The rumors are true—it was just as fun as you imagined. CASadyahan Week finally graced the streets of University of the Philippines (UPV) campus in celebration of the return of face-to-face classes with the theme: “CAS: Kultura.”
The week of celebration formally commenced on February 20 at the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Lobby, where organizations, faculty, and staff, welcomed new and returning students to the culture of CAS. This first few days, which spanned from February 21-23 meant to celebrate the revival of CAS Culture, was given the theme “CAStilingban: Selebrasyon sang Atun Pagbalik.”
This overarching theme follows through the succeeding events during the remaining CAS Week. On February 23, UPV constituents gathered for Busalian kang CAS, a decades-long protest pageant—the only existing official protest pageant in the entire UP system; CASadyahan with a Twist, which is a celebration of the 75th year of UP presence in Iloilo held at the city campus on February 24, and finally on February 25, CAS Recognition and Alumni Night held at the Iloilo City campus, which served as a culminating event for the weeklong celebration.
On-ground, a buzz permeated the air as students trickled towards a mix of academic and non-academic organizational booths promoting their services and products, of which serve a primary purpose—to promote their organization, and their advocacies.
The CAS Org fair is a staple every CAS week celebration. This academic year, an approximate of 20 student organizations joined the fair. For academic organizations, (UP Sakdag, Sociological Society, UPV Discursus, Ekonomikos, Biological Society, Samahang Sikolohiya, Libertas, Literati, Kamaragtas) their booths were stationed at CAS park.
Indeed, a diverse set of products and services were showcased per booth. Pre-order beaded necklaces, chips, goodies, and pre-loved clothes were among the few products listed as Income Generating Projects for the organizations.
In the spirit of the promotion and appreciation of local products and culture, the UPV University Student Council (UPV-USC) partnered with local entrepreneurs from Mindoro, Antique, and Iloilo, in showcasing handmade traditional products from these areas.
As per the goals of the council, UPV CAS-SC councilors: EdRes committee head Samantha Herbolario, and Jhola Villanueva People’s Rights and Welfare (PRAW) Committee head spearheaded HISTORYa, a two-part event on educational discussions about history and women’s month, as well as a segment on film showing.
Held at Miag-ao Interactive Learning Center (MILC), the event boasted an approximate of 60 attending students from different CAS degree programs. The event first began with a discussion from professors, Rad Sumagaysay and Early Sol Gadong, who spoke about different facets of Filipino history and women movements.
For Prof. Sumagaysay, historical denialism in the Philippines remains to be a prevalent issue that plagues the citizens. On the other hand, Prof. Gadong’s discussion on the roles of women in labor movements served as a momentous stride for Filipino women, as it served as a representation of Filipino collective action.
Egie Gepilano, a third-year student in BA - Communications and Media Studies, said it was Prof. Gadong’s talk on the role of women in labor movements that really piqued his interests. According to Gepilano, Prof. Gadong’s presentation made him think of the reasons why “other women fail to understand that this fight [empowers] them.”
“This gave me the insight that the fight to empower women is still there, we still have to push for it,” Gepilano continued.
The event capped off with a series of films produced by BA – Communications and Media Studies students, Rikki Lyn Dela Cruz, (Sayaw sang Buhi), Gilleza Therese Francisco (On The Rocks), and Leonard Billones (Itom nga Bugas, Kanaryo nga Ugat). All three films shared a similarity—in that, the Filipino identity is rich in history and culture, and that young artists serve as a reminder of these ideals.
The spirit of protest was immortalized on the walkways of UPV during the CAS Week celebration. kHALIKAsan, a pathwalk painting contest organized by the CAS Student Council, was an initiative launched to foster the talents of UPV constituents in “art used as protest.”
The event’s title, kHALIKAsan, was fashioned after the Filipino terms, halika, which translates to the Filipino phrase “come on” or “let’s go” and kalikasan which means ‘nature’. True to its form, the paintings portrayed the various environmental issues that plague Filipino society today.
The event featured the artwork of the five academic organizations from CAS, as well as other invited non-academic organizations from the university. A diverse series of themes graced the walkway, of which, the goal is to allow students the opportunity to peruse the artworks as they head to or from class.
Organizations were given free rein to prepare the design according to their vision, as long as it “forwards the relevant political calls and campaigns of the basic sectors of society.”
Among the five academic organizations that participated in the contest, UPV Elektrons won first place for their design and message.
Indeed, the first five days of CAS: Kultura, showed that despite college experiences being dampened from the pandemic, a united and powerful CAS remains unwavering.
