As a year of quarantine in the Philippines draws to a close, an unprecedented number of
businesses and establishments have completely shut down and filed for bankruptcy. Alongside this outcome, social gatherings and events have become scarce as it has been observed that transmission of the virus is effective when a certain number of people are gathered in a single place. However, COVID-19 didn’t completely halt one of the University’s most enjoyable events which is the annual Lantern Parade. That being said, UP Diliman’s recent Lantern Parade veered off from the usual and opted for a virtual celebration by also reflecting on the University’s challenges and successes in the previous year. The virtual event entitled, ”Diwa ng Diliman 2020” was broadcasted last December 18, 2020 through the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA) Facebook Page.
In order to understand the arduous task of creating a lantern that would best represent the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs (OVCAA), wherein the University Library is a part of, we interviewed Ramil De Leon from the Main Library’s Information Systems and Network Services Section. He was the primary person tasked to oversee the lantern’s conceptualization, design and construction. Like in any other work, we asked him what was the inspiration behind the lantern. ”Sa una, sa totoo lang sa bawat lantern na ginagawa, wala talaga akong maisip na ideya. Madalas na inaantay ko ang mga meeting para sa mga opinion saka palang nakakabuo ang komite ng plano para sa lantern. Ang ideya ng lantern ay walong bukas na palad na sumisimbulo sa mga opisina sa ilalim ng OVCAA na nagaalay ng talento’t kasanayan at walang humpay na paglilingkod sa buong komunidad nang may husay at dangal,” he said. The eight offices under the OVCAA are: Office for the Advancement of Teaching (OAT), Office of International Linkages (OIL), Office of the University Registrar (OUR), General Education Center (GEC), Interactive Learning Center (ILC), Office of Field Activities (OFA), NSTP Diliman Office, and as mentioned earlier, the University Main Library.
Additionally, we asked him to share his personal experience in constructing the piece. “Sa umpisa medyo mahirap kasi gagawa ka palang at iniisip mo kung aabot kaba? Pero habang nakikita mo siyang nabubuo at nakikita mo na yung kakalabasan kahit hindi pa siya tapos, sulit din yung pagod. Plus na yung alam mo na aabot ka pala sa deadline,” he replied. As the recent virtual parade required the lanterns to be small in size, Ramil didn’t hesitate to share his preference between a small or large scale piece. ”Okay sila pareho dahil palaging naman naka suporta hindi lang ang buong komite nang Lantern pati na din and University Library. Pero mas okay para sa aking ang paggawa sa malaking parol, dahil nakakawala ng pagod yung may kasama at kausap ka habang gumagawa,” he argued.
In total, the virtual celebration received more than twenty eight thousand views. This in itself is a clear indication that although festivities and celebrations are highly discouraged, the UP community looked forward to the annual event and were very happy. Hopefully this year, we would be able to celebrate the Lantern Parade and Christmas season at the campus once again.