Countdown to Sesquicentennial Begins RM Awardees Share

Gokongwei book launched p.2
Ateneo Art Awards p.5
VOL. III NO. 2
Lady Eagles p.12
Bukas Palad p.10
Ateneo teachers awarded p.4
we build community we nurture hope
August - September 2007
Volume III • Number 2
Countdown to Sesquicentennial Begins
By Christine Mallion
Lara Chuavon
SUNDAY, THE 5th of August 2007, marked
the beginning of the remembrance,
celebration, and renewal of Ateneo
de Manila’s 150-year heritage, as the
three-year countdown towards Ateneo’s
sesquicentennial celebration in 2009 was
launched at the Church of the Gesù.
No less than the Very Reverend
Daniel Patrick L. Huang, Provincial
Superior of the Society of Jesus,
presided over the mass, while University
President Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, SJ,
served as the homilist. Fr. Carmelo
“Tito” Caluag II and Grade School
Headmaster Fr. Jose Moises Fermin
were also in attendance.
In his homily, Fr. Nebres
remembered the beginnings of Ateneo
de Manila in 1859, when the Jesuits
returned to the Philippines, taught
Ignatian Spirituality to Filipinos, and
started what was then called Escuela
Municipal de Manila.
“We have a history of almost 150
years,” Fr. Nebres said. “We are children
of a distinctive parentage, going back
to St. Ignatius and the first Jesuits, Fr.
Cuevas and the founding fathers of the
Ateneo and the generations who have
gone ahead of us.”
Reverend Daniel Patrick L. Huang, Provincial Superior of the Society of Jesus, presiding over the
mass, with University President Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, SJ, and Fr. Tito Caluag II in the background.
When Ateneo first started, the school
had only 23 students. Today, Ateneo is
a university that inspires 17,000 grade
school, high school, college, graduate
school, and professional schools’
students to be the best that they can be.
Fr. Nebres also shared in his homily
that Ateneans, whose mission is to be
men and women for others, have a
history of service to the community that
dates back to the 1860s. He recounted
how Jesuit scholastic Padre Federico
Faura founded and built the Manila
Observatory to predict the weather
and forewarn people of typhoons, and
how our national hero, Jose Rizal, one
of Ateneo’s renowned alumnus, strove
to improve the lives of our countrymen
by introducing modern methods of
farming and new technology in fishing
to farmers and fishermen and by healing
and educating the poor.
Fr. Nebres says this legacy of service
lives on in Ateneans today who engage
in nation-building activities by tutoring
public school students, delivering
Thirteen Ateneans
win Palanca,
National Book prizes
The number of Atenean winners
at the 2007 Don Carlos Palanca
Memorial Awards for Literature and
the 26th Manila Critics Circle National
Book Awards show the university’s
strength in arts and humanities. Read
the list of winners in page 3.
public health, and joining disaster relief
and rehabilitation operations.
This legacy of faith, excellence, and
service is what Ateneo will proudly
celebrate in its sesquicentennial
anniversary.
The activities lined up over the
next three years towards Ateneo’s
150th anniversary aim for the Ateneo
community to recall the rich history
and humble mission of Ateneo, and
to strengthen in their minds Ateneo’s
thrust of academic excellence and
spiritual formation to be of service to
others. Sesquicentennial-themed theater
plays, retreats, and fundraising concerts
featuring Jose Mari Chan and Lea Salonga
are among the activities lined up for the
three-year celebration.
RM Awardees Share Lessons, Wisdom to Ateneans
Bringing Internet to
Nepal’s villages
“WITHOUT THE EARTH’S natural
environment, human beings and all other
beings cannot exist. Yet there is only one
earth, which is our cradle, our home,
and our paradise. The earth is vast but
not boundless,” said Tang Xiyang, a 2007
Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Peace and
International Understanding, during his
talk at the Ateneo last 29 August.
“We must respect her, cherish her,
understand and protect her. We must learn
how to keep in harmony with nature.”
The 77-year old environmental writer
and activist shared three main points.
First, he said, we must learn the place of
human beings in nature. “Humans are one
among many of the earth’s inhabitants,”
he pointed out. “Since humans are only
one species among many, only one part
of nature, living within nature rather than
outside or above it, then we should follow
nature’s rules.”
He added that if we do not adopt a
modest, prudent, and restrained attitude,
and adjust the route of economical
development and personal lifestyles, we
will destroy our home and the earth.
Second, Tang said that we must learn to
see the world from an ecological perspective.
“We must learn to take nature and the ecosystem as a whole into our consideration
when we try to solve a problem. Only
with this wider view in mind can we solve
problems more realistically, more accurately,
and more scientifically,” he explained.
And third, we must learn to respect
nature, respect history, and respect tradition.
Quoting a nature scientist, Tang said,
HIS IS A story of perseverance.
”It started with a dream to connect my
village to the Internet,” said Mahabir Pun
of Nepal. The 2007 Ramon Magsaysay
Awardee for Community Leadership was
speaking to Ateneans at lecture organized by
the Ateneo School of Government (ASoG)
last 29 August.
That was in 1997, a year when the
World Wide Web was already a standard
communications tool in other parts of
the world, and when the political crisis in
Nepal was at its peak. When the Himanchal
High School received four used computers
as presents from the students of a school in
Australia, the dream began.
Their village of Nangi in the foothills of
the mountains of Nepal, however, did not
even have a phone line, making the task
seemingly impossible. Pun approached
political leaders and officers of Nepal
telephone company, but came back with
nothing.
In what seemed like a shot in the
dark, he emailed BBC in 2001 about his
problem. That email resulted in two news
articles, raised the idea of wireless Internet,
and brought to Nepal two volunteers from
Europe.
However, they soon found them­selves
faced with several other technical, financial,
legal, and management challenges.
First, they knew very little about
wireless technology. While they had a
wireless cards with them, there was a 40 km
distance between his village and the nearest
city (from which the signal would come
from), and a 3,200m mountain in between.
Amihan Perez
Heeding nature’s
wisdom, preserving
humankind
By Jet Damazo
Rm Awardee Tang Xiyang
“Nature never makes mistakes, because
it does not have a brain.” He explained
that this means nature moves forward
according to its own laws, without any
human subjectivity involved.
“The human brain may be a good
thing, but it can also be a bad thing; it
can be used for good or for evil. The good
here is that human beings can get to know
nature and follow ecological laws in doing
things; the bad is that human beings can
be self-centered, narrow-minded, greedy
and arrogant,” he continued.
Also, the earth has a history of more
than four billion years. “That is to say, the
birth of a new species, the survival of a new
ecological community and the progress
of society are historical processes,” Tang
explained. “History flows with time and
we can’t just focus on the present without
considering the past and the future.”
With regard to respecting tradition, he
said: “The ecological wisdom of our ancestors
can be found in tradition. Our ancestors had
been immersed in nature for thousands of
years, during which they learned how to
follow, respect and protect nature.”
In closing, Tang said that we should
learn and promote ecological wisdom,
through which people and nature live in
harmony. “This is a sacred mission that
history bestows on us.”
Rm Awardee Mahadir Pun
To bridge the distance, they tried to
set up a relay station using ordinary TV
satellite antennas at the mountain, but then
electric power was not available. To address
this problem, they installed solar panels,
with wind generators and even a bicycle
generator for back-up.
An Internet connection, though, is of
little use without enough computers. Pun
and his group sought for donations of
computer parts, which were assembled into
wooden boxes that served as the computer
case.
“It was almost impossible to import the
equipment, transport, and use them because
of the political crisis and Communist
rebels. There were strict regulations and a
high license fee for setting up rural ISPs,”
Pun explained. “So we just bypassed the
regulation to overcome the regulatory and
legal challenges. We smuggled all the equip­
ment illegally and installed them.”
After seven years, Pun’s seemingly
impossible dream was realized. In
September 2003, they managed to connect
to the Internet not only his village of Nangi,
but six other villages in the area as well.
Their financial problems were
addressed by a $6,000 grant from Donald
continue on page 2
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2007
JGSOM Launches Book on
John Gokongwei Jr.
By Art Valencia
SOME 200 EXECUTIVES, educators, and
friends of the honoree congregated at Escaler Hall last 29 August 2007 to witness
the launching of a biography cum business book on John L. Gokongwei Jr.
The first book issued under the aegis of the John Gokongwei School of
Management (JGSOM), “John Gokongwei Jr.: The Path to Entrepreneurship”
chronicles the struggles and triumphs
of one of the country’s legendary business figures, and derives lessons on
leadership and entrepreneurship from
such a celebrated life.
Written by Dr. Marites A. Khanser,
former faculty of JGSOM, and published by the Ateneo Loyola Schools,
the book traces Gokongwei’s life from
his teen-age years as a bicycling peddler to his present status as a powerful
Taipan with businesses cutting a wide
swath of influence across the country
and beyond.
In his welcome remarks, JGSOM
Dean Rudy Ang said that this new publication will, in time, be “one of the important contributions [Mr. Gokongwei] has
made to the field of business education.”
Former Bangko Sentral Governor
Gabriel Singson, who wrote the foreword, cited the many educational grants
and endowments given by the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation.
In her speech, author Khanser called
herself “Mr. John’s storyteller,” adding
that her book carries the trademarks of
two very famous brands: Ateneo and
John Gokongwei.
Vice President for the Loyola
Schools Dr. Ma. Assunta Cuyegkeng
thanked Gokongwei for his continuing generosity—this time for “sharing
with us his life story and his business
insight.”
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dr. Antoinette Palma-Angeles said: “He
has enough stories in his life’s journey
to fill several volumes, perhaps more
than the seven of the Harry Potter series. And just like the wizards, Mr.
John seems to know enough magic
that allowed him to transform his small
companies into the big companies that
they are now.”
In his response, Mr. Gokongwei exhorted the audience “to dream…, con-
quer your fears, rely on yourself, be resilient, and take calculated risks.”
In closing, Ateneo de Manila University President Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, SJ, recalled Mr. Gokongwei’s exhortation as Commencement Speaker
to the 2004 graduating class: Join a
company, stay there for a few years to
learn, and then leave to start your own
businesses.
SC Johnson Sets Up $100,000
Environmental Leadership
Fund in Ateneo
A US$100,000 ENDOWMENT from SC
Johnson Philippines, Inc. established
the SC Johnson Environmental Leadership Development Fund in the Ateneo.
The fund will “support a perpetual
professorial chair in environmental
leadership in partnership with Ateneo.”
Ateneo and SC Johnson Philippines,
Inc. signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) covering the fund last
13 August 2007.
The endowment was made “in recognition of the need for environmental
leadership in the country, and in celebration of SC Johnson’s 50th anniversary in the Philippines.”
The fund seeks to award a professorial chair to an environment leader
who will “support and reward individuals (or groups) which have shown
leadership in environmental research,
environmental management, environmental education or advocacy, and
who have new ideas to present.”
University President Bienvenido F.
Nebres, SJ; SC Johnson and Son, Inc.
Vice President for Developing Markets
ASEAN Frank F. Guerra (BS Mathematics 1975); School of Science and
Engineering Dean Fabian M. Dayrit;
and SC Johnson and Son, Inc. Malay
Cluster General Manager Ramon P.
Office of the Vice President for the Loyola Schools
(Seated, L-R) Ramon P. Daez, Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, Frank F. Guerra, Dr. Fabian Dayrit; (Standing, L-R)
Noel A. Resureccion, Benjamin N. Jacinto, Gloria Panganiban, Dr. Antonio G.M. La Viña, Floyd Pedernal
and Dr. Teresita Perez.
Daez (BS Business Management 1983)
signed the MOU.
During the meeting, Father Nebres
emphasized Ateneo’s active involvement
in environmental issues since its early
years, such as the Manila Observatory
which helped the community predict
potentially damaging typhoons. He also
said that the endowment is “a wonderful gift” in continuing Ateneo’s mission
of helping preserve the environment.
Guerra, meanwhile, proudly declared that just as the Ateneo forms
“men for others,” SC Johnson is a “company for others.” He also asserted that
the awardee for the professorial chair
must hold influence in the academe and
the community to be able to effect significant environmental changes.
- Michelle Camille Correa, www.ateneo.edu
Jet Damazo
EDITOR
Ronnie Elefano
Rogie M. Ramilo, Jr.
LAYOUT ARTIST
Gary Devilles, Eileen Lolarga, Christine Mallion, Eeya Litiatco-Martin, Rick Olivares, Art
Valencia
WRITERS
PHOTOS COURTESY OF:
Lara Chuavon, Miggy Mendoza, Amihan Perez, Joseph Salazar, Philip Sison, Alyson Yap
WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF:
Connie C. Camacho, School of Humanities; Marivi Cabason, School of Science and Engineering; Anna Galvez, John Gokongwei School of Management; Milet Tendero, School of Social
Sciences; Nono Felipe
Bringing Internet to Nepal’s Villages... from p. 1
Strauss Foundation solicited by an
undergraduate student of the University of
California, which they used to purchase the
networking equipment, solar panels, and
generators. Through a World Bank project,
they received another $20,000 grant that
is now being used for the project’s second
phase.
Initially, he only wanted to connect
students from different schools via e-mail.
