“LOS BAÑOS—Students of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB) have gathered the number of signatures required for the state campus to adopt the Sablay as official attire on graduation day.

The use of UP Sablay as graduation attire was “good to go,” said Tres Panganiban, of the UPLB Student Council.

The council, said Panganiban, has submitted last month more than 5,800 signatures of students supporting the use of Sablay, a native sash, as official graduation attire.

Sablay is worn over barong Tagalog or dress in lieu of the toga.

The sash contains characters from the “Baybayin” (ancient Philippine alphabet) equivalent to the letters U and P and a design called ukkil or ukit that resembles a sprouting plant to signify life.

Its geometric designs are common to indigenous peoples from Batanes to Tawi-tawi to “highlight the diverse cultural communities (in) pursuit of knowledge, cultural enrichment and scientific advancement.“

Read full article Use of Sablay is “good to go” by Marica Cinco in Inquirer News.