UAAP Season 88 became unlike anything the league had ever seen before, from its world-class opening ceremony in September that transformed the UST campus into an Olympic-style village to the May 15 closing ceremony that resembled the Oscars.
Back in March 2025, while preparations for hosting were still underway, UST athletics director Fr. Rodel Cansancio, O.P., spoke with the Varsitarian for nearly 30 minutes about his vision for the season and how it would differ from anything previously seen in the UAAP.
Bold, spectacular and unforgettable. That was how he described it at the time. And spectacularly, UST delivered, Cansancio said.
“We nailed it,” Cansancio told the Varsitarian after Season 88 concluded at the Quadricentennial Pavilion with a grand closing ceremony featuring a red carpet affair, a full orchestra performance and an awards-show atmosphere.
As Season 88 president, Cansancio oversaw operations, including the spectacle-filled opening ceremony last September that turned the UST campus into a massive stage, culminating in a Paskuhan-style concert featuring Sarah Geronimo, Kean Cipriano, Lola Amour and Rob Deniel.
Cansancio managed all 60 UAAP events alongside league officials while also supervising support for UST’s varsity teams throughout the year.
By the end of the season, UST secured its ninth straight collegiate general championship and eighth consecutive juniors’ title, extending its reign as the winningest school in UAAP history.
“There were doubts, sleepless nights, and personal sacrifices behind the scenes. I was not sure if we would pull it off,” Cansancio said. “The weight of hosting UAAP Season 88 was huge, but seeing it all come together made it worth it.
“What people don’t see is the work behind it: countless meetings, preparations, sleepless nights, and personal sacrifices.”
Throughout Season 88, Cansancio balanced multiple responsibilities beyond serving as league president.
He represented the UAAP in board meetings, press conferences, groundbreaking ceremonies and league launches while simultaneously handling internal concerns involving scheduling, logistics and stakeholder coordination.
Under his leadership, the league broke new ground in several areas. UAAP events were staged in New Clark City, boys’ tennis and golf were introduced as demonstration sports, and the league’s broadcast partnership was extended through Season 93.
This season also marked the start of construction for the UAAP Arena in Pasig, which is scheduled to open in 2028.
He also became one of the most visible figures throughout the year, appearing in nearly every major UAAP function from the opening ceremony to the closing rites.
“The role of being president of UAAP Season 88 demanded everything from me,” Cansancio said. “It consumed my time, tested my patience, and pushed my perseverance. There were moments when I was not sure if I could handle it.”
Yet for those who worked closely with him, the season reflected the kind of ambitious leadership he wanted to bring to the UAAP.
UST officials and athletes repeatedly pointed to the scale of support extended to teams throughout the year.
Building the biggest UAAP opening in recent memory
The Season 88 opening ceremony ultimately became the defining image of UST’s hosting year.
More than 30,000 athletes, officials, alumni and Thomasians filled the UST campus grounds in what became one of the largest opening ceremonies in league history. Instead of staging a conventional indoor program, UST mounted a campus-wide celebration that blended sports, music, pageantry and Thomasian identity.
But behind the spectacle were months of uncertainty.
“If there was a point I felt stretched thin, it was during the Season 88 opening preparations,” Cansancio said. “I was exhausted, overwhelmed, and honestly unsure if it would all pull together.”
The ceremony featured some of UST’s most celebrated athletes, including EJ Obiena, Sisi Rondina, Sydney Tancontian-Sy and Jervy Cruz, who participated in the torch relay.
Cansancio also collaborated with UST Communication Bureau production supervisor Marvin Rellamas, who served as director for both the opening and closing ceremonies, to conceptualize the massive production.
The event extended beyond athletics, honoring eight Thomasians recognized as “Icons of Hope” for their contributions to society: Jose Advincula for Faith and Service, Alice Eduardo for Nation Building and Enterprise, Carmelo Casas for Sustainable Architecture, Maria Rosario Singh for Public Health and Service, Willy Layug for Culture and the Arts, Christian Esguerra for Truth and Responsible Media, Haydee Ong for Women Empowerment in Sports and Karen Ibasco for Science and Environmental Stewardship.
For Cansancio, staging the event outdoors was one of the biggest risks of the season.
“What if it rained?” he recalled thinking. “But with prayer and faith in my fellow Thomasians’ talent and dedication, we made it happen.”
“If I had to pick one moment, it was during the opening preparations. That was when it felt the hardest. Prayer and my support system carried me through: my Thomasian family, the UAAP Board and community, my family at home, and the Dominican community.”
UST’s dominance as host school
The grand opening eventually became a fitting preview of UST’s dominant year in competition.
UST amassed 356 points in the seniors’ division after collecting 13 championships, six silver medals and two bronze medals, surpassing last season’s 346-point total.
The Growling Tigresses reclaimed both the women’s basketball and women’s 3×3 titles, while the Tiger and Lady Judokas swept the judo competitions.
UST also completed championship runs in beach volleyball, table tennis, tennis and chess.
The university finished 68 points ahead of runner-up De La Salle University in the general championship race.
For coaches, the support system established during Season 88 became a major factor behind the school’s success.
“Huge credit kay Father Rodel and also to the IPEA people for making this successful hosting,” UST Lady Judokas head coach Gerard Arce told the Varsitarian.
“Actually, he gave us full support for our preparation, giving us the leeway kung anong diskarte gagawin namin on preparing our teams and supporting us sa lahat ng request namin.”
