Tonyo, Pepe, at Pule

Three Faces of Heroism

Three plays by B. Paul Dumol, Rene Villanueva, and Malou Jacob; each one tackling
the question of Heroism from a different point of view. From the perspective of tyranny
and cruelty in the case of Rizal, conduct and conscience in regard to Antonio Luna, and
within the context of nobility and the flowering of the Filipino spirit as exemplified by the
actions and thoughts of Apolinario Mabini, the ‘brains’ of the revolution.

SYNOPSES

TONYO
By Rene O. Villanueva

Antonio Luna was born on October 29, 1868 in

Binondo, Manila. He is the youngest among
seven children, who are known not just as
musicians who can play different instruments but
more as hot-headed siblings.

Like other children born to the wealthy during his

time, Luna studied in Spain, while writing for La Solidaridad, under the pen-name, Taga-
Ilog. Before the revolution broke out, he returned to the Philippines to learn more about
the causes of the ills that were prevalent in the country. When the Katipunan was
exposed and his name was linked to the organization, he disclosed his knowledge of
the Katipunan and its member to the authorities. He was sent to Spain in 1897 and took
advantage of his exile to study military strategies.

He returned to the country in 1898, when Filipinos were facing their new opponent; the
United States. He offered his services to General Emilio Aguinaldo, but even then, he
was not trusted by the subjects surrounding the president. They were always suspicious
of Luna because they did not share the same principles with him in 1896 and because
he is not a Caviteño. Aside from these, Luna was stern and harsh, so his open and
hidden enemies increased in number.

PEPE
By Malou Jacob

The monologue of Jose Rizal on the events of his

times has been faithful to his own utterances,
actions, and writings. His view on the present is
what his reactions would be in the light of,
specially, his letters, where he revealed his
innermost thoughts and emotions.
The monologue focuses on he roots of Rizal’s oppression while exploring his
relationship with his family and country, always reminding the audience that although a
hero, he was first and foremost an ordinary human being, an ordinary Filipino. We ever
share a common plight: exploitation by a foreign power.

Rizal also shares the Hamlet in artists. Like Shakespeare’s hero, Rizal’s tragic flaw was
his vacillation, his indecision - making him all the more human, all the more like you and
me.

Rizal is us. We are Rizal.

PULE
By Paul Dumol

Mabini talks about his life from his capture by the

American up to his death. He describes his
imprisonment, his transfer to his house in
Nagtahan, his exile to Guam, and his return to the
Philippines. In the process, he reveals his
reactions to the Americans, to the Federalistas, to
Gen. Aguinaldo, and to the development of events
from 1899 to 1903.

REVIEWS

“This dramatic trio from Tanghalang Pilipino was from all counts well-written, well-acted
and well-directed. Superlative portrayals were rendered by the actors. Like reading our
Joaquin’s Question of Heroes on stage, Tonyo, Pepe at Pule was mostly a provocative
and near-perfect performance.”

Basilio Esteban S. Villaruz. Dance of Life; Manila Times; February 8, 1990.

“A beautiful show that’s very much worth the time I spent in watching it. I can write
endlessly about the merits of production, but it would be better to let the audience see it
for themselves.”

Ligaya D. Perez. Tonyo Pepe Pule; Dyaryo Filipino; February 8, 1990.

“We commend Padilla for seeing the interconnections in the lives of three heroes and
whipping up the unrelated scripts into a visually teasing theater-of-the-mind. We are
also thrilled at how Ms. Jacob and Mr. Villanueva shave skillfully woven history and
insight to enlighten and perturb us.”

Mozart A.T. Pastrano. Visual Theater-of-the-mind; Daily Globe; February 11, 1990
“The spareness of the structure plus the eschewing of the non-essentials, makes for full
and strong focus on each character as he takes centerstage and views the Philippines
of yeaterday, and that of today. If Director Nonon Padilla willfully and knowingly set out
to reign in and rise, from the deliberate excesses in the tragico-comico Pepe and the
theatrical horror of Tonyo into the sublime constraints and subtle shadings of Pule, he
succeeded remarkably.”

Leonor Orosa Goquingco. Our Burning Need for Heroes, The Philippine Star. February
19, 1990.