1908 - 2008. Ang galing no? 100 years na pala ang UP. Pero come to think of it:
Take a large mass of people who will be watching tomorrow’s kickoff celebrations, and saka mo sabihin,
Lahat ng taong makakanood ng fireworks, the carillon, the gun salute, lahat sila, they won’t and can’t participate
anymore for the UP’s next 100 years.
…Even yung mga ipapanganak the same time ng celebrations.
Naisip ko lang kasi, UP is now 100 years old: Survived World War II, Martial Law, Numerous presidents, andaming nangyari sa hundred years na yun. And magiging one-time celebration lang ito during my entire life. In a way, I am privileged
na magiging participant ako (both as an alumni and as a witnesss) to the State University’s celebration of 100 years. Ang galing no?
Pero Hindi na ako aabot for the next 100.
For those people to witness the bicentennial year, they must be born 20-30 years from now. Hehe way past na ng centennial celebrations. Well, mas
grandiose siguro ang celebrations sa 200th year, pero ngayon kasi, sure tayo na nakarating na ng hundredth ang UP. I don’t know for the next century.
Napag-usapan namin ni Marco kanina: Are we thinking the same things tulad ng mga Isko at Iska noon, ca. 1908? Iniisip kaya nila what would UP be like
a hundred years from 1908? Naisip kaya nila na aabot ng isang siglo ang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas? Iniisip din kaya nila ang state ng bansang Pilipinas pagdating ng 100 years na yun?
Sadly, sobrang kakaunti at napakahirap na ng opportunity para maresearch ang mga bagay na yun. May mga surviving UP students pa ba till now with a
student number of 1908-XXXXX? O baka hindi pa uso ang ganung numbering ng mga estudyante noon?
Swerte ng mga magbabalik-tanaw sa 2108. Maraming way na to assess the situation back in the year 2008 - may Internet, may Blogs, may text messages,
may 100 kwentong Peyups. Marami ng references. In fact, sa tulong ng YouTube, baka makikita pa ng mga taga 2108 ang events ng 2008. Hehe swerte nila.
Pero para sa akin, I must witness these events. True, medyo nagdadalawang-isip ako pumunta because of my work schedule, plus the fact
na medyo mahirap pumunta ng Peyups kasi sarado ang Acad Oval. Pero deep inside me - the Iskolar ng Bayan inside me - tells me na I must come.
There may not be a second time to witness these. At dahil siguro alam na ng pagka-Isko ko na madalas ako mag-rant sa mga bagay na gusto ko pero hindi
ko ginawa, kaya alam nyang hindi ako masasatisfy kung makikita ko lang sa TV or sa mga pictures ng ibang tao ang celebrations.
Pwede ko sigurong iparecord ang mga events na ito, pero there’s no substitute for the real thing. Lahat ng mga bagay na ito eh dapat
mawitness firsthand. Once in a lifetime lang ito hehehe.
And by the way, kukuha din ako ng Centennial Planner. Sayang eh, actually pinagiisipan ko pa kung susulatan ko sya. Masyadong ‘valuable’ para sulatan
hehehe.
Malay mo, maging collector’s item ‘to come 2108. Di ba?
Hmm, speaking of memorabilla and collections, meron pala akong mga pictures ng mga buildings ng Peyups - kinunan namin for our UPDInteractive project.
And I am proud kasi nakuhanan pa namin yung BA Bldg nung dati pa syang anyo. Hahanapin ko pa yung CD na yun at ia-upload ko sa Multiply. Kaya abangan.
Ansarap kasing isipin, na as Isko at Iska na grumadweyt recently (don’t ask me kung gaano ka-"recent"), Eh I have this rare opportunity to become an audience
on how the State U celebrates its century one. I am also amazed and somewhat overwhelmed na on those hundred years, I became part of it - kahit itsy bitsy
part lang. I’ve experienced the Iskolar ng bayan experience - the hardships, the triumphs, the laughters and tears, all of it the resulting factor
on becoming a UP student. In a way my history and UP’s history are intertwined kahit sa ilang taon man lang. I’m sure and all of us Isko and Iska would agree na it’s the same euphoric
feeling for them. To become part of UP and UP to become part of their lives as well.
I might as well look forward to the next hundred years of UP. Pero parang ayaw ko naman isipin na gusto ko pa ma-witness yun hehehe.
Wala lang. Hundred years. One Century. Isang siglo.
What would UP be like in the next century? What would our dear country be like in the next hundred years?
Awesome, isn’t it?