Now, he dreams of increasing educational
opportunities in community schools by
creating a live tele-teaching program,
establishing a tele-hospital in an urban area
and linking it to the district level hospitals
and rural health centers to provide medical
assistances to the villagers, empowering
district governments through an egovernance program, helping villagers sell
and buy their products in the local market
through local intranet, and generating jobs
for younger generation locally through
communication centers and e-learning
programs.
“We still have a long way to go,” he
concluded.
Loyola Schools Bulletin © 2007 (ISSN: 1656-8354) is published bimonthly by the Office of
Research and Publications, 2F Gonzaga Hall, Loyola Schools, Ateneo de Manila University,
Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City
E-mail: [email protected]
Mailing address: POBox 154, Manila 0917, Philippines
Telephone (632) 4266001 local 5002
Fax (632) 4266096
http://www.ateneo.edu > Loyola Schools > LoyolaSchoolsBulletin
The Loyola Schools Bulletin is looking for contributing writers and photographers. If you are
interested, send an email to [email protected].
OFFICERS OF THE VERY FIRST GRADUATE STUDENT COUNCIL IN THE LOYOLA
SCHOOLS: THE ELECTED OFFICERS and some departmental representatives of the Interim
Graduate Student Council of the Loyola Schools after taking their oath of office before the
Vice President for Loyola Schools. (L-R): Dr. Ma. Assunta Cuyegkeng, VP-LS, Sheri Anne Zerna
(Secretary), Renee Ann Ortega (Vice President), Niña Katrina Belleza (President), Pamela Joy
Mariano (Finance Officer), Perry Buenavente (ES rep), Genevieve Lorenzo (ECCE rep), Dr.
Norman Quimpo, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs. (3 September 2007)
VOL. III NO. 2
Notable Achievements
Jonathan Aldric Chua
PHOTO COURTESY
OF MATH DEPARTMENT
Atenean Shines in
International Math Tilt
JONATHAN ALDRIC CHUA (I-BS AMF) garnered
the Honorable Mention at the 48th International
Mathematical Olympiad, held in Hanoi, Vietnam
on 19-31July 2007.
The award is given to students who were
able to provide a complete solution to one of
the problems in the said competition. Over 500
contestants from 93 countries participated in this
year’s math Olympiad.
Jonathan is a member of the Philippine team
composed of six contestants, which includes
Atenean Tops 2007 Chemistry Board Exam
DAVID PERALTA (BS/MS Chemistry) garnered an average of 90.25% to top the
chemistry board examinations given by the Professional Regulation Commission
last 6-7 September 2007. He is the first Ateneo graduate to earn the top spot in
the exams.
Peralta graduated magna cum laude and was a BPI-DOST Science Awardee in
2006. He is a product of the Ateneo Grade School (1998) and Ateneo High School
(2002). He currently teaches part-time at the Chemistry Department, and will start
teaching full-time effective in the second semester of school year 2007-2008.
The other board passers from the Ateneo are Julienne Eve D. Algabre (BS
Chem 2007), Jovilyn Therese B. Fajardo (BS Chem 2006), Michelle D. Jose (BS
Chem 2007, cum laude, and BPI-DOST Science Awardee 2007), Aran Homer San
Juan (BS Chem 2006), and Deniz P. Wong (BS Chem 2006, Honorable Mention;
MS Chem 2007). Wong is now a full-time instructor at the department, while Jose
is a part-time faculty member.
ADS wins first round of Philippine
Debating Championship
ATENEO DEBATE SOCIETY (ADS)
members Sharmila Parmarand and
Charisse Borromeo, won the first round of
the Philippine Debating Championship on
ABS-CBN News Channel’s (ANC) “Square
Off” program last 1 August 2007.
Taking the opposition or the negative
side in the topic “Should the government
suspend the peace talks with the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front as a result of
the beheading of 10 Marine soldiers in
Basilan?”, Ateneo beat debaters from the
Western Mindanao State University, who
took the government or affirmative side.
Both schools are among 16 universities
vying to represent the Philippines in
the 2008 World Universities Debating
Championships, the largest debating
tournament in the world, on 27
December 2007 to 5 January 2008 at
Assumption University, Thailand.
The other 14 universities are the
University of the Philippines (UP)
- Diliman, UP-Manila, De La Salle
University, College of St. Benilde,
University of Santo Tomas, University of
Baguio, Ateneo de Zamboanga University,
Ateneo de Davao University, Polytechnic
University of the Philippines, San Beda
College, UP-Baguio, Xavier University,
Mindanao State University and Lyceum
of the Philippines.
Ateneans Win
Palanca
Awards
EIGHT ATENEANS WERE awarded the prestigious 2007 Don Carlos Palanca
Memorial Awards for Literature, which is considered as the “Pulitzer Prize”
of the Philippines. These are:
• Miguel G. Alcazaren (AB Communication Arts 1986), first prize for “Prisoner
Alpha” in the Dulang Pampelikula (full-length film, Filipino) category
• Cynthia Lapeña-Amador (MA English Literature 1990), third prize for "The
Piano" (full-length play, English) category
• Douglas James L. Candano (AB Development Studies 2005), second prize for
“Dreaming Valhalla” in the Short Story (English) category
• Mikael Co (BS Environmental Science 2003), first prize for “Hands for a
Fistful of Sand” in the Poetry (English) category
• Michael M. Coroza (MA Literature - Filipino 2001), third prize for “Imbisibol
Man ang Tatay” in the Maikling Kwentong Pambata (Short Story for
Children, Filipino) category
• Amado Angelo R. Lacuesta (Grade School 1984; High School 1988), first
prize for “Flames” in the Short Story (English) category
• Jose Edmundo O. Reyes (High School 1990, BS Management Engineering
1994), second prize for “Imaginary Number” in the Poetry (English) category
• Renato L. Santos (High School 1959, AB Economics 1963), third prize for
“Sosy Atbp…” in the Tula (Poetry, Filipino) category
Darren Mendell Sy (1-BS AMF),
Carlo Francisco Adajar (PAREF Southridge
School), Tobit James Narciso (Philippine Science
High School), Stephanie Anne Oliveros (Philippine
Science High School) and Jeffrey Kenneth Go
(Xavier School).
The team is spearheaded by the Philippine
team leader, Dr. Ian June L. Garces and the
deputy team leader, Timothy Robin Teng, both
faculty members of the Ateneo Mathematics
Department.
Ateneo team is overall champion
of first ING Funds Tournament
THE ATENEO DE Manila University-Hello World Team was declared the
overall champion of the 2007 ING Funds Tournament, an intercollegiate fundmanagement competition which is on its initial run.
The members of the team are Carlos Miguel L. Cruz (IV BS Management
Engineering), John Cezar S. De Guzman (IV BS Management Engineering), and
Aceyork U. Unsay (IV AB Economics).
The 2007 ING Funds Tournament provides the student teams with the
opportunity to manage a virtual fund portfolio over a period of two months. The
Hello World Team bested seven other finalists, including another Ateneo team,
Team Duncan, with its solid and consistent participation in the competition.
Only four universities had been invited to compete on the initial run of the
tournament– Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, University of
Asia and the Pacific and University of the Philippines.
As the overall champion, ADMU-Hello World received a trophy and a 3day, 2-night trip to Hong Kong, including a tour of the ING Hong Kong office.
The awarding ceremony was held last 5 September 2007 at the Philippine Stock
Exchange Makati Broker’s Lounge.
Members of the Ateneo-Hello World Team
Ateneans Win
National
Book
Awards
FIVE ATENEAN WRITERS were recognized at the 26th Manila Critics Circle
National Book Awards. These are:
• Gilda Cordero-Fernando (Master of Arts 1960) for “Bad Kings” in the Best
Children’s Book category
• Ceres P. Doyo (Master of Arts 1971) for "Daughters True: 100 Years of
Scholastican Education" in the Best Book in Education category. Ms. Doyo
co-edited the book with Neni Sta. Romana-Cruz, Paulynn Paredes Sicam, and
Karina Bolasco.
• Maria Isabel O. Garcia (BS Legal Management 1987) for “Science Solitaire:
Essays on Science, Nature, and Becoming Human” (Ateneo de Manila
University Press) in the Best Book of Essays category
• Renato M. Labadan (MA Business Administration 1976) for “Coconut: The
Philippines' Money Tree” in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Prize for Best Book
on Business/Economics/Finance category
• Alvin B. Yapan (BS Legal Management 1997; MA Literature – Filipino 2000) for
“Ang Sandali ng mga Mata” (Ateneo de Manila University Press) in the Juan C.
Laya Prize for Best Book of a Fiction in a Vernacular Language category
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2007
“Many Faces of the teacher” Awardee
Fr. Roque Ferriols, SJ
By Christine Mallion
FR. ROQUE FERRIOLS, SJ, University
professor emeritus and three-time
National Book Awardee, is no stranger
to awards. Especially poignant,
though, was the “Many Faces of the
Teacher” award given him by the Bato
Balani Foundation, Inc. (BBFI) and
Diwa Learning Systems, Inc. (DLSI)
last 2 August 2007.
As one of the award’s four
recipients this year, Fr. Ferriols is
recognized as representing countless
of teachers in the Philippines who
have performed their work with
resolute commitment and dedication,
and have led a life of humility and
simplicity.
For the past 52 years, Fr. Ferriols,
who celebrated his 83rd birthday last
August 16, has committed himself to
promoting philosophy in the Filipino
language.
“Ang pag-iisip ay hindi laro kungdi
taimtim na paghahanap sa totoo…
Kung mamimilosopya ka sa Ingles
habang ang nagwawalis sa kalye,
namamasada sa jeepney ay nag-iisip
sa Pilipino, anong uring paghahanap
ng katotohanan ito? Kailangang
kilalanin na ang ordinaryong tao ay
namimilosopiya din sa naghahanap ng
katotohanan,” Fr. Ferriols once said
to a national daily.
His efforts to promote teaching in
Filipino in the classroom were first
recognized by the Ateneo when they
Fr. Roque Ferriols, SJ--the teacher who keeps the light of truth burning–with students. Photo courtesy
of the Department of Humanities
awarded him the Gawad Tanglaw ng
Lahi in 1989.
Aside from this, Fr. Ferriols serves
as an example to his colleagues for his
ingenuity, simplicity, humility, and, most
of all, his commitment to his students.
Philosophy professor Dr. Manny Dy
describes Fr. Ferriols as: “One of a kind
…a creative genius. He points to the
truth. He leads you to the insight.”
“Fr. Ferriols deserves the award
because he is a teacher who gives from
his very person,” says Roy Tolentino,
a colleague at the Ateneo’s Philosophy
department and a former student. “Fr.
Ferriols was one of the teachers who
inspired me to pursue the teaching life.”
Fr. Ferriols is an inspiration to
students as well. Among Ateneans, he has
a reputation for challenging his students
to pagmumunimuni—reflecting and
thinking in their own living language.
“His quiet demeanor allows the students
to enter into philosophical reflection and
his method gives them the opportunity
to discover their own capacity for
thought,” says Mr. Tolentino.
BBFI is a non-profit foundation
which aims to improve the quality
of education in the country. BBFI
partnered with DLSI in 2004 and
founded “A Tribute to Teachers,”
an occasion for Filipinos to express
gratitude to the thousands of teachers
in the Philippines who have touched
lives, given inspiration, and shaped
the souls of our youth even in the
midst of insurmountable obstacles
and difficulties.
Within this program is the annual
“Many Faces of the Teacher” search
where outstanding teachers are
commended to inspire other teachers
to continue in their selfless mission
to enlighten the minds of the Filipino
youth. The “Many Faces of the Teacher”
Award is given to teachers who not
only have exemplified excellence in
teaching but have influenced society
through their profession as well.
The award also recognized
three other teachers: mobile teacher
Ronyla Santiago of Nueva Ecija,
special education teacher Elsa
Grafilo Duran of Cotabato City, and
journalism professor Luis Teodoro
of the University of the Philippines.
The four were recognized at the
annual celebration of “A Tribute to
the Teachers” held last 1 September
at the Araneta Coliseum, attended by
15,000 teachers.
courtesy of the Office of the VPLS
Metrobank Outstanding Teacher Awardee
Dr. Benilda Santos
By Christine Mallion
OUT OF THE 200 nominated teachers
from all over the country, Dr. Benilda
Santos was chosen as one of the 10
winners of this year’s Metrobank
Foundation Search for Outstanding
Teachers.
Dr. Santos, currently the acting dean
of the Ateneo School of Humanties and
a professor in the Filipino department,
was recognized for her efforts and
contributions in literature and the arts
as a teacher, writer, poet, and critic of
Filipino literature.
A prolific writer and author, Dr.
Santos is a three-time Palanca awardee
for poetry and received the National
Book Award in 1997 for Kuwardro
Numero Uno (Frame Number One).
She also received the Loyola Schools
Publication Award for Poetry in 2004
and Parangal Amado V. Hernandez ng
Samahang Anak Hagunoy Award in
2003.
As an educator, she was given the
Irwin Memorial Teacher Award in 2006,
a university award for excellence from
the Ateneo de Manila University, and
was recognized as an Outstanding Senior
Teacher by the Ateneo Schools Parents
Council in 2003.
Fondly called Ma’am Beni by her
fellow teachers and students, Dr. Santos
is seen as a mentor who gives special
attention and care to younger teachers
by patiently guiding them and helping
them hone their skills as instructors.
