Mulat, Galit, at Gising ang Loob: Philosophy Sophomores Break Boundaries of Thought and Art in Aesthetics Unbound

By Kyle Pontillo


Marking the culmination of their Contemporary Aesthetics course, second-year BS Philosophy major in Applied Ethics students premiered Aesthetics Unbound: Building Social Consciousness through Art, a showcase of original theatrical performances, on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at the MSU-IIT CHS Hall.



“Art has the power to emancipate,” Asst. Prof Oliver Perater from the Department of Philosophy and Humanities echoed during his opening remarks. He expressed how the course aims to critique modern aesthetics and society, and how the event came into fruition from the students’ initiatives, determined to fully express their perspectives through extended performances and elaborate sets.



Unfurling the first leg of the event, Revotria, coined from revolution, unity, and hope, orients the consciousness of the halls with an atmospheric depiction of poverty, politics, police brutality, and drug use through realistic stage dialogue as the percussion of Rivermaya’s “Tatsulok” surrounds everyone in attendance.


Banking on big expressions that do not delineate itself from the realism of real-life, the performance touches on the realities of EJK, and how different processes in the society culminate into the grim trespass of human rights. Revotria's performance secured the fourth spot in the final ranking of the lineup.


Despite suffering through technical difficulties, the second group, “Siklab”, impressed the audience with the most stylish score among all the contenders. Heavy synths introduce a well-choreographed stage play successfully depicting multiple narratives at the same time.


The story is tailored on the mundane; the realities that normal Filipinos live in. “Mga Walang Pangalan,” they called themselves to play how anonymity is all we know, and how beyond that anonymous life awaits the justice unsoiled by the subjugating mechanisms of power; “Tayo ay inaaliw upang maabala.” Letting their story be known to the world with a chorus that breaks the walls between the audience and the stage, Siklab lands in a close-second in the final rankings.


A reverent stage play graced the floor after titled “Hibla ng Kasaysayan” which explores the history of colonialism in the Philippines through an extensive five-act arc. The story started with the main character reading a book that transports him into the country’s life before colonialism. The performance had practical effects and well-written stage dialogue portrayed with impressive diction by the actors as they lived through the colonial timeline.


The story banked on the interest of a modern person grappling with the realities of the past by living through it and even went on to remark how, “Parang may mabuti, pero parang may masami rin,” during the Americans’ occupation. Ending on a high note, the third group lands in the third spot in the final rankings.


“Mulat, galit, at gising ang loob,” “Singko” by Piso Productions describes their piece, gracing the stage as the final performers of the day. This was the only performance where all the lights were turned off as they commenced with a piercing chorale opening in the warm spotlight. The curtains close to mark the start of an immersion. The story starts with the main character playing a young beggar asking for coins in the audience with only a makeshift spotlight (i.e. a flashlight wrapped in used bond paper) illuminating his acting feat, breaking into a monologue delivered in Cebuano. The curtains opened as the story unfolded, showing an intimate frame of an impoverished family living in the slums while politicians campaigned through the audience by handing out flyers.


The main character and his mother display a tender back-and-forth on how he should not beg on the streets, which was then broken by the violence ensued by a raging father that enters the stage. As the performers act out a violence faced by many families, the campaign pursues further into the crowd with the main character begging among the campaign staff. A police officer reprimands his begging before ultimately killing him under unclear parameters. Tears illuminate the halls as the mother cries and grieves, desperately holding on to her son’s life, tightening his hold on the five-peso coin as he starts losing his vision and losing his life. Shivers ran down as the mother raged before a monologue sealed the applause of the judges as lightning and thunder illuminated the words of despair. The performance used live music, with a tender string playing throughout the whole act, before book-ending with how they started: a piercing chorale. Piso Productions was declared champions after an astounding performance.


The event was judged by Asst. Prof. Lex Hilario from the Department of Philosophy and Humanities, Asst. Prof. Neil Azcuna from the Department of History, and Assoc. Prof. Renebel Labadisos from the Department of Sociology.


Withholding the promise of the event’s rationale, which is to build social consciousness through art, the students of BS Philosophy has graced MSU-IIT with not only a clear understanding of how current aesthetics depict the realities of society, but a potent promise of young artistry brewing within the fine walls of the university.