Volume LXXXII, No. 9 • December 15, 2010 THE

The Varsitarian
Founded 1928
Volume LXXXII, No. 9 • December 15, 2010 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas Manila, Philippines
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2 News
The
Varsitarian December 15, 2010
Editor: Charizze L. Abulencia
UST mounts ‘giant living Rosary’
Giant Rosary. An aerial shot of the giant living Rosary at the UST campus last December 8. About 24,000 members of the Thomasian community participated in the event. Photo by Paul Allyson R. Quiambao
By ROMMEL MARVIN C. RIO
GUINNESS may have snubbed it, but
the “Living Rosary” formed by 24,000
Thomasians last December 8 was still a
feat worthy of the books as far as UST is
concerned.
The Thomasian community joined hands to
mount what is said to be world’s largest human
rosary in the UST campus, one of the flurry of
Quadricentennial activities this month.
Students, faculty members, and support
staff occupied major roads of the University
during the ceremony, which was covered by early
evening television newcasts. Those assigned to
form the cross were required to wear blue shirts
while those designated as rosary beads were in
yellow. Those who acted as chains wore white.
The Quadricentennial or “Q” Rosary was
followed by a Holy Mass led by Fr. Quirico
Pedregosa Jr., O.P., prior provincial of the
Dominican Province of the Philippines and
vice-chancellor of the University.
“There are two reasons [why we had this
event]: first, as our thanksgiving to the Blessed
Virgin because of our 400 years, and second,
because today is the [39th] anniversary of the
Dominican Province of the Philippines,” said
Richard Pazcoguin, assistant director of the
Center for Campus Ministry.
Rosary Page 6
Apartment fire
affects Thomasian
boarders
By CHARMAINE M. PARADO
SOME 20 Thomasian students lost their belongings
when fire razed a two-storey apartment at the corner
of Antonio and Dapitan streets in the morning of
December 5, authorities said.
The Bureau of Fire Protection said the fire,
which started at 4:55 a.m., reached the fifth alarm,
damaging P2 million worth of assets.
Manila Fire Department officer Felixberto
Abrenica said fire easily spread because the structure
was made of light materials.
“Mabuti at gising na ang mga tao kasi maguumaga na nu’ng mangyari ang sunog,” Abrenica
said.
One of the victims was Faculty of Arts and
Letters Student Council President Vincent Cifra,
who lost important documents of the council along
with P20,000 worth of belongings.
The loss of the documents, according to Cifra,
might delay pending projects of the student council.
“It’s one semester worth of paperwork,” Cifra
said. “I cannot promise that our council’s projects
will not be delayed because paperworks are vital
Fire Page 5
Civil Engineering passing rate steady; Thomasian
named
Electronics Engineering sinks
ambassador
By ROMMEL MARVIN C. RIO
THE
CIVIL
Engineering
department has maintained last
year’s board exam performance
while Electronics Engineering
plunged to a “surprising”
11-percent passing rate this year.
UST
recorded
an
83.96-percent passing rate in the
recent licensure exam for civil
engineers, a little higher than last
year’s 82.56 percent. Because
of this, the University’s Civil
Engineering program emerged
as the second top-performing
school in the country.
The national passing rate,
meanwhile, dropped to 40.57
percent from last year’s 43.70
percent.
Six Thomasians entered the
top 10. They were Teofilo de
Guzman Jr. at third place (95.60
percent), John Paul de Pedro
and Jeffrey delos Santos at sixth
(94.40 percent), Aaron Jonathan
Alcantara and Rodora Cunanan
Cadiz at seventh (94.3 percent),
and Judy Anne Manalang at
eighth (94.2 percent).
“The Civil Engineering
program of UST is on ‘firm
grounds,’ considering that the
passing rate is always high,”
said Faculty of Engineering
Dean Josefin de Alban.
But De Alban said he had
expected a better performance
from this year’s Thomasian
examinees.
“We were expecting [to get
the top three spots], because this
batch has five cum laudes,” he
said.
Meanwhile,
UST
Electronics
Engineering’s
passing rate this year plummeted
to 11.11 percent from last year’s
73.27 percent. Only 14 of the 126
Thomasian examinees passed
this year’s exam.
Last year, the University
was the top-performing school
in Electronics Engineering for
the “50 or more examinees”
category. However, this year, no
school got the top rank because
of their poorer performances.
The national passing for
Electronics Engineering went
down to 21.76 percent from last
year’s 36.27 percent.
“The outcome of the ECE
(now Electronics Engineering)
board exam surprised us. After
[many years of having a high
number of board passers], only
11 percent passed [this year],”
De Alban said.
“There have been issues
relating to the results of the ECE
board exam, but as long as I’m
the dean, we don’t like to attack
[matters like those],” De Alban
added, declining to elaborate.
He also said the Faculty will
form a committee to conduct
a formal review to determine
how graduates can “go back and
begin their prominence” in all
fields of engineering.
“Talagang babawi kami
kasi ‘yung nangyari hindi
expected ‘yun eh,” he said.
Facebook helps
De Alban pointed to the
important role of the faculty in
helping students hurdle licensure
exams. He said Facebook also
helps teachers in personally
knowing their students.
“In Facebook, [the faculty
members] are able to motivate
[their students] in every
way [they] can,” said Civil
Engineering department head
Rodelio Tiburcio.
This approach allows the
faculty to help the students “in
times [when] they have problems
with [academic] preparations,”
he said.
to Spain
By K.N.K. C. GRAFIL
MARITIME businessman and
Commerce
alumnus
Carlos
Salinas is the new Philippine
ambassador to Spain after a speedy
confirmation by the Commission
on Appointments last November
17.
Salinas, who was nominated
to the post by President Benigno
Aquino III last November, obtained
his bachelor’s degree in Commerce
from the University in 1955.
Salinas heads Philippine
Transmarine Carriers, Inc., said
to be one of the largest crew
management companies in the
Philippines. It deploys thousands
of seafarers annually.
In his visit to the University last
December 6, Salinas bared plans to
tap Spain’s tourism industry as a
model for the Philippines, expand
trade, and promote the Spanish
language as part of the country’s
cultural heritage.
Salinas said the country has
Thomasian Page 6
Science faces classroom shortage; trims down school days
By BRYLLE B. TABORA
THE COLLEGE of Science has
trimmed the number of school
days to four in a week in a bid
to address classroom shortage.
Science Assistant Dean
John Donnie Ramos said the
new four-day schedule was
introduced in the second
semester under a pilot test to
accommodate the large number
of students.
Ramos said there were
three reasons why the college
switched to a four-day schedule
from the previous five-day
scheme.
“First, we lack classrooms
because the Faculty of Civil
Law took one of our classrooms;
second, we now use laboratories
as lecture rooms; and third,
the biology department added
another section this school
year,” Ramos said.
UST’s Biology program
has seven sections in the first
year.
A survey conducted by
the dean’s office in the first
semester showed that 59 of 78
faculty members agreed with
the new schedule. A total of 303
out of 476 students surveyed
also agreed with the four-day
scheme, along with 95 of 139
parents.
Ramos, however, said
the college will still conduct
surveys in January to see if
the new schedule should be
continued up to next school
year.
Some students interviewed
by the Varsitarian said the
drawback in the four-day
schedule is that many classes
are squeezed in just one day,
resulting in late dismissals.
Some classes even extend to
seven in the evening.
But Ramos said this new
schedule gave students an
additional day of rest.
“The main reason behind
this new plan was to spread
more classrooms to the College
of Science population. The free
time it would give the students
and professors is just a bonus,”
Ramos added.
For Biology sophomore
Raphael Santos, the new
schedule would be a hassle for
some students.
“It’s difficult because of
the late dismissals. It would
probably be better if it was
implemented in our third or
fourth year since we don’t
have NSTP (National Training
Service Program) and [physical
education] courses anymore,”
Santos said.
Echoing Santos, Psychology
sophomore Diah Ramos said
squeezing classes in just one
day was exhausting, but added
it gave her three rest days in a
week.
“At first, I didn’t like
Science Page 6
December 15, 2010
Editor: Robin G. Padilla
The
Varsitarian Witness
3
Benedict XVI’s new book, Light of the World
Pope holds fast to ‘conviction of common faith’
THE POPE, the vicar of
Christ and the visible head of
the Church, is also a human
being.
This facet of the papal
personal shows in the booklength interview, titled Light
of the World: The Pope, the
Church and the Sign of the
Times, between Pope Benedict
XVI and German journalist
Peter Seewald. It tackles
sensitive issues facing the
Church like the crisis of faith,
abuse scandals, contraception,
same-sex relationships, and
celibacy.
In the book published
by Ignatius Press of San
Francisco, Seewald tries to
penetrate Joseph Ratzinger, in
his role as God’s representative
on earth.
‘The sign of the times’
Seewald gets to meet the
man behind the vestibules of
faith in this first part of the
book.
“Sign of the Times” is an
introduction that narrates the
start of Benedict’s assumption
to the papacy in 2005.
Ratzinger admits that he
did not expect to be elected to
the Chair of Peter.
“Actually, I had expected
finally to have some peace
and quiet. The fact that
I suddenly found myself
facing this tremendous task
was, as everybody knows, a
shock for me,” the Pope says.
“The responsibility is in fact
enormous.”
He recalls the signs that
predicted his fate, one of
which was his offer to resign
as head of the Vatican’s
Sacred Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith upon
reaching retirement age.
“As my seventy-fifth
birthday approached, which is
the age limit when one submits
one’s resignation, [Pope John
Paul II] said to me: ‘You do
not have to write the letter at
all, for I want to have you to
the end,’” the Pope says.
Further into the interview,
Seewald points to the growth
of the Church, which now has
1.2 billion members.
“Naturally these statistics
are important. They indicate
how widespread the Church is
and how large this communion
is, which encompasses races
and peoples, continents,
cultures, and people of every
kind,” he says.
Addressing the abuse
scandal head-on, the Pope
says the evil that had crept
into the Church should not be
downplayed.
“It was really almost like
the crater of a volcano, out of
which suddenly a tremendous
cloud of filth came, darkening
and soiling everything, so
that above all the priesthood
suddenly seemed to be a place
of shame and every priest was
under the suspicion of being
one like that too,” the Pope
says.
On the media coverage
of the abuse crisis, he notes:
“There was no overlooking
the fact that what guided this
press campaign was not only
a sincere desire for truth, but
there was also some pleasure
in exposing the Church and, if
possible, discrediting her.”
But Pope Benedict says
“we must be grateful for every
disclosure.”
‘The Pontificate’
In the chapter, “Habemus
Papam”, the Pope recalls the
astonishing speed by which
he was elected as the new
Pope Page 5
Prevention, not contraception
Benedict XVI statements taken out of context
FOLLOWING the global buzz
over Pope Benedict XVI’s
latest remarks on condom
use, Church leaders rushed to
explain what the Pontiff really
meant, saying Reproductive
Health (RH) bill supporters
took Benedict’s statements in
the “wrong context.”
