RH exposed as US imperialist tool

The Varsitarian
Volume LXXXIV, No. 12 • April 8, 2013 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSIT Y of Santo Tomas Manila, Philippines
RH exposed as US imperialist tool
Faculty Union
hits delay in
teaching appt
UNION bosses have called the
attention of University officials
on supposed delays in the salaries
of professors caused by the slow
processing of teaching appointments.
In his Feb. 5 letter to Vice
Rector for Academic Affairs Clarita
Carillo, Reynaldo Reyes, USTFU
vice president for grievance, pointed
out that a teaching appointment
is a prerequisite to the issuance of
teaching assignments. The Office of
the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs
(OVRAA) issues the appointment
upon the recommendation of the
dean and the submission of required
documents.
“If the teaching assignment
or teaching load is issued by the
OVRAA earlier to the concerned
faculty members duly signed by
the faculty and the dean, then why
the delay in the issuance of their
teaching appointment?” Reyes said
in his letter, noting that some faculty
members had resorted to using credit
cards to survive during those months
without pay.
Carillo said in her Feb. 7
letter to USTFU President George
Lim that cases of pending teaching
appointments must be clarified with
the dean’s office.
“Teaching Appointments take
a maximum of three (3) working
days for processing and release
provided teaching recommendations
and all documentary requirements
have been duly submitted to the
Office for Faculty Evaluation and
Development
(OFED)-OVRAA
and are found in order,” she said.
“OFED immediately informs the
Deans’ Offices of any problem
related to submitted documents, or at
times, non-submission of necessary
documents. The faculty member’s
own compliance is therefore vital
to the prompt release of his/her
teaching appointment.”
But Reyes said a faculty
member assigned to teach without
appointment violates University
polices.
“[I]t would imply that
the students are taught by an
‘unauthorized personnel,’ i.e., by
Rector to Batch 2013: ‘Thanks
for entrusting your future to UST’
‘Wikileaks’ reveals
telegrams of US gov’t
backing population
control policies in PH
By DENISE PAULINE P. PURUGGANAN
By BERNADETTE D. NICOLAS
and NIKKA LAVINIA G. VALENZUELA
NEW US State Department cables released by
the Wikileaks website have revealed behindthe-scenes efforts by Americans to impose
population-control policies on the Philippines
and undermine the Catholic Church’s
opposition.
The release of the electronic telegrams,
dating back to the 1970s, comes amid numerous
legal challenges to the reproductive health (RH)
law, which was rammed through Congress by the
Aquino administration last December.
The latest Wikileaks release consists of
more than 1.7 million records from 1973 to 1974,
with about 205,901 records associated with US
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
These so-called “Kissinger Cables” were
launched as part of the WikiLeaks Public Library
of US Diplomacy (PlusD), which holds the largest
collection of original documents containing
confidential information like military intelligence,
political schemes and US involvement in every
country, according to a Wikileaks press release.
PlusD was “updated from a variety of
sources, including leaks, documents released
under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and
documents released by the US State Department
systematic declassification review.”
A telegram from the US Embassy in Manila
dated June 17, 1974 claimed demographic trends in
the country in 1960s were detrimental to economic
and social growth and that population programs
should be implemented.
The cable said “conservative attitudes” by
Church leaders “must be overcome.”
IT WAS trust that brought the more than 8,000
Thomasian graduates of Batch 2013 a step
closer to their dreams.
Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P.
congratulated the graduating batch and thanked
them for putting their trust in UST during the
Baccalaureate Mass last March 19.
“I would like you to realize that in your life
as a student, you have achieved your dreams
because you trusted many people,” Dagohoy
said in his first baccalaureate message as Rector
of the University.
“Sometimes, we think that all
we need is to have confidence in
God. You [entrusted] your future
to UST because you believed that
this beautiful University was the
best institution that could help you
become a competent professional,”
Dagohoy told the 8,000 graduates at
the Open Field.
He urged graduates to be
grateful to people who believed in
their abilities.
Graduates Page 14
Wikileaks Page 14
UST high schools
top Manila schools
in national exams
St. Thomas said, ‘It is better to
illuminate, than merely to shine.’”
For obtaining a general
weighted average of 1.069, Dacanay
was conferred the Rector’s Academic
Award, the highest academic award
given to students for outstanding
academic
excellence,
beating
valedictorians from other faculties
and colleges.
Dacanay, who was admitted to
UST Grade School at age five and
finished elementary and high school
in UST, beat Kriskyn Diane Cabrera
of the College of Tourism and
Hospitality Management (CTHM),
who obtained the second highest
grade of 1.119.
Dacanay said his longing to
make his parents proud drove him
to persevere in school, which he
THE UNIVERSITY’s two high schools placed
second and third among Manila-based schools in
the National Achievement Test (NAT) last year,
under a new ranking system implemented by the
Department of Education (DepEd).
Public and private high schools were
grouped together depending on the number
of examinees, following complaints over a
supposedly “unfair” system of ranking schools.
Fielding 96 examinees, the UST Education
High School (EHS) ranked second out of the 15
schools in cluster four, or schools with 55 to 99
examinees.
“[The results] show that in some subjects,
we [received] higher [grades] compared with the
school that ranked first [but], when it came to
Science and Math, mas mataas sila,” said EHS
Principal Loreto Sauz.
The Malayan High School of Science in
Pandacan, Manila, which fielded 76 examinees,
emerged as the top school in the cluster with
65.42 percent, a few notches over EHS’s 63.65
percent.
Other schools in the cluster include Uno
High School (3rd), O.B. Montessori Center
(4th), Philippine Cultural High School (5th),
Concordia College (6th), College of the Holy
Spirit-Manila (7th), Don Bosco School (Salesian
Sisters) Inc. (8th), La Consolacion College (9th),
Nazareth School (10th), Sta. Catalina College
(11th), National University (12th), St. Mary’s
Academy-Sta. Ana (13th), St. Francis School
(14th) and St. Joseph School of Pandacan (15th).
Valedictorian Page 14
National Page 14
FULFILLING THE MISSION. A Medicine
student puts up the candle that epitomizes the
light that all Thomasians must share.
JOHN PAUL R. AUTOR
Faculty Union Page 11
Pharmacy graduate is 2013 class valedictorian
ACHIEVEMENT is not about
prestige but being a person in the
service of others.
Batch 2013 valedictorian
Christopher Rey Dacanay, an
18-year-old graduate from the Faculty
of Pharmacy, reminded his fellow
Thomasians to keep the virtues of
humility and generosity—the same
qualities St. Thomas Aquinas, UST’s
patron saint, possessed.
“In a time when creed is to
flaunt what you possess, when selfcenteredness becomes an attitude,
when humility and charity do not
stand a chance, we, Thomasians,
stand out,” Dacanay said in his
speech during the Student Awards
Day last March 15 at the UST
Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Humility and generosity are not
just virtues but “a form of perception,”
silencing the “I” in each person to be
able to reach out and “hear the voice
of others with love,” he said.
“Grades will always be grades.
The 1.0 that we get now would be
insignificant in time. Thus, it is our
task to look for its significance,”
Dacanay said. “Just like what
For breaking news and digital copy, visit www.varsitarian.net
Check out the Varsitarian on your mobile phone at www.varsitarian.mobi
2 News
The Varsitarian APRIL 8, 2013
Editor: Reden D. Madrid
UST posts 48.6 percent passing rate in Bar
By NIKKA LAVINIA G. VALENZUELA
LESS THAN half of examinees from the Faculty
of Civil Law passed the Bar exams, as the national
passing rate plunged to the second lowest in
history in what was described by the dean himself
as a “bloodbath.”
UST posted a 48.57-percent passing rate,
with only 34 out of 70 examinees making the cut.
Among the 34 who passed, 31 were first-time
takers.
The national passing rate plummeted to
17.76 percent, equivalent to 949 out of 5,343
examinees, the lowest since 2000 and the second
lowest passing rate in history.
Leading this year’s new batch of lawyers
is Ignatius Michael Ingles (85.64 percent) from
Ateneo de Manila University, followed by another
Ateneo student, Catherine Beatrice King Kay
(84.72 percent), and April Carmela Lacson (84.48
percent) from University of the Philippines.
Former Varsitarian editor in chief Nicolo
Bernardo and features writer Tanya Justine
Baldovino were among those who hurdled the
Bar.
“Based on preliminary indications, we
should still be in the top six or seven. It is sad but
the bloodbath is all over, not only for UST but
also for other schools. While we may have gotten
lower scores compared with the previous years, it
is still better compared with many law schools,”
Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina said in an interview.
Divina said the 2012 Bar examination was
harder compared with the previous examinations.
Only two percent of Bar candidates passed
Remedial Law, which accounted for 20 percent of
the examination.
Associate Justice Martin Villarama, Bar
exams committee head, earlier announced that the
Supreme Court had lowered the cut-off score to 70
percent from 75 percent due to poor results.
Divina said two justices proposed to lower
the passing score to 68 percent, but were outvoted
by the majority.
If the cut-off score was retained at 75 percent,
only 343 of the 5,343 examinees would have
made the cut. Villarama attributed the low passing
rate to multiple-choice questions, which had a
weight of 60 percent. For the Bar exams later this
year, the Supreme Court has decided to revert to
the original format of 80 percent essay questions
and 20 percent multiple-choice questions.
The 2012 Bar examination was held for the
second consecutive year in UST last October. UST
will remain the host of the 2013 Bar examinations
due to positive feedback from different Law deans.
The successful Bar candidates will have
their oath-taking on April 24 at the Philippine
International Convention Center.
Information technology
school put on hold
NO INFORMATION technology school yet for
the next academic year.
Contrary to the announcement by Faculty
of Engineering Dean Philipina Marcelo,
the planned spinoff of the Department of
Information and Computer Studies (ICS) has
been put on hold.
Marcelo, however, stressed that the
process of separating ICS from Engineering
remained in progress, but was “undergoing
several phases.”
“We cannot afford to spin ICS off into a
new college without making sure that it will
be very strong,” she said. “ICS will still be a
part of the Faculty of Engineering but there
will be major changes definitely, in terms of
administration. But I cannot talk about it yet
because, like I said, it’s not yet approved.”
In a previous interview, Clarita Carillo,
vice rector for academic affairs, said a
feasibility study was supposed to be submitted
by the end of January for review and approval.
But the study was delayed due to the “critical
factors” the faculty had discovered.
Marcelo did not specify the reasons
behind the setback but said the different
nature of the two colleges delayed the spinoff.
“[Our goal] is to become a very strong
technology arm of the University, [but] we
cannot do that now because the two units
focus on different aspects,” Marcelo said.
“Information and Computer Studies
has four-year courses and deals with
integrating technology, while Engineering
has five-year courses and they handle
hardcore technology.”
Carillo has yet to respond to the
Varsitarian’s request for comment.
Formed in 1999, ICS was initially under
the helm of the College of Science, before it
was transferred to Engineering in 2004. Cez
Mariela Teresa G. Verzosa
‘Dangal ng UST’ cites
outstanding research, service
THE success of a teacher is
measured not by the number of
articles published or awards received,
but by the recognition of students
of his or her ability to change their
perspectives.
This was Rector Fr. Herminio
Dagohoy, O.P.’s message during
ceremonies honoring 107 outstanding
faculty members at the 14th Dangal
ng UST Awards last Feb. 7.
“Kung totoong mahusay ang
isang guro, kung ang kaniyang
mag-aaral ay natututong mag-isip
nang malaya at lumikhang pangunawa bunsod ng tiyaga at masusing
pagpapaliwanag, ang dulo ng lahat
ng ito ay pagtatagumpay,” Dagohoy
said.
With the advent of technology,
teachers must update themselves
on the latest developments in their
respective fields, he added.
Medicine and Surgery Prof.
Estrella Paje-Villar, who has served
UST for 50 years, led this year’s
recipients of the Gawad Benavides
(loyalty) Award.
Faculty of Pharmacy Dean
Priscilla Torres also received the
award for serving UST for 45 years,
while Engineering and Education
professors Benedicta Alcala and Ma.
Lourdes Medina were cited for 40
years of service.
Meanwhile, College of Science
professors May Beth Maningas and
Allan Patrick Macabeo, and College
of Fine Arts and Design professor
Mark Victor Bautista received the
Gawad San Alberto Magno for
outstanding research and innovation
in the field of science and technology.
Bautista was cited for his role in the
architectural and industrial design of
the Mind Museum in Taguig.
The Gawad Santo Domingo
for
community
service
was
given to Faculty of Medicine and
Surgery Professor Antonio Say for
spearheading the Project 400/400
Cataract Surgery.
College of Education Prof. Allan
de Guzman (outstanding professor,
Metrobank
Foundation
2011),
Faculty of Medicine and Surgery Prof.
Sandra Teresa Navarra (outstanding
physician, Philippine College of
Physicians), College of Science
Prof. Alicia Aguinaldo (recognition Retired Pharmacy dean Priscilla Torres receives the Gawad
Benavidez Award for 45 years of service in the University.
Dangal PAGE 15 JOHN PAUL R. AUTOR
urges
Journ attains Center of Dev’t status Ipophil
use, protection
UST’s Journalism program has been
declared a Center of Development
(COD) after a series of evaluations
by the Commission on Higher
Education (CHEd).
The Polytechnic University of
the Philippines was also conferred
the COD status, while University
of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman
is the lone higher education
institution that obtained the Center
of Excellence (COE) status in
journalism.
The
recognition
given
by CHEd last March 22 to the
journalism programs of the three
universities will be effective until
May 2014.
Asst. Prof. Jeremaiah Opiniano
of the Faculty of Arts and Letters
said UST must open a graduate
program in journalism to attain
COE status. He also pointed to the
need to improve the research output
of the country’s oldest journalism
school.
“Research in the program
Usapang Uste
needs improvement. It’s not only
the students who must do research
but the teachers as well,” Opiniano
said.
The research and publications
criteria of CHEd account for a hefty
30 percent of the overall score,
requiring the program to have “at
least 75 percent of full-time faculty
members with journalistic works,
books, researches or academic
articles published in reputable or
refereed journals in the last five
years.”
Other criteria are Instructional
Quality (45 percent), Extension
and Linkages (20 percent), and
Institutional Qualifications (five
percent).
While the University is
recognized worldwide, Opiniano
said the journalism program should
also “think in a global perspective
while responding to the needs of the
Philippine media industry.”
“The award (COD status)
will be the first step to making that
long journey to become a global
journalism school,” he said.
Earlier, UST’s Psychology
program also obtained the COD
status.
UST has seven other programs
with COD status, six of which are
from the Faculty of Engineering.
These are Physical Therapy,
Chemical
Engineering,
Civil
Engineering, Electrical Engineering,
Electronics Engineering, Industrial
Engineering, and Mechanical
Engineering.
The Biology, Chemistry,
Medicine, Nursing, and Teacher
Education programs of UST are
COEs.
Should a program receive a
COD or a COE status, the school is
entitled to request a certain amount
of financial assistance or monetary
subsidiaries for the program
depending on the submitted project
proposals for evaluation and
approval. Cez Mariela Teresa
G. Verzosa
Pabuya para sa Bar topnotcher
NOON, pabuyang salapi ang
kapalit ng masigasig na pag-aaral.
Taong
2000,
naglabas
ang Faculty of Civil Law ng
Unibersidad, ang pinakamatandang
fakultad ng pag-aabugasya, sa
ilalim ni Dean Amado Dimayuga,
ng panukalang magpaparangal
ito ng pabuyang salapi sa mga
Tomasino na mangunguna sa bar
exam. Halagang P250,000 ang
makakamit ng nasa unang
posisyon,
P150,000
naman ang makukuha
ng nasa ikalawang
posisyon,
at
P100,000 naman ang
mapupunta sa
nasa ikatlong
posisyon.
S
a
parehong
t a o n ,
hinikayat
din
ng
Civil Law
ang
mga
Tomasino na
magtatapos sa kolehiyo na
makatatanggap ng schoolarship
ang sinumang may nais na magenroll sa kanila; full scholarship
para sa mga nagtapos ng kolehiyo
na nagkamit ng Latin honors—
summa, magna, at cum laude.
Katuwang ng Civil Law ang
kanilang Alumni Association sa
pagtutustos ng pera para sa mga
masisigasig na mag-aaral.
Ang
mga
panukalang
inilabas ng Civil Law ay ang
kanilang paraan upang paigtingin
ang pagiging masigasig ng mga
mag-aaral at panatilihin ang
excellence—mula sa Civil Law ng
Unibersidad ang apat na Pangulo
ng Pilipinas, at pitong Chief
Justice.
Matatandaan, taong 1999 ay
walang Tomasino na pumasok sa
Top 10 ng bar exam.
Sa
kasalukuyan,
ang
Unibersidad ay muling walang
nakamit na posisyon sa Top 10 ng
bar exams.
Ang mga resultang ito ang
dahilan kung bakit hindi kabilang
sa “top three choices” ng mga
nagnanais mag-aral ng abugasya
ang Unibersidad.
“To an outsider’s point of view,
it (bar track record) is the most
attractive criterion. Pangalawa,
facility. Third, siguro I might add,
is tuition,” ani Enrique dela Cruz
sa Varsitarian, dating full scholar
ng Civil Law at kasalukuyang
nagtuturo roon.
Sa
kasalukuyan,
wala
mang pabuyang salaping alok,
ang Civil Law—sa ilalim ng
pamumuno ng dekanong si Nilo
Divina—ay namamahagi pa rin ng
scholarships—full scholarship sa
mga nagtapos sa kolehiyo bilang
summa cum laude, half scholarship
sa mga magna at cum laude,
“dean’s lister” scholarship, Law
Alumni Scholarship for Freshmen,
at Law Alumni Scholarship for
Upperclassmen.
Tomasino siya
Alam n’yo bang isang
Tomasino ang pinarangalan ng
Bagong Bayani Award mula sa
Philippine Overseas Employment
Administration noong 1990?
Si Rhoel Raymundo Mendoza
ay nagtapos ng Bachelor of Fine
Arts Major in Advertising sa
Unibersidad noong 1981.
Nagsimulang magtrabaho sa
ibang bansa si Mendoza noong
Usapang Uste PaHINA 13
of university
researches
By CEZ MARIELA TERESA
G. VERZOSA
RESEARCH in the academe
plays a key role in the country’s
development.
But
universities
should
abolish the “publish or perish”
rule and instead “protect, publish,
and profit,” even with the dearth of
research in the Philippines.
In the opening ceremony of
University Research Week last
January, Intellectual Property
Office of the Philippines (Ipophil)
Director Carmen Peralta said
research in universities “should
not remain in library shelves to
become mere references,” but also
improve the quality of life.
“Universities are forming
companies and [they are] earning
from their research,” Peralta said
in her keynote speech at the Civil
Law auditorium. “Google is a
product of University research.”
“Where
industries
are
competitive, we create jobs, [and]
we earn income for the government
[to support] its projects,” she
added.
The 2012 Global Innovation
Index of the World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO)
ranked the Philippines 95th out
of 142 countries in terms of
innovation, a decline from 91st
place in 2011.
Among Southeast Asian
countries, the Philippines trailed
behind Malaysia (31st), Thailand
(57th) and Vietnam (76th).
Singapore, meanwhile, landed on
third place, following Switzerland
(1st) and Sweden (2nd) in the most
number of innovations.
In a previous interview with
the Varsitarian, Maribel Nonato,
assistant to the rector for research
and
innovation,
expressed
openness to commercialization of
research but said necessary steps
should be taken to protect the
University’s intellectual property.
‘Research protection’
Filing patents is one method
Researches PAGE 11
Editor: Gervie Kay S. Estella
APRIL 8, 2013
The
Varsitarian Witness
3
Catholics reflect on Christ’s passion and death
said.
By GRACELYN A. SIMON
DOMINICAN preachers led the
faithful in reflecting on the “Seven
Last Words” last March 29 at the Sto.
Domingo Church in Quezon City—
relating the situation of Filipinos to
Christ’s passion, crucifixion and death
on the Cross.
