THE ANT AND GRASHOPPER

UNEDITED SAMPLE LITERARY ARTICLE

By Karez Amparo Martin
IV-Michael Faraday

I know that all of you are familiar with the story about the ant and the grasshopper. This story may look shallow to others, but for me, it is something that makes me understand the real meaning of true friendship. The true friend that I am talking about is the ant because even though the grasshopper has disregarded the ant before, when the grasshopper was in the time of need, the ant still helped him. The ant did not care even if the grasshopper did not really deserve any helping hand because of its selfishness. I think that the hardest task ever laid in our world is finding the right people to stick around with.

I also believe that true friends cannot only be found during fun times but also when times come that you are already on the edge of breaking down. With the world we are all living in, it is really a big to challenge to look for them. Because they are like gems, everybody wants to have them but the hardest part of having them is finding them first. There are circumstances when people find it impossible to stumble on true and loyal friends. But then, they should all try to stop and think that God would never be cruel and self-centered to not grant us the feeling of having someone to consider as our buddies.

Well, in my case, I can proudly say that I have my very own bunch of buddies. They are the people that I love to hang around with. They are the people that I trust the most. They are the people that make me laugh most of the time. They are the ones that I tell most of my secrets. They are also one of the reasons why I can haughtily tell the world that I am pretty contented with the life I am living.

It may sound mushy to some but I believe friends are something to be cherished and treasured that is why I am making a big deal on having true and honest friends. So I just hope that you are also lucky enough to have your very own set of true friends, similar to the gems that God has given me.

PROCRASTINATION

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By Karez Amparo Martin
IV-Michael Faraday


Stop procrastination. This habit of ours is the very reason why we tend to pass our projects late, why we tend to cram for tests, why we tend to get scolded by our parents, why we tend to sacrifice our breaks for the sake of doing assignments.

Aren’t you tired of those sleepless nights because of doing a project that was announced by your teacher months ago? Aren’t you envious of your classmates who enjoy their lunch breaks fully because they have done their assignments at home? Don’t you think that you would have received a higher grade if you only passed your requirements on time? Regrets, regrets and regrets. That’s all you benefit from procrastination and those aren’t even considered as benefits.

Procrastination is like being in heaven at one point in your life and suddenly feel the fires of hell in an instant. Procrastination provides us that temporary luxury and lavishness we all crave for; but ironically, it also gives us a lot of burden and worries that didn’t even exist in your imagination. Don’t you think it’s about time to change your bad habits? Ascending to the comfort of heaven from the wrath of hell is a whole lot better than descending to the wrath of hell from the comfort of heaven.

Don’t put off tomorrow what you can do today. Stop wasting your time on doing preposterous things. It might be difficult to remove a habit from your daily routine; but all your perseverance and hard work will surely pay off. Remember, what you sow is what you reap. If you’ll just sow procrastination, you’re going to reap nothing. So you better start walking to the bus stop now, before the bus leaves you.

MAKATI CITY GOVERNMENT COMMEMORATED THE 25TH DEATH ANNIVERSARY OF NINOY

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By Therese Romaine Nalangan Rustia
IV-Michael Faraday


Together with the Aquino family and members of the August Twenty-One Movement, the Makati City Government honored the 25th death anniversary of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr last Aug 21.

Held at the Ninoy Aquino statue at the intersection of Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas Avenue, City Mayor Jejomar Cabauatan Binay conducted a wreath laying ceremony in remembrance of the great senator that had awakened the spirits of thousands of Filipino people to go against Marcos’ regimen 25 years ago.

The city mayor said, “A quarter of a century ago, Ninoy sacrificed his life to show the world that the Filipino is worth dying for. Now, it is our turn to honor his sacrifice and prove that indeed, we are a people worth such an act of martyrdom.”

With a solemn voice and the desire to uplift those who were listening to him, City Mayor Binay also said that, “This is a time when we need heroes to look up to, whose leadership and courage inspire people. Ninoy reminds us of the heroism that is in all Filipinos. During these trying times, may his memory help rekindle in us that ardent patriotism that had once brought us together as one people and one nation.”

*Article is based from an article in the Makati Mirror, August 2008.

MAKATI ALLOTS BUDGET FOR CITY'S SENIOR CITIZENS

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By Therese Romaine Nalangan Rustia
IV-Michael Faraday


Last year, the Makati City Government has allotted PhP96, 856, 000 for its programs for the elderly.

