Ep. 68 Siege Malvar

In this episode, we are joined again by Karl Gaverza, Mythology researcher, writer and founder of Philippine spirits. We discuss his new book, Mythica Obscura Vol. 5-8, the current trends in contemporary use of Mythologies, and what we need to do to preserve them0:00 Intro0:47 Karl's new book3:30 Karl's favorite creatures5:30 Legends(Alamat) vs. Myth13:40 Updates and highlights23:40 Contemporary mythologies28:00 Appropriation of Myths in art30:00 Myths in the Philippines32:00 Myths and the Diaspora42:00 Forgotten Island48:00 "Be more local"52:00 What needs to be done?56:30 PromosYou can find Karl's work here: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=philippine%20spiritsYou can order PH Spirits merch here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoLnrwlDQ6NQcN76CPgPTjJWwxVxY5A2N7yQs-9ttEIe_DrA/viewformYou can order Bukuna Bestiary here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/488564/bukana-bestiary-a-5e-wakesong-supplement

In this episode, we are joined by Dustin Celestino, an award-winning filmmaker and Playwright. We discuss his upcoming films and stage plays:1. Hydra: A film reflecting on the effects of disinformation, political grief and hope in today's political atmosphere. It releases in theaters nationwide starting June 3. :https://www.imdb.com/title/tt40707480/2. Animal: An upcoming film about rival political families and their scandal involving unethical treatment of animals. It can be seen at the upcoming Cinemalaya Film Festival. See more info here:https://www.cinemalaya.org/films/2026-finalists/3. Elehiya is featured VLF XXI Set C. It discusses masculinity and the "death of patriarchy" through monologues between fathers and sons. You can buy your tickets here: https://premier.ticketworld.com.ph/shows/Show.aspx?sh=VIRGLABC26You can find more about Dustin's films at Sinemetu: https://www.facebook.com/studiosinemetuRecommendations: 1. Duyan ng Magiting2. Decalogue: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092337/3. Screenwriting Software:https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/screenwriting-software/0:00 Intro1:12 How Dustin Began his writing Journey4:40 How Dustin handles Political topics7:20 Dustin's shift from fiction to film11:15 Dustin's influences12:40 Early Works15:30 Utopia19:30 Duyan ng Magiting29:30 Hydra33:00 Hydra a Kakampink film36:00 Hydra and Greek Mythology and Animation39:00 Hydra and non-kakampinks and villains45:40 Animal47:20 Why Animals?48:40 The cast of Animal51:20 Animal as Title52:30 Elehiya: VLF Play57:40 Set C VLF58:46 Dustin's Concluding Remarks1:01:40 Tips for Writing 1:04:00 AI as a writing tool1:06:30 Recommendation

In this episode our guest is Siege Malvar, Author and Playwright. We discuss his unique writing style and brand of social commentary he uses in his books, Oral Hystery, Team Building and Stratplanning. His Play, Presidential Suite #2 is also being revisited in this year's Virgin Labfest (VLF)under Set E from June 3–28, 2026. The play follows the Zaragoza Famlly as they decide what to do with their ailing Senator Mother. It deals with political dynasties, political surveys and how family drama becomes a political crisis.You can buy his books here:https://www.myavenida.com/products/strat-planningYou can read more about Virgin Labfest here: https://theaterfansmanila.com/guide-the-virgin-labfest-2026-synopses-cast-and-more-details-announced/You may purchase your VLF tickets here:Buy your tickets now!For single tickets:🎟️ bit.ly/VLF21TicketWorld 🎟️ bit.ly/VLF21Ticket2MeFor Festival Passes: 🎟️ bit.ly/VLF21FestivalPassPremiereWeek 🎟️ bit.ly/VLF21MidWeekFestivalPass 🎟️ bit.ly/VLF21RepriseWeekFestivalPassYou can read my review of Siege Malvar's works here: https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/books-and-art/the-unserious-satires-of-siege-malvar-a8141-20260311-dynRecommendations:Ang Susunod na Kabanata:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIRt9dUIzdxX8rvRI6MAPZKkFze3nJwgzVeep: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1759761/?ref_=fn_t_1Hacks: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11815682/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_HacksThe comeback:https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434672/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_The%20comebackThe Thick of it:https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0459159/0:00 Intro1:55 Siege's origins as a writer5:30 Siege Malvar and horror9:40 Social Commentary12:40 Siege Malvar's Writing Style20:00 Avenida's Eskinita Series25:00 Oral Hystery34:00 Team-Building45:00 Strat Planning47:40 VLF: Presidential Suite #256:00 Working with Theater Production1:02:00 Revisiting Presidential Suite #21:04:00 Taking Risks with Storytelling1:08:00 Recommendations

