OBRA Inc, impressed the audience with a heart-breaking stage play FILIPINA…Bakit Ikaw? on its third run held last September 10 at the CAP Auditorium in Makati City. Witnessed by students, teachers, representatives from different cultural groups, media and other professionals from various fields of expertise.

The play features how Filipina women are often maltreated, harassed and exploited in different ways. It highlights heart-breaking struggles of abuse and survival of a Filipina OFW; a woman forced to become prostitute and later on acquired HIV and a woman working in a call center who only wants to be treated with respect and faithfulness from her husband.

Learn from the story of  Felice (Filomina),  a mother who works hard to provide the needs of her child suffering from Cerebral Palsy. Felice decided to leave the country and worked as domestic helper in Saudi Arabia. Her life abroad has never been easy; she experienced physical and emotional maltreatments and torture from her employers not to mention the delay of her salary. The struggles of being away from her child and missing her family have made her strong. She almost died in the hands of her employer severe physical abuse and torture but Felice decided to stay in Saudi Arabia and look for another employer. Another employer she hoped to serve for long a time became the reason of her lifetime suffering when she was accused of killing their child and put her into jail.

This is the story of  Josepina or Pinpin  and the people who betrayed her including her uncle who sold her in a little bar. A story of a Filipina woman forced into prostitution and sexual exploitation. Pinpin (Josepina) almost lost her sanity when she was sexually abused in front of many people. Pinpin had several customers; she knew no one will ever love and respect her until she met John and fell in love with him but. Pinpin had an elicit affair with a married man and eventually it didn’t last. One day she decided to leave the bar with tremendous hope that someday people including her family will love, respect and accept her but found out she was afflicted with a life-threatening disease, HIV.

Rosalina or Ina  is a college graduate and has a good paying job as a call center agent fell in love with a taxi driver and got married at an early age. Ina’s husband, Hener started to become insecure with her when she started to provide all the needs for their family. Later on, Ina found out Hener having an affair with another woman.

Ina has the story of a woman who longs for love and wanting to have a happy married life but received unfair treatment and unfaithfulness from her husband.

FILIPINA… Bakit Ikaw?  A trilogy of different life stories of women deprived of equal opportunities, respect and who lost their life and dignity. A two-hour stage play that shouldn’t be missed. Just when the curtain started to open and background music plays, I knew it will be an awesome presentation. The play wass spontaneous, every words and its meaning was delivered very clearly. A very inspiring stories of hardship, struggles, life and love. OBRA continues to promote and uplift Filipino talents, arts and culture. We would like to congratulate the director, Mr. Jesie Barandino, all the cast and members of the play.

Director Jessie Barandino

Juvelyn Dincol as Yna/Ina, Raquel Cebalos as Pinpin and Herna Estillore as Felice

OBRA as Organisasyon ng Batikan at Respetadong Artista ng Bayan, Incorporated – a fully registered non-stock cultural association composed of artistically inclined individuals from diverse fields and passion in arts who organizes events and produces works with correlated art forms to promote the deeper meaning and significance of arts and culture to Filipinos and advocate for the responsibility of being an artist of the nation.