This year, they now have a total budget of PhP102, 634, 164.50 for the city’s senior citizens.

Having innovative programs for almost 50, 000 senior citizens, Makati gives privileges to the elderly.

A few of these programs are the free movies in all cinemas around the city which began in 2001; the “Harana kay Lolo at Lola” which is a serenade to all senior birthday celebrants together with a birthday or wedding anniversary cake; and the “Lakbay Saya ni Lolo at Lola” which takes senior citizens on tours around and outside Metro Manila.

Aside from that, BLU card holders are also given an annual cash of PhP2, 000, which is every May and December and beneficiaries of the card holders will receive PhP3, 000 for financial assistance upon their death.

Mayor Jejomar Cabauatan Binay of Makati said that these privileges are a way to give back to those senior citizens who have done much for Makati.

GOVERNMENT MONITORS PRODUCTS IMPORTED FROM CHINA

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By Therese Romaine Nalangan Rustia
IV-Michael Faraday


In a cabinet meeting, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered officials to close establishments that import and sell milk and dairy products imported from China.

After a briefing led by Health Secretary Francisco _____ Duque III on the latest developments in melamine scare, the President issued the said order.

According to him, President Arroyo wants to assure the protection of Filipino consumers against contaminated milk products.

Presently, Chinese milk products have also been banned from other importing countries even though the government of China has done investigations on all milk manufacturing companies that used melamine.

In reports, more than 50,000 Chinese babies have become sick after the intake of the contaminated infant formula which triggered a global food safety crisis.

Because of this, the Philippine government prohibited the entry of any milk products from China.

After testing 30 dairy products, the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) have found two having signs of melamine.

Duque said that announcements would be made after the screening of all products is finished.

Many officials suggest that BFAD should also test a variety of imported products such as drugs and other food to ensure the quality of the products.

DEPED AIMS TO PROMOTE READING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

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By Therese Romaine Nalangan Rustia
IV-Michael Faraday


Also called as library hubs, the book distribution centers were built by the Department of Education (Deped) to provide reading materials to 43,000 public schools.

According to officials, 35 out of the 105 library hubs were funded and supported by local government executives.

Taken from the savings of the department, PhP170 million worth of storybooks were purchased to be distributed to the different centers.

Aside from that, Php50 million was also spent for the renovation of some buildings to serve as libraries.

Functioning as a “warehouse and wholesale distribution center”, the hubs are exclusively for public elementary and high schools.

For easy circulation, the supplementary reading materials were sorted according to the subject area and placed in plastic bins.

Education Secretary Jesli ____ Lapus said that the Department of Education is determined to promote reading among public high school students and that through their project; they have distribution points that would guarantee access to the books.

DBB CONSIDERS RESUMING DRUG ABUSE ED FOR STUDENTS

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By Therese Romaine Nalangan Rustia
IV-Michael Faraday


In order to prevent the use of illegal drugs, the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) wants to revive their programs which educate elementary students about the effects of drugs.

Vicente “Tito” _____ Sotto III, Dangerous Drugs Board chairman, said that the program would help their campaign against dangerous drugs as it also builds a closer link between the police and the youth.

With the program, the police would give a discourse to fifth and sixth graders about the dangers and problems involving abuse and trade of illegal drugs.

Police Director General Jesus _____ Verzosa agrees with the program and is very cooperative with the promotion of the campaign.

Apart from the drug abuse education program, Sotto also wants to use sports and livelihood as a means for [drug] pushers to be productive and earn money without selling illegal drugs.

IMMIGRATION OFFICER IN HOT WATER; 17 MINORS RESCUED FROM HUMAN SMUGGLING

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By Zatia Denise Danao Gammad
IV-Madame Marie Curie


The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) collared two members of a human smuggling syndicate while escorting 17 female minors about to depart for Jordan and Syria last Tuesday night, 16 Sept 2008.

The NBI operation conducted was without coordination with airport officials due to information that an insider was serving as the syndicate’s contact. Agents of NBI received tips regarding the Middle East-bound minors who were escorted and given instructions by “Teng” and “Toni” to proceed to the booth of Immigration Officer Mindaya Ombawa.

