UP Oblation Run marks 40 years

MANILA, Philippines — The annual Oblation Run at the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City yesterday marked its 40th year with a call to stop the killings and build a future founded on peace and justice.

Members of the Alpha Phi Omega (APO) fraternity in UP Diliman ran naked around the university’s Palma Hall as part of the annual Ritual Dance of the Brave, a tradition that started in 1977 as a form of dissent against martial law.

“Since 1977, the Oblation Run has been a venue for the exposition of pertinent issues and a platform for campaigns for social change,” the fraternity said in a statement.

“It was 40 years ago when the first runners streaked in front of Palma Hall. They did so to promote a film deemed subversive – a film which through its images laid bare society’s ills during martial law. As the proverbial naked truth was flashed right under the noses of the powerful, so were those first runners able to evade campus security – and earn for themselves a noble notoriety founded on fearless dissent,” it added.

APO highlighted various issues during this year’s run, including the deadly campaign against illegal drugs, the destruction of Marawi City, the declaration of martial law in Mindanao and the fallout of the peace process with communist groups.

“Thousands of Filipinos — many of whom had lived in chronic poverty — have been killed over little more than mere suspicion of involvement in the drug trade, while billionaire drug lords continue to escape prosecution,” said the fraternity.

APO called on the government to “apply justice with a more rehabilitative and humane approach.”

It also urged the government to prioritize people’s interests in the rehabilitation of Marawi, citing lessons in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda that resulted in the government implementing a “scattershot” approach in rehabilitation.

The fraternity also appealed for the resumption of peace talks, stressing the need to achieve lasting peace that would benefit the country.