Although you may not know me, I do follow your blog every once in a while. :) I’m a UP Diliman aspirant as well; I took UPCAT 2010 last month.

My first love was journalism, but I ironically find myself leaning towards the technology and science courses. Well, hope to see you around though. :)

Thanks again!

Reply: You’re welcome. Good luck on your studies and hope you pass the UPCAT.

Reply: Thank you for your comment. I do agree that an alma mater song should pay tribute to the school, which is what the lyrics of the current UP Naming Mahal reflect. I must clarify as early as now, however, that the new, unofficial version from the musical Lean does not aim to replace the current one. Given that it’s from a musical that depicts the life of a student leader, it is not surprising that, as you observed, the new lyrics lean towards a particular ideology. This may just be a matter of opinion, but I think the current version (Rubion and Aguirre) not only pays tribute to UP: It also leans towards an ideological bias for serving the country. How else can we interpret the lines “Malayong lupain, amin mang marating/Di rin magbabago ang damdamin”? I think this can also be seen as “ideological” in the sense that it promotes values that a UP graduate must have. I wish you all the best. Cheers!

what got me interested in the song back then was my friend’s comment that they were singing a “mas mapulang” version of the university hymm in LB.

thank you sir, for posting the song here.

Reply: So nice of you to visit this blog and post a comment. I truly appreciate it. I agree that the mas mapulang” version you heard in 1999 could be the one I posted here which I initially thought to be new. I’m not aware of any other versions of UP Naming Mahal. Keep in touch!

Reply: Thanks for the additional information. I guess the version is not new after all and it’s only recently that it’s spreading around the blogosphere. Cheers.