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| Photo by the University of Santo Tomas on Facebook |
Pasko na Naman, Paskuhan na Naman
After two years of the pandemic, the long-anticipated Paskuhan festivities make their on-site return this year, with the theme, Pananabik. Pagbabalik. Panunumbalik.
Still anchoring on the traditions set forth every year, the month-long festivities will include the Panunuluyan, followed by the Christmas Concert, the Thomasian Agape, and finally, the much-awaited Paskuhan Concert. However, this year also houses a new set of dates, activities, and protocols which were further explained during the three-part Information Session held earlier today via livestream on UST’s official Facebook page.
As announced during the live broadcast, December 1 will be the scheduled date for Panunuluyan 2022. The day after, December 2, will be the lighting of the Christmas decors integrated with the Agape, in which food will be provided to Thomasian students and staff, and the live in-campus Christmas Concert at 6 PM, held at the Plaza Mayor, which is said to circle on an all-Filipino Christmas Carol theme. In addition, an organizational fair is also to be expected during the day of Agape from 10 AM to 4 PM.
The next well-anticipated event will be Tunog Tomasino’s Battle of the Bands which will be held online on December 5. Through this event, three competing bands will be chosen to perform in this year’s Paskuhan. Further details about the auditions and guidelines will be released through the Tiger Media Network and UST-TOMCAT social media channels respectively.
On December 16, there will be a Paskuhan mass at 6 PM at the UST Santisimo Rosario Parish where the proceeds of the mass collections will be used to fund Dominican Missions.
Wrapping up the festivities on December 19 will be the Paskuhan Concert. The start of the Paskuhan raffle will be as early as 10 AM, then at 4 PM, the concert officially begins. As for the lineup of performers, the guest bands and artists are yet to be announced but there will be the presence of Thomasian performers throughout the event.
During the said activities, Thomasians are required to secure their identification cards (IDs) or the provided printed QR code (if the ID is still being processed or not released until the day of the Agape or Paskuhan) for verification of being a student of the university. Meanwhile, the alumni goers are to update their Thomasian Alumni Portal (TAP) for the QR Code to be saved or printed as an alternate proof for identification. Moreover, attendees are advised to come in their decent and appropriate attire upon entry. Lastly, big bags are prohibited to avoid delays during the inspection.
In strengthening the health and safety protocols during the events, face masks are still required to be worn and upon entry, the students’ ThOMedSS must be updated. For the alumni, a QR code from the StaySafe application must be presented.
Agape and Paskuhan activities' access points around the campus were also displayed through the Pedestrian Access Plan in the livestream. On December 2, the pedestrian access points are through Gates 1, 2, and 6 in España, Gate 7 at P. Noval, Gates 10 to 11 at Dapitan, and Gate 14 at Lacson. These points are also accessible on December 19 together with the opening of the Public Link Bridge except Gate 6.
Furthermore, both December 2 and 19 are deemed as carless days, encouraging everyone to not bring their cars and practice the drop-off policy. However, the campus car park is still open but on a first-come, first-served basis as slots will be limited. All vehicles should enter through Gate 14 (Lacson side) during the said dates.
The University of Santo Tomas Central Student Council posted a Paskuhan and Agape 2022 Interest Check yesterday, November 10, 2022. To confirm your attendance, you may answer the form through this link.
