by Er Pilotin (Class 2021)

 

The Regionalization Students Organization (RSO) held its annual Pasafest last Thursday, 18 January, at the Calderon Hall lobby.

Students, faculty, and staff of the College of Medicine were treated to delicacies such as pili nuts from Bicol region, piaya from Bacolod, and spicy chocolate from General Santos City. The foodstuffs were brought by RSO applicants.

The feast was inaugurated through a short ribbon cutting ceremony, led by Dr. Abdel Jeffri Abdulla, one of the organization’s advisers. He also gave an opening address, mentioning the upcoming screening process for the Regionalization Program of the college, where they will tour various parts of the country in search of deserving medical students from the underserved regions.

LU3 student Abdel Maldisa, head of this year’s Pasafest, believes that the hearty gathering fosters “a sense of nationalism, and shows the diversity of the Filipino nation.”

Amalgamated from the words “pasalubong” and “fest,” RSO’s Pasafest is inspired by the Filipino culture of taking home souvenirs from one’s destination, and is usually held after the Christmas break, when most of the students would come back to school from their respective provinces.