CHAPTER I

Introduction

Many years had gone by in the Barangay Igbalangao, one of the Barangays in the

municipality of Bugasong within the province of Antique and located in the island of Panay

within Region VI.

Every 28th of April, the people in the Barangay Igbalangao. Bugasong, Antique celebrates

their Barangay fiesta. They organized a celebration every feast day of their patron saint who is

Sr. Vicente Ferrer which is the patron saint of builders because of his fame for “building up” and

strengthening the church. Aside from the religious activities, such as the holy masses and

processions, they also have a number of activities and highlights that make a fiesta even more

enjoyable and amazing.

Every fiesta in this Barangay, they present their show which is called” Komedya” it is a

theatrical show which is part of their Barangay tradition. The plot is generally revolves around

the social, political and religious conflicts of Muslim and Christian heroes, dramatized in

colorful romantic and stylized acting and in exotic costumes. But before they present their show,

they have a months of preparations and rehearsals. There are people who are assigned in each

characters and props. It is accompanied by a band. This “Komedya give us the interest to

research on why do people in the Barangay Igbalangao celebrate this kind of drama? What is the

reason behind this celebration? And what is the Importance of this “komedya” to the people of

Igbalangao, Bugasong, Antique?

 Research Objective

We all know that komedya is a theatrical play that is performed during barangay fiestas

or any other celebrations. We got this komedya during the colonization of the Spaniards in the

Philippines which eventually became adopted in various ethno linguistic sections of the country.

Suddenly, due to the changes in the structure of the Philippine society and new media and

aesthetic, this performing arts is gravely endanger. Despite of those changes, we found a place

where the people are still preserving this kind of play and they continue to perform as their

tradition. This place is called barangay Igbalangao, Bugasong Antique. And the title of the their

komedya is “Komedya of Igbalangao”.

This study aims to answer the following:

1. Why do people of Igbalangao perform Komedya?

2. What is the importance of this play to the people of barangay Igbalangao?

3. What is the origin of komedya?

4. What instruments are they used in performing the komedya?

5. Who are the performers?

6. How do they come up with this play?

 Significant of the studies

Each research has a big benefits to our societies. People nowadays are just fun of using

technologies in wrong way, they tend to be lazy and just be contented of what they know. Our

research will give them knowledge on how this komedya appear and discovered. This research

will give them interest to learn and to know why this play is still existing.

The research is beneficial to:

 People of Igabalangao-They will be able to know the reason why they are celebrating this

kind of play

 The students of the Conservatory of Music-This study will give them knowledge that

there are theatrical play that still exist in some barangay of Antique and the same time it

will give them the interest to perform.

 The Readers- this will give them knowledge about the history of Komedya.
 CHAPTER II

Review of Related Literature

The komedya is still performed today in several regions in the country. It is also referred to

as moro-moro by the Tagalogs and Ilokanos, linambay by the Cebuanos, morosmoros by

the Ilonggos and palo-palo by the Ivatans. It is one of the fully developed traditional theater

genres which dominated Philippine theater for 300 years. The Komedya Fiesta 2008

opened on February 1 with a parade along the Academic Oval

participated in by representatives of the various komedya groups,

marching bands and other parade characters like higantes, stilt walkers,

clowns and jugglers. University officials, in their royal crowns, joined the

interactive parade that aimed to educate the general public about the

komedya and provide a glimpse into the performances through the

scene reenactments along the parade route. The rise of the magnificent

singkaban arches along the University Avenue signaled the start of the

komedya festival. One of the attractions of the festival, the singkaban—

intricate bamboo arches—was designed and executed by Francisco

Eligio, an 84-year old traditional artist from Hagonoy, Bulacan. The

Komedya ng San Dionisio from Parañaque opened the Komedya Fiesta

with “Principe Rodante,” a play that reworked the religious conflict

theme of past komedyas to the ecumenical spirit of the time.

 On February 8, the all-male cast of Komedya ng San Miguel from Iligan

City, Lanao del Norte enacted “Kinabuhi ni Senyor San Miguel,” a

comedia de santo about the life of Iligan City’s patron saint. First

performed in 1935, the komedya is not only a simple stage play but also

a practice considered sacred by its cast.

The Hiraya Theater Company of Antique, meanwhile, presented “Kasanag

Batok sa Sugal” on February 25. Clearly seen in the performance was the

concept of actors using all sides of the platform and not hiding backstage

which copies the traditional komedya, where actors mingle with the audience

and their families. Written in the 1960s, the komedya is a clever piece that

educates on the ills of gambling while lauding the rural electrification

program. The participation of the Hiraya Theater Company was made

possible through the support of UP alumna and provincial governor Salvacion

Z. Perez.

The Comedia de Baler performed “Sakim na Pagmamahal, ” which tells

of the conflict between the Muslim and Christian cultures, and how they

united to give way to the love relationship of their children. The

komedya troupe of Baler is distinctive because the actors use real

weapons during their performance, with three actors suffering minor

injuries during the UP staging. Aside from Sen. Angara, the participation

of Comedia de Baler was made possible through the support of Aurora

Governor Bellaflor Angara Castillo, who also graced the night’s

festivities. As a fitting finale to the month-long celebration, a 21-minute

grand fireworks display capped the evening. The Komedya Festival

undoubtedly achieved a great deal in terms of creating awareness and

appreciation among students and the community of this theatrical

tradition. It has strengthened the network among komedya troupes

throughout the country and inspired them to realize that there are also

groups around the Philippines who share the same passion for their art.

-Shirley S. Arandia