Teng and Toni were later discovered to be Ombawa’s relatives. Ombawa is an Immigration officer assigned at NAIA I yet found time to operate in NAIA 3.

The passengers were about to board the flight for Jordan and Syria when NBI agents rounded them up. Teng and Toni fled immediately but caught later in Ombawa’s car pursued by the NBI agents.

Ombawa is now suspended from reporting to work at NAIA pending investigation and has been recalled to report back to the BI Main Office.

NINA DAMAGES 57 HOUSES AND P468T AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

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By Zatia Denise Danao Gammad
IV-Madame Marie Curie


As a result of the devastation brought by Typhoon Nina in the Cordillera, approximately 57 houses were totally destroyed in Baguio City and Benguet, and the same number of houses partially damaged in Baguio, Benguet and Apayao due to landslides and flooding in the past days. About P119,000 worth of agricultural crops and P349,000 in fisheries were likewise destroyed in Benguet, Mountain Province, and Apayao

According to the Cordillera Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (CRDCC), 1,030 individuals belonging to 205 families were adversely displaced by the tropical storm when it hit northern Luzon last September 22 and 23.

In Mt. Province alone, an estimated P84,000 of agricultural crops was washed away by strong winds and P35,000 either got eroded, flooded or rotted away.

As to damage to fisheries, in Apayao alone, approximately P141,000 was damaged by overflowing in the barangays of Imelda, Swan and Alem in the town of Pudtol; P63,000 was flooded in the barangays of Malayugan, Baluyan, Sta. Maria, San Jose, Malubibit, Tamalunog, Lower Atoc and Bagutong in the municipality of Flora; P56,000 was also flooded in barangays Panay, San Antonio, Marcela and Malekeg in the town of Sta. Marcela; while another P48,000 was also flooded in the barangays of Capagaypayan, San Sebastian, Tumog, San Isidro, San Francisco, Zumigui and Lappa in the municipality of Luna.

FELIX RESURRECCION HIDALGO: A QUIET ARTIST IN THE LIMELIGHT

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By Vladimir Paat Villegas
IV – Sir Isaac Newton


When Juan Luna won the gold medal in the 1884 Madrid Exposition, a Filipino painter shared with him the limelight by securing the second place. It was non-other than Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo (“The Consumate Artist”, 1996).

He was born in Binondo, Manila on Feb 21, 1855 as the third of the seven children of Eduardo Resurreccion Hidalgo and Maria Barbara Padilla (“Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo”, 1996; Ocampo, 2008). He was reared by an upper-class family as showed by a commissioned portrait by Antonio Malantic, one of the most famous portrait painters those times (Ocampo, 2008). The portrait, finished in 1859, was named Narciso Hidalgo and his grandson; however, it was now known better as Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo and his grandfather (Ocampo, 2008).

There were no presented records of his early education, but there was a presumption of either a private tutor was hired or his mother, who formerly attended the Escuela Municipal de Manila (now known as Ateneo de Manila University) was the one who first taught him. All that was known was that he finished with a Bachelor in Philosophy at the University of Sto Tomas in 1871. He, as not well known, was implicated in a student demonstration that gained significance that followed the “Terror of 1872”. It was a period of grim which wiped out a whole generation of prominent people, as described by the historian O D Corpuz, which started at the martyrdom of the Gomburza (Ocampo, 2008).

This terror then let Hidalgo retire to his studio and devote his life to painting. He then enrolled in the Manila Escuela de Dibujo y Pintura (Manila School of Drawing and Painting), which was run by Agustin Saez. It was said that Juan Luna also studied here briefly and, according to different books, either left or was expelled for Saez was a good but not a kind of a nice teacher (Ocampo, 2008).

Here, he was trained very well. At first, he had an inferiority complex of being a probinsyano and was disappointed with the school and his classmates. But later, he told that “We lost our fear upon seeing the work of students here. We were greatly disenchanted on the other hand because we would like to have people who have more mettle as our classmates than the ones attending now for they would have served as stimulus to us (Ocampo, 2008).”

Hidalgo then won the second place when Domingo Vidal y Soler held a contest for the frontispiece of Manuel Blanco’s Flora de Filipinas. He would have probably won the contest if Saez did not compete with his own students. The frontispiece he made was not that extant, but a reader will find plates done by him upon going through the work (Ocampo, 2008).

