UCU bags major awards in CHED ASEAN month

Urdaneta City University made a remarkable victory as all of its entries won and qualified in the four categories of Commission on Higher Education’s Academic Competitions during the awarding ceremony on August 30, 2021.

The Orata Chamber Singers, the official music chorale of UCU, hailed as the champion in the Online Chorale Competition. The chorale group gave their acapella rendition of the song ‘As the Deer’ by Martin J. Nystrom and the traditional Indonesian song entitled ‘Soleram’ by Fabian Obispo.

Alexandrae Daguro, Chorale Lead Conductor, shared their experiences executing their contest piece in light of the ongoing health crisis.

“We did a lot of adjustments, from the online rehearsals up to the production of our final output. It’s not easy to produce it. Our singers have to record their voices at home and take a video of themselves singing a certain piece. From there, online choral competitions or even virtual choir performances are very different from the performances conducted by the choir before the pandemic,” Daguro said, pointing out their laborious preparation for the competition.

Also achieving an outstanding feat in the competition was Jayson Tabal, BSE-English, who won the championship title on the Online Extemporaneous Competition.

On the topic “Education is the best game changer in 21st Century,” Tabal emphasized that “through education, one can make a difference in the world and be the best version of himself.” 

Meanwhile, Nicole Anne Dayrit, BS-Nursing, secured third place in the Online Spoken Poetry Competition anchored on the theme “Spoken Words of Hope.”

“My performance is a reminder that we, the youth, can play a huge part in this world, we can do more what we are told to. I hope that this [performance] will serve as a reminder that we have to be a voice of change for our country,” Dayrit said in a phone interview.

Moreover, Angelo Maramag, BS Architecture, was qualified in the Online Canvas Painting competition as a finalist. In a Facebook post, he expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to compete.

“Nakaka-proud lang ma-acknowledge ng for this achievement and to represent the whole university in this kind of event. Thank you so much, UCU, for the opportunity to be part of the team,” Maramag posted.

The said competitions are part of its month-long celebration of ASEAN Month, bearing with the theme “Padyak! Moving Forward, Claiming Victory for Philippine Higher Education in the ASEAN Community” on August, 2021.