On January 8, 2008, the University of the Philippines, established by the Philippine legislature on June 18, 1908, kicked off its Centennial celebrations in a grand way as UP officials, faculty members, support staff, students, alumni, and friends arrived in droves to commemorate the milestone event. Many of the alumni came home from abroad and some from other places in the Philippines.

A mammoth motorcade originating from UP Manila and joined by contingents from UP Diliman, the UP Diliman (UPDEPP) Extension Program in Pampanga, UP Los Baños, UP Visayas, UP Mindanao, and UP Open University along University Avenue started the celebrations after lunch.

As the contingents amassed along University Avenue and the Oblation Plaza in UPD, helicopters hovered low and scattered confetti, flower petals, and balloons among the crowd. The gathering was also highlighted by two batches of sky-divers from the military’s Special Action Force and the police, bearing the emblems of the different UP constituent units and congratulatory banners. All executed a perfect landing on the open field beside Plaridel Hall.

Throughout the day, the rock song “UP Ang Galing Mo,” especially composed for the Centennial,blared from speakers, while projectors flashed highlights of the activities live on at least four giant screens installed along the University Avenue and the Oblation Plaza. Intermittently, the newly-restored Carillon rang out with tunes being played by Prof. Jerry Dadap, one of the first carilloneurs of the University. Meanwhile, alumni, mostly dressed in Centennial t-shirts, happily lost themselves in mini-reunions with old friends.

As the parade ended, a group of stu-dents blew ten tambulis while a barrage of kwitis rocketed to the sky to signal the start of a program in front of the Oblation Plaza. Torches were then carried around the 22-kilometer Academic Oval by a hundred alumni, University officials, and students, accompanied by a 100-gun sa-lute from the UP Rifle Team. The torch relay ended in the lighting of the Centennial Cauldron right in front of the Oblation Plaza.

According to Alumni Regent Ponciano Rivera Jr., concurrently president of UP Alumni Association (UPAA), the flame symbolizes UP’s quest to learn more and be of service to mankind. This respon-sibility is passed from generation to gene-ration. The UPAA, the main organizer of the grand Centennial kick-off, believes that the flame will burn eternally in the hearts of UP alumni.

The first torch-bearer was Civil Engineer Fernando Javier from Baguio, an alumnus (Batch 1933) who turned a hundred years old on December 22, 2007. “I am really glad that I’m still alive to witness this. I’m proud and elated that I will join UP again,” Javier said in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer before the kick-off ceremonies. He had been a civil servant, a survivor of the Bataan Death March, an Engineering professor in Afghanistan and Korea, and an environment worker in Guam. He now busies himself with agriculture and horticulture in northern Luzon. Without the aid of a cane, he was able to walk the entire length of the Academic Oval together with other torch-bearers who included University officials, former UP presidents, students, national scientists and artists, and other alumni, such as actor Richard Gomez, broadcast journalist Che-Che Lazaro, music pioneer Ryan Cayabyab, teenage Physics professor Mikaela Irene Fudolig, Senators Franklin Drilon and Richard Gordon, and Commission on Higher Education chief Romulo Neri.

The 100th torch-bearer was President Emerlinda R. Roman, who was tasked with lighting the flame of the Centennial Cauldron with the Centennial torch. The cauldron, designed by Joel Ajero, 1969 Chemical Engineering graduate, stands on three slender pillars representing the three core values of the University: excellence, service, and leadership. Springing from the base is a tree with seven flowers representing the seven CUs. After lighting the Centennial flame, Roman declared the UP Centennial Year open.

The cheering crowd then burst into singing UP Naming Mahal, and was afterwards entertained by the UP Pep Squad. Then, the participants were invited to the UPD Amphitheater for the Centennial kick-off concert organized by UP Diliman.

Before an audience that filled the entire amphitheater to overflowing, the concert featured the UPMadrigal Singers, UP Pep Squad, UP Jazz Orchestra, UP Concert Chorus, UP Symphonic Orchestra, UP Symphonic Band, Ryan Cayabyab, and Nanette Inventor. A grand fireworks display, sponsored by Beta Epsilon, capped the day-long festivities. (Prof. Tessa Jazmines, Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, Bernice P.Varona, and Francis Paolo Quina)

From the UP Newsletter website