ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Celebrities devider Kokoy de Santos returns to the stage with 'Mapanakit'

Kokoy de Santos returns to the stage with 'Mapanakit'

Published Jul 20, 2026 10:38 am  |  Updated Jul 20, 2026 04:51 pm
Kokoy de Santos
Kokoy de Santos
Following his theater debut in "Ateng" last year, Kokoy de Santos returns to the stage for the Manila debut of "Mapanakit! Mga Dulang Bittersweet," presented by Biñan Youth Performance Council Inc. (YPC).
During the media conference, Kokoy shared what made him say yes to the project.
"Bakit ba ako umoo? Kasi, bakit hindi? Ang laking bagay nung dinala nila ako mismo sa Biñan. Tinour nila ako doon," Kokoy said.
"Alam ko ‘yung Biñan, pero hindi ko in-expect na may ganito palang [grupo na nagbibigay] na ganitong klaseng pagmamahal sa art," he added.
Known for his work in both TV and Film, Kokoy admitted that he still gets nervous acting on stage. 
"Ang kakaiba, kumpara sa TV at film, iba yung kaba talaga niya. Kasi, alam naman natin, pag TV at film, may take 2, may take 3, diba? Pag-theater ulit lahat," he said.
Cast and creatives of
Cast and creatives of "Mapanakit! Mga Dulang Bittersweet" (Carissa Alcantara)
Written by Eljay Castro Deldoc and directed by BJ Borja, "Mapanakit! Mga Dulang Bittersweet" is the first theater production from Biñan to go on a major tour outside the city after its successful community run in December 2025.
The play follows three one-act plays presenting deeply human stories told through intimate performances, poetic dialogue, and emotionally grounded stories.
Gab Pangilinan stars in “Ilihan at Kalingaw,” a fantasy story about a poet-historian who risks everything for a forbidden love, with Euden Moje as her love interest.
Kokoy appears in “Ganito ang Pinangarap kong Kasal” with Phi Palmos and Loudette Barias, a play about a relationship tested by society’s expectations and ideas of masculinity.
The production also features Ross Pesigan and Jury Sanchez in “Ang Liknayan ng ating mga Katawan.”
Playing the role of Noel on "Ganito ang Pinangarap kong Kasal", Kokoy mentioned, "Excited ako lagi mag-rehearse. I look forward to it na kasi kahit pa paano, mas natural na lang, dumudulas na lang sa akin, yung blocking."
The creative team includes Carlo Pegunaling (production design), Gabo Tolentino (lighting), Arkel Mendoza (sound), and Carlo Cannu (creative direction).
Baha Vergara is the production manager, while John Paul De Paz is the technical director.
"Mapanakit! Mga Dulang Bittersweet" runs from July 25 to Aug. 9 at the IBG-KAL Theater, UP Diliman, Quezon City.

Related Tags

Kokoy de Santos Mapanakit! Mga Dulang Bittersweet Gab Pangilinan Phi Palmos
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.