In the new book, Light
of the World: The Pope, the
Church, and the Sign of
the Times, the Pope clearly
pointed out that “[The
Church] does not regard [the
use of condoms] as a real or
moral solution.”
Manila Auxiliary Bishop
Teodoro Bacani, in an article
AIDS,” Bacani said. “What
he said was that it is not a
moral and a real solution, but
in some cases, it can be a first
step toward the right moral
direction.”
Echoing
Bacani’s
claims,
Lingayen-Dagupan
Archbishop Emeritus Oscar
Cruz said pro-RH bill groups
were distorting the statement
made by the Benedict XVI
to pursue their own vested
interests.
“When we argue, let’s not
take half-truths because we
will lose that way. I’m sorry
to disappoint people who are
hoping otherwise,” Cruz said
alarming spread of the virus
and disease,” CBCP Secretary
General Msgr. Juanito Figura
said.
Borderline case
Meanwhile, Fr. Rodel E.
Aligan, O.P., dean of the UST
Faculty of Sacred Theology,
said the use of the condom to
prevent the spread of AIDS
is considered a “borderline
case.”
“In moral theology and
bioethics, you always talk
about certain borderline
cases. Borderline cases are
not the rules. That does not
remove the fact that the use of
A Vatican spokesman later
clarified that the Pope’s
remarks on condom use for
AIDS prevention covered all
prostitutes.
“You cannot say that as
long as there is STD involved,
you can use condom. It does
not follow because it is just
an exemption to the rule,”
Aligan said.
Compassionate Church
According to Aligan, the
Pope’s statement just shows
that the Church is naturally
considerate.
“The
Church
is
compassionate and that is
Flickr.com
posted on the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) news
website at the height of the
issue, said RH bill supporters
were using the statement of the
Pope in an “entirely different
context” in claiming that the
Church has loosened its strict
ban on contraceptives.
“The Pope made the issue
clear. It wasn’t about birth
control but was about AIDS
(acquired immune deficiency
syndrome) prevention. But
it is misleading to think that
the Pope said that condom
is okay in the fight against
in the same website.
Faithful to its teachings
In a statement on
cbcpnews.com, the CBCP said
the Church remains faithful
to its teachings, and that the
Pope’s comments on the use of
condoms were meant to avoid
the spread of the sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs),
not to avoid procreation.
“He speaks of condom
as a permissible tool, not
the primary tool, to arrest
[the] further spread of the
HIV virus; [the] condom is
not the moral solution to the
condoms is unethical,” Aligan
said in an interview.
Aligan also used the
principle of “lesser evil” in
explaining the issue. “[The
use of condom] is evil, but you
avoid a greater evil [through
it]. There might be a spread
of AIDS and many will be
affected,” he said.
The statement of the
Pope also does not apply
to all persons. The English
translation of the book, which
contains German journalist
Peter Seewald’s series of
interviews with the Pope, cited
the case of male prostitutes.
what others do not realize.
There are rules but there
is also compassion in the
Church,” he said. “It is after
[the welfare of] the people.”
Aligan also noted that
despite criticisms coming
from various sectors, the
Church remains unfazed.
“The ones who are
greatly affected are those
who do not understand. The
more they will doubt [the
Church and its teachings],”
he said.
Benedict XVI Page 8
Vatican starts
liturgy reforms
CHANGES are expected
in the Mass as the Vatican
has approved a new English
translation of the Roman
Missal, making it closer
to the Latin version of the
rite adopted by the Church
following the Second
Vatican Council.
The
Congregation
for Divine Worship and
the Discipline of the
Sacraments has given its
nod to the third edition
of missal, the ritual text
that
contains
prayers
and instructions for the
celebration of the Holy
Eucharist. It will be used
first by the United States
Conference of Catholic
Bishops (USCCB) on
November 27 next year, on
the First Sunday of Advent.
Many parts of the
Mass have been retranslated or restored. For
instance, the response to the
priests’ greeting “The Lord
be with you” will be “And
with your spirit,” instead of
“And also with you.”
Before communion,
the people say: “Lord, I am
not worthy that you should
enter under my roof, but
only say the word and my
soul shall be healed,” closer
to the conversation between
Christ and the Roman
centurion in the Gospels.
The Penitential Rite,
the Gloria, and the Creed
have also been re-translated
closer to the original
formulas.
Msgr. Guido Marini,
Pontifical
Master
of
Liturgical Ceremonies, said
during the Year for Priest
Clergy Conference in Rome
last January that “there is
an urgent need to reaffirm
the ‘authentic’ spirit of
the liturgy, such as it is
present in the uninterrupted
tradition of the Church and
attested in continuity with
the past.”
Proposed
reforms
include administering of
the Holy Communion by
mouth to the kneeling laity,
the central placement of the
crucifix on the altar, and the
celebration of the Mass with
the priest in ad orientem
position, or his back
turned against the people. Ad
orientem, however, should be
viewed as the priest and the
people all turned toward God
in worship, emphasizing the
Mass’ sacrificial nature, the
Pope had said.
These practices are
closer to the Traditional Latin
Mass prior to the Second
Vatican Council.
The proposals come
amid Pope Benedict XVI’s
move toward tradition, in
the wake of liturgical abuses
committed after Vatican
II. Benedict has liberalized
the use of the Traditional
Latin Mass, declaring it in
the 2007 apostolic letter,
“Summorum
Pontificum,”
as the Extraordinary Form
of the Mass that can be said
by any priest even without
permission from the local
bishop.
The Mass of Vatican II,
approved by Pope Paul VI in
1970, which also has a Latin
version, continues to be the
ordinary form.
Benedict has also made a
number of gestures indicating
his preference for tradition.
Those getting communion
from the Pope are requested
to kneel and receive the
Eucharist by mouth. He has
also revived the use of older
papal vestments.
Amid speculation that
reforms were made to indicate
a retreat from the liturgical
movement following the
Second Vatican Council,
Marini said the moves were
meant to make the laity closer
to the liturgy.
“I believe that the
best way to understand the
expression is certainly not to
reject the reforms determined
by the Second Vatican
Council,” Marini said in an
interview with the National
Catholic Reporter. “It’s to
take another step forward
in the comprehension and
experience of an authentic
liturgical spirit, carrying
together the inheritance of our
tradition with the reform that
the council accomplished,
in a spirit of development in
continuity.”
Marini
said
the
Vatican Page 8
4 Opinion The
Varsitarian december 15, 2010
Editorial
The message
of the manger
CHRISTMAS is filled with the sounds and sights
of life. We see people having parties, reunions,
and fellowships; colorful lanterns drive away the
dark and make the nights merry and bright; people
shop for gifts for their loved ones and friends; and
it’s almost obligatory for all persons and groups
to give donations to the poor and visit orphanages
and homes for the aged and infirm to spread the
Christmas cheer.
All of these sights and sounds of life stand
in stark contrast to the calls, left and right,
for the passage of such measures such as the
Reproductive Health bill that primarily aim at
curtailing the proliferation of life.
The doomsayers among us would have
Christmas, New Year and beyond painted in
stark terms of lack and death. But the yuletide
season is a reminder that Christmas is primarily a
celebration of life.
With all the economic and societal turmoil
hounding the country, Filipino still manage to
celebrate Christmas. We, at least for this season,
should stop harping at what doomsayers are
saying of the country’s skyrocketing (“unbridled,”
said a columnist) birth rate. Calls for population
control are basically directred at the poor who
are perceived to reproduce like rabbits, thus
reproducing exponentially Philippine poverty.
But the conscientious-minded know why there are
many poor people: because of poor governance,
poor policy planning, mismanagement and
corruption. The poor are the victims of policies
and practices against life, against the people.
We should stop blaming the poor for their
poverty. Limited resources for a big population
are enought when people are willing to share, but
all the world’s resources will never be enough for
just 10 people if two or three of them are greedy
and corrupt.
Let’s accept it. The Reproductive Bill is
promoted by pro-choice, that is, pro-abortion,
people. It is only in the Philippines that we
make distinction between pro-contraception
and anti-abortion; in the US and elsewhere, prochoice means pro-abortion. This is so because
contraception does not really stem the population;
abortion does.
As Human Life International Director Brian
Clowes said in a forum at Makati City last
November, reproductive health is a “softer term
for abortion.” He added that abortion has made
the United States an “unhappy” nation.
Editorial Page 5
The
Varsitarian
Founded Jan. 16, 1928
The season of ‘feeling’
THAT second night of
December was definitely not
like any other monotonous
nights I spent inside my alma
mater for the past four years
that I’ve been here. Seeing
yellow lights and lanterns
adorn the Plaza Mayor, the
Main Building, and the Arch
of the Centuries made me
feel awe and nostalgia, partly
because it was my last year, but
mostly because I felt that the
moment was priceless.
A song may deem it the
‘season to be jolly’, to some,
the ‘season of giving’, but for
some people like American
novelist and playwright Edna
Ferber, Christmas is a ‘feeling’,
rather than a time-constrained
feast.
When I was a child,
I never saw Christmas as
Jesus’
birthday,
despite
being schooled in a Catholic
institution since elementary. I
get too excited for Christmas
because everyone in our family
wears their biggest smiles, hugs
and kisses are everywhere, and
for the best part, there is giftgiving.
I remember when I waited
two Christmases for a huge doll
house, which I never received.
Desperate to get one, I even
dedicated a part of my savings
to that. But as I grew up, I have
realized that such thing would
not even be useful. I just saved
CLIFF HARVEY C. VENZON
Editor in Chief
ADRIENNE JESSE A. MALEFICIO
Associate Editor
charizze l. abulencia News Editor
JILLY ANNE A. BULAUAN Assistant News Editor
JEREMY S. PEREY Sports Editor
ALEXIS AILEX C. VILLAMOR JR. Special Reports Editor
ROSE-AN JESSICA M. DIOQUINO Features Editor
MIKA RAFAELA A. BARRIOS Literary Editor
DANALYN T. LUBANG Patnugot ng Filipino
ROBIN G. PADILLA Witness Editor
ANTONIO RAMON H. ROYANDOYAN Sci-Tech Editor
LESTER G. BABIERA Circle Editor
CARLA T. GAMALINDA Art Director
PAUL ALLYSON R. QUIAMBAO Photography Editor
News Charmaine M. Parado, Rommel Marvin C. Rio,
Darenn G. Rodriguez
Sports Angelo Nonato P. Cabrera, Anne Marie Carmela L. Dayauon,
Frauleine Michelle S. Villanueva
Special Reports Marnee A. Gamboa, Monica N. Ladisla
Features Margaret Rose B. Maranan, Alma Maria L. Sarmiento
Literary Azer N. Parrocha, Jonas Eleazar B. Trinidad
Filipino Patricia Isabela B. Evangelista
Witness Jennifer M. Orillaza, Brylle B. Tabora
Science and Technology Camille Anne M. Arcilla
Circle Maria Joanna Angela D. Cruz, Ana May R. De la Cruz,
John Ernest F. Jose, Alyosha J. Robillos
Art Fritzie Marie C. Amar, Patrick C. de los Reyes,
Jasmine C. Santos, Jilson Seckler C. Tiu
Photography Josa Camille A. Bassig, Isabela A. Martinez,
Jilson Seckler C. Tiu
FELIPE F. SALVOSA II
Assistant Publications Adviser
JOSELITO B. ZULUETA
Publications Adviser
Letters/comments/suggestions/contributions are welcome in the
Varsitarian. Only letters with signatures will be entertained. Original
manuscript contributions must be typewritten, double-spaced,
on regular bond paper, and should include a signed certification bearing the author’s name, address, year, and college. The
identity of a writer may be withheld upon request. The editors will
not be responsible for the loss of materials. Contributions must
be sent to The Varsitarian office, Rm. 105, Tan Yan Kee Student
Center Bldg., University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila.