The disappointment he had with his formal schooling was made up by living in the capital and being exposed to the Museo del Prado. He said: “I do not want to tell you about the museum because I have no more time. I will only tell you that it contains the most valuable collection of paintings, more than 30000, that is found in Europe. One leaves that building with a headache and despair in the soul because one is convince of the little he knows, that one is not even an atom compared with the colossi of art (Ocampo, 2008).” [Italics Mine]

It was also said that he must have even shown his talents earlier in Mania for some of his works were sent to the 1879 Philadelphia Exposition. With not much more to learn or to escape the “Terror”, he went to Spain and enrolled in the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid. It was also the same school where other Filipino artists like Esteban Villanueva, Manuel Zaragosa, Melecio Figueroa, Juan Luna, Jose Rizal, among others enrolled in (Ocampo, 2008).

No documents could be found now in the academy regarding Hidalgo but he himself was the one to provide the information in his letter to his friends on Oct 15, 1879. It then reads: “Our professor in the class of ancient painting and drapery from 8 to 10 is Mr Espalter; in that of coloring from 10 to 12, Mr Federico Madrazo; in that of pictorial anatomy from 1 to 2, Mr Ignacio Llanos; and in that of natural from 6:30 to 8:30 in the evening, Mr Carlos Ribera (Ocampo, 2008).” [Italics Mine]

He then added; “They are very good professors, but you can be very sure that what you can study [in Manila] with Mr Saez is exactly the same as what is taught here. The only difference is that there you draw and paint much more comfortably because you have the entire room. Here, we can hardly pick up a bad corner, often enveloped in darkness, and we have to stretch our necks to see the model, who, parenthetically speaking, is almost always poor, though very suitable for the study of the deviations of the human form (Ocampo, 2008).” [Italics Mine]

He also advised Rizal and Anson: “Do not lose your courage and follow the advice of our dear professor, Agustin Saez, and in that way you will advance greatly in such a difficult study that of painting (Ocampo, 2008).”

Like Juan Luna, who left Madrid for Rome to work with Alejo Vera, Hidalgo joined the company of Spanish painters in the Eternal City. It was there where was immersed in the history and stories of ancient Rome, thus producing the painting Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho (Christian Virgins Exposed to the Mob). It won a silver medal in the 1884 Madrid Exposition of Fine Arts, where Juan Luna won the gold medal for Spoliarium. From then on, he would always be a quiet shadow to Luna. From then on, Luna and Hidalgo became the first international Filipino painters (Ocampo, 2008).

The roads then led them to the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889, a commemoration of the glories of the French Revolution. Through this, they saw the Eiffel Tower. Hidalgo, with Luna, even established ateliers in 65 Boulevard Arago in a building called Cite Fleury, which stands still and is rented out exclusively to artists, painters, and sculptors. The building could be located; however, no one knows which apartments they occupied (Ocampo, 2008).

There were two other known paintings of him – the Assassination of Governor Bustamante (Church Against the State) and La Loba Negra (The Black Wolf) (Ocampo, 2008).

The first one was requested by Antonio Ma Regidor. It depicted the rousing of Governor Bustamante from his sleep in the year 1719 after he had Archbishop Francisco de la Cuesta of Manila thrown into jail. The Franciscans, Dominicans, and Augustinians came out from their convents carrying crucifixes and shouting “Long Live the Church! Long Live King Philip V!” He then ordered the discharging of the artillery from the fort upon knowing that a mob would come, but the cannons were aimed so low that the balls were buried in the middle of the esplanade of the fort. The mob then climbed up, dragging down the governor in ropes as if he is to be exorcised and breaking his right arm and a saber blow on his head caused him to fall like one dead. His son who tried to intervene was also killed that night (Ocampo, 2008).

That was the story of his painting narrated by an eyewitness, but when Regidor asked him to paint the scene, his imagination wandered. The crowd was depicted as a pack of furious religious identifiable by their distinctive habits, most prominent being Dominicans whom Hidalgo knew in the University of Sto Tomas (Ocampo, 2008).

The story of the first painting then spawned the second painting, which was once attributed to Fr Jose Burgos, which was available in manuscript doubted by scholars and translated from the original Spanish into English by the ex-Jesuit Hilario Lim. The story was however intriguing because the black she-wolf murdered friars at night as the avenging widow of Bustamante. The painter then later clarified that the painting referred not to Burgos, but to Jose E_____ Marco of Negros, whose forgeries were so successful that aside from La Loba Negra, he created Kalantiaw, a lawmaker predating the Spanish conquest (Ocampo, 2008).

