Anchoring on the creativity and skills of the Ateneans, the 73rd Ateneo Fiesta continued to sear the virtual stage with high spirits on its second day yesterday. 

Hosted by Deborah Uson, James Yu, and JK Saavedra, events scheduled for the day were live-streamed via Facebook Live on SAMAHAN’S official Facebook page, where students enthusiastically supported their respective clusters.

Events for the night were Dota 2 championship between Accountancy (ACC) Griffins and School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) Tigers and Trivia Knights 2021 spearheaded by the Council of Organizations of the Ateneo – Davao and Council of Class Presidents.

Sulat Tinyo 2021 centers on youth development

Revolving around the theme, “The Reality of Modern Media: An Open Letter to the Filipino Youth,” representatives from different clusters gathered via Zoom.

Taking on the online essay writing challenge, participants shared their struggles and inhibitions during the event. 

Business and Management (BM) representative Paulina Badoy shared her difficulty with time management.

“I didn’t know how and in which angle I wanted to approach the given theme, so I had to take 20 minutes out of the 1 hour and 15 minutes given to sort out my ideas. In the end, I had to rush to finish my piece on time but was 100 words short of the minimum word count,” Badoy told Atenews.

Meanwhile, another participant conveyed their worries over the blockages caused by connectivity issues and following the proper guidelines of the competition.

“Imagine this: You have been preparing for this and have all these crazy and wonderful ideas while you get in the zone of writing, but then you’d start panicking 1 hour later, realizing that you’re 100 words over. Another hour later, you’d start wondering if you’ve followed the guidelines and you’ve got your message across!” they said.

Nonetheless, the participant still expressed their glee with the opportunity to proudly raise the flag of their cluster in the competition and contend with outstanding writers. 

“It was thrilling to be in the same space as other writers, some of whom have written columns that I like in Atenews,” they said.

“All the struggles and worries that I experienced before and during the competition were dispelled by the thought that I’ve been given the honor to not only represent my cluster but also to be in the presence of other amazing writers in the Ateneo!” they added.

Tackling this year’s theme, representatives from the various clusters emphasized its relevance, not only to the Filipino youth but also concerning the pressing issues globally.

The BM participant indicated the need for awareness of the reality of modern media so that people would not be “blinded by ignorance, and taken by surprise by Internet culture”.

Accordingly, another participant stressed the significance of acknowledging that the media “informs us about what’s going on in our communities, our country, and the world, and it influences how we act out in our daily lives, especially since we can’t really travel or interact with people outside easily right now.”

They further expounded that unresponsiveness to these realities will run a greater risk of “putting our academic and intellectual freedoms in jeopardy, and the expressions that we use to voice out wrongs or concerns may be constrained by forces that manifest these realities today”.  

“Who knows what kind of society we’d be today if we can’t discern and act on, heck even trust, the information that we’re given?” they concluded.

Creative Series: Photo exhibits day-to-day stories 

Unraveling the broad theme, “Life After Sunset”, cluster photographers displayed their masterpieces, along with the stories behind their crafts.

Grasping the notion of the theme, ACC representative Jerachris Rosal conceded that the topic was indeed ‘extensive’, elucidating that it is up to the photographer how they perceive the world after sunset.

She also considered the theme “eye-opening” as it made her identify the unseen challenges people face every day.

“It made me realize that each one of us has our own dilemmas, even after sunset. It’s just a matter of our attitude in facing these challenges,” she mentioned.

When asked about the challenges she encountered during the process, she tagged the event as “a challenge of creativity and perspective”.

“Anyone can be creative, but we all have our limitations. Limitations: With the time given and especially now amidst the pandemic, there are many restrictions and things not allowed to do. The question is how you can be creative, even with the limitations at hand,” she said.

Group Dance Showdown: Unity beyond the distance

Considered the highlight event for Day 2, the Group Dance Showdown was one of the much-awaited events for this year’s Fiesta.

Bearing the name of their respective clusters, contenders manifested their innovativeness amidst limitations and delivered their gratitude for representing their cluster in this grand event.

Social Sciences dance team member Jannah Aquilam shared her joy of “taking the stage with pride” for the cluster once again after Sayawtenista ‘19.

Humanities and Letters dance team member Kaye Cayudong thus noted the experience has taught her “a lot all about teamwork and compassion for my talent”.

Facing constraints caused by the safety protocols, participants revealed the pressure from producing the performance in a short time, communicating virtually, and learning all the dance steps online. 

“If I would compare this in [a] face-to-face setting, it would be very nice, because we will have more time to prepare and more time to practice,” Cayudong mentioned.

Aquilam recalled her experience with Sayawtenista back in the face-to-face setting where they had “so much fun because of how we were able to be together after our classes with the dancers, choreographers, and even the SS Sec to join us with great support.”

Despite the hindrances, she remained positive saying, “it was an honorable opportunity for us because we showcased our talents and represented the whole cluster as well!”