A wave of excitement and infectious energy swept through FU Green as the Kasadyaan Festival 2024 roared to life on opening day! Formerly named the Mardi Gras, this year’s Kasadyaan also celebrates seven and a half decades of stubborn fidelity towards excellence in education, commitment to progress, integrity in action, and service to the community.
Before the first act, Campus Minister Rev. Msgr. Julius Perpetuo S. Heruela delivered a heartfelt sermon at the Sofia Soller Sinco Hall, and reflected on the spirit of Foundation University’s legacy. In his characteristically measured tone, he reminded the attendees of Foundation’s rootedness towards public welfare, and what it means to be a Foundationite.
By 4 PM, the entrance to the Kasadyaan Village was buzzing with quiet anticipation. Students and faculty gathered in small clusters waiting for the Palihi ritual to commence. Nicky Dumapit and the Abuhuni Marching Band were primed along the wayside, while the Buglasayaw Dance Troupe, garbed in their ceremonial attire, took their positions in front of the arch. President Dean Sinco and the stakeholders brought the offerings before the performers and poised themselves for the moment of its blessing. At last, the first tink of the kulintang echoed through the air, and the crowd erupted in celebration.
The ribbon cutting ceremony immediately followed, with Negros Oriental Provincial Tourism board executive director Woodrow “RR” Maquiling Jr. receiving the privilege of its cutting. The Abuhuni marching band officially kicked off the Kasadyaan Festival 2024 by blaring a welcoming fanfare. The procession of visitors, students and faculty among them, quickly cascaded into a torrential flood of music and jubilee that would consume the field for the rest of the evening.
Around 6 PM, the Gigikanan ug Padulngan began.
A similar impetus unites educational institutions, and their missions are almost selfsame. But the Gigikanan ug Padulngan reveals why Foundation University is different.
With the accompaniment of the Buglasayaw dance troupe, Gigikanan ug Padulngan relates the visceral journey of Foundation University, and traces the rippling contours of its struggles and perseverance through the 75 years of its existence. The series of contested moments and difficulties were recounted as a triumphant narrative of hope, and shows what an establishment founded upon intellectual competence and strength of character can withstand.
To cap off the night, crowds gathered in front of the Kasadyaan stage to witness the hype of the band competition. Competitors from the different colleges squared off against each other to earn the titular Kasadyaan 2024 Battle of the Bands Champion. At the end of the contest, only one group emerged victorious: and it was the College of Education’s Pulse Band with a stirring rendition of Ain’t It Fun by Paramore.