Monday, September 10, 2007 "Ang Paglilitis" By Rachel Mae Sarmiento University of the Philippines in the Visayas Cebu College
SATURDAY, Sept.1, was a usual weekend for a lot of people.
But not for students from the different universities who joined the thick crowd at SM to watch a play that was sure to awaken our minds on the issues that we face today.
The play “Ang Paglilitis,” written by Filipino playwright Paul Dumol, was presented by Teatro Amgo (“amgo” is “realization” in Cebuano), composed of mostly University of San Carlos (USC) students and was directed by Carolinian Loyd Sato.
Like most college theater guilds’ plays, this one revolved around a man victimized by the various ills of society.
“Serapio is not the one who’s in trial, but the audience. They accuse the audience of turning a deaf ear to the different problems the country faces,” shared Loyd. “This story serves as an eye opener for the audience, that we have to be involved in solving such problems and in fighting the evils that lurk in society,” he adds.
The issues on poverty, operations of organized crime syndicates and the “manipulative” criminal justice system are central to the play’s theme.
The lead character of Mang Serapio was played by JB Mar Restauro, a 3rd year BS Psychology student and a co-presenter of the USC theater guild. While engrossed in imparting their message, JB also exerted efforts in preparing for his role.
“You must study your script and understand it by heart. For my part, I internalized every detail and I kept in mind that onstage, I should be Serapio and not JB,” he shares with actor-wannabes.
Teatro Amgo has no immediate plan to restage “Ang Paglilitis” but they have projects coming up, including a major production by next semester.
