by Clyde Cledera, UST Faculty of Pharmacy
I was there when Kean Cipriano held Callalily’s flag, waving around before he made it like a cape. It felt like a victory; it felt like greatness when the band chose to play “Magbalik” as its final act of the night whilst the crowd sang their hearts out and felt the moment.
That was the final highlight before the 2018 Faculty of Pharmacy Week came to a close. It was another great week of fun activities that celebrated the rich tradition behind one of the oldest colleges in the Pontifical and royal university of the Philippines.
But before we dive into that, let’s all take a trip down memory lane before reminiscing the last few scenes of that Friday night and remember what happened since day one. If you’re a student of the Faculty of Pharmacy, maybe a former one or a professor, or you just passed by to read this, you’re in for a treat.
Day 1: 1871 is the Number
For those who don’t know, the Faculty of Pharmacy is one of the original colleges (or faculties) in UST alongside the Faculty of Sacred Theology (1611), Faculty of Philosophy (1611), Faculty of Canon Law (1733), the Faculty of Civil Law (1734), the Faculty of Medicine & Surgery (1871), the Faculty of Arts & Letters (1896), and the Faculty of Engineering (1907). You may hear other stuff being considered as a college (e.g. College of Science) or institute (e.g. Institute of Physical Education & Athletics) but we will no longer dive into that, considering the seemingly confusing history of UST in what you consider as a college or institute depending on how they separated or were founded.
The Faculty of Pharmacy was established as well in the year 1871. It currently houses three main programs in the form of Pharmacy (1871), Medical Technology (1961), and Biochemistry (1962). While the faculty is known to be one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions in the country, while consistently producing graduates and top-notchers in the licensure examinations, it is also known to hold one of the most extravagant college weeks in UST.
While this year did not feature the annual pharmacy parade (where every year the different classes and blocks of the faculty bring out their floats and costume parade, depending on the theme), this year’s Pharma Week, as most would call it, still opened in a high note.
I interviewed the head organizer and Faculty of Pharmacy Student Council (FPSC) President Anne Lorraine Fernando and asked her how different this year’s celebration was as compared to the previous years while leading the FPSC in organizing the various events throughout the week. She said that it was a tough journey but a lot of positive comments and support made all of their efforts and sacrifices worth it.
“I think what makes this year’s Pharmacy Week different is that we have concretized our #OnePHARMA advocacy which envisioned a more inclusive and a more unified Faculty of Pharmacy,” added the FPSC President. “We had an advocacy per day where all projects are aligned with, we made sure that our projects are of quality and our students will learn something from it. It was also a long week celebration declared by our Dean (Aleth Dacanay) who have supported us throughout this journey for the students to really participate in our events.”
Months and weeks before the week-long celebration, the FPSC along with different student organizations of the faculty focused on the six letters of PHARMA as the theme of this year’s Pharma Week. P = Promote Thomasian Identity, H = Harness Academic Excellence, A = Advance Towards a Research-Oriented Institution, M = Maximize Student Potential, A = Advocate Students’ Right and Welfare, R = Reach Out to Partner Communities.
True enough, day one met the promotion of the faculty’s Thomasian identity. It highlighted the Eucharistic Celebration led by our faculty regent, Fr. Pompeyo De Mesa, O.P. followed by the opening ceremony to officially kick-off the celebration of the Faculty of Pharmacy Week 2018.
One important key feature of day one was paying homage to the founding year of the faculty by the human formation of the student body and administration who attended the ceremony. A formation of “est. 1871” (established 1871) was made possible by using colored cellophane and a smartphone’s flashlight feature combined with proper blocking at the UST Plaza Mayor. This gives a nod to last year’s similar feat, which formed “150,” the number of years the faculty will be celebrating once it reaches the year 2021.
Day 2: More Than Words
Picking up from where it took off in day one, day two became the start of the activities for the week. The Food Bazaar and the Organization Festival officially launched this day, where people got themselves a treat from invited food establishments some delicious grub while some fun and games were presented from the student organizations. If you were looking to have some mouthful of shawarma or wanted to know what blood type you were or some things like that, all you needed was to head on over to the Quadricentennial Park to have some fun.
Aside from that, senior high school students were able to catch a glimpse of the Faculty of Pharmacy life during the In CampUST and Pharmacy Lab Tour, where they were oriented with the different laboratories and classrooms in which classes are held. The Heneral Luna Thesis Exhibit also marked its appearance for the second-straight year by showcasing the different thesis and research outputs made by our students and professors in the faculty.
Among other activities through this day included the financial investment seminar Mark Up, Paradigm Shift where students from other programs could experience what other programs in the faculty felt like, Crash Course test taking where a comprehensive study of some courses was taught in a day.
At the end of the day, it was all chill while sitting on the grass during the second annual open mic night of the Faculty of Pharmacy, entitled “Kanlungan 2018.” This is the faculty’s spoken word and music celebration night, similar to last year’s Abakada 2017. The crowd was treated with “hugots” and literary art in the form of prose, poetry, and acoustic performances featuring a various set of performers. These included guest performances from Words Anonymous, Franz Pantaleon, Einstein Mejaro, and Dane & Gab. Performances from members of the different student organizations and event organizers were also witnessed, including Cake Villaluz and Lamberto Aquino of Theater Catalyst, Brielle Tienzo from the Pharmacy Debate Coalition, Mark San Jose, and GewilAllas from the Purple Gazette.
