I used to look forward to visiting Diliman when I’d get the urge to do so on some Sunday. I would look forward to driving around the campus and just taking in the tranquil environment. Well now, the Academic Oval is closed to traffic on Sundays which is actually okay. What’s irritating, however, is the realization of how difficult and confusing it is to get in, around and out of the campus. Somehow, I feel claustrophobic being inside the campus. It’s not easy to get in and not easy to get out because of some very overzealous security guards (yes – even on a Sunday). It’s also apparently been policy for quite some time now to ask for permission before you can have a picture taken with the Oblation in it. Some parts of the campus are quite literally dirty with garbage strewn wantonly. The streets inside the campus could bear regular maintenance. And there’s so much more that breaks your heart.
I still love the idea of UP, of the openness, the simple beauty the campus represents in my mind. It’s just that the reality no longer represents what was UP-Diliman.
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