Commemorating The Oblation

As we celebrate the centennial of our University, the statue of the Oblation is the dominant symbol in almost all posters, brochures, publications and other public information materials.

One of the activities organized by the U.P. Diliman Information Office, the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts, and the U.P. Alumni Association is an exhibit of 100 paintings of nudes whose theme purportedly focuses on the Oblation. The exhibit features female and male nudes by 79 U.P. alumni artists, among them nine National Artists for the Visual Arts.

The organizers of the exhibit also brought out a coffee table book containing the art works with essays by Prof. Ruben D. F. Defeo and Gari M. Tiongco, chairman of the 100 nudes art exhibit. The brochure announcing the Centennial activities for the month of June has this to say about the exhibit: “A coffee table book with the same title accompanies the exhibit. It is the artists’ fearless way to lay bare their earnest gratitude to the University for priming them to be the vanguards of the naked truth in the service of the nation.”  

In addition to the exhibit of male and female nudes, there was a series of film and video showings which centered on love between males and females and those in between; films on broken marriages as well as the anguish of those searching for their sexual identity.  

It is commendable that the U.P. Alumni Association and the editor and writer of the book were able to pull off this project within a short time. This is no small feat considering the pressure of time and the difficulty of gathering the paintings from so many painters and sculptors. The exhibit may be viewed as a celebration of the human form, as Professor Virginia Agbayani says in her preface, the human body symbolizing regeneration and creativity.

The collection also demonstrates technical exploration of artistic styles that range from Fernando Amorsolo’s “Batis,” romantic and lyrical portrayal of soft smooth forms, to the reduction of the human body into simple lines and strokes a la Matisse and Cezanne. Manuel Gamboa used flat, opaque broad surfaces in bold unusual colors like Gauguin. Jeff Dizon’s “Nude” is composed of bulbous transparent outcrops that bulge out in random placement. Other paintings brazenly thrust the luscious erotic features of the human body that verge close to pornography.” 

The sculptural styles include the fully-clothed and symbolic “Kaganapan” and “Alma Mater” by Napoleon Abueva, the gaunt, stretched up and rough textured female of Abdul Mari Imao and Ferdie Cacnio’s bronze depiction of the distended female form into a floating arch.

Serving as a relief from the plethora of nudes are two charming sculptures of little boys, Guillermo Tolentino’s “Sonny, the Champ,” that reminds us of a toddler’s version of Manny Pacquio; and Ferdie Cacnio’s taciturn and probably a spoiled brat “I Want More!”  What is notable is that the compilers of the book forgot to include one of the most beautiful and significant nude statues,”“Binihag ang Filipinas.” (Filipinas in Bondage in the U.P. Vargas Museum) by Guillermo Tolentino. It represents the continuing physical and mental imprisonment of our country during the American colonial period.   

Of all possible subjects, one would ask, why is there an inordinate obsession with the nude, with nudity and with sex? Do we want our University to be construed as composed of adults who are incapable of restraining their juvenile sexual fantasies? Why does the U.P. administration allow the yearly holding of what a certain fraternity calls the “Oblation Run” right in the premises of Palma Hall? Is public exposure of genitalia justifiable under the constitutional provision of freedom of assembly and free speech?

I think not. Humorous renditions of the Oblation on t-shirts show the statue seeking relief from the noonday heat and the night’s cold. And sarcastic reproduction of the statue made of paper money by Alvear as a protest of tuition hike and commercialization of education are perhaps permissible. But the so-called “Oblation run” is no light matter. Even in this age of the permissiveness and “sexual liberation” purveyed by Hollywood and the mass media, I believe that the U.P. should uphold the highest standards of behavior and conduct. Fraternity members, their alumni and advisers are so bereft of ideas of worthwhile projects that they seem to be stunted teenagers whose sexual instincts have not matured to more civilized and sophisticated level. It is time that U.P. officials and faculty members exercise their obligation to impose moral standards on our youth.  

The month of June 2008 marks the launching of the U.P. Centennial celebration. Surely, one hundred years of the existence of our University should inspire the portrayal of themes in art, literature and films that probe the more profound significance of the Oblation. I hope that subsequent projects for the rest of the year will bring up social issues that our University should strive to address. Why not deal with violent conflicts due to social and economic iniquities, corruption and erosion of moral values, unemployment that drives thousands of our countrymen and women to seek jobs abroad, alternative sources of energy, and destruction of the environment?  

As a gentle reminder to my younger colleagues, let us tackle the etymology of the word Oblation.  Originally drawn from Christian symbolism, Oblation meant an “offering to God of the elements of bread and wine in the Eucharist; the act of making an offering to god or a deity; or any offering for religious or charitable purposes.”  Later on, it was applied to the act of making a pledge to God as solemn repayment for God’s grace for instance when someone critically ill recovers. Further on, oblation was the concept applied to social relations. It served as the root word for obligation, to be obliged, to be obligated. It means an act of gratitude in return for favors, services and other benefits. It includes the binding power or force of a promise, law, duty, agreement, contract that is enforceable and punishable by law. In sum, oblation means the fulfillment of social duties, obligations and promises. 

Guillermo Tolentino introduced new meaning to the word by making the Oblation the symbol of offering and pledge to serve and sacrifice for the motherland – Inang Bayan. He chose to depict the full bloom and vigor of youth; for youth means possibilities and promise of the future generation. The statue is nude not merely to expose the physique but to stress that it has no social, class or regional insignias or trappings whatsoever. It represents that what is being offered to Inang Bayan is a perfect specimen of our race without any limitations and prerequisites.

The Oblation stands looking upwards to the heavens with outstretched arms, a stance that symbolizes reaching up to the highest aspirations of our nation still in the making. The Oblation also signifies the continuing search for knowledge, truth, wisdom unimpeded by prejudice, dogma and errors of the past. Although not visible from below, Tolentino depicted the facial expression of the Oblation in deep introspection. For the youth in offering himself (or herself) in the service of the Filipino people has the foreknowledge of the many challenges and dangers of his mission, and that however much is sacrificed may not always lead to success. And yet, the whole point of the Oblation and of what the U.P. stands for is that despite all the uncertainties, it is the determination in search of truth, courage and moral integrity in all our undertakings that counts as our reward.  

We look forward to other commemorative activities during the Centennial year of our University hopefully focused on what we can do to serve our country and our planet.

The author is former head of the U.P. Asian Center.