SO MANY things to do, so
little time. And although
Plato said that time is but
a moving symbol of a
motionless eternity, I feel that,
as I chase time, it continues
to run out. And with all the
responsibilities I have yet
to do, I do not know where
to begin; I just know I want
things done. Thesis, editing,
thesis, paying bills, thesis,
extra-editorial activities, and
yes, thesis. With all these
in mind, I almost dared not
come to our college retreat
last November 17 to 19 at
the Dominican-run Calaruega
Retreat House in Nasugbu,
Batangas.
But what initially made
me go was the fact that the
retreat had already been
included in the school fee
during enrollment and my
parents would appreciate the
fact that their money would
not go to waste. Besides, it
will give me the much-needed
rest I had been longing for.
Those three blissful days I
spent at Caleruega did give
me time not just to breathe,
but also to examine myself,
my relationship with others,
Christmas is a
feeling, innate
in every one of
us, a sleeping
thought waiting to
be awakened by
affection and charity
my money and was able to buy
myself some decent clothes
for our Christmas party. I was
happy.
Now, I find myself
fascinated by how ‘Christmas
spirit’ waves the magic wand
and turns every bad vibe to a
positive mood—enemies turn
friends, families reunite, and
couples rekindle.
This is also the time of
the year that every Thomasian
looks forward to, with the
much-awaited
Paskuhan,
where UST attempts to
create its very own version of
Christmas by throwing a huge
celebration for everyone.
But the Paskuhan 2010 is
no ordinary celebration as the
University is nearing its 400th
anniversary. Expect everything
to be multiplied threefolds—
bigger
celebration,
more
performers, and more neverbefore-seen activities.
Beyond the efforts to
achieve perfection, Christmas
or Paskuhan cannot be deemed
successful if Thomasians
themselves do not know what
it means or the reason why the
University will hold a grand
celebration for it.
Perhaps to the world’s
richest man Carlos Slim Helu,
Christmas is all about donating
millions to charity institutions.
But to a farmer who raises
his three children alone, it is
already Christmas when he has
all of his children with him for
a simple dinner inside their hut.
Hence, Christmas is a
feeling, innate in every one of
us, a sleeping thought waiting
to be awakened by affection
and charity.
Like deafblind author and
lecturer Helen Keller said,
“the only real blind person at
Christmas-time is he who has
not Christmas in his heart.”
Let Him in
But before we get lost
in all the festivities,
we should all spend
time mending
our relationships,
especially with Him,
whose birth we are
about to celebrate
and my relationship with
God.
The activities, lectures,
and the generally peaceful
atmosphere (we were told
to turn our phones off so
that there would be no
distractions) also roused me
up and reconciled one of
my biggest dilemmas: my
self-proclaimed period of
separation from Him. The retreat was His way
of telling me to relax, take
a deep breath, let go, and let
Him in again, because a few
weeks ago, I had been like a
lost little girl barely able to go
on with daily life and too busy
to spend time with myself and
with God.
On the first day, Fr.
Gerard “Ziggy” Zabala, O.P.,
one of our retreat masters,
said that, at that moment,
that was where God wanted
us to be, and that we needed
to “recharge before we break
down and stop functioning
altogether.”
Now, several weeks after
my reunion with God, I believe
that it was the right decision
to go. Not only because I
was able to spend time with
my friends without worrying
about lessons, assignments,
and other responsibilities, but
because I also became closer
to Him, and I was able to
We may see different
interpretations of ‘Christmas’,
but remember that it cannot
be measured by gifts or
celebrations
but
through
our every effort to strive for
happiness even in the face
of misery. Perseverance will
always pay in the end.
***
Last December 11, the
Varsitarian held its grand
alumni homecoming, which
brought together former V staff
members, including literary
giants, journalists, professors,
priests, and other successful
professionals in different fields.
Though it was not easy
uniting numerous generations
of campus paper writers,
artists, and photographers in
a single place, it was nice to
hear them share the pride and
fondness that they have for
being a part of the V family.
The reunion made me
remember a random story that
boosted my ego—a member
of another prominent campus
newspaper referred to the
Varsitarian and to the staff as
“legends”. Our predecessors
were deemed “living legends”
in every sense of the word.
Looking back, I think that
the compliment is more of a
challenge—a duty to always
Carte Blanche Page 5
patch things up with several
blockmates with whom I had
misunderstandings.
Now, I’m experiencing
better days and all because
I chose to come along; a
reluctant decision which
ultimately became the right
one. But then again, not all
of us are given the chance
to regain our strength, to
patch things up, or to renew
our bond with God. So when
life gives you that chance to
recollect the broken pieces of
your life—especially through
a retreat or—grab it. It just
might change your life.
So allow me to ask these
questions. The same ones I
asked myself in those days
I spent in Caleruega. When
was the last time you talked
to God? The last time you
thanked him and not prayed
to ask for a favor? When was
the last time you spent some
time alone without worrying
what tomorrow might bring?
The last time you listened not
to the earphones stuck in your
ears but to God, asking for a
Kishi Kaisei Page 5
december 15, 2010
Sagada escapade
WEARING my smudgy
make-up and French curls
from the 26th Gawad
Ustetika awards night, I
packed my luggage and
went on a sudden nine-hour
trip to a place known as the
destination of adventurers­­—
Sagada—without knowing
what lay ahead. Banaue’s
frost greeted us after the
long bus ride. It would be
almost impossible to survive
without the aid of a thick
coat, a winter cap, knitted
gloves, and a scarf (at least
for tourists like us who are
used to the tropical climate
of the metropolis). But the
breathtaking scenery of the
rice terraces alone would
make one doubt if he was
actually awake or dreaming.
From then on, I equated
Sagada with Seventh Heaven.
But the journey to
heaven is not a walk in
the park because everyone
needs to earn his ranks first
before reaping the reward,
just as the Israelites suffered
immensely before reaching
the land flowing with milk
and honey.
Meanwhile, they say
a trip to Baguio won’t
be complete without the
Kennon Road experience.
Sagada also has something
roughly similar: the Halsema
highway, which links Baguio
to Sagada. We took another
route out of necessity but
it was roughly the same
dizzying ride.
Faith, like adrenaline
rush, pushes us to
perform beyond our
limits and gives
us the backbone to
fight for what we
believe in
Although we missed the
sunset at Echo Valley as well
as the sunrise in Kiltepan
Tower, there is one thing I am
proud of—I managed to get
out of the Sumaguing Cave
alive. For my friends, it was
an ordinary adventure, but
for me, it was a total struggle.
In a situation that required us
to go down the rocks using a
rope, a local guide told me to
put my trust in the rope and
everything would be fine.
Out of fright, I cried. I
wanted to tell the guide that I
would not entrust my life on
a rope. I later asked if there
was a shortcut. But the guide
said there was none and I was
forced to entrust my safety
on the rope and my friends
pledged to help me. Also, I
prayed to God.
Faith, like adrenaline
rush, pushes us to perform
beyond our limits, turns the
impossible to something
realistic, and gives us the
backbone to fight for what
we believe in, no matter how
hard the odds.
Whoever believes in
misa de gallo or simbang gabi
know what I mean. Although
the primary premise of dawn
masses is the preparation for
Jesus’ second coming, many
devotees still carries with
them the traditional belief
that their wish would come
true if they successfully
completed the nine mornings.
This same faith turned
underdogs to winners in the
ongoing ASEAN Football
Federation Suzuki Cup in
Hanoi as the Philippines
broke the hearts of the
Vietnamese crowd with a 2-0
shocker against the defending
champions, courtesy of goals
from Chris Greatwich and
Phil Younghusband. Cheers
for the Filipinos!
***
A few weeks ago, I,
together with other UST
students, was surprised when
security guards at Padre
Pontiff.
“Seeing the unbelievable
now actually happen was
really a shock. I was convinced
that there were better and
younger candidates,” he says.
But like any other
clergyman in service to the
Lord, he accepted the task
given to him.
“Why the Lord settled
on me, I had to leave to him.
I tried to keep my equanimity,
all the while trusting that he
would certainly lead me now,”
he explains.
The Supreme Pontiff
says there were a number
of tasks left unfinished by
the benevolent Pope John
Paul II, one of which is the
stabilization of the Roman
Curia, the administrative arm
of the Catholic Church.
One success of the Church
in the reign of Pope Benedict
XVI is the dialogue with the
Orthodox Church.
“Catholics and Orthodox
both have the same basic
structure inherited from the
ancient Church, and in that
sense it was natural for me
to take special pains to foster
their encounter,” he says.
Meanwhile,
Islam’s
stance on violence is also an
area for dialogue.
“It became evident that
Islam needs to clarify two
questions in regard to public
dialogue, that is, the questions
concerning its relation to
violence and its relation to
reason,” he explained. “It was
an important first step that
now there was within Islam
itself a realization of the duty
and the need to clarify these
questions, which has since led
to an internal reflection among
Muslim scholars, a reflection
that has in turn become a
theme of dialogue with the
Church,” he says.
Later on, the Pope
talks about condoms in the
prevention of AIDS, but
emphasizes that condoms
are not the real solution. (see
related story on page 3)
“She of course does not
regard it as a real or moral
solution, but, in this or that
case, there can be nonetheless,
in the intention of reducing the
risk of infection, a first step in
a movement toward a different
way, a more human way, of
living sexuality,” he explains.
Kishi Kaisei
Editorial
should learn from the Americans
where a policy on reproductive
health resulted in a “culture of
death.”
“We don’t have to be like
the first-world countries. They’re
rich but they’re unhappy. We
must instead remain Godloving and peaceful Christians,”
Aniceto said.
Yes, the world is more
complicated than that. But
if only for the chaos of the
new century, we should go
back to the fundamentals, as
the yuletide season suggests:
we should return to the real
message of Christmas. In
order to have a grasp of that
message, we should go back
to that humble manger 2,000
years ago, where, in the midst
of poverty and want, a lowly
couple, who were refused
entry in the house of the
establishment, found refuge in
a stable of lowly animals and
lowly shepherds, and all the
lowly universe of humble lives
found something to celebrate—
Pope
FROM PAGE 3
FROM PAGE 4
FROM PAGE 4
slice of your precious time?
True, we all are busy
with
daily
transactions,
chores, and responsibilities.
