The Komedya is a colorful theatrical

tradition in Christianized Philippines

whose plot generally revolves around the
social, political and religious conflicts of
Muslim and Christian heroes dramatized
in colorful romantic and stylized acting,
and in exotic costumes, presented usually
during community festivals
1. Secular Komedya-is performed at the local
fiestas. An example is Santacruzan. The story
evolves on the search for the Holy Cross by
Queen Elena and her son, Emperor Constantino.
 2. Moro-moro is a play that became popular in
the Philippines during the Spanish colonial
period where the Moros were portrayed as
perpetual villains who always lost to Christians in
the end.

In the Philippines, the sarswela is a play

with songs and dances usually written in
prose, containing from one to five acts,
depicting the vagaries of romantic love
among idealized Filipino characters, and
often incorporating contemporary social,
political, economic or cultural issues for
relevance and interest
Introduced in the Philippines in the 19th
century (1878), it places great importance
on music. Initially, zarzuelas were
presented by professionals from Spain.
Later, locals took over as when Ateneo
de Manila presented the zarzuela, Junto
del Pasig, written in verse by Jose Rizal,
with music by Blas Echegoyen (1880).
Hermogenes Ilagan: Father of Tagalog zarzuela: