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βTengang kawali is a popular Tagalog idiom that literally translates to “cooking pan ear.” It describes someone who plays deaf, pretends not to hear, or actively ignores what someone else is saying or advising.
It is compared to one’s inability to listen well while being close to a pan used for frying.
Three plays of Set A of the 21st Virgin Lab Fest were grouped under this title: βPassword 123, Pilipinas 321β by Anthony Kim Vergara, βHuman Rights Story of the Yearβ by Elijah Felice Rosales, and βPatayin Ang Mga Surotβ by Floyd Scott Tiogangco.
Password123, Pilipinas321 centers on Blackteam, a shady underground cyberspace operation disguised as a technical support center that actually functions as a massive disinformation machine. They were visited by a powerful government client seeking illegal cyber capabilities. A tech-thriller that pulls back the curtain on the “troll farm” phenomenon.
Human Rights Story of the Year revolves around a reporter who is about to receive an international award on her coverage of extra judicial killings (EJK). At her farewell party, a former colleague declares she does not deserve the recognition. It explores the thin line between telling the truth and benefiting from the stories of others.
Patayin Ang Mga Surot occurs on the last night of Rodrigo Duterteβs presidency. While an Oplan Tokhang operation unfolds, tension builds as a couple conducts their own extermination of bedbugs.
The plays explore how society and authority ignore uncomfortable truths on power, corruption, and systemic issues.
The plays serve as depictions of how truth becomes distorted through propaganda amidst the βfake newsβ climate.
Fake news refers to the general and widespread misinformation or disinformation by various media.
Social media play a key role in influencing topics and information ranging from politics, health, belief, religion, current events, aid, lifestyle, elections, and others.
Disinformation is false information intended to cause harm while misinformation is erroneous and inaccurate information.
A May 2022 article posted at the University of the Philippines (UP) website noted that Filipinos are engulfed in a relentless and widening stream of falsehoods spewed out in multiple formats and platforms.
Disinformation over Facebook is interlinked with those of other social media platforms wherein Facebook either functions as the source or a repeater of inaccurate claims, including cross-posting.
The ease with which false or misleading claims can range the social media platforms has helped increase the audienceβs chances of encountering disinformation, especially so when many of the claims were repeated claims or variations of the same.
The repeated false claims continue to elicit interaction from social media users because either they support such views or their familiarity with those views led to their eventual acceptance.
The manipulation of public perception and the exploitation of prejudices demonstrate how those in power can shape narratives to maintain their authority.
EJKs during the Duterteβs drug war were extensively documented by human rights organizations, government bodies, and international agencies. However, misinformation frequently circulates online, often attempting to discredit the victims or deny the existence of the killings entirely.
βBy merely having access to social media, private individuals could publish their thoughts without need of self-policing or adhering to the ethical standards required of the press. As a result, content could be created and shared with abandon, purely for clout or for βlikes,β and even in disregard of the truth.β Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said in Domingo vs. Badoy (G.R. No. 263384. August 15, 2023)
βThe dangers of the proliferation of false information and narratives are not difficult to imagine. Allowing the unregulated dissemination of erroneous facts will ultimately degrade trust among the people and threaten the stability and reliability of day-to-day transactions.β Abines, Jr. vs. House of Representatives (G.R. No. 278101. July 8, 2025)
The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) has been actively combating online misinformation and disinformation by organizing and hosting artistic activities like the VLF.
βI believe that the arts have a function beyond entertainment. The arts can serve as a function of helping educate and serve as a mirror to society,β CCP artistic director Dennis Marasigan said in an interview.
Established in 2005, VLF is known as the Philippinesβ only festival dedicated to βuntried, untested, and unstaged one-act playsβ showcasing diverse voices that touch on complex human experiences and social issues.
VLF XXI will run from June 3 to 28, 2026 at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater).
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