Slip of the Pen

Approaching the Oblation plaza, at around 4 P.M. The towering trees lining up the Academic Oval have always been a source of inspiration for me.

At this point, the excitement was very palpable in the air. Many people were chatting with voices slightly shaking in excitement, and laughs were in abundance. The UP Ang Galing Mo song blared through the loudspeakers, and the drums thundering to the tune of UP’s cherished school cheers spiked UP pride in everyone’s veins.

The UP Oblation. Too-much-information-ahead warning: I was just able to take this shot because I had to go to the loo in Quezon Hall.

My day shot of Quezon Hall. You can spot the Centennial Cauldron in the midst of the crowd; the flame would be lit up a few hours later.

Flag-bearers commence the parade. You can see one of the many UP Ang Galing Mo! tarps lining up University Avenue. As for the song, I know a lot of people don’t like it, and that was my initial reaction, too. But it kind of grew on me after, what, a hundred replays? Heh.

One of the first floats in the motorcade. The “100″ on the float’s side is stylized with UP’s official seal and Centennial emblem.

UP Diliman officers, including Chancellor Sergio Cao.

The helicopter that showered the crowd with confetti and balloons. The chopper did several rounds, and the last was particularly amusing — the guy inside was waving his hands, gesturing “Wala na! Ubos na!”

The following are creations of the College of Fine Arts, re-used from the 2007 Lantern Parade.

The following was a presentation from FA that poked fun at the schools of the UAAP…including UP! The crowd loved it.

FEU Tamaraw.

UST Growling Tiger.

DLSU Green Archer…dancing to some sleazy music. Or so I remember.

ADMU Blue Eagle.

UP Fighting Maroon…NOT. A caricature of the Isko of UP!

One of the most awaited events of the day was the skydiving exhibition. Each skydiver sported a banner of one of the UP System’s constituent universities.

There was a lull before nightfall, as the 100 UP alumni torchbearers took their time in marching around the Acad Oval.

The UP Symphonic Orchestra (am I right?) preparing for the concert ahead.

A few hours later, the UP Amphitheater pictured above was filled to the brim. Apologies to the guy in the pic — I was waiting for you to move out of view, hehe.

The grand columns of Quezon Hall were bathed in different colors throughout the night. This is an unedited shot (save for the watermark, of course).

Aside from pink and green, there were the gold, blue, and orange lights.

At last, the 100 torchbearers, led by a 100 year old alumnus! Unfortunately, my sucky photo merely captured a nondescript sea of fire. Among the torchbearers were sir Rio Alma, National Artist Napoleon Abueva, Ryan Cayabyab, Cheche Lazaro, and Richard Gomez.

My only decent shot of UP President Emerlinda Roman lighting the Centennial Cauldron. This was followed by the crowd singing the UP Naming Mahal. The hymn was sung for about three times that evening, but the first was really moving — the symbolic cauldron had just been lit up, the majestic Quezon Hall towered above the crowd, the Oblation was in its untiring and eternal pose of sacrifice, and the tightly-packed people were delirious — they were witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime event. UP naming mahal, pamantasang hirang. Mabuhay ang pag-asa ng bayan!

Up next was the concert. My camera’s zoom capabilities are appalling, and I had to be content with shots of colorful Quezon Hall. (For zoomed-in pics, head over to Ia’s own Centennial photo-essay.) We were lucky to get a spot (with the damp grass as the seats) in the middle of the amphitheater. The experience reminded me of my graduation two years back.

Pink…

Orange…

And blue.

The concert was followed by a breathtaking fireworks display slash pyromusical. It was supposed to last for 30 minutes, but the spectacle only run for about six. Oh well, at least the fireworks were brilliant! (Ain’t that redundant?) Some links:

• YouTube video of the Centennial celebration fireworks
• YouTube video 2, a more complete version, showing the singing of the UP Naming Mahal that was immediately followed by the pyrotechnics. Warning: some earsplitting screaming can be heard as the fireworks begin. Somebody couldn’t contain their joy — for my part, I just settled for “Shet!”

After the fireworks, the air was heavy with haze and everybody was still standing around in glorious disbelief that the event was over. I overheard one student say in Tagalog, “Bro, I bet you, there will be couples who’ll fall in love tonight!”

Ia and me went around the hall to join a throng of people posing in front of the Oblation and Centennial Cauldron. The shot above shows the “UP @ 100″ lights (superimposed over the recently used “Pasko 2007″ sign) and the Philippine flag.

Posing in front of the Centennial Cauldron, which was fricking scalding hot. We had to line up and climb the mini-stairs leading to it. Thanks a lot to miss Bebang Siy (LIRA president) for this shot! Tunay na hulog ka ng langit.

I love my alma mater, and the Centennial celebration kick-off made me feel very, very proud to have been an iskolar ng bayan — a title that doesn’t come with notions of privilege and superiority, but of solemn responsibilities to the nation and society.

Mabuhay ang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas!

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