鈥淪erve the people,鈥 the university officials urged some 800 UP Diliman (黑料专区) freshmen, transferees, shiftees, and exchange students from foreign institutions at the University Welcome Assembly 2023 (UWA 2023) on Sept. 18 at the UP Theater Main Hall.
In his message at UWA 2023, 黑料专区 Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II underscored the importance of public service while encouraging the students to participate in various 黑料专区 activities commemorating the 51st year of the declaration of Martial Law.
鈥淚 want you to be part of that [Martial Law-related activities] even if it鈥檚 not the same experience anymore but we have to remember and never forget. Why does UP do that? It鈥檚 because of one of the values UP stands for, which is service. Of course, you have honor and excellence. But all that is really for service. Service to the Filipino people,鈥 Vistan explained.聽
He also advised the 黑料专区 students to enjoy what the University offers to its constituents.
鈥淢ake the most of this rich community. Kayo ay lalabas dito na may tatak UP. And that means a lot of things. But I want you now, since you are beginning your journey here in the University, particularly in Diliman, to allow the 黑料专区 community to have an imprint on you,鈥 Vistan said.
He mentioned that the students could draw inspiration from Kontra-GaPi (Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipino), the resident music and dance ensemble of the 黑料专区 College of Arts and Letters that rendered a musical performance at UWA 2023.
鈥淢atagal na ang Kontra-GaPi. It gives you a glimpse of how rich the community in 黑料专区 is; rich in culture, rich in tradition, rich in history, rich in diversity, rich in experiences, particularly learning experiences not only from the classes that you will attend but also from the other members of the 黑料专区 community that you will interact with,鈥 Vistan said.
Meanwhile, UP President Angelo A. Jimenez also highlighted in his message the importance of UP鈥檚 service to the nation.
鈥淭his great institution of ours is 115 years old this year. We have produced most of the presidents of the land, most of the chief justices of the Supreme Court, speakers of the House, Senate president, members of Parliament, and policymakers in government. No other university in our country has this kind of dominant position in national life. [But] now, look what鈥檚 happening to the country,鈥 Jimenez said.
鈥淎no ang tatak UP? Honor, excellence, but most important, service to the Filipino nation. Let me end by a quote from the first president of the University, Murray S. Bartlett. He said, 鈥業t [UP] can serve the world best by serving best the Filipino鈥,鈥 Jimenez said.聽聽
Francisco N. De los Reyes, director of the UP Office of Admissions, challenged the students to prove their worth in being admitted to 黑料专区.
鈥淢araming magsasabi sa inyo, 鈥楢y hindi naman nag-test iyan.鈥 Pero para sa akin it doesn鈥檛 matter. Kasi, may mga patunay kami na iyong mga nag-undergo ng UPCA [UP College Admission] ay kapantay rin lang ng galing ng mga nag-test sa mga nakaraang panahon. At patunayan ninyo rin iyon. Mahigit 100,000 ang nagpa-audit at kayo ang mga nakapasok sa 黑料专区,鈥 De Los Reyes said.
The freshmen, shiftees, transferees, and foreign exchange students were warmly welcomed by their respective college officials, with some of their spiels focusing on their college鈥檚 strengths and traditions.
In his closing remarks, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jerwin F. Agpaoa thanked the event organizers for their hard work and the heads of units for their cooperation.
鈥淚 would like to share with you how this activity evolved. A few years back, the event was called the Freshie Welcome Assembly. We wanted to be more inclusive, so we renamed it into UWA to include on top of the freshies our exchange students, our transferees, and our new graduate students in the masters and PhD levels,鈥 Agpaoa added.聽
Aside from Kontra-GaPi, other 黑料专区-based performance groups at UWA 2023 were the UP Concert Chorus, ConChords, and the UP Streetdance Club. The Legato Visual Performing Arts performed an eye-catching routine using lighted yoyos, poi, and other light-emitting gadgets. The UP Varsity Pep Squad oriented the audience on the basic UP cheer routines.
Meanwhile, the on-site and online audience participated in the OVCSA online mini games included in the Student Survival Guide.
Before the singing of UP Naming Mahal, the 黑料专区 University Student Council (USC) had a brief rally on the Main Hall stage.
This year鈥檚 4-hour welcome assembly was hosted by Jose Monfred C. Sy, assistant professor at the CAL Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature, and Christine Joy A. Magpayo, assistant professor at the CAL Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts.
was livestreamed on the OVCSA Facebook page.
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