“Siete Palabras,” the longestrunning Holy Week program on
Philippine television, was aired
nationwide by GMA Network.
Reflecting on the first of the
last words of Jesus: “Father, forgive
them, they know not what they do,”
Fr. Rudolf Steven Seño, O.P. of the
UST Faculty of Philosophy said there
are two things that people must avoid
when forgiving other people for their
wrongdoings.
“Ang isa ay ang paghingi ng
sobrang demanda sa nagkakasala…
Pero, huwag din namang sobrang
luwag,” Seño said.
The essence of forgiveness is not
about forgetting the sins of others. It
is also about remembering those sins,
he added. “Ang tunay na kapatawaran
ay hindi forgive and forget. Ang
tunay na kapatawaran ay forgive
and remember. Hindi puwedeng
basta na lang natin kakalimutan
‘yung kalokohan ng ibang tao. Dahil
kung ano ang inutang, siya rin ang
kabayaran.”
Fr. Tamerlane Lana, O.P.,
Colegio de San Juan de Letran rector
and president, focused on the second
saying of Jesus: “Today you shall
be with me in paradise.” He noted
that Christ uttered the words to the
UST Vice Rector for Religous Affairs Fr. Filemon de la Cruz, Jr., O.P. reflected on
the fifth of the seven last words last April 6 at the Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon
City.
JAIME T. CAMPOS
repentant thief who died with Him
on the cross. The thief symbolizes
humanity, as all people are sinners, he
said.
“Ang bawat kasalanan ay anyo
ng kasalanang pagnanakaw. Ito ay
hindi lang pagkuha ng hindi sa atin.
Ang kahalayan ay isa ring anyo ng
pagnanakaw. Ang pre-marital sex,
homosexual acts ay pagnanakaw
dahil
ninanakaw
natin
ang
kasiyahang seksuwal na para lamang
sa mag-asawa,” Lana said. “Ang
pagsisinungaling ay pagnanakaw
ng katotohanan, ng karapatan ng
iba na malaman ang katotohanan...
Ang pagpatay ay isang pagnanakaw
sapagkat inaangkin nito ang buhay ng
iba at ninanakaw ang karapatan ng
Diyos sa buhay ng bawat isa sa atin.”
Reflecting on the third saying,
“Woman, behold your Son; Son,
Behold your Mother,” Fr. Paul Reagan
Talavera, O.P. of Sto. Domingo
Convent said Mary and John were
sent by Christ to the disciples as a
reminder that He will never leave
them.
“Ang mga salitang ito ay para rin
sa atin. Hinahabilin tayo kay Maria
at si Maria ay hinahabilin sa atin ng
Panginoon. Kung tayo ay nagmamahal
ng tunay kay Hesus, susundan niya
tayo sa Kalbaryo at hindi niya tayo
iiwanang magisa. Iiwanan niya tayo
ng mga makakasama natin,” Talavera
Preaching on the fourth saying:
“My God, my God, why have You
forsaken me,” Fr. Enrico Gonzales,
O.P. said Jesus was not complaining,
rather, He was praying to God for
help. “Hindi ito pagrereklamo ni
Kristo. Ito ay pagdarasal. Kailangan
natin ang tulong ng Diyos upang
magpasensya,” he said.
The language of love is patience,
for no love lasts without patience, he
added.
Fr. Filemon Dela Cruz, Jr., O.P.,
UST vice rector for religious affairs,
reflected on the fifth of the seven last
words, “I thirst.”
“Anyare?” he asked, using
the coined word that means “What
happened?”
“Hindi mahirap makita kung
ano ang nangyari. Hindi mahirap
makita na ang tao ay puwedeng
mang-abuso, hindi mahirap makita
na kapag natugunan na ang ating
pangangailan, nakakalimutan na
natin ang pinagmulan ng ating mga
biyayang tinanggap,” Dela Cruz said.
“Pagtapos tayong gawaran ng
kapatawaran, pagtapos iabot ng Diyos
ang kaniyang mga kamay sa atin,
anyare? Balik tayo sa ating buhay,
balik tayo sa ating pinagmulan,” he
added.
Fr. Ernesto Arceo, O.P., rector of
Aquinas University of Legazpi, said
the sixth saying, “It is finished,” was
the fulfillment of God’s mission to
open the gates of heaven to humanity.
“Ang
buntong-hininga
ng
tagumpay ay natapos na. Sa bahagi
ng Panginoon, natapos na ang
kanyang tungkulin. Bukas na ang
pinto ng langit,” he said.
Arceo lamented the spread
of secularism in the United States
and Europe. “Ang problema ay
hindi ang paniniwala sa Diyos, ang
problema ay kawalang-bahala ng
tao sa pangingialam ng Diyos sa
kanilang buhay. Ang sekularismo ay
pagwawalang-bahala sa pakikialam
ng Diyos.”
He also criticized moves to
legalize abortion and divorce, noting
that both practices are already allowed
in western countries.
“Legal ang divorce kasi walang
pakialam ang tao sa batas ng Diyos.
Legal ang abortion since 1973 [sa
Amerika]; isang milyong bata sa
isang taon, 3,000 libong bata sa loob
ng isang araw. Kasuklam-suklam,
kalagim-lagim,” he said.
Ending the Siete Palabras, Fr.
Clarence Victor Marquez, O.P., master
of students of the Dominican Province
of the Philippines, gave his insights on
the last word of Jesus: “Father, into
Your hands I commend my Spirit.”
Marquez began his reflection by
comparing the hands of Jesus Christ
and the hands of men. The latter
wants to control everything that this
life offers. People want to practice the
“culture of control,” he said.
“Ang kamay ng tao, ang layon
lamang ay kumuha, magkamit,
magkamkam,
kumabig,
magangkin. Nais nating kontrolin ang
pangangangak, pagbuo ng pamilya,
pagdami ng tao sa mundo, kalikasan,
kayamanan, pagtanda, at kahit
kamatayan,” he said.
Pope Francis speaks of service and love CHURCHNEWS
By DENISE PAULINE
P. PURUGGANAN
TO PROTECT the Church is to
serve with love.
In his inauguration last March
19, which was also the solemnity
of St. Joseph, patron saint of the
Universal Church, Pope Francis
explained the importance of
service in the life of a pope in his
homily at the St. Peter’s Square.
Pope Francis reflected on the
Gospel reading in which an angel
appeared in Joseph’s dream and
told him that it was through the
Holy Spirit that the Virgin Mary
became pregnant. Joseph was
entrusted with a mission: to be the
protector of the Holy Family and
the Church.
“Just as Saint Joseph took
loving care of Mary and gladly
dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s
upbringing, he likewise watches
over and protects Christ’s Mystical
Body, the Church, of which the
Virgin Mary is the exemplar and
model,” said Pope Francis, quoting
Blessed John Paul II.
The Supreme Pontiff said the
foster father of the Messiah was
also a protector because Joseph
was receptive and attentive to
God’s plan, and was sensitive to
the people in his stead.
“The vocation of being
a
‘protector,’
however,
is
not
just
something
involving
u
s
Christians alone; it also has a prior
dimension which is simply human,
involving everyone.”
People must not be afraid to
show goodness and tenderness,
like St. Joseph, for it is not a sign
of weakness, but an indication of
“strength of spirit and a capacity
for concern,” the Pope said.
“To protect Jesus with Mary,
to protect the whole of creation,
to protect each person, especially
the poorest, to protect ourselves—
this is a service that the Bishop of
Rome is called to carry out, yet
one to which all of us are called,
so that the star of hope will shine
brightly.”
True to his chosen name,
the Pope urged the world to
protect creation and respect the
environment as St. Francis Assisi
had advocated. Pope Francis also
reminded the faithful to protect
every human being, especially the
children, elderly, the neglected,
and those in need.
“I would like to ask all
those who have positions of
responsibility
in
economic,
political and social life, and all men
and women of goodwill: let us be
protectors of creation, protectors
of
God’s plan inscribed in
nature, protectors of
one another and of
the environment. Let
us not allow
omens of
destruction
a n d
death
to
accompany
the advance of this
world,” he said.
When
Pope
Francis was still
a cardinal, he was
known for voicing
out his opposition
to anti-life measures
adopted by the
government
of
Argentina.
According
to an online
report
of
LifeSiteNews.
com last March 13, Cardinal
Jorge Bergoglio called same-sex
marriage measure an “attempt to
confuse and trick God’s children.”
As a cardinal, Pope Francis
also criticized the free distribution
of contraceptives in public
hospitals and mandatory sex
education.
A Church that is poor and for
the poor
In his address to the
communications media last March
16, Pope Francis acknowledged
mass media’s role in disseminating
information on contemporary
events including his election as
pope.
“I am particularly grateful to
those who viewed and presented
these events of the Church’s history
in a way which was sensitive to the
right context in which they need
to be read, namely, that of faith,”
Pope Francis said.
While the Church is a human
and historical institution, the Pope
reminded journalists that its nature
is not political but spiritual, in
which the people of God journey
to Jesus.
“From this perspective, [you]
can give a satisfactory account
of the Church’s life and activity.
Christ remains the center, not the
Successor of Peter. As Benedict
XVI frequently reminded us,
Christ is present in Church and
guides her. In everything that has
occurred, the principal agent has
been, in the final analysis, the Holy
Spirit,” Pope Francis said.
The new pontiff also revealed
how he decided to take “Francis”
as his papal name: as he acquired
two-thirds of votes during the
conclave,
Cardinal
Claudio
Hummes, archbishop emeritus of
São Paolo and prefect emeritus of
the Congregation for the Clergy,
hugged him and said, “Don’t
forget the poor.”
“That is how the name came
into my heart: Francis of Assisi.
For me, he is the man of poverty,
the man of peace, the man who
loves and protects creation; these
days we do not have a very good
relationship with creation, do we?”
Pope Francis said. “He is the man
who gives us this spirit of peace,
the poor man…How I would like
a Church which is poor and for the
poor.”
Continuing ecumenical dialogue
and Year of Faith
The new shepherd of 1.2
billion Catholics also met with
other religious leaders including
the delegates of the Orthodox
Churches, the Oriental Orthodox
Churches,
and
Ecclesial
Communities of the West in the
Clementine Hall of St. Peter’s
Basilica last March 20.
Pope Francis extended his
friendship to the churches and
Christian communities present in
the gathering and also asked them
to offer a special prayer for him to
be a “pastor according to the heart
of Christ.”
“The Catholic Church is
aware of the importance of the
promotion of friendship and
respect between men and women
of different religious traditions,”
he said. “We know how much
violence has been provoked in
recent history by the attempt to
eliminate God and the divine from
the horizon of humanity, and we
feel the need to witness in our
societies the original openness to
transcendence that is inherent in
the human heart.”
The Pope also expressed
his prayers for the unity of all
believers in Jesus Christ and
respect between people belonging
to different religious traditions.
“For my part, I wish to assure,
in the wake of my predecessors, the
firm wish to continue on the path of
ecumenical dialogue,” he said. “I
begin my Apostolic Ministry in this
year during which my venerable
predecessor, Benedict XVI, with
true inspiration, proclaimed the
Year of Faith for the Catholic
Church. With this initiative, that I
wish to continue and which I hope
will be an inspiration for every
one’s journey of faith.”
His Holiness Pope Francis reflected on the importance of service in the life of a pope during his
inaugural mass last March 19.
Photo courtesy of GOOGLE IMAGES
Supreme Court halts
RH law for 120 days
THE SUPREME Court (SC) issued a 120-day
status quo ante order on the implementation of
the Republic Act No. 10354 or the Reproductive
Health (RH) law last March 19.
In a report released by the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) online
news service, Fr. Melvin Castro, executive
secretary of the CBCP-Commission on Family
and Life, said the order was an answer to the
prayers of the Church.
“The high court has listened to our prayers
against any law that’s questionable and which,
according to the Constitution, should not be
implemented,” Castro said.
With a vote of 10-5 in issuing the status quo
ante order, the SC halted the implementation of
the RH law for 120 days, or four months.
Oral arguments were set on June 18.
Gracelyn A. Simon with reports from
CBCP news
Bacolod diocese campaigns
versus ‘Team Patay’
THE BACOLOD diocese is leading the campaign
against the senatorial and party-list candidates who
had voted in favor of the reproductive health (RH) law.
“Conscience Vote” tarpaulins were posted on the
façade of San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City,
Negros Occidental, listing the pro-RH candidates
under “Team Patay.”
This refers to the RH law as promoting a “culture
of death” with the distribution of contraceptive
supplies and population control.
With a large ‘X’ mark in the right corner, the
tarpaulins listed senatorial hopefuls in Team Patay as
follows: Juan Edgardo Angara, Teddy Casiño, Alan
Peter Cayetano, Jack Enrile, Francis Escudero, Risa
Hontiveros and Loren Legarda. Party-list groups
included are Gabriela, Akbayan, Bayan Muna, and
Anak Pawis.
Meanwhile, “Team Buhay,” is composed of
Joseph Victor “JV” Estrada, Gregorio Honasan, Mitos
Magsaysay, Koko Pimentel III, Antonio Trillanes and
Cynthia Villar. Party-list groups included in Team
Buhay are Buhay and Ang Pamilya.
Fr. Ronaldo Quijano, family and life director
of the Bacolod diocese, clarified in a news report of
the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP) online news service that the campaign
does not only reflect the stand of Bacolod Bishop
Vicente Navarra, but also of the lay faithful. Denise
Pauline P. Purugganan with reports from
CBCP news and Yahoo! NewS
4 Opinion The
Varsitarian APRIL 8, 2013
Editorial
Reject RH candidates,
imperialist stooges; vote
pro-life, vote pro-Filipino
THE DIOCESE of Bacolod and the Archdiocese of
Lingayen-Dagupan have shown contrasting though
not necessarily conflicting approaches to the May 13
elections. While Bacolod has outrightly identified
for the Catholic faithful all those who voted for
and against the Reproductive Health law last year,
urging Catholic voters to reject the former and
accept the latter, Lingayen-Dagupan has stopped
short of naming names, merely coming up with
general prescriptions of what a wise and correct vote
could be, with emphasis of course on the Church’s
pro-life, natural-law advocacy.
Anti-church groups have been quick to poohpooh the two approaches; but their noisy criticism
should indicate their insecurity of an emerging
conscience vote against those who had pressed for
the divisive vote on the RH bill, such as the stalwarts
of the Aquino administration, whose cacique cabeza
is himself not immune from resorting to pork barrel,
dynasticism, and the worst practices of old politics
to get his spoiled-brat way.
In stark contrast to the cynicism and
carpetbaggery of the Aquino administration and
Congress, the Catholic Church has taken the
high road, urging that conscience and conviction
should govern public policy and election. Even if
they basically differ on the issue of endorsement,
on naming names, so to speak, the Bacolod and
Lingayen-Dagupan churches essentially agree that
May 13 is a chance for intelligent and morally
correct election against the guns, goons and gold of
traditional politics.
The Diocese of Bacolod displayed a striking,
enormous tarpaulin poster on its cathedral façade,
categorizing Senate candidates into two: “Team
Buhay,” composed of those who opposed the RH bill,
and “Team Patay,” composed of those who rammed
it through the legislative mill. In particular, Bacolod
named six senators whom Negrenses should vote
into office: re-electionist Senators Antonio Trillanes
IV, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel IV, and Gregorio
“Gringo” Honasan; Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar,
San Juan Rep. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito-Estrada,
and Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay.
Critics have urged that the tarpaulin be brought
down, but even the Commission on Elections finds
nothing fundamentally wrong with it, except for
its size which allegedly does not conform to the
prescribed dimensions. Forthwith the Diocese of
Comelec has cut the billboard into two, separating
Team Buhay from Team Patay. Critics who want
the posters pulled down on the bases of alleged
electioneering and disinformation are making a self
Editorial Page 5
The Varsitarian
Founded Jan. 16, 1928
RAFAEL L. ANTONIO
Editor in Chief
BRYLLE B. TABORA
Managing Editor
JAMES BRYAN J. AGUSTIN
Associate Editor
REDEN D. MADRID News Editor
MARIA LUISA A. MAMARADLO Assistant News Editor
JAN EDWARD B. BALLESTEROS Sports Editor
LORENZO LUIGI T. GAYYA Special Reports Editor
rodolfo serafin jerome t. lozada Features Editor
JAN DOMINIC G. LEONES Literary Editor
MARIA ARRA L. PEREZ Patnugot ng Filipino
GERVIE KAY S. ESTELLA Witness Editor
NIGEL BRYANT B. EVANGELISTA Sci-Tech Editor
MARIANNE S. LASTRA Circle Editor
ANGELICA GABRIELLE O. NAVARRO Art Director
SHERWIN MARION T. VARDELEON Photography Editor
News Daphne J. Magturo, Bernadette D. Nicolas,
Nikka Lavinia G. Valenzuela, Cez Mariela Teresa G. Verzosa
Sports Hedrix Ar-ar C. Caballe, Alexis U. Cerado,
Jose Antonio R. Nisay, Carla Patricia S. Perez
Special Reports Kristelle Ann A. Batchelor, Andre Arnold T. Santiago
Features Alfredo N. Mendoza V, Catalina Ricci S. Madarang,
Juan Carlos D. Moreno
Literary Jon Christoffer R. Obice, Sarah Mae Jenna A. Ramos
Filipino Elora Joselle F. Cangco, Jonah Mary T. Mutuc
Witness Denise Pauline P. Purugganan, Gracelyn A. Simon
Science and Technology Altir Christian D. Bonganay, Giuliani Renz G. Paas
Circle John Joseph G. Basijan, Romina Louise C. Cunanan,
Christopher B. Enriquez
Art Karel Daye B. Gascon, Ma. Aurora A. Gonzales
Photography John Paul R. Autor, Jaime T. Campos, John Daniel J. Hirro
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.
Why UST graduates dominate industries
UST is not—and will never
be—a “diploma mill.”
The
recent
“solemn
investitures” in the University
saw 8,000 UST graduates
given the send-off, ready to
face the industry, or what is
ponderously called the “real
world.”
These graduates had
labored and toiled just to get to
the pinnacle of academic life—
graduation.
But UST haters dismiss
the chances of UST graduates
since to them, UST is a secondrate school.
Diploma mill, they say.
In an online forum on the
state of tertiary education in
the Philippines, one user said
that the dismal showing of
graduates in the professional
world may be traced to the
incompetence of schools where
they acquired their education.
People argue that the large
number of graduates in the
University should show that
UST is a diploma mill.
Internet
users
in
community forums define a
“diploma mill” as a “school
which doles out academic
degrees to a whopping
number of graduates who did
not receive good education
People’s prejudice
against UST as a factory
of incompetent graduates
is belied by the
relentless good marks
of the University in state
licensure examinations.
and are not ready to be in the
employment line.”
But UST is not a diploma
mill.
One important matter
that sets UST apart from other
universities in the Philippines
and in the other parts of the
world is its capability to
holistically develop its students.
UST remains true to its promise
of providing Catholic and
world-class education to every
Thomasian, an education which
is at par with the education given
by world-renowned schools.
Some people are blinded by
unfair judgments and they fail to
see that UST is an avenue where
students’ talents are utilized
at maximum levels and the
rigorous academic requirements
set by professors anchor every
Thomasian on the shore of
professional competency.
People’s prejudice against
UST as a factory of incompetent
graduates is belied by the
relentless good marks of the
University in state licensure
examinations.
If UST is really a cog
machine of incompetence, why
does it always dominate the
board exams in architecture,
nursing, civil engineering,
electrical engineering, medicine,
interior design, physical therapy,
pharmacy,
accountancy,
medical technology, chemistry,
chemical engineering and other
disciplines?
How in the world did
incompetence produce seven
topnotchers and more than a
hundred Thomasians in the Top
10 list of state exams for the
2012 alone?
Take it from the Professional
Regulation Commission, which
has always said that UST is the
best-performing private school
in state licensures.
Every board exam would
not be complete without a
Thomasian entering the top 10
list of passers.
