DURING SAN BEDA University’s (SBU) ceremonial lighting program, the San Beda Red Lens (SBRL), in partnership with The Spires and the Bedan Musicians’ Guild (BMG), launched the University’s first-ever Institutional Christmas Station ID entitled, “Pamayanang Sama-sama at Buong Pusong Nagpapasalamat,” last November 29.
The station ID was produced in close partnership with The Spires and the BMG, who composed the lyrics and arranged the music, respectively.
This is the first Christmas Station ID that involved the participation of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), the College of Law (COL), the College of Nursing (CON), and the Senior High School level of the Integrated Basic Education Department (IBED), catalyzed by the San Beda Employee Christmas party organized by Prof. Marvin Reyes, Ph.D., the CAS Prefect of Student Activities.
According to Dr. Reyes, he shared that SBU’s Station ID was originally a tradition that began in 2015 “exclusively for the CAS” and inspired by the Christmas Station IDs seen on different TV networks in the country. But it was Rev. Fr. Placido Acta, OSB, the University’s Vice President for Finance, who tapped Dr. Reyes to spearhead the institution-wide project, said Dr. Reyes.
He recalled that “[Fr. Acta] said [to me], ‘Why not come up with a music video in the institutional level? Hindi lang CAS.’ Sagot ko, ‘Go, Father!’”
In light of the institution’s synodal theme, this year’s Station ID theme and title centered on the Church and SBU’s unity while incorporating the newly adopted Laudato Si’.
The planning and conceptualizing of this event began in March of this year. Dr. Reyes had already delegated tasks to the BMG and the Spires in stitching the music together, giving the “go” signal to “record and shoot” the music video in the “-Ber” months with SBRL’s participation.
BMG’s production head, Joseph Atienza, was in charge of the music video’s song mixing and recording, as well as serving as one of its vocalists and instrumentalists. He noted that the main issue that his organization grappled with was discerning the song’s melody and direction.
“We dabbled with different ideas but we settled on making a punk rock Christmas song,” he explained.
Miguel Pontiveros, The Spires’ Literary Head, also shared that one of the challenges was how the committee had to start from scratch after receiving Dr. Reyes’ theme of thankfulness.
“[And] melody is everything,” he said. “So, ang nangyari is, nauna kaming magsulat ng lyrics bago ‘yung melody and it’s a challenge for us kasi wala kaming pagbabasehan, kung ano ‘yung tone niya, kung ano ‘yung mood niya.”
SBRL’s Vice-President for Internal Affairs, Khrystelle Kyle Capilitan, also added her organization’s hiccups in the video production.
As an institutional Station ID, SBRL encountered conflicting schedules that had to be adjusted to find a time “convenient for all to shoot some [parts] of the video,” adding that they faced “challenges with communicating with other organizations” that were settled.
Following the success of the institutional Christmas Station ID, Dr. Reyes hoped for more of its repetitions the succeeding years, setting in stone the participation of SBU in its entirety.