With Filipinos being known as excellent singers and artists, the musical ‘Kumawala sa Kawalan’ takes it into another dimension — unraveling Filipinos’ challenges and societal reality through acting, singing, and production.


‘Kumawala sa Kawalan,’ a musical produced and developed by Bachelor of Arts in Communication students from Mandaluyong College of Science and Technology, uses the concept of a “jeepney ride” to mirror Filipino societal problems.

Interweaving artistry and advocacy, the musical shows both the artistic beauty of musicals and the impact of performance in advocating for social justice in the country.

In the Philippines, “jeepneys” are not only a means of transportation but also a “stage where struggles of everyday Filipino[s] play out,” the musical's production team highlighted.

The musical uncovers societal issues, such as “poverty, corruption, and inequality,” through jeepneys where each ride lets a passenger witness different lives on board — a representation of stories affected by everyday hardship, the system, and oppressors.

The cast provides various characters and symbols of representation — the jeepney driver who represents “authority and societal control,” the driver’s two sons whose poetic lines dive deep into “societal and political issues,” a sex worker, a ‘Conyo’ girl, a pregnant teenager, beggars, students, activists, Badjaos, a drug addict, and passengers.

‘Kumawala sa Kawalan’ gives powerful musical elements of dialogue and music to provoke emotion and address Filipino struggles, challenging the audience to “look at the cracks in [the] system and ourselves.”

Trying to break free from the shackles of societal issues, system, and “cycle of oppression,” the musical ‘Kumawala sa Kawalan’ highlights the grim reality of pursuing freedom and calls Filipinos “to wake up and fight for something better” — to keep on acknowledging the reality of Filipinos through an intense jeepney ride.