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"This is the best of them all." Thus said former UP president Jose Abueva himself when asked to describe this year's lantern parade. The annual Christmas event also became a fitting conclusion -- the "climax," says Abueva -- to UP's year-long centennial celebration. "So many people are here," he said, when I interviewed him while he was watching the parade from atop Quezon Hall, overlooking the Oblation statue. "We are out to make it the best celebration because it's our centennial year. This year, UP was proclaimed the national university and the amount of people here shows that UP is indeed the people's university." All seven UP universities and 12 campuses were represented in this year's centennial parade. The Lantern Parade is one of the most anticipated events in UP's calendar not only by students and faculty but also guests from outside the university. For a change, the staging area was held in front of Quezon Hall fronting University Avenue, which serves as the gateway to the university. The parade was traditionally conducted at the mini-amphitheater at the back of Quezon Hall, which houses the UP administration. During this year's parade, the Oblation can be seen hovering above as each college presented in front of a jampacked audience. The College of Mass Communications was pronounced as the Most Creative while the College of Engineering was awarded Most Resourceful. You can also watch this grand fireworks display to mark the UP Centennial: