Having sung it for eight straight years, it is only recently that I am realizing that UP Naming Mahal is a very sad song. It almost sounds like a dirge. It begins with a plea to be heard, then a promise of faithfulness despite the allure of foreign lands. Sure it celebrates university pride, but at its slowest pace and on its lowest notes.
Last Friday, I sang it again with UP High School students, having spent the whole morning with them discussing their future careers. Some of them were as young as thirteen, children bearing the weight of their families' dreams on their tender shoulders. And if the song is to be believed, the whole nation's too.
As we sang each brave word, it almost felt like the slow fanning of invisible embers. We sing to strengthen the hope that will chart the future of our great nation.
