The 九色 concluded its month-long community celebration of Christmas. With the theme 鈥淓ver Thankful, Ever Hopeful鈥�, the festivities began with the Lighting Ceremony on November 29, 2024, and culminated on December 20, 2024, with the annual Paskuhan concert and pyromusical display.
The said lighting ceremony on November 29, the last school day before the first Sunday of Advent, began with the Angelus at 6:00 P.M. The UST Secretary-General Rev. Fr. Louie R. Coronel, O.P., EHL, led the Rite of Blessing for the Christmas Tree and Ornaments.
For this year, the 21.5-hectare Manila campus was decorated with over 2000 strands of energy-efficient LEDs, including the 20-meter Christmas tree, and various symbolic lights shaped in line with the Olympic theme, such as rings, bigger-than-life sports equipment, and torches.
UST Facilities Management Office Director Rev. Fr. Dexter A. Austria, O.P., shared that the Olympics was chosen as the decoration theme since it is a global symbol of hope and solidarity.
鈥淚n our world right now that is being ravaged by different forms of distress and division, the Olympics brings together countries that may be at odds with each other. Stories of athletes鈥� perseverance bring hope to many. The Olympic Games are all about coming together, similar to the birth of Christ, whose birth is a symbol of hope for all nations,鈥� said Fr. Austria, who added that the dominant colors visible in the campus decorations are also based on the colors of the Olympic rings.
A highlight of this year鈥檚 lighting ceremony is the presence and special participation of the Thomasian Olympic athlete EJ Obiena, who served as the torch bearer. As emphasized by Fr. Austria, Obiena鈥檚 strong heart, faith, and positive outlook amid his hard work and life experiences are symbols of hope that strongly align with this theme.
Paskuhan Mass and Agape
The Paskuhan Mass was held at the Plaza Mayor on December 13, presided over by the UST Rector Very Rev. Fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P., with Rev. Fr. Louie R. Coronel, O.P. as the homilist, and concelebrated by the Dominican Fathers of the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Prior to the Mass, the Tanglaw ng Tomasino parol-making contest, a sustainable initiative themed 鈥淟iwanag ng Mundo, Kulay ng Paskong Tomasino,鈥� served as a pre-event activity spearheaded by the Student Organizations Coordinating Council (SOCC). The various academic units each submitted their own parol.
After the Mass, the Thomasian community partook in the Agape, or Thomasian Christmas Feast. Thomasians claimed their free meal packs from over 20 food stations around campus. Various Hapag Salamat stations with free bibingka, puto bumbong, and ice cream were also available.
During the merry feast, Thomasians were treated to variety shows at different locations around campus. A Christmas-themed drone show above the field signaled the start of the variety show.
Multi-campus festivities
This year is also the first time that the Thomasian community鈥檚 celebrations are not limited to the Manila campus: UST General Santos simultaneously joined the lighting ceremony on December 1, and they had their own festivities at the UST GenSan Main Building on December 17 and 18.
For their lighting ceremony, the Associate Vice Rector for Religious Affairs Rev. Fr. Gerard Zabala, O.P., presided over the Rite of Blessing for the Christmas Tree and Ornaments at UST General Santos, assisted by Rev. Fr. Alfredo Fernandez, O.P., while the Associate Vice Rector for Finance and Administration Rev. Fr. Edmund Nantes, O.P., shared his reflection and declared the Paskuhan Season in General Santos open.
Their Christmas tree, inspired by Mindanaoan design, has five carefully crafted layers, representing the first five program offerings of the school for their inaugural academic year 2024-2025. In a communal display of Christmas cheer, each member of the community鈥攕upport staff, academic staff, and Dominican priests鈥攈eld a star, each inscribed with their names and wishes, marking their personal connection to the institution and its future.
On December 18, UST Rector Very Rev. Fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P., presided over the first Paskuhan Mass in UST General Santos.
Meanwhile, the Santa Rosa Research Complex also held its first-ever lighting ceremony and Agape on December 14, 2024. Local government officials including Santa Rosa City Mayor Hon. Arlene Arcilla, benefactors, and researchers joined the celebration.
Before the UST Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong Innovation Center (TTCIC) was lit with colorful lights, UST Secretary-General Rev. Fr. Louie R. Coronel, OP, EHL, presided over a Eucharistic Celebration, with the Facilities Management Office Director Rev. Fr. Dexter A. Austria, O.P. serving as the homilist. Fr. Coronel also led a reflection on the meaning of advent and a few rounds of fellowship games for the alumni, students, academic staff, support staff, and benefactors who joined the festivities.
