By Brendo Macapaz
MANILA--UP posted what could be the new logo of the Fighting Maroons come the 78th season of the UAAP, which the school will host beginning Sept. 5.
The new logo, which completely shed off the Oblation, features a warrior in maroon "shadow" holding a spear and a shield with the Baybayin representation of UP.
UAAP secretary-treasurer Ronnie Dizer explained through ABSCBN that the school will bar the use of the Oblation symbol for the said TV network's coverage of the UAAP.
However, Dizer clarified that "Oble" will remain as the symbol of the university.
The Intellectual Property Rights Policy of the UP System disallows everyone from commercially using any of the symbols of UP unless granted permission from the academe.
Moments after the release of the photo, UP students, alumni, and even fans expressed their dismay.
A common comment about the new Fighting Maroons logo was that it resembles that of the UE Red Warriors.
Meanwhile, men's basketball team forward J.R. Gallarza posted a photo of him and his teammates frowning after seeing the new logo on Twitter.
Former men's football team and current Pachanga star Jinggoy Valmayor also expressed his disappointment with the new logo by tweeting that "Oble" still fits as the Maroons' logo.
The biggest negative reaction, however, came from Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te. He said on Facebook, "That spirit is gone from the UP Fighting Maroons logo. It's a free country, call that logo anything you like, just don't call it a UP logo."
However, some found the new team logo a cool one.
Among those who like the new logo was Steph States, who said in one of Dugout Philippines' affiliate Facebook pages, "Nice logo. OK lang yan kahit hindi na Oble. Explore for new things, UP. Great job!"
Dr. Gonzalo Campoamor revealed to GMA that the logo will still undergo improvements and that the official design will be unveiled at a later date.
With maroon, a dark red hue, being a color of the university, UP used the moniker Fighting Maroons, which pertain to the group of Africans who resisted slavery and bravely fought for freedom, for its sports teams.
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