To abolish the gap among the different members of the Ateneo community, the Human Resource Management and Development Office (HRMDO) headed the celebration of the annual Kakanin Festival.
Students, faculty, and the non-teaching staff convened earlier at the Arrupe Hall to witness the event.
According to HRMDO Director Atty. Niceforo V. Solis Jr., the event aimed to strengthen the bond among the different members of the Ateneo community.
“Bringing the community together is really the main objective of the festival. It’s a celebration and thanksgiving to Our Lady of Assumption, but also to bring together in fun atmosphere all members of the community—students, employees, guards and agency personnel; In a way we hope that the activity proviron before and after teen weight training to will be a platform that we all get to know each other in our growing community in the university,” he shared.
While community building was the goal, Niceforo supplied that the Kakanin Festival was specifically made to cater to the employees of the institution.
By giving them a proper event of their own in which they can participate in, the employees would feel less alienated from the celebrations and festivities of the Ateneo Fiesta.
Platters of different Filipino traditional delicacies like suman, cassava cake, and puto were served during the event to own up to its name of being a Kakanin Festival. The event was said to be a collective effort among the different university offices and the Jesuits, as they prepared the foods served during the event.
“This year’s Kakanin Festival is much bigger in all areas. More food, more prizes, and more fruits. But what is significant this year is that it has become more inclusive since it’s no longer just the HRMDO who organized it but also the Faculty Club, College Faculty Union, and NTP Union,” Niceforo said when asked what changes were made in this year’s celebration.
Upon attending the event for the first time since she set foot in the university, Debbie Getigan, a fourth-year architecture student, said that she appreciated how the event seemed to give students a chance to see the university employees outside of their binding duties and responsibilities.
“Nindot makit-an ang employees participating in the events together with the students. I think seeing them here kind of makes me see them on a whole different perspective,” Getigan started. “Kasi outside of their duties, makit-an jud nato who they really are as individuals. We can appreciate them by their individuality and not by their professions.”
Niceforo was elated to see the more active participation of the students in this year’s Kakanin Festival. Through their estimate, a more significant number of population has joined the activities lined up for the event.
Kalandrakas
As the university’s way to celebrate with the employees, the teaching and non-teaching staff convened at the Arrupe Hall yesterday to celebrate the long-running Kalandrakas.
Kalandrakas is an annual event organized by the College Faculty Club (CFC) and the College Faculty Union (CFU) that mainly caters to providing a proper, intimate celebration to Ateneo’s faculty and staff during Fiesta.
One of the highlights for this year’s celebration was the singing contest that allowed the staff and employees to showcase their talents. Kalandrakas was originally an exclusive Teacher’s Day Celebration for the Ateneo faculty but was soon reformed to cater to the non-teaching staff as well.
Kalandrakas was celebrated initially outside of the Ateneo Fiesta celebration but was eventually incorporated into the fiesta to give the staff their own celebration amidst the student-centered activities.
Unlike the previous years’ Kalandrakas, the Human Resource Management and Development Office (HRMDO), College Faculty Club (CFC), and College Faculty Union (CFU) decided to merge the two events—Kakanin Festival and Kalandrakas—since both of their rationales stand by offering the teaching and non-teaching staff a more Fiesta-inclusive experience.