Vlad Bunoan

Article (news)

Curtain call. Handout

Fred Hawson

<p>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 &quot;Mapanakit&quot; is YPC&#x27;s very first show.</p><p>The three one-act-plays in &quot;Mapanakit&quot; 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&#x27;s staging of the plays, but this time some choice roles were offered to professional actors, affording platform for sharing talents and trust. </p><p>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 &quot;Mapanakit: Mga Dulang Bittersweet ni Eljay Castro Deldoc&quot; 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: </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>1. Ang Liknayan ng Ating mga Katawan</strong></div><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/1785484664774CTL02824.jpeg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><em>Handout</em></span></span></span></div><p>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. </p><p>I just learned that &quot;liknayan&quot; is the formal Filipino word for &quot;physics.&quot; 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&#x27;d be second-guessing yourself if any of this mumbo-jumbo actually made any sense or not, until it became obvious what this &quot;physics between bodies&quot; was all about. Nevertheless, science majors will enjoy all those name-drops, from Kepler to Newton to Darwin, their laws and theories. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>2. Ilihan at Kalingaw </strong></div><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/1785484720731CTL04172.jpeg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><em>Handout</em></span></span></span></div><p>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&#x27;s history. </p><p>This for me was the best one-act play in this set. Deldoc&#x27;s language here was poetic, mostly Tagalog, with some lines were in another local tongue. The story was intricate, with elements of mythological beings and strict traditions. The graceful ending was an elegant full circle moment that clarified the beginning. The bamboo forest set and the local woven costumes evoked an air of rustic mystery. Gab Pangilinan&#x27;s Ilihan was a potent symbol of fortitude on matters of freedom of expression, as Euden Moje held his own as her submissive consort.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>3. Ganito ang Pinangarap Kong Kasal</strong></div><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/1785484763253CTL03720.jpeg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><em>Handout</em></span></span></span></div><p>France (Phi Palmos) and Kris (Loudette Barias) had been best of friends since childhood. Kris had a crush on one of France&#x27;s classmates in math named Emmanuel &quot;Noel&quot; (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.</p><p>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&#x27;s mood from riotous comedy to serious drama was also squarely balanced on Palmos&#x27;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. </p><div><br/></div><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/1785484801171CTL03885.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Curtain call. <em>Handout</em></span></span></span></div><p>Congratulations to director BJ Borja for conceptualizing YPC Stage and successfully transporting your maiden show all the way from Binan to UP Diliman.</p><div><em>“Mapanakit” runs until August 9, 2026 at the IBG-KAL Theater, UP Diliman, Quezon City.</em></div><div><br/></div><p>This review was originally published in the author&#x27;s blog, “<a href="https://3xhcch.blogspot.com/2026/07/ypc-stage-review-of-mapanakit-hurtful.html">Fred Said</a>.”</p>

<p>YPC Stage brings Biñan talent to Metro Manila with ‘Mapanakit’, an engaging collection of three one-act plays by Eljay Castro Deldoc that balances wit, poetry, and heartbreak.</p>

YPC Stage brings Biñan talent to Metro Manila with ‘Mapanakit’, an engaging collection of three one-act plays by Eljay Castro Deldoc that balances wit, poetry, and heartbreak.

Theater review: YPC Stage makes strong debut with bittersweet 'Mapanakit'

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

BINI

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

People, Culture, and Events

Theater review: YPC Stage makes strong debut with bittersweet 'Mapanakit'

Fred Hawson

Published July 31, 2026 04:15 PM PHT

Read More:

theater review

YPC Stage

Mapanakit

Eljay Castro Deldoc

UP Diliman

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

Sign Up

I have read and agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.

Haven't received our newsletter?

Check your inbox to verify and confirm your subscription.

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.