“Hindi siya madamot sa pagbabahagi
hindi lamang ng kaalaman kundi ng sarili.
More Ateneans Among Metrobank Awardees:
• Fredo T. Laureles, Ateneo Grade School
•Glendale Lamiseria (MS Math Ed 2006, DepEd-NEAP Scholar Batch 5),
Dulag National High School, Leyte
• Dr. Ruben Abucayon (MS Bio Education 2002) Alegria National High
School, Surigao del Norte
Ms. Lamiseria and Dr. Abucayon obtained their master’s degrees through the
DepEd-National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines Scholarship Program
for Secondary School Teachers. All winners received a trophy and P250,000.00
cash prize.
Outstanding teacher Dr. Benilda Santos (center) with University President Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, SJ
(right) and her family.
Kahit na minsan ay may limitasyon ang
kanyang pisikal na katayuan, hindi iyon
hadlang upang hindi magbigay si Ma’am
Beni sa mga taong nangangailangan
ng kanyang karunungan, kaalaman, at
maging ng kalinga,” says Christine Bellen,
a colleague at the Filipino Department.
(She is generous in sharing not only
her knowledge but herself. Though she
has physical limitations, Ma’am Beni
does not allow these to keep her from
being of service to those who need her
knowledge, wisdome, and care.)
Metrobank Foundation initiated
the 10 Outstanding Teachers Program
in 1985 to bestow honor and due
recognition to exemplary teachers who
have shown profound commitment
to honing the minds of the youth,
dedication to their craft, and effective
educational leadership. The program
aims to elevate the quality of education in
the Philippines by choosing outstanding
educators to serve as inspiration to
thousands of teachers to continue their
selfless mission to change the future of
the country.
The nationwide search for the
Outstanding Teachers is open to
elementary, secondary and tertiary
education levels. The nominees were
officially endorsed by the head of their
respective schools and the winners were
carefully chosen by a panel of judges
headed by Senator Richard Gordon.
Supreme Court Associate Justice Ma.
Alicia Austria Martinez, Department
of Social Welfare and Development
Secretary Esperanza Cabral, De La Salle
University President Bro. Armin Luistro,
FSC, and Philippine Stock Exchange
President Francis Lim were among those
included in the board of judges.
VOL. III NO. 2
Recognize the Mystical, the Comical,
and the Sentimental
by Eeya Litiatco Martin
EACH YEAR, THE Ateneo Art Awards (AAA) unveils a
roster of talented young artists whose creative zeal have
played significant roles in shaping the face of modern and
contemporary art in the country. Under the stewardship of the
Ateneo Art Gallery (AAG), the awards give due recognition
to select artists whose works have appeared in group or solo
exhibitions in the past year.
her body of work entitled “Saturnine:
A Collection of Portraits”, exhibited at
the SilverLens Gallery in December of
last year. The chemically-intoxicated
photographs possess a surreal dreamlike quality that succinctly “bring to
light” the enigmatic realm of darkness
and timeless mysticism.
MM Yu’s photo installation is a
collection of seemingly mundane
objects and matters of everyday affairs
that have stirred the artist’s musings.
Autobiographical in nature, the
photographs are thematically arranged
in black notebooks. Her works were
displayed at the Finale Art Gallery in
SM Megamall from April to May of this
year. The exhibition, called “Thoughts
Collected, Recollected”, earned Yu
the AAG–Common Room Bandung,
Indonesia Residency Grant.
This year marks the first time that
all three winners were given AAG
AAA winners and jurors with University President Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, SJ.
The Sentimental:
“Thoughts Collected, Recollected”
by MM Yu
respective venues.
In sync with the exhibition theme
of the Filipino identity extending its
reach globally, the grant gives the artists
the privilege of raising the Filipino flag
on foreign shores. Likewise a first in
the history of the AAA was the presence
this year of two foreign jurors: Vince
Alessi, managing curator of the La Trobe
University Art Museum and Collections
in Australia; and art historian, critic
and curator Eugene Tan, director of
the Institute of Contemporary Arts
Singapore.
The AAA aims to promote awareness
and appreciation of contemporary
Philippine art and artists both here and
abroad, in line with the mission and
vision of the AAG. Though diverse in
forms of expression, these works give
further credence to the value of art and
culture to Philippine society.
The AAA was held in partnership with
the Unionbank, Metro Society, Power
Plant Mall, Rockwell Land, Smart Gold,
and Y Style with the support of Artesan
Gallery, Common Room Networks
Foundation, Arts Network Asia, La
Trobe University Bendigo, Timbuk2,
and Absolut Vodka.
Ateneans Garner Top Awards
in Independent Film Circuit
Jet Damazo
The Comical:
“A Bowtie for John Lyle”
by Lyle Buencamino
International Studio Residency Grants.
The first of its kind in the country,
the residency grant is expansive and
comprehensive. It translates into a
three-week stay in a designated work
studio in a foreign art institution with
monetary allowance, roundtrip airfare,
and accommodations provided for.
AAG’s managing curator Yael
Buencamino says that the grant presents
“an excellent opportunity for the local
artists to interact with and be exposed to
other artists on an international setting”
and, consequently, to keep themselves
abreast with the developments in
the international art scene - a factor
that certainly should contribute to
their growth as artists. To mark the
culmination of their residencies, the
artists will hold solo exhibitions in their
courtesy of AAG
This
year’s
theme,
Global/
Vernacular, celebrates the participating
visual artists’ ability to impart aesthetic
experiences that speak a universal
language, while maintaining a thematic
cultural repertoire that is distinctly
Filipino. It is a bold affirmation that
Philippine visual arts, though catering
to an international audience, has firmly
kept the Filipino identity intact amid
the threat of homogeneity brought
about by globalization.
That the event was indeed a
milestone was not lost among the
patrons who came to view the works of
the 11 short-listed artists exhibited at
the North Court, Power Plant Mall from
2–7August 2007. For the first time in
the AAA’s four-year history, artists were
short-listed twice: Bembol De la Cruz,
Wawi Navarroza, Jay Ticar, and Jevijoe
Vitug in 2007; Mac Valdezco in 2005;
and Nona Garcia twice this year. The
other short-listed artists include Racquel
de Loyola, Winner Jumalon, Yasmin
Sison, Lyle Buencamino, and MM Yu.
The formal awarding ceremony,
held on 8 August at the Rockwell Tent,
concluded the week-long event where
Wawi Navarozza, Lyle Buencamino,
and MM YU were awarded the country’s
premiere modern art prize. Lyle Buencamino paid tribute to his
father in a series of paintings entitled “A
Bowtie for John Lyle”, exhibited in July
2006 at the Mag:Net Gallery in ABSCBN. The title was taken from a song
the late composer had dedicated to his
son. Buencamino’s works feature father
and son engaged in humorous jests and
banters portrayed in a comic strip fashion.
He received the AAG – La Trobe University
Bendigo, Australia Residency Grant.
Wawi Navarozza, who received
the AAG–Artesan Gallery Singapore
Residency Grant, displayed her
mastery of photographic alchemy in
The Mystical:
“Saturnine: A Collection of Portraits”
by Wawi Navarozza
TWO CINEMATIC FORAYS by Ateneans
into the independent filmmaking
circuit earned top recognition at the
2007 Cinemalaya Independent Film
Festival. Conferred the highest honors
at the awarding ceremonies held
last 28 July 2007 at the Tanghalang
Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater)
were filmmaker Alvin Yapan (BS Legal
Management 1997) in the Short
Feature Film Category for “Rolyo” and
Ina Feleo (BFA Creative Writing 2006)
as Best Actress for her role in the film
“Endo.”
Yapan received a Gawad Balanghai
trophy and a P100,000 film grant
from Film Development Council of
the Philippines. It covers a one-term
training in a discipline of his choice and
a P25,000 grant from the International
Academy of Film and Television.
The breadth of Yapan’s artistic
expertise has been recognized time
and again by the top award-giving
bodies in the country. A faculty
member of the Loyola Scools’ Filipino
department, Yapan is a three-time
Palanca awardee for fiction and won
the NCAA Writers Prize in 2005.
A
true
visionary,
Yapan’s
unpretentious take on a uniquely
Filipino
experience
insightfully
translated into reel life was hailed by
Cinemalaya for “its lyrical depiction
of the idyllic life of a young girl in the
province, its rich symbolism, and its
effective counterpoint of images that
pit the materialistic with the simple,
the pure and the pastoral.”
Feleo, on the other hand, is no
stranger to acting, being an active
performer in Tanghalang Ateneo
stage productions. The Cinemalaya
award for her cinematic venture in
“Endo” serves as a testament to her
versatility as an actress. In “Endo”,
she played the endearing and multifaceted Tanya, a contractual laborer
whose ambitions of working abroad
are waylaid by her socio-economic
disposition and her heated romance
with the capricious Leo (Jason Abalos).
Feleo is the daughter of actors Johnny
Delgado and Laurice Guillen.
by Eeya Litiatco Martin
More than just a creative pursuit,
independent filmmaking is a noble
endeavor upheld by the belief in
art for art’s sake, and whose notion
of viability demands extraordinary
courage and commitment. For the
brave souls who dare venture into it,
the gratification stems solely from
producing something of noteworthy
cultural and artistic value. Their’s is a
world bereft of the glitz and glamour
of the commercial filmmaking
industry; and where originality,
depth, meaning, and excellence of
artistic delivery take precedence over
popularity and the material rewards
that normally follow.
The Cinemalaya Film Festival
aims to vivify the Philippine “indie”
filmmaking industry by continually
unearthing and cultivating gifted filmmakers. It also provides a network
of support for these alternative
filmmakers and perhaps, more
significantly, empowers the Filipino
cultural identity in the international
arena.
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2007
pursuing internationalization
Students
as
Expats
By Art Valencia
IN THE NEXT few years, one out of every three graduates
of the John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM)
will have spent a semester abroad in earning his or her
degree—even more if present trends continue.
No lost time. Here’s how it works:
• The typical Ateneo school-year has mid-June to mid-October for the
first semester and November to March for the second semester.
• JGSOM organizes special junior-year classes held April to July
(semester 1) and January to April (semester 2).
• This allows the batch to study abroad in the intervening term of
August to December—the period when most universities abroad
have their first semester.
• As a rule, students earn credits for courses taken in partner
universities abroad towards fulfilling their local degree requirements.
• JTA participants enter senior year on schedule (June).
Photos courtesy of JTA participants
Ateneo’s Internationalization Thrusts
Adapting to the
Changing Times
By Erlinda Eileen G. Lolarga
TO MEET THE current and future challenges of globalization, migration,
advances in information and communication technology, and increased
competition among higher educational institutions both here and abroad, the
Ateneo Loyola Schools is more vigorously pursuing internationalization.
Current Efforts
At present, Ateneo’s internationalization efforts include expanding student
mobility between the school and its partner universities in Asia and Europe,
This confident prediction is the
result of the very successful Junior Term
Abroad (JTA) Program established
in 2003. Now on its fifth year, the
program organizes one-semester study
placements of junior-year management
students in various partner universities
in Asia, Europe and the United States.
It has grown from 17 participants in
school year 2003-04—with JGSOM
partnering with 5 schools in 4
countries—to 136 participants this
school year, involving 33 host schools
in 14 countries. The figures can only
increase, given sustained student
interest along with the growing list
of universities undertaking exchange
arrangements with Ateneo.
JGSOM’s JTA Program represents
the bulk of Loyola Schools’
international
student
exchange
activities. This is one of the principal
ways by which the Loyola Schools
is establishing stronger world-wide
links, tasked as it is with achieving
higher levels of internationalization
for the University. The challenge is
more complex and varied now in this
era of globalization, and certainly a far
cry from the early 1970s, when Ateneo
ventured in student exchanges with
its first partner schools that included
Sophia University of Tokyo.
It was in 1994 when the Office
of International Programs (OIP) was
created to be the university’s service
arm for internationalization efforts.
Working under Dr. Antonette PalmaAngeles, Vice President for Academic
Affairs, and Director of OIP, the office
manages student exchange programs
and is composed of a six-person team.
OIP’s first efforts in the mid-90s
dealt with short language training
programs for Koreans wanting to learn
English.
In early 2000, OIP administered
special academic programs for student
groups from America (University
of San Francisco, University of
California, Canisius College, Stanford
University) and from Japan (Nanzan
University) wanting to immerse
themselves in the Philippine social
and cultural environment. For this
purpose, OIP organized month-long
academic cum outreach programs,
combining classroom lectures on
history, economy, politics, and culture
with visits to urban poor communities
and historical sites.
In 2001, the French embassy
in the Philippines offered Archipel
scholarships to France, paving the
way for the first two-way exchange
of students between Ateneo and
French students. Soon after many
student exchange agreements were
signed between Ateneo and French
universities.
developing inbound student mobility through 3-5 week immersion programs, and
establishing Ateneo as a regional center for graduate education. The University
has also positioned itself as a Center for English Language with students from
partner schools coming to the Ateneo for English language learning.
Recently developed internationally-geared programs include the China
initiatives spearheaded by the University’s Confucious Institute, such as exchange
visits with Sun Yat Sen University and the newly approved AB in Chinese Studies
(see related article in page 8).
