Theatre can be a powerful tool to drive a message with an emotional hook. CBD chose theatre to help promote the different Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. A series of 17 monologues in short film format, dubbed SDG Monovlogs, is created by CBD in partnership with Teatro de Sta. Luisa and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

To illustrate, the SDG Goal 2: Zero Hunger – “To end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture” – is discussed creatively in the short film, “Chicken Joy.” The film’s sole actor is Lorrybel Nachor, Executive Director of CBD and Teatro de Sta. Luisa alumnus. The monovlog is written and directed by Alcid Valencia.

The unnamed character is the poor breadwinner for his wife and four children. He has no permanent job but dreams of feeding his family well and rising above poverty. One day, he saw his friend washing already cooked chicken and turning it to the Filipino adobo dish. Curious, he asked his friend, who then revealed that the chicken is “pagpag” food. “Pagpag” are leftover food collected from restaurants and scavenged. These foods are dusted off, washed, and recooked to make them more palatable. His neighbor calls it “magic.”

The friend takes the poor breadwinner to the restaurant where they put the leftovers in a plastic bag. At home, he cooks adobo for the first time, which makes his family very happy. He keeps going back to the restaurant to get more “pagpag” whenever he is unemployed.

The story escalates when he fights with three men who declare the restaurant as their territory. He becomes injured from the fight but refuses to visit the hospital. His friend sees him in the streets, and the poor breadwinner requests him to bring the “pagpag” home for his family.

Many households among the Filipino poor indeed scavenge and recycle food to survive. The monovlog paints a picture of their daily struggle of desperately providing food on the table for their families. CBD continues to fight poverty with its programs and projects.