The University has never
become lenient in transforming
its stakeholders—its students—
into professional individuals.
“Half-baked”
graduates
from a diploma mill, online
haters say about UST products.
If this is true, why would
around 70 topnotch companies
flock to the University every
year for the annual UST Jobs
Fair? Would top pharmaceutical
firms, engineering offices, and
international banks hire halfbaked graduates?
No. These companies
know how Thomasians work in
the professional arena, and are
awed by the Thomasian marks
of commitment, compassion,
and competence.
To UST Batch 2013, kudos!
You are now set to conquer
the world. May you always be
reminded of your Thomasian
upbringing.
P-Noy should be happy with coed’s suicide
ST. THOMAS Aquinas, the
patron saint of students, probably
is grieving over the death of
Kristel Tejada, a Behavioral
Science freshman of the
University of the Philippines
(UP)-Manila: she committed
suicide allegedly after being
forced to file a leave of absence
due to her inability to pay tuition.
Her university apparently had
strict “no late payment” policy.
I sympathize with the family
and friends who mourn for
Tejada. She was only 16 years
old; she still had a full life ahead
of her.
But it is difficult to
sympathize with opportunists
who may be capitalizing on
the girl’s death to make noise
about the supposed “structural
injustices of the country’s
education system.”
Students from UP Manila,
Diliman, and other schools staged
protests and demonstrations,
demanding justice for the death
of Tejada. Last March 22, a
multisectoral student alliance
based in Diliman had a “black
parade” on Mendiola to lobby for
more accessible education. Some
even called on UP president
Alfredo Pascual to resign.
Polytechnic
University
of the Philippines students,
meanwhile, burned stacked-
It is obvious that these
activists and so-called
defenders of justice do
not care about Tejada;
they merely use her
as an excuse to gain
public sympathy.
up chairs to make their stand
known against tuition hikes and
to sympathize with Tejada. They
protested the lack of state subsidy
for education.
It is obvious that these
activists and so-called defenders
of justice do not care about
Tejada; they merely use her as an
excuse to gain public sympathy
for their cause.
But the impression is that
some people would use the
slightest excuse—in this case,
Tejada’s death—to skip classes
and march to Mendiola, banging
on their empty trash cans (after
all, empty cans make the loudest
noise). You would think that
advocates of free education
would prefer to be in class instead
of shouting at the government
that refuses to listen.
It is true that free, or at least
accessible, education is a right
and a worthy cause to fight for.
But what student activists should
demand is for accountabiliy of
state universities and colleges
(SUC) which, after all, have been
receiving state subsidies while
being allowed to charge tuition
and earn income.
For example, the UP
system has seen its budget
increase through the years
while its Socialized Tuition and
Financial Assistance Program
(STFAP) basically determines
which students need financial
assistance and which should pay.
In some instances, UP charges
tuition equal to that charged by
private schools, generating for
itself some income. If this is the
case, why was Tejada forced to
take a leave from the semester
because she failed to pay tuition?
Obviously UP Manila should
have provided her some relief or
consideration.
Be that as it may, there
is basis for student leaders to
condemn the government for
neglect of education.
In fact, the Aquino
administration should be blamed
for prioritizing free condoms and
contraceptives over books, and
sex education over real education.
It is quite telling that in his
last state of the nation address,
President Aquino
bragged
about increased spending for
education under his watch only to
condescendingly remark later on
that for the backlog in classrooms
and other educational provisions
to end, population control was
needed.
He basically blamed the
ills of education to the poor for
reproducing like rabbits. He was
simply blind to the fact that the
problems of education owed to
mismanagement,
corruption,
and wrong policies, such as UP
Manila's policy of forced leaves
on students who have problems
paying tuiton.
But following his twisted
condescending logic, President
Aquino should be happy. Tejada's
suicide should be one less burden
on his administration in meeting
the backlog in education.
APRIL 8, 2013
Earth Hour: Time now to act
GOOD intentions do not always
result in better ends.
Earth Hour is one of the
most popular, if not the most
hyped,
environment-related
events. The annual occasion,
organized by the World Wide
Fund for Nature (WWF), has
been a global habit since 2008.
It encourages everyone to turn
off their lights for an hour to
inspire the world to act against
the climate change.
Last March 23 (the date of
this year’s Earth Hour), one of
my online friends shared a news
article from The Telegraph
of England dating three years
back. In a nutshell the article
said that there is only a little
or no way that the Earth Hour
is helping the environment.
The experts voiced out their
concerns, saying that though a
switch-off decreases energy use
for a while, it even worsens the
situation as it increases carbon
emissions due to the power
surge that happens at the end of
the 60-minute shutdown.
WWF
defended
the
practice, saying that it is not
really the aim of Earth Hour
to save energy but to raise
But while we affirm
the environment in
speech, we deny
it in deed. Endless
blabbering will not get
us anywhere, but to
perdition.
public awareness about climate
change.
But the managing director
of one British sustainable
lighting company was quoted
in the article saying that WWF
and
other
environmental
agencies might be missing
the point, “rendering all good
intentions useless at the flick of
a switch.”
While we all know that
such short-term events like
Earth Hour cannot solve the
wide-scale problem of global
warming, the problem is that
we let our mouth promise many
things but let our hands do
nothing. We must protect and
preserve nature, we always say,
but advocacies are meaningless
when the so-called “advocates”
do not walk the talk.
For example, students,
while being taught in class
the menace of climate change,
hardly show in their behavior
outside of the classroom
any trace of environmental
consciousness.
Along España Street, one
can see cigarette butts, candy
wrappers, plastics of all sorts,
which have been carelessly
thrown there by students and
adults who should know better.
So was answering the
question, “How can you help
Mother Nature?,” just for the
recitation grade and not out of a
great concern for nature?
It was like the second son
in St. Matthew’s Parable of the
Two Sons, saying yes to his
father but not doing what is
asked of him at all!
We, homo sapiens living in
this planet, know that it is our
responsibility to take care of
our environment so that if we
fail, we doom ourselves.
But while we affirm this
in speech, we deny this in our
deeds. Endless blabbering
and talking will not get us
anywhere, but to perdition.
All
the
hype
and
commercialization of the Earth
Hour may have propelled
people to support the cause.
However, it is clear that WWF
has not yet reached its goal:
to inspire many people to act.
While I still believe in the
power of these consciousnessraising programs, I doubt that
everyone will support the cause
and act on the problem at the
same time.
My favorite novel series
said that “Words are wind,” that
words are nothing unless acted
upon. Actions indeed still speak
louder than words.
The Great Perhaps
“I GO to seek a Great Perhaps.”
Francois Rabelais’ last
words served as an important
viewpoint for Miles Halter,
the main protagonist in John
Green’s bestselling novel
Looking for Alaska. I kept
asking myself on what the
Great Perhaps really is,
immersing myself into wishful
thinking that I could somehow
find a way to relate this mindset
to the current state of cultural
preservation in our country.
Funnily enough, I did.
When the news broke out
that the Philam Life Theater
was to be demolished and
replaced with a shopping
mall by the SM Development
Corporation,
cultural
enthusiasts were prompted to
file an online petition to save
the famous theater. Thankfully,
SMDC revoked its initial
plans and agreed to preserve
Philam Life Theater with all its
elements and acoustics.
Other significant cultural
sites were not as lucky as the
Editorial
FROM PAGE 4
serving call. The cathedral is
private property. Moreover,
any unreasonable demand by
the Comelec on the Bacolod
diocese violates the separation
of church and state.
Detractors should also
contend with the moral
authority of the Bacolod
church. This is a church that
has a history of social activism.
In the 1970’s and the 1980’s,
the Diocese of Bacolod fought
for social justice and the socioeconomic amelioration of the
sacadas or sugar workers.
The rector of the cathedral
who had the tarpaulin put up
is Monsignor Bert Pasquin,
who was spokesman of the
late Bishop Antonio Fortich,
who had been nominated for
the Nobel Peace Prize for his
advocacy of social justice
and agrarian reform. The
incumbent bishop, Monsignor
Vicente Navarra, used to
be bishop of the Diocese of
Kabankalan, also in Negros
Oriental, during which he
had criticized the overkill
military offensives against the
communists that had resulted
in an overflow of refugees, to
whom he provided refuge in
Will we be able to find
solutions to save the
seemingly hopeless
and lost cause of
cultural redemption?
Or should we settle for
plain procrastination?
Philam Life Theater, though.
Alumnus Dominic Rubio
often paints as his subject the
grandeur of Old Manila. What
is seen in his paintings—
imposing buildings, stunning
stone pavements, residents
donning Filipinianas—seem
to present a fictitious picture
when you see the actual
depiction of Manila today.
Imposing slums, stunning
flooded walkways, residents
donning almost nothing at
all—this is the real Manila.
A friend told me of his
experience during a family trip
in Agoo, La Union, in which
he was shocked to learn that
Museo Iloko, a heritage house
in the town proper, was being
turned into a fastfood outlet.
Museo Iloko, an example of
the architectural style during
the American colonization,
was clad with scaffolds
and
building
equipment.
Insultingly, a taurpalin saying
“Soon to open” was mounted
just above the museum’s
name. This was a year ago; the
current state of the museum
his churches.
The history of the Negros
church should indicate that its
pro-life advocacy dovetails
with its sterling record of
fighting for human rights and
social justice. The pro-life
vote is not a reductionist vote.
There is no reductionism
either in the pastoral statement
of
Lingayen-Dagupan
Archbishop Socrates Villegas.
Eschewing directly endorsing
candidates, Villegas says
the Church “must guide,
not dictate.” Just the same,
he urges voters to reject
candidates who “cannot
declare a categorical and
clear NO to divorce, abortion,
euthanasia, total birth control
and homosexual marriages,”
or what he calls “D.E.A.T.H
issues.”
He also urged
rejection of candidates who
have been linked to drug
trade or drug use, or have
received money from illegal
gambling;
who
support
black sand mining or tolerate
“irresponsible quarrying or
illegal fish pens”; who have
been convicted of criminal
offense; who have “not done
anything to uplift the plight
of the poor”; who buy votes;
who are corrupt or have a
record of corruption; who are
“unfaithful” to their spouses
and children (“Corruption
begins at home,” the good
bishop says; Amen to that);
and who practice dynastic
politics or nepotism.
The Varsitarian supports
the approaches of the highly
respected churches of Negros
and Pangasinan. Both tacks
differ in tactic but not in spirit.
They should show that the
Catholic vote is a conscience
vote.
Wikileaks
In a way, although their
respective approaches to
the May 13 elections differ
slightly, the Bacolod and
Lingayen-Dagupan churches
join the same crusade against
electing candidates who voted
for the RH law amid warnings
that the measure kowtows to
imperialist designs and the
reductionist gender politics
of liberal capitalism, and
that it is basically anti-poor
or that it betrays bourgeois
condescension toward the
poor.
The imperialist roots of
RH have been dramatically
revealed again lately with
the release by the Wikileaks
website of confidential United
States Department of State
electronic mails showing
behind-the-scene efforts by
the Americans to impose
population control on the
is unknown to us both. How
easy it was, he thought, for a
heritage home to be turned into
a fastfood branch. How easy
it was for the government to
readily accept propositions
by private companies to build
over important showcases of
Philippine history ad heritage.
What is the Great Perhaps
in the cultural preservation in
the Philippines? Will we be
able to find solutions to save
the seemingly hopeless and lost
cause of cultural redemption?
Or should we settle for plain
procrastination?
Cultural awareness cannot
be etched into the Filipino mind
overnight, but there still goes
my wishful thinking that one
day soon the typical Filipino
would be able to differentiate
say, for example, the works of
Amorsolo from those of Luna.
But then, as Miles Halter
had thought as he dealt
with Alaska’s eccentricity,
“Imagining the future is a kind
of nostalgia.”
Philippines and undermine
the opposition of the Catholic
church to contraception and
abortion. The leaked mails
date to the 1970’s when US
national security adviser and
later state secretary Henry
Kissinger was giving the
finishing touches to what
would emerge as the national
security ideology, in which
every issue—food, health,
population—is
interpreted
within the blinders of state
security; this makes national
security the Stalinism of the
West.
It is not surprising
that rightists and leftists
basically found themselves
on the same stable during
the RH campaign. Suddenly,
Marxists
and
Marxists
kuno
abandoned
their
philosophical founders, Marx
and Engels, who opposed
birth control because it was
false consciousness, the
wrong solution to the poverty
and injustice suffered by
the proletariat. It is not
surprising that during the
RH vote in Congress, some
representatives and senators
cited population control as a
national security issue. They
betrayed their neocolonial
mindset. In a manner of
speaking, the RH law was
passed by imperialist stooges.
The
Varsitarian Opinion
5
Special focus
on special children
ALBERT Einstein said, “Everyone
is a genius. But if you judge a fish on
its ability to climb a tree, it will live
its whole life believing it is stupid.”
My brother Luke* was born
healthy and perfect, but as he
was growing up, it seemed that
something was wrong with him. The
first thing my parents noticed was
his speech delay. At the age of two
he would not speak and wouldn’t
communicate even in a non-verbal
way; he was even incapable of eye
contact. His gestures include a lot of
hand flapping and head banging. Whenever Luke sees a man
wearing eyeglasses, he would run to him and demand to be
carried (this may root from the absence of my father who was
then working overseas). In short, he lived in his own little
world no one could understand or penetrate.
My parents decided to consult a specialist regarding
my brother’s condition. Luke was diagnosed with a clinical
impression of pervasive developmental disorder, otherwise
known as autism.
It was very hard for my parents, especially my mother
who received the results alone because my father was then
working abroad.
An intervention had to be made. The specialist referred
my parents to a child psychiatrist, who then recommended
a special school for my brother. Word had it that getting in
was very hard since the school was small and had limited
facilities. Lucky enough, Luke was accommodated and after
a few sessions he showed great improvements. He started to
respond and socialize a bit.
After five years, Luke was brought back for another
This just proves that having a
special child doesn’t mean you
have to restrict his capabilities
with what his condition dictates.
It’s just a matter of support, early
intervention and right push.
consultation. This time, the diagnosis showed he had
slightly improved in social interaction. But he still exhibited
characteristics of autistic spectrum disorder.
It was around this time that we had to move to a new
home and my father was unemployed; he had given up his
job to be with us, especially to provide moral support for
Luke.
Fortunately, there was a special education (Sped) school
near the neighborhood. Here, Luke started to gain academic
excellence. But then it seems the facilities were not enough.
My parents believed Luke could improve more, so he was
transferred to another Sped school which offered more
services suited to his condition. True enough, his progress
was so great that he was recommended to enter a regular
school.
It was a big and intimidating step that had to be taken
for his benefit.
He was accommodated in a regular school and was
treated like a normal student. He complied with his academics
and even had extra-curricular activities such as taekwondo,
pageant contests and even speech choirs. But the best part is
that he learned to become independent.
It was inevitable that there are people who were unaware
of his condition. Luke was bullied, but he fought back. With
this, he was able to survive high school and eventually he
graduated last April 5.
It doesn’t end there. Luke’s next big step is to enter
college. After taking a psychoeducational evaluation, a Sped
diagnostician said he is not capable and would be difficult
for him to get a college degree. But this did not discourage
my parents for finding ways for him to get one. Fortunately,
there is a school which caters to students like him and
gives a special program wherein they may have a chance to
experience college.
This just proves that having a special child doesn’t mean
you have to restrict his capabilities with what his condition
dictates. It’s just a matter of support, early intervention and
right push.
I see a lot of kids (or sometimes adults) who have
special needs like my brother and I can’t help but think of
their future—whether they have a direction in life or whether
they would be stuck in their condition and just depend on
their families or caretakers.
The government claims to prioritize the education
sector and yet the situation of special children is not really
addressed. Yes, there are a lot of Sped schools and trained
teachers in the country but their services are limited for those
who can afford the high expenses.
After K-12, I think it’s time to create a program that
will cater to the less fortunate ones. Parents should also band
together to raise public awareness about special children and
their needs.
Special children are not special because of their
disabilities. They are special because they are meant to
achieve great things despite their limitations.
*Name was changed to protect the privacy of the individual.
6 Special Reports The
Varsitarian APRIL 8, 2013
Editor: Lorenzo Luigi T. Gayya
DPWH proposes España underpass
UST’S OPPOSITION to the
planned flyover project on
Lacson Avenue has prompted
the Department of Public Works
and Highways (DPWH) to
consider building an underpass
instead.
Project Engineer Rito
Badillo confirmed this, saying
DPWH Secretary Rogelio
Singson is now proposing to
build an underpass instead of
a flyover on Lacson, following
a meeting with Rector Fr.
Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. last
year.
The underpass will run
through España Boulevard, with
the objective of declogging the
busy intersection of España
and Lacson. This was the
solution used to decongest the
intersection of Quezon and
Araneta avenues in Quezon City,
near Sto. Domingo Church.
The proposed flyover
is being contested by the
University and urban planning
experts, who claim the project
would result in urban decay.
‘Double purpose’
Enrique Sta. Maria, inhouse architect of the Facilities
and Management Office, said
in a previous interview that an
underground passage would be
the better alternative, except that
the Sampaloc area is prone to
flashfloods.
But Badillo said an
underpass could serve a double
purpose—an alternative road
and at the same time a catch
basin for rainwater.
“The underpass might
also be used as a catch basin
for rainwater to prevent
flooding in the area,” he told
the Varsitarian in an interview.
“The rainwater would then be
pumped out afterwards.”
Badillo, however, said the
underpass proposal still needed
to undergo several revisions,
and that the construction of the
flyover would push through.
UST says no to flyover
Dagohoy said he remains
opposed to the multi-million
flyover project of the DPWH.
Like his predecessor, Fr.
Rolando de la Rosa, O.P. who
went public with his opposition
to the DPWH plan, Dagohoy
believes it would disrupt classes
and pose risks to UST Hospital
patients.
Noise from vehicles on the
flyover—expected to be 1,400
meters in length—will disrupt
operations of colleges at the
Albertus Magnus and Roque
Ruaño buildings and affect the
flow of vehicles, especially
ambulances going to and from
the hospital, he said.
“UST has already made
its opposition to the flyover
project clear,” Dagohoy told the
Varsitarian.
‘Stuck in a rut’
But the flyover project,
initially expected to be
completed this year, seems to
be stuck in the road-widening
phase.
Danilo Idos, DPWHUrban Roads and Planning
Office director, said they still
have to work on the drainage
system and tree-cutting before
the actual road widening.
The DPWH has yet to
obtain a tree-cutting permit from
the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources, he said.
The government is also
planning to construct the Metro
Rail Transit Line 9 on España
Boulevard,
which
would
supposedly pass underneath the
Lacson flyover.
Mixed reactions
A 2004 study conducted by
the DPWH on the intersection of
España Boulevard and Lacson
Avenue showed that the level of
service in the area was already
at category “F,” or the “worst
condition” in engineering terms.
To alleviate traffic, DPWH
proposed a P900-million fourlane flyover, starting at the
Lacson-Dapitan
intersection
and ending at Jhocson Street
near España.
Jeers greeted the flyover
plan.
Architects and urban
planning experts have labeled
it a “band-aid” solution to the
traffic problem that would
also “dehumanize” the city
landscape.
Cutting of trees on
Lacson Avenue will also bring
environmental hazards to the
University, such as bigger
flooding and intensified heat.
Seasoned
Thomasian
architect Felino Palafox Jr. said
that while the flyover would
relieve traffic congestion at the
intersection, it would also divide
communities and immediate
surroundings, yielding more
traffic, noise, and air polution.
“Build more flyovers in
the city and it will attract more
cars,” Palafox said. “Why not
improve sidewalks and public
transport instead?”
De la Rosa had pointed to
UST’s national heritage which,
he said, should be enough
reason to protect the University
and its surroundings from urban
decay.
In 2010, the National
Museum declared four UST
sites—the Main Building,
Central Seminary, Arch of the
Centuries and the University
open grounds—as National
Cultural
Treasures.
Last
year, the National Historical
Commission of the Philippines
(NHCP) declared the whole
campus a National Historical
Landmark.
