Ang Babae Sa Septic 4, Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter! runs until Aug. 16, 2026 at PETA Theater Center, New Manila, Quezon City.
First things first— the elephants in the room.
Nearly a month after the opening of Ang Babae Sa Septic 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter, veteran theater artists Rodolfo “Rody” Vera and Joel Saracho had yet to see the ongoing, new original play by the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) at the PETA-Phinma Theater.
Playwright Chris Martinez
Both are mentioned in this new metatheatrical work by playwright-screenwriter Chris Martinez, the fourth instalment of the three same-title films topbilled by comedian and multi-platform actress Eugene Domingo.
“Ang daming nagkukuwento sa kin,” Saracho told TheDiarist.ph via Facebook messenger.
Director Maribel Legarda
He said that before the play opened June 19, he was not informed by PETA president Melvin, Martinez, or the play’s director Maribel Legarda that he was mentioned in the script as “tumatanda.” It’s ageism for millennials and Gen Zs, but since the actors are all almost the same age as Saracho and they’re all friends, it’s self-deprecating humor.
“I have yet to see it and I hope I find the time to watch. As for my opinion? I don’t have any, for now, hahaha,” he replied. “But these are my friends. I’m sure hindi naman ako ilalagay sa bad light.
“And besides, matagal nang joke sa akin ‘yang matanda. I am 65 years old, matanda naman na talaga.”
Marlon Rivera
Rody Vera is the same age as Saracho, but it wasn’t his being another “tumatanda” in the theater community that put him in the dialogue. “Yes, 65 years old na rin ako. Si Marlon (Rivera), I think, 62 years old na sya. May senior citizen card na rin,” Vera said. Rivera is the director of the three Septic Tank films, and has returned to acting, playing himself in Septic Tank 4.
It was Vera’s supposed involvement as member of the cast that appeared in the story. He was really supposed to be part of Septic Tank 4, one the characters, also playing himself, the playwright, but during rehearsals, he was busy preparing for the annual Virgin Labfest at Cultural Center of the Philippines last June.
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Besides being co-founder of VLF, Vera is also co-founder of The Writer’s Bloc, the backbone of the VLF since its start in 2005.
All good! After watching the show, Rody Vera paid a visit backstage to the cast members, including of course Joshua Lim So, who played his original role in ‘Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4’ (Photo by Marlon Rivera courtesy of Chris Martinez)
Left without a choice, the PETA people had to tap a younger playwright, Palanca Hall of Famer Joshua Lim So, for his role.
This was referenced in the play. Rivera—or was it Melvin Lee?—who said, “Busy si Rody Vera sa pagbebenta ng libro sa VLF! Mabuti na lang available si Joshua Lim So, who turned out to be better.”
This incident should have been left untold and just kept among PETA production people, but Martinez, being the natural satirist, thought he’d include everything in the script.
Like in Saracho’s case, Vera told us he got a barrage of messages from well-meaning friends about how he was mentioned many times in the dialogues. They were so many, he told The Diarist.ph, that it came to a point he thought he knew the plot already. “Baka nga di ko na kailangan panoorin,” he said, laughing.
Someone suggested that Vera and Saracho should have been given complimentary tickets, and if they were seen inside the PETA Phinma Theater, they should be acknowledged before the play begins. Vera sent laughing emojis, saying he had already bought tickets.
Someone suggested that Rody Vera and Joel Saracho, who are mentioned in the script, should have been given complimentary tickets and acknowledged before the play begins
Martinez told The Diartist.ph via Facebook messenger he actually wanted to surprise Vera, but since the theater community is small and word easily gets around, he knew that spoilers would easily reach Vera.
Before the opening, there were questions on how the first-time theater audience, like the fans of Domingo and the first three Septic Tank films in the series, would get the jokes.
Besides Domingo, members of the cast who are playing themselves are PETA president Melvin Lee, film-television-theater director-actor Andoy Ranay, PETA senior artist-teacher Me-Ann Espinosa, heartthrob JC Santos, Encore Theater co-founder Stella Cañete-Mendoza, Joshua Lim So, and PETA board member-trustee Marlon Rivera.
