GMC’s Firsts (1st Face to Face Assembly, 1st Tune Up Game at GMC Arena, 1st Off-Campus Activity)
News Bulletin #3
Araw ng pagasa, narito na: GMC held its first Sinag in-person (Aug. 15, 2022)
By: Maru Bautista
The return to “normal” after more than two years of a worldwide pandemic enabled our community to have the opportunity to organize events, including our very first in-person students’ general assembly. While we are all excited to see one another in person without “Hello, can you see and hear me?” There are still COVID-19 safety guidelines that we observe to keep the event smooth and safe simultaneously.
The assembly was run in a hybrid format, with most of the community on-site. President Michael Tan, Head Abbess Ven. Yung Guang, and Abbess Ven. Miao Jing likewise joined the event as online speakers. There is something incredibly surreal about participating in a face-to-face event amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a proactive move for the organizers, mainly the Student Council (SC). According to the SC members, they were very excited but at the same time nervous before the event took place as it was the first on-site student assembly at the new campus for the whole GMC community. Other GMC administrators also showed up in person, including Directors Maru Bautista, Katherine Mae Sabate, and Mark Jude Tenedero.
The first face-to-face assembly showed the value of in-person events as long as the appropriate precautions were in place. The collaborative efforts of the students, staff, faculty, and administration to adapt to the new set of practices make the process possible during this COVID- 19 reality. We all look forward to the next hybrid Sinag to bring together our community members across the Philippines — Manila, Tagaytay, and Cebu. Sinag, like rays of hope, has finally come.
Game Time! First Basketball Game at the Guang Ming Arena
By: Sharon Dorotheo
It was during the first week of August when the Guang Ming Arena was first opened to our school’s basketball varsity team. With the help of Director Mark Jude Tenedero from the Office of Community Affairs, our Sports Development Program Consultant Coach Bo Perasol and the entire basketball coaching staff, our student athletes were finally welcomed to the new facility.
Director Mark Jude started off by sharing stories of how this dream project came about, and how much its completion truly meant to the Fo Guang Shan Community. It was then followed by Coach Bo’s reminder to our athletes that they are now stewards of the precious arena, and that they should take care of it as if it were their own. Not long after, our president, Dr. Michael Lim Tan also gave the team a visit and checked up on them, once again assuring the team of his support to the Sports Development Program.
And on August 29, 2022, at the request of our Venerable Master Yung Guang, the GMC’s Basketball Varsity Team had their first real match at our school arena. The 1st year and the 2nd year basketball players were requested to do an exhibition game, to which the team eagerly said yes to. Senior referees were even invited to make sure the game will be handled by professionals.
At around 10:00am, the arena was slowly filled with students from different programs – all curious and excited to finally see our varsity team play for the first time. As if on cue, the popcorn carts started rolling in to the delight of the crowd, all thanks to our kind and generous Venerable Yung Guang who thought of serving popcorn and giving the full experience of watching a live basketball game.
During the halftime, students from the performing arts gamely proceeded to the court and performed various cheer dances. It was truly a sight to see, watching all our students sing, dance and cheer as one GMC family. The idea of having our own cheering squad was once again entertained, seeing how eager our performing arts students strutted their stuff on the court, oozing with potential.
In the end, the players did not disappoint. They gave their all and treated the crowd to an exciting game. The second year players won the game but not without a fight from the first year players. At the sound of the end-game buzzer, all the players gathered in the middle of the court and bowed, not just to our monastics but to everyone who came and watched the game. It was a moment that will truly be cherished by the GMC family.
More games to come. Jiayou!
A return to face to face means a return to performance: Cultural Weekends for the Performing Art
By: Ricca Bautista
For the past few weeks in September and October, GMC students have been enriched by productions from professional dance and theatre companies in Manila. It kicked-off with the hit musical “Mula sa Buwan” at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater that featured beautiful songs and eye-catching dances.
Directed by Pat Valera with dramaturgy by GMC’s Katte Sabate and JM Cabling, the musical had beautiful songs and dances that talked about love for the country and for theater. Next there were two “Pulso Pilipinas” shows by the Alice Reyes Dance Philippines presented at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, where our own GMC Hiraya and current students performed in pieces that satirized dog-like qualities of Filipinos and questioned gender norms.
They also got to see key works in the repertoire of Philippine dance such as National Artist Agnes Locsin’s Neo-ethnic pieces. As a contrast from Pulso, the dance students also had the chance to watch Ramon Obusan’s 50th Anniversary show at the Metropolitan Theater. They were pleased to see indigenous and folk dance pieces in their more community and research-based forms. Not to be outnumbered by dance shows, the theatre students also watched “Anak Datu” directed by Chris Millado.
The students were able to learn about a datu and is Muslim family in pre-colonial times in the Sulu-Archipelago, visualized with sets by National Artist Toym Imao, and live music. To cap-off the shows is WifiBody PHO 2022 Choreographers Competition, which features new works by young choreographers, four of whom are from GMC.
Certainly, face to face also means back to live performance and back to new knowledge and experiences for all our students to help them further their craft and widen their aesthetics.