We all are chasing time and
yet, time (as writer Douglas
Adams said) is merely an
illusion. But God is not. He
makes all things possible, as
long as we trust in His ways
(and as long as we do our
part). Let us find our inner
peace; we must not let God
be a stranger in our lives.
The lights are on and the
Christmas carols are playing
in the background. But before
we get lost in all the festivities
and drown in all the deadlines
we have yet to meet, we
should all spend time
mending our relationship with
our neighbors and especially
with Him, whose birth we are
about to celebrate.
“The solution to poverty is
not to tell families not to have
children because in the last 50
years of using contraceptives
in America, we still have 30
million poor people,” Clowes
said.
Doomsayers said that
Philippines will be like Somalia
in the coming years, in effect
blaming the African country’s
problems to overpopulation,
which is twisted logic; at the
least, it simplifies the problems
of Somalia. Definitely the
Philippines is not Somalia, and
those who say so are blind to
the vibrant signs of life and
abundance in the Philippines.
And definitely the Philippines
is not like the West, where the
culture of death prevails.
As Pampanga Archbishop
Paciano Aniceto said in the same
forum in Makati City, Filipinos
‘Where do we go from here’
The book does not
shy away from sensitive
topics such as abortion and
homosexuality in the clergy.
“Homosexuality
is
incompatible
with
the
priestly vocation,” he says.
“Otherwise, celibacy itself
would lose its meaning as a
renunciation.”
Benedict reaffirms the
truth of Paul VI’s Humanae
Vitae, which teaches the
unitive
and
procreative
dimensions of marriage in
condemning contraception.
“The basic lines of
Humanae Vitae are still
correct. Finding ways to enable
The
Varsitarian Opinion
5
Pagtaya sa kapalaran
Noval gate who saw us in our
jogging attires, reprimanded
us, because apparently, there
was a new order limiting
the jogging time from 4:00
a.m. to 6:00 a.m. In addition,
the memorandum said the
joggers should pay P150 for
a jogger’s I.D., renewable
every year.
Honestly, I haven’t seen
the memo personally, but my
blockmates took a picture
of it posted at the P. Noval
gate. What was appalling is
that the conforme was not
even signed and the date
of implementation was left
blank.
Nonetheless, there were
still non-UST athletes who
continuously do their rounds
at night without wearing
their jogger’s I.D., which is
a violation of the No. 4 rule
in the memo, “Wear your
jogger’s I.D. while inside the
campus.”
I
understand
that
authorities wanted to live
up to their responsibility of
keeping us safe and secured
,at least inside the campus.
But the UST administration
should practice consistency
in implementing rules and
since ignorance of the law
excuses no one, there should
also be a great effort in
making the rules known
to the public so as not to
surprise them.
Merry Christmas and a
grace-filled New Year to all!
people to live the teaching, on
the other hand, is a further
question. I think that there
will always be core groups of
people who are really open to
being interiorly convinced and
fulfilled by the teaching and
who then carry everyone else.
We are sinners. But we should
not take the failure to live up to
this high moral standard as an
authoritative objection to the
truth,” he says.
Amid
great
moral
questions facing the world
today and the increasing
secular influence, the Church
is hopeful that the world
will listen to its message of
conversion.
“[W]e really are in an age
in which a new evangelization
is needed; in which the one
gospel has to be proclaimed
both in its great, enduring
rationality and in its power that
transcends rationality, so that
it can reenter our thinking and
understanding in a new way,”
he says. Robin G. Padilla
the birth of another lowly
life, but life that had within
it the seed of greatness and
redemption.
Let us go back to that
primal scene of life, life which
evokes all at the same time the
faith of mankind, the hope for
a brighter future, and love and
service for humanity. Let us all
go back to the tender scene of
the Nativity, which symbolizes
vitality, creativity, charity, and
humanity.
Carte Blache
FROM PAGE 4
be competent, compassionate,
and committed Thomasians
who live up to the rich legacy
that the 82 years (we’re
turning 83 next January) of
the Varsitarian has bestowed
upon us.
Again, cheers to the
Varsitarian and all of its ‘living
legends’!
NOBYEMBRE ng taong ito nang
gulatin ng Philippine Charity
Sweepstakes Office ang sambayanan
sa tumataginting na P741 milyong
premyo sa Grand Lotto 6/55. Marami
ang
nagbakasakali,
umaasang
makamit ang premyong 86 na beses
na walang nakakuha. Pero hindi ako
tumaya.
Halos araw-araw kung ipakita
sa telebisyon ang mahabang pila sa
mga tayaan ng lotto. Marami ang
mga naghahangad, marami ang mga
nangangarap sa pangakong hatid ng limpak-limpak na salapi.
Sa isang bansang tulad ng Pilipinas, kung saan isa sa bawat
tatlong Filipino ang nabubuhay sa isang dolyar kada araw,
hindi nakapagtataka ang bilang ng mga gustong magwagi sa
lotto. Maaaring ito na nga ang sagot sa kahirapan ng karamihan,
ngunit ang malaking halagang ito ay sumasalamin din sa noon
pa ma’y suliranin na ng maraming Filipino—ang pagkagumon
sa sugal.
Ayon kay Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz, ang
masuwerteng nagwagi sa lotto ay may posibilidad na maging
talunan, dahil sa mga kaakibat na suliraning kalakip ng
kaniyang pagkapanalo, tulad ng ibayong pag-iingat laban sa
mga masasamang loob. Bukod pa rito ay ang katotohanang
pag-aari ng maraming tao ang salaping kaniyang napanalunan.
Kung iisiping mabuti, ang P741 milyong piso ay mula sa
milyun-milyong Filipinong tumataya sa lotto—malaking
halaga na nagpakikita na milyun-milyon din ang nagumon sa
bisyong tila naging bahagi na yata ng ating kultura.
Sa kabilang banda, hindi masasabing masama ang
pagsusugal. Ayon sa Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Games
of chance [card games, etc.] or wagers are not in themselves
contrary to justice. They become morally unacceptable when
they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his
needs and those of others.
Maaaring ito na nga ang sagot
sa kahirapan ng karamihan,
ngunit ang malaking halagang
ito ay sumasalamin din sa
noon pa ma’y suliranin na
ng maraming Filipino—ang
pagkagumon sa sugal
The passion for gambling risks being an enslavement.
Unfair wagers and cheating at games constitute grave matter,
unless the damage inflicted is so slight that the one who suffers
it cannot reasonably consider it significant.”
Sa makatuwid, masasabi lamang na masama ang
pagsusugal kung gagawin ito nang labis-labis hanggang sa
puntong maging alipin na nito ang tao. Sa pagkakataong ito
ay madalas na maging biktima ng pagkagumon sa sugal ang
mga mahihirap. Nariyan ang mentalidad na ang pagkapanalo
sa sugal ang pinakamabisa at pinakamabilis na solusyon sa
pag-asenso, bagay na nagiging dahilan upang imbes na ipunin
ay ipantataya na lamang ang salaping hawak, sa pag-asang
darami ito kung susuwertihing manalo.
Hindi masamang mangarap ng magandang buhay.
Ngunit hindi ba’t higit na mas matamis kung makakamtan ito
sa sariling sikap? Isang magandang halimbawa sa lahat ang
paghahanapbuhay nang marangal, kung saan maaari ngang
hindi agaran ang asenso, ngunit sa kabilang banda nama’y
higit ang madarama nating sense of fulfillment. Imbes na
gastahin ang ating salapi sa pagsusugal, higit na mainam kung
atin itong bibigyan ng tamang halaga o ‘di kaya’y ipantutustos
sa mga bagay na higit nating kailangan.
Sa pagsusugal, hindi tiyak ang pagkapanalo. Ngunit sa
pagsisikap, sa sandaling ibigay mo ang lahat-lahat sa iyo upang
umasenso, siguradong-sigurado ang iyong pagkapanalo.
Fire
FROM PAGE 2
in any [student] government …
but we will give all our [council]
powers to go back on track.”
Aside from the student
council’s files, payments for class
pictures were also destroyed by
the fire.
Cifra, though, was able to
save his laptop containing the
draft of his thesis.
“When we woke up,
the whole neighborhood was
already flaming and the area
was very hot,” he said. “We all
rushed downstairs, leaving our
cellphones, books, even slippers,
but we went back to get our
laptops.”
The Manila Fire Department
declared the fire out at 6:49 a.m.
The cause of fire is still being
investigated. The department
said no injuries or fatalities were
recorded. with reports from
Cliff Harvey C. Venzon
Corrections
IN THE article Advertising Arts to Start Requiring
OJT published in the November 30 issue of the
Varsitarian, we would like to clarify that Asst. Prof.
Mary Christie Que is the former chair of the Advertising
Arts. Asst. Prof. Gedeon Nacario is current head of the
department.
Our apologies. -Ed
6 Circle The
Varsitarian december 15, 2010
Editor: Lester G. Babiera
A musical prelude to the Quadricentennial
8th UST Christmas concert wows members of high society
T H E EIGH T H ed it ion of
the UST Christmas Concert
last December 1 and 2 at
the UST Chapel billed itself
as a musical prelude to the
g rand Quad r icenten nial
celebration next year. The
concert lived up to its claim
as members of high society
and the rest of the audience
were awed as the night was
filled with a symphony of
musical pieces that celebrated
the yuletide season,
somewhat of a herald to UST
turning 400 next year.
The UST Brass
Ensemble opened the show
w it h C h r ist m a s Fa n fa r e,
a symphony of brasswind
instruments woven
i nt o a me d ley of cla s sic
Ch r ist mas carols such as
“ C o m e a l l Ye Fa i t h f u l ”
a nd “Joy t o t he Wo rld .”
The rendition of
Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker
Suite” was a complement of
bass tones and Raul Sunico’s
pia no -play i ng. Later,
harpists Lourdes Gregorio
a nd Ch r ist ia n Ca r agaya n
displayed exceptional skill
and passionate ar tistr y as
they plucked away to the
tune of “What Child is This.”
Meanwhile, Lemuel de
la Cruz and the Liturgikon
Vo cal En se mble gave a n
invigorating soul-cum-rap
rendition of “Joyful, Joyful We
Adore Thee.” The performers
i n f u s e d a c o nt e m p o r a r y
ja z z s o u n d t o t h e wel l loved Ch r ist ma s Ca rol.
The UST Singers lived
up to their name as the Choir
of t he World , del ig ht i ng
the audience with uplifting
versions of Filipino Christmas
carols “Kumukutikutitap,”
“Alleluia,” and “Kampana ng
Simbahan.” Two members of
the highly-esteemed choir,
Mylah Ann Combo Rubio and
Jose Maria Rubio, serenaded
the audience with a moving
performance of “The Prayer.”
T h e c o u n t r y ’s m o s t
dominant soprano, Rachel
Gerodias, wowed the crowd
with “Rejoice Greatly
f r o m T h e Me s s i a h” a n d
“Because of Who You Are.”
All of the perfor mers
gathered for the rousing finale
— a performance of “Pasko
sa UST,” an original piece
composed by Conservatory
of Mu sic Assist a nt Dea n
Antonio Africa. The
novelt y song nar rates the
unique Thomasian yuletide
festivities on campus.