In our Mayo Uno Special, we are joined by Karl Suyat, founder of Project Gunita. We discuss his early political awakening about Martial law, his experiences as a student journalist and his founding of Project Gunita as an archive so that nation will remember0:00: Intro1:30 Karl Suyat's activism4:20 Political Awakening13:00 Batas Militar19:00 Synthesizing different opinions on Marcos and Martial law28:00 Student Journalism33:00 Finding the truth43:40 What is Project Gunita51:00 Gathering Materials1:03:00 Highlights of Project Gunita1:17:00 What do we do moving forward?You can find Project Gunita here: Website:https://www.projectgunita.com/Email:[email protected]: https://www.facebook.com/projectgunita/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/projectgunitaph/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Y1lRb72zWUSj7QciXsrUL

In this episode, we continue our coverage of ENDO: the stageadaptation with Director Melvin Lee. We discuss his work with PETA, his approach in updating the movie, the use of staging and choreography in dramaand the importance of portraying precarious work0:00 Intro1:00 Direk Melvin Lee’s Career in Theater4:15 Direk’s focus on realism and PETA6:20 People’s Theater12:00 Wobbly stage and the unstable world of ENDO14:00 Choreography and Physical Storytelling18:20 Gadgets, Apps and New Hierarchy of Labor20:20 Casting Actors 24:30 How Characters Evolved27:20 Handling the Romance scenes31:30 Gender and Labor37:00 Candy and the Ensemble 41:00 Why watch ENDOYou can get your tickets at TicketnetYou may purchase your tickets here :https://www.ticket2me.net/event/22737You can find more shows here: https://www.ticket2me.net/You can find more about PETA here: https://petatheater.com/

PETA and Ticket2me presents the stage adaptation of ENDO(2026) or "end of contract", based on the 2007 film about a love story between two workers in the gig economy. The play will run from April 10 to May 10. In this episode, we are joined by Liza Magtoto, award-winning playwright of ENDO. We discuss her body of work in theater, her collaborations with PETA, and her approach to adapting ENDO onstage. We also talk about the importance in telling the story of precarious labor in the Philippines and the role of theater in instilling socio-political awareness, hope and solidarity.0:00 Intro1:40 How Liza Magtoto got into Theater7:40 History of PETA11:00 Peta's 59th Anniversary13:30 Liza Magtoto's Mission in Theater20:00 Liza Magtoto's most important work and legacy24:30 Background of staging ENDO25:10-25:1732:00 ENDO as a love story37:00 Dealing with social realities 40:30 Updating ENDO42:00 Why watch theater about social realities?46:50 Writing Political Theater49:00 Hope in Theater52:09 Why the Phiippines needs theater57:00 Recommendations1:00:30 On the CastYou may purchase your tickets here:https://www.ticket2me.net/event/22737You can find more shows here: https://www.ticket2me.net/You can find more about PETA here: https://petatheater.com/Recommendations-1. Endo (2007)-https://www.bilibili.tv/en/video/47904502119142402. Remaindered life by Neferti Tadiar-https://unipress.ateneo.edu/product/remaindered-life3. continuing the narrative of Philippine theater the story of Peta-https://petatheater.com/a-continuing-narrative-on-philippine-theater-the-story-of-peta/4. Birthings: A Journal of Shared Lives by Liza Magtoto-https://petatheater.com/birthings-a-journal-of-shared-lives/5. Bienvenida de Soltera by Liza Magtoto-https://shopee.ph/Bienvenida-de-Soltera-Tatlong-Dulang-Ganap-ang-Haba-by-Liza-C.-Magtoto-i.291137203.55456795476. Control Shift-https://www.ticket2me.net/ControlShift

