‘Inang Lupa, Inang Bayan’ by Slidely Slideshow
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – A twin-billed play that exposes the sins of the Marcos dictatorship and the continuing problems that plague the country is currently being staged at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City until Saturday, March 19.
“There is a lack of consciousness among parents, teachers, and the entire community to impart to today’s youth the horrors of martial law. We have high hopes that this could be of help to change that,” national artist Bienvenido Lumbera, one of the cast, told Bulatlat.
Together, the two plays Sanlibongan and Hindi na Muli are aptly titled, “Inang Lupa, Inang Bayan.”
The first play “Sanlibongan,” a Manobo term for sanctuary, was written by Teresa Opaon-Ali and the late Marili Fernandez-Ilagan back in the early 1990s. It looked into the attacks against the Lumad as government planned to put up ranch and mining companies in their ancestral lands.
The story revolved around three women from the tribes of Mandaya, Manobo, and Bagobo, who were subjected to various state-instigated attacks that taught them how to fight and defend their lives and ancestral domains.
The second play “Hindi na Muli” was written by martial law activist and renowned writer Bonifacio Ilagan, recipient of Palanca Literary award, Cultural Center of the Philippines centennial award, and Famas award. The play looked into the crimes of the martial law and how Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is currently running for vice president, is tied to it all.
Ilagan said that should Marcos win as vice president, “the presidency becomes a mere heartbeat away for an unrepentant family who plundered the economy and rode roughshod over the human rights of the people.”
“What does it make of EDSA 1986, and of the country’s perspective on historical truth and justice?” he added.
“Inang Lupa, Inang Bayan” will have performances every 7 p.m., until Saturday, March 19 at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani. Tickets are available at the gate for P200. 