Theme-centered collaborative research is being encouraged as well, with the
University’s research agenda focused on nation-building. The Ateneo is actively
seeking foreign academics who can collaborate with our own faculty members on
research. Current institutional partnerships supporting this internationalization
thrust include the ones with La Trobe University in Australia and the University of
the Assumption in Thailand on cityscape and social philosophy.
Academic Vice President, Dr. Antonette Palma-Angeles shared that a conference
involving all Ateneo units was held last August on campus with Indonesian and
Malaysian academics in cooperation with La Trobe University’s Center for Dialogue
VOL. III NO. 2
ADMU International Linkages
JTA participants
around the world
Argentina
1. Universidad del Salvador
– Buenos Aires
Australia
2. La Trobe University – Melbourne
3. Notre Dame University – Perth
4. The University of Newcastle – Callaghan
NSW
5. University of Technology Sydney
– Sydney
Austria
6. MCI – Management Center Innsbruck
Belgium
7. University of Antwerp – Antwerp
Canada
8. University of Saskatchewan
– Saskatchewan
OIP and the Office of the Associate
Dean for Academic Affairs (ADAA),
however, had to address the problem
of students being averse to exchange
programs that will unduly delay their
graduation. Because of the differences
in school schedule, Filipinos going to
foreign universities for a semester’s
study stood to lose a full school-year
in the Philippine school calendar.
In 2003, a revolutionary idea from
JGSOM sparked student interest in
studying abroad. The Junior Term
Abroad (JTA) Program provided for
a local class schedule that would
accommodate a full-term abroad for
the students with no time lost towards
their graduation.
With the program in place,
students queued up for placements.
JGSOM and OIP actively sought
partner universities all over Europe,
Asia, and the United States to develop
exchanges. With these agreements
came various arrangements like tuition
waivers and partial scholarships from
some universities, which served the
students and the schools well.
The success of JGSOM’s JTA
program notwithstanding, the other
Loyola Scools contribute their share
in the internationalization thrust. The
School of Social Sciences (SOSS) has
been sending three or four European
Studies students abroad annually for
exchange programs. This year SOSS
will send six students to France and
Spain for a semester’s stay.
In the School of Science and
China
9. Beijing Language and Culture University
10.Peking University – Beijing
11.Sun Yat-sen University – Guangzhou
12.Xiamen University – Xiamen
Engineering (SOSE), the Department
of
Information
Systems
and
Communication Science (DISCS)
this year sent 13 students abroad,
up from two last year. Also active
is the exchange program between
the Electronic Communication and
Computer
Engineering
(ECCE)
Department and a French engineering
school that provides for Philippine
students to spend one school-year in
France, and French students to spend
five months in the Philippines while
conducting their research project. Last
summer, 14 ECCE students spent onemonth in an Ateneo partner school in
Taiwan for their summer on-the-job
training.
The School of Humanities (SOH)
has also sent its students abroad
through the Archipel Scholarsip
Program of the French Embassy. And,
yes, there are other initiatives—the
short term study tours organized and
supervised by the schools themselves:
Europe by European Studies and Japan
by Japanese Studies, both of SOSS, and
China by JGSOM.
All told, the various efforts at
student expatriation establish Ateneo
as an institution with strong ties with
foreign partners, but ultimately, the
students have the most to gain from the
socio-cultural lessons they learnswhile
living and studying abroad.
on Peace, Conflict and Religion. She mentioned too the Ateneo Art Gallery’s
contribution to the University’s internationalization efforts through its annual
Award for the Arts and the partnerships it entered into with the galleries in La
Trobe and Singapore. Other internationalization efforts include the SYLFF and
API programs coordinated by Fr. Jose Cruz, SJ, Dean of the School of Social
Sciences.
Meeting New Challenges
To meet new challenges, the Central Administration came up with an update
on the University’s internationalization program, which serves as the overarching
guideline for Ateneo’s internationalization efforts.
The first challenge is how to attract the right partners. Dr. Angeles pointed
out that Ateneo’s response to this is strategic planning. They are actively seeking
out University partners and are sending out students and faculty members
as ambassadors, making sure that departing students are given appropriate
page 6
France
13.Audencia Nantes School of
Management – Nantes
14.Bordeaux Business School (BBS)
– Bordeaux
15.Ecole Supérieure de Sciences
Commerciales D’Angers (ESSCA)
– Angers
16.Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de
Rennes – Rennes
17.Institut Catholique de Arts et Métiers
(ICAM) – Lille
18.Institut National des
Télécommunications (INT) – Evry
19.Groupe Ecole Supérieure de Commerce
de Pau – Pau
20.Groupe ESC Dijon/ Burgundy School of
Business – Dijon
21.Institut Catholique de Etudes
Supérieures (ICES) – La Roche sur Yon
22.Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Bordeaux
(Sciences-po) – Bordeaux
23.Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris
(Sciences-po) – Paris
24.Management Institute of Paris (MIP)
– Paris
25.Mod’Art International – Paris
26.Université Catholique de Lille (UCL)
– Lille
27.Université Catholique de l’Ouest (UCO)
– Angers
28.Université de Limoges – Limoges
29.University of Provence – Marseille
30.Université de Technologie de Belfort
Monbeliard (UTBM) - Belfort
45.Nanzan University – Nagoya
46.Okinawa Christian Junior College
– Okinawa
47.Osaka University - Osaka
48.Rikkyo University – Tokyo
49.Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
– Kyoto
50.Seisen University – Tokyo
51.Sophia University – Tokyo
52.Waseda University – Tokyo
Korea
53.Catholic University of Daegu - Daegu
54.Dong-eui University – Pusan
55.Incheon University – Incheon
56.Seoul National University – Seoul
57.Sogang University – Seoul
58.Taejon University – Taejon
Macau
59.University of Macau
Mexico
60.Universidad Iberoamericana – Sta. Fe
Middle East
61.Eastern Mediterranean University
– Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Norway
62.Norwegian University of Life Sciences – Aas
Romania
63.University of Transilvania of Brasov
– Brasov
Singapore
64.Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
65.National University of Singapore (NUS)
66.Singapore Management University
(SMU)
Spain
67.Universidad Complutense de Madrid
– Madrid
68.Universidad de Alcala
– Alcalá de Henares
69.Universidad de Castilla - La Mancha
– Albacete
70.Universidad de Cordoba – Cordoba
71.Universidad de Deusto – Bilbao
72.Universidad del Pais Vasco – San
Sebastian
73.Universidad Pontificia Comillas de
Madrid - Madrid
Taiwan
74.Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU) – Chung-Li
75.National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) – Kaohsiung
76.Providence University – Taichung County
Germany
31.Ilmenau University of Technology
– Ilmenau
Thailand
77.Mahidol University – Nakhon Pathom
78.Thammasat University – Bangkok
Hong Kong
32.Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU)
33.Hong Kong University of Science and
Technology (HKUST)
United States of America
79.Boston College (BC) – Massachusetts
80.Georgian Court University (GCU)
– New Jersey
81.Loyola Marymount University (LMU) – Los Angeles
82.Middle Tennessee State University
– Tennessee
83.Regis University – Colorado
84.Santa Clara University (SCU)
– Los Angeles
85.Trinity College – Connecticut
86.University of California – California
87.University of Delaware – Delaware
88.University of the Incarnate Word – Texas
89.University of the Pacific - Stockton
90.University of San Francisco (USF)
– San Francisco
91.University of Wisconsin - Madison
– Wisconsin
92.Washington State University
– Washington
Indonesia
34.Sanata Dharma University – Yogyakarta
35.Satya Wacana Christian University
– Salatiga
36.Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya
– Jakarta
Japan
37.Aomori Chuo Gakuin University – Aomori
38.International Christian University (ICU)
– Tokyo
39.J.F. Oberlin University – Tokyo
40.Josai International University (JIU)
– Chiba
41.Kansai Gaidai University – Hirakata
42.Kobe University – Kobe
43.Kyushu University – Fukuoka
44.Nagoya Gakuin University – Nagoya
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2007
pursuing internationalization
China
in
the
Horizon
New AB Chinese Studies Program Launched
By Erlinda Eileen G. Lolarga
A NEW BACHELOR of Arts in Chinese Studies was
formally approved by the Board of Trustees of the Ateneo
de Manila University in April 2007.
According to Dr. Ellen Palanca, Director of the
Chinese Studies Program based at the School of Social
Sciences, the whole process of getting approval for the
program took a short while because of the support from
administrators and members of the School Council.
Part of the new program’s appeal
and what makes it unique would be
its tracks in Business (in a Chinese
context), Humanities (aesthetic
theories and the literature and arts of
China), and Social Sciences (a broad
introduction to the social realities in
China and frameworks for analyzing
them).
Thus, students interested in
taking on the program would not only
have a comprehensive knowledge
of basic Chinese Studies courses
such as Mandarin Chinese, Chinese
History and Philosophy, Government
and Politics, but would also get to
specialize in a particular discipline that
resonates closer to their inclinations
and capabilities.
An interesting feature open to
students in the AB Chinese Studies
program is that they have an option
to spend their junior year in China.
For starters, Dr. Palanca revealed
that the University already has tieups with the Jesuit Beijing Center for
Chinese Studies in Beijing and Sun
Yat Sen University in Guangzhou,
where the students could go and take
the equivalent of some courses in the
curriculum. She said that many of the
Ateneo’s Filipino Chinese graduates
Dr. Ellen Palanca promotes the new AB CHINESE studies Program
would go to China to study some
more or just to study the language.
With this program, the immersion in
China is already integrated into the
program if they desire to go abroad to
master the language.
The course is particularly relevant
now because China is an emerging
world power and there is a real need
to equip Filipinos with the skills
necessary for engaging China from
different dimensions and perspectives.
Dr. Palanca emphasized the fact that
the country does not have enough
experts in Chinese Studies. The
prospective graduates of the program
will be able to train in turn more people
in Filipino-Chinese schools about
China. She further said that the kind
of graduates they foresee emerging
from the program could be described
as those who know the Mandarin
Chinese language well (so that they
could go further on their own), has an
appreciation of Chinese culture, has
a knowledge of contemporary China
(its economy and political system),
and would have a more understanding
of the issues and be able to analyze
these objectively.
To graduates of the program, a
wide variety of career opportunities
are available because of China’s
growth and the increasing number
of
multinational
corporations,
governments, businesses and schools
that deal with China. As Dr. Palanca
pointed out, work for graduates of the
program could be in business, foreign
service, translation, research, arts,
teaching, and writing, both in the
Philippines and abroad.
For this school year, according
to Dr. Palanca, the program does
not have any freshmen yet. The AB
Chinese Studies course is slated to go
full blast for school year 2008-2009.
The Chinese Studies Program office,
however, is working with shiftees or
those who want to double major. She
said that of those who have inquired
about the new program, about 10
students have already decided to shift
by the end of the school year, with
the interests now being mostly in the
business track.
A roster of highly qualified faculty
members, both full time and part
time, is ready to teach the courses to
incoming students. Full-time faculty
members at present include Dr.
Palanca herself, Ms. Daisy See and
Mr. Clark Alejandrino. Two Chinese
professors from Sun Yat Sen University
are currently visiting the University—
Professors Luo Bin and Zhang Shitao.
Other academic programs in the
works include an M.A. in Education
major in teaching Mandarin Chinese
which Dr. Palanca said will be a tie-up
with the Education Department.
With the rise of Ricardo Leong
Center for Chinese Studies on campus
and Mandarin language courses
under the wing of the Confucius
Institute offered in both the Loyola
Heights and the Salcedo campuses,
China is indeed in the horizon. The
program is ready to take off, fleshing
out the internationalization efforts
of the University through our solid
links with China.
Adapting to the Changing Times... from p. 7
orientation.
The second challenge is to move away from Ateneo’s focus on the US. To
address this, Ateneo sought out partners in Asia and Europe and sent out students
in pairs for term exchange. Other efforts along this line included sending Ateneo
students on immersion programs in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and the
European study tour of the European Studies program; developing multicultural
immersion programs with the Jesuit network exchange in Asia which was suggested
by Sophia University in Japan; and possibly developing a program with a multireligious group such as Ritsumeikan University. In the pipeline are negotiations
with Embassies for partnerships with Italian and Dutch universities.
The third challenge is dealing with limited resources. In response, strategic
planning will be done to focus the use of institutional resources. Increasing student
mobility by bringing in more inbound students to internationalize the Ateneo
community is being done, as well as encouraging more visiting professors both
inbound and outbound. Research, moreover, should look into identifying the needs
and the niche while scouting around for strategic network membership that could
promote the research outputs and agenda. In line with this, Dr. Angeles said that
the Ateneo is now a member of SATU (Southeast Asian and Taiwan Universities),
a network which previously had only the University of the Philippines and De La
Salle University as Philippine partners.
The fourth challenge has to do with dealing with different academic
calendars of the other schools, and the recognition of courses and grade
equivalents. To meet this, the University created a special semester for
outbound and inbound students which also involved internal negotiations
initially with receptive departments. As far as recognizing courses is concerned,
intense pre-exchange work and a close study of course contents is necessary.
Outbound students, she added, do not take core courses during their stint
abroad and the grades they get from this term abroad will not be part of their
average grade.
