“Creative Freedom” – UP, Time To Replace Your Symbol Of Academic Freedom!

It occurred to me today, Sunday, 16 October 2022, that changing the symbol of the University of the Philippines System (UP) is long overdue – because the Oblation (smaller but sunnier image) has ever inspired disapproval, even radicalism, and never creativity! This is a creative person writing, self-taught in communication and in digital media – yes, I am a UP alumnus, 1965.

The bigger image is my photograph (taken 29 July 2016) of the fiberglass sculptural piece of Maria Pureza Escaño , which she titles “The Rose Of Marya: Service Through Excellence” (Maria Pureza Escaño, weebly.com). Commissioned by the Sigma Delta Sorority, “Marya” is now a landmark at the UP Los Baños Alumni Plaza. Ms Maria says of it:

Recently, Maria Pureza Escaño was handpicked by the University of the Philippines for her concept and rendition of "The Rose of Marya: Service through Excellence," an allegorical seven-foot fiber glass sculpture celebrating100 years of excellence and service to the community of the women of the University of the Philippines. Commissioned by the Alumni Association of the Sigma Delta Sorority, The Rose of Marya serves as the landmark of UP Los Baños’ Centennial Promenade and was unveiled in March 2012.

The creative sculptor describes “Marya” as a symbol of purity and service and excellence – I, a different kind of creative, now present “Marya” as a symbol of open, individual, wholly dedicated inventive person. And I now recommend that UP change its uncreative male symbol “Oblation” to the creative female symbol “Marya”!

Time for UP to change from “Academic Freedom” to “Creative Freedom” – this UP alumnus is declaring!

I see Oblation’s outstretched hands now as implying, “No, you got it all wrong!” In actual practice, the Oblation has always served as a symbolof negativism, no matter what the sculptor said about it, no matter what the UP President said when it was adopted as the symbol of UP.

Inspired by the “Oblation” symbol, UP officials, faculty and students have always been handily radical and hardly creative in their pronouncements, postures and protests. Of course, UP people are inspired – inspired to disagree and/or denounce and demonstrate against most anything that the government comes up with!

“Marya” is telling us: “Creative Freedom” does not negate “Academic Freedom” – but it makes sure that every idea is worth considering fully: with the body, mind and heart!

Personally, I don’t know Ms Maria Pureza Escaño but her “Marya” has just inspired me to “elevate” her to a higher pedestal – that of being UP’s institutional symbol. Everything is there: elan, energy, forwardness, freshness, imagination, inspiration, passion, positivity!

Don’t be surprised, Ms Maria. I am an alumnus of UP Los Baños, and UP’s 2011 “Outstanding Alumnus For Creative Writing” – historically the first and the one-and-only of UP.

I call the above composition of images “Creative Freedom Vs Academic Freedom” (Oblation image from Smithsonian, smithsonianmag.com).

“Academic Freedom” has always been used by UP more to oppose something, and less to propose something else more productive or more promising – Academic Freedom encourages negativity and discourages creativity in UP – Enough!@517