Hidalgo then died on Mar 13, 1913 in Sarrea, Spain (“Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo”, 1996). His work, the Assassination, was exhibited twice in the last century: in 1974 at the National Museum and in 1989 at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila (Ocampo, 2008). Today, it was covered with scaffolding as it undergoes restoration and cleaning (Ocampo, 2008).

N B This article was written using the American Psychological Association documentation format. List of resources is available upon request



REFERENCES

(1996) Felix Ressureccion Hidalgo. In V S Almario, et al (Eds), Filway’s Philippine Almanac (pp 71, 124) Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines: Filway Marketing, Inc

(1996) Juan Luna: The Consummate Artist. In V S Almario, et al (Eds), Filway’s Philippine Almanac (pp 71, 124) Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines: Filway Marketing, Inc

Ocampo, A (2008, October). France in our heroes’ eyes Looking Back Retrieved October 1, 2008 from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Ocampo, A (2008, October). A gifted painter now almost forgotten Looking Back Retrieved October 3, 2008 from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Ocampo, A (2008, October). The education of Hidalgo Looking Back Retrieved October 8, 2008 from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Ocampo, A (2008, October). The mob of 1719 Looking Back Retrieved October 10, 2008 from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

UNTITLED

UNEDITED SAMPLE LITERARY ARTICLE
By Jon Bon Jovi Endaya Timones
IV-Albert Einstein


All the students are cramming every now and then. Some are due to quizzes; others are due to projects or outputs, and most of the time, busy copying their assignments. They say, education is the key to success, so let’s not waste it. Yes, that’s true; so many people now are striving hard to get their diploma even if doing it the dirtiest way.

I commonly hear my co-students saying the word “G.C.”, which simply means grade conscious, every time a classmate of mine gets high scores in his tests. But what does grade conscious really mean? Is it just having high scores or high grades? Or you’re the only one in class who has done the assignment?

Grade consciousness, for me, is not a big deal; actually, I’m just surprised that it now became a lingo or expression that my batch mates say every now and then. For me, it’s just facing your responsibilities. Today, people are getting lazier and lazier, maybe because of the massive technological advancement that we are experiencing. But do we need to rely our education to these technological advancements? Yes it can help us gain a higher degree of education, but it doesn’t mean that it is the one that will do it for us. Grade consciousness is just a plain product of our imagination, no need for us to debate about it.

UP @ 100: END OF A CENTURY, BEGINNING OF A LEGACY

UNEDITED SAMPLE FEATURE ARTICLE
By Vladimir Paat Villegas
IV – Sir Isaac Newton


UP was established in 1908 by the action of the Philippine Assembly (which was the legislature that time) and started with only a few colleges which when put together would fit the Manila campus, which was patterned after the land-grant universities of the United States. As World War II then tore Manila, it moved to a 493-hectare campus in Diliman, Quezon City (“About UP”, 2007).

These constituent universities nurture the intellectual and cultural growth of the Filipinos through its 246 undergraduate and 362 graduate programs, which shows its inclusion of almost all the disciplines and embrace to almost all interests and inclinations. 30 percent of the faculty have doctoral degrees and 42 percent have master’s degrees (“About UP”, 2007).

Statistics show that the more than 50000 student population thrives in the liberal atmosphere of the UP tradition, producing graduates which have become leaders in politics and governance, law, sciences, and arts. It has produced more than 25 National Scientists and 30 National Artists who worked in different diverse fields and maintains an exemplary performance record in different professional licensure examinations (“About UP”, 2007).

It is internationally recognized as the leading educational institution in the country for it has made records of being the only Philippine university in the Association of Pacific Rim of Universities (APRU) where membership is nominated and voted by the other member universities, the only Philippine university in Association of South East Asian Nations – European University Network (ASEA – UNINET), one of the two Philippine universities in ASEAN University Network (AUN), and one of the two Philippine universities which make up the top 500 universities worldwide (“About UP”, 2007).

UP ALL OVER THE COUNTRY

Today, the UP System consists of 12 constituent campuses throughout the archipelago. The system includes almost all disciplines and embraces all interests and inclinations through its 246 undergraduate and 362 graduate programs (“About UP”, 2007).