Involving the Community
In order to better align the Loyola Schools’ internationalization efforts with the
program laid out by Dr. Angeles, Loyola Schools Vice President Dr. Ma. Assunta
Cuyegkeng, has invited the Loyola Schools community to send in their goals and
action plans 5 November 2007.
These action plans should include the benchmarking of degree programs
and curricula, as well as pursuing international accreditation, improvement of
faculty profile to more closely match standards of benchmark higher education
institutions, and the acquisition of Asian references and materials. The plans
should also cover the presentation of scholarly work at international conferences/
workshops, as well as networking and the promotion of student exchange.
The University work on internationalization is a continuing process. The Loyola
Schools Community is invited to rise to the challenge.
VOL. III NO. 2
Recent Events
Singaporean Novelist Suchen
Christine Lim Holds Fictions
Workshops
Fictionists at the Ateneo got a
rare treat this semester as acclaimed
Singaporean novelist Suchen Christine
Lim served as visiting faculty at the
English Department.
The author of such novels as
“Fistful of Colors”, “Rice Bowl”, and
“A Bit of Earth”, Suchen Christine Lim
held two fiction workshops where she
led Creative Writing majors and other
beginning writers through a series
of lectures, writing activities, and
feedback sessions, which culminated
in the production of a number of
short stories.
During the semester, Suchen Lim
also gave a talk on “Writing across Race,
Language, and Culture in Singaporean
Fiction”, joined as guest speaker in
classes on Asian Literature where her
novels were discussed, and met up with
Filipino writers from different parts of
the country.
Her latest book of short stories, “The
Lies that Build a Marriage”, published
by Monsoon Publications and the
National Arts Council of Singapore (and
distributed locally by Anvil Publishing,
Inc.) was launched last 26 September,
and is now available in bookstores.
ACAS holds symposium on Indonesian
Muslim Women and Globalization
DO INDONESIAN MUSLIM women fit in the globalization era? This was the
question addressed at a symposium held last 14 August 2007 by the Ateneo
Center for Asian Studies (ACAS), under the School of Social Sciences.
Rina Shahriyani Shahrullah, PhD, a current ACAS fellow, pointed out that
Indonesia, like most countries in the world, is experiencing the process of
globalization, and Indonesian Muslim women are very much involved in this.
She said that there exists a wrong perception that Indonesian Muslim
women do not participate in globalization processes because Islam restricts their
“freedom.” Correcting this misperception, she explained that the equal and fair
treatment of women is very much emphasized in Islam. In fact, she said that
Suchen Lim at work in class
Indonesian Muslim women are involved in almost all aspects of life: education,
economy, science, politics, governance, etc.
However, she added that in the context of Islam, “equality” is not identical with
“sameness.” At the end of her talk, she challenged Indonesian Muslim women,
especially those in the audience, to be pro-active agents of globalization without
losing their identity as Muslims.
Dr. Rina Shahriyani Shahrullah teaches International Law, Comparative Law,
Legal Research Methodology, and Alternative Dispute Resolution and Arbitration
at the Universitas Internasional Batam. She is also a fellow of the Asian Public
Intellectual. She will be in the Philippines for a year to do research on human
trafficking.
The symposium, organized by the Departments of History and Political Science,
was attended by visiting students from Indonesia, Ateneo faculty and students,
and representatives from non-government organizations.
Upcoming Events
Picture Stories Show History
19-20 October
LAST 22 AUGUST 2007, history students were treated to a discussion on “Representation of Southeast
Asians in 1930s Japanese Picture-Stories,” at the Social Sciences Case Study room by former History
Instructor Mr. Karl Ian U. Cheng Chua who is currently enrolled in the Ph.D. Program in Japanese
Studies of the Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, Japan.
Showing images found in a widely-read 1930’s Japanese “Boys’ Club” picture-story, Mr. Cheng Chua
looks into the possibilities of how pre-war Japan imagined people in the nanyo (the South Seas). By
using popular artifacts such as comic books, Mr. Cheng Chua gave light to the fact that popular artifacts
such as picture-stories can be viable sources of history.
“Sociologizing Education: Meanings,
Processes, and Institutions”
National Conference of the Philippine Sociological Society (PSS)
9am-5pm, Escaler Hall
Hosted by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology (DSA),
the conference will gather practitioners, researchers, faculty,
and students of sociology from all over the country to discuss
education and educational processes and, through sociological
frameworks and methodologies, contribute to an understanding
of this important aspect of our society. The conference will
feature a workshop on “Communication Skills for Sociology
Teachers” with Dr. Ricardo Abad, 2001 Metrobank Outstanding
Teacher awardee.
For more information, please contact Dr. Czarina SalomaAkpedonu, PSS President, or Bernadette Pascua, DSA
Administrative Assistant, at 426-5990 or 426-6001 locals 5270
and 5271.
22-23 October
“From Classroom to Career: Roadmaps to a
Library’s Success”
3rd Rizal Library International Conference
Escaler Hall
The conference is designed to encourage and appreciate the
exchange of ideas and experiences on strategic plans that
ensure responsiveness and relevance of libraries, librarians, and
information professionals in the information society. Likewise, the
conference pursues how library stakeholders create and manage
library roadmaps in a constantly changing society. While it is true
that some libraries and information centers have accomplished
great strides, they should continue to create new roadmaps to
meet greater challenges.
24 November
Student Research Symposium
School of Science and Engineering (SOSE)
8am-12nn, Escaler Hall
For third year SOSE students in 4-year courses, 4th year students
in 5-year courses, and new graduate students.
Exploring the Legacy of Empire in the
Languages of Sovereignty
THE HISTORY DEPARTMENT and Philippine Studies presented “The Afterlife of Empire: Sovereignty
and Revolution in the Spanish Philippines” by University of Washington Professor Dr. Vicente Rafael
last 19 September 2007.
Author of several books on Philippine history, Dr. Rafael explores the uncanny legacy of empire
in the languages of sovereignty—often confused with freedom and always associated with power—in
the late-19th- and 20th-century Philippines. With particular reference to the writings of Apolinario
Mabini and Santiago Alvarez, Dr. Rafael asks how this imperial legacy of “sovereignty” is conjured,
re-appropriated, and momentarily suspended by the event of the Filipino Revolution. In doing so, he
seeks to inquire into one of the most perplexing features of modernity: the vexed relationship between
freedom and violence in various attempts to redeem social life in the face of human finitude.
Roundtable Tackles “Love-Teams” in Family Business
CAN LOVE AND business mix? Absolutely, according to speakers at the Family Business Breakfast
Roundtable held last 5 September 2007 at the Manila Polo Club.
Attended by 35 family business practitioners, the roundtable featured two couples who shared
their experiences as husband-and-wife teams running a business, as well as the marriage-threatening
challenges that often come along with it.
Salvador Magundayao and Pin Antonio of the Salon de Manila chain of upscale beauty salons, and
Feliciano and Bernadette Juarez of the popular photocopying and printing chain Copylandia, explained
that the key to a sustained relationship was respecting each other’s roles in the office—one partner had
to be the “wallet-person”, and the other the creative/growth-idea generator.
Both couples agreed that these business functions ceased the moment they arrived home and
resumed their husband-and-wife roles. As a rule, both partners needed to have a shared vision of the
enterprise, in much the same way that they share a dream for their family.
The roundtable series, now on its 15th session, is held quarterly under the sponsorship of the
Family Business Development Centre (FBDC) of the John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM).
Headed by JGSOM Professors Ricardo H. Mercado and Ma. Teresa Galura, FBDC provides specialized
consultancy service to family enterprises, addressing sensitive issues related to managing a family
business. Slated for the next roundtable is the topic: Sibling Revelry—How Brothers and Sisters Work
Together.
- Art Valencia
10
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2007
Photo courtesy of Norman Agatep
By Christine Mallion
T
HE COLD AND stormy weather that night proved
to be of no hindrance to the hundreds of people who
flocked to Ateneo’s Church of the Gesu on the 25th of
August. Sitting on aisles and standing against walls,
they all came to witness the launching of the Bukas
Palad Music Ministry’s latest album.
Hindi Kita Malilimutan, the group’s 13th album,
is a double-CD project with 20 tracks. The first disc
is compilation of 10 mellow liturgical songs and
includes the title track
which
was
given a multi-lingual treatment, while
the second disc features 10 pop-inspired inspirational
songs—one song, perhaps, to mark each of the 20 years
the group has made music together. Yes, the launch
also commemorated Bukas Palad’s 20th anniversary,
making the event doubly significant.
As a music ministry that began from a group high
school friends—Norman Agatep, Jandi Arboleda, and
Manoling Francisco—who simply enjoyed singing
together during breaks from class, Bukas Palad has
certainly come a long way. “We started writing songs
in high school—songs which we would then sing in
school masses,” recalls Agatep.
In June of 1986, when the three, together with
a handful of other friends, were invited to sing for
a wedding, the formal beginnings of Bukas Palad
emerged. Shortly after, they recorded their first album
called Bukas Palad, thus giving the group its name.
Bukas Palad has since performed in over a hundred
concerts all over the Philippines,
and in Japan, Hong Kong, and
the United States.
Bukas Palad, under the
under the Ateneo’s Jesuit Music
Ministry, strives to help build
a world of justice, peace,
hope, and love by writing,
performing, and propagating
original
liturgical
and
inspirational music. Its
ministry
includes
reaching out
to choirs within Metro Manila
and offering free workshops. Among
its most popular songs are “Hindi
Kita Malilimutan”, “Tanging Yaman”,
“Sa ‘Yo Lamang”, “Anima Christi”,
and “I Will Sing Forever”—songs
that have become significant parts of
the Filipino spiritual music culture.
“Hindi Kita Malilimutan” is the first
song composed by Fr. Manoling
Francisco, SJ, to gain widespread
recognition. It even earned Fr.
Francisco six Cecil Awards. “[We
chose it as the album’s title] because
it is the theme of the album–God’s
enduring love,” says Roy Tolentino,
one of the album’s producers.
As a commemorative album,
Hindi Kita Malilimutan “is a document of history, of
prayer, of humility, and of gratitude,”
says Rica Bolipata-Santos, Bukas
Palad’s overall coordinator. “Every
element of this album was thought
of, prayed over, debated upon, and
offered lovingly to the Church, to
her people, and to God.”
The album’s development
process, in fact, involved
members from all of the previous
Bukas Palad generations. “The
album is a collaboration of 111
people,” says Rica, citing the
total number of members Bukas
Palad has collected over the
past two decades.
Though not all were
available to record the songs for
the album, Rica explains that
all Bukas Palad members will
forever
be part of the group.
When asked how being a member of
Bukas Palad has changed her life, Maan Villanueva
says: “The dedication to serve is infectious. I’ve long
admired the group for its ministry, being able to
spread the goodness of God to His people through
their beautiful original music.”
Bukas Palad also collaborated with accomplished
artists Noel Cabangon and Gary Granada in the creation
of the album. Furthermore, five of the songs included
the album are composed by winners of Bayan Umawit,
a songwriting competition initiated and organized by
Bukas Palad to encourage Filipino composers to write
liturgical and inspirational music.
Two decades down the road, Bukas Palad has
certainly made its mark not only in the music industry,
but in the lives of countless of people it has inspired.
Hindi Kita Malilimutan is but a fitting way to celebrate
this milestone.
11
Alyson Yap
VOL. III NO. 2
The Replacement Killers
By Rick Olivares
sa huli laban talaga mga ‘yan. Kaya
mataas respeto namin sa kanila.”
(Coach Pido said that even if Ateneo
doesn’t have any wins, you should
never underestimate them. They will
fight to the end. That’s why we have
a lot of respect for them.)
After the NU Bulldogs pulled
off the tourney’s biggest upset so far
and denied Ateneo the second seed,
graduating senior Joseph LingaoLingao was visibly elated, “We fell
short of our goal of making the Final
Four, but now, beating Ateneo, a
team we have a lot of respect for, is
the highlight of our season.”
That was, indeed, a stinging loss.
But given that, in the last two years,
the team swept the first rounds
before crashing in the later stages,
that loss may be a sign that the
tides are changing this time around.
Maybe the team will learn from this
adversity.
Consider these: The two losses to
pace-setting UE (who finished with
an immaculate 14-0 record) were a
pair of close shaves decided only at
the last minute. The Blue Eagles have
noted a long-time Blue Eagle
watcher. “He makes the crucial shots
and when it’s crunch time, he’s not
afraid to go right through the heart
of our foe’s defense for the drive. You
like that in a player when they take
responsibility.”
Zion Laterre has been one of
Black’s prized substitutes. A player
of multifarious talents, the team’s
graduating co-captain has thrived
whether as a starter or bench sub,
and whether as a defensive specialist
or a rebounder par excellance, giving
the team many second chances with
his hauls off the offensive glass.
“We all have roles in this team,”
explained Jai Reyes after the big
second round game against La
Salle. “Anyone has to be ready to
contribute when coach Norman calls
you. That’s the way it has been for
this team. We don’t have the talent
the others have, but we cover and
help each other out.”
The Ateneo De Manila Blue Eagles
have placed first, second, third, fourth,
and fifth in the standings at one time
or another during the course of the
eliminations. When you read the
newspapers now, those same basketball
prognosticators who figured them to
fall by the wayside have done an about
face and have placed them next to UE
as a “contender” or installed them as a
“powerhouse” team that could win it all.
