Take place in UST stands and open fields
All roads lead to españa.
St. Thomas University (UST) announced the highly anticipated opening of the UAAP Season 88 on September 19 on UST CALLSAND and OPEN FIELD’s own turf, followed by an explosive weekend kickoff for the core basketball championship at the fourth-grade Cycle Pavilion.
Compared to other schools in large arenas and gyms, Santo Tomas keeps its hosting tradition open at home this season, vowing not to start like other expected 25,000 to 30,000 people, such as the annual Paskuhan concert.
“Now, the doors to España are open.” Rodel Cansancio, OP, was on the league’s preseason press Wednesday at the OP building Bundered Buenaventura Garcia Paredes on the UST campus.
“For the UAAP community, we are ready to go all out and release the biggest roar of the season.”
Santo Tomas’s opening game is themed “The Power of Sports, Action in Hope”: Celebrating the Mass of Hope’s Annual Jubilee, opening and finale concert before the start of the basketball season.
Santo Tomas is not a simple parade, but expands its tradition to student-athletes at seven other member schools and, before lighting the cauldron, releases drones and fireworks displays to announce the game open.
Mr Cansancio added: “We take it to another level, bigger and bolder than ever. Now people are fully aware of the enormous responsibility that this cause brings, but we are ready to face the challenges.”
That year, Santo Tomas released an original soundtrack (OST) called “Dare To Dream” with the season’s OST similar to the season’s theme “Enterne In Motion”.
The official OST, composed of assistant professor Louell Baldoza of the UST School of Religion, is explained by Santo Tomas Alumnus, OPM singer-songwriter and former Callallily band host Kian Cipriano.
Mr Cipriano sang for the first time at a press conference on Wednesday and will hold headlines for the finale concert on the opening day, as Mr Baldoza was recognized for winning works of 12 other entries in the UST songwriting competition last March.
“UST is the only UAAP school that consistently presents the theme song whenever the league is hosted,” said Mr. Cansancio, who leads the UST’s Sports Academy (IPEA) and now the UAAP Board of Directors.
“There are two judges who want the Sanaa Philippine national anthem, but after deliberation, they do want the “power of movement, hope” because the text is very spiritual. It’s very positive and it’s very inspiring. – John Bryan Ulanday
