Article by: Alyanna Ysabelle A. Faustino and Princess Jazlyn B. Pereda
Photo by: Mary Lesley A. Berina
Breaking free from the two-year online setting, Mapúa University’s Council of Organizations (COO) held the onsite activities for “Incarnate 2022: The Resurgence of Mapúa Organizations’ Week,” from December 5 to 9, at the Intramuros and Makati campuses.
Home at Last
The week-long celebration spotlighted the University’s various student organizations. Orgs’ Week 2022 adapted to Mapúa’s own pursuit of transitioning from the fully online, hybrid, and now a fully face-to-face setup.
As per COO President Kae R. Santos, the theme relates to the word incarnate which means “embodied flesh” as this year’s Orgs’ Week aims to allow Mapúans to experience the annual event on campus or face-to-face.
“…Our council had decided on this theme to make sure that every Mapúan will experience, in [the] flesh, the excitement, and thrill of the Organizations' Week, a traditional and yearly event of the Council of Organizations,” Santos explained.
As pandemic restrictions ease, the theme harnessed the event’s journey to revival. When asked how they prepared for the event, the COO President said that “...we have conceptualized and planned for the event to create a seamless first major event.”
Throughout the week, creativity and wit were on full display as the various student organizations set up booths at the South Parking and Campus Lobby for the Intramuros and Makati campuses, respectively. The booths, tied with the COO’s advocacy of promoting trade and industry, were filled with several pre-loved items, organization merchandise, and handmade and sustainable products.
Among the participating organizations from the University were: Every Nation Campus, Kristyanong Kabataan para sa Bayan, Mapúa Gaming Society, Honor Society of Mapúa (HSM), Mountaineering Club, Institute of Electronics Engineers of the Philippines, Junior Philippine Computer Society, Institute of Electrical, Electronics, and Computer Engineering, Mapúa Tekno Teatro, Mapúa Radio Cardinal, Association of Geologists and Geological Engineers of Mapúa, SHS - Math Club, SHS – Sports Club, SHS - The Glee Club, Mapúa Interior Decoratéur, Information Systems NextGen, Usbong Kalikasan, SHS - STEM Society Intramuros, SHS - GAS Society Makati, Philippine Society of Sanitary Engineers, American Concrete Institute Philippines, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Association of Safety Practitioners of the Philippines Inc., Mapúa Psychological Society Each booth was judged on sustainability (60%), originality of the product sold by the student organization (20%), and cleanliness of the booth (20%).
For the Intramuros Campus, HSM placed first in the Orgs’ Booth COO Trade and Industry Contest, followed by ASHRAE and SHS – Sports Club which ranked second and third, respectively. As for the Makati Campus, the Mapúa Psychological Society bagged the first place while the Information Systems NextGen and SHS – GAS Society placed second and third, correspondingly.
Moreover, the COO collaborated with Mapúan filmmakers for a unique film viewing experience held last December 5 and 9 at the Administration Building Seminar Room for the Intramuros campus and December 5, 6, and 9 at Room 508 of the Makati campus. The lineup of short films was Kizz My Azz by Oreiro, Arcangel by Theophany, Tawa Nalang Tayo by Idioma, Purr by Legaspi, Dal Segno by Silos, and a Martial Law Film to cap off the viewing on both campuses.
Flash from the Past
From December 5 to 9, a photo wall was set up at the Intramuros and Makati campuses for the COO-hosted event and the organizations were given the chance to reminisce and express themselves by doodling and writing within the given space provided.
Organizations that joined were asked to post their pictures with their creations on their respective official social media pages and tag the social media pages of the COO for their submission to be recognized. The COO decided on the winners by testing their originality and innovativeness and gave awards based on two categories: the Best Picture Award and the People’s Choice Award.
SHS – The Glee Club and Honor Society of Mapúa were the winners for the Best Picture Award and People’s Choice Award, ranking first and second, respectively. SHS – Samahan ng Filipino settled for third for the Best Picture Award while the Information Systems NextGen placed third for the People’s Choice Award.
Completion of the Resurgence
To culminate the event, COO held the Battle of the Bands on December 9 at the Intramuros Campus Gymnasium. After a screening process, eight bands were selected to perform in the Battle of the Bands. The final roster of performers were High School Musical (HSM), Engine Ears, ACI-NCRONOUS, Thinkers, Mango Pie, Uska, Botbot, and Rushed (PICE-MUSC).
The winning band, UsKa, was also chosen to perform at the Street Concert Party as part of the Paskong Mapúan festivities last December 15. Thinkers and Rushed were recognized in the competition as the first runner-up and second runner-up, correspondingly.
The COO President also noted that this event was the one that marked on him for the Orgs’ Week as “it was a mixture of excitement and good stress.” Santos added that Incarnate 2022 would not be possible if it were not for the Mapúan community, and that they owed this success to themselves for giving their “101%” for this event.
When asked what Mapúans should expect from their council, “We will touch every corner in order to ensure that the Mapúan community will not just be part of exciting events, but also events that would help them to expand their horizon, their perspective, and their opportunities,” he remarked.
As for the COO’s upcoming events, they would like to tackle sociopolitical concerns and topics as well as provide an additional outlet for after-college life.
Since 2015, the annual Organizations’ Week event aims to celebrate and feature the various student organizations of the University.