BINI, the girl group under ABS-CBN, was the final act of the show that went overtime by an hour and a half. A member of the eight-piece group, Maraiah Queen “Aiah” Arceta, however, missed the UST concert.
Indie folk-pop band Ben&Ben, led by twins Paolo and Miguel Benjamin Guico, led the crowd to a chant of “Ikulong na yan, mga kurakot!” (Jail the corrupt!), a staple of recent protests over massive government corruption.
BINI made a plug for ABS-CBN’s return to its old Channel 2 — which it had let go after losing its broadcast franchise in 2020 — following the content provider’s falling out with TV5 network over a financial dispute.
BINI and Ben&Ben had their first Paskuhan performances in 2023 and 2017, respectively.
“Paulit-ulit po kami sa manager namin sana po makapag-perform po ulit kami sa Paskuhan…Pinili rin po namin na ito po ‘yong maging last performance namin sa taong ito,” BINI leader Jhoanna Robles said during the show.
In between the headline acts was a promo for Globe Telecom, which provided free wireless internet connections to all attendees.
Record crowd
A total of 48,309 Thomasians entered the UST gates, up from last year’s 42,655, according to the UST Campus Safety and Security Office.
OPM artists Amiel Sol, Zack Tabudlo, and Rob Deniel serenaded Thomasians with their hit songs during their performances at the UST Grandstand.
Thomasian acts include winners of this year’s “Tunog Tomasino,” an annual battle of the bands, Golf & Sunsets, Csig, and Opmium.
Campus groups Salinggawi Dance Troupe, UST Yellow Jackets, UST Prime, UST Sinag Ballroom Dance Company, Nursing Dance Troupe, and the Engineering Dance Troupe, also mounted performances.
Concluding the concert was an eight-minute long pyromusical display inspired by fantasy series “Encantadia” and Netflix hit “KPop Demon Hunters.”
UST Facilities Management Office Director Fr. Dexter Austria, O.P. earlier said the themes were selected because of their “colorful” motifs, emphasis on camaraderie, and relevance to this year’s Paskuhan overarching theme, “Light Among Us, Hope Through Us.”
The pyromusical display featured “Tadhana” by Bayang Barios, an original from “Encantadia.”
A remix of “What it Sounds Like” and “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters” wrapped up the fireworks show.
Rob Deniel, one of the performers of the UAAP Season 88 opening ceremonies hosted by UST, said he was grateful to be back on campus.
“Pinangarap ko rin talaga, isa sa mga nasa list ko, makapag-perform ako sa UST Paskuhan. Ngayon, nakapag-perform din ako nu’ng UAAP. Ngayon, thank God na makakapag-perform [din] sa UST Paskuhan,” he said.
First-time Paskuhan performer Amiel Sol said he felt blessed to perform in the much-awaited UST event.
“Very long standing na itong Paskuhan. I think it’s really known na kapag sinabing UST, talagang mahilig sa OPM. So, I’m really excited na makakanta ako [rito] for the first time, isa siya sa mga nasa bucket list ko talaga,” he said.
Security
Campus Safety and Security Director Juliano Parena Jr. said more Thomasians followed security guidelines.
“This year, mas maraming sumunod sa guidelines kaya naging mabilis ‘yong flow ng pagpasok. ‘Yong iba hindi naman nagdala ng malaking bag, iba nga walang bag halos, so talagang naging mabilis,” he said.
Parena also attributed the smooth flow of the queue to students being required to tap their IDs at gate scanners before entry to the Manila campus.
Apart from an outsider who tried to get into the University using a fake ID, there were no serious security breaches, he said.
Campus gates remained open throughout the event and were closely monitored, with the command center updating the total number of attendees on campus at 15-minute intervals.
Parena said the heavy rain, which turned the open field muddy and left pools of water, may have caused the drop in the number of attendees on campus during the latter part of the event.
The security office recorded only 25,255 attendees within the campus during the pyromusical show.
A common health concern that arose was dizziness due to exhaustion and heat, said Ashra Offemaria, a junior officer at the Red Cross Youth Council-Central Unit (RCYC).
Hypoglycemia or an abrupt drop in sugar level often caused by skipping meals, which can lead to dizziness, hunger, and shakiness, was also reported among the attendees.
Ellyza Crisostomo, one of the junior officers at RCYC, said weather changes and muddy grounds posed challenges to emergency responders.
Paskuhan experience
Alumna Joscel Sison, who just recently passed the board examinations for pharmacists, said the Paskuhan celebrations always felt like “coming home” despite the different experiences it brought every year.
“[Paskuhan] recognizes a part of your life, a part of your year, like it marks an end of something. You commemorate all the memories, and it closes with fireworks. That just makes it memorable,” Sison said.
For Francine Santos of the UST Alfredo M. Velayo – College of Accountancy, watching the Paskuhan concert served as a relief from academics after a term of intense study.
“This Paskuhan was actually the last day of our [thesis] defense, so now it’s the very first day of freedom after all that. The first [term] of third year, I think, so far, was one of the hardest we had, so this Paskuhan was really like breaking off the chains of the [term],” she said.
This year’s grand Paskuhan concert ended at 10:34 p.m., later than its usual closing time of 9 p.m. With reports from Ashley Valkyrie E. Bueno
