Sports journalist Pablo Torre, a Harvard graduate, sparked mixed reactions from netizens when he wore the Sablay, the official academic costume of the University of the Philippines (UP), to a non-academic event.
The Sablay is a garment adorned with ukkil and geometric elements that symbolize nationalism and the importance of preserving the country's indigenous culture.
Photo courtesy: Jefferson Villacruz of Diliman Information Office via UP website
The university advises that the Sablay should only be worn during academic functions and activities such as commencement exercises and awarding ceremonies, and should be paired with formal clothing such as the Barong Tagalog for men and knee-length or midi dresses for women.
Torre explained that the Sablay he wore belonged to his father, who is a UP graduate, and he borrowed it to pay tribute to him and his UP alumni grandfathers.
“So, just wanted to answer a couple questions about the sash I'm wearing here, which is called a sablay. And this specific one proudly belongs to graduates of the University of the Philippines,” he said in an Instagram post.
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“I didn't go to UP. But both of my parents, and both of their late fathers, did. So shoutout to my dad for letting me borrow his sablay for one night, so I could pay tribute to all of them,” he added.
Some netizens praised Torre’s gesture, while others criticized him for treating the ‘sacred’ garment as a mere fashion accessory.
You have no right to treat it as an accent piece. That’s an academic dress for UP graduates and can only be worn for academic functions of UP with very specific Filipino formal dress/ethnolinguistic attire.
— Maurice Joseph Maglaquí Almadrones 🧠🫀🎀 (@TheCatSaysMao) May 10, 2023
We alumni worked hard for it. It’s not a mere accessory.
Pablo Torre's reading all of the comments on the sablay debacle and is willfully ignoring the negative criticism while basking in the positive attention.
— Ryan Alba (@_alba__) May 10, 2023
I don't have strong feelings about sablay etiquette, but the un-willingness to listen what Filipinos have to say is annoying. pic.twitter.com/sH3PGLWIt3
I think I’ll give Pablo Torre the assumption that he doesn’t know the UP protocols. Yung tatay na nagpahiram siguro kailangang iremind.
— Berniemack Arellano (@habagatcentral) May 10, 2023
My suggestion though is he wear (invest) in Barong Filipino and use a non-academic sablay next time. :)
UP has not yet issued a statement on the matter.