However, NHCP itself
does not seem to be keen on
supporting UST’s crusade
versus the flyover.
NHCP
Historic
Preservation Division Chief
Wilkie Delumen said the
historicity of the campus
would not be lessened by the
construction of a flyover.
“We should address the
present needs. The flyover
does not violate any guidelines
for the conservation and
development of heritage zones,”
he said. Andre Arnold T.
Santiago
NATIONAL TREASURES. Four UST landmarks—Main Building, Central Seminary, UST open grounds and Arch of the Centuries—were declared National Cultural Treasures by the National Museum in 2010. A
year after, the whole campus was declared a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
FILE PHOTOS
Historian backs Sulu sultan’s claim to Sabah
A UST historian has backed the Sultanate
of Sulu’s claim to the resource-rich Sabah
territory, in the aftermath of the Lahad Datu
standoff between sultanate and Malaysian
forces that killed 68 people from both sides as
well as civilians.
Department of History Chairman Augusto
De Viana said Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III
had every right to press his claim to Sabah,
the northern part of Borneo Island that is a
federated state of Malaysia.
“He is only fighting for his proprietary
rights,” he said. “The fact that Malaysia is
paying Kiram every year should be enough
proof that his claim is valid.”
Among the sultans of Southeast Asia,
Kiram is probably the poorest, De Viana said.
“Kiram should at least receive a respectable
pension for Sabah,” he said.
Cession fee
Malaysia pays nearly P70,000 in fees to
the
Sultanate
of Sulu every
year under
a disputed
l e a s e
inherited
b
y
Malaysians, following independence from
British colonizers. The Sulu sultan’s claim
hinges on the assertion that Malaysia is only
renting the land.
But the Malaysian government calls the
yearly payment a “cession fee,” not a rental.
Cession, in international law, refers to the
transfer of property to another entity under a
treaty.
A spokesman for the sultanate, Abraham
Idjirani, said in a press conference last March
8 that the Malay term “padjak” was used in the
1878 contract between the Sultanate of Sulu and
the British North Borneo Company. The term,
written in Arabic characters and is also used in
the Tausug dialect, means lease, according to
Bahasa Malay experts.
Idjirani said the yearly payment cannot
be considered a cession fee because it is
continuously being paid. “If it is
cession money, why are they still
paying the heirs up to now?” Idjirani
asked.
De Viana said the term
simply meant a lease and not
t h e
total transfer of
ownership to
the
Malaysians.
Tension between the Philippines and
Malaysia escalated following the attack by
Kiram’s forces in Lahad Datu, Sabah last
February. The Sulu sultan deployed around 300
men to Sabah to assert his ancestral claim to the
eastern Malaysian territory, and to establish a
settlement.
Kiram claimed the Philippine government’s
indifference toward the issue prompted him to
act on his own. But President Benigno Aquino
III criticized the Sultan, saying a dialogue was
more effective than force.
In 1658, Sabah went into the hands of the
sultan of Sulu, as reward for helping the sultan
of Brunei suppress a rebellion.
The dispute dates back to 1876. Sabah was
put up for lease out of desperation to British
Alfred Dent, De Viana said, adding that it served
as a saving measure for the sultan of Sulu.
“When the Federation of Malaysia was
created in 1963, the Sabahans allegedly
lobbied to be part of Malaysia,” De Viana
said.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk
Seri Anifah Aman has asserted that the
United Nations recognizes Sabah as part
of Malaysian territory.
Hands tied?
In 1947, then future president Diosdado
Macapagal flew to London to oversee the
turnover of the Turtle Islands in Tawi-Tawi
to the Philippines from Great
Britain, under the 1763
Treaty of Paris.
According
to
De Viana, Macapagal
researched at the Library of
London, where he discovered
documents supporting the Philippine claim to
Sabah. This pushed Macapagal to revive the
country’s historic claim to the territory.
But
President
Ferdinand
Marcos
supposedly had a different plan—to invade
Sabah under the top-secret plan called
“Operation Merdeka.” Angered, the Malaysians
started aiding the rebel group Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) of Nur Misuari.
The claim became inactive when Corazon
Aquino became president, supposedly due
to her friendly relationship with Malaysian
premier Mahathir Mohamad. Mahathir is said
to have supported the late senator Benigno
Aquino, Jr., Corazon’s slain husband and father
and namesake of the incumbent president.
Moreover, Malaysia brokered the
Bangsamoro peace deal between the Philippine
government and the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF) last year. This was opposed by
the MNLF, which raised speculation that it
was behind Kiram’s actions. MNLF’s Misuari
denied this, however.
Kiram is also complaining of his
exclusion from peace talks with the MILF,
pointing out that the government had ignored
his representations. Kiram’s brother wrote to
President Aquino before the latter took office in
2010, seeking to join the peace talks.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
Secretary Albert del Rosario admitted last
March that the letter was misplaced in his office.
“On the issue of the missing letter written
by Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram to the
President days before the President took his oath
in June 2010, that letter has been found with the
DFA. The Secretary is taking full responsibility
for the oversight,” said the DFA in a statement.
Kristelle Ann A. Batchelor
Editor: Rodolfo Serafin Jerome T. Lozada
APRIL 8, 2012
The
Donnabel Kuizon-Cruz
A Thomasian petrol chemist
By ALFREDO N. MENDOZA V
and JUAN CARLOS D. MORENO
BEHIND the fuel that revs up your engine is a fullthrottled Thomasian chemist.
Serving for more than a decade at Shell
Philippines Exploration B.V., Donnabel KuizonCruz had always been in love with science.
“Before, I used to write on slum books what I
wanted to become. What I always put on mine is to
be a computer scientist or just a plain scientist for
that matter,” she said.
“I also considered taking up Psychology,
because my original plan was to proceed to
Medicine right after graduation. However, I
wanted something more hands-on and challenging,
to solve solutions and create formulas.”
And like every scientist who works
independently, Cruz has carried within her a
distinct personality she grew up with.
“I think I have been blessed with the skills
to deal with people, to know what makes them
tick, to know how they interact; and that’s when
you know how to activate people in order to do
something. I am a mix of things now, a vocal
person, a scientist, a leader,” said Cruz, who
graduated magna cum laude and was the batch
valedictorian of the College of Science in 2000.
Serving at the Production Services Lead
Department of Shell, Cruz continues to implore
scientific disciplines in leading her team with
utmost excellence.
“At first, you become an individual
contributor. But as you progress, you become
more of a leader, working with groups and people.
Every detail comes to importance because an
action might mean more on a macro scale,” she
said.
Working with a smile
Cruz started in Shell as a generalist
technologist—a role with no clear specialization.
Eventually, her scientific prowess and love
for number crunching landed her to a higher
position as an “Energy, Loss and Benchmarking
technologist” wherein she inspects and
benchmarks the performance of the sectors of the
Batangas Shell Refinery, which she then reports
to the management of the refinery and to the top
honchos of Shell Philippines.
“I take the roles of an inspector, an
analyst and a statistician and also, I look at the
other performance factors of the refinery. By
performance I mean the efficiency of the refinery
like the number of barrels produced per day,” Cruz
said.
But what Cruz is known for by most of her
peers and co-workers is her constant longing for
a more hands-on experience at work, along with
being sweet, cheerful, energetic and extremely
kind.
“As much as possible, I do not order the
members of my department to do the job; as much
as possible, I volunteer to get the job done handson,” said Cruz.
The kind of work that Cruz occupies demands
a high sense of discipline and strict compliance to
life-saving rules and protocols inside the refinery.
It helped that she joined the BPI Management
Training Program.
“After studying for the boards, out of
curiosity, I joined the BPI Management Training
program which was six to 12 months, training me
at the banking industry,” said Cruz.
“It was very far to the discipline I have
studied—BS Chemistry; but I learned to respect
protocols and to be more disciplined; this I still
apply to my work today.”
Highflying student
Just like any other college student, Donna
had problems with school work and social life.
Nonetheless, she found a way to cater to her social
circle without putting her academics at stake.
“I used to live in a dorm and peer pressure
is always there. My friends would always ask me
to watch movies with them. The problem is, when
you’re in the College of Science, you need to study
every day,” she said. “It’s as if you have no time
for study but you need to provide time for your
friends and the soft side of yourself.”
In her younger years, Donna had a unique
personality, but then she changed this when she
stepped into high school.
“When I was in Grade Five I tend to bully
other people, I kept a dominant personality. I
think before I was insensitive to my peers. Then I
learned that to be happy, to be accepted, you need
to be very simple, and that’s when I learned to
become a leader in high school,” said Cruz.
The road for her in college brought a lot of
tracks that lead to a well-rounded Donna. She
proved that no amount of extra-academic work
can overshadow a good scholastic performance.
“There were so many things that I was
involved in Chemistry. I became the president
of the UST Chemical Society. Though I didn’t
experience any academic hindrances because I
managed my time fluidly, you need to manage
your time and follow it to the letter,” she said.
“That’s the way we learn, and we learn to become
stronger.”
Coming from a middle-class family, issues
on finances lingered with the young Donna in
college. But the bright mind she possessed earned
her scholarships from the different schools she has
been in.
“Being the high school valedictorian, UST
granted me a scholarship. The Department
of Science and Technology also offered me
a scholarship which gave me a stipend worth
P2,000,” said the September 2000 Chemist board
exams topnotcher.
“I have high ambitions for myself. I’ve
always felt that God gave me talents and God
gave me the opportunity to contribute and make a
difference in the world,” she said. “And to do that,
I really need to exert effort and aim something not
mediocre.”
But the mounting success and glory she built
in her formation years humbled this woman even
more.
“I don’t compete with people. I don’t
care if there is someone better than me. People
have different paces. What
I
care
more is how I did before
and
topping it every time,”
she said.
A family woman
A
33-yearold mother of two,
Donna makes it a
point to always have
time for her family. Her
fluid time management
skill,
which
she
learned in college,
was vital to her
orderly plans.
D o n n a ’s
strongest
motivation
d u r i n g
college
years was
her parents,
and how
she must
w o r k
hard for
them.
“First
of all I
really wanted
Varsitarian Features
7
‘I think I have been
blessed with the skills to
deal with people, to know
what makes them tick, to
know how they interact;
and that’s when you know
how to activate people in
order to do something.’
to dedicate all my achievements to my parents,”
said Cruz, who was also a recipient of the Rector’s
Award of UST in 2000.
“I grew up in Southern Leyte. My parents
really need to work hard to help me and my sister
study here in Manila. I really wanted to give back
to my parents for all the hard labor that’s why I
promised to really shine.”
Also highly religious in nature, Donna never
forgets that everything that God has given to her is
part of a greater plan; a plan that she believes to be
a part of a greater and more important plan.
“All of us are given this task to create a better
world in our only life; that is why I believe that
whatever happens to all of us is all part of God’s
plan.”
For more than a decade, this
chemistry damsel has been on
the forefront of an industry that puts
muscle and speed above everything else. JAIME T. CAMPOS
Togas and medals: Emblems of the scholastic
By CATALINA RICCI S. MADARANG
FOR MOST Thomasian graduates, walking out of the Arch of
the Centuries is the culmination of University life. But it’s the
dream of every student to leave the portals of the University
bearing a Latin honor as testament to his or her scholastic
achievement.
Today, the Latin honors—cum laude,
magna cum laude and summa cum laude—
are awarded to students who have obtained
general weighted averages of 1.46-1.75,
1.21-1.45, and 1.00-1.20, respectively.
UST was one of the first educational
institutions in Asia to adopt the European
system of academic honors, under
the influence of Spaniards. Augusto
de Viana, chairperson of the History
department, said the Spanish colonial
education system required students to write
a thesis to earn a degree.
Back then, Latin honors were called
meritus (merit), bene meritus (good merit), and
meritissimus (highest merit). They were conferred
on students who had successfully defended their theses or
dissertations before a tribunal of professors.
“UST was the only institution that had the right to give
degrees,” De Viana said.
A panel would decide on the merits of a student’s work by
marking cards known as ficha. The letter M indicated that the
dissertation or thesis had earned a meritissimus. If all ficha
were marked with the same letter, the candidate for
graduation was deemed excellent.
“During the time of
Rizal, we had what was called
sobresaliente, or excellent,
and there were others such as
saliente and notable. These were
also honors,” De Viana said.
De Viana said receiving Latin
honors signified that a student rose
above the rest of the graduates. “Economicwise, you are the one who would be hired, [not] the
student who just earned a passing mark. Because you’re
an excellent student, people will expect a lot from you.
They value your opinion and your expertise,” he said.
The three ‘laudes’
The conferment of Latin honors known today
started in the American period, during graduation
ceremonies as practiced in the West. But
historians are still disputing when the
awarding of the three “laudes” exactly
began in the Philippines.
Harvard College was the first
university in the United States to
bestow such honors in 1869. In
1880, top graduates of Harvard
received all three Latin honors now
adopted all over the world.
UST is the only higher education
institution in Asia that still bestows the former
Latin titles. The UST Graduate School and Faculty
of Civil Law still confer meritus, bene meritus and
meritissimus on students with exceptional dissertations
and theses.
“It came as a matter of course in view of the
natural and logical tendency to publicly honor
the best students during graduation. It is a
practice patterned after law schools' graduation
ceremonies in European countries,” Civil Law
Dean Nilo Divina said in an interview.
In UST, however, graduations
are called solemn investitures
or commencement exercises.
“We do not want to say
graduation because it
means you’re done. It’s
actually the beginning,”
De Viana said.
This is the reason
first-year students are called
freshmen, because they are
new to the University, he said.
Meanwhile, a sophomore (from
the Latin words sophos or wisdom and moros
or dumb) is supposed to be in the middle, and
presumed to be better than a freshman.
“When you’re a junior, you’re nearing
the top. You’re on your way. When you reach
fourth year, you’re already at the pedestal,
you’re almost finished,” De Viana said.
The baccalaureate ceremony itself is said to have
originated from the 1432 Oxford Statute, where each
bachelor who wanted to receive a degree was required to
deliver a speech in Latin.
The baccalaureate, from the Latin words bacca and
lauri or “a bachelor with laurels,” was the culminating
part where awards such as the Latin honors and the
degrees were given.
Other historians say the ceremony was derived from
the medieval European custom of vesting apprentices or
knights with titles to elevate their positions after the completion
of training or a task. This system of promotion is equivalent to
the awarding of degrees today.
In a unique UST tradition, Thomasians exit the Arch of the
Centuries to signify the opening of doors to a new life outside
the University.
“When you entered, you didn’t know anything, but
as you continued to stay, you became wiser,” De
Viana said. “When you go out of the portal, not
necessarily the Arch of the Centuries, it means
you are ready to face the world because the
University has already equipped you with
the skills and knowledge and hopefully,
wisdom.”
The toga
The academic dress and cap of
graduates also trace their origins to
medieval Europe. The graduation cap or
hat, which was often square and hard, is said
to have been used in Oxford University in the
16th century. The academic dress or gown was first
worn in the 12th or 13th centuries.
The transfer of tassels from left to right means a
“transition from a mere student to a graduate,” De Viana said.
8
Editor: Marianne S. Lastra
3 artists don't
take lightly
subject of light
By ROMINA LOUISE C. CUNANAN
GLASS sculptor Ramon Orlina, bronze artist Michael
Cacnio and abstract painter Carlo Magno make their
take on the effervescent subject of light in the Lumina
exhibit on Jan. 24 to Feb. 9 at Galleria Nicolas in
Makati.
Orlina, a graduate of BS Architecture from UST,
once again showed his unparalleled brilliance in
capturing light in his celebrated sculptures.
Glass sculpture is a challenging craft. Through
illumination and shadowing, the artist gives birth to
masterpieces.
In this exhibit, he showcased his latest ploy on
amber crystal highlighted by his mastery of light.
Carved in green glass, “The Archer” conveys an
abstract figure of an archer through its extreme angular
dimensions.
“All Together Now,” sculpted in moss green glass,
presents a myriad of angles interconnected in the
middle as if united by a single point of origin.
In “Sunrise in El Nido II,” Orlina portrayed a
figurative representation of a sunrise over the horizons
of El Nido in Palawan through the lights bouncing on
the amber crystal medium.
Meanwhile, Cacnio focused on bronze and
illuminated portions of his sculptures to endow them
an ethereal glow.
“Meditation” shows a human figure sitting crossedlegged as if almost in the brink of enlightenment, with a
blue light reflecting from within.
Abstractionist Magno, on the other hand, evoked
light in his canvases through an interplay of colors and
lines.
His oil-on-canvas “Lilac, Passages, and Undertone”
showed a multitude of vertical lines in various colors.
Among the three, Orlina is the master of light for
his glass sculptures.
The artist behind the QuattroMondial monument
for the University’s 400th anniversary in 2011, Orlina
was the first to carve figures out of glass blocks using
methods such as cutting and grinding through the use
of improvised instruments.
Orlina was awarded the Mr. F Prize in the 1999
Toyamura International Sculpture Biennale in Japan.
In 2000, he won the the grand prize for sculpture in
the II International Biennale of Basketball in the Fine
Arts in Spain.
CIRCLE
The
9
Varsitarian APRIL 8, 2012
Commercial programs dominate USTv awards
Conservatory pays homage to alumni
THE 29th edition of the Sampung Mga Daliri Atbp. concert
last Feb. 28 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)
paid tribute to Conservatory of Music dean Erlinda Fule,
who died last Dec. 13 of multiple organ failure. She was
79 years old.
The annual concert again saw 10 grand pianos on the
stage of the CCP where UST alumni pianists and musicians
interacting.
Fule served the Conservatory for almost 50 years,
teaching piano and history. She served as dean from 1992
to 2002.
Oldtimers called her "the mother of the Conservatory."
She was responsible for reorganizing the UST
Symphony Orchestra, UST Symphonic band and UST
Summer Music Camp.
She helped establish the Music Education degree
program and UST Brass Quintet.
It was also during her deanship that the Conservatory
achieved Center for Excellence status.
She was also appointed by the Philippine government
to the CCP Board of Trustees, during which time the UST
Symphony Orchestra achieved resident status in the CCP
in 1998.
Classic composers
The program featured music from classic composers such as
Gonoud, Tschaikovsky, De Falla, Rachmaninoff, Verdi, Wagner
and Schoenberg.
The 10 grand pianos harmoniously blended with the UST
Guitar Ensemble in “Les Toreados Danzas Ritual del Fuego.”
The “Patriotic Medley” was played by 20 student pianists.
Meanwhile, 10 student pianists performed the “Waltz of the
Flowers.”
Michael Jacinto was joined by the UST Wind Orchestra in
performing the Waltz from Faust. A suite from Les Miserables
was performed by Paul Cifra and the Popera Chorus.
There were also performances by the UST Jazz Band,
USTeMundo, Rondalla ensemble and USTCM Voice Faculty.
In one of the crowd-pleasing performances, the classic
Waltz from Rachmaninoff Suite was renovated as a musical
arrangement to include the Philippine pop novelty song,
“Cha!Cha! Dabarkads,” and the viral hit of Korean pop star Psy,
“Gangnam Style,” an electronic music piece.
The Conservatory sealed the event with performances of
“Sanctus” (from Manzoni Requiem), “One Day More” (Les
Miserables), and “Wach Auf Chorale” (Die Meistersinger
von N mberg).
Tribute to Thomasians
Earlier, the annual Tribute to Thomasians concert was
mounted also in the CCP last Feb. 10.
Conducted by Herminigildo Ranera, the UST
Symphony Orchestra tackled works by Verdi, Forsyth,
Romberg, Puccini and Beethoven
Featured artists were Joy Allan de la Cruz on viola;
Jun Francis Jaranilla on bass; and tenors Lemuel dela Cruz,
Randy Gilongo, and Ronan Ferrer.
The repertoire included “Overture to Nabucco” by
Giusepe Verdi and “Concerto in G minor for Viola and
Orchestra” by Cecil Forsyth.
