As they lodge their standees that spelled their home and tread heavily in chorus of their chant, the seemingly hushed space of the campus lawn is left with nothing but zeal. Around 4:30 in the afternoon, CASS athletes and students marched for sportsmanship. From the MSU-IIT lawn, with routes covering the campus main road, turning to the road adjacent to the College of Economics and Business Accountancy, and heading towards the gymnasium. This throng of Arachnids may be third in the line-up of the parade, but first in the hearts of its fellow damangs.
As they swarmed the Rizal Park with enthusiasm, waiting for them were booming sounds from the cheering team, seizing the spotlight. It was a show similar to welcoming a national delegate which emphasized how CASS values family hood. As they cry the rhythm of their roots, they prove certain of the words they utter — CASS truly is a community.
However, what happens inside is unparalleled. The moment they entered the thresholds of the gymnasium, the atmosphere was palpably surreal. They positioned themselves left of the hall and near the stage, while students were seated behind their pack of athletes. Vibrant lights and awakening echoes of cheer wreathe the halls of the manifestations of festivity that PALAKASAN will commence and Arachnids are here.
Everyone was given the warmest welcome through an amazing performance brought by the Orion Dance Group for the opening salvo. Clearly, IITians are no doubt full of talent as evinced in their performance of dance and sports.
Right after the breathtaking performance by the Orion Dance Group, Prof. Rohane Derogongan, the Vice Chancellor for Student Services and Atty. Alizedney M. Ditucalan, J.D. LLM gave their opening remarks.
Prof. Derogongan highlighted this year’s theme for Palakasan, “Reclaiming Honor, Power and Influence” and related ‘Honor’ to what Dr. Jose Rizal mentioned in his letter to the young women of Malolos, about how the Spartan mothers, whenever they send their sons to fight their enemies, would tell their son, “My son, bring this shield back or this shield will bring you back to me.” According to her, Dr. Jose Rizal continued asking every Filipino Mother to teach their children to prefer ‘Death with honor’ rather than ‘Life with dishonor’. But as IITians and as students of CASS, we would certainly say that we prefer ‘Life and Honor’.
She shared a story about what Palakasan is all about — as what she had witnessed for 30 years, that the former IITians are proud of is that “Every Palakasan is indeed unique, entirely different in which one cannot claim one is better than the rest. Because they all have different stories, merits, and lapses. But yes, the ‘honor, power, and influence’ is there.”
The professor also complimented IITians as ‘Geniuses’ as everyone amazed them with all the preparations. She added that they are all excited for all this never heard, something new and surprising activities. For the MSU-IIT faculty, especially in the Office of Vice Chancellor for Student Services (OVCSS), IITians truly inspired them. She emphasized that the OVCSS are there to help the students explore opportunities, to develop and enhance talents, abilities, values, for appreciating national culture and multicultural heritage.
Before ending her remarks, Prof. Derogongan reminded everyone to always be conscious of the topmost essentials. First, the camaraderie, brotherhood and friendship.
Second, the lessons learned in every mistake. Third, the (kind) bashing with a purpose.
Fourth, the commitment and dedication to serve without expecting anything in return.
Lastly, the overall strong support of every IITian to help one another all to make this Palakasan historic and unforgettable.
Students’ booming cheers echoed in the four corners of the gymnasium as the university chancellor, Atty. Alizedney M. Ditucalan, JD. LLM came up on the stage and asked the big question: “Sino ang pinakamalakas?” and as he called his very own college, CASS, the Arachnids were very enthusiastic about cheering as they already deemed themselves as ‘PinakamalaCASS’.
While the students’ excitement is as fiery as the weather outside, the university chancellor, Atty. Ditucalan, shared a few words with them. He reminded the students of the two most important pillars of the university’s road map that captured the very essence of palakasan. One, is “holistic education” and the second one is “nurturing student support”. “Our goal is to create a safe and nurturing environment where you feel cared for and encouraged to grow intellectually, socially, emotionally, spiritually, and of course, physically,” he added.
The university is committed to making it a student-centric academic institution of higher learning. Because according to the chancellor, everyone deserves no less. They are also committed to providing everyone a sense of commitment and purpose as well as a heart for service. He added that to be empowered to use the students’ talents and abilities to make a positive difference in the world, both now and in the future, is how everyone can influence the future which he hopes for. Lasly, he emphasized that the university believes that every individual has a unique contribution to make and they are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels welcomed and valued regardless of one’s background, gender, ethnicity or ability, they have a place in this world. “Remember that you are more than just athletes, performers, or spectators. You are a member of a community that values honor and excellence,” he encouraged.
The program proceeded right after chancellor Ditucalan declared Palakasan 2023 as officially opened with the shout of “Ganbatte Kudasai!”. The lighting of the torch and the oath taking of the palakasan athletes started and as the athletes of CASS stand and raise their hands to take the oath as a sign of sportsmanship, they bring with them the value of CASS. To play with “Puso, Husay at Talino” and they represent the spirit of a true Arachnid. With that, PALAKASAN 2023 has started and will continue to reclaim the honor, power and influence that MSU-IIT is for. After its long hiatus and enduring fiasco, this momentous resumption is indeed one for the books.
About the Authors
John Vincent M. Balustre
John Vincent Balustre is a news correspondent and an AB Sociology student. Hailing from the small town of Oroquieta City he has polished his craft in writing and took part in major posts from his former school publication, The CAPITOL of MONHS. His writing interests are usually in politics, community engagement, and entertainment.
Rona Marie Julaica Alison
Rona Marie Julaica I. Alison is currently taking up BA Sociology as a Freshman Student at Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT). She took up Humanities and Social Sciences and graduated from Molave Vocational Technical School in her Senior High School. She joined journalism from 2014 until 2022 where she qualified for National Schools Press Conference on Online Publishing as the News Writer. Currently, she is a member of CASSayuran as a News Writer.
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