Espinosa earlier suggested to include in the souvenir program a glossary of terms with the photos of Saracho, Vera, and the other theater actors referenced in the play, or something like a QR Code.
The three Septic Tank films were basically about making a movie within a movie, with Domingo playing a hyper-realist version of herself, the egocentric, center-of-the-universe actress who believes she can do anything.
In a larger context, each film is a critique of what’s happening in the movie industry that Martinez and director Marlon Rivera deemed appropriate to tackle at a particular time.
“Kung may kailangang pansinin o kung kailangan may pagbigyan ng caution, that’s how we conceptualized the film series,” Martinez said.
He explained Babae sa Septic Tank 1, released in 2011, was about young filmmakers hellbent on creating a movie about the economically-challenged Filipinos in the squatter communities with the aim to get international awards, hopefully an Oscar. But this has been done since the 1970s, with Lino Brocka’s Insiang and Manila sa Kuko ng Liwanag, among others, as enduring examples. “Hinay-hinay lang sa poverty porn,” Martinez said.
Released in 2016, Babae sa Septic Tank 2: Forever Is Not Enough was about the market saturation of romantic comedy flicks. “Wala na bang ibang kwento kundi puro romcoms?” said Martinez.
In 2019, Babae sa Septic Tank 3: The Real Untold Story of Josephine Bracken tackled historical revisionism. “Teka muna, bakit binabago ang history, gumawa lang ng pelikula, may karapatan ka nang baguhin ang kasasaysayan?” Martinez said.
Call it extended revenge theater after the pandemic, but the industry has never been this vibrant. I remember former lawmaker Christopher “Toff” De Venecia, vice president of PhilStage at the time, doing a PowerPoint presentation at the 2025 Gawad Buhay Awards. He showed how theater ticket sales went up after live shows opened in 2023.
As reported on ABS-CBN News, there was “a 65 percent increase in productions by member companies, rising from 26 shows in 2023 to 43 in 2024. This surge translated to an 83 percent jump in the number of performances, from 325 to 594 shows, as companies expanded their reach across over 20 venues nationwide.”
There’s no recent available data, but as cited in the play, there is an average of 14 ongoing productions a month in Metro Manila alone. Theater is also more alive than films. As shown in Septic Tank 4, quoting topnotch theater critic Gibbs Cadiz, we live in another golden age in theater. “We are at a golden age and it is a good time to analyze for us…how far can we go?” said Rivera.
Eugene and her ‘cheter’ friends
This was the premise why, in one board meeting sometime last year, he proposed the idea of doing Septic Tank 4 to Legarda, who was then PETA’s artistic director. Instead of restaging Rak of Aegis, why not another original material? It was a no-brainer. Rivera, Martinez, Legarda, Lee and the rest of the team agreed with Septic Tank 4.
“Nag-boom talaga ang theater, and since the premise of the Septic Tank series is meant to satirize the institution or the industry, we thought of a play within a play that is an overview of theater, where it is heading,” Rivera said. “Is it an industry as an artform or a form of entertainment or both? When you go out of the theater, you can say, ang galing ng napanood mo, ng teatrong Pilipino, pero saan ba talaga sya papunta?”
When PETA was conceptualizing the play last year, they had to keep everything a secret. That’s why, as Domingo earlier said, in a funny way, it felt like she was the last to know about it. “Kasama ba ako sa play? Bakit walang abiso?” she said.
It took several months for PETA people to tell Eugene she would play the lead. She thought they were considering other actors
It took several months for the PETA people to tell her she would play the lead. She thought they were considering other actors. But to show how professional Domingo has always been, during the first day of rehearsal, the other cast members were amazed because she knew all her lines. “Nagulat kami. She has the longest lines, but drop script agad on the first day, na-inspire kami,” Espinosa said.