The Diliman campus is the flagship and the administrative seat of the system. It offers 296 graduate and undergraduate studies. It runs several centers of research, many of which are declared by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as Centers of Excellence. The strong commitment to arts is also in the campus through such units as Vargas Museum, UP Film Institute, and Likhaan: Institute of Creative Writing (“UP Diliman”, 2007).

The Manila campus is the nerve center of medicine and its related professions. Its extension services and research centers renders service through academic training, research, and development. These units are the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), National Institutes of Health, and the Office of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod and Continuing Education, the UP’s volunteer outreach service (“UP Manila”, 2007).

The Los Baños campus is now the agricultural center for Asia. Sustainable productivity and efficient utilization of resources are the aims of its research works. It has a special focus on rice agriculture as spearheaded by the International Rice Research Institute. It also maintains stewardship of the 4000 hectares of Mt Makiling for its affairs in forestry. At the same time, it safeguards the biodiversity of the vicinity and preserves watershed areas for energy use and water consumption (“UP Los Baños”, 2007).

In Visayas, the UP System houses four campuses: Iloilo, Miag-ao, Tacloban, and Cebu. It focuses on marine and agricultural science and boasts on regional study programs with regards to culture at the same time (“UP Visayas”, 2007).

However, the Mindanao campus is for human resource development and democratization of access to UP education for all sectors. Currently, it is undertaking efforts to address food agriculture problems and issues in Mindanao (“UP Mindanao”, 2007).

The youngest constituent of the UP System is the Baguio campus. Formerly, it was just a regional constituent of the Diliman campus but was autonomized as a college in 1999 and was made a university in December 2002. The campus, in its research with the Cordillera Studies Center (CSC) aims to contribute to higher education in Northern Luzon through research expansion and collaboration with other institutions (“UP Baguio”, 2007).

Its Open University is the leading institution and pioneer of distant education in the Philippines in all degree programs. Students constrained by family and professional commitments are then given internet and learning modules. It was founded in 1995 (“UP Open University”, 2007).

CHARTER CHANGE AND UP AS A NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

As chartered by House Bill No 2845 and Senate Bill No 1964, Pres Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act 9500 or commonly known as the University of the Philippines Charter of 2008 on April 29, 2008. Thus, it was proclaimed as the national university (“RA 9500”, 2008).

Through the new charter, the university was still given the same responsibilities; however, they were taken to the national level. Despite these responsibilities, the national university was encouraged to sports (“RA 9500”, 2008).

Another feature that the charter added to UP was the Board of Regents which is responsible for major actions in the national university. It composes of: 1) the Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education as the Chairperson; 2) the University President as the Co-Chairperson; 3) the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts, and Culture; 4) the Chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education; 5) the President of the UP Alumni Association, which would serve as the Alumni Regent throughout his or her incumbency; 6) a Faculty Regent to represent all teaching personal; 7) a Student Regent to serve for a year; 8) a Staff Regent; 9) and three other Regents (at least two of which are alumni) (“RA 9500”, 2008).

PRELIMINARY CENTENNIAL FEATURES

The centennial was launched on June 18 this year as stated by the Memorandum No PERR-06-037 of University President Emerlinda R____ Roman. To kick off the event, an evening concert was held as sponsored by the UP System and UP Diliman for the entire academic community (Roman, 2008).

“UP: Excellence, Leadership, and Service in the Next 100 Years” is the theme of their centennial for the university moves into the future with goals that are ever more expansive as told by its administrators. It was decided upon during the 7th Centennial Commission Meeting April 25 this year. According them, the kinetic dash concretely involves rationalizing and firming up its programs, strengthening its position, and developing its community of intellectuals (“Centennial Theme”, 2008).

The centennial logo comprises of the Oblation, which is the famous symbol of the university for the sacrificing youth; the Sablay with yellow letters, which is the sash worn by students upon graduation and symbol of the commitment to remain as the country’s premier institution; and the globe highlighting the map of the Philippines, which is the representation of the rightful place of UP as the national university. The logo also has the colors forest green and maroon. This logo is used by every campus in all forms of communications (Roman, 2008; “Description of the UP Centennial Logo”, 2008).