The concert ended in a
shower of confetti as both
per for me r s a nd aud ience
s a n g “A d e s t e F i d e l e s ”
a nd “Joy t o t he Wo rld .”
T he per for mer — all
from US—were personally
h a n d p i c k e d b y t h e UST
Christmas Concert
Com mittee, headed by
Fr. Isidro Abaño, O.P. and
socialite Ma r icr is Zobel.
Proceeds of the concert
will go to the her it age
conservation efforts of the
UST Museum of Arts and
Sciences and to scholarships
at the Conservatory of Music.
Zobel said the organizers
are already drafting plans
f o r t h e 2 0 11 c o n c e r t .
“By January and
Fe b r u a r y, we w i l l s t a r t
conceptualizing bit by bit,”
Zobel said. “How could we
en hance something that
is al ready so beaut if ul? ”
The concert was
sponsored by Liechtenstein
Global Tr ust, San Miguel
Corporation, Town & Country
Magazine, and Belo Medical
Group. Other sponsors are
Divina & Uy Law Offices,
Ayala Corporation, Emphasis
Salon, Luxe, Beacon Holdings
Inc., and Jonathan G. Matti
Design Associates.
UST Christmas Concert co-chair Ma. Cristina
C. Zobel during the reception following the
gala concert
PAUL ALLYSON R. QUIAMBAO
JOSA CAMILLE A. BASSIG
Premier soprano Maria Rachelle Gerodias wows
the audience with her vocal prowess.
JILSON SECKLER C. TIU
JILSON SECKLER C. TIU
UST Singers conductor Fidel G. Calalang, Jr.
accepts the audience’s warm applause.
By Ana May R. Dela Cruz, John Ernest F. Jose, and Alyosha J. Robillos
Tenor Lemuel dela Cruz renders “Joyful, Joyful
We Adore Thee”.
The UST Symphony Orchestra, with conductor Herminigildo G. Ranera, performing amid festive decorations that perfectly set the holiday mood. Photo by Paul Allyson R. Quiambao
Rosary
FROM PAGE 2
The
Quadricentennial
event coincided with the
Feast of the Immaculate
Conception, which proclaims
the Catholic belief that the
Virgin Mary, who bore the
Son of God, was conceived
without original sin.
UST has a fervent
devotion to the rosary, the
meditative prayer propagated
by the Dominican Order. The
campus hosts a parish church
dedicated to the Lady of the
Rosary, which also housed
the miraculous image of La
Naval de Manila after the
destruction of Intramuros in
World War II.
A replica of La Naval
was put on stage in front
of the Main Building as
participants prayed the rosary
last December 8.
The
“Q
Rosary”
was supposed to be the
University’s attempt to enter
the Guinness World Records
for forming the largest living
rosary. However, Guinness
officials suggested otherwise.
“Guinness recommended
the ‘largest human cross’ to
be our record [instead]. You
have to conform to what the
Guinness says, you do not tell
them what you want to do,”
said Pazcoguin, who was also
a member of the Q Rosary
organizing committee.
The Rector said the
Q Rosary should still be
considered a feat.
“The Guinness Book
of World Records, as you
know, only includes works
or accomplishments that
are very difficult to achieve.
Gathering [more than] 24,000
young people to pray the
rosary altogether in such a big
campus as UST is certainly
very difficult and recordbreaking,” Fr. Rolando de la
Rosa, O.P. said in his homily.
The event was originally
set last October 7 in celebration
of the Feast of Our Lady of the
Holy Rosary. However, it was
moved to December 8 after
the Rector of the University
issued a memorandum rescheduling the activity due to
“unpredictable weather.” Thomasian
FROM PAGE 2
a lot to learn from Spain’s
tourism industry.
“[As far as] tourism is
[concerned], they’re almost
number one,” he said. “You
know how they did it. It is
just a matter of infrastructure,
roads, hotels, organizations,
trading, and manpower.”
According to the United
Nations
World
Tourism
Organization’s
Tourism
Highlights 2010, Spain is
the second biggest earner
worldwide in terms of
international tourism receipts,
and third in international
tourist arrivals.
Salinas
viewed
the
Lumina Pandit exhibit at
the Miguel de Benavides
Library and visited the USTAlfredo M. Velayo College
of Accountancy and College
of Commerce and Business
Administration. Fr. Rolando
de La Rosa, O.P, Rector
of the University, hosted a
testimonial dinner.
Salinas founded Philippine
Transmarine
Carriers
in
1979. He was chairman of
the
Filipino
Shipowners
Association and vice president
of the International Shipping
Federation based in London.
Salinas, whose post also
covers the Principality of
Andorra, will leave for Spain
in January.
Science
FROM PAGE 2
the idea ... But looking at
the bright side, now I can
recharge my mind and body
three times a week,” she said.
Science professor Maria
Carlota Decena said the new
schedule entails a major
adjustment for the faculty
since it covers Saturdays,
which she said was intended
for personal matters.
“For me personally,
I don’t see any problems
since I teach at the Graduate
School during Saturdays. But
for some professors in our
department, it would mean a
major adjustment to them,”
she said.
ika-15 ng disyembre, 2010
Patnugot: Danalyn T. Lubang
The Varsitarian Filipino
7
Mga ina ng tula at dulaang Filipino
pinarangalan sa ika-26 Gawad Ustetika
Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta
to bring back the Creative
Wr i t i n g C e n t e r , ” a n i y a .
Sa taong ito ay walang
nagwagi ng prestihiyosong
Rector’s Literary Award, ang
prestihiyosong gantimpala na
ibinibigay sa akdang sumasalamin
sa adhikaing Katoliko. Personal
na pinipili ng Rektor ang
tatanggap nito mula sa mga
nagwagi ng unang gantimpala
sa iba’t ibang kategorya.
Samantala, nanguna sa
kategoryang dula ang mga
mag-aaral mula sa Faculty of
Arts and Letters. Nagkamit ng
unang gantimpala ang “Eulogy”
ni Keavy Eunice Vicente, na
nasa ikaapat na taon sa kursong
Journalism, “Doppleganger”
ni Marianne Freya Nono, na
nasa ikaapat na taon sa kursong
Literature, para sa pangalawang
gantimpala, at “AJ” ni Paula
Marie Navarra, na nasa ikatlong
taon sa kursong Journalism,
sa pangatlong gantimpala.
Wa l a n a m a n g
nagwagi sa kategoryang
One-Act Play maliban
sa karangalang banggit
na si Paula Marie Navarra
para sa kaniyang
“Doll Sale”.
Usapang Uste
Ni DANALYN T. LUBANG
BILANG tugon sa pangangailangan
ng lipunan sa mga matapat at
maka-Kristiyanong paraan ng
pamamahayag, itinatag noong
1969 ang kauna-unahang lupon ng
mga mamamahayag sa Unibersidad.
Tinawag na Thomasian Press
Association (TPA) ang naturang
samahan, na pinamunuan ng noo’y
punong patnugot ng Varsitarian
na si Hernando Gonzalez II. Siya
rin ang nagsilbing tagapangulo
sa kauna-unahang pagpupulong
n g T PA n o o n g i k a - 1 4 n g
Disyembre, 1969 upang aprubahan
ang kontitusyong magsisilbing
gabay ng mga kasapi nito.
Ilan sa mga layunin ng samahan
ay ang protektahan ang mga
student journalist, paigtingin ang
kaalaman ng mga ito, at magkaroon
ng malayang palitan ng ideya at
opinyon ang mga kasapi mula sa iba’t
ibang pampaaralang publikasyon.
Para sa kategoryang
Fiction, idineklarang Fictionist
of the Year si Edmark Tan, na
nasa ikatlong taon sa kursong
Literature, para sa kaniyang akda
na pinamagatang “Rejection”,
samantalang nagkamit naman
ng pangalawang gantimpala
ang “Aureliano” ni Mark Ryan
Reyes, na nasa unang taon sa
kursong Communication Arts,
at “Junkers” ni Miguel Luis
Galang, na nasa ikalawang
taon sa kursong Psychology,
para sa pangatlong puwesto.
Itinanghal namang
Kuwentista ng Taon si Samantha
Melyssa Perez ng AMV College
of Accountancy para sa kaniyang
“Nagkwento ang mga Alaala
ni Ces”, samantalang nakamit
naman ni April Anne Dizon, na
nasa ikatlong taon sa kursong
Political Science, ang ikalawang
gantimpala para sa “Ilaw ng
Tahanan”, “Salvage” ni Jeffrey
Udarbe, na nasa unang taon
sa kursong Journalism, sa
pangatlong puwesto.Nagwagi
rin bilang karangalang banggit
ang “Jubiconomics” ni Lisse
Anne Bertumen, na nasa
ikatllong taon sa kursong
Financial Management.
Bagaman walang nagkamit
ng Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta
Aw a r d f o r P o e t r y,
pinagkalooban
ng karangalang
banggit sina
Paul Lucas
Gerard
Bruselas, na
nasa ikaapat
na taon sa
kursong Literature, para sa
“Overcast”, “Soul Tinted” ni
Carmela Marie Sagritalo, na nasa
ikaapat na taon din ng kursong
Literature, at “Body Shots and
Other Poems” ni Paul Castillo,
na nag-aaral ng kaniyang
Masters sa Creative Writing.
Idineklarang Makata ng
Taon si Kristinne Nigel Santos,
na nasa ikaapat na taon sa kursong
Literature, para sa “Huling
Araw”, habang nagkamit naman
ng pangalawang gantimpala
si James Luigi Tana, na nasa
ikaapat na taon sa kursong
Journalism, para sa “Epigrape”,
at pangatlong gantimpala naman
kay Alyssa Romielle Manalo,
na nasa ikalawang taon sa
kursong Communication Arts,
para sa “Naulanang Kuwento”.
Sa kategoryang Essay,
nanguna ang “Stitches” ni Reinan
Gonzales, na nasa ikaapat na taon
sa kursong Literature, habang
pumapangalawa naman ang
“The Moth” ni Zendy Victoria
Sue Valencia, na nasa ikatlong
taon sa kursong Literature,
at “Little Miss Sunshine” ni
Marianne Freya Nono, na nasa
ikaapat na taon sa kursong
Literature, sa pangatlong
gantimpala. Nagkamit naman
ng karangalang banggit ang
“10 Easy Steps to Improve
Our Police Force” ni Reinier
Dave Zapanta, na kumukuha
n g k u r s o n g P s y c h o l o g y.
Wa l a n g n a g w a g i s a
kategoryang Sanaysay, maliban
sa karangalang banggit na
sina Lisse Anne Bertumen, na
nasa ikatlong taon sa kursong
Financial Management, para sa
Daisy Hontiveros-Avellana
“OPM: Other People’s Music”,
“Recess” ni Tito Quiling Jr.,
na nasa ikaapat na taon sa
kursong Literature, at “All of
the Above” ni Paul Castillo,
na kumukuha ng kaniyang
M.A. sa Creative Writing.
