I celebrated my birthday week several times at the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines (UP), in most cases coinciding with the traditional lantern parade.
The parade traverses the UP Academic Oval, which is canopied by sturdy acacia trees over a century old, which bear silent witness to the struggles of Diliman residents.
UP typically celebrates the most festive festival of the season in the best way possible, with lantern parades held at all UP campuses in which administrative offices, academic units, organizations and community groups get creative with their lanterns and displays.
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The Lantern Parade began in 1922 and was inspired by the folk practice of carrying lanterns of various shapes and sizes to light the way to the early morning December masses (Misa de Gallo) during the Spanish period.
Lanterns are basically a light source (candle, wick in a fuel or jacket) enclosed in a container that protects the flame so that the wind does not extinguish it but allows light to pass through. It can be made from different materials, from non-combustible to combustible.
The lantern parade was institutionalized in 1934 by UP President Jorge C. Bocobo “so that students could enjoy an exuberant activity before the end of the year.”
The Christmas event transformed into an activist-themed protest site in 1969, just before martial law, and went on hiatus from 1970 to 1976. During their comeback in 1977, participants marched through the Academic Oval with torches, unfazed by the threatening atmosphere of martial law.
“From its beginnings as a simple homage to an old Christmas tradition to the elegant, colorful, sometimes controversial creations that strut (or sometimes stutter) through UPD's Academic Oval every Christmas, the Lantern Parade has evolved into an event “which reflects both people and milieu of its time, depicting the changing social and political landscape of the university and indeed the country,” the UP website says.
I remember my first lantern parade in 1987, which lasted six to eight hours during my freshman year of college, when six-wheel trucks were still allowed.
Submissions were evaluated based on topic consistency, materials used, presentation and visual effects, and environmental friendliness. There are two groups of winners: the first group consists of entries from participating colleges and offices and the second group consists of the College of Fine Arts Hall of Famers.
The floats and contingents interpreted the theme in different ways, conveying messages about campus freedom, press freedom, climate change and environmental disasters, human rights violations and many other topics.
A total of 26 lantern installations participated in this year's parade on December 18, 2024, which carried the theme “Nilay at Sikhay” (Reflection and Resilience).
The UP College of Law Lantern won among academic units, followed by the College of Engineering, the Asian Center, the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Architecture.
The College of Law's lantern depicts Lady Justice with her hands tied. Behind her is a sun with words highlighting pressing issues facing Filipinos: the West Philippine Sea dispute, corruption, extrajudicial killings, political dynasties and the education crisis.
With scales, a sword, and sometimes a blindfold as her attributes, Lady Justice harkens back to the personification of justice in ancient Roman art known as Iustitia or Justitia, corresponding to the Greek goddess Thémis.
On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines on most of its submissions on the West Philippine Sea dispute.
The decision explained that China's historical rights claims to maritime areas within the “nine-dash line” have no lawful effect because they go beyond what they are entitled to under UNCLOS. There was no legal basis for China to claim historical rights to resources in areas falling under the “nine-dash line.”
The decision also found that China violated the Philippines' sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) by constructing artificial islands in seven locations in the Spratly Islands, interfering with Philippine fisheries and hydrocarbon exploration, and not allowing Chinese fishermen to participate Fishing hindered The Philippines' EEZ.
The Lantern Parade reflects UP's role as a refuge for advocates of civil rights and academic freedom, especially in times of uncertainty and social turmoil.
The parade sparks meaningful conversations and serves as a symbol of creativity, inclusivity and social consciousness.
The Lantern Parade is a reminder that UP shaped us to fight for the causes we believe in and that UP gave us the skills we need to communicate ideas and mobilize others to create change of society.
(Peyups is the nickname of the University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the Seafarers Department of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan Law Firm. For comments, please email [email protected]or call 0908-8665786.)
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