Photo by Kim Pauig | Tinig ng Plaridel

by Ardelle Costuna

The University of the Philippines and Far Eastern University fought to a rugged 0-0 draw in the second day of the UAAP men’s football  Wednesday at the Ateneo Football Field.

FEU’s goalkeeper posted a sturdy defense over the defending champion’s repeated attempts at the goal mostly during the second half.

“We started out very flat, we weren’t executing sa attack, tapos on defense we were a step slower to the FEU players,” Coach Anto Gonzales of UP said.

“The most difficult part is getting each player work for the common goal… kailangan pareho kami, kailangan magcocommit lahat dun sa goal na yun.”

UP, who trampled upon their Katipunan neighbors Ateneo, 2-0, during the season’s opening last Saturday, now has a victory and a draw in their record. FEU, meanwhile, still has no wins to show, bowing to the season 73 runner-up University of Santo Tomas, 1-0, on the same day.

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Photos by Gian Suyat and Kim Pauig

Photo by Michelle Angelica Soriano

Members of Alpha Phi Omega stripped off their clothing and ran around a building in the University of the Philippines Diliman to expose what the fraternity’s Grand Chancellor calls “another naked truth” - the slow demise of the country’s rivers.

The Oblation Run, APO’s annual naked run around College of Social Sciences  and Philosophy or Palma Hall, this year aimed to draw support for the Save the Philippine Rivers campaign which the fraternity launched together with the Sagip Ilog Pilipinas Movement (SiPM), a non-government organization.

In a statement, APO’s Grand Chancellor Giovanni Bautista said, “We know that the public will be all eyes on this event today, and we want to show them another naked truth—the sorry state of rivers and our water bodies in the country. We hope that Filipinos will be one with us in our cry to save Philippine rivers.”

One of the highlights of the event was the signing of a memorandum of agreement between SiPM and APO. The document detailed APO’s involvement in Save Philippine Rivers projects, including one which aims to clean up the Diliman Creek.

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Photo by Elle Cabiling

SiPM Executive Director Myrna Jimenez lauded APO’s efforts in setting an example to the youth by uniting for an advocacy.

“[APO members] show that fraternities do not have to be involved in frat wars, that fraternities can be environmentally aware as well,” she said.

The Oblation Run, held on or around Dec. 16 to celebrate the fraternity’s worldwide foundation day, has since evolved into an annual tradition to raise awareness on various issues facing the nation. It started in 1977 as a promotional gimmick to draw viewers to watch a film in UP Theater that was banned by then President Ferdinand Marcos due to its critical content.

The event was named after the Oblation statue, UP’s most iconic symbol showing a naked man looking upward with outstretched arms.

This year’s Oblation Run fell on the same day as the Lantern Parade, another highlight of UP’s Christmas celebration.

Lights and color pierced the cool December night as different institutions of the University of the Philippines marched in the 2011 Lantern Parade, which was themed “Isang Unibersidad, Isang Komunidad (One University, One Community).”

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Photo by Elle Cabiling

Winners of other university-wide competitions held throughout the month were also awarded. The College of Social Sciences and Philosophy placed first in the Karolfest, an annual inter-college choral competition, while the College of Law and the College of Engineering took second and third places, respectively. The National College of Public Administration and Governance won the belen-making contest.

Meanwhile, the College of Fine Arts, whose lanterns are the most anticipated, brought out a series of floats themed old and new, which included snacks, games, dolls and heroes, all with a Filipino twist.

A five-minute fireworks display sponsored by the Beta Epsilon fraternity closed the 89-year old traditional parade which ushers in the university’s Christmas break.

Photos by Gian Suyat, Elle Cabiling, Eunice Abique and Joshua Dalupang.

Led by perennial UAAP cheerdance champions University of the Philippines Pep Squad, the Philippine cheerleading team executed different routines during a send-off event for the 6th Cheerleading World Championships Sunday at the UP Gym. The world championships are slated in Hong Kong on November 26 and 27. This is the first time that the country will send delegates to the competition. In 2009, the UP Pep Squad did not push through to the competition because of lack of funds.

Aside from the UP Pep Squad, the Philippine team will also be composed of members of the Centro Escolar University and Polytechnic University of the Philippines cheering squads.

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This was first posted on interaktv.ph, TV 5′s online sports news portal.

Supsup, who graduated magna cum laude from the UP College of Architecture and who topped the 2010 Architect Licensure Examination, paid a courtesy call to UP President Alfredo Pascual in nearby Quezon Hall, the university’s administration building.

Students from the College of Architecture, the college’s Alumni Association and members of the UP’s honor guards, the Rayadillo, welcomed Supsup, who came to UP after being honored by Mayor Herbert Bautista at the Quezon City Hall.

Photos by Jon Benedik Bunquin and Eunice Abique

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The team also topped the Group Stunts Category, finishing ahead of FEU Cheering Squad (2nd) and the National University Pep Squad (3rd).

Nesza Salvador of the UP Pep Squad also bagged the “Stunner of the Year” Award.

Photos by Joshua Mark Dalupang and Renee Louise Espenilla

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Mark Juruena and Jelo Montecastro of UP tries to steal the ball from La Salle's Norbert Torres. JOSHUA MARK DALUPANG

The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons lost its grip on a 20-point first half lead, allowing the De La Salle University Green Archers to sneak a come-from-behind 73-72 victory in the 74th UAAP Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Green Archers slowly erased the deficit starting the second quarter, and finally overtook the UP Fighting Maroons at the final frame to keep their final four bid alive.

