunawa’ explores quiet devastation of dementia

Fred Hawson

Published April 19, 2026 02:00 PM PHT

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The Moon and the Bakunawa

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