GKNB and the UP bird: The battle continues
If anybody from ABS-CBN might be reading this, please be assured that I would continuously try to validate the piece of information that I hold. On a positive note, the initiative of Ms. Kris Aquino’s GKNB staff in trying to reach me to explain their side has opened an avenue for a discussion that the University of the Philippines might also would like to look into.
I just can’t let this seemingly small "blunder" committed by the researchers of the hit TV show Game Ka Na Ba (GKNB) of ABS-CBN be forgotten as no more than a trivial matter presented by a crazed televiewer in need of her 15 minutes of fame.
Shown below were the correspondences between Mr. Mark Rejano and Mr. Bong Barrameda of GKNB and me to set the record straight regarding the two sides of what transpired during the August 17 episode as explicitly mentioned during my previous post on the said day:
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Maroon-fronted Parrots live in mature pine, mixed conifer, and pine-oak forests from 2000 to 3500 meters. They nest in limestone cliffs near moving water in large colonies. This bird is endemic to the Sierra Madre Oriental in Nuevo León, Coahuila and Tamaulipas, Mexico. Breeding coincides with the fruition of pines, which is its main food source, and they lay one to three eggs in July. These juveniles fledge around November. They migrate over short distances seasonally.
This bird is considered vulnerable due to overgrazing and habitat destruction. It is estimated that only 2500-3000 birds remain, while 95 to 110 young are produced in a year."
First, allow us to thank you for dutifully watching our show. We likewise appreciate the effort you took in calling us about an alleged error on our part regarding a question in the atras abante round, the question is "Sa Pinoy schools, Anong ibon ang nasa logo ng University of the Philippines". Please see below response letter of Mr. Borrameda Research Consultant for Pilipinas, Game ka na ba?Dear Ms Cardenas,Not a few people, including many UP graduates and students, think that the bird on the official logo or seal of the University of the Philippines is a parrot. It’s an almost embarrassing misconception that finally should be corrected.The bird on the logo is, and has always been, an eagle – an American bald eagle, to be exact. A simple visual examination of the logo would easily affirm this.So why an eagle? UP was established by the American colonial government in Manila in 1908, with Murray Bartlett as first president. In fact, the original name of UP was AUP or American University of the Philippines. Not surprisingly, the colonialists chose to enshrine on the university’s seal Uncle Sam’s avian symbol of power and "independence."The parrot myth started after the creation of the NCAA (there was no UAAP then) cage wars in the 1920s. The UP squad was then called the Maroons and Greens (now Fighting Maroons). When Ateneo later on decided to change its team’s name from the Blue and Whites to the Blue Eagles (although no eagle appears on the school’s official logo), some folks at the Pamantasan ng Pilipinas felt that UP should also have an animal sports symbol. And when certain individuals thought that the bird on the UP logo could not be an eagle because it was already Atenean property, the parrot fallacy was born.Symbolism-wise, the parrot is an unwise choice to represent the State University’s scholarly image and spirit of "makibaka, huwag matakot.’ Although popular as a pet, this bird often denotes the inability to think for oneself, repeating only what others say. In many cultures around the world, it is a symbol of babbling humans - and not of erudite ones.Please visit the websites of various UP organizations, especially the UP Vanguard, where the origin of the UP Eagle is well-explained.Thank you for your valuable thoughts and time.Sincerely,BONG BARRAMEDAResearch ConsultantPilipinas, GKNB?Thanks againMark RejanoExecutive ProducerPilipinas, Game ka na ba?
August 23rd, 2006 at 3:42 am
While I wholeheartedly agree that the bird on the UP seal is a parrot and not an eagle (and shame on those people from GKNB!), I think your argument on the maroon and green dominant color of the parrots is grasping straws :D. Your well-researched data on the parrot has nothing to do whatsoever with the University of the Philippines.
Anyway, continue the fight. You know me as a trivia fanatic, and I definitely know you’re right and am with you on this. Any clarification would be nice :D.
Keep us posted!
August 24th, 2006 at 2:02 am
Well, hehe, thanks MJ. About the colors, I can’t exactly validate it. Then again, I was trying to connect one to another so there you go! Got these from the heated arguments over at peyups.com and pinoyexchange.com. You might want to check it out ;p Of course I would go an extra mile for this if only to avenge the credibility of those little FOPC packets or, as a true sport, bow down to the other side and correct what’s been a fallacy that’s been going on for decades or so.