Tanghalang Ateneo, the longest-running theater company of the Loyola Schools will end its 37th Season: “Staging Revolution/s” this March with Rene O. Villanueva’s “KALANTIAW”. Based on real-life events, this play, originally entitled “Ang Kagila-gilalas na Kasinungalingan Tungkol sa Isang Kayumangging Bayan”, is written by the country's leading playwright in Filipino, Rene O. Villanueva. This Palanca First Prize-winning play is about the life of historian Jose E. Marco and the hoax he created - the controversial Code of Kalantiaw. The play, first performed at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and then at the Theatre Le Rond Point in Paris by Tanghalang Pilipino, forces us to take a closer and more critical look at our sense of nationalism.
Synopsis of the play: The play focuses on the themes of nationalism and the creation of history. It follows an unnamed young historian as he dives deep into the annals of Philippine history in search for the truth about life in pre-colonial Philippines. His research leads him to Jose E. Marco, a historian who allegedly uncovered an important piece of anthropological text depicting the rules and systems implemented during those times. The young researcher delves into the lives of those who were involved in the process of making the Code of Kalantiaw, which is considered as an important part of the canon of Philippine historical texts. Many of Marco’s alleged texts are hinted at throughout the play as baseless fabrications that hold no value in the academic community. In the end, while the young historian is successful in disproving the claims of Marco, he also realizes that his search was in vain as it only led him to lies and deceit.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
