Students celebrate fellowship and sports in Dula 2025

Dateline: 03 April 2025

UP Mindanao students took time off on April 3-4, 2025, to play games and compete in Dula 2025, the annual sports festival held this year at the Davao City-UP Sports Complex. Chancellor Lyre Anni Murao issued a memo declaring the suspension of classes over the two days to allow student and faculty participation “to foster camaraderie, school spirit, and holistic well-being,” her memo stated.
The competing teams are the degree-granting units. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences are the CHSS Green Griffins. The College of Science and Mathematics are the Red Dragons. The top photo shows the School of Management (SOM) Yellow Minotaurs, the host, by rotation, of Dula 2025.

The students, with some faculty and staff, competed in volleyball, basketball, table tennis, badminton, and futsal. They also competed in the Philippine games of jump rope, Chinese garter, shatong, patintero/tubig-tubig, sack race, and tug of war. Chess and Scrabble comprise the board games competition. The teams also competed in E-Games, namely Mobile Legends, Block Blast, and Call of Duty.

“Dula 2025 is a celebration of community and life,” said Chancellor Murao in her inspirational message.

She noted that because UP Mindanao is growing and university-wide gatherings happen only occasionally, the annual Dula is an opportunity for fellowship, enjoyment, and celebration of one another’s victories. She dwelled on the significance of the Dula 2025 theme of “sportsmanship, camaraderie, and empowerment” as three vital values.

“Sportsmanship is about fairness, ethics, and respect. When we have these three ingredients, then we build mutual trust. When we have mutual trust, then we have camaraderie. When we have mutual trust, we gain the freedom to live authentic and purposeful lives, and that is empowerment,” she said. “These three important values build on each other. Sportsmanship leads to camaraderie, and camaraderie leads to empowerment. These values are important for these games today but, more importantly, for the game that is your life,” she said.

She observed that the Dula 2025 is special for being held on the 30th anniversary of UP Mindanao. “So, I hope that we continue to live on these three values, not only for the next two days, not only for the duration of our 30th year, but for the next 30 years of UP Mindanao. These values are not just important for these games today but for the most important game, that is, the game of your life,” she said.

She thanked the host of Dula in 2025, the School of Management led by Dean Aurelia Luzviminda Gomez, and the Dula 2025 chairperson, Asst. Prof. Vlademir Schuck and the committee members for organizing the event.

Dateline: 04 April 2025

UP Mindanao’s DULA 2025 ended after two days of high-energy competition and unforgettable moments that united the university community in celebration of athleticism, camaraderie, and shared pride. Emerging as the overall champion this year was CHSS, after a consistent top-tier performance across multiple categories. CSM followed closely as 1st runner-up, while SOM placed as the 2nd runner-up, showcasing determination and sportsmanship throughout the games.

Students, faculty, and staff from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), the College of Science and Mathematics (CSM), and the School of Management (SOM) competed in a wide range of events—from basketball and volleyball to esports, board games, athletics, and Larong Pinoy.

DULA 2025 was more than just a sportsfest—it was a powerful reminder of what it means to be part of the UP Mindanao community: united, driven, and always game for growth. The UP Mindanao community exchanged expressions of appreciation with the athletes, organizers, and supporters who made Dula 2025 a success.

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