UP Chinese Student Association

Project 仁: Move for Life 🌸

Last April 27, UPCSA conducted its semestral outreach with the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly, where the members interacted with the elderly through guided mobility exercises, interactive activities, and heartfelt conversations.

Thank you to the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly for welcoming us into your home and leaving us with heartwarming stories ❤️

Walang pagod, walang hinto. ✊🏻

Celebrating the grit and passion of every worker today. Cheers to the hands that build our nation and the hearts that serve the community! ❤️‍🔥

Happy Labor Day!

UPCAT 2026 RESULTS ARE OUT!

The wait is finally over. Congratulations to all our future iskolar ng bayan! May your new college journey bring new opportunities as you strive for honor and excellence as new UP students.

荣耀卓越! See you all next academic year! 🌻

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐋𝐀 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐁𝐆-𝐊𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑!

CHINOY CHISMIS PRESENTS:
𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐋𝐀
Adapted from August Strindberg's "Miss Julie" (1888)
Written and directed by GK Diola

📅 May 1, 2026 (7PM), May 2 & 3 (3PM & 7PM)
📍IBG-KAL Theater, Corner of Magsaysay Ave. and A. Roces Ave., U.P. Diliman, Quezon City
🎟️Get your tickets at:
🔗bit.ly/missmanilaupd
🔗bit.ly/missmanilaupd
🔗bit.ly/missmanilaupd

STARRING
Jien Santiago as Miss Julie
Johnny B. Maglinao as Juan
Vea Noroña as Crising
Warren Ty as Wilson
Pia Viola as Susan
Giles Ashby as Gerson

Intimacy Director: Serena Magiliw
Technical Director: Ayessa Ejercito
Set Designer: Ohm David
Sound Designer: Sage Ilagan
Lightning Designer: Perine Nyssa Bainzon
Costume Designer: Rochelle Sandigan
Graphic Designer: Clar Ramirez
Cultural Consultant: Anson Yu
Language Consultant: Cherry Ann Li

Head Production Manager: Louise Nazir A. Banzuela
Deputy Production Manager: Rafael Mediavillo
Assistant Production Manager: Marion Deuna
Stage Manager: Ivan Hinggan
Deputy Stage Manager: Kent Garcia Tancasis
Assistant Stage Manager: Shanigay Robledo
Costumes Head: Kira
Costume Staff: Chin De Castro & Khat Jo Acedo
Lights Boardman: Eve Chua
Sounds Boardman: Jada Bartolome

Partnerships Head: Heaven Nicole
Partnerships Staff: Kervin Nobleza
Publicity Head: Kimberly Gan
Publicity Manager: Jiezl V. Chua
Publicity Staff: Leian Mariel Gervacio & Leisel Javier
Marketing & Sales Head: Fiona Claire Tumangan

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
CHiNOY TV
WhenInManila
The Woodrose Theatre Company
Teatro Tomasino UST
Rose Media Productions
MonsterRX 93.1
UP Chinese Student Association

A directing thesis for an Undergraduate Thesis (Theatre 200) by GK Diola, under the guidance of Mr. Jonas Gabriel M. Garcia and Asst. Prof. Robert Arlou B. De Guzman
&
A creative project for Directed Studies in Theatre Acting (Theatre 133) by Jien Santiago, under the guidance of Asst. Prof. Olivia Kristine D. Nieto.

MEET THE SPEAKER 👤: Rauha Huigok Lim

Lánnang-uè holds a special place in her heart. Through writing, research, and more, she strives to promote it beyond the Tsinoy household.

A graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University, Huigiok strives to make Philippine Hokkien easier and more accessible for others to learn through the Lannang Archive and various tutoring activities. She also seeks to elevate it to its greatest potential in the Lannang community and beyond. Her experience and passion are sure to make tomorrow's Hokkien workshop a fun and insightful event.

Join us this Friday as we learn more about the heritage of the Chinese-Filipino community!