Before sitting down to write the text, Martinez interviewed the cast of actors who would play the hyper-real versions of themselves. “I asked each one what theater meant to them. Why are they still in the theater? After the interviews, only then did I write the play. The characters are not 100 percent them, but aspects of their personalities,” he said.
The cast with director Maribel Legarda (center) at the gala night of ‘Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 4: Oh Sh*t! It’s Live Sa Cheter!’
“The core of Septic Tank is to ask questions. It’s like you’re given a mirror if you are part of the industry. You are looking at the reflection of the world you are moving in, like a critique of the industry, a satire of people who are leading the creation of the industry. You are making fun of the actress, playwright, everyone. All in the spirit of fun, but at the same time asking the difficult questions. There is lots of laughter and irreverence.”
Joshua Lim So said when he read the script after being interviewed by Martinez, he felt the character he was playing wasn’t him anymore. “I was a version of my hyperrealist self.” Lee pointed out, “We’re playing some archetypes in theater. It’s not really us on stage.”
Legarda said that in getting the message across audiences, “Comedy is important for people to listen to you. Honestly, I’ve never done anything like this, a play where actors are playing themselves. But the whole play is not all about us. We want to raise the idea of theater in a larger context.”
She realized during rehearsals, looking at the actors and crew doing their thing, “It’s a microcosm of Philippine society already. There are different types of personalities doing one creative work. Remember, during the pandemic, we were called non-essential arts. Then, all of a sudden, we became the focus of importance. For me it’s a gift; I hope I can keep up.
“The idea that we’re in the golden age of theater is very interesting. Ticket prices are so high, but people are buying. We’ve been doing this for a long time and we still ask ourselves, ‘Paano nangyari yun?’ We’re happy, but it also has its challenges and problems. Just because golden age doesn’t mean everything’s OK, that we’re OK.
“We really have to reflect on seeing ourselves in a larger context so we don’t stagnate and we continue growing and hopefully create better work. We shouldn’t be afraid to poke fun, to criticize ourselves,” Legarda added.
Rivera attested that Martinez is a collector of quotes. You have to be very cautious whenever he’s around. Whatever you say that is interesting, funny, and witty is filed in his memory bank, to be used later in a script or play.
Marlon Rivera attested that playwright Chris Martinez is a collector of quotes. Whatever you say that is interesting, funny, and witty is filed in his memory bank, to be used later in a script or play
“Chris is a very interesting writer. I’ve known him since he was in college, then I got him to be my copywriter for Basic Advertising, so I’ve known him for the longest time,” Rivera said.
“Kapag nag-iinuman kami, kapag may sinabi ka, maaalala nya ‘yun and years later, nasa script ka na. Kaya caution, uy nandyan si Chris Martinez, careful baka ma quote tayo nyan.
“That’s why, ang lahat ng ito ay collection ng narinig namin, like with Joel Saracho, we say this to him, not behind his back. Up front.
“I’ve been with the PETA board of trustees for 15 years, so lahat ng ito pinapanood natin, alam na namin, di ba. Kumbaga, tutal sinasabi naman lahat kapag nagkakalasingan, sabihin na lang sa stage para pagkakitaan. O, alam nyo yan ha, gawing content. Nasa proper channel na sya,” Rivera said, laughing.
“But we’d like to go back to the idea that this is our love letter to Philippine theater,” he continued. Channeling his experience in advertising, Rivera pointed out, “Because we’re also afraid, how far can you supply the industry, how much can you throw in the market? This is a boom, and it could bust. Eventually, the market could go flat, di ba?”
He cited how theater is promoted on social media, and a lot of the regular theater followers would buy tickets because of FOMO (fear of missing out). Sooner than later, there could be a slow departure of this type of audience, “so audience development should be a priority.”
Rivera cited how the number of first-time audiences increased because of original productions that diverse audiences, even the masses, patronized.
Chaos on the boat as the show heads to its climax
“Napatunayan ‘yan ng Bar Boys the Musical, Ang Huling El Bimbo the Musical, and One More Chance the Musical. There were busloads of audiences, first-timers, who were in awe of what they saw. The point is to grow the community and there is always a way out of this…whatever you call it…before the theater bubble explodes,” Rivera said.
