GoUSTe! The story behind UST’s iconic chant

MANILA, Philippines – Go USTe! Go USTe! Go USTe! 

This iconic chant reverberates in stadiums every time a sea of yellow-clad fans get fired up cheering University of Santo Tomas (UST) teams in UAAP matches. 

Accompanied by an infectious dance move, this rallying cry ignites a sense of unity and passion among the UST community and boosts the morale of the athletes.

Michael Ismael Flores – a UST alumni and the founder of the Yellow Jackets, the university’s pep squad and drumline – is the person behind this iconic “Go USTe” chant. 

In an interview with Rappler, Flores vividly recalls how his journey as a pep squad member began in 1990 when he was a BS Business Administration student.

One Saturday afternoon PE class, he and a classmate playfully teased the cheerleaders rehearsing the university’s chants. Their antics drew the attention of PE professor Felix Michael Silbor, who told them to learn and lead the UST cheers as a form of discipline.

Silbor heard, then recognized, the potential in the loud and clear voice of Flores. Tapping that potential, Silbor invited Flores to join a group to cheer athletes every Saturday. In exchange, Flores would be exempted from his PE classes and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps duty on Sundays. 

In his second semester as a freshman, Flores made a commitment to join the cheering squad. This commitment lit the spark to create a chant that could rival the signature pep cheers of UAAP rivals Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University. 

In 1991, while riding in his dad’s car, Flores heard American rapper Vanilla Ice’s “Go Ninja” playing on the radio. The beat struck a chord in him, serving as the inspiration behind the creation of “Go USTe.”

Flores said the original version of “Go USTe” had a slower tempo and a more manly tone, quite distinct from the upbeat rendition familiar to the UST community today.

However, Flores wasn’t entirely satisfied with this version. He aspired to create something catchier and more powerful, reminiscent of those high-octane cheers during FIFA World Cup or European Football Leagues matches.

Thus, “hey-yo” was crafted, becoming the primary chant of the cheering team, while “Go USTe” took a secondary role.

The crowd, however, felt the “hey-o” was a bearer of bad luck, Flores said.

“They felt ‘hey-yo’ was cursed. It’s like they’re [UST team] leading in the last two minutes or last one minute, then [the crowd] starts chanting ‘hey-yo,’ and suddenly the team loses,” Flores said.

Flores recalled “Go USTe” skyrocketed to fame when it was used by the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe as part of its cheer dance routine during the first Jollibee Chee-cheer Kayo UAAP Cheering Competition in 1994.

Over the years, the chant was refined and dance moves incorporated.

Flores said that he feels “nostalgic” and “surreal” when several generations of Thomasians still chant “Go USTe.”

During the interview, Flores said the role of the pep squad was to maintain the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd, regardless of the team’s performance – be it winning or losing.

“Even if no one is cheering for [the team] anymore, you keep cheering. You keep on hitting, even if your hands and fingers are already bruising, the drums are already breaking, and your voice becomes hoarse. You just keep going. That’s how it is, that’s us. That’s how passionate we are, that’s how much we love the UST team,” Flores said. – Rappler.com