Ang mga hurado para sa
taong ito ay sina Vim Nadera, Teo
Antonio, at Rebecca Añonuevo
para sa Tula; Cirilo Bautista,
Jose Neil Garcia, at Lourd De
Veyra para sa Poetry; Abdon
Balde Jr., Eros Atalia, at Efren
Abueg para sa Katha; Francezca
Kwe, Charlson Ong, at Gemino
Abad para sa Fiction; Michael
Coroza, Gary Devilles, at Oscar
Campomanes para sa Sanaysay;
Jose Wendell Capili, Florentino
Hornedo, at Ralph Galan para
sa Essay; Jose Victor Torres,
Dennis Marasigan, at Rody Vera
para sa Once Act Play at Dula.
Parangal Hagbong
Samantala, ang taunang
parangal para sa mga natatanging
mga Tomasino na may naging
ambag sa sining at panitik ay
iginawad sa tinaguriang “Unang
Ginang ng Dulaang Pilipino” na
si Daisy Hontiveros Avellana.
Nakilala si Daisy sa
iba’t ibang papel na kaniyang
ginampanan, ilan sa mga ito
ay ang Candida sa isinadulang
Portrait of the Artist as a
Filipino ni Nick Joaquin
noong 1955, ang itinuturing
na pinakamatagumpay na
produksyon ng Barangay
Theatre Guild; Joan of Arc
noong 1954; Lady Macbeth
sa MacBeth in Black noong
1960’s; Reyna Arminda sa moro-
morong Prinsipe Baldovino,
na idinirehe ni Rolando
Tinio; at Lupeng sa Tatarin
ni Nick Joaquin noong 1978.
Ilan sa mga parangal sa
dula na natanggap ni Daisy
ay ang Outstanding Work in
Drama noong 1976, Certificate
of Distinction for Drama mula
sa UN Association of the
Philippines noong 1978, Gintong
Ina Award for the Performing
Arts noong 1988, at CCP Gawad
Para sa Sining noong 1990.
Hinirang si Avellana
na Pambansang Alagad
para sa Teatro noong 1999.
Mula sa UST, nakamit
niya rin ang Permanent Roll of
Honor for Outstanding Work
in the Arts noong 1982. Bukod
dito ay hinirang siya bilang
First Diamond Awardee noong
1988 at Doctor of Humanities,
Honoris Causa noong 1999.
Ang kaniyang kuwentong
pinamagatang Mission
Accomplished ay napabilang sa
20 Best Short Stories of 1945.
Isinilang sa Capiz noong
1917, nagtapos si Avellana sa
University of the Philippines ng
kursong Bachelor of Philosophy.
Taong 1938 nang maging
ganap na Tomasino si Avellana
dahil sa pagkakatanggap
ng Master of Arts sa UST.
Ang asawa nito na si
Lamberto Avellana ay isa ring
Pambansang Alagad ng Sining
para sa Pelikula. Biniyayaan
sila ng apat na anak—sina
Ma. Josefina, Jose Mari, Ma.
Rita, at Lamberto Jr. PATRICIA
ISABELA B. EVANGELISTA
at DANALYN T. LUBANG
Noong nagkaroon ng students’ press club sa UST
Mayroong dalawang uri
ng pagsapi sa TPA—ang regular
membership, na kinabibilangan ng
mga lehitimong staff mula sa iba’t
ibang publication sa mga kolehiyo
sa Unibersidad, at ang associate
membership, na kinabibilangan
ng mga alumni at mga mag-aaral.
Isang beses sa isang taon kung
magtipun-tipon ang mga kasapi
ng samahan para sa University
Press Congress. Gayon pa man,
kung walang pagpupulong ay
kinakailangan magtipon ng mga
miyembro ng Executive Council
tatlong beses sa isang buwan.
Tomasino siya
Alam n’yo ba na isang
Tomasino ang nasa likod ng sikat
na komiks na Pugad Baboy?
S i A p o l o n i o M e d i n a J r. ,
o mas kilala bilang Pol Medina
ay nagtapos ng Architecture
sa Unibersidad noong 1983.
Tubong Bulacan, dalawang
http://www.pmjunior.com.ph/
BILANG pagkilala sa
mga natatanging ambag sa
panitikan ng tinaguriang
“Ina ng mga Tomasinong
Manunulat,” ipinangalan kay
Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta
ang gantimpalang Poet of
the Year sa ika-26 Gawad
Ustetika, ang taunang parangal
pampanitikan ng Unibersidad,
na ginanap noong ika-27 ng
Nobyembre sa Plaza Mayor.
Saksi ang malalapit na
kaibigan sa pagtanggap ng
anak ni Dimalanta na si Al,
propesor sa Faculty of Arts
and Letters, sa commemorative
front page ng Varsitarian,
kung saan nakaguhit ang mukha
ng kaniyang yumaong ina.
S a
k a n i y a n g
talumpati, sinabi ni
nakababatang Dimalanta
na ang pinakamagandang
pagkilalang maibibigay ng
mga nagmamahal sa
kaniyang ina ay
ang muling
pagkabuhay ng
UST Center for
Creative Writing.
“If you really
love my mother
and if you love
UST, then
let’s all
work
Tinanggap ni Lamberto Avellana Jr., anak ni Daisy Hontiveros-Avellana ang Parangal
Hagbong para sa kanyang ina. Kasama ni Avellana (mula kaliwa pakanan) ang katuwang
na patnugot ng Varsitarian na si Adrienne Jesse Maleficio, ang punong patnugot na si Cliff
Harvey Venzon, at Parangal Hagbong research consultant at propesor sa Faculty of Arts and
Letters na si Ferdinand Lopez. Photo by JILSON SECKLER C. TIU
taong gulang pa lamang si Medina
ay nakakitaan na siya ng husay sa
pagguhit. Nagtrabaho siya sa Atlantic
Golf and Pacific, na isang construction
firm, ngunit matapos lamang ang
ilang buwan, tumungo siya sa Iraq
upang mamasukan bilang contract
worker sa TechniPetrol Corporation.
Taong 1988 nang bumalik si
Medina sa bansa at nagsimulang
magtrabaho bilang cartoonist
para sa Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Ang Pugad Baboy, na isa ring tunay
na lugar sa Bulacan, ay sumasalamin
sa lipunang Filipino. Binubuo ang
komiks ng mga tipikal na karakter
na Filipino mula sa iba’t ibang sektor
ng lipunan. Inilalabas ni Medina ang
kaniyang mga puna at komentaryo sa
pamamagitan ng karakter na si Polgas.
Higit na sumikat ang naturang
komiks matapos ipalabas sa GMA 7
noong 1993 ang isang live action TV
show base rito na pinamagatang “Pugad
Baboy sa TV”. Pinagbidahan ito nina
Edgar Mortiz at Giselle Sanchez.
Sa ngayon, mayroong 20 libro
ng Pugad Baboy at ang Ink and
Politics series, isang kalipunan
ng mga editorial cartoon ni
Medina. Nakapaglathala rin siya
ng isang magasin na pinamagatang
Polgas Comics, na naglalaman
ng kaniyang mga komiks at iba
pa. may ulat mula kay Patricia
I s a b e l a B . Eva n g e l i s ta
Tomasalitaan:
Hiwág
(pnr)
tiwalág; hindi na kasapi
Halimbawa: Ikinagulat ng lahat
ang balitang hiwág na sa samahan
si Alex dahil magtutungo na siya sa
ibang bansa upang doon mag-aral.
Mga sanggunian:
The Varsitarian: Tomo 41,
Blg. 29, ika-17 ng Disyembre, 1969
T h e Va r s i t a r i a n :
Breaktime. Tomo 5, Hunyo 2007
8 Sci-Tech The
Varsitarian december 15, 2010
Editor: Antonio Ramon H. Royandoyan
Javate microendoscope: Putting tears to stop
By CAMILLE ANNE M. ARCILLA
NENITA Sanchez, 27,
had a problem. She
was not suffering from
emotional or physical
pain (or watching a
heartbreaking
soap
opera), but tears would
perennially flow down
her face.
She finally found an
answer last July, thanks
to UST ophthalmologist
and inventor Dr. Reynaldo
Javate.
Javate, a professor at the
Faculty of Medicine and Surgery,
devised a way to stop the overproduction
of tears without incision. He modified a
painless instrument, which he named “Javate
microendoscope.”
“Excessive tearing is the overproduction
of tears because of a problem in the eyes,”
Javate explained. “Overproduction of tears
can be caused by over-exposure to light,
inward rubbing of the eyelids, or defective tear
drainage.”
According to him, when eyes produce
tears, they go through the eyes and stay in the
cornea. The cornea, the transparent portion of
the eye, is cleansed and provided nutrients.
However, the infection blocks the
lacrimal excretory (tear sac), where the tears
are supposed to be drained. Because the tears
accumulate in the corner of the eye, they lead
to excessive tearing.
“If there is an obstruction in the lacrimal
excretory, tears would flow continuously,”
said Javate.
Women are prone to this problem
because they have narrower tear ducts
compared to men, he said.
“There are ways to remedy this,” Javate
said. “It’s either we give eyedrops, which are
temporary, open another pathway, or do a less
invasive operation to the patient.”
Treating the tear ducts
The operation, which was performed
to Sanchez last July, is called Endoscopic
Vatican
FROM PAGE 3
speculated “rollback” from
Vatican II did not make sense
as “the life of the church
moves forward in time, always
developing but without losing
anything from its life of either
the past or the present.”
He noted that the form
used in Holy Masses does not
really matter because these are
expressions of authentic faith in
the Lord.
“What’s important now is
that the two forms of the Roman
Rite look upon one another with
great serenity, realizing that both
belong to the life of the church
and that neither is the only true,
authentic expression. But rather,
the two forms of Roman Rite
can mutually enrich each other,”
Marini said.
On its website for the new
Golden Sox
FROM PAGE 10
Early struggle
Defending champions UST
Softbelles succumbed to a more
experienced University of the
East (UE), 0-3, en route to their
first loss in three games last
December 8 at the Academic
oval in University of the
Philippines-Diliman.
“They had a more
experienced pitcher than us,”
coach Sandy Barredo said. “The
team also struggled offensively
and defensively.”
UST went scoreless the
rest of the game despite efforts
by Melanie Laserna in the vital
seventh inning, reaching as
widen the eye opening.
“In microendoscopy,
the treatment is scarless
and painless,” he said.
Javate pointed out
that besides scars, there
are other disadvantages in
incisional dacryocystorhinostomy
or the traditional operation for
excessive tearing. These are
prolonged recovery, uneasiness
on the nasal pathway, blood
loss, and difficulty in putting
on eyeglasses and nosepad.
The ELDR does not require
making a new opening near
the nasal pathway of the patient.
“Recanalization is less invasive
than the incisional technique,” Javate
Lacrimal Duct Recanalization (ELDR).
“When there is an obstruction in the
passageway, what I do is ‘recanalize’ it with the
instrument I’ve designed,” Javate said, adding
that 93 to 94 percent of ELDR operations were
successful.
