IPAG presents "Tatlo sa Isa"

 The Integrated Performing Arts Guild has showed another night of dramatic, musical, and visual presentation. In its proscenium-like stage, with its 3 painted curtains hanging as its background glowing in the dark through UV-lights showing the three major groups of people in Mindanao namely the Christians, the Lumads and the Maranaos, and the musical casts on the right side, showed their Tatlo sa Isa ( Three People: One Island).

   The show presented in random acts. And there, I've seen different groups dancing and unfortunately cannot recognize them all. The Maranaos (can be recognized by their glittering costumes especially the umbrella with dangling coin-like designs. A guy dancing like like a chicken chased a lady (also dancing like a chicken) who tries to run from him, and then went running, dancing and climbing on a bamboo ends up dying.

   Ladies who I think are courting a man through dancing with their foot lifted up simultaneously with their lips mounted at the same time. A group of people holding dried coconut leaves both in hand and danced like doing a ritual. The funny thing Felimon tricking his friends. And what I guess are the Spaniards holding their shields and swords dancing like showing that they are in a war. I know there were more acts but that's all that I could remember.

   Those dances were in random acts and therefore, I need to do brainstorming to find out what was going on, for as what I've heard, every show IPAG did were all mind twisting stories. But this is my guess of what the show wants to tell:
   Three main groups of people are in one island (Mindanao), and right now we're trying to solve the problems on how to achieve peace. The show is trying to dig the deeper cause of this problem, and it is unity, to be one even if we're too many. The Maranao-like dancers showed two guys with swords fighting for a lady. Though he was funny, Felimon did tricked the people around him. Well then, a question should arise, how can we be united when we in our own cultural group kill and trick our own fellowmen? We cannot achieve peace when we ourselves make barbaric acts. With this we cannot solve peace within our own cultural group, how much more when another group of people with different practices join us? One may say that the show addressed the problem of cultural division in Mindanao.

   Well, if what I've guessed was true, let's make something different. Let's remember that one rotten apple joined in a basket of fresh apples will make everything ruined. Changes start within, so let's not wait for the time where everybody in Mindanao kills each other.