TWENTY-nine Thomasians represented both the University and the country in the Third Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Universities Arts Festival at the University Cultural Center of the National University of Singapore last Dec. 19 to 21.
The students were selected from the Salinggawi Dance Troupe, Teatro Tomasino, Artistang Artlets, Conservatory of Music Rondalla, and the College of Fine Arts and Design (CFAD).
In the opening concert titled “Spirit of ASEAN,” the Salinggawi performed folk dances accompanied by the Conservatory of Music Rondalla. The theater groups presented a mime about the Ilocano epic “Biag ni Lam-Ang,’” while students from CFAD ran a painting and photograph exhibit on Philippine culture and sold Philippine handicrafts in a bazaar.
With the Philippines as the most likely host for next year, the delegation promised to do better.
CFAD freshman and noted painter Eleazar Abraham Orobia said that although Filipinos have a very rich culture, they still need to improve facilities and to establish an arts-oriented atmosphere.
Student delegates from universities of Southeast Asian countries like Singapore, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos, Brunei, and Cambodia gathered “to foster unity” and to promote cultural exchange.
Faculty of Arts and Letters Dean Dr. Armando de Jesus, Student Welfare and Development Board Director Prof. Zenaida Famorca, and IPEA Director Fr. Ermito De Sagon, O.P. accompanied the students to the event.
