CAS Day 2021 celebration goes virtual

Despite the work-from-home and remote learning arrangements in UP Visayas because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the College of Arts and Sciences managed to celebrate its anniversary this year in a virtual manner.

The CAS Day 2021 led by the new dean Dr. Alice Joan G. Ferrer was held last March 25th with a series of activities designed to bring fun and laughter to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and retirees who took part in the celebration via Zoom.

Three types of competition were opened to the participants: E-storya sang CASadya, which were funny stories involving CAS constituents; College Encounters that were about crazy and scary stories in the CAS; and Tulaan sa CASambayan composed of spoken poetry.

Winning entries were awarded with especially designed UPV CAS mugs, 500-peso cellphone load cards, certificates of recognition, and the distinction as Best Written or Oral entries in the proposed CAS Funny Story Book or the CAS Poetry Book due for release in 2022.

Representatives from the students, faculty, and staff serving as judges chose the Best in Written form and the Best in Oral form among the many entries.

Attendees were also given the chance to vote for the Most Popular entry. Prof. Mary Babbeth F. Vargas of the Division of Humanities collected all three awards in the category of E-storya sang CASadya with her entry E-storya sang Duha ka Maestra. 

In College Encounters: CAS Crazy and Scary Stories sharing and competition, Benedict Mark Carmelita won the Best in Written form while Mary Angelie Flores’ entry was adjudged Best in Oral form and the Most Popular Story.

Ms. Flores also garnered all three awards in the spoken poetry sharing and competition Tulaan sa CASambayan for her entry Susuka Pero Di Susuko.

To encourage audience participation, attendees were asked to caption random photos taken around the CAS building or more formally known as the Tomas Fonacier Hall. Those with the most catchy or humorous captions each got a pair of special CAS mugs.

At the same time, awards were given to the First to Register, and the Most Senior Participant in the virtual program. Immediate Past Dean of the CAS Prof. Ma. Severa Fe S. Katalbas got the former, while Mr. Dominador Gregorio of Batch 1948 or Class 1952 of UPIC won the latter.

A major attraction of the celebration was Gugma Mo, E-Composo Mo where retired professor Dr. Alice Tan Gonzales served as resource person on the Ilonggos’ very own style of song, the komposo. She said the komposo is equivalent to the English and Scottish ballad but is more like the Mexican ballad called corrido in terms of form. She explained that komposo is always sung, has no refrain, and has only 4 lines to a stanza, and with only eight or 12 syllables in each stanza. She added the song may follow a monorhyme or a rhyming pattern of a-b-a-b.

Dr. Gonzales shared that komposo is not her strongest work, but she has done extensive research on it and had composed a few for special occasions in UP Visayas while serving as faculty of the Division of Humanities. She is a multi-awarded writer elevated to the Carlos Palanca Hall of Fame for her short stories in Hiligaynon.

No doubt the audience was held captive by her short lecture that included segments of komposo she had collected from the field. Gugma Mo, E-Composo Mo ended with two original compositions: Ang Aton Kolehiyo composed by Prof. Vivian Topor with music by Steve Magbanua, and sung by Darlene Calzado and Sashah Dioso; as well as Gugma sa CAS, a collaborative work by some faculty and staff that tells about love and friendship in the CAS.

The online celebration of CAS Day 2021 was highlighted with the launching of the first ever CAS Awards. Dean Ferrer said the idea behind this unprecedented ceremony came up during the recent call for promotion where the number of college awards received was among the items for evaluation. She said that in selecting the recipients, they mirrored the criteria used for the UPV Chancellor’s Awards but the CAS Awards are really meant to recognize Outstanding Performance and Achievements within the college, and to inspire faculty and staff to strive for excellent service to gain the same awards in the future.

The successful online celebration of the CAS Day 2021 was through the efforts of a number of committees with the Steering Committee chaired by Dean Alice Joan Ferrer and co-chaired by  Humanities Division chair Prof. Susan Mila Alvarez-Tosalem with members: Prof. Nilo C. Araneta, Prof. Catherine B. Anecita, Prof. Vicente T. Balinas, Dr. Wilfredo Campos, Prof. Alfredo Diaz, Prof. Josephine T. Firmase, Mr. Phillippe T. Hiñosa, Prof. Steve P. Janagap,  Prof. Jesse Labiste, Mr. Enrique Legaspi III, Prof. Randy C. Madrid, Prof. Danilo O. Ortillo, Ms. Ma. Susan C. Otero, Dr. Vivian A. Topor, and Prof. Brian A. Ventura. (CAS Information and Publications Committee)