Kuwentong Peyups
Atty Dennis Gorecho
Two decades of Virgin Lab Fest
“MAY ASIM PA” is an appreciative Tagalog phrase often heard in storytelling involving middle aged women that acquired its double meaning : sourness and sweet.
Literally translated in English it means “sourness retained” or “sour still”. Paradoxically the free translation is the exact opposite, as it describes a person, despite her age, still retains a modicum of sexual appeal.
“May Asim Pa” is the term used in Set D of the “VIRGIN LABFEST (VLF) XX: HINOG” that featured three middle aged veteran stage actresses: Bibeth Orteza in “Anniversary”, Peewee O’Hara in “Don’t Meow for Me, Catriona” and Sherry Lara in “Mommy G”.
VLF marks the 20th anniversary of the country’s premier festival for “untried, untested, and unstaged” one-act plays.
The festival is known for showcasing new works by emerging and established playwrights, directors, actors, and designers.
It was in 2005, when VLF began with eight new one-act works of Filipino playwrights.
Running from June 11 to 29, 2025, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Black Box Theater, this year’s festival features 12 new works from eight first-time playwrights and four returning ones.
The plays are grouped into four thematic sets labeled A, B, C, D (Bubot, Manibalang, Kinalburo, and May Asim Pa) with each set featuring three new plays plus set E ( Panghimagas) which revisits standout plays from previous years.
In “Anniversary” by Nelsito Gomez, May (Bibeth Orteza ) is a lesbian who, while visiting her partner’s grave, met a heartbroken man Rob ( Jamie Wilson) who recently lost his wife. The visit sparks unexpected conversation on buried grief, unspoken regrets, and deep-seated beliefs.
In “Mommy G” by Jobert Grey Landeza, the widow (Sherry Lara) introduces a new family member during their dinner on her 65th birthday. It stirred their beliefs, tested their relationships, and confronted their tolerance in accepting a new “member”.
In “Don’t Meow For Me, Catriona” by Ryan Machado, a daughter (Angelica Panganiban) finally pursues her dreams to marry and live abroad. While waiting for the bus with her mother (Peewee O’Hara), she reflects on the complex familial love that binds and breaks families. she confronts the emotional tug-of-war between love and sacrifice, as well as the demand to have the courage to choose her own path.
Both O’Hara and Orteza acted as the leading role in “Nana Rosa,” a 2019 play in UP Diliman. based on the life of Maria Rosa Luna Henson, the “first Filipino to publicly come out as a comfort woman”
One of Panganiban’s memorable movie is the 2014 Filipino romantic comedy film “That Thing Called Tadhana” with JM de Guzman
A dialogue that resonated among UP students was De Guzman’s litany in the Baguio museum scene: “Nung high school, sobrang galing ko. Lahat ng competitions na sinalihan ko, panalo ako. Tangina! Nu’ng pagdating ko ng UP, ang gagaling ng mga kaklase ko! May mga Malang, may Abueva. Akala ko magaling na ‘ko e. Marunong lang pala.”
Set A (Bubot) includes “Takbo, Batang Tondo” by YOJ (directed by Chic San Agustin-De Guzman), about kids’ conflict over theft; “Ang Bata Kag Ang Ilaga” by Liane Carlo Suelan (directed by siglo), following an orphan boy’s moral dilemma about a lost baby rat; and “Polar Coordinates” by Ade Valenzona (directed by Paolo O’Hara), about a student struggling with exams, family issues and identity.
Set B (Manibalang) includes “Unang Araw” by Ivan Villacorta Gentolizo (directed by Cholo Ledesma), about two men on a tense highway journey for political power; “Presidential Suite #2” by Siege Malvar (directed by Johnnie Moran), focusing on a senator accused of corruption and her family facing scandal: “Minating Ni Mariah Ang Manto Ng Mommy Ni Mama Mary” by Eljay Castro Deldoc (directed by Dexter M. Santos), about a reformed scammer seeking redemption while guarding a holy relic.
Set C (Kinalburo) includes “Mga Magindara sa Siyudad” by Chris Joseph Junio (directed by Riki Benedicto), about two women performers at a peryahan facing the decline of their craft; “Ang Problema sa Trolley” by Imuthis (directed by Adrienne Vergara), which follows three people confronting personal crises on a bridge at night; and “The Late Mister Real” by Rolin Migyuel Obina (directed by Maynard Manansala), about a divorced couple facing their past while sending their son abroad during the pandemic.
Set E (Panghimagas) includes “Identité” by Jhudiel Claire Sosa (directed by Meann Espinosa), about a mother and daughter forced to confront a family secret; “Pagkapit sa Hangin” by Joshua Lim So (directed by José Estrella), about healthcare workers making life-or-death decisions at the height of the Covid-19 delta wave; and “Sa Babaeng Lahat” by Elise Santos (directed by Caisa Borromeo), about three Catholic schoolgirls grappling with faith, identity, and young love during Bible Week.
(Peyups is the moniker of the University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the Seafarers’ Division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan Law Offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 09175025808 or 09088665786.)
Photo by Erickson dela Cruz “Don’t Meow For Me, Catriona” with Angelica Panganiban and Peewee o”Hara)
