‘Higit sa Pag-ibig: The Musical’ reveals the pain of Bicol’s flooded, red-tagged communities

ALBAY, Philippines – Using hymns as protests and acting as a fierce testimony, Sining Banwa‘s Higit sa Pag-ibig: The Musical powerfully stages a collective demand for climate justice.

Hailed as one of Bicol’s best plays, it amplifies the voices of communities ravaged by worsening floods, marginalization, corruption, and human rights violations.

Set in Barangay Eskwala, a slum area relentlessly flooded due to rapid urbanization and continuous government neglect, the play immediately immerses the audience in the residents’ fight. Their struggles for a better future and community welfare forms the foundation of the characters’ pursuit for what is greater than love.

‘COZSEANA’. Tonyang takes center stage, leading the entire Eskwala Center crew as they perform ‘Pumalakpak,’a rousing number from their original soundtrack. Photo by Zachary Oliver Gonzales/Rappler

Tonyang, reprised by Camile Berces, who played the role in the 2023 run, is a leading figure in Eskwala. Despite her terminal cancer, she manages a center that teaches children to read and serves as a forefront of the community’s defense against threats of demolition.

Tonyang’s role is a tribute to brave Bicolana activists who served their communities despite personal ailments and struggles. This lineage echoes events from the Martial Law era, when Bicolana hero Liliosa Hilao fought the dictatorship and state tyranny even while suffering from asthma. 

RESISTANCE. With a defiant cry of ‘Sa’tin ang Eskwala’ (Eskwala is ours), residents fiercely erect a barricade to meet the demolition team, launching a desperate physical standoff to halt their expulsion. Photo by Zachary Oliver Gonzales/Rappler

Flood nightmare

Berces’ powerful melodies vividly bring Tonyang’s character to life, delivering memorable moments and lines that resonate with the audience.

In one of her lines, Tonyang says: “Hindi ako takot sa kamatayan; mas takot ako sa buhay dahil ang ibig sabihin nito ay totoo ito…. Hindi isa lang na bangungot.”

(I am not afraid of death; I am more afraid of life, because that means this is real…. This is not just a nightmare.)

The play’s depiction of worsening flooding in marginalized communities rings true for Bicol. The region has endured continuous devastation due to flooding despite billions spent on flood control projects.

RED-TAGGED. Shockwaves hit the Defenders of Eskwala when they find their streets strewn with propaganda tarpaulins that viciously label anti-demolition protesters as terrorists. Photo by Zachary Oliver Gonzales/Rappler

Instead of solving the persistent flooding, the character of John, played by Aujel Orosco, reveals how many local officials seize the opportunity to expel marginalized communities from their homes under the guise of relocation.

“Imbis na gawan ng paraan ang sobrang pagbabaha sa Eskwala, nagagawan pa nila ng paraan para gawing rason para pumirma sa pagkakaroon ng bagong mall at mapaalis ang mga residente,” John says. 

(Instead of finding a way to fix the severe flooding in Eskwala, they even find a way to use it as a reason to sign off on a new mall and displace the residents.)

FAIRY. Sharing a hot meal, Candy and her adoptive children affirm that literacy is the key to liberation, vital for the personal empowerment of residents and the future development of Eskwala. Photo by Zachary Oliver Gonzales/Rappler

Human rights violations

Speaking of memorable lines, Candy, played by Sining Banwa’s senior resident artist Julie DM Bega, opens a crucial conversation about the muffled voices of activists who defend and care for their communities. 

Candy repeatedly asks, in a moment of frustration: “Bakit palagi mo ako tinataboy? Pinapatigil? Wala ba ako na karapatang magsalita at mapakinggan?“

 (Why do you always push me away? Stop me? Don’t I have the right to speak and be heard?)

In a region where dissent has always been silenced, Candy’s portrayal is an eerie reminder of the human rights abuses in Bicol. In the play, defenders of Eskwala are labeled as “Eskwala, Terorista” (Eskwala, Terrorists), showing how local human rights defenders struggle daily with censorship and red-tagging.

Human rights alliance Karapatan-Bicol recorded at least 397 cases of abuses — including media repression, violation of rights to organize and associate, threats, harassment, intimidation, threats to whole communities, and red-tagging — in the region from July 2022 to December 2024

PROTEST. Fueled by dwta’s powerful song ‘Kumilos,’ Eskwala residents raise their banners in protest, issuing a clear call for reforms and an end to rampant human rights abuses. Photo by Zachary Oliver Gonzales/Rappler

This culture is powerfully summarized in one of the play’s songs, “Kumilos,” by Bicolano singer and songwriter dwta.

“Gumagapang pataas, lumalaban ng patas. At kung may pang-aabuso at dahas, mapipilitang umaklas,” the lyrics goes.

(Crawling upwards, fighting fairly. And if there is abuse and violence, we will be forced to revolt.)

Plays like Higit sa Pag-ibig: The Musical prove that art is not just entertainment in Bicol — it is the stage where some of the region’s deepest struggles are fought and where the final curtain on the community’s demand for justice never falls. – Rappler.com