📍 Third Space (Orange Zone), UP Diliman
📅 April 17, 2:30 - 4:30 pm
🔗 Registration link: https://forms.gle/Yoe3Jo4dMbtf53h87

MEET THE SPEAKER 👤: Edric Branson Dy

From speaking Hokkien out of obligation to embracing it as a meaningful part of everyday life, our speaker’s journey reflects a familiar story for many in the Filipino-Chinese community. Now, he brings that same perspective to From Home to Heritage: An Introductory Hokkien Workshop, reminding us that sometimes, the language we grew up with holds more meaning than we realize.

Edric is a student at Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) under the Chinese Studies department and a former Vice President for Research and Academics at UPCSA. A lifelong speaker of Lannang, he found a dedicated avenue to pursue his interest in the language following the 2024 Lannang Symposium. In addition to his studies, he has balanced part-time research work and various side jobs. During his free time, he strives to maintain an active lifestyle, both physically and socially. He is also currently mastering Lannang Orthography with the goal of teaching it to those interested in the language.

Join us as we learn not just how to speak Hokkien, but how to reconnect with it.

📍 Third Space (Orange Zone), UP Diliman
📅 April 17, 2:30 - 4:30 pm
🔗 Registration link: https://forms.gle/Yoe3Jo4dMbtf53h87

Ever wondered how Lánnang-uè can be written or read using letters? 🤔✍🏻

Join us for this LS2026 Pre-Symposium Workshop on reading and writing in Lánnang-uè in cooperation with UP Chinese Student Association (UPCSA)! 📚📝

Whether you've heard of Lannang Orthography before, or it's your first time hearing about it, you're welcome to join us in understanding its basics and applying it in our daily lives when communicating using the language! 🗣️🤝

📍 Where: The Third Space (Orange Zone), UP Diliman
📅 When: April 17, 2026 2:30PM to 4:30PM
🔗 https://forms.gle/Yoe3Jo4dMbtf53h87

If you're interested in learning more about Lánnang-uè beyond the borders of Metro Manila, there's an opportunity waiting for you in Davao! 🇵🇭❤️💙

📌 Lannang Symposium 2026
📌 Davao Chong Hua Highschool, Davao City
📌 July 10-11, 2026

🏃 Register here! Early Bird Rate ends on May 30, 2026!
tinyurl.com/LS2026register
🌐Access our program
http://tinyurl.com/LS2026program
🤔Need more information?
www.lannangarchives.org/symposium

🌟 Need financial support?
Apply for the Future Lannang Leaders Symposium Grant 2026:
👉 https://www.lannangarchives.org/grants
Deadline of applications for grant is on May 1, 2026!

Want to learn Hokkien? Heard it at home or from friends but never really learned it? Or starting from zero? From Home to Heritage is your first step into Philippine Hokkien (Lánnang-uè), made simple, relatable, and rooted in culture. Join us in Third Space, UP Diliman, as we help spread awareness of the language, one word at a time.

📍 Third Space (Orange Zone), UP Diliman
📅 April 17, 2:30 - 4:30 pm
🔗 Registration link to be released soon!

𝗧𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗼𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗮𝘄: 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗴'𝘀 "𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗲" 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 IBG-KAL Theater, UP Diliman

Miss Manila, a new reimagining of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie pits passion versus pressure inside a Chinese-Filipino household under the Marcos Sr. regime. Written and directed by 𝗚𝗞 𝗗𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗮, 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙡𝙖 runs on 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟭-𝟯, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 at the IBG-KAL Theater, University of the Philippines Diliman.

Performance Schedule:
- May 1, 7:00 PM
- May 2, 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM
- May 3, 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM

Set in 1975 Binondo, Miss Manila follows Julie (𝗝𝗶𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗼), a frustrated beauty queen trapped in an arranged marriage. She risks her family’s reputation when a forbidden romance sparks between her and the family driver, Juan (𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗕. 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗼). Completing Strindberg’s trio is the maid Crising (𝗩𝗲𝗮 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗼ñ𝗮), whose watchful gaze heightens the tension of the illicit affair. This adaptation also introduces Julie’s parents Susan (𝗣𝗶𝗮 𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗮) and Wilson (𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝘆), along with her fiancé Gerson (𝗚𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗯𝘆).