Maybe next time they’ll take
a cue from UST’s Mirza or NU’s
Lingao-Lingao: Never underestimate
the fighting heart of an Atenean.
Alyson Yap
If you thought that when former
Blue Eagle star Olsen Racela said
that Yuri Escueta was going to be the
team’s X-factor, it was only because
he was being magnanimous to his
cousin, then maybe now you’re
saying that it runs in their blood.
“We’re under the radar,” said
third-year mentor Norman Black,
whose team basketball analysts have
earlier predicted to finish fifth this
season. “And we like it that way.”
But after putting together a pair
of two straight wins and a five-game
victory run, no one is taking the
Blue Eagles lightly anymore. Even if
they squandered an opportunity to
claim the second seed (finishing the
eliminations round at 9-5) and the
valuable twice-to-beat advantage,
everyone gets up for a match with
the boys in blue.
Said
UST’s
phenomenal
swingman Khasim Mirza right
before the second round clash
with Ateneo, “Sabi ni coach Pido
[Jarencio, the Tigers’ coach], kahit
walang panalo ang Ateneo never
mo i-underestimate sila. Hanggang
Miggy Mendoza
IF SOMEONE TOLD you prior to this
UAAP basketball season that Claiford
Arao would be the Blue Eagles’ leading
scorer and go-to player, you’d probably
think the person was joking.
If you thought that Jai Reyes was too small to play
college ball and that he was only good for a situational
three-pointer, then you’d be pleasantly surprised to
know that he’s one of the league’s leaders in assists.
repaid a pair of stinging losses to FEU
and defending champion UST. It also
completed its fourth elimination
round sweep of the highly fancied
De La Salle Green Archers, while
stealing a startling end-game poise
from their foe’s playbook.
The Ateneo coaching staff will
point to the sum of the team’s parts
as a reason for this record, but the
notable ascension of some players
has been a huge factor
in the team’s
elimination
round run.
Nonoy
Baclao,
even when he was
in Team B, was an
obvious choice for
promotion to the
senior team. During
the first round, he
struggled to adjust to
the pressure of facing
tougher
competition
and was often relegated
to the bench because
of
foul trouble. After the second
match of the second round, where the
Blue Eagles exacted revenge on the
Tamaraws, Baclao’s game took off. He
averaged 8.8 points, 5.2 boards, and
2.8 blocks per game. The numbers
could have been higher, but he was
sent to the bench early during the La
Salle game because of foul trouble.
In the final game against NU, Baclao
blocked a league-best seven shots.
Eric Salamat has been the team’s
firestarter off the bench. A few days
before the season kicked off last
July, team captain Chris Tiu joked
with Salamat and this writer that
if the sophomore sensation can get
his outside shot going, then he’d
take a load off Tiu’s back, since he
was certain to be shadowed by the
opposing teams’ top defenders.
Replied Salamat: “I’ve got my
confidence going. Just everyone
watch out.”
“Bring it,” parried Tiu, who was
obviously psyching his teammate
to go out and show what he’s got.
Although Salamat has had his flashes
of brilliance in the past, the coaching
staff was hoping for more consistency.
With the remaining teams (UST,
FEU, DLSU, and ADMU) now at the
win-or-go-home stage, Salamat has
proven his worth, scoring in double
figures in the last three games.
“Those aren’t garbage points,”
Ford Arao: Go-to player
UAAP and Ateneo participate in 2007 Universiade
By Rick Olivares
THE PHILIPPINES MAY have just had a token presence in the recently concluded 24th
World University Games held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 8-18 August 2007, but for
the organizers, Filipinos have already made a lasting impression on what is considered
to be the Olympics for university students.
Roch Campana, Secretary General of the International University Sports Federation,
who once competed for Belgium in the 1967 Universiade, recalls going up against a
Philippine Basketball team bannered by none other than Robert Jaworski.
The sports body’s president, George E. Killian, was the former head of FIBA from
1990-98 aside from being a member of the International Olympic Committee and
coach of the Wharton High School basketball team in New York from 1949-51. He
keenly followed the developments of our country’s internal basketball problem and
was pleased to see it finally resolved.
This year, some 130 countries participated in the biennial competition, which was
held in Southeast Asia for the first time. Russia romped away with the most number
of medals, while China, on the strength of its 445-man delegation bagged the most
number of gold medals at 32.
The Philippines, on the other hand, managed to bring home its first ever medal
from a Universiade competition—a bronze medal in the taekwondo middleweight
division by De La Salle University’s Criselda Roxas. One bronze medal may not be
much, but considering that the Philippine team was a hastily formed one, it is quite
an achievement.
The Philippines has not been a constant participant in the Universiade, but when the
Philippine Olympic Committee was contacted by the Universiade Bangkok Organizing
Committee, a 44-man Philippine contingent was quickly drawn up mostly from UAAP
schools. The athletes from Ateneo, University of the Philippines, University of Santo
Tomas, University of the East, De La Salle University, Far Eastern University, the College
of Saint Benilde, and Ateneo De Naga competed in fencing, shooting, swimming, and
taekwondo events.
Ateneo de Manila’s contingent included 10 shooters including their coach Danny
Flores and four swimmers who were led by new program coach Archie Lim. Francine
Lu of the shooting team and Nicole Santiago, Gem Ong, and Bianca and Evan Uy of
the swimming team will be competing as part of the Philippine contingent to the
Bangkok SEA Games this December.
Philippine delegation head Jose Capistrano said that by the 25th Universiade in
Belgrade, Serbia in 2009, the Philippines will be ready with a better-equipped and
bigger contingent. Mr. Sinisa Jasnic, President of the Belgrade Universiade 2009, said
that organizers are planning on holding the competition a month and a half earlier to
accommodate the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Basketball
Champion’s inclusion – basketball is a religion to many of the Balkan countries -- that
also possibly opens the doors for a UAAP selection to compete as well.
The Philippine team to the 24th Universiade Games was sponsored in part by
Petron, Hapee, Accel, United Laboratories, and Uratex.
12
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2007
Flying High with the
Lady Eagles
By Rick Olivares
Photos by Alyson Yap
THE ATENEO LADY Eagles have been a final four habitué
for five years running, have made three trips to the UAAP
Women’s Basketball Finals (1987, 2004, and 2005), and have
come away with one title. When it comes to recruitment,
the school and the team are preferred destinations by female
hoopsters.
But for all the gaudy numbers in
recent years, there is one dubious
record that the Lady Eagles wears
on its sleeve: 1-35.
It is a record of futility wrought
at a time when Ateneo sports and
women’s basketball hardly mattered.
It was a time when the team was the
unlikely doormat; a game with the
team meant a sure win for opponents
even before the opening whistle was
blown.
That
was
before.
Today,
opponents take every game against
the Lady Eagles seriously. They
know that they’ll be in for one heck
of a match and that they’ll be lucky
to walk away with a win. If their
foes didn’t talk smack before, well,
now they do. Except that, as it was
before, they don’t get the satisfaction
of a retort.
“We have a rule where we forbid
trash talking and taunting of any
sort, no matter what the situation,”
says 7-year coach John Flores.
“Even now that we have a winning
program, I always tell the girls that
we don’t have the right to do that.
Alamin at tandaan nila kung saan
tayo nang galing. (They should
know and remember where we came
from.)” And the 1-35 didn’t even
happen on his watch.
This is more than just lip service.
A few years ago, when the team
was still struggling for wins, they
managed to score a victory against the
UP squad—their constant tormentor.
However, the team unwittingly
committed a violation when two of
their foreign-born players—Carol
Tanchi and Cassie Tioseco—were on
the floor together during a crucial
30-second stretch in the game.
UAAP basketball rules stipulate that
only one foreign player can be on
the court at any one time. But no
one noticed it; not even the table
officials. When the Ateneo coaching
staff realized the mistake, they
immediately volunteered their error
even if it meant that their precious
victory would be overturned.
“Well, it’s always about treating
the game with respect,” explains
Flores. “You respect the game and
the game respects you. I’d say that
since that incident, we’ve been
pretty lucky.”
It’s more than luck, though.
It is to Flores’ credit that the
program has grown. Every year
since 2001, the team has shown
marked improvement in the winloss column.
Treena Limengco, the team’s
starting two guard out of Maryland,
USA, attests to the soundness
of the current program: “While
trying out for the women’s national
team, it was there that I realized
how fundamentally sound we
were compared to most of the
others. It really says a lot about the
program.”
The team has three simple rules
that govern their game plan: one, run
every chance they get; two, they’re
free to run what offense they think
is best; and three, defense is Flores’
sole call: “I make the decisions on
defense.”
Of course, a game plan is no good
without the right players to execute
it. “When we recruit players, we
go for those with brains,” explains
Flores. “Not just girls with an
aptitude for basketball, but those
who can hack the demands on
them as students. If they’re not as
athletically gifted, then their court
smarts more than compensates for
that.”
The Lady Eagles’ 2005 champion
squad is now down to its last
holdovers in guards Kat Quimpo
and Cheryl Ngo, and forwardcenters Tioseco and AJ Barracoso.
The experience of having gone to
consecutive finals finishes in 2004
and 2005 is golden, something
that even University President Fr.
Benvienido Nebres, SJ realizes.
“Fr. Ben constantly reminds the
2005 veterans to bring that mindset
of a champion to the current team
at all times,” says Tioseco, the
league’s reigning MVP. “We have to
act like one, not arrogantly, not just
to our opponents, but also to our
teammates.”
Crystal Ballentyne, the Lady
Eagles’ prize catch from Faith
Academy, attests to this. “I was born
here,” says the soft-spoken freshman
who is taking up Humanities. “The
Philippines is my home and I’ve been
here my whole life. There were no
plans of going to the States so it was
really special to receive an invitation
to go to Ateneo. I was thinking that
being a rookie; I wouldn’t get too
much playing time. But coach John
has been great and my teammates
especially Cassie (Tioseco who is
one of the co-captains along with
Quimpo and Ngo) have helped make
the transition easier for me.”
This season the Lady Eagles
have flat out demolished the
competition with a 12-2 elimination
round record. “Last year’s semis loss
just fueled our drive this year,” says
Limengco, referring to the wrist
injury that kept Quimpo out for a
crucial stretch. “So even if we lost
twice this year – the UE loss in the
first round just killed our spirit – we
talk about what we did wrong and
what we have to do to get back on
the winning track. We know what we
can do so it’s a matter of executing
our game plan better next time.”
Last September 15, the Lady
Eagles beat a long-time tormentor,
the Adamson Lady Falcons, in the
final four to set up a title series with
archrival UP. “We match up well with
them so it’s going to be a fun series,”
smiles rookie Sarah Mercado, who
has provided much needed scoring
off the bench for Flores. “But you can
throw out the numbers even if we
beat them twice in the eliminations.
They’re that good.”
It’s the Lady Eagles’ fourth finals
and third in the last four years. And
in those past four years, the team
finished with double digit wins.
Not bad for a program that was the
league doormat for years.
Since John Flores took over in
2001, the team’s record stands at 5941. If they win their second title this
year, then that will be the record he
and his girls will proudly wear on
their sleeves.
13
VOL. III NO. 2
loyola schools bulletin special section
A Literary
Work by Any
Other Name
By Gary Devilles
Photos Courtesy of
The Filipino Department
THIS YEAR’S HARVEST of awards and recognition at the 2007 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial
Awards and 26th Manila Critics Circle National Book Awards was quite a surprise for Ateneo’s Filipino
Department—an esteemed poet winning for children’s literature, a children’s literature writer winning
for short story category, a Filipino poet winning for the English Poetry category and, finally, a multiawarded fictionist winning the grand prize for short film category.
