UP Sanlahi Alliance

UP Sanlahi Alliance

The Organization

The UP SANLAHI ALLIANCE is a duly recognized congregation of different provincial, regional and ethno-linguistic organizations in the University. Founded in 1975, its purpose is to study diverse cultures in the country; to boost solidarity and camaraderie among its member organizations; and to encourage a widening awareness and appreciation of our time-honored cultures and traditions among fellow Filipinos.

The UP SANLAHI ALLIANCE is one of the oldest yet one of the largest and most competitive student organizations in UP Diliman. Its membership is approximately 600 students from seventeen different provincial organizations duly recognized by the University.

UP SANLAHI ALLIANCE works to instill and foster unity and cultural exchange among its members, other students and even non-students. It organizes events which are all first-hand applications of such goals and endeavors and are all done for good causes.

In the past few years, the organization has embarked on various projects that have further pushed the standards of excellence, unity and cultural solidarity. These projects, including CULTURAL NIGHT (TanghalanLahi), FOODFEST (TsibuganLahi), SPORTSFEST (PalakasanLahi), INTER-ORGANIZATION QUIZ BEES (TagisanLahi) and INTER-HIGHSCHOOL QUIZ BEES (PatalasanLahi), serve as a meeting ground for students from different colleges and schools with different cultural backgrounds. Also, since the founding up to the present, it has been recognized as the umbrella organization of different organizations by the UP studentry, and has been recognized as an arm by the Office of the Student Regent.

Member Organizations

The current members of UP SANLAHI ALLIANCE are:

UP Aguman (Pampanga)
UP Batangan (Batangas)
UP HIMA (Aklan)
UP Ibalon (Bicol)
UP Kaisa (Isabela)
UP Kalilayan (Quezon and Aurora)
UP Kamangyan (Mindoro)
UP Lakan (Bulacan)
UP Lambak (Cagayan Valley)
UP Lawod (Masbate)
UP Namnama (Ilocos)
UP Sandiwa (Tarlac)
UP Sidlangan (Samar/Leyte)
UP Sillag (La Union)
UP Tangway (Bataan)

History

When Martial Law was declared in 1972, all student organizations were illegalized (except for the Philippine Collegian). The students were then asserting their right to freedom of association. They believed gathering similar orgs together would strengthen and serve as a pillar for student power. In effect, the UP Sanlahi Alliance was born out of the need for umbrella bodies to press on the first ever held student elections hence a student government.

It was one of the successors of the Consultative Committee on Student Affairs (CONCOMSA I and II) and Committee on Student Affairs (COMSA), along with other student organization sectors namely ASAP (an alliance of social sciences orgs), APASS (an alliance of pure and applied sciences orgs), Fraternity Alliance and Dorm Councils.

When the tenure of COMSA expired and while student elections had not been held yet, these sectors somehow functioned as the legitimate student government in UP Diliman.

In addition, from these alliances emerged the student political party called Sandigan ng Mag-aaral para sa Sambayanan (SAMASA).

Through the alliances’ concerted efforts, the Student Government was re-established and then followed by the formation of student councils in other academic units of UPD.

After all these events, students in the other Metro Manila universities followed suit, and so student governments were also restored to more and more campuses not only in Metro Manila but throughout the country later on in the 80s.

The nine founding member organizations of UP SANLAHI ALLIANCE were:

UP Aguman (Pampanga)
UP Cagay-anon (Cagayan de Oro)
UP Davaweño (Davao)
UP Ibalon (Bicol)
UP Kalilayan (Quezon and Aurora)
UP Mandala
UP Namnama (Ilocos)
UP Palaris (Pangasinan)
UP Panaghi-usa (Cebu)

Although the UP Sanlahi Alliance had already been working as an org on the third quarter of 1975, it was formally established during the first founding congress on the second semester of AY 1975-98 after it had been recognized. The first faculty adviser was Prof. Helen Estacio Lopez of the Department of English.

Official Seal

The official seal was created by Lloyd Llaga of UP Kalilayan. He won the logo-making contest in 1998.

The configuration of the whole logo is a square standing on one of its corners. This orientation represents the four major directions of the compass - UP Sanlahi Alliance covers all corners of the country. In the middle of all of it is an anahaw leaf to explain the material used to build the bahay-kubo; it is only one but a very important part of the house. It further symbolizes the tradition of "bayanihan" known by all. Behind it are the mountains with the sea as foreground. They emphasize the beauty of the geography and the persistence of UP Sanlahi Alliance to unite albeit separated by physical distance in the archipelago. There are also three stars to represent the major island groups and the colors of the flag behind. At the lower part is the year 1975 to commemorate the founding of the alliance. Wrapped around the logo are the name of the university and the alliance.