With the UAAP Season 88 volleyball tournaments tipping off and both the UST Golden Spikers and Golden Tigresses eyeing championship runs, The Varsitarian premiered its second-semester UAAP primer video, “Now or Never,” on social media—framing the rest of the season as a decisive moment for Thomasian athletes.
The video, released at the start of the volleyball season, features UST athletes competing in second-semester sports and underscores the urgency of the campaign, stressing that Season 88 “won’t repeat itself.”
Now or Never was produced by The Varsitarian’s award-winning videography team, continuing the publication’s tradition of cinematic UAAP primers that blend sports storytelling with school spirit.
READ: UST Varsitarian makes history as multi-category winner in U.S. College Media Pinnacle awards
The video closes with the line “Ibalik ang Korona sa España” (“Bring Back the Crown to España”), a pointed nod to UST’s championship aspirations—particularly in volleyball, where both the men’s and women’s teams are seen as title contenders.
The primer follows a string of high-impact UAAP videos by the 98-year-old student publication. Last year’s second-semester primer, “Superstar,” won first place in the sports feature (audio/visual) category of the College Media Association (CMA) Pinnacle Awards, besting entries from U.S. college publications and premiering at the CMA Audio and Video Festival in Washington.
Earlier this season, The Varsitarian released the first-semester Season 88 primer, “Welcome to Our House,” which served as a curtain raiser for UST’s hosting of the UAAP opening rites.
The video went viral, amassing more than 1.2 million views across social media platforms and significantly expanding the publication’s digital reach. It helped push the Varsitarian to more than 300,000 followers on Facebook to date, the largest among campus publications.
Set to Kendrick Lamar’s “Now or Never” featuring Mary J. Blige, the V’s second-semester UAAP primer leans on a pulsating soundtrack and tightly edited visuals to portray the pressure and promise of the second semester—when medals are decided and seasons are defined.
The release was accompanied by the rallying call: “SEASON 88 IS OUR TIME,” reinforcing the message that the window for a championship run is narrow—and that the moment belongs to the present.
The video was edited by James Michael Magboo, with Rob Andrew Dongiapon and Karis Tsang serving as producers.
Animation was handled by Aidan Raphael Caluyo and Regina Louise Sanota, while cinematography was led by a team of student videographers covering multiple sports and venues.
As UAAP Season 88 enters its most competitive stretch, Now or Never positions the campaign not just as another semester of games, but as a defining chapter—one that, as the video insists, will not come around again.
