BY KRISTINE JOY CATAMORA, ANGEL SHAUN NONOL & ERMARD JHON AYOC/DSSC Interns
THE MINDANAO Repertory Community (MRC) will stage a new musical production in partnership with the Davao Amuma Cancer Support Association Inc. to mark its 40th year in the industry and also draw attention to the financial and emotional struggles faced by cancer patients.
Dr. Jose Beltran Jr., president of the Davao Amuma Cancer Support Association Inc., said money remains the most pressing need among cancer patients given how costly and often lifelong treatment can be, especially once the disease reaches its later stages.
He also pointed out the existing gap in private and government health institutions in addressing the lack of psychological and emotional support for patients.
“Ang program man gyud sa private as well sa government institution, more of medical support, walay psychological and emotional support,” Dr. Beltran said, adding that only a handful of support groups in Davao currently offer this kind of care.
He stressed that treatment should be holistic and not focused on the medical aspect alone.
For MRC, the collaboration with Davao Amuma carries personal weight beyond the milestone anniversary.
Jairus Rosello, artistic director of the Mindanao Repertory Community, shared that this year is especially meaningful to the company, having been trained under the late Sir Bong Aviola, one of MRC’s founding voice mentors.
He noted that MRC remains the longest-running vocal group in the country today, having crossed multiple genres and generations since it began four decades ago.
The choice to partner with Davao Amuma, however, stems from a deeply personal loss. Rosello, who wrote and directed the musical, revealed that he lost his own mother to cancer, an experience that inspired the production.
He recalled how a single injection of his mother’s medication cost around P350,000 per week, underscoring just how financially devastating the disease can be for ordinary families.
“As this musical is for her, kaya kung hindi man na-survive yung mom ko, I hope that through our little own steps we’ll be able to help more patients survive similar problems, which is cancer,” Rosello said.
Tickets for the eight-show production vary, and the venue’s limited capacity of 227 seats will give the performances an intimate atmosphere, even when audiences reach 150 to 180 per show. Looking ahead, he expressed hope that the company would eventually bring the musical to Manila in the near future.