Five male soloists rendered “Stout-Hearted Men”
from Sigmund Romberg's New Moon and “Nessun Dorma”
Turandot by Giacomo Puccini.
Beethoven's “Symphony no. 5 in C Minor, op. 67”
was the finale. Christopher B. Enriquez and
Marianne Lastra
By MARIANNE S. LASTRA
and JOHN JOSEPH G. BASIJAN
DESPITE tighter screening
of nominees, the ninth USTv
Students’ Choice Awards held
at the Plaza Mayor last March
7 again yielded winners known
more for their commercialism
than for their Christian values.
This year’s edition had a
total of 33 categories and 90
nominees. Several category
changes were implemented,
removing “unessential” ones such
as the Best Actor and Actress
while adding the Best Network
Foundation and Best Sports
Personality.
“We, at USTv, don’t assess
or evaluate the acting craft of the
TV personality or how showbiz
is done; rather, we search for the
projection of our true Thomasian
values,” said Benjamin Zoilo
Mario Ravanera III, president
of the Student Organizations
Coordinating Council (SOCC) in
his remarks.
Also added was the Student
Leaders’ Choice for Best
Television Program and Best TV
Personality. GMA-7’s noontime
variety show “Eat Bulaga” was
declared the Student Leaders’
Choice for Best Television
Program for its public-service
segments such as providing high
school scholarship grants to bright
elementary graduates.
Actress Angel Locsin,
meanwhile, won the Student
Leaders’ Best TV Personality. An
alumna of the UST High School,
Locsin was cited for her charities.
“Siguro kung ano man ang
narating ko ngayon, hindi ko
maaabot kung wala ang tulong
sa akin ng UST, so maraming
salamat po sa inyo,” Locsin said.
ABS-CBN was the
biggest winner of the night,
with 20 awards mostly for their
entertainment programs; GMA-7
earned 10 trophies. TV5’s reality
program, “Talentadong Pinoy,”
garnered the network’s lone
award.
ABS-CBN’s daytime
drama series “Be Careful With
My Heart” brought home the
Students’ Choice for Best Local
Daily Soap Opera, while the
program “Maalaala Mo Kaya”
won its ninth straight award for
Best Drama Program.
The hit Korean series “Dream
High” won the Best Foreign Soap
Opera, while “Failon Ngayon”
and “The Bottomline” won
Best Investigative Program and
Best Public Affairs Talk Show,
respectively. “Matanglawin,”
meanwhile, won its fifth trophy
for Best Educational Program.
Other television program
winners from ABS-CBN were:
“The Buzz” (seventh win for
Best Entertainment News
Program), TV Patrol (fifth win
for Best Local News and Current/
Public Affairs Program), “Ako
ang Simula” (Public Service
Program), “Deal or No Deal”
(Best Game Show) and “It’s
Showtime” (Best Variety Show).
“The Healing,” produced by the
ABS-CBN’s film company Star
Cinema, won Best Local FullLength Film.
Several personalities
from ABS-CBN were also
acknowledged. Boy Abunda,
Luis Manzano and Anne Curtis
were declared Best Entertainment
News Program Host, Best Game
Show Host and Best Variety
Show Host, respectively. Ted
Failon won his third Best Male
News and Current/Public Affairs
Host award, while Kris Aquino
personally received her trophy for
Best Talk Variety Show Host. The
ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc. was
named Best Network Foundation.
Meanwhile, GMA-7’s
programs “Kapuso Mo, Jessica
Soho” and “i-Witness” won its
sixth and seventh straight awards
for Best Magazine Program and
Best Documentary Program,
respectively. “Bubble Gang” won
its eighth trophy for Best Gag
Show, while “Pepito Manaloto”
won Best Situational Comedy
and “Party Pilipinas” Best Talk
Variety Show.
GMA-7 personalities Jessica
Soho and Chris Tiu were declared
Best Female News and Current
Affairs Host and Best Sports
Personality, respectively.
Music artists were also
acknowledged, with Callalily’s
“Minsan” winning Best Local
Music Video and Julie Anne
San Jose Best Local Music
Video Artist. Meanwhile, the
commercial for Nestle’s 100th
anniversary won the Students’
Choice of TV Advertisement.
Two categories, the Students’
Choice of Catholic Program and
Local Full-Length Independent
Film, had no nominees. Special
citations, however, were
given to Manila Archbishop
Luis Antonio Cardinal
Tagle’s show, “The Word
Exposed,” and GMA News
TV’s “San Pedro Calungsod
Documentary Drama
Special.”
Recognizing the
power of television in
influencing the youth,
Fr. Richard Ang,
O.P. underscored the
importance of evaluating
media critically. He also
added that the USTv
Students’ Choice Awards
“has virtually set the standard
for awards.”
“[The USTv] recognizes
the importance of the students’
collective voice in urging
television networks to produce
quality programs that are familycentered and value-oriented. Fully
conscious of the power of media
to shape society, Thomasian
students once again expressed
their approval of television
programs and personalities that
mirror these values,” Ang said.
Ang added that responsible
viewing demands sustained
reflection and understanding of
the message that TV shows send
subliminally to viewers.
“TV, like any tool of human
creativity, may be used or abused;
it may represent or misrepresent;
lead or mislead; communicate or
miscommunicate; construct or
deconstruct,” he said. “I believe
that our students are well aware
of their increasing responsibility
to critically evaluate media and its
impact on Filipino culture.”
UST hosts unique exhibit
on Islamic architecture
Affordable masterpieces in art bazaar
Art enthusiasts look on at a booth showcasing artworks by students from the College of Fine Arts and Design (above); a reproduction of Juan Luna's "The Parisian Life" (left); one of the oil
on canvases on auction in the event (below).
Photos by JOHN JOSEPH G. BASIJAN
By ROMINA LOUISE C. CUNANAN
HIGH-QUALITY artworks at affordable prices were
highlighted in the annual bazaar Art in the Park: An
Affordable Art Fair at Jaime Velasquez Park, Salcedo
Village, Makati last March 16.
The fair featured artworks from over 40 galleries
and of established and emerging artists alike, including
students from the University of the Philippines,
Technological University of the Philippines, Feati
University and UST. The price cap for the works was
P30, 000, attracting art lovers of all types to come and
take home unique pieces at affordable prices.
College of Fine Arts and Design students Marian
Medina and Michael Uy showcased their works at
the event. Uy painted a recreation of Leonardo Da
Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and a portrait of pop singer
Justin Bieber.
Other Thomasians’ works were also featured
as 98B COLLABoratory sold pieces by alumni
Mark Salvatus and Constantino Zicarelli.
Upon random piles of canvases, an untitled
work by Natural featured a poor family standing
in front of a theater as the title of the film “We Are
Our Ruins” flashed.
The art fair also showcased sculptures and
mixed media pieces.
Scattered around the middle of the park were
metal sculptures created by Pete Jimenez, while
figures created from plastic bag handles by Mac
Valdezco dangled from the trees, greeting passersby
with their bright colors and striking shapes. Also a
unique showcase was the graffiti work near the park’s
playground.
Rose Lee, a newbie in the art scene, said that the
art fair was refreshing, as it showcased prominent and
novice artists alike.
“I have just recently started collecting pieces, and
I am happy to see that there are other people like me
who have dipped their toes in the art scene,” Lee said.
“I liked the fact that people of all colors got together
and just rejoiced in plain splendor of art.”
By ROMINA LOUISE C. CUNANAN
THE MASJID or mosque is perhaps the
most iconic Islamic architecture, with
elegant aesthetics. It is the subject of
the exhibit, Masjid/Mosque: Jewels of
Philippine Islamic Faith, on Feb. 5 to
March 8 at the UST Museum of Arts and
Sciences.
The exhibit was part of the National
Arts Month. For the celebration, the
National Committee on Architecture
and Allied Arts (NCAA) of the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts
(NCCA) held Archi[types/text], one of the
flagship projects for this year’s Philippine
Art Festival.
The exhibit was the second partnership
between the NCCA with the UST Museum,
following last year’s Salumpuwit exhibit.
“Architecture is dynamic. You can see
and feel it in all forms, and takes shape
with different cultures,” said Gerard Lico,
head of the NCAA architecture committee,
in a press conference held last Jan. 24.
Anna Marie Bautista, assistant
director of the UST Museum, said an
exhibit of Muslim architecture aesthetics
in a Catholic university was unique.
She said that UST Museum Director
Fr. Isidro Abaño, OP agreed with the
project "because we hope to change the
people’s mindset about Catholics and
Muslims; they can come together and
become one.”
The exhibit featured over 30
mosques, showing the anatomy of
Islamic architecture and their aesthetic
principles. The photos of the mosques
were complemented by pieces from the
museum’s collection of artifacts from
Southern Philippines.
Mosques from Lanao del Sur all
have similar features of low minarets (the
still tower rising from the mosque) and
simple structures partnered with modest
domes. The Masjid Kulawi is a mosque
of monochromatic blue, while the Ganasi
Grand Mosque is done in bright colors,
with a white-toned minaret.
The Bacolod Grand Mosque is in
elegant white while the Masjid Lumboc is
done in warm yellow colors.
Mosques are popularly known
for being enormous, regal structures,
with towering minarets and domes in
astonishing colors.
The Masjid Raya Suduc of Marawi
City exudes royalty with the mosque’s
domes done in gold, and the windows each
carved with intricate detailing.
Some mosques are simpler in form,
done in more modern motifs that evoke
a homey feel such as the Datu Untong
Balabaran and the Haron Rasjid Mosque,
both located in Maguindanao.
The Masjid Abas Datu Odin Sinsuat
features a modern structure dressed in
neutral colors, with a low minaret done in
shades of yellow, orange and white.
Architect Rino Fernandez, vice-head
of the NCCA architecture committee, said
the exhibit sought to raise awareness of
Muslim architecture.
"There are many mosques filling
the Mindanao skyline, we should take a
moment to appreciate their beauty and
unique form,” Fernandez said.
Bautista quoted the late Pope John
Paul II, saying that culture brings people
together, and they aim to accomplish
strengthening ties of different religions and
cultures with this exhibit.
“It is a contrast, but also a marriage,
of two cultures,” she said. With reports
from Bernadette D. Nicolas and
Giuliani Renz G. Paas
Aside from mosques and masjids,
the exhibit also featured artifacts
from Southern Philippines, such as
"Brass Container of the Maranao
Group" (above) and "Bowayowa"
(below).
Photos by JOHN DANIEL J. HIRRO
10 Lenspeak
The Varsitarian APRIL 8, 2012
Editor: Sherwin Marion T. Vardeleon
USTv
9th
Students' Choice Awards
Photos by JAIME T. CAMPOS
(From
top)
ABS-CBN
Communications Head and former
Varsitarian Filipino editor Ramon
Osorio accepts the award for the
hit Korean series "Dream High" for
Best Foreign Soap Opera; Nestle
representative celebrates after
winning the Best TV Advertisement
for Nestle's 100 Years; Secretary
General Fr. Winston Cabading,
O.P., Vice Rector Richard Ang,
O.P. and fellow priests and notable
guests laud the winners in the
9th USTv awards; Rocco Nacino
recognizes
Thomasians
after
accepting the award for Special
Citation on Documentary Drama
Special “The Word Exposed: San
Pedro Calungsod.”
(Clockwise from left) ABS- CBN Entertainment
Correspondent Mj Felipe receives the Best Entertainment
News Program for “The Buzz”; "Be Careful With My Heart"
leading man Richard Yap bags the USTv award for Best
Local Daily Soap Opera; ABS-CBN news anchor Ted Failon
speaks before the audience for winning the Best Male
News & Current Affairs Program Host; Kris Aquino dazzles
Thomasians for winning the award for Best Talk Variety
Program Host; La Diva singer Aicelle Santos performs
before the Thomasian crowd; Antonio Aquitania of "Bubble
Gang" salutes Thomasians for winning the Best Gag
Show; Ryzza Dizon wows the crowd while performing her
signature dance, "Cha-cha Dabarkads"; Julie Ann San Jose
serenades the crowd.
(From left) Angel Locsin charms the audience for
winning the Student Leaders’ Choice of TV Personality;
Kim Atienza acknowledges the Thomasian community for
selecting his program "Matanglawin" for Best Educational
Show; GMA-7's Chris Tiu entertains media reporters after
bagging the Best Sports Personality; Program Manager
Reily Santiago of "It's
Showtime" receives the award for Best Variety Show.
Editor: Jan Dominic G. Leones
APRIL 8, 2013
Visitation rights
By JACOB DOMINGUEZ*
The first time I met my father, I thought he
was a distant uncle.
It was an afternoon, nearing merienda
time, the sun leaving the air smudged with sepia
and the buzzing of summer beetles. We were
visiting an aunt, who lived next door to the
other aunt we were living with. My mother had
just left my father, and it was almost a full year
since the day she walked out and took me and
my brother with her.
A man ambled into the aunt’s tiny living
room, tall, large and clumsy, with a little
beer-belly, his eyes darting around warily. My
mother gave a slight nod in his direction, and it
seemed like everyone’s eyes were on them, and
were on us. In the background, someone twisted
open a bottle of Coca-cola—the caffeinated
scent
seemed
to
hang
in the
humid summer air barely moving in that room.
At that exact moment, I remembered dreading
the thought of meeting relatives I hadn’t met
before; of family friends I was uninterested in
idly chatting with; of kissing people I hardly
knew hello and goodbye, attempting an amiable
smile as they walked to leave in their cars.
The living room floor was a sickly beige
color, made of marble that was older than I was,
or even the inhabitants of that house. Likewise,
the sofa was the same color, with some yellow
stains on its old leather. For the first time, I
could remember feeling real nervousness—
not just clammy hands and beating heart or
churning stomach. It was a combination of
three, and a sort of sick feeling of premonition
that there was something horrible about to
happen, something that you couldn’t control
clawing its way into your heart and out of it.
The tall stranger stifled a cough at the back of
his throat and looked at me and my brother.
I hid behind my older brother, and asked
him in the smallest voice I could muster,
“Who’s that?” Slowly, his eyes looked at me
as if I had uttered something blasphemous—I
hastily tried to repair whatever perceived
damage I may have said: “Is he an uncle? Some
family friend we haven’t met yet? A distant
relative—,” I asked, unfinished. Curtly he
answered that no, he wasn’t a distant relative,
and no, that he wasn’t an uncle and didn’t I
know who he was? I could only get a timid
nod out, as his eyes bore into mine with some
sort of intense energy, something that I had
never been able to fully pin down and label.
Several other aunts who came (the living room
was getting much too warm for comfort now)
glanced in our direction: my brother had raised
his voice one-and-a-half decibel higher and
this had attracted the attention. The attention
was too much, almost immediately I could
feel my insides wriggling its way out of
my mouth, my lips drying up and my eyes
blinking rapidly. As if unaware of the thick
tension directed in our general direction,
my brother sighed and answered me with a
question. “Don’t you know that it’s Papa?”
As if I was supposed to have known—and
shouldn’t I have known? There was a twinge of
melancholia there somewhere, but strangely it
felt far away, like listening to a radio program
fading away in the static, the tagalog-speaking
deejay’s voice dissolving into thin air. I just
couldn’t reconcile the thought of having a
Faculty Union Dynasty
FROM PAGE 1
FROM PAGE 16
someone ‘unemployed by the
University,’” he said in his Feb.
5 letter.
Reyes cited Section 11 of
the Manual of Regulations for
Private Higher Education, which
states that an institution shall
execute a written employment
contract with teaching and
non-teaching
academic
employees, whether permanent,
probationary or part-time, before
or at the start of the school term.
He suggested that the
University should initially
grant the lowest rank to an
employee with a pending
teaching appointment, and
make adjustments soon after the
document is released.
Rene Tadle, USTFU
internal vice president, echoed
Reyes and said certain people
who should be held accountable.
“Ang importante na lang dito
siguro ang ibigay na lang na
rank sa kanila ‘yung lowest rank
na lang rather than delay all
the pay, kasi pinagtrabahuhan
naman niya ‘yun,” Tadle said.
The deans cannot be
blamed in hiring faculty
members without a teaching
appointment, he said.
“They need to hire the
faculty members immediately
and ask these faculty members
to teach, or else and’yan na‘yung
estudyante, walang magtuturo,
so kailangang magturo na sila
kaagad,” he said. “Since nagturo
na sila kaagad, ang problema,
hindi naman binabayaran on
time kasi nga wala pa daw
appointment.”
The Varsitarian is still
trying to seek comment from
Carillo. Bernadette D.
Nicolas
subsequent rankings.
The Male Woodpushers
were the lone team to take home
a title in the second semester,
after overwhelming six-time
defending champion Far Eastern
University to reclaim the crown
they last held in 1999.
Both the UST volleyball
teams fell to fifth places coming
from second and third places,
respectively last season.
The Lady and Golden
Booters also dropped to third
and fifth spots, respectively,
a far-cry from their first and
second-place finishes last
season.
The softball and baseball
Researches
FROM PAGE 2
of protecting research, Peralta
said.
According to WIPO’s
website, an invention or
research output cannot be
reproduced, used, or sold
without knowledge of the
owner who applied for patent
rights.
Protection provided by the
patent application is effective
for 20 years, the website said.
In
the
Philippines,
annual research publications
increased by 250 percent from
2000 to 2010 but the filing of
patents by Philippine public
and private institutions did not
change much, Peralta said.
In 2011, the Philippines
had 3,196 patent applications,
96 percent of them filed by
foreigners in the chemical and
pharmaceutical fields, a report
father at all with how I was living: I had never
seen anything different with living with just my
mother and brother and the three of us. It had
never occurred to me to ask about my father—I
never even thought about him until that day.
I looked at the man sprawled out on the
sofa, where a few adults (aunts, one or two
uncles) who were allowed in that conversation
between my mother and the tall stranger who
was my father nodded a little too seriously, a
little too morosely and talked as if it was late at
night with everyone asleep. The other people
who were not in the conversation (there
were three left flitting around that small
house) were now standing idly beside
us, sipping iced coke and munching
on pandesal from the nearby baker. An
aunt who was in the conversation
suddenly broke the eye-contact
between me and my brother, and
I let out a breath I didn’t even
know I was holding in. Her
manicured hand (classic red)
waved at us to come over
there. The man looked
at my brother and me
wearily, wearing a look
that one would wear
if one was faced with a
speeding car when crossing
the street—you being unsure
if the car would stop for you.
The floor suddenly seemed to
lose solidity, and I held on
my brother’s sleeve as he
walked towards the man I was
to call
father. My mother looked at my face with a mix
of the same uncertainty on all our faces, and of
stern disapproval. She motioned for me to walk
faster, and signaled to kiss him hello. I watched
my brother, who climbed affectionately on
his lap and kissed him on the cheek. Taking a
tentative step nearer, I tiptoed my six-year-old
frame to his rough, unshaven cheek and said a
simple hello.
The air still hung with the same thick
tension as before, the spaces being filled with
everyone else’s awkward conversations when
I knew that everyone’s eyes were pivoted on
us, that every ear was straining to hear every
single word. My father asked a few questions,
about school, my hobbies, and I answered a
little, mostly my mother answered for me,
or talked more than I did at least—supplying
details on what I’d done a few days ago, or
what my brother said a day ago. I tried to listen
to whatever they were trying to tell me, my
mother and newfound father, but everything
seemed too porous for my ears. My father was
squads climbed to third place
this year, but it was still not
enough to help UST fortify its
hold of the overall crown.
The Male Fencers and
Male Tigersharks, meanwhile,
plummeted to fourth place after
a first and runner-up finishes in
Season 74.
The worst record for
UST came from the Tiger
Spikers, who flunked to the
last spot in men’s beach
volleyball competition after two
championships and a runner-up
finish last season.
“Many players became
ineligible to play because of
academic deficiency. Year after
year, we have been doing well.
Except that this year, talagang
medyo kinapos,” De Sagon
said. Alexis U. Cerado and
Carla Patricia S. Perez
Fortuna
from the WIPO showed.
Malaysia
had
6,559
patent requests in the same
year, followed by Indonesia
with 5,838 applications and
Thailand with 3,924 patent
filings. Vietnam was fourth
with 3,560.