“It is really how to sustain the work. PETA is 59 years old and I think, it’s really the original work that would matter. And we’re glad we’re able to do original work like Septic Tank 4. It’s the humor. The Filipinos, we love to laugh and make people laugh, even at our expense. Laughter wakes us up. In a larger context, as we say in Filipino, ‘Kailangang magpatawa, para bukas ang mga mata, kasi kung malungkot, walang magaganap,” he added.
Lee pointed out that since PETA is producing Septic Tank 4, it’s but right to start the conversation. “Where is Philippine theater going in its present state? Where are we heading? We need to talk. Saan nga ba natin ito dadalhin? What more purposeful productions can we contribute, with regards the role of theater in society, in nation building?
“Every theater company has its own reason for existing. Our curriculum repertoire, since magiging 60 na kami, kami na rin ang nagsimulang mamuno, mag start ng diskusyon,” Lee said.
J-Mee Katanyag, PETA’s artistic director, further explained Septic Tank 4’s role in the state of Philippine theater.
“For almost six decades, PETA has used theater not just to tell stories but to examine them, to ask what they reveal about who we are and what we have been doing, and imagine what we could become as a society and as we wrap up our season on exploring love and power. We are interested in how these forces move through our relationships, our communities, and through the stories we choose to share,” she said.
“Septic Tank 4 is a play about making a play, but as that unfolds, the play also turns the spotlight back on us, on the people who create and on the system that influences what is made, and on the blurred lines between intention, impact, and recognition,” she added.
‘“Septic Tank 4” is a play about making a play, but as that unfolds, the play also turns the spotlight back on us, on the people who create,’ said PETA artistic director J-Mee Katanyag
Katanyag explained how the theater industry, or at least in Metro Manila, has become more visible and vibrant. With that, she feels the urgency to ask: How do we tell stories responsibly? Where do we draw the line between passion and power, boundaries and consent, creativity and commercialism? And how do we stay faithful to the work in a time that rewards visibility, virality and noise?
“Maybe that reflection becomes even more important when we look beyond the theater because we are creating stories in a time of uncertainty. And in moments like this, the storytelling is never neutral. The stories that we tell can disrupt, they can distort, but they can also clarify and connect and hold us accountable. And that’s life, messy, sometimes uncomfortable, but hopefully honest and since we’re in PETA, hopefully we’re telling stories in a funny way,” she said.
Legarda said, as a whole, that the premise of Septic Tank 4 is “to reflect on how we create, how we consume, how we predict, and how we hold each other in the process.”
As we go to press, Septic Tank 4 is still running until Aug. 16 and all shows have been sold out. Common reactions from netizens, expectedly, are centered on an extension and a rerun.
Espinosa said doing a rerun this year is farfetched. The production is working around the schedules of Domingo and the other actors.
But even before the play opened, PETA said 50 shows are enough. Since almost all the actors are playing versions of their real selves, especially Domingo, they have no alternates, and 50 shows are all they can do, for now.
For one, it’s physically draining. Even JC Santos, one of the younger actors in the ensemble full of middle-aged and senior-citizen theater artists, earlier said, “Bawal magkasakit.”
Domingo said besides taking more multivitamins, they would need a lot prayers to finish the shows until Aug. 16. Turning serious, she said, “More important, our aim, our hope is for the audiences, that when you get out of the theater, you are a little smarter, prouder, a little more nationalistic.”
True to PETA’s mission, Septic Tank 4 has been transforming lives through theater. And this time, before the big bubble explodes, it’s helping the theater industry itself.
Sold out shows until Aug.16 for ‘Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 4,’ standing ovation, long applause for the cast (Photo by Totel V. de Jesus)
Ang Babae Sa Septic 4, Oh Sh*t! It’s Live sa Cheter! runs until August 16 at the PETA Theater Center, New Manila, Quezon City.
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