Paco Park Presents: Walang Sugat
This 23 May 2025, the National Parks Development Committee, in collaboration with Sound Experience Manila, brings Walang Sugat, the iconic sarswela by Severino Reyes and Fulgencio Tolentino, to the historic Paco Park. The special one-hour program in celebration of National Heritage Month begins at 6:00 PM – open and free for everyone. At its core, Walang Sugat is a story of the love and sacrifice of Julia and Tenyong, the push and pull of the heart’s destiny and a daughter’s duty, and importantly, the perseverance of the Filipino spirit through and beyond adversity. These themes will be brought to life under the pointed direction of the multi-award-winning Dr. Alegria O. Ferrer and through spirited performances from Daniella Silab, Diego Alcudia, Abet Guande, Vianca Yu, Archibald Dalupang, and Bettina Hernandez, with Samuel Silvestre playing the keyboard. Music and additional composition are arranged and provided by the markedly accomplished Josefino Toledo.
Walang Sugat remains timeless and resonates today just as powerfully as it did over a century ago, as Ferrer herself notes “The intertwining of social issues, such as poverty, gender equality, and access to education” is at the heart of the piece. These issues—though layered within the love story—are instantly recognizable and remain deeply relevant. These are familiar issues, and the piece serves as a mirror that reflects past grievances to the realities of the present. Ferrer presses further that “Through the lens of drama, [the audience is invited] to re-examine their own identities, values, and aspirations, fostering a sense of community and shared responsibility.”
But more than just reflection and examination, Walang Sugat offers a challenge: not only to reconnect with the values embedded in our collective culture, but to act upon them. “It is a vibrant call to action,” Ferrer lauds the work, and aptly so. Walang Sugat pushes the youth to recognize history as part of their roots, their very selves, and underscores the significance of carrying forward a legacy brought on from oppression and struggle.
Join us this 23 May 2025, at 6:00 PM in Paco Park for Walang Sugat—a moving musical journey of love, purpose, and hope. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome to experience this classic story come to life.
Paco Park Presents is one of the longest running programs of the agency and a recipient of the Catholic Mass Media Hall of Fame Award for Best Cultural Program in 1988, along with Concert at the Park. The musical soiree was born on 29 February 1980, from the suggestion of Christoph Jessen – the then press and cultural attache of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. His vision is to have an exchange program of artists and ideas that would promote the bonds between the Filipino and German people.