According to him, the procedure is
called “recanalization” because re-rooting
or making another pathway for tears
would not be necessary.
“The microendoscope
helps the whole procedure
to
remove the obstruction
from the tear ducts to
perform normal again,” he
said.
The microendoscope is an
instrument used to visualize
the internal canals of the body.
With the assistance of German
company Karl Storz, Javate
devised a microendoscope
specially made for the tear
passage called lacrimal duct.
“I have also redesigned the microendoscope
with a smaller outside diameter for Asian
patients,” he said. “Asians have smaller body
parts compared to others.”
A high definition camera head is built
missal, http://www.usccb.org/
romanmissal, the USCCB said
a new translation was needed
to include “prayers for the
celebration of recently canonized
saints, additional prefaces for the
Eucharistic Prayers, additional
Masses and Prayers for Various
Needs and Intentions, and some
updated and revised rubrics
(instructions) for the celebration
of the Mass.”
It added: “The unique
style of the Roman Rite should
be maintained in translation.
By ‘style’ is meant here the
distinctive way in which the
prayers of the Roman Rite
are expressed. The principal
elements of such a style include a
certain conciseness in addressing,
praising, and entreating God, as
well as distinctive syntactical
patterns, a noble tone, a variety
of less complex rhetorical
devices, concreteness of images,
repetition, parallelism, and
rhythm, as measured through
the cursus, or ancient standards
for stressing syllables of Latin
words in prose or poetry.”
far as the second base but was
eventually caught off guard by
the UE defense.
Capitalizing on UST’s
crucial fielding errors, the redand-white softbelles drew their
much-needed firepower from
Maricar Barrientos, Maria Brenda
Bacarisas, and Barbara Lauriquez
to clinch the win for UE, which
is now tied at first place with
Adamson with identical 3-0 winloss cards.
Previously, the Softbelles
clobbered the Ateneo de Manila
University, 8-0, last December
4, three days after shrugging off
their first game jitters with an
easy 11-0 slaughter of the De La
Salle University last December
1. Frauleine Michelle S.
Benedict XVI
Villanueva and Anne Marie
C a r m e l a L . D aya u o n
‘Changes should respond to
needs’
Thomasian Fr. Anscar
Chupungco, OSB, director of
Paul VI Institute of Liturgy and
former Executive Secretary
of the Episcopal Commission
on Liturgy, said that although
the plan to use the revised
Roman Missal has been set
for Advent 2011 in the US, it
would still depend on whether
US publishers would have the
2010 English Translation of the
Roman Missal ready by 2011.
“The
2010
English
translation of the Roman
Missal by the International
Commission on English in the
Liturgy (ICEL) as of December
2010 still needs the approval
of the bishops’ conferences
before the Congregation for
Divine Worship gives the final
FROM PAGE 3
“[The Pope’s message]
can be a subject of
misinterpretation,
whether
consciously or unconsciously.
This can be used by some in
propagating their agenda, but
the teaching of the Church still
remains the same in terms of
sexual morality,” he added.
According to Aligan, the
other way to prevent the spread
of STDs is to practice Catholic
virtues.
“Christian life is a practice
of virtue, especially the virtue
of chastity and continence (selfcontrol). That is what we need
in our lives,” he said.
in the lacrimal microendoscope and
connected to the computer control unit. The
microendoscope transfers information that
shows condition of the tear passageway to the
digital archiving system. It is documented
after showing the “stenosis” or obstruction of
the passageway.
Lacrimal trephine, the instrument that
is used to remove the obstruction, is pierced
through the passageway and removes the
obstruction in the duct after the endoscopic
procedure. A smaller trephine was also
designed for Asians.
The
ELDR
is
performed
under
anesthesia. A stent, a
temporary instrument
that
keeps
the
passageway open,
is used to avoid
entering the wrong
passageway and is
removed after six
months to prevent
the
closure of the duct.
Although
the
endoscopic instrument is
pierced through the corner of the eyes, near
the nasal pathway, Javate said it would not
said.
The ELDR, according to Javate, is safe
because there would be minimal bleeding and
less discomfort for the patient. It is especially
safe to older patients because it would not
complicate their illness.
However, if the tear duct is already
broken, endoscopy will not be possible because
the canal is already dysfunctional, so another
pathway must be made.
“You can’t remove the obstruction since
the duct is already damaged,” Javate clarified.
Javate’s research, which was co-authored
by Dr. Ferdinand Pamintuan and Dr. Raul
Cruz, started in November 2003 at the
Javate Lacrimal, Orbit and Olcufacial Plastic
Surgery Clinic. It was titled “Efficacy of
Endoscopic Lacrimal Duct Recanalization
Using Microendoscope” and published in the
international journal Ophthalmic Plastic &
Reconstructive Surgery in September 2010.
Javate is the only ophthalmologist in
the Asia-Pacific who performs this kind
of operation. He has garnered awards and
recognitions all over the country and was listed
as one of the Outstanding Thomasian Alumni
(TOTAL) in the University in 2005 and hall of
famer of the Dangal ng UST faculty award.
Illustration by CARLA T. GAMALINDA
approval,” he said in a written
response to questions sent by the
Varsitarian.
Chupungco noted that
the Catholic faithful in the
Philippines have not been
informed and catechized about
the changes in translation.
Chupungco, who had
served as president of the
Pontifical Liturgical Institute
in Rome and consultor to two
Vatican dicasteries namely
the Congregation for Divine
Worship and Congregation for
Catholic Education, added the
“changes on the liturgy that
are being ‘proposed’ are often
justified reactions to excesses
that transform the liturgy into
some kind of social gathering
that undermines the spirit of
reverent worship.”
But changes that are not
explained historically, pastorally,
and doctrinally to the faithful
will not only cause a sense of
the unfamiliarity, but also a
misunderstanding of the true
nature of liturgical worship, he
said.
“There is a danger that when
liturgical rites are not properly
understood, they will occasion
mistaken interpretations and
beliefs as it happened in the
Middle Ages,” he said.
Chupungco acknowledged
that changes will always be
necessary in the life of the Church
and in the way it celebrates the
liturgy.
“The Church does not live
outside the sphere of global
social, cultural, and even
political developments. Changes
should respond to actual needs
of the worshiping community,”
Chupungco said.
He said that what really
matters in the Roman Missal is
the interior disposition of faith
that externally expresses itself
in religious practices such as
kneeling or receiving the Holy
Communion.
“Such excesses were not
envisioned by the Constitution
on the Liturgy nor by its
subsequent
implementation.
However, the liturgical posture
of standing is not less reverent
than kneeling, just as receiving
Holy Communion on the tongue
is not more respectful than
receiving it in the hand.”
He also said that while
people may argue about the
merits or demerits of the way
the Church’s Constitution on the
Liturgy has been implemented,
“we are not at liberty to cast
doubt on its basic principle
of active and conscious
participation of all God’s people
in the liturgy.”
“We can only hope for the
best. But a word of caution is
needed: Vatican II stays as the
Magna Carta of the Church’s
life until another Ecumenical
Council shall decide otherwise,”
he said. Jennifer M. Orillaza
He also said it was not right
to look at contraceptives as the
“last resort” when abstinence
and fidelity fail.
“The problem with last
resort is that we think of every
situation as the last. You should
not consider that,” he said.
“What is very important is to
be convinced with the teachings
of the Church. When people are
convinced, they will know the
right thing to do,” Aligan added.
The key to a morally sound
life is following the teachings of
the Church, he said.
“Catholics will always
believe that the Church would
not teach what is wrong. In this
case of Pope Benedict, even
if the Church teaches what is
right, the Church understands
a particular situation, and is
therefore,
compassionate,”
Aligan said.
In the book released by the
Ignatius Press of San Francisco,
the Pope emphasized that his
comment was not meant to
weaken the stand of the Catholic
Church against artificial birth
control.
Condom use by prostitutes
can be a “first step in the direction
of a moralization” but it is not the
ideal way to deal with the “evil
of HIV infection,” he said.
In the latter part of the
book, the Pontiff cited the socalled “Abstinence-Be faithfulCondom” or ABC formula
introduced by secular health
authorities to note that many
people treat condoms as their
“last resort.”
However, clinging to
condoms as a last resort will
result in sheer fixation on
its use, and eventually, the
“banalization” of humanity’s
perception on sexuality, the Pope
said.
“It is precisely the
dangerous source of the attitude
of no longer seeing sexuality
as the expression of love, but
only a sort of drug that people
administer to themselves,” he
said.
The Pope added that the
Church should guide the people
toward sexual practices that are
morally acceptable.
“We must stand close to
the people, we must guide and
help them; and we must do
this both before and after they
contract the disease,” the Pope
said. Jennifer M. Orillaza
and Brylle B. Tab ora
december 15, 2010
Editor: Alexis Ailex C. Villamor Jr.
The
Varsitarian Special
Reports 9
ISABELA A. MARTINEZ
City Hall officials raid
bars near UST Campus
JUST LIKE stores selling
cigarettes within the vicinity
of the campus, a number
of bars serving alcohol to
students have sprouted just
a few steps away from the
University. This is despite
a law and a city ordinance
seeking to prohibit the sale
of liquor to students by
establishments near schools.
Last November 25,
GMA
Network
public
affairs show “Imbestigador”,
together with Manila City
Hall officials, conducted
simultaneous
raids
at Sabrozo Bar on Padre
Noval Street and Balay
Student Lounge on Lacson
Street
corner
España
Boulevard, catching bar
personnel serving alcoholic
beverages
to
students,
including Thomasians.
In the TV show’s
November 27 episode, the
raiding team found three
minors
and
customers,
mostly in their uniforms,
in Sabrozo. The bar was
still popularly known by its
former name, 1611 Grille,
which had raised eyebrows
as it took advantage of UST’s
founding year for name
recall.
Republic Act (RA)
1224, passed by Congress
in 1955, bans the selling of
liquor products to students
and minors. It also prohibits
establishments making loud
noise from operating during
school hours; at night if
they are near hospitals, and
during religious services, if
they are near churches. Bars
such as Sabrozo, however.
have been able to go
around the outdated zoning
regulations,
frustrating
University officials’ efforts
to keep a healthy academic
environment.
While Sabrozo has
been caught in the act, it
is expected to continue
operations after meeting
certain
requirements,
city hall said. Similar
establishments continue to
operate with the permission
of the city government.
“ T h e
establish ment
of these bars is
one of the major
problems of the
University in its
attempt to hone
students
with
moral
values
and discipline,”
Student Welfare
and Development
Board
SWDB
coordinator
Anita Garcia told
“Imbestigador”.
“Do
we
have a more
updated version
of the ordinance?
That is really
our
problem.
We don’t have
any papers to
show them (bar
owners)
that
their business is
illegal,” Garcia
said in the show.
Ordinance vs.
Republic Act
RA
1224
and a Manila
o r d i n a n c e
p r e s c r i b e
distances within
which
bars
and
similar
e s t a bl i sh me nt s
cannot operate.
The 1955 law
restricts bars, saloons, and
other businesses serving
liquor outside a radial
distance of 50 meters from
schools,
churches,
and
hospitals. Manila Ordinance
No. 3358 fixes a wider
distance of 200 meters.
