Highlighting Filipino musical artistry in SADYA 2023: The Ateneo UFest, Ateneans showcased their talents and skills with Original Pilipino Music (OPM) renditions through the Battle of the Bands (BotB).

With the theme “Ating Himig: OPM Hits,” students from different clusters produced a 10 to 15 minute performance of OPM hits. 

The musical competition was participated by Echoes (Computer Studies), Octaves (School of Engineering and Architecture), N-Sync (School of Nursing), Bawod (School of Education), Pacioli (Accountancy), Dracarys (Social Sciences), The 1948 (Natural Sciences and Mathematics),Voisonous (Business and Management), and Timberwolves (Humanities and Letters).

The Ateneo Culture and Arts Cluster Director and BotB judge Franky Arrocena told Atenews that the theme reflects the treasury of art in the country.

“This [event] is something na ma-prove, na ma-push jud nato ang art, nga hindi lang about the competition, (it is) more than the competition. The artistry is there, and this is such a big reflection na kaya man diay nato ni buhaton, even after something so horrendous like the pandemic,” he said.

“Tonight’s event really symbolizes how Ateneo approaches the overall holistic development or formation, not just acads but also music like this.”

He also described the celebration as grand as the cannonball event for the music and art scenes in Ateneo, where performers returned and presented on stage after the hindrances brought about by the pandemic. 

“This [event] is something na wala nila gi expect or something na gusto jud nila mahitabo pero dugay na kaayo wala ba especially knowing that this is the first time that we came back from a pandemic. Speaking from the culture and arts director, I think this is a testament that we are really back,” the director told Atenews.

The Musikahan ended with a performance from an invited Filipino band, Calein, who serenaded their original songs, Oras and Umaasa, and song covers from different artists. 

SAMAHAN faces backlash for late notice of ticket prices

Despite the successful event, SAMAHAN received backlashes from the students and alumni for the ticket fee prices, ranging from P250 to P350. The line-up and ticket prices were also announced three days before the event proper.

X user @frenchbayer questioned why programs had to be dependent on for-a-cause events. 

“If in fact we look at our budget as limited, maybe the question should be about prioritization. Because now, students either have to contribute more or be excluded,” he posted.

An anonymous sender from the AdDU Freedom Wall Facebook Page also expressed their disappointment on how the event was handled.

“Overall, disappointing ang heads sa samahan karong year kung paunsa mu handle ug events. The SAMAHAN had the time to prepare and plan but then grabe ka unreasonable ilang pricing for a school event na dapat open man and ma afford sa tanan students w/o hurting their pocket,” the anonymous sender stated.

A statement was also released from the socio-political organization, BAHAGHARI, regarding financial considerations, urging the SAMAHAN to be mindful of time-bounded announcements, especially since it involves financial facets. 

“The 350-peso price tag may have a breakdown to justify its cost; it raises questions how many Ateneans can comfortably set aside 350 pesos to partake in an experience to celebrate their university community in just a short amount of time.”

The announcement of the event initially stated that ‘all proceeds’ will go the the partner organization but it was later changed to ‘a portion of the event’s proceeds’. Nevertheless, the proceeds will be donated to the Adopt-a-Riverbank program, a project of the Ecoteneo Student Unit (ESU) under SAMAHAN, utilizing Tamugan River as a potential secondary water source to address water scarcity in Davao.

The program took place at the 4th Floor Martin Hall on October 12.