A Filipino-American Sports Writer Wore a UP Sablay to a Non-Academic Event. Here's Why It's a Problem

Filipino-American sportswriter Pablo S. Torre probably meant well when he wore the University of the Philippines’ (UP) sablay to a gathering that sought to honor Asian American and Pacific Islander creatives in Los Angeles. 

He even tweeted that wearing the sablay was his way of paying “tribute” to graduates of UP, which include his parents and grandparents. All this seems fine on the superficial level, but the road to online condemnation is paved with good intentions.

For several UP alumni, Torre’s wearing of the sablay is a sin that, depending on who you ask, warrants varying levels of punishment and reproach. They point out, rightly, that Torre violated virtually every rule that governs the wearing of the sablay. For them, Torre’s errant wearing of the sablay expressed ignorance instead of tribute. He wore it in an event that will never be mistaken for an academic function. He wore it with a tuxedo, not with the required Barong Tagalog for men. Most blasphemous of all, he is neither a UP alumnus nor a UP official, and therefore he “cannot” wear the sablay. 

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For some folks on the other side of the fence (which include some UP alumni), Torre’s wearing of the sablay in a highly-publicized event for Asian achievers is a cause for celebration. It is rare, they point out, that the sablay is seen on such a high-profile stage. Some folks in this camp imagine the sablay as their proxy—that because the garment was worn in the Gold Gala, it’s almost like they were there as well. A more reasonable version of this reaction is that it’s always nice to see something distinctly Filipino at an international event. 

Then there are people in the spectrum who couldn’t care any less about this whole sablay-at-the-Gold-Gala hullabaloo. Cynical about the reactions of the angry mob and the “Pinoy Pride” camps, they ask: what’s the big deal? They may also say that what Torre did was neither blameworthy nor praiseworthy. There are worse things happening in the world. Even though the sablay is a symbolic piece of UP’s tradition, wearing it at the Gold Gala never killed anybody.

But here lies the problem. The issue is not because we want to shed light on UP’s grand tradition of academic excellence and what-not, but because cynicism and apathy regarding these kinds of controversies are symptoms of something more serious and far-reaching. 

There are many reasons for this cynicism and apathy, but a great deal of it likely stems from the belief that this is just a mundane and silly matter for the UP folks to fret about. In other words, if I am not from UP, this does not concern me. That is far from true. 

It can be argued that in practical and immediate terms, this debate has no meaningful effect on most of the non-UP world. But if we look at Torre’s errant wearing of the sablay and the ensuing controversy as an example of a more widespread problem, then we can begin to understand that this somehow concerns all of us.

There is an overt cultural appropriation theme in Torre’s example, and it is a serious issue worth looking into. Torre’s faux pas highlights a puzzling situation in our contemporary society. In this age when important information is easily accessible, why do we still make such obvious errors?

To be fair, we know little about the actual decision-making process that Torre underwent before he wore the sablay and triggered UP folks everywhere. All that we know at this point comes from the description from his Instagram post, in which Torre says his father lent him the sablay in the picture.

In Torre’s case, we can ask: why didn’t he check first about the sablay that he intended to wear? The information is readily available online.

Is it because of intellectual vice? If we have the means to inform ourselves properly, and yet we still fail miserably to make well-informed decisions, is the problem with our intellectual character? Did we exhibit intellectual laziness, carelessness, or lack of thoroughness? This is notoriously difficult to pinpoint, because we need to be aware of the individual’s motivations, intentions, and behavior patterns.

Or perhaps it could be due to the structures we inhabit. Despite the wide availability of relevant information, we may fall into epistemic traps lurking in our social structures. These can be in the form of dominant epistemic attitudes, practices, and processes in our society. Once we realize how widespread these issues are, we can understand how Torres’ case is but an example of a bigger but nonetheless basic problem. This problem is about how we can effectively arm ourselves against epistemic error, and this could mean anything from guarding against bad epistemic motivations to practicing more due diligence.  

The cynicism and apathy on the debate about Torre’s sablay fiasco also speaks about how we don’t seem to mind when people get important things wrong. Sometimes we react like this not because we are forgiving and magnanimous but because we are indifferent to matters that we think have no direct bearing on our lives. But our reactions to cases like this reveal much about how we treat and define concepts such as truth, verification, virtue, and responsibility. The debate about Torre’s mistake can rage for days, but we should also look carefully at how we reacted to it and what it reveals about us. 

The outrage—and sniggers—at Torre’s sablay case will fade in time. As some folks would say, there are greater problems in the world. The offending picture may eventually be taken down, once its 15 minutes in the limelight is over. Those who want a reminder to practice better judgment may opt to frame Torre’s sablay picture and put it in a gallery alongside pictures of KPop idols wearing box braids and swastikas and Madonna wearing a cheongsam. Errors like Torre’s don’t usually bring about cataclysmic consequences, but we should not forget how cavalier attitudes toward truth can produce worse outcomes.

Nicolo Masakayan is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of the Philippines Los Baños.