As of January this year,
out of the 252 invention patent
applications, only 17 were
filed by Filipinos.
“Filipino patents do not
even reach 200 applications
[anymore]. These are [mostly]
individual
filers
[and]
companies… nasaan na ang
researches ng other [academic]
institutions?” Peralta asked.
of patent applications by
local citizens. But Malaysia
began “mining” university
researches,
allowing
the
number of Malaysian patent
applications to go up.
This prompted Ipophil
to establish Innovation and
Technology Support Offices
or ITSOs to assist academic
or business institutions in
conducting patent searches to
ensure that there would be no
“reinvention of the wheel,”
Peralta said.
The ITSOs’ powerful
patent catalog, the Thomson
Innovation
Database,
is
capable of searching 75
million patents all over the
world.
To date, there are 63
ITSOs in academic institutions
and business associations in the
country. UST was one of the
first academic institutions to
join the program in November
2010.
Cez
Mariela
Teresa G. Verzosa
Philippines lagging behind
The highest number of
patent applications by local
inventors and researchers was
in 2007, when 225 patents
were filed.
Peralta said Malaysia,
Thailand and the Philippines
once had equal numbers
The
FROM PAGE 16
points per game, a leagueleading 5.1 assists per game
and 5.2 rebounds per game on
34 percent shooting from the
field and 76 percent shooting
from the free throw line. In
PCCL, he was included in the
2012 Mythical Five awardees.
“It’s time to grow up
and keep moving forward.
The UST community is very
proud of him and wherever
he goes and whatever he may
achieve, it is because the
lessons and experiences given
to him in his college years
are instilled in him,” said
Ballesteros. Hedrix Ar-ar
C. Caballe
Varsitarian Literary
11
scrunching his forehead, like he was hunting
out the right words to express whatever it was
he was trying to say. I could tell that he was
trying his hardest to let us know that he still
cared whatever it was that we were doing,
except that his mouth wouldn’t cooperate right,
and he tripped over a few words.
Several hours of that had gone by, and the
sun was beginning to set. I felt the sweat drying
up on my back, bitingly cold for summer, and
the man stood up and exhaled a long breath.
The whole room seemed to pause to look
at him. Someone invited him to stay for
dinner, but he refused. He mumbled
something about getting home
to his wife and scratching
his nape while keeping
his eyes fixed on the
floor. I looked at my
brother. His face was
immovable, but you
could see the muscles
underneath contorting
into strange patterns.
My mother’s face
looked relieved
and troubled
simultaneously.
Then, as if
remembering herself,
she gave a start and
whispered to us to walk
the man out the gate, giving us
what she probably thought was a
gentle push.
My brother walked ahead of
me, catching up to the man who was
already opening the gate. His car was
parked on the sidewalk, and my brother just
stood there beside his black old car. He waited
for me to get out of the gate, and as I took my
place beside my brother, he spread his arms
and took us in a clumsy sort of hug, and he let
out a breath that I still can’t recall if he said
something or just sighed. After a second or
so, he let go, climbed into the front seat of his
beat-up, 60’s era automobile and turned the
ignition. The car coughed a little, once, twice,
then chugged loudly, the smell of exhaust and
gasoline invading the air.
The crickets were beginning to sing. His
car ran off, and made a left to the highway. The
mosquitoes were starting to settle on my arm. I
brushed them off and followed my brother into
the house. A neighbor’s dog barked.
*Jacob Dominguez is the first prize winner
in the short story category of 2008 Gawad
Ustetika
On Newton’s theory of light
WHEN Newton proposed
that light was made
of Corpuscles,
I found it was a valid explanation
for the sparks
between people.
For corpuscles travel
Straight and swift
Taking much time
before falling
away.
But regardless of
their huff and hurry
I find it queer
That they find time to meet—
to rub off on each other,
to leave a mark.
How thankful I am
For the light in our hearts—
that though our meeting
was terribly brief,
we certainly found the time
to collide.
SARAH MAE JENNA A. RAMOS
12 Sci-Tech
The Varsitarian APRIL 8, 2012
Editor: Nigel Bryant B. Evangelista
Repairing Manila’s pump systems
Solution to lessen flood problems?
IF PUMP systems of the metropolis are fixed, will
devastating floods sinking Manila and nearby areas
every year finally stop?
To reduce heavy flooding in the metro
especially during wet season, 1.6 billion pesos
was released by the Department of Budget and
Management last March for the repair and upgrade
of 12 water-pumping stations.
According to Budget Secretary Florencio
Abad, the rehabilitation of selected pumps will help
ease flooding in Metro Manila and suburbs.
“The recently approved funds will allow us
to enhance the capacity of our pumping facilities
and upgrade them as needed, well before the rainy
season,” Abad said on the department’s website.
Michael Doce, pumping stations and floodgates division
engineer of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA),
said the rehabilitation was necessary to combat flooding.
“Flooding will be lessened because the pumping capacity of
the water pumps will be improved,” Doce told the Varsitarian
in an interview.
These facilities, which have a diameter ranging from one to
1.6 meters and pumping capacity of 2.5 to seven cubic meters
per second, drain
water from low-lying places and
remove sewage from
industrial
areas.
The’yre
supposed
to do the work when
drainage cannot be
accomplished
by the pull of
designed
in
the late 1960s
to have a runoff
coefficient of 60
percent. The runoff coefficient
pertains to the proportion of
rainwater that reaches the
streams along with liquefied
and suspended materials. The
rest are absorbed by the soil.
“Nowadays, more domestic
water and wastes are going
directly to canals, as there
had been a rapid increase in
the number of cemented areas a n d
high-rise buildings,” he said,
adding that pumping stations are
now falling short in handling floodwaters and wastewater
because of lack of absorption.
Rehabilitation will also increase the capacity of pumping
stations, to prepare for strong weather disturbances such as
Tropical Storm Ondoy that killed 464 people and damaged P11
billion worth of property in 2009.
“Each pumping station was designed to have a specific
pumping capacity and in order to contain strong typhoons, bigger
pumping stations with larger capacities must be built,” Doce
said. “Our pumping stations were only designed to encapsulate
80 to 90 millimeters of rain per hour, but Ondoy’s was around
500 millimeters.”
Aside from old age, garbage has also contributed to the
inefficiency of water-pumping facilities. “Garbage may cause
clogging in the pump. In cases where solid wastes get stuck, the
mechanical seal of the pump will malfunction, causing leakage
and putting a halt to the operation of the pump,” Doce said.
Doce said proper collection and disposal of waste still play
a key role in preventing flooding.
“The local government units should religiously and
efficiently collect wastes, because there is a tendency that
uncollected garbage gets disposed of in drainage canals,” the
MMDA engineer said.
He said citizens should be aware of the poor conditions of
pumping stations and how these facilities are being damaged by
improperly disposed garbage.
“For people to further understand the reason why garbage
must be disposed of properly, they can go to the location of the
water pumping stations so they can see how the facility works
and how garbage and solid wastes cause damage and problem to
the equipment,” Doce said. Altir Christian D. Bonganay
“Nowadays, more domestic water and wastes
are going directly to canals, as there had been
a rapid increase in the number of cemented
areas and high-rise buildings.”
- Michael Doce, MMDA engineer
gravity alone.
“Water pumping stations are delegated to low-lying areas,”
Doce said. “They pump water from an estero to a body of water,
like the Manila Bay, during the rainy season or when there is a
typhoon.”
High tide, or when a body of water reaches its highest point
of elevation, also stimulates the driving action of pumps, he said.
“Before high tide, the gate of the water pump is closed so
that the main land will not be affected. The pump flushes water
out so there will be impounding in the retarding area. This way,
flooding can be prevented because there will be a place for
incoming water,” Doce explained.
Pumping stations up for rehabilitation are in Libertad,
Quiapo, Tripa de Gallina, Pandacan, Valencia, Binondo, Aviles,
Paco, Makati, Sta. Clara, Balete and Arroceros.
Old, clogged
Aside from perennial flooding, one of the
main reasons why pumping systems needed to
undergo rehabilitation was that the facilities
have exceeded their ideal life span.
“Each equipment has its
own life span. In cases where
the equipment exceeds its
service life, its capacity and
efficiency
deteriorate,”
Doce said.
The
pumping
stations are now
about 40 years old,
exceeding
the
ideal life span of
25 to 30 years.
They
were
Anti-acne liquid foundation from herbal extracts wins ‘NeoVation’
INNOVATION bridges pure sciences with the
challenges of the changing world.
Aiming to promote practical and
innovative applications of scientific research,
the UST Research Center for the Natural and
Applied Sciences held the first UST NeoVation:
iThomasian Challenge and Expo from March
11 to 15.
With the theme: “Addressing Human
Health and Environmental Concerns through
Thomasian Innovation,” the “neovators”
were challenged to find new solutions to old
problems.
One of the teams formulated a treatment
for acne, a type of skin disease caused by
hormone imbalance, increased stress levels,
genetic factors and bacterial growth.
Women often use cosmetics to hide
acne without knowing that these products
could worsen the condition. This problem
stimulated the thoughts of grand-prize winners
Lara Angeline Briones, Diane Colleen Perez
and Reanne May Tiru from the Faculty of
Engineering and Desiree de Castro, Lara Elize
Lamigo and Janine Monta from the Faculty of
Pharmacy, into formulating the “Lareen Antiacne Liquid Foundation.”
Bacterial growth is one of the major causes
of acne, and inhibiting it can help ease the nasty
skin problem. But while the extracts of lagundi
leaves and atis seeds—the product’s main
ingredients that have antibacterial properties—
are widely available in the local market, the
group struggled to find other raw materials.
“Some of the raw materials found in the
journals [we had consulted] are not locally
available, which was why we still looked for
different combinations and percentages of
binders to avoid the separation of the oil and
water components and to get the appropriate
consistency of the liquid foundation,” Briones
said.
Tiru said the product’s effectiveness was
tested by collaborators from Pharmacy.
“Atis and lagundi were proven to have
antibacterial properties based on published
journals only,” she said. “We asked our partners
from the Faculty of Pharmacy to test the product
nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. To avoid this,
the group behind Hercules used the technique
known as microfiltration through membrane
technology.
“Microfiltration is a physical separation
process where a membrane filters all bacteria as
the coconut water passes through it. The mineral
and electrolyte contents will still remain in the
product,” Tolentino said.
With this process, sports drinks from
coconut water will have a longer shelf life and
can be sold not only in the country but also
abroad.
(From left) Reanne May Tiru, Dianne Colleen Perez and Lara Angeline Briones from the Faculty of
Engineering, with their adviser Prof. Aristea Bayquen are the grand prize winners of the first NeoVation
challenge held at the Quadricentennial Pavilion last March 15.
SHERWIN MARION T. VARDELEON
to know if it is also effective as an alternative
antibacterial treatment for acne.”
Organic and natural
Meanwhile,
Chemical
Engineering
students Karen Castro, Karen Farolan, Precious
Jill Lucina and Anthony Veneracion, with their
collaborator from the College of Fine Arts and
Design, Eula Andrea San Juan, won second
place with an environment-friendly gel that
functions as both an insect repellent and air
freshener.
The product, called the “Roachant Air
Freshener,” comes from a mixture of organic
materials from pandan, basil, sage and
cucumber.
Lucina said the product is different from
other commercially available insecticides and
air fresheners that contain highly toxic and nonbiodegradable components. Roachant is made
of organic and biodegradable ingredients.
Another contest entry made use of a widely
available raw material. “Hercules Coconut
Drink” is an isotonic drink that rehydrates,
restores lost electrolytes and supplies nutrients
to the body.
The product, which won third prize, was
made by Engineering students Russel James
Bernabe, Ana Janine Bulasag, Tifanny Faye
Caranto, Ma. Kristine Lim, Alyssa Angelaine
Tolentino and Jem Zamora. Coconut water was
used as the main ingredient for the sports drink
because it is rich in electrolytes, vitamins and
minerals, and natural sugars.
Heating is needed to kill bacterial
components. But this degrades essential
Industry and academe
Engineering Dean Philipina Marcelo,
overall chair of the event, said the goal of
NeoVation was to make the competition
a “multidisciplinary undertaking,” where
students from different faculties and colleges
collaborate with each other to come up with
marketable innovations.
A total of 61 entries reached the finals, with
participants from the Faculties of Engineering,
Pharmacy, Arts and Letters, and the Colleges
of Science, Nursing, Education, Commerce
and Business Administration, Accountancy,
Architecture, and Fine Arts and Design.
“Our goal is to put together all the research
arms, especially the science and technology
arms of the University, and come up with
technologies and products that are marketable,”
Marcelo said. “We believe that innovation will
be the income-generating part of research.”
She added that a scientific project would
never be complete without feasibility studies,
marketing strategies, and proper advertising.
Achieving the goal of “completing a product”
that will be marketable requires the participation
of students from various disciplines, she said.
Marcelo said other research clusters, as
well as other colleges and faculties of the
University, must also get involved.
“We wanted to make innovation a platform
in improving industry and academe linkage,
and this will not be realized if only one college
or faculty is involved,” Marcelo said. Giuliani
Renz G. Paas
Patnugot: Maria Arra L. Perez
Ika-8 ng ABRIL 2012
Wikang Filipino sa telebisyon
Alinsunod nga ba
sa balarilang Pinoy?
BAHAGI NA ng pamumuhay ng
mga Pilipino ang panonood ng
telebisyon. Ang mga umaatikabong
balitaan at mga nagpapaiyak sa
ating mga telenovela ay ilan lamang
sa mga libangang nagbibigkis sa
lipunang ating ginagalawan. Ngunit
paano nga ba sumasalamin ang mga
ito sa ating kultura?
Wikang Filipino sa pamamahayag
Sinasabi na ang paggamit
ng wikang Filipino bilang
midyum sa pamamahayag ay ang
pinakaepektibong paraan upang
mas maunawaan ng mga tao hindi
lamang ang mga balita kundi pati na
rin ang mga kasalukuyang isyung
kinahaharap ng bansa.
Ayon kay
Paul Henson,
isang dating
mamamahayag
at kasalukuyang
executive
producer ng
late-night
program na
Bandila ng lokal
na istasyong
ABS-CBN,
ginagamit nila
ang wikang
Filipino sa isang
conversational
na pamamaraan
upang mas
mabilis
maintindihan ng mga tao ang mga
bagay na kanilang ibinabalita.
“Sa paggamit ng Filipino sa
pagbabalita, hindi ito ‘scholarly’ o
‘academic’ kundi conversational,”
ani Henson.
Aniya, iniaangkop ng mga
pambalitang programa katulad
ng Bandila ang kanilang mga
balita at paraan ng pagbabalita sa
masang Pilipino na nasa iba’t ibang
bahagi ng bansa, taliwas sa mga
programang mapanonood sa cable
na gumagamit ng wikang Ingles.
“Filipino ang ginagamit na
wika sa aming pagbabalita dahil
ito ang wikang nakaaabot sa mas
malawak na sektor ng manonood ng
free channel sa buong bansa,” aniya.
“English ang ginagamit sa cable
Usapang Uste
mula pahina 2
1983 kung saan siya’y nagsilbing advertising artist
at photographer sa Middle East.
Taong 1984 ay umuwi siya sa Pilipinas ngunit
muling nangibang bansa bilang isang in-house
graphic designer for English mula 1985 hanggang
2000 sa SABIC.
Nagsimula ang pagsusumikap ni Mendoza
para sa mga kapuwa OFWs nang minsang mabasa
sa isang pahayagan na “Filipinos, because they
have no culture of their own, tend to be a fickle and
shallow people.”
Hindi pinalagpas ni Mendoza ang
pagkakataong sumulat sa punong patnugot ng
pahayagan; natanggap ang kaniyang sulat at
ginawaran ng “The best letter to the editor” noong
1987.
Taong 1999, inilunsad ni Mendoza ang
Project 2000, kung saan isang taon siyang kakalap
ng pirma mula sa mga kapwa OFWs upang ihain
sa gobyerno ng Pilipinas ang kahalagahan ng mga
OFWs at karapatan nila upang mabigyang pansin
at parangal.
Nagbunga ang layunin ni Mendoza noong
Pebrero 2000 nang pirmahan ni dating Pangulong
Joseph Estrada ang Proclamation No. 243 na
nagdedeklarang sa taong 2000 bilang “Year of the
OFWs”.
Gamit ang kaniyang karanasan bilang art
director ng Vision, ang opisyal na pahayagan
ng UST College of Architecture & Fine Arts, si
Mendoza ay naglimbag ng The Filipino Overseas
Magazine noong 1995 ngunit tumagal lamang ito
ng tatlong isyu.
Taong 1998 nama’y pinamunuan ni
Mendoza ang paglimbag ng Sentenaryo, isang
pahayagang naglalaman ng iba’t ibang gawain
ng The Philippines to the World Entertainment
Foundation, Inc., isang samahan ng mga OFW na
non-profit na itinatag ni Mendoza noong 1997.
Si Mendoza rin ang nagsumikap upang
mailimbag ang Global Pinoy, newsletter na
ipinamamahagi sa Ninoy Aquino International
Airport sa mga Pilipinong nangingibang bansa.
Sa kasalukuyan, nakapirmi na sa bansa si
Mendoza at nagtatag ng sariling kompanyang
RRM Models, Events, and Publications.
Binitawan man ni Mendoza ang pagiging
OFW ay hindi pa rin siya titigil na tumulong sa
OFWs.
“There is a sense of fulfillment whenever I do
something for the OFWs in my own little way,”
ani Mendoza sa Varsitarian. Jonah Mary T.
Mutuc
Tomasalitaan
Puliki (pnr)—gahol
Puliking-puliki na si Brylle sa trabaho
magmula nang umalis si Julius patungong Boracay.
news channel dahil ito ang mas
naaangkop na wika para sa kanilang
mga manonood. Kapag pumunta
ka naman sa iba’t ibang lalawigan,
may lokal na balita ang mga rehiyon
gamit ang kani-kanilang native
languages.”
Pinabulaanan ni Henson na
hindi sila gumagamit ng wikang
Ingles sa pagbabalita at ginagamit
lamang ito kapag walang direktang
pagsasalin ang isang salita.
“Gumagamit man ng ilang
English na salita sa pagbabalita,
ang base language ay Filipino pa
rin,” aniya. “Direktang
ginagamit
ang ilang
salitang
Ingles
kung ito
ay mas
karaniwang
ginagamit
upang mas madaling
maunawaan o ‘di kaya’y
walang katumbas sa Filipino.”
Sinabi rin ni Henson na
tungkulin ng isang mamamahayag
na sundin ang prinsipyo ng tamang
balarila, Filipino man o Ingles o
The
Varsitarian Filipino
anumang wika ang gamit. Minsan,
may ilan ding komento silang
natatanggap mula sa kanilang mga
manonood hinggil sa paggamit nila
ng wika.
“May ilang komento mula sa
mga manonood tungkol sa paggamit
ng ilang salita o kataga,” aniya.
“Ito ay aming pinag-aaralan kung
makabubuti sa aming pagbabalita.”
‘Hallyu’ sa telebisyon
Pinaibig ng hallyu o Korean
wave ang mga Pilipino hindi lamang
sa kanilang mga kanta kundi pati
na rin sa kanilang mga telenovela.
Sa katunayan, maraming nang
ipinalabas na mga telenovela
hango sa mga kuwento ng mga
Koreanovela na naging patok dito sa
bansa.
Sa isang artikulo ng Korea
Times, isang pahayagan sa South
Korea na nasa wikang Ingles,
sinabi ni Joey Abacan, network
vice-president for program
management ng lokal na
istasyong GMA, na naiuugnay
ng mga Pilipino ang kanilang
pamumuhay sa mga karakter
na ginaganapan ng mga nasa
Koreanovela. Idinagdag pa niya
na tulad ng mga telenovela sa
bansa, ang mga Koreanovela
ay emosyonal at “escapist” na
mayroong bagong “twist” sa
mga kuwento nito.
