The anticipated Christmas season has begun at the University of Santo Tomas, with students and visitors of the Manila campus treated to year two of the Paskuhan Pop-Up Village, a week-long Christmas bazaar for Thomasians, by Thomasians.
Organized by the UST Tiger Media Network, the official broadcasting arm of UST, the pop-up village had everything you needed from A to Z at the Quadricentennial Park right at the heart of the university. The event, from 2 to 7 December. housed several businesses and concessionaires, ranging from local Thomasian business owners from different colleges all the way to high-end fashion retailers.
Earl Pantoja, UST Tiger Media Network’s business manager says that they wanted to offer an avenue for students from the College of Commerce and Business Administration, College of Tourism and Hospitality Management, College of Fine Arts and Design, and the UST Senior High School to promote their own crafts, spotlighting the essence of involving Thomasians for this year’s fair with this year’s Paskuhan theme of “Ever Thankful, Ever Hopeful.”
“Apparently, a lot of Thomasian students thought that Thomasian entrepreneurs are sponsors or legitimate businesses, because to them it looks like na ‘di siya gawang estudyante. So that’s the good side of it. ‘Yung mga produkto na binebenta ng Thomasian entrepreneurs are good enough for students not to notice that they’re actually also made by students,” Pantoja told DAILY TRIBUNE.
Like the students, persons deprived of liberty were also able to sell handcrafted weaved bags and accessories at the Pop-Up Village in partnership with the UST Simbahayan Community Development Office and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, giving them a platform to showcase their talents and a way to support themselves even after leaving the correctional facility.
With the wide array of different brands participating in the bazaar, Thomasians were sure to check out and shop at the village after a long day of classes. Aside from the Thomasian booths were fashion and cosmetics names like Cosmopolitan, Tala by Kyla, YOU Cosmetics & Lavojoy and even footwear like Keds Philippines & Sperry, and Havaianas, Various concessionaires were also offered for Thomasians to have a quick bite and sip, especially with brands like Chic n’ Choc, Yummy Tokyo, Nongshim, Indomie, Andoks, Tender Juicy & Merry Mix, Tiger Sugar, and Binggrae. After eating, Thomasians could rinse themselves at the Orahex booth, or line up with their friends to have a Paskuhan souvenir at the Life4cuts photobooth or inquire at the HomeRoom Dapitan booth to find a new place to study.
But the fun doesn’t end there, as each day featured a set of performances from the UST’s very own local talents from different colleges and student organizations and featured Thomasian bands and singer-songwriters, hosted by UST Tiger TV’s very own talents. Tiger Jocks from UST Tiger Radio also contributed to the fun by airing their shows live at the TR Caravan for visitors to listen and watch while exploring the Pop-Up Village.
On 6 December, hype-filled performances from UST students, including solo acts Erika Salas, Leo Andrew Ramos, and indie band Benchfly who graced the stage with their pure Thomasian talent.
Indie rock and jazz band SUD also made their guest performance at the night, rocking out to the crowd with their hit singles, “Dumaloy,” “Di Makatulog,” “Sila,” “Baliw,” and a cover of “Burnout” by classic OPM band Sugarfree. Sud Ballecer, the band’s lead singer, also revealed that the band had its origins at the university’s Conservatory of Music, which he and other band members graduated from.
Thomasians were left with an appetizer of what was to come for the annual Paskuhan Concert set to take place at the UST Field on 20 December, with a lineup of artists still yet to be revealed.
Next generation loveteam FranSeth, comprising of actors Francine Diaz and Seth Fedelin were also welcomed to a wave of fans who were excited to watch the duo perform and share their kilig moments with them. As part of promoting their upcoming movie My Future You slated for a Christmas release, the two performed a cover of the film’s theme song “Museo” by Eliza Maturan.
Diaz mentioned how she had always dreamed of one day studying at UST and felt honored to guest at the Pop-Up Village along with her co-star to promote their first movie together. Fedelin also thanked Thomasians for welcoming them to the university, saying that he used to visit the campus as a kid and now grateful that he was able to put smiles on the faces of the UST community.