𝗞𝘂𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗲𝘆𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝘆. 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗼

Eraserheads is definitely part of UP history as recipient of the UP Gawad Oblation for their “enduring excellence as a band, reflecting the university’s commitment to promoting national pride and cultural excellence”.

First launched in 2017, the award has been bestowed on outstanding UP alumni who have represented the school’s values of “honor, excellence, and service”.

Designed by the late artist and UP professor Leo Abaya, the Gawad Oblation Medal echoes early Philippine flags, UP’s signature colors, and the iconic Oblation statue for which the award is named.

“It is not an exaggeration to say that the Eraserheads is a pivotal force in the history of Original Pilipino Music (OPM). Even now, decades after they first burst into the local music scene, they remain a household name, a cultural icon for the ages,” said UP President Angelo Jimenez at the Gawad Oblation Awarding Ceremony held on August 20, 2024 in Diliman, Quezon City.

UP has played a special role in the formation of the Eraserheads since they started to perform at the Diliman campus in the 1990s, composed of Raymund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala, Ely Buendia and Marcus Adoro. Their first performance was at the UP Fair in February 1991.

Since its formation in 1989, Eraserheads had seven studio albums, 44 singles, a live album, four compilation albums, 10 music videos and three extended plays.

The Eraserheads’ groundbreaking album “Ultraelectromagneticpop!” contains the songs “Shake Yer Head”, “Toyang”, “Ligaya”, “Tindahan ni Aling Nena”, “Pare Ko”, “Shirley” and “Maling Akala”.

The lyrics of “Pare Ko” aptly reflect how friendships were galvanized inside the campus: “O pare ko, meron ka bang maipapayo. Kung wala ay okey lang. Kailangan lang ay ang iyong pakikiramay. Andito ka ay ayos na”.

Zabala and Marasigan were my roommates for two years (1989 to 1991) at the UP Molave dorm during my last college years. Our room, with high ceiling and huge windows, was at the end of the second floor of the Molave boys’ wing with the original room number replaced with “AS 101”.

Ely’s room was also on the second floor, a few steps away from our room. Marcus, who was a regular ‘visitor’ to our room, was staying at the Narra dorm, and he slept with an extra cushion pulled out from underneath Raymund’s bed.

Instead of going home to Las Piñas for my birthday in 1990, I celebrated it with Buddy over ice cream while watching an old film in the dorm’s TV room.

I usually go out every time our room was used as their “practice area” since I could not study due to the “noise” they were creating.

It was beyond my comprehension that the “noise” that I tried to avoid made them known as one of the most successful and critically acclaimed bands in OPM history, earning them the accolade “The Beatles of the Philippines”.

“Thank you, UP Diliman, for being our home away from home,” declared Zabala. “My world expanded, no, it exploded. UP has given us many unforgettable experiences, academic and otherwise, countless of which have made their way to our songs, our experiences in the university inform our storytelling”.

Marasigan added: “Dito nagsimula kahit na hindi nakapagtapos. Salamat sa karangalan, parang grumadweyt narin kami ngayon. Padayon”.

“The Eraserheads would not exist without UP,” Buendia said.

“Sa UP Diliman namin naranasan ang tunay na kalayaan — kalayaang pumili, kalayaang maghayag, kalayaang sundin at pakinggan ang sariling himig,” Adoro said.

The reunion concert of the Eraserheads, dubbed “Huling El Bimbo” last December 22, 2022 at the MOA grounds, was peppered with elements associated with our UP college life.

It showcased iconic UP Diliman campus scenes and traditions from enrollment chaos, Oblation Run, Lantern Parade, UAAP, rallies, classroom rowdiness, endless rendezvous, romance, and most significantly, our dorm life.

Jimenez stressed that the Gawad Oblation is the “highest distinction that our university can bestow. It is of our deep gratitude for the extraordinary service rendered with or in our name, in the name of UP”.

The Oblation is a sculpture by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino which serves as the UP iconic symbol that depicts a man facing upward with arms outstretched, symbolizing selfless offering of oneself to his union.

The E-heads repertoire is a reminder that we should not only reminisce the innocence and enthusiasm of our youth, but we also have to look at the joys in our adolescent lives, when we were pursuing both academic excellence and progressive thinking.

This is reflected in the lyrics of the song “Minsan” – “Sana’y huwag kalimutan, ang ating mga pinagsamahan… Minsan tayo ay naging tunay na magkaibigan”.

The E-heads will perform in the UAAP Season 87 opening ceremony on September 7 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. UP is this season’s host with the theme ‘Stronger. Better. Together.’

(𝑃𝑒𝑦𝑢𝑝𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑃ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠. 𝐴𝑡𝑡𝑦. 𝐷𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑠 𝑅. 𝐺𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑒𝑎𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑟𝑠’ 𝐷𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑙𝑜 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑧 𝐵𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝐵𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑛 𝐿𝑎𝑤 𝑂𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠. 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠, 𝑒-𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜@𝑠𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑧.𝑐𝑜𝑚, 𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙 09175025808 or 09088665786.)