MANILA, Philippines – The Sunken Garden in UP Diliman hadn't witnessed a bonfire celebration until 2014. Perhaps the University of the Philippines community wasn’t used to celebrating huge victories in the sports arena.
The first one came after the UP men's basketball team ended their 27-game losing streak and UP students, varsity athletes, and alumni gathered to celebrate the Fighting Maroons’ first win in two years.
Nearly two years later, the Sunken Garden was once again the site of a bonfire on Friday, May 13, but not to celebrate a lone victory. State U had something bigger to celebrate, following its men's and women's football teams winning UAAP Season 78 championships, plus the success of other teams in their respective sports.
(READ: Diliman Double: How UP's men and women footballers ruled the UAAP)
As the Iskolars ng Bayan say, there’s nowhere to go but up, and that's why the university hopes to make this a more frequent event.
“We want this to be a tradition to express our deepest gratitude to the athletes of UP Diliman,” Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Neil Martial Santillan said in his short speech before the lighting of the torch.
The cultivation night was planned by the office of Santillan in partnership with the University Student Council.
“This is the first time that the UP Student Council and some of the organizations took the initiative to honor and recognize our varsity athletes,” College of Human Kinetics Dean Ronualdo Dizer told Rappler.
According to Dizer, they organized the event mainly to give recognition to other varsity teams who get less or no exposure at all compared to the basketball and volleyball teams.
“This is an appreciation of the hardwork of our athletes in their effort to bring honor and glory to the university.”
Moreover, the UAAP Season 78 host school is happy with the performance of their teams this year despite only finishing fourth in the overall rankings. Dizer, however, is positive they’ll clinch their second general championship next season.
“We also intend to improve our performance and hopefully get the second general championship next year,” he said.
It’s about time for the country’s premier university to focus on its athletics program alongside its academic excellence. This is a good step towards achieving that goal.
“This is a way to fan the flame of solidarity and UP pride.” – Rappler.com