Last Saturday, September 12, I watched “Hanggang sa Muli,” a full-length Original Pilipino Music (OPM) jukebox musical staged by the Davao-based Mindanao Repertory Community (MRC). OPM icon The CompanY’s songs form the emotional backbone of the production — a body of work that spans eras and genres, now reimagined through the voices of Davao’s own young artists.
Written and directed by a Davaoeño engineer, Jairus Rosello, the musical weaves The CompanY’s beloved hits into an original theatrical narrative exploring themes of love, friendship, and missed opportunities while navigating life in the Philippines in a span of four decades. Jairus wrote the musical as a tribute to his late mother, who died of cancer. That is why proceeds of the production will go to the Davao Amuma Cancer Support Group.
I watched it with my friends — Christine Del Monte-Dayanghirang, Amy Bandiola-Cabusao, Art Boncato, Rea Horfilla, and Ryan Dominguez. Chris was impressed with the young talents that she wants to donate to the MRC (aside from Amuma). Art, who’s a regular theatergoer, thinks there’s more work to be done to bring it to the level of quality of Manila productions, “but it’s getting there.” Ryan said Davao “has great potential.” Rea and I are just happy to sing along with our favorite songs and watch the new generation perform them while supporting Amuma. But it was Amy who summed up the evening’s takeaway: “We are just grateful that we now have something like this in Davao again!”
Yes, again. Because Davao has serious theater pedigree. Davao’s stage isn’t a blank slate.
In the 1970s, under Martial Law, Sining Kambayoka — co-founded by Frank Rivera at Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi in 1974 — pioneered a “theater of instruction,” using performance to expose social injustices. That spirit carried into the 1980s. Nestor Horfilla, a pioneer of Mindanao cultural work, helped establish the Mindanao Community Theater Network in 1977. In 1988, he founded the Kaliwat Performing Arts Collective and became a flagship for community theater.
Then there’s the Kathara Dance Theatre Collective, founded by Datu Bago Awardee Elenita “Boots” Dumlao, that fuses traditional dance with modern theater, tackling environmental issues and indigenous rights on various stages.
The Kalumon Performing Ensemble, founded in the early 2000s by Mario Leofer Lim, began by teaching traditional dance and music to children for free, including out-of-school youth who “often loitered the streets.” It embodies the community-focused ethos of Davao’s cultural workers.
Even NGOs like the Tambayan Center for Children’s Rights runs a theater program that helps young people find voice and healing through performance. Their children perform in barangay covered courts because that’s what’s available, accessible, and affordable.
Beyond the pioneering collectives, Davao has built institutions that have trained generations. The Locsin Dance Workshop, founded by Carmen Dakudao Locsin, is one of the country’s oldest dance schools —and it’s in Davao, not Manila. Its most famous alumna, Agnes Locsin, was conferred the National Artist for Dance in 2022, recognized for her neo-ethnic choreography that draws from indigenous communities.
The LCB Performing Arts Center Foundation (LCB-PACF) celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2024. Founded by entrepreneur Lu Chin Bon and choreographer Lourdes “Bing” Locsin, it started with one studio and one teacher in 1998 and has since mounted over 55 productions.
In 1996, the Songspell Foundation was established in Davao City by musical director Nelly D. Castro and its president, Fernando Pareja. It began as a modest endeavor — training just two children to perform at private functions — and quickly grew as parents sought the same training and musicality for their own kids. Today, it operates as Songspell Performing Arts Davao, offering year-round workshops and performances that blend musical theater, vocal training, and dance.
The current generation is building on that foundation. MRC started with nine members and has grown into “the largest performing arts club in Mindanao, with over 200 members.” Their production of “Hanggang sa Muli” was the first full-length musical of its kind in Davao City, running for four weekends.
Research consistently shows that young people involved in theater, dance, and music develop stronger cognitive abilities — enhanced memory, attention span, and problem-solving skills. They also build empathy by literally stepping into someone else’s shoes, and they develop the kind of emotional intelligence that no textbook can teach.
So when we talk about investing in theater, we’re not just talking about producing shows. We’re talking about producing better humans.
So why aren’t we investing in a dedicated performance theater in Davao City? Not a gymnasium with a stage. Not a mall atrium. Not an amphitheater with limited seating capacity. A real theater with proper acoustics, lighting, and seating.
Our creative community is organized. The talent pipeline exists. Let’s give them a home.
Davao’s sister city, the City of San Juan, built the Makabagong San Juan Theater, a state-of-the-art performance venue. It boasts an 876-seating capacity and is equipped with professional sound and lighting systems to showcase local talent.
In Biñan City, Laguna, the city government unveiled the Biñan City Center for Performing Arts, a new sanctuary dedicated to local artists in theater, music, and performing arts. National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab led its inauguration, praising the city for prioritizing a cultural center when few areas in the country have one.
In Tabuk City, Kalinga, they are building a 171 million-peso cultural hub that includes a 500-seat theater designed for cultural performances.
In Iriga City, Camarines Sur, the city is developing the Ate Guy Theater and Auditorium, honoring Iriga’s own National Artist, Nora Aunor. It is a 40 million-peso project (18 million from a Department of Tourism grant and 22 million from the city government).
Davao City has a 15.8 billion-peso budget for 2026. It allocated 50 million pesos just for the 89th Araw ng Davao alone, with 41 million pesos going to cultural shows and entertainment (more than Iriga City’s budget to build Ate Guy’s theater). We are not broke. We can afford it. We just need to prioritize better.
“Hanggang sa Muli” means “until we meet again.” Let’s make sure the next generation of Davao artists does not bid farewell and leave Davao for other cities to get the space they deserve. Because the next great Mindanawon playwright, the next breakout performer, the next theater collective that puts Davao on the cultural map — they’re already here. They are not waiting for a curtain to rise. They are waiting for Davao to build them a stage worth rising on. ###