In case you might be wondering, I also performed that night. It was my first time to perform my piece entitled “Matagal Na Kitang Gusto” in front of that type of crowd during open mic night but it felt really great, especially hearing all that oohs and ahhs every time a hugot hits the heart home.
Day 3: Feelin’ Good on a Wednesday
Day three was all about looking good, playing good, singing good, and feeling good.
The Faculty of Pharmacy not only excels in academics and research but also in sports. That is why the whole day was dedicated to the Pharma Cup 2018, the annual sports festival for the faculty. Various teams went head-to-head with each other in basketball, volleyball, and futsal. Friends and blockmates were able to witness their bet teams in their flashy moves and athletic abilities at the Central Seminary Gym and at the Quadricentennial Pavilion courts. At the end of the day, three winners were able to emerge victorious in their respective sports, like Team Alpha dominating the futsal competition.
Not only that, a special exhibition game between the different departments were held during the final hours of the Pharma Cup 2018. Professors and students of each department joined forces during an intense volleyball game with each other. A little Jenga challenge from the administrators also became a sight to see as professors got the crowd cheering not to let the tower of blocks fall down.
And who could forget the faculty’s darling professor, Prof. AngelitaSarile, who became and still is a crowd-favorite when she attempted to shoot the basketball at the hoop? You’d probably agree with me that that was the cutest moment of that day! There’s a reason why students like it whenever our dear professors step out of their comfort zone and be more than lecturers at classrooms.
Another highlight of day three was the annual Himig Pharma 2018, the most prestigious singing competition of the faculty organized by the Pharmacy Glee Club (PGC). Himig Pharma becomes the chance to showcase our talent for singing, especially considering how the PGC is one of the oldest formed glee clubs in the university while being inherent contenders in various singing competitions.
In the end, Shayne Uy of 4D-PH prevailed as the winner of the Solo category when she sang the “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton and made famous by Whitney Houston. Winners of the Duet category included Kate de Guzman and Kyle Lansang of 4C-PH through their acoustic performance of “Mundo” by indie-rock band IV of Spades. Lastly, the soulful rendition of Rico Blanco’s “Your Universe” became the winning piece for Band category champions Blind Octaves.
Day 4: A Helping Hand Leads to Success
Success comes in many ways. It can be through helping spread your advocacy for the benefit of your intended reach, helping yourself to become an achiever in your field while being an instrument for others, or helping out to those who need it the most.
As health allied professionals, it is important to be able to reach out some help for the benefit others. Medicus became an integral part of relaying help to the community through a medical mission which was held at the Central Seminary Gym. Students from the Doctor of Pharmacy program with some help from our esteemed professors led by Dr. Peter Quilala, MD were able to give a general check-up to the invited patients in this medical mission. These patients were able to receive counsel from prescribed medicine as well as Dos and Donts on how to take the medicine they need.
The Purple Ribbon was also held in this day, awarding students who gained success in their academics and leadership, as well as professors who have shown exemplary performance in teaching their respective classes. Not only that, our ates and kuyas from the support staff, laboratory technicians, City Service Corporation, etc. were awarded for their outstanding service rendered for the betterment of the Faculty of Pharmacy. Every achievement needs to be eventually recognized as it harbors benefits in the future for ourselves and for the community.
Lastly, it has become a tradition of the faculty to highlight its members in more ways than one. Day four was able to feature the 20 running candidates for this year’s Thomasian Pharmacy Ambassador and Ambassadress 2018 at the UST Medicine Auditorium. The night was filled with a lot of cheers and support for the different candidates as they willed out their confidence at the grand coronation night. The 10 male and 10 female candidates wowed the crowd with their special superhero theme wears and formal wears while deciding who should be crowned as this year’s new representatives of advocacy and role models of the Faculty of Pharmacy.
At the end, it was male candidate number 5 Patrick Lopez who had the most appeal as he was hailed as this year’s Thomasian Pharmacy Ambassador. Meanwhile, another win was registered in the books for Shayne Uy following her Himig Pharma championship trophy as she was named this year’s Thomasian Pharmacy Ambassadress. These two will be out to prove once more that beauty pageants become an avenue not only for aesthetics but also for spreading out our respective advocacies that are of relevance to society.
Day 5: Music As The Sanctuary of the Soul
Aside from today being the last day of the Faculty of Pharmacy Film Festival featuring two thought-provoking short films made by production teams of the faculty, everyone was also given a treat during this year’s Reverly: The Faculty of Pharmacy Variety Show 2018. It’s truly one of the most anticipated shows during Pharma Week because it showcases multiple performances from students, student organizations, faculty support staff, and even our beloved professors and administrators.