Samantala, sinabi naman ni
Leng Raymundo, vice-president
for program acquisition ng ABSCBN, na kahit na simple lamang
ang pag-ikot at tema ng kanilang
mga istorya ay binibigyan pa rin
nila ito ng panibagong paraan ng
pagkukuwento at pagpapalabas sa
kanilang mga manonood.
Ang “My Girl” na unang
ipinalabas noong 2006 ay ginawan
ng remake sa bansa noong 2008.
Tungkol ito sa naging pag-iibigan
13
ng babaeng nagpanggap bilang
pinsan ng isang mayamang binata
alinsunod sa kahilingan ng kaniyang
lolo. Sa parehas na taon din ginawan
ng remake ang “Ako si Kim SamSoon” na orihinal na ipinalabas
noong 2006. Umikot ang kuwento
sa isang pastry chef na kinahihiya
ang kaniyang pangalan hanggang
sa siya’y nagtrabaho sa isang
restaurant ng kaniyang masungit na
boss at doon ay nahulog ang loob sa
isa’t isa.
Sa mahabang panahon,
Hollywood ang naging pamantayan
ng mga Pilipino sa paggawa ng mga
pelikula at mga soap opera. Sa mga
palabas, ginagaya ng mga karakter
kung paano magsalita, manamit, at
mamuhay ang mga taga-kanluran.
Ang mga drama ay sensuwal at
hindi gaanong angkop sa pamilyang
Pilipino.
Ngunit nang dumating ang
mga Asianovela sa bansa, partikular
na ang mga Chinovela at mga
Koreanovela, ang mga sumunod na
mga Pilipinong telenovela ay mas
naging simple at mas inaangkop
sa popular na masa—ang mga
kabataan.
Sa isang pagsasaliksik
na isinagawa ng Asia Future
Initiative, isang non-governmental
organization na nagsasagawa ng mga
pag-aaral ukol sa kultura ng Korea,
sinasabi na mabilis nagugustuhan
ng mga tao ang Korean drama
dahil sa “cultural proximity” kung
saan ang mga ipinapakita sa mga
Koreanovela ay halos katulad din ng
nasa Pilipinas.
Isinaad din sa Korea Times na
ang pagtanggap ng mga Pilipino sa
kultura ng mga Koreano sa kanilang
bansa ay isang simbolo hindi lamang
ng pagkakaibigan ng dalawang bansa
kungi hindi ang pagiging bukas na
rin ng kaisipan ng mga Pilipino.
Elora Joselle F. Cangco
Ang ‘Soli’ sa panahon ng mga Kastila
Ni JONAH MARY T. MUTUC
BINALIKAN ni Jose Victor Torres,
professorial chair for Rizalianastudies ng De La Salle University,
ang kasaysayan ng La Solidaridad
o ‘Soli’ sa pagbabahagi ng kaniyang
saliksik na “Our Little Newspaper:
The La Solidaridad and Philippine
Journalism in Spain (1889-1895)”
noong ika-7 ng Marso sa DLSU,
Maynila.
Ayon kay Torres, malaki ang
ginampanan ng Soli sa kasaysayan
ng Pilipinas, ngunit hindi buo ang
kuwento ng pahayagan kaya’t napili
niyang pag-aralan ang pinagmulan,
katapusan, at lahat ng nakapagitna
sa buhay ng pahayagang nagbigay
boses sa mga Pilipinong naghangad
ng pagbabago noong panahong
sakop tayo ng mga Espanyol.
“Its (Soli) history could be
followed through the letters of its
staff and contributors,” ani Torres.
“Specimens that were in the National
Library of the Philippines during
the American period were destroyed
during World War II. A few issues
were discovered in 2011 in the
University of Santo Tomas Archives
by its archivist, Regalado TrotaJose.”
Kabilang
sa
kaniyang
pananaliksik ang mga liham ni Jose
Rizal sa Epistolario Rizaliano na
may limang tomo at Marcelo H. del
Pilar sa Epistolario del Marcelo H.
del Pilar na may dalawang tomo, at
iilan pang liham nina Mariano Ponce
at Graciano Lopez Jaena.
Ang simula ng Soli
“In the 19th century, the Spanish
government was a constitutional
monarch with a Spanish Cortes that
represented the Spanish provinces,”
ani Torres.
Ngunit dahil sa kalayuan
ng Pilipinas mula sa Espanya ay
kadalasang walang kumakatawan
sa bansa sa Spanish Cortes. Dito
nagmula ang pagtataka ng mga
Pilipino, at ang paghahangad ng
pagkakapantay-pantay.
“The enlightened Filipinos
became aware that the fight for
nationalism and equality was not to
be fought in their own country but in
the land of their colonial masters,”
ani Torres.
Ayon kay Torres, mababasa sa
liham ni Teodoro Agoncillo na “The
rich and the intellectuals then, were
reformers, not revolutionists, for the
believed in the power of words, and
not of the sword, to achieve their
purpose.”
Ang
bunga
ng
mga
paniniwalang ito ay ang pahayagang
La Solidaridad noong Pebrero 15,
1889 sa Barcelona na pinamunuan
nina Galicano Apacible, Jose Ma.
Panganiban,
Pablo
Rianzares
Bautista, Santiago Icasiano, Ponce,
pinaka-aktibong nanguna, at Lopez
Jaena, itinalagang direktor. Ang
bawat nabanggit ay nag-ambag
ng pondong ginamit sa kabuuang
gastusin ng Soli.
Ang hitsura’t mga naging
suliranin ng Soli
Ang Soli ay isang tabloid at hindi
broadsheet; May sukat itong 20.5 x
28 cms o sinlaki ng kasalukuyang
short bond paper. Ang mga balita’y
nakaimprenta sa dalawang haligi.
Paminsa’y mayroong mga nakaguhit
na matatagpuan lamang sa unang
pahina. Nagsimula at madalas na
ilathala ang Soli nang mayroong
12 na pahina ngunit mayroong mga
pagkakataong sumusobra ito mula
16 na pahina at higit pa.
Mababasa sa unang pahina
ng Soli ang kanilang layunin: “The
aims, therefore, of La Solidaridad
are defined: to gather, to collect
liberal ideas which are daily exposed
in the camp of politics, in the fields
of science, arts, letters, commerce,
agriculture, and industry.”
Mula Rambla de Cataluna,
Barcelona, nagpalipat-lipat ng
palimbagan ang Soli—Tipografia de
Jaramillo y Compania, Barcelona,
Progreso Tipografico. Madrid, at
Tipografia de Madrid. Ang Imprenta
de Diego Pacheco del Dos de Mayo
5 ang huling palimbagan ng naturang
tabloid.
“Expenses
and
the
dependability of available funds
from contributors forced the staff to
change offices and printing shops,”
Ibinahagi ni Prop. Jose Victor Torres ang malaking gampanin ng "La
Solidaridad" sa kasaysayan ng bansa sa isang forum noong Marso 7 sa
De La Salle University-Manila.
ani Torres.
Katunayan, nagsimula ang Soli
na maglathala bilang bi-monthly at ‘di
naglaon, naging buwanan na lamang
at nang tumagal pa ay dumalang na.
Sa mga naunang buwan, mayroong
kabuuang 18 pesos na gastos ang
pagpapalimbag ng Soli na kalauna’y
tumaas sa 120 pesos.
Hindi pa kabilang sa nasabing
gastos ang bayad sa bahay na
tinutuluyan, sahod, at iba pang gastos
sa pagsusulat ng mga manunulat.
“The shortness of funds would
sometimes be so serious that in one
letter to Rizal in 1891, Antonio Luna,
who was hired by the newspaper as a
correspondent, would complain that
he had not been promoted or paid
sufficiently by the newspaper,” ani
Torres.
Ang wakas
Sa pagtapak ng Soli sa kanilang
ikapitong taon sa paglalathala ng
karapatan sa kalayaan, hinarap din
nito ang kanilang pagtatapos.
Nang mabuwag ang La Liga
Filipina, samahan ng mga repormista
at nagbibigay ng salapi sa Soli, nahati
ang mga miyembro nito sa dalawang
grupo—Cuerpo de Compromisarios
at ang Katipunan.
Ipinagpatuloy
ng
Compromisarios
ang
tulong
pinansiyal sa Soli ngunit hindi
sumasapat ang nakakalap nito at
tuluyan nang naapektuhan ang
pagpapalimbag ng pahayagan.
Nakasaad sa isang liham ni
Apolinario Mabini, kalihim ng
Compromisarios sa Maynila, kay
Del Pilar noong Agosto 19, 1895: “I
regret very much to be the person to
inform you that the moment I have
feared has come when the publication
of the newspaper La Solidaridad has
to stop. The efforts of a few could not
prevail against the belief of the many
that the newspaper is useless since
the authorities refused to listen to its
clamors for help. This is the reason
why we cannot send you any amount
this month. They make use of any
pretext for not giving money. It is not
now possible to support the paper.”
Ani Torres, “The last issue of
the La Solidaridad on November
15, 1895 was a mere ghost of its
glory as the newspaper of the
reformists.”
Ang huling limbag ng Soli ay
mayroon lamang walong pahinang
nagloloob ng artikulo nina Del
Pilar, Andres de Garchitonera, at
Juan Serrano Gomez.
Ayon kay Torres, tatlong salik
ang nagpatumba sa Soli; Bukod sa
hindi sapat na salapi, nakaapaekto
rin sa pahayagan ang mahigpit na
pagbabantay ng mga Espanyol sa
bansa kaya paliit nang paliit ang
nasasaklaw nilang mambabasa at
ang huli, ang ‘di pagkakasundo
nina Rizal at del Pilar sa paraan ng
pamumuno sa mga repormista.
14 Limelight
The Varsitarian APRIL 8, 2013
Art Director: Angelica Gabrielle O. Navarro
Kapitan Tomas by K.D.B. Gascon
Tomas U. Santos by J.D.J. Hirro
Toma who? by Sherwin Marion T. Vardelen
Wikileaks
FROM PAGE 1
“Authorities and international
agencies recognize gravity of population
problem in Philippines through
fuller appreciation of problem and
commitment to its solution is required
of many involved Philippine officials.
Additionally, conservative attitudes in
rural areas and in the Church hierarchy
must be overcome.”
International agencies will continue
in providing generous resources, the
telegram stated, but there should be
“full-fledged Filipino commitment” to
the population control policies, requiring
“increasing contraceptive acceptor
rates.”
“Assuming success of family
planning program including eventual
attitudinal changes towards family size,
Philippine demographic profile over
the next twenty to twenty-five years
will include a gradual reduction of
population growth rate to slightly over
two percent,” it said.
But the true motives of the US
government had long been revealed
with the release of Kissinger’s National
Security Study Memorandum (NSSM)
200 in the 1990s. The Kissinger memo
advocated abortion and the withholding
of US aid to countries that refuse to
implement population-control programs.
“The US economy will require
large and increasing amounts of
minerals from abroad, especially from
less developed countries. That fact gives
the US enhanced interest in the political,
economic and social stability of the
supplying countries,” the controversial
memo said. “Wherever a lessening of
population pressures through reduced
birth rates can increase the prospects
for such stability, population policy
becomes relevant to resource supplies
and to economic interests of the United
States.”
The memorandum was written by
Kissinger on April 24, 1974 and was
addressed to the secretaries of defense
and agriculture, the director of Central
Intelligence, the deputy secretary of
state, and the administrator of the
Agency for International Development.
It outlined the strategies to promote the
anti-population measures.
“No country has reduced its
population growth without resorting to
abortion,” it stated. The American government was
able to secure the support of the Marcos
dictatorship, which pursued a population
program.
In a Feb. 4, 1976 telegram, details of
the visit of Ambassador Marshall Green,
US population coordinator, were stated.
Green met President Ferdinand Marcos,
National Economic and Development
Authority (NEDA) Director General
Gerardo Sicat, Social Welfare Secretary
Estefania Aldaba-Lim and officials of
Marcos Population Commission and the
Population Center Foundation.
Green backed the Marcos
population program, saying its success
would have an “important demonstration
effect” on similar programs being
implemented around the world. He also
noted that the Philippines was the largest
beneficiary of USAID population funds.
A cable dated Nov. 5, 1975
reported an interview by the Philippine
New Agency with First Lady Imelda
Marcos, who was quoted as saying:
“Abortion, like Martial Law, is a very
bad word. Yet there are times when
it becomes necessary, depending on
the circumstances…But if abortion
and divorce could be treated in a
sophisticated and humane manner as our
kind of martial law, then I would believe
in them.”
The statements of Marcos were
said to be a “red flag as far as Church
concerned.” The telegram further noted
that Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin
had strongly opposed the passage of
divorce bill and called abortion “an
abomination.”
“It will be interesting to see whether
Sin will feel compelled to reprove Mrs.
Marcos for her remarks and, if he does,
what her reaction will be.”
Mrs. Marcos has since reversed her
position, voting against the RH bill last
December.
The RH law, dubbed as a foreigninstigated measure by critics, was passed
last December by the Senate with a vote
of 13-8 and the House of Representative
with a vote of 133-79.
The US government was supportive
of the RH bill, as revealed by a 2008 US
embassy cable, which said the RH bill
“promotes access to family planning
along with other health services such as
safe delivery, breastfeeding, prevention
and treatment of HIV/AIDS and
sexually transmitted infections.”
As a leader in population assistance
to the country, the American government
has increased the annual funds for
population and family planning from
13 million dollars to 15 million dollars
to lobby the passage of populationcontrol measures, according to the 2008
telegram.
“The U.S. Government continues
to be the largest donor in the Philippine
population sector supporting efforts
to improve local government service
delivery and increase private sector
contributions
to
family
health
outcomes,” it added.
Ironically, the US government’s
decision to discontinue the supply of
free contraceptives to the Philippines
was one of the reasons for the RH bill
effort.
“The decision to phase out
contraceptive donations was made to
support the Philippine Government’s
contraceptive self-reliance initiative
and to focus US resources on helping
develop ways to reach those who
currently lack access to family planning
services,” it added.
National
FROM PAGE 1
EHS, however, topped other
schools in the cluster in the Critical
Thinking (74.01 percent), Araling
Panlipunan (70.21 percent), and
Filipino (64.15 percent) subjects.
English was the highest score of
the University’s laboratory school, at
76.41 percent. But EHS got only 47.93
percent in Science and 54.56 percent in
Mathematics.
Meanwhile, the UST High School
(USTHS) scored 57.01 percent to
finish third in cluster two, or those that
fielded 200 to 399 examinees, trailing
behind first-placer St. Jude Catholic
School that scored 67.91 percent and
St. Scholastica’s College-Manila that
got 60.62 percent.
In all six NAT subjects, USTHS
obtained its highest score in English, at
68 percent. USTHS Principal Marishirl
Tropicales attributed the score to the
“natural spiral approach” in teaching
the subject.
“We always revisit the same
topic [in English] but in different
complexity,” she said.
USTHS also scored lowest in
Science with 45.12 percent. Tropicales
said the “compartmentalized structure”
of teaching Science affected the score.
USTHS secretary Emmanuel
Batulan agreed and said they would
have to revise the sequencing of topics
in Science.
“Topics that were included in the
[NAT] are usually tackled in the latter
part of the school year,” he said.
USTHS got 65.72 percent in
Critical Thinking, 61.34 percent in
Araling Panlipunan, 54.12 percent
in Filipino, and 52.74 percent in
Mathematics.
Other schools in the Top 10
were Chiang Kai Shek College
(4th), Malate Catholic School (5th),
National Teacher’s College (6th),
Holy Trinity Academy (7th), Espiritu
Santo Parochial School (8th), Manila
Cathedral School (9th) and Holy Child
Catholic School (10th).
‘So-so performance’
Tropicales said she was “not
so happy” with the “average”
performance of USTHS.
Out of 11,884 high schools in
Manila, both high schools of the
University fell under the average (35 to
Valedictorian
Graduates
FROM PAGE 1
FROM PAGE 1
considered as not only something that he
“ultimately enjoyed but understood as
something that he needed to do.”
He also credited his success to
UST, which he said had served as his
“beacon of light that guided him in the
formative years of his life.” UST also
taught him “how to be responsible and
how to become a person for others,” he
said.
“Yes, it was difficult [and] we
sometimes complained, but we worked
because that’s what UST had imbued
in us—to work patiently, to be steadfast
in achieving a personal goal, to be
responsible for our future, to attain a
level of perfection that befits a genuine
Thomasian,” he said.
Other Rector’s Academic Award
recipients were Seminarian Jan Gresil
Kahambing (Philosophy), Bro. Art
Vincent Pangan, O.P. (Sacred Theology),
Lean Angelo Silverio (Medicine and
Surgery), Mary Del Jasa (Arts and
Letters), Anthony John Crisostomo
(Engineering), Dale Aldrinn Pradel
(Education), Mark Leonard Millares
(Science), Kenneth Marvin Masing
(Architecture), Leny Pe (Commerce and
Business Administration), John Luke
Jose (Conservatory of Music), Patricia
Anne Atal (Nursing), Viennah Condor
(Rehabilitation Sciences), Leo Antonio
Cosim (Fine Arts and Design), Christine
Heras (Accountancy) and Kriskyn
Diane Cabrera (Tourism and Hospitality
Management). Cez Mariela Teresa
G. Verzosa
“Just like St. Joseph, we have to
believe in you because we love you
but we can’t keep you any longer,” he
said. “You have to leave the University
of Santo Tomas so that you may dream
new dreams.”
The graduates were given crosses,
symbols of their mission in life outside
UST. The Mass was capped by a fiveminute pyromusical display, followed
Goodwill
FROM PAGE 16
and Best Striker, respectively. The
Best Goalkeeper award went to Carlo
Sayco of the Graduate School and DJ
Mendoza of Medicine was awarded best
midfielder.
Champions anew
In the distaff side, Medicine
clinched its second championship title
with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory
against the College of Rehabilitation
Sciences (CRS) at the UST Football
field last March 1.
With the teams tied with one goal
apiece, the UST-FMS squad fearlessly
took advantage of the subpar play of the
CRS team to score one more goal in the
80th minute, 2-1.
“Cohesion ng team ang nagdala
sa amin all throughout the tournament,”
team captain Joanna May Francisco
said.
65 percent) bracket.
“We are hoping that next time,
we will enter the ‘moving towards
mastery’ bracket since most of [our]
subjects in the NAT were rated as
such,” she said.
A total of 658 schools belonged to
the “moving towards mastery” level,
or those having a 66 to 85-percent
mark. One school reached the “closely
approximating mastery” (86 to 85
percent) rank while 520 schools were
considered as having “low” mastery, or
those with scores of 15 to 34 percent.
Last March, 6,640 Thomasian
high school students took the NAT
exams.
In 2008, the NAT was administered
for the first time to second-year high
school students to assess their aptitude
in five basic subjects.
But
DepEd,
through
memorandum No. 226 series of 2011,
decided to administer the exams anew
to fourth-year high school students
last school year to “monitor the
public education system and schools
for public accountability, identify
instructional practices, measure student
achievement, and evaluate student’s
mastery skills.” Cez Mariela
Teresa G. Verzosa
by the “ceremony of light” and the
traditional recessional parade to the
Arch of the Centuries.
The following are the number
of graduates per faculty and college
this year: Accountancy, Architecture
(343), Arts and Letters (898), Civil Law
(77), Commerce (739), Ecclesiastical
Faculties, Education (490), Engineering
(1,430), Fine Arts and Design (639),
Graduate School (276), Medicine and
Surgery (543), Music (35), Nursing (425),
Pharmacy (817), Rehabilitation Sciences
(155), Science (638) and Tourism and
Hospitality Management (553).
Sun Mi Hwang of CRS gave her
team an early advantage after scoring a
goal in the 23rd minute after a long shot
from the right flank. But in the second
half, CRS booter Camille Bianca Jurado
accidentally kicked the ball past their
own goalkeeper and kissed their own net
in the 61st minute to give an effortless
lift to the Faculty of Medicine and
Surgery, 1-1.
