Striving to bring forth the spirit of community and solidarity, this year’s Ateneo UFest: Duyog set the tempo for the celebration as clusters came together in a showcase of talent under the theme ‘Rhythm of One Ateneo.’

The opening kicked off with the Duyog Grand Parade, where the nine clusters exhibited their pride and colors as they collectively marched from Rizal Park to the University’s Martin Hall. 

Following the parade, INDAKAN: Liveliest Cluster and Best Cluster Mascot energized the campus, with each cluster animating their representative animal.

UFest 2025 Overall Head and SAMAHAN Secretary-General Philipina Gutierrez explained the vision behind DUYOG, aiming to inspire camaraderie and fellowship among Ateneans throughout the event.

“We came up with [the name] DUYOG stemming from ‘to accompany’ and the rhythm of one Ateneo, and everything else followed…”

She revealed that the biggest challenge during the preparation for the event was uniting the different clusters into one Ateneo community, which inspired the theme and contributed to its success.

“To actually make the people feel kung anong gusto nating mapa-feel, which is the Rhythm of one Ateneo, was actually the biggest challenge. Siguro, how I overcame it was really just to embody that theme, to be in rhythm with the clusters… para maipakita ng clusters kung anong kaya nilang gawin in terms of whatever they want to do— mapa-arts man yan, music, and whatsoever.” Gutierrez said. 

Despite the challenges, this year’s UFest introduced SIKLABAN: Group Dance Showdown, spotlighting the clusters’ talents on the stage. 

“This time around, we wanted them not only to have these competitions [to see] who is better than the other, but to really let the Ateneo community see the different facets, talents, and skills of our Ateneo community,” Gutierrez remarked. 

Demonstrating their combined strength, the Accountancy (ACC) Griffins were hailed as champions, while Computer Studies (CS) Chameleons and the School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) Tigers emerged as the first and second runner-up, respectively.

The opening ceremony for the Ateneo UFest Duyog 2025 commenced at 4FMartin Hall on October 9.

Editor’s note: Following the recent tremors and shift to an asynchronous mode of learning, Ateneo UFest 2025 and Palarong Atenista 2025 are temporarily suspended and will be moved to a later date.