Members of the artistic team include 𝗔𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗬𝘂 (cultural consultant), 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗔𝗻𝗻 𝗟𝗶 (language consultant), 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘄 (intimacy direction), 𝗔𝘆𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮 𝗘𝗷𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗼 (technical direction), 𝗢𝗵𝗺 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱 (set design), 𝗦𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗜𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗻 (sound design), 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗻 (costume design), and 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗡𝘆𝘀𝘀𝗮 𝗕𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘇𝗼𝗻 (lighting design).

Co-presented by 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 and 𝗨𝗣 𝗗𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝗼, Miss Manila concludes the 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗼𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗶𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆, a year-long initiative by Diola to immerse, research, and collaborate with Tsinoy artists after his 2024 adaptation of Miss Julie, which audiences felt was culturally inaccurate.

The first installment, Corporate Affairs (May 2025), was a site-specific performance set inside a Pasay office space, examining how differences between Chinese and Filipino working cultures seep into personal lives. The second, Wah-kong Anak Na Ganyan! (November 2025), blended theatre and improv inside a Greenhills restobar to explore how shame and gossip manifest in public spaces.

Rather than depicting the physical violence of the time, this final entry dramatizes the cultural manifestations of Martial Law: families and servants pressured to project beauty and wealth, while a widening class divide intensifies private conflicts.

The trilogy serves as Diola’s undergraduate thesis (Theatre 200), advised by Mr. Jonas Gabriel M. Garcia and Asst. Prof. Robert Arlou B. De Guzman; and doubles as Jien Santiago’s creative project for Theatre 133 (Directed Studies in Theatre Acting), advised by Asst. Prof. Olivia Kristine D. Nieto.

𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙥𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨, 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙁𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙨 (@𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚).

𝙏𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙫𝙞𝙖 http://bit.ly/missmanilaupd:
- Regular: 𝙋𝙝𝙥 500
- Student / PWD / Seniors: 𝙋𝙝𝙥 350
𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚@𝙜𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙡.𝙘𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙉𝙞𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙚 (𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥, 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖, 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨) 𝙤𝙧 𝙍𝙖𝙛𝙖𝙚𝙡 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙤 (𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙗𝙪𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨)

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲
Miss Manila is the debut production of 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 (𝗣𝗙𝗣), a new theatre group founded in 2026 by collaborators from UP Dulaang Laboratoryo. PFP asks what it means to perform in the age of social media and artificial intelligence, staging works that bridge tradition and innovation while nurturing artists through care-based practices.

ARAW NG KAGITINGAN 🇵🇭

Today, we honor the courage and sacrifices of those who fought for our freedom.

May their bravery inspire us to stand firm in what is right and to love our country with all our hearts ✊

Remembering Through Tradition: The Qingming Festival

The Qingming (清明) Festival, more commonly known as Tomb Sweeping Day or by its literal translation as the Pure Brightness Festival, is an important cultural tradition in Chinese society as it is a time when memory, respect, and love come together. This event is usually celebrated between April 4 to 6 to coincide with the start of spring. The event is centered around remembering and honoring ancestors, serving as a time for families to reconnect and reflect on the legacy of their loved ones.

During the event, families visit, clean, and maintain the final resting place of their loved ones. The act of sweeping and caring for the graves symbolizes respect and gratitude toward those who came before them. Families often bring offerings such as food, tea, wine, fruits, and incense. In some traditions, special foods like qīngtuán (青团), a green rice dumpling eaten during Qingming, are prepared as a symbol of spring and remembrance. Some also burn joss paper, which are symbolic paper items meant to represent money and goods for the ancestors in the afterlife. These rituals are believed to show love and care for the departed, ensuring that their spirits remain honored and remembered. At the same time, the festival celebrates the arrival of spring. After visiting the graves, families may spend time outdoors having picnics, flying kites, or simply walking through nature. In this way, the festival balances remembrance with an appreciation for life, renewal, and the changing of seasons.

In the end, the Qingming Festival remains relevant today because it strengthens the connection between the past and the present. More importantly, the tradition brings families closer together, allowing them to spend time reflecting, remembering, and appreciating the people who shaped their lives. In a fast-moving modern society, traditions like Qingming remind us to pause and remember where we came from.

(Photo credits: Chinese Christian cemetery,” Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia (2015) by Thom Quine, via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 (CC BY 2.0).)