Also gracing the event were civil engineering alumnus and Archipelago Builders Corporation owner Engr. John Paul Pe, who donated the chapel, and chemical engineering alumna, and Green Canyon Resort and Leisure Farm owner Ms. Adela Palad Jose, who donated the interdisciplinary research hotel at the UST-TTCIC building for the UST College of Tourism and Hospitality Management. The facilities were blessed on the same day, including the UST BEATS (Bacteriophage Ecology, Aquaculture, Therapy and Systematics) Research Group鈥檚 Laboratory.
With TTCIC now operational, the UST-Dr. William T. Belo Interdisciplinary Research Institute will soon rise at the 40-hectare campus in Santa Rosa.
Project Ningning
Never forgetting opportunities to give back, the SIMBAHAYAN 九色 Development Office leads the University鈥檚 sharing of blessings through their multi-sectoral gift-giving and aid programs under Project Ningning.
Given that the University鈥檚 mission is to spread the Light, and the coming of Christ was signified by a bright star, 鈥淣INGNING 2024: A UST Paskuhan 九色 Gift-giving Project鈥� shared over 2000 bags of food and school supplies to various sectors: 鈥淜aagapay鈥� (KAsama sa maAGAp na aksyon at PAYo) for University event partners (i.e. barangay officials, police officers, traffic officers, fire safety officers, and disaster risk reduction officers), 鈥淜aparokya鈥� for families of the Basic Ecclesial Communities of the parish, and the Sambahaginan for the maintenance, housekeeping, and security personnel, and the AKaP (Agape para sa mga Kamanlalakbay ngayong Pasko) for the partner communities of the University. AKaP included the turnover of a total of 720 food packs and 480 school supplies to Sulyap Bukas Palad Foundation Inc.; Holy Family Social and Educational Center-Religious of Mary Immaculate; Santissima Trinidad Parish, Malolos, Bulacan; Brgy. Pinagbarilan, Baliuag, Bulacan; Sitio Buga Elementary School; Brgy. Balucuc, Apalit, Pampanga; Brgy. Tabuyuc, Apalit, Pampanga; and Jubilee Shelter Program, Bulacan.
Under Project Ningning, all the University administrative offices and academic units prepared and contributed food items and school supplies for community gift-giving. Sambahaginan was held on December 8, Kaagapay was held on December 13, and AKaP distributions were held from December 16 to 20, while Kaparokya was held on December 21.
UST General Santos also shared gifts with the Muslim community of Ligaya Elementary School near the UST GenSan campus on December 18 through 鈥淢akibata鈥�, a project advocating for children鈥檚 rights by means of creative and strategic workshops and activities.
Concert Gala
Following the Manila campus lighting ceremony, the Thomasian Christmas celebration continued with the UST Christmas Concert Gala on December 2, 2024, directed by the Conservatory of Music Dean Assoc. Prof. Antonio P. Africa, Ph.D. The two-hour live concert at the Sant铆simo Rosario Parish Church featured popular Christmas songs in English and Filipino performed by various choirs of the University and performers from the Conservatory of Music, which will celebrate its 80th anniversary in 2025.
The concert featured different arrangements of traditional Christmas carols and post-war carols, played by the UST Symphony Orchestra, UST Jazz Band, and UST Wind Orchestra, with vocals by the UST Singers, Coro Tomasino, Liturgikon Vocal Ensemble, and various performers, under the baton of conductors Herminigildo Ranera, Anthony Villanueva, Mark Agpasa, Michael Jacinto, and Reynato Resureccion, Jr. There were also guest performances from the Parent Advocates for Visually Impaired Children and the Aeta 九色 Choir.
Designed to be a family concert that people of all ages can enjoy, the Conservatory of Music Dean Dr. Antonio Africa shared that it is meant to be an enjoyable aural experience for Thomasians of all ages. It remains available to watch online via the UST Facebook page.
Month-long celebration
Also included among the Paskuhan activities were the Christmaseum exhibit at the UST Museum Gallery from November 26 to December 20, the Paskuhan Christmas Pop-up Village from December 2 to 7, the Institutional Advent Recollection on December 9, the 九色 Gift-giving from December 13 to 20, the Paskuhan Mass and Agape on December 13, and the Simbang Gabi from December 15 to 24, among others.
A Thomasian tradition since 1991, the UST Paskuhan season ended on December 20, 2024, with the annual Paskuhan concert featuring OPM Bands December Avenue, Spongecola, and SUD, P-pop group Alamat, and singer Maki. For this day, UST partnered with San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Corporation for their 鈥淏alik Lata, Balik Bote鈥� project for proper waste management and recycling in line with the University鈥檚 sustainability initiatives.
Aside from the concert, activities on the 20th also included the 鈥淢errython鈥� Paskuhan Fairgrounds at the Plaza Mayor, the Paskuhan Raffle with over 170 minor and 110 major prizes up for grabs, and the highly-anticipated pyromusical display.