“After half time, the boys woke up. Their confidence came back,” DLSU coach Dindo Pumaren said.

Norbert Torres led the Archers with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while backcourt duo Almond Vosotros and Luis Revilla combined for 23 points.

Meanwhile, team captain Mike Silungan scored 19 points, while co-captain Miggy Maniego poured in 14 points. Rookie Paolo Romero and guard Mike Gamboa finished with 12 markers apiece.

The Maroons began their offensive assault right off the bat, which left the Archers stunned with a 23-7 scoreboard at the end of the first canto.

After the Maroons’ biggest lead of the game at 33-13 in the second quarter, the Archers’ shooting spurts bridged the gap and poised them for a comeback.

However, the Archers’ first taste of the lead in the dying seconds of the third quarter was short-lived after a three-point buzzer beater from Gamboa gave the lead back to the Maroons, 50-48.

But the Archers rampaged in the fourth, staging a 9-0 run led by Vosotros, who scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to give La Salle a seven-point cushion, 57-50.

Maniego and Silungan combined to propel the Maroons forward to an end game run, closing at 70-73 with less than 15 seconds left. But their  attempts to send the game into overtime fell short of a single point.

The Maroons will face the University of the East, whom they defeated in the first round, for their final game of the season on Saturday.

“We will treat it as our own championship game,” Silungan said.

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Sheak Sheriff (middle) of the Tigers tries to sneak past a trap by Maroons guards Don Fortu (left) and Mike Gamboa. JOSHUA MARK DALUPANG

The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons were outplayed at both ends of the court, bowing to the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, 49-68, in the 74th UAAP basketball competitions Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

No Maroon scored in double figures, as Jelo Montecastro led UP with only nine points, while forward Mike Silungan, with only 10 percent shooting from beyond-the-arc, finished with just eight markers.

Guard Jett Manuel, who shined with 20 points in the Maroons’ victory over powerhouse Far Eastern University, was limited to just five points.

“We were outplayed, out coached, out everything,” said UP coach Ricky Dandan.

UP only shot 29 percent from the field and made only two out of 25 triples, compared to UST’s 36 percent shooting.  The Tigers also dominated the boards over the Maroons, 58-33.

Jeric Fortuna paced UST with 16 points, 12 coming from the second half, and nine rebounds to snap the Tiger’s three-game losing skid.

“I’m speechless with my leader’s performance. If he performs well, then the team performs well too,” Tigers coach Pido Jarencio said of Fortuna.

Chris Camus added 13 points for UST while Karim Abdul fell one shot short of a double-double with eight points and 14 rebounds.

Lady, Junior Maroons also lose

Meanwhile, the UP Lady and Junior Maroons also suffered setbacks in their respective matches this weekend.

The Lady Maroons gave up a whopping 31 turnovers to surrender to a 48-60 throttling of the UST Growling Tigresses Sunday, while the Junior Maroons failed to put a clamp on the shooters of the Ateneo Blue Eaglets en route to a 54-79 loss Saturday, both at the Blue Eagle Gym,.

Karen Salapong spearheaded the Lady Maroons with 18 points, while Kim Cinco of the Junior Maroons exploded for 22 points, but they failed to get any help from their teammates to lift their respective teams to victories.

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Photo by Joshua Mark Dalupang

Maroons guard Jett Manuel shoots a free throw during UP's game against FEU. Manuel contributed 20 points to the Maroons' second victory of the season. JOSHUA MARK DALUPANG

Sophomore guard Jett Manuel’s hot shooting blazed the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons to a shocking 76-63 win over the second seeded Far Eastern University Tamaraws in the 74th UAAP basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum on Thursday.

Manuel once again showed his prolific showing in the season, scoring 20 points off the bench as the Maroons snapped a three-game losing skid.

“We’re all happy and excited we got our second win. It was a really big win for us,” said Manuel.

Forward Mike Silungan scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while center Alinko Mbah added 14 markers and seven boards for UP.

Meanwhile, reigning Most Valuable Player Ryan Roose Garcia led the way for the Tamaraws with 17 points.

UP stood toe-to-toe with FEU in the first two quarters, trading baskets with the favored Tamaraws. The Maroons ended the half clinging to a slim margin, 28-25.

The Maroons edged in the second half when it extended its lead to nine in the third quarter, capped by Manuel’s buzzer beating jumper.

Since then, UP never looked back, as the Maroons tallied its biggest lead of the game at 17 in the fourth quarter, with Manuel pumping in 12 points to seal the victory.

Coach Ricky Dandan was pleased with Manuel’s performance postgame, calling him an “emerging” player. But Manuel was quick to deflect the newly found attention on him.

“I really wasn’t thinking about scoring 20, I just wanted to win, whatever it took,” said Manuel, who leads the Maroons in scoring this season with 15 points per game. “The team played really well and that’s how we got the win.”

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Photo by Joshua Dalupang

Thousands marched toward Batasang Pambansa to deliver their assessment of the Aquino administration in a People’s SONA led by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) on 25 July 2011.

Artists and different organizations created a giant rotten egg inspired by the “penoy”, reflecting Aquino’s performance during his first year of presidency. The egg is also the grade given by different groups to Aquino’s leadership. The effigy was burned down as part of the mass demonstration program later that afternoon.

There were also cultural presentations, song numbers, speeches and a rap battle between pro- and anti-administration performers. Protesters delivered issues on human rights violations, unemployment, land reform, poverty and economic prescriptions such as the public-private partnerships.

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Photo by Michelle Angelica Soriano