This year’s variety show brings in the same fun as last year’s and from the previous years, featuring heart-stopping acoustic renditions, dance performances, rock n roll bands, collaborations, comedic spoofs, and even theatrical plays. I wasn’t able to take part in this year’s lineup, as you may recall my eye-opening performance (God Bless my soul after one year) along with my friends over at the Pharmacy COMELEC, Pharmacy Sports Club, and Purple Gazette. However, this year isn’t any different from how great it was from last year.
There was definitely so much going on this year, you might even remember the epic final collaborative performance between the FPSC and administrators. It must’ve been pretty good up until this point seeing our very own faculty Dean Aleth Dacanay sporting those hippy look while dancing to the rhythm of Jennifer Lopez’s “Let’s Get Loud.” It’s times like these when you love seeing your professors become less like actual professors and go down to the fun level of being a student or so. Seeing them smile and actually cheering for them while they perform in such lively music is enough to make your day.
As usual, an ultimate PHAkain feast was also served for the faculty for free! It was the perfect lunchtime to spend with your friends along the Benavides Garden without spending a single peso for grub. How neat!
And as the final hours of the week come close, it’s worth seeing six bands to end the Pharma Week with a bang. Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent, which is the why the FPSC was able to organize one more time this year’s Faculty of Pharmacy Music Festival 2018.
The first three set of performances were led by UNiFY Youth, an electronic gospel rock band under the tutelage of Callalily which focus on bringing rock music to the crowd through their Christian beliefs. They were able to bring a unique flavor of OPM indie-rock through inspiring religious messages in their songs such as “SumigawKa! (Hallelujah)” and “Yakap.”
Next up were Ateneo High School alumni rockers, The Blanks. Highly influenced by bands such as The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys, psychedelic rock artist Mac DeMarco, and indie pop artist Rex Orange County, the band was able to play a few their latest original singles such as “Red Tides” and “Alone.”
Third in the lineup were up and rising indie-rock band Alyson, who share their musical influences from Japanese rock, pop, doo-wop, and alternative rock. Among the songs from their latest EP appeared in their performance, including “Telescope”, “Line Line Yellow”, and “Heto (Na Naman).”
Taking it one more level to being interesting were Orange and Lemons, who were back after a 10-year hiatus. The group has since reformed through original member Clem Castro and siblings Ace and JM del Mundo. Considered to be one of the original bands during the early 2000s OPM, the band famous for their hit song “PinoyAko” in ABS-CBN’s reality TV show Pinoy Big Brother sang their greatest hits which included “Lihim”, “Lovers Come, Lovers Go”, “Heaven Knows”, “Huwag Kang Matakot”, “YakapsaDilim”, and “HanggangKailan (UmuwiKa Na Baby).” It was definitely refreshing to see Orange & Lemons in the Philippine music industry once again after announcing their reformation last year. It was such an iconic moment to see the crowd during the final song waving their flashlight-lit phones in the air while moving with the beat of the song.
The dynamic quartet of the Itchyworms composed of Jugs Jugueta, Chino Singson, Kelvin Yu, and Jazz Nicolas was considered the light part of the evening. Not only was the band able to sing their hit songs such as “Gusto KoLamangsaBuhay”, “AyokongTumanda”, “Love Team”, “Beer”, “Akin Ka Na Lang”, and “PengeNamanAkoN’yan,” they were also able to put some comedy within their performances. The band, known for being light-toned in their upbeat music’s messages, also brought in 3rd year medical technology student Gerard to play alongside the band the famous noon-time program “Showtime” theme song. At some point, there was even an attempt in pleading the admin to not have any classes the day after, but it’s all fun and jokes at the end of the day with the Itchyworms.
Rounding out the night’s performances was Callalily led by singer-actor Kean Cipriano, Ken Tiongsom, Aaron Paul Ricafrente, LemBelaro, and Nathan Reyes. Known for their smooth rock love songs since 2006, the band offered the crowd the time of their lives when they played a few of their famous songs including “Stars”, “Pasan”, “Litrato”, “Sanctuary”, “Susundan”, and considered to be their best piece “Magbalik.” You could actually see the crowd get up on their feet while feeling the moment during every part of the song. Kean felt like the man of the crowd as he too felt the moment before him as music drove past all corners of the Medicine Auditorium while everyone sang unison.
In the end, it was Callalily’s flag being waved around by their frontman while he enjoyed every bit of the music he and his band played. Every second the flag was waved became an equivalent to what this year’s Faculty of Pharmacy Week 2018 boiled down to success. We all enjoyed every bit of what happened this week, whether we were without friends trying out the different activities or being one among the crowd during every performance laid out in front of our eyes.
I may not have been able to cover every bit of activity from this year’s Pharma Week but we can always learn a few things from that week which is still pretty fresh for a lot of our minds. For most of us, that week was an escape from the toxicity and pressure we are all individually experiencing towards greatness. Every once in a while, it’s good to kick your feet and have some fun with your purple family.
After that, we are all back to reality; back to hitting the books and doing our best to become the healthcare professionals this world truly deserves. It will get difficult again with the exams nearing and with some of us finally going to graduate from this institution. But one thing’s for sure: that one week of fun will always be registered in our hearts as we move on to the next step of our lives.
Sometimes, it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.
