FOR ABOUT 10 minutes of the Neo-centennial celebration, even the heavens appeared to be extending their felicitations to the now 401-year-old Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas. A myriad of luminosities brought the entire Thomasian community to a monumental standstill—one that surpassed previous breathtaking fireworks displays that the University has become known for.
UST has earned a reputation for holding magnificent pyrotechnic shows during events such as the Paskuhan and the Baccalaureate Mass. Dragon Fireworks Inc., the country’s largest fireworks manufacturer and exporter, has been producing these shows since 2007.
As UST publicized plans for its Quadricentennial celebration, the institution became one of the most sought-after accounts for several fireworks companies across the country. Amid the fierce competition, Dragon Fireworks put its best foot forward by assigning the project to Thomasians Don Miguel Villarosa and John Oliver Zeng, who graduated from the College of Fine Arts and Design in 2009. After months of proposals and assessments, Dragon Fireworks remained the University’s pyrotechnic partner even for the Quadricentennial festivities.
“We told Fr. Roberto Pinto, O.P. (former Facilities Management Office director and the University’s Quadricentennial fireworks presentations point person), ‘Father, mga taga-UST po kami and we promise to give you the best,’” said Villarosa, one of Dragon Fireworks’ accredited pyromusical display operators and fireworks choreographers.
Villarosa shared that he and Zeng, a pyrotechnician at Dragon Fireworks, have been planning the concept of the Neo-centennial pyro-presentation with Pinto since the success of the Quadricentennial pyromusicals last year.
“It was the first themed show of Dragon Fireworks. Its title is actually ‘Chariots of Fire,’” said Villarosa.
UST’s Chariots of Fire
Located at four ignition points, the “Chariots of Fire” pyromusical topped all its on-campus “pyro-predecessors” by being the first multi-position pyromusical in the Philippines.
The campus was the venue for four release points referred to as “stations.” Station one was the Grandstand, while the Santisimo Rosario Parish was labeled as station two. The Main Building and the Arch of the Centuries were stations three and four, respectively.
Villarosa inserted several musical transitions in the presentation to give a sense of travelling, while Zeng designed some of the custom fireworks effects to boost the show’s character, which was intended to embody the University’s voyage to a new century and to highlight the four historical landmarks of UST.
The fireworks countdown audio, usually heard at the Paskuhan, was met with an eruption of cheers as audiences scattered across the open grounds anticipated the first flare of fireworks.
As the countdown hit “one,” the pyromusical kicked off with a blast of blue-tinged comets erupting from the Arch of the Centuries and, while ground-bound, indoor flares appeared around the historical structure. The pyromusical’s staggered beginning was characterized by the classical piece, “Adagio in C Minor” by composer Yanni, along with willowy fireworks that accentuated every note in the piece.
The next segment, which Villarosa and Zeng called the “Big Ben,” was located at the Main Building and represented UST’s marathon to its 500th year. It startled the eager crowd with an unexpected blast that came from the highest point in the University, the Main Building’s tower.
Cirque du Soliel’s “Battlefield” served as the smooth transition to the “Chariots of Fire” movie theme song, which accompanied a splendid aerial display. Fireworks that appeared to be blinking lights outlined its top-most façade.
What followed the “Big Ben” was a remix of contemporary songstress Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Large pyrotechnics were released high up into the air for this segment as every line of the song’s chorus was marked by a shower of different-colored lights.
Coldplay’s “Yellow” was something that Zeng had always wanted to make a display for and evidently, the crowd was not disappointed with the peg.
Audiences went wild as the familiar guitar-strummed introduction of the song was made even more dramatic with bursts of yellow comets, erupting from the Grandstand. Several custom effects made it seem like falling leaves were coming down from the sky as silver-to-white glitter danced across the nightscape.
“We were finally able to do it and it was perfect since yellow is UST’s color,” Villarosa said.
Meanwhile, the finale of the Neo-centennial pyromusical was as epic as expected as a heart-pounding soundtrack backed up a scene that brought UST’s legacy to life—titanic fireworks simultaneously bursting forth from the Main Building, the Santisimo Rosario Parish, and the Grandstand. The display was aptly concluded with a barrage of Villarosa’s trademark “fan” fireworks painting the night sky and the statement “UST 500” atop the Main Building, written in lights.
