So long, tiger.
The past two years saw the UST Growling Tigers rebuild with the departures of the team’s head coach and key players. Now, another tiger is set to undergo rebuilding.
UST Facilities Management Office (FMO) Director Fr. Dexter Austria, O.P. on Tuesday said the tiger statue and UST block letters at the Plaza Mayor would soon be remodeled.
“Confirmed ang change of design ng UST block letters and the tiger, approved by [UST Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P.] during the economic council meeting,” Austria told the Varsitarian.
Austria said the redesigned structures would be unveiled next academic year.
The same structures will be erected in UST General Santos (GenSan) and UST Santa Rosa.
Former UST College of Fine Arts and Design faculty member Anthony Zamora will design the new tiger statue, Austria said.
“What prompted the Father Rector to initiate the change probably was to inaugurate a new era after the Covid-19 pandemic,” Austria said.
“[The redesigned structures also aim] to signal UST’s aggressive expansion to Sta. Rosa and General Santos. You will see that symbolic dynamism in the block letters and tiger statue,” Austria added.
Over the years, the tiger statue has undergone several facelifts.
It went viral in 2020 after being compared with structures in Jed’s Island Resort in Bulacan, which is famous—and infamous—for its statues of cartoon and animé characters that were, to say the least, sculpted uniquely.
The tiger also went viral recently for being “present” during the election debates in UST.
For those asking, the tiger is here, too. Not the “Tiger of the North,” former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, though. He’s absent. He’s in Pangasinan as of Saturday for campaign purposes. #Vote2022 pic.twitter.com/fiPTzkQz8k
— The Varsitarian (@varsitarianust) February 27, 2022
The University has been associated with the mascot since 1992 when its varsity team moniker transitioned from “Glowing Goldies” to the “Growling Tigers,” thanks to the “Mommy Tiger,” former Institute of Physical Education and Athletics assistant director Felicitas Francisco.
The official mascot of UST is the Bengal tiger, which bears the University colors gold, black and white.
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