WHILE first and foremost a performance, cheerdance can also be a platform for protest.
And that was exactly what silver medalist Adamson Pep Squad, along with fourth-placed UE Pep Squad, put on full display at the tail-end of their routines in the UAAP Season 88 Cheerdance Competition on Saturday.
READ: NU now winningest in UAAP CDC, breaking tie with UST, UP
The San Marcelino squad unfurled two banners to punctuate its routine: one reading ‘Laban Adamson,’ followed by another bearing ‘Laban sa Korapsyon.’
The Soaring Falcons were the third to take the stage, right after the Red Warriors who also put up a banner that read: 'We're all in this together - against corruption.'
While unusual for a competition that features tumblings, stunts, tosses, pyramids, and dance, Adamson head coach Jeremy Lorenzo was unwavering in his stance: they used their 10-minute window to deliver a message they believe is of the utmost importance during these times.
“Ito ‘yung one of the platforms sa UAAP na maganda, na as long as wala tayong tinatapakang tao, we instill in the minds of the people na ito ang nangyayari in reality and we should not forget,” Lorenzo told SPIN.ph.
For him and his athletes, it was a timely reminder that Filipinos, from the UAAP community at large to the general public, must keep their eyes wide open to the nation’s realities.
“There’s nothing wrong sa ginawa naming protest kasi hindi na tayo pwedeng matahimik. Hindi pwedeng kalimutan ‘yung mga nangyayari sa paligid natin about corruption,” he stressed.
“This is one way to instill in the minds of the people out there na hindi tayo nakakalimot.”
Even if the statement lasted only a few seconds, inserting it at the end of a grueling, full-length routine was far from simple.
“Medyo last minute siya na dinagdag. Mahirap din for us kasi hindi madali ‘yung routine, tapos hingal na ‘yung athletes natin and nagchi-cheer pa sila,” Lorenzo said.
“Fortunately, kinaya naman ng mga bata at ‘yun din naman ‘yung clear message in that segment.”
The protest sequence was greenlit by both Adamson and the UAAP, giving the Pep Squad not only permission, but a sense of duty to use their stage well.
“It has been decided by the UAAP board na i-push pa rin ‘yung issue and topic about corruption, na i-apply ito sa cheerdance,” Lorenzo shared.
“Kaya thank you rin to Adamson for entrusting that statement segment sa amin to do on live television. It’s a statement.”
NU, too
For its part, now-nine-time champion NU Pep Squad also had an anti-corruption call in its history-making performance.
One of the cheers the Bulldogs routinely use was reworded with phrases such as 'Para sa bayan, kurapsyon labanan' as well as 'Bangon, Pilipinas. Laban lang.'
And of course, the University of the Philippines' iconic 'Unibersidad' chant has long been repurposed in protests calling out corruption.
From 'U-nibersidad ng Pili-pinas!' the cheer has been turned into 'I-kulong na yan, mga kurakot!'
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