Why is Theater Political with Langgam Performance TroupeThe P*I* podcast is a media partner of Langgam Performance Group, a contemporary performance company focused on experimental theater. Their new show, "Within and Without End" will run on March 13 and March 14. Langgam Director, Jenny Logico-Cruz, and Dramaturg, Blonski cruz, discuss their different brand of theater, the importance of theater in democracy and their insights from their experimentation. You may purchase tickets for Within and Without end here: https://forms.gle/H37QAgcbc597SBZm8You may find them here:W: www.langgamperformancetroupe.comFB: https://www.facebook.com/LanggamPT/IG: https://www.instagram.com/langgampt/Recommendations:1. Notes on Theater Rolando Tinio- https://everythingsfine.cococart.co/#intro2. Theater Fans Manila-https://theaterfansmanila.com/3. Endo (PETA)-https://www.ticket2me.net/event/227374. Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4-https://petatheater.com/events/ang-babae-sa-septic-tank-4-oh-sht-its-live-sa-cheter/5. Mga Mister ni RosarioTimestamps0:00 Intro1:15 What is langgam4:20 Langgam's Mission and place in Ph theater11:40 What is Experimental Theater18:50 What is a Langgam Experience23:40 What is a Drammaturg;28:10 Scriptless productions33:00 Theater and Democracy39:00 Politics of Langgam47:00 Within and Without End1:00:00 Why watch Langgam1:05:05 Recommendations

The 2025 midterm elections have just concluded with may surprising and crucial results in the senatorial and partylist races. We are joined by Prof. Arjan, Assistant Professor at Ateneo de Manila University, seasoned campaign consultant and Political Analyst. We discuss what makes a good campaign, election spending, endorsements, coalitions and how they affected the results of the Senatorial and partylist elections.You can follow Arjan at the following links:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arj.aguirre.9X (formerly twitter): @arjaguirreEmail: [email protected]:00 Intro1:20 Arjan's Campaign Experiences4:40 Basic Principles of a good campaign12:10 Adjusting to difficult campaigns17:30 Campaign Strategies backfiring24:20 Endorsements31:00 On the Senatorial Magic 1236:00 On Imee Marcos and Camille Villar39:30 On Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan45:30 Arj's advice to Alyansa team53:00 Arj's Advice to Duterten59:00 Partylist results1:09:00 Final Remarks

Note: You MUST watch this in VIDEO format!In just one week away from the 2025 Midterm elections, we are joined by Timothy "Tim" Hormigos who has produced detailed and comprehensive maps of the 2022 National and Local election results. We discuss his process in creating the maps and key voting territories, patterns and power struggles he discovered with the maps. You may find Timothy's work at his X(formerly Twitter) account here:https://x.com/bnstim?s=21You can find Project Boses '25 here: https://t.co/DCzouBKEOeTimestamps:0:00 Intro1:40 Who is Tim Hormigos4:00 Why Maps?7:40 Presidential Maps30:40 Senatorial Maps48:50 Partylist Maps1:06:30 Concluding Remarks1:13:30 RecommendationsRecommendations:Post-Marcos Politics: A Geographic and Statistical Analysis of the 1992 Philippine Elections by Carl Landehttps://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/publication/186https://www.amazon.com/Post-Marcos-Politics-Carl-Lande/dp/9813055200Philippine Electoral Almanac:https://archive.org/details/philippine-electoral-almanac-revised-and-expanded/page/n123/mode/2upComelec: https://comelec.gov.ph/?r=homeFor more x(formerly Twitter) maps, check them out here:@ianislander3@Heyograpinas@AkachiYousoro

This episode features Lean Porquia, lifelong activist, labor organizer and candidate for the Partylist, Bayan Muna, one of the pioneers of the party list system. We discuss the importance of protest, labor issues, Bayan Muna's rich history in the left and congress, its struggles with red-tagging, the partylist system and Bayan Muna's platform for 2025.You may learn more about Bayan Muna below:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bayanmunapartylist/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bayanmunapartylistWebsite: https://bayanmuna.com.ph/Email:[email protected]:00 Music0:10 Intro1:30 Who is Lean Porquia5:00 Lean's leftist influences9:20 The left's reputation among Filipinos12:15 The left and protest culture16:00 What protests gave us19:00 What is Bayan Muna22:00 The Rise and decline of Bayan Muna29:30 Bayan Muna and Red-tagging34:00 Bayan Muna's legislative record and platform40:30 How Bayan Muna adjusts for 202546:20 Party list reforms48:00 Why vote for Bayan Muna50:00 Nominees of Bayan Muna