UP Turns 100

The University of the Philippines or UP was established in Manila on the 18th of June 1908 through Act No. 1870 of the First Philippine Legislature. In 1939, work on a bigger campus started in Diliman -- then part of Morong/Rizal province --- that was interrupted when World War II came to the Philippines. Four years after the war and after a massive rehabilitation work, UP’s relocation from Manila to its present site was completed.

Synonymous with UP is The Oblation --- sculptor Guillermo Tolentino’s translation of Dr. Jose P. Rizal’s “Mi Ultimo Adios” with actor Fernando Poe Sr. as the model. The statue’s cornerstone was laid by Aurora Quezon in 1931, and was unveiled in the old Padre Faura campus in 1939 by Gregoria De Jesus viuda de Bonifacio. The Oblation was relocated to Diliman in 1949. What now stands in front of the UP administration building is actually a bronze replica that was unveiled in 1958 in commemoration of UP’s 50th year. The original statue is at the 3rd floor of the main library. In 1977, members of the Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity streaked around the university to protest the banning of the movie “Hubad na Bayani”. What has become known as The Oblation Run is now an annual tradition of the university held every 16th of December in commemoration of the founding anniversary of the fraternity who started it.

This year, UP celebrates its centennial year. Last year, the lesser known school of Hogwarts held its own. My blog entry on this and more Oblation photos at Shooting Churches, Eating Noodles.

Nikon D40 (June 2008)