MANILA, Philippines ? It?s not a Broadway production but the late president Corazon Aquino would have loved to see this musical about her husband, the martyred opposition leader Benigno ?Ninoy? Aquino Jr., produced by an unknown theater group from Balic-balic.

The theater dance ?Ako si Ninoy? by the Philippine Stagers Foundation tells of modern day Filipinos as heroes in their own right ? the overseas worker longing for home, a doctor serving the masses, a union leader faithful to his cause, a popular actor who quits showbiz to go back to school.

This was exactly the community of heroes that Aquino was trying to exhort the students at the launching of the ?I Am Ninoy? movement in De La Salle University in Manila in November 2008, one of her last public appearances after she was diagnosed with colon cancer earlier that year.

?You are important now more than ever,? Aquino then said, addressing some 600 students gathered at the Marilen Gaerlan Conservatory at De La Salle University in Manila. ?When a critical mass of young people takes on a cause, you can be sure that change on a dramatic scale is underway.?

Aquino passed away early morning of August 1, just hours after a special performance of ?Ako si Ninoy? at the Ayala Museum closed with an extended applause and standing ovation for the characters of Nonoy, played by lawyer Vince Tañada, and Cory, played by Cindy Liper.

Aquino?s nephew, Rapa Lopa, said his aunt had not had seen the play. ?If she had seen this, she?d be very, very happy,? Lopa told the Philippine Daily Inquirer after the play.

With snappy choreography and an energetic cast of about 40, ?Ako si Ninoy? was produced by the Philippine Stagers Foundation (PSF), an unknown theater group based in Balic-balic district in densely populated Sampaloc, Manila.

How the play came about is a story full of heroism worthy yet of another story.

A lawyer and scion of the illustrious Tañada clan of Gumaca, Quezon, Vince founded the PSF eight years ago at the Holy Trinity parish Balic-balic.

?Hindi kami taga-Broadway, taga Balic-balic po kami [We are not from Broadway, we are from Balic-Balic],? Tanada, who is a Palanca and Aliw awardee, said of his theatrical roots.

The launching of the ?I am Ninoy? movement spurred him to write his ?dream? musical on the life of the opposition leader.

It was a ?big dream,? said Tañada, who bore an uncanny resemblance to the late senator. ?And since it was a big dream, I might as well make it complete, I decided to play Ninoy,? he said.

While rehearsing for the musical, Tañada contacted the Benigno S. Aquino Foundation (BSAF) to ?look at the play? and perhaps sponsor some of its performances.

Lopa, who is executive director of the BSAF, said he had seen so many requests. Tañada?s request was just of one many he had acquiesced.

?But when they said it was Balic-balic, that sort of got us worried,? Lopa said.

Tañada said their worries ?proved true, because some side mirrors disappeared,? he said with a laugh, referring to parked vehicles of those who went to watch the musical.

But the play had Lopa in a trance.

?They just captured the whole ?I am Ninoy? spirit that we launched last year,? Lopa said.

Everything about the musical breathed of the movement, he said, from the music, lyrics, choreography and the cast, who are mostly students and young professionals who have made theater their ?passion.?

Tañada said the musical was their way of giving tribute to Ninoy and Cory. ?We believe that art, music and dance is a great form of prayer, that is a fitting tribute that we can give them,? Tanada said.

?Ako si Ninoy? will be onstage at the Adamson University on August 12 and 13.

It will be shown at the Meralco Theater on August 14-16, with the UST Symphony Orchestra.

Produced in cooperation with the Benigno Aquino Foundation, Ako si Ninoy, will be staged in various SM Cinemas, at the UP Main Theater, the Cultural Center of the Philippines and in theaters in the provinces until March 2010.

For tickets inquiries call Noriel at 894-1343 and 892-2950.