The Tagalog idiom tengang kawali—literally “cooking pan ear”—aptly describes the act of playing deaf to uncomfortable truths. This metaphorical blindness to reality serves as the thematic anchor for Set A of the 21st Virgin Lab Fest (VLF), which features three distinct plays that examine how individuals and systems ignore or distort facts to preserve power. Through works like Anthony Kim Vergara’s Password 123, Pilipinas 321, Elijah Felice Rosales’ Human Rights Story Of The Year, and Floyd Scott Tiogangco’s Patayin Ang Mga Surot, the festival stages a critical intervention into the modern climate of systemic corruption and propaganda.
The selected plays function as mirrors for a society increasingly mired in disinformation. Password 123, Pilipinas 321 unmasks the machinery of “troll farms,” depicting a digital underworld masquerading as a technical support team that secretly manufactures government-backed falsehoods. Meanwhile, Human Rights Story Of The Year investigates the morality of reportage, centering on a journalist whose recognition for covering extrajudicial killings sparks a confrontation about whether one can truly profit from the suffering of others. Finally, Patayin Ang Mga Surot presents a chilling, claustrophobic snapshot of history, unfolding on the final night of the Duterte administration as a couple struggles to exterminate bedbugs while real-world state-sanctioned violence looms outside their door.
These artistic narratives arrive at a critical juncture in the Philippines, where a relentless stream of misinformation has clouded the national consciousness. Disinformation, defined as the intentional spread of falsehoods to cause harm, has thrived on social media platforms like Facebook, which frequently serve as both the origin and the echo chamber for fabricated claims. Experts from the University of the Philippines note that repeated exposure to these false narratives often leads to their acceptance, as users are drawn to information that confirms their existing prejudices or aligns with their chosen political identities.
This digital decay poses a tangible threat to democratic stability, as noted in recent legal discourse. Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen has highlighted that the shift toward unverified content—fueled by a desire for “clout” rather than truth—bypasses essential ethical standards of journalism. Consequently, the erosion of factual reliability threatens the foundational trust required for day-to-day governance. Legal precedents reinforce this urgency, warning that the unregulated dissemination of errors degrades public confidence and threatens the stability of societal transactions, effectively mirroring the “tengang kawali” culture where citizens and leaders alike choose to ignore documented realities like the documented human rights abuses of the drug war.
In response to this, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) has positioned the arts as a vital remedy for social confusion. CCP artistic director Dennis Marasigan emphasizes that the role of art stretches far beyond mere entertainment; it must act as a societal mirror, compelling audiences to confront issues they might otherwise ignore. Through the VLF—a stage dedicated to untried and unstaged one-act plays—the institution provides a platform for diverse voices to dismantle the propaganda machine. By staging works that deconstruct the nature of truth, the festival asserts that art is a fundamental tool for civic education in a post-truth era.
As VLF XXI prepares to run from June 3 to 28, 2026, at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez, it stands as a testament to the resilience of truth-telling. The festival’s commitment to exploring complex, often uncomfortable human experiences offers an antidote to the apathy symbolized by tengang kawali. By refusing to play deaf to the ongoing crisis of disinformation, the CCP and its featured playwrights encourage Filipino audiences to engage in the difficult work of discerning fact from fiction, ultimately pushing back against the manufactured narratives that seek to maintain power at the expense of public well-being.