“Even if he did not literally say na kailangan mag-champion kami, the way he supported us parang sinasabi na rin niyang, ‘Nabigay na namin lahat sa inyo.’ That became one of our motivations: to give back the trust he showed us.”
For athletes, the sustained success reflected UST’s long-standing commitment to sports development.
“UST has the best support for athletes,” said Chino Sy, a four-time UAAP gold medalist and two-time Southeast Asian Games champion.
“Sigurado dahil sa suporta ng UST sa amin at sa buong UST community, kayang-kaya pa itong ituloy.”
Season 88 athletics MVP Hokett Delos Santos, who also won gold in decathlon during the SEA Games, echoed the same sentiment after competing through injuries throughout the season.
“Dahil sa support at pagmamahal ng UST kaya nakukuha ang general championship,” Delos Santos said. “Kapag atleta ka, hindi lang physical ang laban. Sports have the power to change people’s lives.”
For Cansancio, however, the season was never about individual credit.
He emphasized that UST’s success was built collectively by administrators, coaches, athletes, sponsors, doctors, therapists, staff members and the wider Thomasian community that rallied behind every team throughout the year.
“It’s not a one-man show,” Cansancio said. “It’s the effort of the whole Thomasian community. Right now, I have nothing but gratitude, first to our mighty God for all the blessings He has given us throughout this season.”
World-class hosting
Beyond the medals and championships, Season 88 also became a statement on how far the UAAP could go in terms of presentation, production and overall experience.
From the massive opening ceremony at the UST Grandstand to the elegant black-tie closing rites at the Quadricentennial Pavilion, UST’s hosting earned praise from coaches, athletes and officials across multiple sports.
The season departed from the UAAP’s traditional approach to ceremonies. Instead of brief formal programs, UST transformed both the opening and closing into full-scale productions complete with concert performances, thematic segments, orchestral numbers, red carpet entrances and large-scale stage designs.
For many within the Thomasian community, it elevated the league into something closer to an international sporting event.
UST beach volleyball head coach Paul Doloiras said the closing ceremony, in particular, stood out because of its sophistication and attention to detail.
“The best hosting na napanood ko, lalo na ‘yong closing. Sobrang elegante,” Doloiras told the Varsitarian.
The same sentiment was echoed by UST under-16 Tiger Cubs head coach Noli Mejos, who described Season 88 as unlike anything he had experienced in his coaching career.
“Sa coaching career ko, ngayon lang ako naka-encounter ng ganitong opening at closing. Sobrang na-amaze ako sa pag-handle ng UAAP this season,” Mejos said. “Ibang klase talaga, pang-world class.”
Much of that impression came from the sheer scale of the events.
The opening ceremony transformed UST campus landmarks into performance venues, while the closing ceremony inside the QPav featured a fully dressed stage, orchestral accompaniment, formal attire requirements and concert-style performances from Thomasian groups.
UST performing organizations such as the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe, the UST Symphony Orchestra, the UST Singers and the Sinag Ballroom Dance Company all became integral parts of the season’s presentation.
Season 88 became an opportunity for UST to showcase what the university could offer. It also raised the standard for how the UAAP could look, feel and inspire moving forward.
“I think it was a success—just like the previous season also of UAAP,” Cansancio said. “So every season of UAAP is unique. And I would say as host for this season, [Season 88], I would say that it was a success. It was a huge success.”
“We try to put up a closing that is the same as how we open up this season. So usually, the Thomasian way is really rooted in history and culture, but performed with class and elegance.”
Raising the bar
As the curtain fell on UAAP Season 88, UST’s hosting also reshaped expectations for what a UAAP season could look like.
For months, the league operated on a scale rarely seen before: campus-wide productions, large-scale ceremonies, expanded sporting events and a season-long effort to blend athletics with culture, entertainment and Thomasian identity.
Behind all of it was a demanding day-to-day process that, according to Cansancio, only became fully meaningful once the season concluded.
“The daily grind of hosting Season 88 felt unclear until now,” Cansancio said. “Seeing the student-athletes and coaches giving everything, and seeing us come together as one community, made it all worth it.”
The success of Season 88 also created a challenge for the next host school, Far Eastern University, which officially received hosting duties during the closing ceremony at the Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Incoming UAAP president Mark Molina acknowledged the scale of what UST accomplished throughout the year.
“What UST did this year was amazing, spectacular. In terms of the opening and closing, it’s something we’ve never seen before,” Molina said. “So we’ll try to live up to that.”
“We’ll hopefully, in our own way, do something that the UAAP and FEU community will be very proud of. So it’s underway, everything, all the preparations. We’re opening on September 12 at the Mall of Asia Arena, and we’re already preparing for that.”
For UST, however, the legacy of Season 88 is shaped by Thomasian history, tradition, artistry and community spirit.
And for Cansancio, that is ultimately how he hopes the season will be remembered.
“My hope is that people remember this season in full — from opening to closing,” Cansancio said. “More than that, I want it remembered as Thomasian through and through: rooted in history and grandeur, carried out with gratitude and class.”
“I am honored to have led this organization, and I would do it again without hesitation if given the chance.”
with reports from Miguel Angelo B. Marco, Joaquin Edgardo Cortez, Lilah Mikaela S. Paredes, Clyde Leanne Salamatin, Kurt Russel Vincent I. Miranda