Mike
Coroza
believes, Category), fictionist and last year’s awardee for “Hands
however, that his work (Palanca Palanca awardee for Children’s for a Fistful of Sand”
third prize awardee for “Imbisibol Literature category, agrees with Coroza. in the Poetry-English
Man ang Tatay” in the Maikling Derain believes that writing for short category) who has been
Kwentong Pambata) is not a fiction is no different from writing recognized early for
complete departure from his children’s literature and that’s why in his works in Filipino
poetry, points out that
poetry since for him, a fictionist is
although poetry is a
a also a poet, working on various
function of language,
images and dramatic encounters
in the end, language
that any writer expresses in a form
is also a function of
that suits his reading public.
poetry. Poetic language
What motivated Coroza to
can be Filipino or
write a short story for children
otherwise and it is the
was the prodding of his son,
purpose of poetry to Alvin Yapan with Filipino Department faculty members
Miggy, who one day asked him if
estrange even the use of
he is a “real author”, since for his
son “real authors” are those who
Filipino or English. What counts in the final analysis for Co is that knowing
write children stories. Coroza
English is not a guarantee in understanding English Poetry or being proficient
felt that there is a need to reach
in Filipino does not necessarily translate to an adeptness in Filipino poetry.
out to children in a literary form
Alvin Yapan, who received the 26th Manila Critics Circle National Book
that is easily accessible for them,
Awards Juan C. Laya Prize for Best Book of a Fiction in a Vernacular Language
understandable, although not at
category for his novel, “Ang Sandali ng mga Mata,” (Ateneo de Manila University
all simplistic. Coroza explored
Press) and the grand prize for “Rolyo” in Cinemalaya Film Festival Short Film
the consciousness of a child and,
Category, says that although writing
in his winning entry, he tried to Allan Derain, Palanca first place awardee in the
for film requires a different approach
show how a child deals with the Maikling Kuwento Category
or technique to writing a novel,
problem of being illegitimate, his collection of stories, “Iskrapbuk”
the important challenge a writer
seeing his father with another University of the Philippines Press,
must surmount is the tedium of the
family, and consequently hoping 2005), he added two stories for
writing process itself.
that he would acquire the power children. Derain wants to be daring
Writers must be output oriented,
to be invisible from his classmates not only by experimenting with genres
according to Yapan, whether one is
and playmates. Coroza reveals that but with the retelling of stories itself.
working on the filming of novels
writing whether poetry or fiction For instance, he wants to retell the
or the novelization of a film, since
is never easy and simple since popular corido Ibong Adarna where
what is important is how readers or
our very socio-political condition the protagonists will be the Aetas
viewers must always be constantly
necessitates a writing that strikes trapped in the bottle of King Salermo,
challenged by the literary work.
at the heart of our problems, be it Don Juan is actually a weakling, and
This year’s awardees are definitely
from the point of view of a child the Adarna bird tastes like ordinary
a surprise but a welcome surprise
or an adult.
grilled chicken. Derain is hopeful that
nonetheless; though it certainly
Allan Derain (Palanca first such project will be received with
won’t be surprising if Ateneans
place awardee for “Paputian ng much enthusiasm.
garner more awards in the coming
Mike Coroza, Palanca third prize awardee in the
Laba” in the Maikling Kuwento For Mikael Co (Palanca first prize Maikling Kwentong Pambata
years.
Joanna Ruiz
14
Kritika Kultura
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2007
Ateneo’s First MLA-Indexed Electronic
Academic Journal
KRITIKA KULTURA, THE semi-annual peerrefereed international electronic journal of literary,
language and cultural and studies of the Department
of English, has recently received an invitation for
indexing by the Modern Language Association
(MLA) in its International Bibliography. Founded
in 1883, the MLA is often cited as “the principal
professional association in the United States for
American and international scholars of literature
and literary criticism” with 300,000 members in 100
countries.
As the MLA letter of invitation to Kritika Kultura
states, the MLA International Bibliography is “the
most widely distributed humanities database, is the
preeminent reference work in the fields of literature,
language, linguistics, pedagogy, and folklore” to
which “most North American and European highereducation institutions subscribe.”
Since its founding in 2002, Kritika Kultura has
published works of nationally and internationally
noted writers and scholars such as E. San Juan Jr.,
Peter Horn, Bienvenido Lumbera, Neferti Tadiar,
Doreen Fernandez, Harry Aveling, Suchen Christine
Lim, Danton Remoto, Oscar Campomanes, and
many others.
Kritika Kultura has been indexed in the Directory
of Open Access Journals based in Europe as well
as in the online catalogues of many top research
and university libraries abroad. It is also listed in
a number of noted Philippine and Asian Studies
web links. A cursory glance at Google listings
suggests Kritika Kultura’s global compass among
academics in general, and in particular, among
scholars in Literary Studies, Language Studies,
Cultural Studies, Philippine Studies, Asian Studies,
Postcolonial Studies, Critical Theory and Criticism.
As a pioneering electronic journal of its kind
School of Humanities
The School of Humanities, through its six academic
departments and one program, aims to provide
students with a liberal humanistic education
distinguished by sapientia et eloquentia. This
liberal humanistic education draws from the rich
traditions of philosophy, faith, literature, language,
art and culture. It is manifested through courses
designed for the holistic formation of students
who are articulate and critical, imaginative and
productive, students who are rooted in their own
culture, yet open to other cultures, proactive in the
global environment, and strongly committed to
faith and justice.
New Appointees:
Mr. Danilo Francisco M. Reyes
OIC, Fine Arts Program
1 August 1 2007-31 May 2008
Dr. Margarita R. Orendain
Chair, Department of English
1 April 2007-31 March 2010
Ms. Ma. Christine S. Bellen
OIC, Department of Filipino
1 June 2007-31 October 2007
Ms. Ma. Concepcion L. Rosales
Chair, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies
1 June 2007-31 March 2008
Ms. Christa R. Velasco
Chair, Department of Modern Languages
1 April 2007 - 31 March 2010
Fr. Adolfo N. Dacanay
Chair, Department of Theology
1 April 2007 - 31 March 2010
in the Philippines, Kritika Kultura is an attempt to
respond to the needs of the globalizing world of
the academe in general and of Philippine society in
particular.
Kritika Kultura addresses issues relevant to the
21st century within the disciplines of literary, language
and cultural studies even as addressing those same
issues would have to be precisely about crossing
the very borders of these disciplines. The themes
it has covered include language and literature and
cultural policy, cultural politics of representation, the
political economy of language, literature and culture,
the production of cultural texts, audience reception,
systems of representation, effects of texts on concrete
readers/audiences, the history and dynamics of
canon formation, gender and sexuality, ethnicity,
diaspora, nationalism and nationhood, national
liberation movements, identity politics, feminism,
women’s liberation movements.
Kritika Kultura is edited by Dr. Ma Luisa Torres
Reyes. The current editorial staff members are Mary
Thomas, Ivery de Pano, Mark Anthony Cayanan,
and Gino Sinio Dizon, and the editorial associates
are Larry Ypil, Charlene Diaz, Marikit Uychoco, and
Miguel Lizada.
To date, Kritika Kultura has an International Board
of Editors, and many of the papers, essays and
literary works it has published have come from noted
international scholars and writers who are actively
engaged in a lively global scholarly conversation. The
KK referees have also come from here and abroad.
The members of the international editorial board
are among the world’s renowned writers and scholars
in literary, language and cultural studies, namely,
Jan Baetens (University of Leuven, Belgium),
Faruk (Gadja Mada University, Indonesia), Regenia
Gagnier (University of Exeter, UK), Inderpal Grewal
(University of California, Irvine, USA), Peter Horn
(University of Capetown, South Africa), Anette Horn
(University of Pretoria, South Africa), David Lloyd
(University of Southern California, USA), Bienvenido
Lumbera (University of the Philippines), Rajeev S.
Patke (National University of Singapore), Temario
Rivera (International Christian University,
Japan), E. San Juan, Jr. (Philippine
Cultural Studies Center, USA), Neferti
X.M. Tadiar (Columbia University, USA),
and Antony Tatlow (University of Dublin,
Ireland).
Kritika Kultura is now on its 8th issue,
with the 9th forthcoming. Visit
at www.ateneo.edu/kritikakultura.
Kritika Kultura
Lecture Series
Transnational Domesticities: The Dilemmas
of the Hawaiian Quilt
IN HER LECTURE entitled “Transnational Domesticities:
The Dilemmas of the Hawaiian Quilt” last 13 July,
Dr. Vernadette Gonzalez, Assistant Professor in the
University of Hawaii, discussed the economic and more
importantly, the cultural history woven into the physical
product of the Hawaiian quilt.
In her discourse, Gonzalez asks three critical
questions: first, “how do cultural technologies become
vehicles for colonial agenda? Second, how does
women labor negotiate a web of gendered and global
geopolitics? And finally, how does the quilt get produced
within the multiplicity of the domination of man? Guided
by these questions and aided by her critical research
and actual interaction with the factories and markets
which sell these products, Gonzalez ultimately maps
and links the contemporary trends with the cultural
and economics constructions of tourism and gender
politics.
Given all this, Gonzalez views the quilt as “a tinted
traveling text of ideology which shows domination,
colonization and hegemony” and as remembrance
not just of one’s visit to Hawaii but as a “souvenir of
globalization” as well.
The critique of Gonzalez on the Hawaiian quilt
foregrounds and exemplifies the discussion of Charlie
Samuya Veric on the rise and proliferation of Cultural
Studies on a global scale in his July 18 lecture entitled
“World Republic of Theory: Notes of Cultural Studies
Across the Planet.”
A candidate for Ph.D. in American Studies from
Yale University, Veric debunks the so-called death of
Cultural Studies with the closure of the Department of
School of humanities events
Philippine-Australia Studies
Network Events
By Preciosa Regina A. De Joya
PROMOTING A LONG-term partnership in
education and research, the Philippine-Australia
Studies Network (PASN) of the Ateneo de Manila
University, in cooperation with the PhilippineAustralia Studies Centre (PASC) of La Trobe
University, sponsored a week of events, from 17-22
June 2007, that included an international colloquium,
a series of public lectures, and an art exhibit.
The colloquium, entitled “Palimpsest: Mapping,
Imagining, and Moving Antipodean Landscapes,”
gathered a group of philosophers, sociologists,
literary writers, performance and visual artists, and art
theorists, to engage a multi-disciplinary reflection on
the Asian and Australian responses to the challenges
of a technological and globalizing age.
These responses, seen from the perspective
of the Palimpsest tradition, are the result neither
of an unequivocal rejection nor an absolute
assimilation, but of a cultural hybridity produced
by an “overlaying of texts,” which is basically
determined by the porous exchange or cultural
flow between modernity and tradition, the local
and the global, the city and the province.
This hybridity, which is form of subversion
through creative appropriation, notably attests to
the perennial re-mapping and re-making of socio-
cultural landscapes. In exploring this theme, some of
the presentations in the conference focused on the
subversive power of art as a space for critical reflection,
or offered a sociological analysis of the current trends
in environmental and cultural conservation and
management, while others presented the innovative
ways by which local identities and cultures are able to
reconfigure and reassert themselves amidst the sociocultural encroachment of the commodity-economy.
Aside from providing a venue for intellectual
discourse, the colloquium was also organized to
promote the collaboration among regional journals,
namely Budhi: A Journal of Culture and Ideas,
Philippine Studies Journal (Ateneo de Manila), and
Thesis Eleven: A journal of Critical Theory and
Historical Sociology (La Trobe University). This
collaboration also includes Prajna Vihara: Journal of
Philosophy and Religion, a journal of Assumption
University, Thailand, which hosted the second
leg of the colloquium. The colloquium, entitled
“Cartographies, of Culture, Religion, and Thought,”
was held in Bangkok, from 25 to 30 June 2007.
Modern Languages Department
celebrates 50 years of the EU
By Queenie Caranto, Patrick Michael L. Capili.
The Modern Languages Department sponsored
an exhibit at the lobby of the Manuel V. Pangilinan
Center for Student Leadership from 2 to 6 July 2007.
15
VOL. III NO. 2
Cultural Studies in University of
Birmingham by investigating the
rise of cultural studies across
time and cultural spaces.
Tracing
the
rise
of
cultural discourses from
Birhimingham to Buenos
Aires, Johannesburg to
even
the
Philippines,
surveying the discourses
by critical writers such as
Fredic Jameson and Zeus
Salazar and ultimately
how
these
theorists
and critical works were
received,
interpreted
and even challenged,
Veric
demonstrates
how Cultural Studies
became
and
still
continues to be a
global phenomenon,
a critical mode of
discourse
which
seeks to critically
and
effectively
critique the ideologies and
principles which sweep the world and
govern what we do and how we think. - Miguel Antonio N. Lizada
Old Routes, New Exchanges: Building a
Transnational Dialogue in Arts-Making, ArtsExchange, and Critical Discourse
In this roundtable talk co-hosted with the Ateneo
Fine Arts Program last 27 July, the path (or “route”) in
question is one created as an alternative to those run by
mainstream institutions.
The creation of this path is said to be brought about
by the propensity in art to self-propagate, find community
(local and global), resist institutionalization, and freely
integrate itself in the various sectors of society across
cultures.
Among the panelists was Jenifer K. Wofford, a
Filipina-American visual artist and art educator based
in San Francisco Bay Area, whose efforts to organize
a series of international exhibits called the “Galleon
Trade Arts Exchange” was motivated by the prospect
of creating “new routes of cultural exchange along old
routes of commerce and trade.” The Acapulco-Manila
galleon route was the symbolic inspiration for the kind
of “exchange route” that Wofford and her colleagues
intend to form and sustain—to make it easier for artists,
curators, and scholars (especially in the grassroots) to
dialogue and form alliances across geographical and
time zones, and especially with Manila. The Galleon
Trade exhibits serve Philippine-, Mexico-, and Californiabased participants.
With Wofford in the panel were fellow Galleon
Trade artists Johanna Phoethig and Stephanie Syjuco.
Phoethig is a muralist whose interest in the mural is its
being a very public artform with the ability to intervene in
urban spaces and community life. Her murals, inscribed
on highly visible walls (“The problem is always looking
where to paint,” Phoetig says), engage the community
with playful and sometimes satiric portrayals of their
cultural and political life. Her belief in art’s purpose
to communicate across cultures leads her to actively
join international exchange programs wherein she
can live in various communities, know their way of
life, and paint murals for them—a demonstration of
how the personal and the aesthetic cross with the
political.
Syjuco is a mixed-media artist who finds the
idea of bootlegging, counterfeiting, and piracy
very intriguing for art. Among her projects that
address these issues is one she shared in the
roundtable talk, the Counterfeit Crochet Project.
