PHILIPPINES: Hundreds of naked men run in Manila to celebrate their university's 100th anniversary
Record ID:
528315
PHILIPPINES: Hundreds of naked men run in Manila to celebrate their university's 100th anniversary
- Title: PHILIPPINES: Hundreds of naked men run in Manila to celebrate their university's 100th anniversary
- Date: 21st June 2008
- Summary: (L!1) MANILA, PHILIPPINES (JUNE 18, 2008) (REUTERS) BANNER WITH UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES CENTENNIAL LOGO, LOGO IS RIPPED OPEN BY MASKED NAKED RUNNERS HOLDING FLOWERS AND POSTERS REAR VIEW OF MASKED NAKED RUNNERS CLOSE-UP OF MASKED NAKED RUNNERS MASKED NAKED RUNNERS RUNNING IN UNIVERSITY ROAD SPECTATOR PHOTOGRAPHING MASKED NAKED RUNNER CLOSE-UP OF MASKED NAKED RUNNER'
- Embargoed: 6th July 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Philippines
- Country: Philippines
- Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky,Sports
- Reuters ID: LVACCLST4MGDRI41F0D45GRWQ383
- Story Text: Artists throughout history have glorified the nude human form as a benchmark of aesthetics and symbolism. And while these runners from the Philippines are nowhere near as artistically inclined, they can thrill crowds with the most readily available piece of art there is: their own bodies.
One hundred men ran naked Wednesday (June 18) in a premier state university in the Philippine capital of Manila to commemorate the institution's one-hundredth anniversary.
A hundred members of the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity in the University of the Philippines ran near noontime clad in nothing but hoods and full-face masks. Spectators flocked university roads and buildings to watch at and cheer on the masked streakers.
Long acknowledged as the bastion of political activism and free thought in an otherwise conservative society, the University of the Philippines was established in 1908 through an act of Philippine legislature. Alumni include prominent and influential economists, Supreme Court justices, businessmen, social leaders, and political figures such as Philippine presidents and members of Congress.
The Alpha Phi Omega's tradition of running naked is an offshoot of the university's most well-known symbol: the Oblation, a massive statue of a naked man with outstretched arms representing self-sacrifice for the good of the nation. Members of the fraternity confess that they feel honoured to share the connection with the iconic statue.
"Well, this is mainly about the University celebrating 100 years.
That's important, and so we decided to stage the Oblation Run that we conduct every year. It is a privilege for us members of the Alpha Phi Omega,"
said a masked naked run participant that wished to remain unnamed.
While the naked run is usually reserved for mid-December during the fraternity's anniversary, the university administration requested the fraternity to stage the Oblation Run as part of the centennial celebrations, much to the surprise and delight of many a student and visitor alike.
"It's very exciting, and I think it's a very liberating thing that we celebrate yearly. And it's definitely different, exciting," said second-year student Dove Subingsubing.
Even some of the older alumni share Subingsubing's amusement.
"The naked men running? They get a good exposure," Cayetano Sanciano, a 1953 graduate of the university, wryly notes.
University anniversaries and even centennials may come and go, but these throngs of masked men assure that it will be a long time before their spectators forget about their Oblation Runs and the naked truths they represent.
ENDS. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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