Defending champions College of
Nursing settled for fourth place this year
after being eliminated by the Medicine
and Surgery squad in the quarterfinal
round.
Earlier in the semis, Medicine
trounced the College of Science, 3-1,
while CRS trounced the College of Fine
Arts and Design, 4-0.
Gabrielle Mercado was hailed Most
Valuable Player and Best Midfielder
while teammate Janelle Lising was
named as the Best Defender. Meanwhile,
CRS booters Angel Jimenez and Aira de
la Cruz were awarded as the Best Goal
Keeper and Best Striker, respectively.
Hedrix Ar-ar C. Caballe
APRIL 8, 2012
Editor: Jan Edward B. Ballesteros
Varsitarian Sports
The
15
Robert Hainga
From the wet market to the hardwood
HARD work does not always pay off, at
least not immediately.
Robert Hainga has experienced
life’s worsts, both on his everyday
endeavors and in the basketball court. It
was not as if he was not working hard;
it’s just that he wasn’t getting the breaks.
As a sixth-grader, the 6-foot-7
center used to help his parents sell fruits,
vegetables, and other sources of income
in his hometown in Negros Occidental.
He considers one of the most challenging
experiences growing up in a family of
six, him being the youngest.
“Since grade six, nag-start na
‘kong magbenta ng mga kung anuano sa palengke. ‘Di lang gulay, lahat
sa palengke nabenta ko na ro’n sa
probinsya,” the 22-year-old Hainga said.
But the former University
of Perpetual Help Altas slotman
never thought of it as “shameful” or
“demeaning.” It was rather a noble job
he and his family had to do to survive.
It even brought him to several out-oftown trips. A doctor from a health center
eventually discovered his potential as a
player.
“Nagpunta na ‘ko sa iba-ibang
lugar para magbenta ng kung anu-ano.
Tapos may isang doktor sa isang health
center na nakakita sa akin. Tinanong
niya ako kung naglalaro ba ako ng
basketball, kasi matangkad ako. Sabi ko
oo, naglalaro ako. Pero hindi talaga ako
naglalaro kasi wala talaga sa hilig kong
mag-basketball dati,” the Education
sophomore student said.
Still, the doctor
believed
in
Hainga’s raw
talent
and
recommended
him to play
in La SalleBacolod. But the
physician’s efforts
went futile as Hainga didn’t qualify for
college since he was not able to finish
high school.
The rejection favored Hainga as
it enabled him to meet Perpetual head
coach and now University of the East
assistant coach Bai Cristobal.
But after his two-year stint with the
Las Pinas-based cagers and the ouster of
Cristobal, Hainga was demoted to Team
B—a downfall that led him to trying out
for the Growling Tigers.
“After ng rookie year ko sa
Perpetual, tinanggal siya (Cristobal).
Siguro may mga player siya na dinala
niya tapos nilagay ako sa Team B.
Parang sa’kin, ayokong maging Team
B, so tumigil ako. Nag-Team B ako
mga isang sem tapos after no’n dito ako
napunta sa UST,” Hainga said.
Now on his apparent final
playing year, Hainga can’t
niya sa practice na naa-apply niya
naman sa team. Problema nga lang,
‘yung sa posisyon niya, marami [sila]
kaya hindi siya nabibigyan ng playing
time sa UAAP. Pero itong year na ‘to,
baka mabigyan siya ng
opportunity,” UST
assistant
coach
Ernesto Ballesteros
said.
Ballesteros
further
motivates
Hainga by reminding
him of his
family
“Ang motivation ko sa kaniya,
‘yung ginagawa niya, para sa pamilya
niya, para sa future. Kasi nandiyan
ka na e, ‘wag mong sayangin ‘yung
pagkakataon,” Ballesteros said.
Hainga admits being frustrated
with himself by the fact that he is given
limited playing time, but he knows
success does not come via the express
lane. He vows to continue working
doubly hard, driven by his family and
friends, to eventually earn his spot in the
starting five.
“May time na nafu- f r u s t r a t e
ako sa sarili ko kasi
‘di
ko
alam kung anong
and
the
privilege of
being a part
of the 16man Tigers’
roster.
kulang ko. Pero namo-motivate ako
‘pag naaalala ko ‘yung family ko sa
probinsya at ‘yung mga kaibigan ko na
nagpu-push sa akin na kaya mo ‘yan,
maglaro ka hanggang professional,” he
said. Carla Patricia S. Perez
seem
to get
his share of limelight, living behind
the shadows of main front man
Karim Abdul and Paulo Pe. But his
limited playing minutes never did
not diminish his resolve.
“Consistent ‘yung pinapakita
Salinggawi still winless in streetdance
THE UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe (SDT)
failed anew to enter the top three in the third
UAAP Streetdance Competition held at the
Skydome last March 23.
UP Street Dance Club dethroned twotime champions La Salle Dance CompanyStreet, which settled for a runner-up finish,
while Adamson University CAST placed
third.
“We really came up short this year
because we allotted only three weeks of
practice for this event,” said SDT coach Joe
Abuda.
“I believe that the Salinggawi is a great
dance group. The talent and passion is there
and the whole Thomasian community is
very supportive to us,” he added.
The competition was judged based
on performance (60%) and skills (40%)
set by the UAAP Streetdance Board of
Committee.
The competition was followed by the
UAAP closing ceremonies wherein rival
schools witnessed UST receiving the trophy
for second place in the overall race, a sight
which was not seen for the past 14 years.
Hedrix Ar-ar C. Caballe
UAAP
FROM PAGE 16
transferred to another UAAP
member school—either from
high school or another college
—would sit out for a year
before participating in a UAAP
tournament, unless he got a
clearance or “release paper”
from his former school. The
one-year residency would be
counted against his playing
years.
Otherwise known as the
“Soc Rivera rule,” the mandate
was named after the promising
junior’s basketball star who
left Far Eastern University
(FEU) for the University of the
Philippines (UP), along with
three other teammates, in 2007.
However, UAAP officials
formed a committee to revise
the residency rule following the
tug-of-war between FEU and
Ateneo de Manila University
over top prospect Jerie Pingoy,
a back-to-back juniors MVP
from FEU.
With a vote of 5-2 with one
abstention, the UAAP Board
Dangal
FROM PAGE 2
for the contributions in
Chemistry, National Research
Council of the Philippines)
and Faculty of Pharmacy
Prof. Rosalinda Solevilla
TomSpeak
Will new UAAP rule
curb athletic pirating?
Compiled by ALEXIS U. cERADO
THE NEW UAAP rule extending to two years the
residency of student-athletes transferring to another
UAAP member school drew cheers and jeers from
students, sports officials, and athletes.
Also known as the “Jerie Pingoy rule,” it aims to
discourage “piracy” among UAAP member schools,
drawing support from Adamson University, De La Salle
University, Far Eastern University, University of the
East, and University of Santo Tomas.
Here are some thoughts from the Thomasian
community:
The UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe fails to bring home the trophy again this year due to
limited time for practices.
Photo courtesy of JOSH ALBELDA of ABS-CBN Sports
approved the revisions last
March 5. Unlike in the previous
rule, the residency years would
not be included in an athlete’s
playing years.
Another measure being
considered to curb piracy in
the country’s premiere intercollegiate league is to pattern
it after the National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA),
which is regulated by the
government.
De Sagon, however, said
the idea was nearly impossible
to pursue because the UAAP,
compared with the nationwide
scope of United States’ NCAA,
has only eight participating
schools.
“It is leveled [in the United
States’ NCAA]—what you get
in this university is what you
also get in another university,”
he said. “You have free tuition,
but other than that, they do not
allow bribery.”
“The board members are
very hard about [the piracy
issue] because each of them
go for the interest of their own
school and I have reminded
them that we have to be
concerned about the interest of
the whole league,” De Sagon
said. “Because when the time
comes that only two schools
will be able to have competitive
teams because all the other
players are being recruited
by them, you will end up
destroying the whole league.”
(outstanding professional of
the year, Philippine Regulation
Commission) received the
Gawad San Lorenzo for
national and international
achievements in the academe.
The
annual
awards,
organized
by
the
administration and the Faculty
Union, recognize faculty
members,
guidance
counselors
and
librarians who have
made
outstanding
contributions to the
University in the fields
of teaching, research,
and service. Nikka
Lavinia
G.
Valenzuela
Victim
Over the past years, UST
has been a famous poaching
ground for athlete piracy as
it saw some of its top-caliber
athletes being lured by other
schools.
But De Sagon said there’s
no need to be retroactive about
the rule, adding that it is needless
to feel bad about the timing of
the rule’s implementation.
“Should that rule been
applied the last years, we
wouldn’t have lost so many
players but it’s already water
under the bridge. But for the
comment, I think it is a wise
rule. I don’t think it will entirely
solve the problem of piracy but
at least deter some people from
doing it.”
Grounded virtues
De Sagon said although
athlete piracy through monetary
incentives is a long-endured
cancer of the league, UST will
not keep pace with the trend
and stick with their method and
principles.
“We maintain our policy
of keeping amateurism in
the high school and college
level,” he said. “They’re
just amateur athletes. And as
amateur athletes, I think money
consideration should not be
part of it. Now if other schools
do that, that’s not our problem.”
De Sagon added that
UST will not go overboard in
promising athletes anything
and instead, be honest of what
it can truly offer.
“They
play,
their
education is free, they have
board and lodging. If they get
sick we will take care of them
and that’s it. We would not
promise things to them that we
cannot give. Because there
are so many schools which
make promises and they
end up caught up in the
same problem.” Jose
Antonio R. Nisay
“I don’t agree with the rule because it limits
the student-athletes’ freedom to transfer to another
UAAP member school. [UAAP officials] seem to
be inconsiderate of the scholastic career plans of the
student-athletes whom they wanted to be focused more
in UAAP games.
-Timothy So-Kua, Season 75 chess Most Valuable
Player from Adamson University High School
“I agree with the new UAAP rule. Parang nawawala
kasi loyalty mo sa isang school kung lilipat ka from
another UAAP school. It would be a disappointment for
the school where an athlete is initially affiliated. Stay
where you begin your career.”
-Ian Zoleta, Sociology junior, Faculty of Arts and
Letters
“The new rule is very selfish for the schools. No
matter what sport it is, they do not have the right to
diminish the choices of student-athletes who want to get
a good education. Like in my case, I chose UST because
it offered the course (Architecture) I wanted.”
-John Depante, team captain, Tiger Spikers
“As a former student-athlete in high school and
college, the role of the coaches is to train their athletes
and not to lift their freedom [in what school to choose].
About the recruitment, everyone (coaches) has a fair
chance to recruit. We should only take the advantage of
recruiting home-grown high school student-athletes for
the inter-collegiate sports.”
-Ronald Dableo, Season 75 champion coach of
Male Woodpushers
“I think the new rule is fair because it protects the
school from piracy of their home-grown players.”
-Jan Rochen Yanquiling, Pharmacy sophomore,
Faculty of Pharmacy
“It would be unfair for student-athletes
if they won’t be given opportunity to
choose their school. The new rule seems
to serve the interest of FEU because
of [Jerie] Pingoy’s departure, though
UST would also benefit from it.”
-Adrian Co, Pilipino Mirror
sports writer and Faculty of Arts
and Letters alumnus
Sports
Lady Spikers
reevaluate
dismal season
IS THE subpar performance of the UST Lady
Spikers this season a temporary setback or a
lasting downfall?
The UAAP Season 75 women’s
volleyball tournament marked the third straight
championship for De La Salle University
(DLSU). But it would also be remembered as the
year when UST failed to barge into the Final Four
for the first time in 10 years.
Even coach Odjie Mamon gave the team a
score of five in a scale of 1 to 10 for their dismal
performance. The España-based volleybelles
finished fifth with a dismal 8-6 win-loss tally.
“The team was well-prepared but their full
potential was not met,” Mamon said. “Those
whom we expected to perform did not do well.”
UST’s unlikely finish this year caught
the Thomasian community by surprise. Sports
analysts were puzzled as well.
People’s Journal sportswriter Theodore
Jurado attributed the problem to the absence of
a peculiar trait present in every successful UST
volleyball team.
“UST lacks intensity to win this season,
especially on must-win games,” said Jurado, who
witnessed the Lady Spikers’ growth since 2000
and their title runs in 2006-2007 and 2009-2010
under former coach August Santamaria and Shaq
de los Santos, respectively.
Jurado said he had UST at third place for
his pre-season predictions behind the eventual
top two squads: La Salle and Ateneo de Manila
University.
However, Jurado believes there’s still hope
for UST to regain its dominance in the sport but
there are a lot more work to be done.
“It is not yet the end of the world for the
UST women’s volleyball program. I guess what
the school needs right now is to be aggressive in
their recruitment. And with the new two-year
residency taking effect in Season 76, this might
help UST a lot,” he said. Jose Antonio R.
Nisay
Engineering, Med
claim Goodwill
football title anew
THE FACULTY of Engineering bagged its second
title in the Thomasian Goodwill Games men’s
football tournament after trouncing the Faculty of
Medicine and Surgery, 2-0, at the UST Football
field last Feb. 28.
With a minute left at the second half,
Engineering rookie Viance Villanueva delivered
a sharp long kick from the left flank as his squad
scored its second goal and picked up its second
title since 2010.
“All our players really played well in all
our games, even though the players tended to
be inconsistent sometimes. They see to it that
they could back up everytime they fall down,”
Engineering coach John Reginald Caballero
said.
Faculty of Medicine and Surgery’s
Leonard Lamfu attempted a goal
in the 87th minute, but his shot
went off the net.
Engineering
midfielder
Allen Montealto scored the first
goal in the 62nd minute on a
quick pass from Villanueva.
Earlier in the semifinal round, Engineering
downed the Faculty
of Arts and Letters,
4-1, while Medicine
and
Surgery
defeated defending
champions
UST
Graduate
School,
3-1.
Rani
Castro
from Engineering
was named Most
Valuable
Player,
while fellow booters
Khalil Austria and
Allen Montealto were
named Best Defender
Goodwill
PAGE 14
APRIL 8, 2012
The Varsitarian
Tigers’ dynasty crumbles
Despite bagging six titles, UST’s streak of UAAP general
championships ended at 14 as De La Salle University claimed its first
overall crown since joining the league in 1986.
The Green Archers finished
“We are not the only ones
with 293 points with five trying to prepare year after year. All
championships, namely in women’s the other schools are, and that has
chess, table tennis, taekwondo, been their aim all this time,” he said.
tennis, and women’s volleyball. UST “In the last 14 years, it’s not as if
came in second with 278 markers they were sleeping and we were the
on the strength of championships in only ones awake. All this time, they
men’s and women’s judo, women’s have been trying.”
beach volleyball, men’s taekwondo,
table tennis, and chess. Ateneo de Streak over for now
Manila University settled for third
But this is not the first time
place with 204 points.
UST snapped a streak after many
Fr. Ermito De Sagon, O.P., years of lording it over the premiere
director of the UST Institute of inter-collegiate league.
Physical Education and Athletics,
In 1998, University of the
said the loss should serve as a Philippines disrupted the supposed
“wake-up call” for the school.
16th straight championship of UST
“Victory has many fathers, a to claim the Season 60 overall
loss is always an orphan,” he said.
title after topping seven events,
UST lost the overall crown including a sweep in swimming and
despite a multi-million investment in badminton.
the state-of-the-art Quadricentennial
“There are many things beyond
Pavilion last year. But athletes were our control. First, you cannot control
not able to use it often for training the cycle of athletes. There comes a
because the facility was also the time that all your athletes are young,
venue for graduation ceremonies there’s nothing you can do about it,”
and other school events.
De Sagon said.
“The Pavilion was there, but
The
unfortunate
event,
we were not able to use it. The however, ignited another dominant
whole of summer [last year], we run—the 14-year winning streak as
practiced outside and we did not we know it today.
have the facilities then,” De Sagon
said.
Unlikely slump
In a previous report of the
UST’s bid was disrupted by the
Varsitarian, UST athletes have subpar performances of other teams
experienced training problems especially in the second semester.
since the demolition of the 78-year- Earlier in the first semester, the
old UST Gymnasium in 2011 to España-based athletes trailed La
give way for the construction of Salle by eight points, 144-152,
the Thomasian Alumni Center. despite retaining crowns in five
Training sessions were temporarily events.
held outside the University until
As per UAAP’s current point
the Quadricentennial Pavilion was system, 15 points are awarded to
inaugurated last year.
first place, 12 to second place, 10 to
But the training facility aside, third place, and 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 to
RUNNER-UP FINISH. UST falls short in bagging its 40th overall title as De Sagon attributed UST’s loss
to the growing strength of other
De La Salle University snapped the Tigers' winning streak.
Dynasty PAGE 11
Photo courtesy of UAAP.TV UAAP varsity teams.
2nd Sem
OVERALL
M
W
M
W
W
12
M
12
10
10
8
10
15
6
6
4
12
8
12
6
10
15
8
6
2
10 10
15
4
10
15
15
4
2
2
10 15
12 12
4
6
10
12 10
4
4
8
141
293
133
278
6
98
204
SpecialReport
New residency rule not enough to curb athlete pirating in UAAP
IT WOULD take more than the extension of
residency years to completely eradicate athlete
piracy in the UAAP.
But it’s a good start, according to Fr.
Ermito de Sagon, O.P., director of the UST
Institute of Physical Education and Athletics,
who also pointed to monetary incentives that
prompt athletes to move from one school to
another.
“[The proposed UAAP rule] is not
sufficient,” De Sagon said. “If we see that it’s
not working then we have to implore other
ways of curtailing piracy.”
“With the two years [of residency], I don’t
think other schools would be paying for athletes
who will not be playing for the two years…
it is just a starting point of the problem,
but we hope the rule can be still improved
later,” he added.
Francis Ochoa, assistant sports editor
of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, said the
(From left) Alyssa Valdez, Cedric Labing-isa, Dindin Santiago, and Kyle Neypes.
Photos courtesy of GOOGLE IMAGES
new rule would help counter piracy, but “raises
a few more concerns.”
“The rule works against the kids, who
basically got their choices stripped from them,”
Ochoa said. “The best way UAAP could have
addressed piracy was to go straight to the root:
recruitment practices. It confounds me that the
UAAP reduces to confront this issue and settles
for self-serving transferee rule.”
In the old rule, a student-athlete who
UAAP PAGE 15
Fortuna goes pro, leaves lair for Beermen
THE CAPTAIN took his
talents to a higher level.
Outgoing Growling
Tigers captain Jeric
Fortuna went pro as he
suited up for the San
Miguel Beermen in the
ASEAN
Basketball
League (ABL).
The 21-year-old
point guard, who
led the Tigers to a
runner-up
finish
in UAAP Season 75 and the
championship in the Philippine
Collegiate Champions League
(PCCL), will represent not only
UST, but also the Philippines.
San Miguel represents the
country in the ABL, whose games
are held in and out the country.
The pint-sized Fortuna, along
with former UST guard Christian
Luanzon, Asi Taulava, and other
top-caliber cagers, boosts San
Miguel’s bid to claim its first
championship against five other
countries—Thailand Slammers,
Indonesia Warriors, Saigon Heat,
Singapore Slingers, and Malaysia
Dragons. The Beermen finished
second last season.
One of Fortuna’s former
mentors in UST was all praises
for him.
“Since his rookie year,
the whole coaching staff of the
Growling Tigers really found
a great deal of potential in
Fortuna,” said UST assistant
coach Estong Ballesteros. “He
Jeric Fortuna pledges allegiance to his Alma Matter.
JOHN PAUL R. AUTOR is very coachable, humble, and
full of discipline when it comes
to playing basketball. On his fiveyear stay here in UST, he really
changed a lot, and we know there
are a lot more breaks he can
achieve in his basketball career.”
In his debut game for the
Beermen against the defending
champions Indonesia Warriors in
Jakarta last March 8, he produced
five points, five rebounds and two
steals.
In his final season with the
Tigers, Fortuna averaged 8.8
Fortuna PAGE 11