| Throughout the
centennial kick-off, one song reverberated in the air.
UP Ang Galing Mo not only appeared in shirts, it assaulted
other senses as well. ‘UP Ang Galing Mo,’
the phrase repeated a thousand times, it seems. The
official centennial song played for what could have
been well more than a hundred times.
Some were reminded of a popular radio station jingle,
others, of a primetime show ditty. The song suited perfectly
in the overall thrust of the celebration – pride
congratulations for a job well done on one hand, complacency
and selective overlooking of things best ignored on
the other.
Melody of malady
As with UP Naming Mahal, UP Ang Galing Mo is a product
of a song-writing competition. Composed by alumnus and
veteran jingle-maker Herbert A. Rosales, the compelling
theme behind it is nostalgia and pride at reaching a
hundred years. UP Naming Mahal, meanwhile, which was
originally in English, aimed to capture the ‘elusive’
UP spirit during UP’s early years.
Right from the start, the song’s foremost sentiments
are made clear: loyalty, pride, homecoming. Similarly,
the kick-off festivities saw the return of UP alumni
from distant lands and the reaffirmation of everyone’s
pride and loyalty to UP.
Also, the school’s famed excellence in the academe
is described as beyond compare and indiscriminate of
field. Science, though, gains the only mention, while
all other fields are relegated to ‘kahit ano pa.’
‘Hi-tech man’ bares its attempt in projecting
UP as a modernized university and not lagging behind
in technology. This is also apparent in the choice of
the genre of music – pop rock.
Such, however, reveal the loud and proud anthem’s
selective character, which facets it choose to resonate
and what it is meaningfully silent on.
A myriad of maladies have pervaded the university –
a fact best forgotten if the celebrations were to remain
festive. UP, for one, suffers from continuously dwindling
government subsidy despite its supposedly sterling status
in society. It declares its technological advances yet
students still cry for better facilities. It claims
to be the ‘hope of the people’ but does
not say that it recently raised its tuition, restricting
access to UP education. Amidst such issues, organizers
of the kick-off opted to keep the celebrations ‘devoid
of politics’ and neutral. With the UP administration
dictating the celebration’s focus, it cannot be
expected to look at problems which would just dampen
the festive mood.
Notwithstanding its singularly messianic tone, the
song’s reference to UP’s tradition of being
a beacon of change looks at students’ struggles
as if they were over, trapped in history, as if the
battle was already won.
Alternative tunes
Isang Daan, the official centennial song of UP Los Baños
and composed by student Maria Angelica Dayao, offers
an alternative. Instead of starting with congratulations,
the song pays homage to UP’s role of serving the
people (see sidebar ). More importantly, it does so
without bypassing pride and loyalty, as these figure
prominently in the song’s chorus and bridge.
Unlike UP Ang Galing Mo, which views excellence as
the University’s most important tradition, Isang
Daan sees a more pressing one. While UP Ang Galing Mo
is content with reaping the freedoms of past struggles,
Isang Daan declares the need to persist, although admittedly
vague at some point.
Taking this a step further is a modified version of
UP Naming Mahal performed in Lean The Musical. Sung
in parts by Chikoy Pura, Noel Cabangon, Cooky Chua and
Bayang Barrios, this version completely departs from
the self-directed acclaim of the original to focus more
on the people, whom, the song says, the University is
supposed to be of (see sidebar).
While both versions pay tribute to the UP scholar,
the original views him as the hope of the nation, the
new, a servant of the people. Also, the adaptation tackles
the subject of loyalty differently. While the original
declares constancy by keeping UP in the hearts of alumni,
the adaptation seemingly pokes fun at this and espouses
a different brand of loyalty: staying in the country
and serving Filipinos. All in all, the song places the
people above the self.
Alternative celebrations of the centennial banked on
such principle; that more than apolitical nostalgia,
the milestone calls for reaffirming a fundamental nature
of UP education: that it is be funded by the people
and, thus, UP students being subsequently indebted to
them.
Disharmony
In the same way that the centennial kick-off rites summarily
ignored other sectors comprising the UP community, the
question of selecting the official centennial song underscores
the issue of favoring one set of ideals over another;
although, of course, marginalized ideals will always
find ways to claw its way to the center.
These songs all seek to portray the University of the
Philippines in certain lights. UP Ang Galing Mo is content
in basking in glory. Isang Daan meets halfway, congratulates
the University and calls for persistence at the same
time. The modified version of UP Naming Mahal completely
shatters all traces of narcissistic remembrance and
devotes everything to the people.
As UP looks back on its 100-year history, these songs,
aside from being anthems of celebration, also serve
as documents, records as it reaches a milestone in its
existence. By virtue of omission from such records,
then, a song can delete a long-standing tradition, such
as service to the people, from its set of ideals.
For an institution that has played a crucial role in
the nation’s state of affairs, exultation and
pats on the back are in order. Yet for a university
like UP, school spirit means more than singing such
songs with proud voices. It is sharply remembering which
voices it is supposed to heed, for this is what separates
it from the rest. # Philippine
Collegian
<<
back to home |
