𝗞𝘂𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗲𝘆𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗼

“MAY ASIM PA” is an appreciative Tagalog phrase often heard in storytelling involving middleaged 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 retaining 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 movies 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.)