OPM BANDS The Juans and SUD are set to take center stage for this year’s Thomasian Welcome Party, according to the UST Central Student Council’s Facebook post on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
The Juans and SUD will return to campus on Friday, Aug. 14, to perform at the Quadricentennial Pavilion. Both bands previously appeared at the UST Paskuhan Concert in 2019 and 2024, respectively.
“For this year’s Thomasian Welcome Party, we wanted to make the [freshmen] experience the fun UST…For the theme this year, we will focus on bringing together people with the songs we enjoy listening to in our everyday student experiences,” Eron Francis Iñigo, director of the event, told The Flame.
The Juans, a four-member Filipino pop-rock band, is known for its hit songs “Hindi Tayo Pwede,” “Hatid” and “Istorya.” It is composed of Carl Guevarra (lead vocalist), Japs Mendoza (lead guitarist), Chael Adriano (bass guitarist) and RJ Cruz (acoustic guitarist).
SUD, an alternative soul band that originated from the University, is recognized for its breakout song, “Sila,” released in 2015. The group is composed primarily of Thomasian artists from the UST Conservatory of Music, namely Sud Ballecer (vocals and guitar), Kohl Aguilar (keyboards) and Carlos de la Fuente (saxophone). The band also includes Raisa Racelis, who plays the bass guitar.
Electronic dance music producer Joshua Frivaldo, also known as DJ Shuae, will also appear on stage.
Thomasian talents, including OPM bands JYVE! And Golf & Sunsets will perform at the event. The groups were the winners of Tunog Tomasino in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
Official dance troupes of the University (UST Prime), the Faculty of Arts and Letters (BA Dauncen) and the College of Architecture (Arki dance troupe) will also join the artists.
Incoming Thomasians may enter the venue at 3 p.m. as the concert is set to start at 4 p.m. and end at 6 p.m. The Thomasian Welcome Party is part of UST’s annual main onboarding activity. F