With the tagline “debasing designer handbags
one step at a time” (www.stephaniesyjuco.com),
this “global” project invites crocheters around the
world to parody designer bags by making crochet
copies of them—for personal use, exhibit, or sale
(in which case a restaging of “the strange cycle of
manufacturing, distribution, and retail” occurs). For
Syjuco, a humble crocheter’s reinterpreting of a very
pricey commercial item into a home-made, blatantly
counterfeit version can be a political statement (with
a sense of fun). One does not mean to demean the
brand; while alluding to widespread counterfeiting
in the global economic world, and how designer
companies themselves mark-up goods produced in
overseas cheap-labor factories, the crocheted bags
stand as individualized, agency-laden functional
artwork. They also serve as commentaries on
how mass production and product standardization
influence consumer behavior.
Also in the panel were Prof. Eric Reyes, a
scholar-participant from Cal State Fullerton, and
Norberto (Peewee) Roldan, curator of Green Papaya
Art Projects, a venue for Filipino multimedia art
expression and exchange with other art institutions
in the Asia-Pacific area. The Galleon Trade in Manila
was hosted by Green Papaya Art Projects, Mag:net
The Fort, and Mag:net Katipunan from July 24 to
August 16, 2007. The roundtable talk was organized
by scholar Lucy Burns (co-organizer of the Galleon
Trade with Wofford) and Prof. Oscar Campomanes of
the Ateneo English Department.
- Ivery de Pano
Cuban Yankees and Resurrected
Sphinxes: Stagings of America and the
Orient in El Filibusterismo
The concept of international arts exchange was
serendipitously touched on by Dr. Adam Lifshey
from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at
Georgetown University last August 3, in his lecture that
seemed at first to be worlds apart from the modern art
galleries and exhibits previously discussed.
For one, this off-tangent topic was Jose Rizal’s
El Filibusterismo (and in passing, the earlier novel
Noli Me Tangere), which entered the reading scene
more than a century ago as an anti-colonial (yet
independence-reluctant) critique strangely contained
in a very Western artistic form. In simplistic terms,
Rizal was an agent of this cross-cultural exchange
when he imported the Western novel into the
Philippines and exported his “Filipino” sentiments to
Spain (and the freethinking world). But in complicated
terms, as Dr. Lifshey showed, a lot more were caught
up in this “exchange”: Simoun, the ambiguous hero
(or anti-hero?) in the Fili, bore in his metaphorical
body a clashing cultural hybridity, an “irreducible
heterogeneity” gained from extensive transcultural
interactions. The unstable multiplicity and dubiousness
in Simoun displace attempts to familiarize him as
“Filipino.”
It is worth noting, though, that “Filipino” and “The
Philippines” as concepts are non-existent in the
setting of Rizal’s novels. On the one hand, as scholar
Benedict Anderson famously wrote, the Philippines
is “imagined into being” in the novels. On the other
hand, as Lifshey argued, the Philippines is displaced
in her own foundational novels because Manila in
the Fili is “not imagined in Asia at all” but reflects,
instead, the historical realities of Spain. There is
also defamiliarization in the choice of Spanish as
the literary language of the Noli and Fili, which has
always raised questions concerning Rizal’s intended
audience for the novels.
Possibly, Rizal’s Manila in the Fili is an imagined
space that could accommodate, ironically, a foreign
idea embodied in the nefarious outsider Simoun. This
pro-colonial protagonist who returns to Manila from
years of supporting Spanish imperialism in Cuba
turns out be the darkened, violent Ibarra of the Noli,
whose revolutionary attempts fail at the end of the Fili.
This recasting of Ibarra into Simoun echoes Simon
Bolivar, the South American independence hero.
This recasting turns the former Europeanized and
subdued Ibarra into the Americanized and aggressive
Simoun, albeit a pan-American figure, a mulatto with a
confusing English-South American mixed accent. His
reconstituted person suggests Cuban revolutionaries,
Indian conscripts—New World realities exchanged for
“Philippine” colonial realities.
But why would Rizal frame Simoun in a starkly
un-Filipino way? Lifshey suggests that Simoun is
“secretly a Filipino, but not an Indio.” The purposive
conflation of mixed references in Simoun, without a
fixed cultural anchor, is the world traveler’s attempt at
indirectly critiquing Spain’s relations with Manila. The
Philippines in the Fili may not be “itself”—but that’s
because it is imagined in the borrowed lens of the
South American colonial experience.
Lifshey ended by saying that Simoun’s unresolved
hybridity is the unresolved hybridity of (colonial and
postcolonial) history. In a sense, our national author
is an author without a nation—the Philippines is
“evacuated of itself” in the Fili. Yet we may respond:
maybe not “without a nation,” but a nation being
imagined despite unimaginable tension. The idea,
perhaps, was not simply to “imagine the Philippines
into being,” but to explore unfixed possibilities of that
imagining.
This El Fili lecture, in light of the earlier roundtable
talk on international arts exchange, offers a closer and
more critical look at the personal, political, and discursive
reverberations of “global exchange,” not only in today’s
modern world but in the world of the past that spills into
the present. As critical dialogues are being opened
by “new routes,” as old texts are defamiliarized and
refamiliarized in the dynamic act of social reading, may
the arts maintain its role as the vibrant and articulate
soul of society—locally and globally.
- Ivery de Pano
German Philosopher Visits Ateneo
Karin Hutflötz, a doctoral candidate from the Munich School
of Philosophy, came for a three-week visit in August, holding lectures
and engaging faculty members of the Department of Philosophy in
discussions and conversations. Ms. Hutflötz delivered a public lecture,
“What does it mean to think philosophically?” on 22 August 2007
at the De la Costa Hall. On 29 August 2007, she presented a paper
titled, “What is art for?” before a small group of faculty members of
the Department of Philosophy in the Ateneo Art Gallery.
- Remmon E. Barbaza
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the European Union
The exhibit was part of a series of
activities prepared in collaboration with
the European Studies Department in
celebration of the 50th anniversary of the
European Union.
The students of the Modern Languages
Department showcased different European
countries based on their language of study:
Germany and Austria, France, Italy, Portugal
and Spain. Interesting topics and colorful
pictures about the country and its culture
abound in every panel. Some presented
geography and demographics, cuisine,
famous personalities, fashion and cinema.
Students from the German classes even
donned traditional costumes and offered the
guests a taste of German chocolate, while the
Spanish classes prepared different versions of
the Tortilla Española. A student of Italian also
prepared a special and authentic pasta dish.
Indeed, the students and faculty who
visited the exhibit were transported to Europe
in a matter of seconds.
The exhibit was inaugurated by Dr.
Benilda S. Santos, acting dean of the School
of Humanities, together with Ambassador
Rosario G. Manalo, director of the European
Studies Department and Mrs. Christa R.
Velasco, chair of the Modern Languages
Department.
Karin Hutfloetz talk at Ateneo Art Gallery
16
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2007
Buwan ng mga Wika at Kultura
By Gary Devilles
Photos by Joseph salazar
Celebrating the Uncanny
known for his works in the paranormal and the
bizarre, but in the lecture he gave as part of the
celebrations, he discussed instead the problems in
our society emanating from a certain consciousness
of privileges, entitlement, and self-fashioning,
which run contradictory to our nature. For Mr.
Perez, such contradictions lead to our experience
of the uncanny and bizarre, and if there’s one thing
that we can learn from the paranormal, it is that the
paranormal is symptomatic of everyday problems.
Writer and Filipino Department faculty member
Edgar Samar, in a follow-up lecture last 23 August,
discussed the element of the uncanny urban spaces
in Perez’s works, including how such spaces
inhibit and become symptomatic consciousness of
broken and uneven relationships, power play, and
dynamics of alterity.
Kick off: Flag-raising ceremony
IN AUGUST OF year, the celebration of Buwan
ng mga Wika at Kultura (Month of Languages
and Culture) centers on a theme that usually is an
aspect or a dimension of the Filipino language or
culture. Among the themes chosen in the past were
Katatawanan (Comedy) and Kabataan (Youth), but
this year, the Loyola Schools’ Filipino Department
chose the theme Kahiwagaan (the Bizarre or the
Uncanny).
For many Filipino teachers and students,
this aspect of our culture is oftentimes ignored
and largely unarticulated in scholarly works and
literature. But the uncanny or the paranormal is
practically an intrinsic part of every Filipino’s life,
Kwizbibo contestants
The highlight of Buwan ng mga Wika at Kultura
was the various student competitions in poetry,
song, and essay. This year, the Filipino Department
added Kwizbibo—a team competition that tested
students’ knowledge of pop culture and literature.
The winners received three prints of original
Tony Perez lectures on the paranormal
be it in communing with ghosts and spirits, or in
accounting for the mysterious disappearance of
billions of government funds.
The month-long celebrations kicked off with
the traditional raising of the Philippine flag across
the administration office last August 6. The Vice
President for the Loyola Schools, Dr. Ma. Assunta
Cuyegkeng; the Dean of School of Humanities, Dr.
Benilda S. Santos; faculty members of the Filipino
Department; and students—all donning the
country’s national costumes—graced the affair.
In line with the theme, a two-week exhibit of
fictionist Tony Perez’s works was held at the lobby
of the Manuel Pangilinan Building. Mr. Perez is
KA’s poetry jamming
artworks of budding artists, like Rodel Tapaya and
Farley del Rosario, courtesy of 1/of Gallery and
Artery Manila.
The month culminated with KA, where
winners were awarded and a “poetry jamming”
session was held. This year’s Palanca champion in
English Poetry division, Mikael Co, and the best
actor ensemble of Tribu, grand prize winner in
the recently held Cinemalaya Feature Length Film
Competition, graced the event.
ACELT’s 38th Bi-Annual Conference
Teachers as Learners
By Eeya Litiatco-Martin
Teachers experience student-centered learning
TEACHERS, TEACHER TRAINERS, and English
language and literature teaching managers alike
gathered at the Escaler Hall last 8 September 2007 for
the 38th Bi-Annual Conference of the Ateneo Center
for English Language Teaching (ACELT).
This year’s theme, “Revisiting Student Centered
Pedagogy: Teaching for Understanding in the
Language and Literature Classrooms”, looks back at
the philosophical reengineering that revolutionized
teaching practices, and effectively allowed it to evolve
from teacher-centered to student-centered learning
(SCL).
Though SCL has long been proven to be the most
effective learning method for students, Dr. Edna Z.
Manlapaz, keynote speaker and co-founder of ACELT,
addressed the difficulties of putting this Western theory
into practice alongside the need to adapt SCL into
the Philippine context. Delving deeper into its core
principles, Dr. Manalapaz discussed the challenges
of effectively implementing this approach within the
premise of language and literature teaching.
The multi-faceted conference offered five
interactive parallel workshops, each catering to a
specific professional orientation and interests of its
respective participants.
One workshop pitted the traditional approach
of information subordination against practical
instruction, which makes use of more timely and
relevant learning materials and activities in teaching
grammar. In another, techniques for designing more
meaningful writing activities for students as active
contributors to the learning process were tackled.
Issues, such as the challenges and opportunities
presented by SCL, as well as how students can serve
as active participants in the evaluation of their own
academic performance, were also addressed.
In tandem with the learning environment ACELT
advocates, all participants were given the opportunity
to experience student-centered learning in action by
constructing learning materials and implementing
what they have learned in the workshops.
The Bi-Annual Conference coincides with ACELT’s
26th anniversary. ACELT was founded in 1981 as the
Department of English’s outreach arm, in response to
increasing requests for teacher training. Today, ACELT
continues to live up to its commitment to refine the art
of English language and literature teaching through a
holistic approach that is grounded on the ideology of
SCL.
ACELT works hand in hand with Ateneo’s vision to
mold professionally competent individuals as soldiers
of progress in the country’s forward march towards
the sustainable development of Philippine education.
ACELT Co-founder Pays Tribute to
Fr. Joseph Galdon, SJ
Dr. Edna Manlapaz giving her keynote address
By Ana Marie O. Fernandez
BEFORE GIVING HER KEYNOTE address on Revisiting Student-Centered Pedagogy at the 38th Bi-annual
ACELT Conference last September 8 at Escaler Hall, Dr. Edna Z. Manlapaz paid tribute to Fr Joseph A. Galdon,
SJ, the spirit that moves the Ateneo Center for English Language Teaching.
Recalling how ACELT began in 1981, Dr. Manlapaz spoke of the many invitations from teachers all over
the country for Fr Galdon to speak on the concept he called Significant Human Experience or SHE—a way of
teaching English and literature. Dr. Manlapaz pointed out correctly that SHE was in fact a mutation of studentcentered learning, which Fr. Galdon passionately believes in, and which ACELT stresses in its process-oriented
and learner-centered methodology in teacher training.
Although Fr. Galdon is now afflicted with Alzheimer’s, Dr Manlapaz believes that “Faith assures us that in
some secret place of his mind and heart, Fr Galdon knows of the good work that ACELT continues to do and
rejoices with us” as ACELT celebrates its 26th anniversary.
Fr. Galdon also marked his birthday this month, and the Galdon Club, a group of loyal friends, former
students and fans celebrated it with him at the Jesuit Residence last 15 September.