These regulations have
previously been cited by
the Varsitarian in a series
of reports a decade ago as
a loophole, as a 200-meter
radius is still within UST’s
walls.
In any case, both
distances are applied as radial
up to the perimeter of the
establishment.
Manila Business Permit
Services chief Russel Perez
explained that the City of
and peripheral measurements
when
liquor-selling
establishments seek zoning
clearances from authorities.
Radial distance refers to the
measurement from the center
of an institution up to the
center of an establishment.
Peripheral distance, on the
other hand, refers to the
measurement taken from the
perimeter of any institution
Manila follows the 50-meter
radial distance set by RA
1224, except for UST.
“Manila follows the
Republic Act. But in some
cases, like the vast area of
UST, we follow the 200-meter
radial distance provided by
the city ordinance,” Perez
said in an interview.
The
measures
are
apparently not enough to
drive
out
liquor-selling
establishments surrounding
UST such as Sabrozo, Balay
Student Lounge, U-jam, and
Mayric’s, formerly Sazi’s.
“With regards
to UST’s size and
the
RA
[being
ineffective] in the
vast area of the
campus, I am not in
authority to answer
that,” Perez said.
Inconsistent
Perez pointed
out
that
such
businesses
were
permitted
to
continue operations
even though they
are near UST as
they
had
been
deemed compliant
with zoning laws,
particularly
the
200-meter
and
50-meter
rules
in radius or in
perimeter.
Sabrozo’s
manager
Joseph
Aliangan claimed
the bar was ordered
closed last February
due to a brawl
involving students,
not
because
of
defying
zoning
laws.
“We
were
allowed to open
again because we
have
met
[city
hall’s] standards,”
Aliangan said.
According
to Perez, these included
the amendment of certain
“deficiencies” and penalties.
“In my experience, if it’s
(deficiency) just a problem
in
their
documentary
requirements,
then
it
shouldn’t take long [for them
to reopen]. However, if, for
example, they are caught
serving to minors, then they
are immediately directed
to court and that could
take long”, Perez told the
Varsitarian.
Perez said it was
clear Sabrozo had been
committing violations by
serving alcoholic beverages
to students in uniform as
well as to minors.
Based on interviews
conducted
by
the
Varsitarian, not only the
regulations are inconsistent—
implementation appears to
be uneven as well.
U-jam
manager
Francis Ramos claimed his
establishment had obtained
consent from city hall to
serve alcoholic beverages to
students in uniform because
it was supposedly not against
city policies.
“We already asked the
city hall and they said that
there are no existing laws
which prohibit us from
selling liquor to students
who want to unwind at our
place,” said Ramos, adding
that U-jam only opens at 5:00
p.m. to make sure students
have already been dismissed
from their classes by the time
they go to the hang-out.
Perez, however, said his
office would never approve
of such things as that would
suggest that they tolerate
students who drink during
school hours.
Mang
Obet,
Sazi’s
manager who refused to
disclose his full name, stood
in defense of the popular
bar, saying that it was not
intended for alcohol, but for
music.
“We’re
advocating
Filipino music, it just
so happened that most
musicians like to drink
alcoholic beverages,” he said.
After complying with
city hall’s standards and
installing a back door,
Special Reports
Page 10
KARLA MIDES C. TOLEDO
KARLA MIDES C. TOLEDO
10 Sports The
Varsitarian december 15, 2010
Editor: Jeremy S. Perey
Tiger Spikers poised
for ‘four peat’ crown
By anne Marie carmela l. dAYAUON
and ANGELO Nonato P. Cabrera
UAAP GRANDSLAM champions UST Tiger
Spikers stayed atop the team standings, surviving
a pulsating three-set match, 25-23, 25-23, 25-23,
against the University of the Philippines (UP) in
the men’s volleyball tournament at the Arena in
San Juan City last December 8.
Riding on a 3-0 card, the Tiger Spikers started
slow due to the sleek receptions and the stonewall
defense poised by UP’s Lloyd Belgado throughout
the game.
But UST’s John Paul Torres turned the tables
on UP with his monstrous, down-the-line spikes
and a block for a 15-all deadlock in the third set.
Torres led UST, with 14 points, followed
by team captain Henry Pecaña and Salvador
Depante with 11 points apiece. Dominico Lucindo
topscored for the Diliman-based tossers with 16
markers.
The Tiger Spikers registered their second win
against the University of the East, 25-8, 25-15, 2325, 25-20, last December 5. They also demolished
the Ateneo de Manila University, 25-20, 25-16,
25-17, last November 27.
Still unscathed
In the distaff side, the Lady Spikers edged
the Adamson University in a come-frombehind fashion, 19-25, 26-28, 25-11, 25-16,
15-10, to score their third straight win in as
many games.
Despite an erratic start, the Lady
Spikers regained their composure from
the third set onwards, courtesy of Maruja
Banaticla’s clever long shot that triggered
a 5-0 run.
Both teams battled neck-and-neck in
the fourth frame that saw seven deadlocks.
But the Lady Spikers showed veteran poise
with the decisive drops of Judy Caballejo
and a kill from Maika Ortiz to lead 20-14.
Adamson’s Angela Benting retaliated with
a strong down-the-line hit, but the Lady
Spikers’ persistence ended the set at 25-16.
The Lady Spikers banked on skipper
Aiza Maizo in the fifth set with an early
kill, 6-5, aided by Banaticla’s hit through the
block of Benting, 9-7. It was Ortiz’ down-line
shot that iced the last frame for UST, 15-10.
The Lady Spikers earlier destroyed
UP in three sets, 25-21, 25-19, 25-16, last
December 5 after thwarting Ateneo de
Manila, 25-13, 18-25, 19-25, 26-24, 15-13,
last November 27.
TomSpeak
X-mas gifts plastered in their memory caps
Compiled by the sports team
THE COOL December breeze has brought with it shares of precious joy and gift-giving among
UST’s proud athletes and coaches this yuletide season. As everyone looks forward to opening their
presents under the silver-lined trappings of a Christmas tree, the España army treads down the
memory lane and shares with the Varsitarian the most memorable gifts they have ever received.
“Last year was the most memorable for me when my father gave me a pair of shoes for
a tournament in Ayala, Alabang, and I made it as a champion.” – Arn Procianos, lawn tennis
“Maybe the best gift I’ve ever received for Christmas was the watch my parents bought
me because it’s the only wish that they granted me and until now, I still use it and take care of
it.” – Carmelo Afuang, basketball
“When my father bought a laptop for me, the first gift he gave me” –Harris Orendain, fencing
“A necklace which mother gave me five years ago. I treasure it because it served as my
lucky charm and I never took it off since then.” – Kat Castro, lawn tennis
“The previous Christmas I spent with my father because it was the last Christmas that we
would spend together.” – Christy Silva, basketball
“One of the best Christmas gifts I received is the approval of our International Olympic
Committee scholarship. It’s a big deal for me because the Philippine Taekwondo Association
chose me as one of the qualifiers for the Olympics alongside Japoy Lizardo.” – Marlon Avenido,
taekwondo
“My best Christmas gift is ‘happiness’ despite the fact that I did not attain my goal this
UAAP (season). I want nothing more because I was raised in a blessed family. My friends are
always there and I have no problem with my studies.” – Samuel Alcos, swimming
“When I spent Christmas with a complete family last year. We were together because my
siblings who were out of the country went home.” –Miriam Colangoy, athletics
“Being the Season 72 champions is one of the best gifts I’ve received because I and my
teammates became part of history. It was a great pleasure after our hard work.” –Melanie
Laserna, softball
“The best gift I received is the success in my career. When I was playing for UST Baseball,
we made it as the champions. When I was the coach for the baseball team, I made them champions,
too. And the greatest gift for me right now would be, I was able to make the women’s team, a
champion team which is part of history.” –coach Sandy Barredo, softball
“When I had my first baby and I’m also thankful for the good health of my family.” –coach
Cesael de los Santos, volleyball
“My master’s degree!” –coach Noli Cajefe, badminton (Cajefe graduated last December
10 in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines)
“Being with my family, because we always have reunions every Christmas. It’s really good
to know that you belong to a good family.” –Paulo Pe, basketball
“For me, the best gift is being with my family in Christmastime.” –Emmanuel delos Angeles,
athletics
“When I went home and spent Christmas with my family, especially when we ate noche
buena together.” –Christian Abendan, table tennis
Golden Sox aims at vengeance
THE UST Golden Sox rode on
a torrid start to dominate the
University of the Philippines
via a mercy rule, 11-1, in the
UAAP baseball tournament at
the Rizal Memorial Ballpark last
December 5.
The team is poised to
improve on its fifth-place finish
last season with league-leading
3-0 win-loss slate in the first
round. The National University
(NU) is second with a 2-1
record.
“This is the actualization of
our hard work. Their skills and
capabilities are really showing
JOSA CAMILLE A. BASSIG
now. If they [UST] continue
playing like this, I think we can
make it to the Final Four,” said
coach Jeffrey Santos, noting
that his wards had immensely
improved on the mental aspect
of the game.
Rookie Arvin Plaza
circled the bases to orchestrate
a homerun early in the first
inning with a solid hit that sent
the ball beyond the right field
grounds, 1-0.
In the sixth inning, Plaza
sent another teammate, Gerald
Mitra, to the home plate while
Nikko Reyes, who sent the ball
to the centerfield in the same
inning, reached home with two
runs batted in, courtesy of Argel
Kasulhay and Plaza, 10-1.
In the seventh frame,
Haruta Estanislao, who is in his
fifth playing year for UST, gave
the final point for the Golden
Sox after being propelled to the
home plate by Amber Plaza’s
left field hit.
UST earlier won against
NU (8-5) and thrashed perennial
rival Adamson University
(10-2) last November 28 and
December 2, respectively.
Golden Sox Page 8
A solid hit by UST Tiger Spiker John Paul Torres
penetrated the fragile defense of UP as he breaks
his opponents’ double block.
Special Reports
FROM PAGE 9
Sabrozo is expected to
continue operations, Perez
said.
Students’ voice
Meanwhile,
students
who are regular customers
of these establishments
expressed opposite views
regarding the mushrooming
of bars near the campus.
For Legal Management
junior Paul Ayento, bars
located around the campus
may be advantageous as
students do not have to go
to establishments in more
dangerous places.
“At least, students need
not go elsewhere after class.
It would be safer for us to go
to bars near UST,” he said.
Andre Cayosa said bars
provide stress relief from all
academic requirements.
“Drinking is not as bad
[as what other people think].
Students just want to have
fun and socialize,” he said.
But Information System
sophomore Daniel Bayani
disagreed, saying that going
to bars does not really help
in relieving stress brought by
school work.
The City of Manila has an
inspection division that monitors
such establishments on random
days. By virtue of Ordinance
3359 and Section 596-A of
the compiled ordinances of the
City of Manila, authorities can
immediately revoke business
permits. Marnee A. Gamboa
and Monica N. Ladisla