The Vagina Monologues is Eve Ensler's ode to the vagina, with performers narrating, gyrating, and storytelling their way to end violence against women. What began in 1996 in a theatre in New York generated worldwide discussion about its audacity, its execution, and its message.

The gargantuan task rested in the hands of director BJ Absin, literary accolade Don Pagusara, and the rest of The Vagina Monologues cast and crew to relay Ensler's message to Davao audiences last June 27 and 28, 2014 at Philippine Women's College.

The show began with a speech from an angry vagina. An angry vagina by virtue of poverty, injustice, and lack of government funding. The synechdochial speech stirred giggles and glances all around, as if to say: "It's funny because she said ‘vagina.’"

First-timers were in for a surprise: There was vagina aplenty; vagina in all its forms: old, beautiful, or stitched-up; vagina in all its different aliases: ki-ki, flower, bilat; vagina in all its complexities.

A riveting performance from the all-female cast stirred to life the already powerful script. Translated to Binisaya by Palanca awardee Don Pagusara, the script floated from conversational, to metaphorical, to pure poetry. Notable performance comes from Hochi Benitez, who from The Vagina's Critics Night, demonstrated chameleon-like prowess.

A large part of the show was devoted to the amusing tales of different women and their relationship with their vaginas. Other monologues, though inciting intervals of laughter and knee slaps, rested on dark, even morbid undertones. For example, in an anti-climactic segment on prostitution, a middlewoman of the prostitutes announces over comical, exaggerated actions, the true hellish plight of women-for-sale. In the end, the lights dim to the laughter of audiences. Prostitution was probably not intended to become a laughable concept, but that was the superficial effect of the scene.

Director Absin put a little more production to his interpretation of the famed monologue. There's a little more pizzazz, and more dancing. To wit, interpretative dances in between, and an all-out dance ending to One Billion Rising soundtrack “Break the Chain”.

Dance prod aside, the challenge still remains, echoing the speech of Hon. Luzviminda Ilagan (who is a vanguard for women’s rights herself.) The vagina, as with the mouth, ear, and brain, deserves to be uttered without innuendo or shame. And with that begins a better relationship between women and their own vaginas, and vaginas with the rest of the world.

"Ayaw kaulaw, isulti na: Bilat, bilat, bilat!