I finally made it to the Oblation Plaza today, a day later than planned. I was supposed to see the UP Diliman Lantern Parade last night, but heavy traffic made that impossible. When I visited today, it was raining, and the campus felt quieter than it would have been during the parade.

At the center of the plaza, the iconic Oblation statue was illuminated by Tanglawas, the 2025 lantern installation by visual artist and UP College of Fine Arts Dean Toym Imao. The work drew attention to the pool at the Oblation Plaza, where figures of people in boats appeared to glide across the water. The title, a portmanteau of tanglaw (light) and lawas (body or gathering in Bisaya), points to the idea of light as something carried by people, not just displayed.

Imao’s concept connects the Christmas story across time and place. It traces a line from the Star of Bethlehem in what is now the West Bank to the Kapampangan parol, and further to present-day realities such as the lives of fishermen in the West Philippine Sea and Tausug seafarers in Sulu, reflecting the artist’s own heritage. These connections situate Christmas not only as a religious narrative but as a continuing story shaped by movement, labor, and lived experience.