December 19, 2015, 3:44p.m. – PASKUHAN revelers enjoyed a visual spectacle Friday as the UST Main Building turned into a three-dimensional projection wall showing Thomasian and yuletide imagery, a first for a Philippine university.
Thomasians cheered as Tigers roared and black-and-gold stripes draped the facade of the nearly nine-decade-old heritage structure. A nativity scene was also projected onto the Main Building by the video mapping team of WLV Manila and Japanese electronics giant Panasonic.
The UST Main Building joined other heritage buildings that had been brought to life by projection mapping shows, such as Buckingham Palace during the Queen’s Jubilee and St. Peter’s Basilica just last Dec. 8.
The video mapping team was composed of Teatro Tomasino alumni led by Alberto Monteras II, also a former art director of the Varsitarian.
“I’m so proud and honored to do this project for my alma mater, [n]ot to mention reuniting with my old friends from Teatro Tomasino. We only had two weeks to put this together and we are so happy that we made it,” Monteras said on his Facebook page.
Despite last-minute schedule and venue changes and stormy weather, the annual Paskuhan pushed through and drew thousands of Thomasians and guests. Paskuhan 2015 had the theme, “A Thomasian Celebration of Christmas and the Jubilees of Mercy and the 800th Dominican Foundation Year.”
At the Paskuhan Mass, UST Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. encouraged members of the Thomasian community to fulfill their God-given missions whole-heartedly and with humility.
“One does not need to be high-profile to accomplish significance and achievement in life,” Fr. Dagohoy said in his homily, citing St. Joseph, head of the Holy Family and patron of the Universal Church, as a model of humility.
Rains and winds brought by tropical cyclones “Nona” and “Onyok” forced last-minute changes to the event, such as compressing the original two-day celebration into one day and moving the Mass and concert indoors. The Mass and concert were moved to the Quadricentennial Pavilion and Practice Gym, respectively, from the Grandstand.
The Paskuhan pre-concert featured performances from Thomasian bands Autotelic, MilesExperience, Where’s Ramona? and special guest Jensen and the Flips.
Thomasians also gathered at the Practice Gym to watch the UST Yellow Jackets, Salinggawi Dance Troupe and performances from bands such as Grace Note, Moonstar88, Callalily and 6CycleMind.
Kleggy Abaya, lead vocalist of Banda ni Kleggy, said he enjoyed the enthusiasm of the UST crowd. “Sobrang shocked pa rin ako. Sobrang solid ng crowd and sana [makapag-perform ulit sa susunod na Paskuhan]. [Feeling] namin kabanda rin namin [ang crowd],” he said.
A seven-minute pyromusical display capped the Paskuhan, featuring hit Coldplay songs “Viva La Vida” and “A Sky Full of Stars.”
The UST Security Office again implemented a strict “buddy system,” in which one visitor must be accompanied by one Thomasian. Otherwise, outsiders were not allowed to enter the campus. Roy Abhramn D.R. Narra
You guys did a fantastic job….Thank you for doing it.
You guys did a fantastic job….Thank you for doing it.