UP Naming Mahal, the universities song, was a poem by Teogenes Velez, a Liberal Arts student, set into music by Nicanor Abelardo, a student of the Conservatory of Music. It was first sung in 1917 before an audience as UP Beloved. The Filipino version of the song is a product of seven translations thoroughly edited by a screening committee to be an emblem as much as the Oblation (“A Bit of History…”, 2008).

100 Kwentong Peyups, a series of columns in the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) and Philippine Star throughout the year, is another part of the centennial. People who write should be a person who is into UP. Its first column was published on February 12 this year (“100 Kwentong Peyups”, 2008).

Centennial television advertisements are aired. These commercials contain different famous personalities acting as former persons from UP, discussing what those persons had contributed in the last 100 years, and ending up with the slogan “’Pag tumaya ka sa UP, tumataya ka sa bayan” (“Pag tumaya ka sa UP, tumataya ka sa bayan”, 2008).

UPiktyuran Na!, another centennial feature of UP, is a photo contest supported by Smart Communications, Inc with the Wolfpac Mobile, Inc and UP College of Mass Communication. Through this, anyone into UP shares their stories through Multimedia Messaging System (MMS) (“About UPiktyuran Na!”, 2008).

THE CENTENNIAL AND ITS RESPONSE TO THE NATION

As said by Dr Roman (2008) in her letter, “We shall try simultaneously to beam to all campuses the centennial lectures. Campuses are therefore enjoined to submit to the UP System the list of lectures and other details.” [Italics Mine]

One of the lectures convened by Prof Mirriam Coronel-Ferrer (2008) had the theme Peace ngayon, war bukas, pwede ba ‘yon, telling the countries situations. Rep Saturnino “Satur” Ocampo’s (2008) centennial lecture, UP will forge through risked-filled neo-liberal era; so will militant activism persist, however, touched more about the liberal attitude of the persons into UP. However, Dr Cecilia A_____ Florencio (2008) said three important points in her lecture, Unibersidad ng Pilipinas: Pag-asa ng Bayan: “the university serves the nation and does its duties honestly; it is a community of scholars and right conduct; and every thing mentioned are interrelated in a national university.”

The one which was delivered by former UP President Dr Jose V______ Abueva (2008), Reinventing UP as the National University: Learning for Truth, Leadership, and Social Transformation, focuses on two topics: the university itself and the university’s duties as stated by its new charter.

Persons from other institutions also delivered lectures. Rev Fr Bienvenido F_____ Nebres, SJ (2008), the President of Ateneo de Manila University, delivered his lecture entitled Building Internationally Competitive Solutions and Overcoming Poverty: Can These Two Paths Converge?.

CENTENNIAL AWARDS

As also said by Dr Roman (2008) in her letter, “No decision has been made relative to the granting of awards, but campuses are urged to come up with proposals. After the meeting, a suggestion was made to recognize truly distinguished individuals (not necessarily UP alumni and not necessarily 100 in number) who embody the values UP stands for.” [Italics Mine]

The UP Institute of Creative Writing then held the Gawad Likhaan: UP Centennial Literary Awards. It comprised of two categories – English and Filipino. The winners Jose Marte A_____ Abueg (English Poetry, Bird Lands, River Nights, and other Melancholies), Criselda D_____ Yabes (English Fiction and Creative Nonfiction, Below the Crying Mountain and Sarena’s Story: The Loss of a Kingdom), Jerry B_____ Gracio (Filipino Poetry, Aves), Jose Rey Munsayac (Filipino Fiction, Duguang Kamay sa Nilulumot na Pader) and Lualhati M_____ Abreu (Filipino Creative Nonfiction, Agaw Dilim, Agaw Liwanag) were given Php200000 on July 8 at the Pulungang Claro M Recto, Faculty Center, UP Diliman. The affair was then opened to the public (“Winners of the UP Literary Awards announced”, 2008).

More are still to happen as the UP Film Institute will conduct the UP Centennial Digital Filmmaking and Photography Competition Festival and Awards Night at the Cine Adarna. There, semi-finalists are to be screened and awarded then (“UP Centennial Digital Filmmaking and Photography Competition…”, 2008).

NB This article was written using the American Psychological Association documentation format. List of resources is available upon request.



REFERENCES


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(2008). UP Centennial Digital Filmmaking and Photography Competition Festival and Awards Night. Retrieved from http://centennial.up.edu.ph/?p=117