The Henry Resort was filled with screams of excitement and frenzy as the launch of Hara sa FU took center stage on November 27. This event marked the formal commencement of a storied tradition that reaches back into the 1950s, when the university crowned its first Hara sa FU in Dahlia Diputado-Trajicom. Back then, Hara sa FU was called Miss Foundation College — a name which would belie the grandeur it would achieve in later iterations. Over the years, the competition has grown with the colorful landscape of Dumaguete City, and it has steadily asserted its prominence as a cultural fixture in the region’s annual festive cycle. This year, Hara sa FU takes on a new level of significance as it introduces the remarkable flurry of talent and intellectual prowess in the 12 candidates who will vie for the crown.
As a departure from the frivolous aestheticism of beauty competitions, Hara sa FU 2025 will center on a fitting tribute to the nation’s resilience and uniqueness. Each candidate will be adorned with petals from endemic flowers that sprawl the archipelago. The 12 hopefuls will internalize and embody these flowers as symbols of strength, uniqueness and adaptability. In their grueling pursuit for the title of Hara sa FU 2025, it is hoped that they will continue to nurture the values these flowers exemplify long after the pageant has concluded.
The program began with a resplendent display of the candidates' individual talents. Later, they reemerged one by one to present their personal advocacies. Ms. Cecile Genove was with them on the stage, ready to peruse and evaluate the initiatives they have decided on. The audience, both online and in-person, listened to their speeches and witnessed as the candidates gradually took on the role of ambassadors for their respective platforms. Their words strung a vision, and in its most hopeful form, bound the group together in the shared resolve of repairing the frayed fabric in our communities.
For Rj Casido from the Department of Architecture and Fine Arts, and representing the Rose Grape, youth empowerment is not only a talking point. It precludes any account of social progress. The youth must be listened to, according to her, as they are the vanguard of any authentic social transformation. Her advocacy, entitled Project Vision, urges to equip the youth with “skills, resources and guidance needed to become champions” in the attempt to deliver transformative change for the country.
Nina Jane Ruiz of the College of Nursing, with the Jade Vine as her emblem, brings to the fore the issue of mental health. Her advocacy calls for open conversations and accessible care, in the hopes that it will outpace the stigma of having mental disorders in the country. She contends that “Empowering minds is not just an advocacy, it’s a real solution for young adults who are facing mental problems.”
For Angel Arbas, bearing the Hooded Orchid of the College of Education, it is the revolutionary potential in reading proficiency that must be concentrated on. The texts that line children’s books shape the contours of how Filipino society will be redrawn. Reading “changes our perspective,” according to her, “and [it] shapes our understanding of the world.” She has started a weekly book exchange program, opening the line of communally developing the literacy of children in her locale.
Fralean Bahandi, a candidate from the Foundation Preparatory Academy, endorses the care and empowerment of people with disabilities. Her focus is on breaking down the societal barriers which restrict their opportunity and inclusion. The ambition for equality is best represented by her flower, the Ylang-Ylang. As someone familiar with the plight of individuals with disabilities, she looks forward to establishing an “uplifting and inclusive community that would soon provide a positive change to our society.”
In the same vein Tabitha S. Divino from the College of Law and Jurisprudence, festooned by the spirit of the Gumamela, draws attention to the need for stronger legal protections for children with special needs. Using the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons as her touchstone for systemic change, Tabitha insists in creating accessible workplaces and preparing young students through inclusive education programs.
Hailing from the College of Hospitality Management, and representing the grace of the Waling-Waling, Angel Perlas takes on the underrepresented subject of body positivity. In her advocacy, she champions for a renewed perception of women’s body standards, calling for people to embrace themselves in all forms, and reject the damaging forces of body-shaming. “Whether it's the texture of our hair, the tone of our skin, or the curves of our bodies, everyone of us has something special to bring to the table.”
Real Bliss Gemperoso of the College of Arts and Sciences stepped onto the stage as a living signification of the Grape-Leaved Anemone. Her advocacy focused on the empowerment of solo parents and children of broken homes using the Philippine Solo Parent Welfare Act. The law exists, she contends, but it is inefficient — discrimination still mars the lives of single parents, and societal structures still fail to accommodate the unique difficulty that their children face growing up. Through her platform, Real Bliss campaigns for reforms of a community that is often overlooked in policy discussions, a community that spans single parents and children of broken families across the country.
From the College of Agriculture, Micaella Andrea Baguio presents herself with the Mussa Philippica. Her “MIKAY” framework promotes urban gardening and sustainable living as a blueprint for community engagement, healthy improvement and environmental stewardship. She calls on the youth and urban residents alike to reconnect with the soil beneath, and mobilize policies that protect our green spaces.
Wielding the Attenborough as her symbol, Diannah Faith Capanay of the College of Business and Administration campaigns for financial literacy, empowering the community with the larger vision of breaking the cycle of poverty and inequality. “My advocacy is dedicated to uplifting the youth farmers, the future pillars of the community.” The gravitas of her initiative cannot be understated, as Diannah Faith believes financial education is an accessible path towards shaping a more equitable society.
Mich Angela M. Pinili, from the College of Computer Studies, and wearing the hardy Water Lily, pledges to bridge the digital divide in underserved groups. Just as her plant blooms despite the unfavoring odds, Mich Angela holds the hope that equal access to digital education can enable not only personal progress, but the growth of entire communities in their striving for betterment.
For Alexa Nicole Alcazar, the Palawan Cherry of the College of Criminology, environmental sustainability is paramount. Although this is a theme that runs through the veins of every contender, Alexa Nicole passionately asserts the urgency of the planetary crisis. “We are all interconnected, and the planet’s future depends on our actions.” Through public education and an unwavering commitment to a green society, it is her belief that we can come together and realize the primacy of Earth’s balance and preservation.
The last to handle the microphone was Mariah Stacy A. Basalan of the School of Industrial Engineering and Technology. Her stand is as loud and mighty as her flower, the Rafflesia, as she rallies to support working students who balance the obligations of education and day-labor. She says that “Education should not be a barrier, but a gateway to opportunity.” Her ultimate goal is to allow working students to learn and earn without risking themselves in impossible choices.
The Hara sa FU will emerge in the early week of December, and her coronation will be adorned in the petals of the native flora and its untamed virtues. Although it is an affirmative celebration of her power of resilience and purpose, the Hara sa FU will remain primarily as a defiant refusal of reducing beauty to something ornamental, that can be worn lightly and understood in shallow terms. For the beauty of the Hara sa FU is not passive or fleeting. It withstands, and strengthens itself actively.
Relive the excitement of the event by visiting the gallery here: https://bit.ly/3BbXjH9