Vol. LXXXVII, No. 2 • September 26, 2015

Volume LXXXVII, No. 2 • September 26, 2015 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF SANTO TOMAS Manila, Philippines
Union chief faces stiff challenge
FACULTY members will troop to the polling
booths on Sept. 28 to elect a new set of union
officials, amid lingering questions over the impact
of the K to 12 scheme on job security and last
year’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA)
with the UST administration.
The incumbent president, Dr. George Lim, faces
off with his former number two, longtime union
executive Rene Luis Tadle, and Jove Jim Aguas for
the top post in the 1,500-strong UST Faculty Union
(USTFU).
Lim’s “Kabalikat” slate is running on a platform
of continuity of programs and professionalization of
the union, faculty unity, and “respect” for UST and
its officials, while Tadle’s “Lead 4 Change Alliance”
ticket wants “union transformation” and vows there
will be “no teacher left behind.”
Aguas, a philosophy professor, is running as
an independent on a platform of a “collaborative,
collegial and proactive, rather than reactive” faculty
union.
Lim’s party also vows to “maintain the utmost
integrity in the performance of our duties; maintain
transparency of all activities and transactions;
distribute all excess funds to the membership
equitably.”
Former Science
dean named
professor emeritus
FOR HIS scientific contributions and
46 years of service to the Thomasian
community, UST’s top scientist was
conferred the title professor emeritus in
ceremonies at the Medicine Auditorium
last Sept. 3.
Prof. Fortunato Sevilla was
given the highest title bestowed by
the University to a faculty member
who has attained not only the rank of
full professor, but has also achieved
academic excellence and significant
influence in his or her field.
Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy,
O.P. described Sevilla as ‘‘a force
to be reckoned with in the field of
chemistry,’’ and commended him for
being an inspiration to students as well
as to other members of the academe.
“He is gently loved by students
whom he inspired to commit themselves
to excellence. [T]he people who have
come today to witness and celebrate this
milestone in his remarkable career have
surely been touched by him. His name
alone, when mentioned, evokes both
admiration and respect,” Fr. Dagohoy
said in his address of concession.
In his acceptance speech, Sevilla
highlighted the importance of
student-teacher relationship in
research and in teaching. While
new technology is prevalent
in modern teaching methods,
teachers still play a very
important role in shaping
excellent and exemplary
students, he said.
“[M]aaalala ng mga
estudyante ang mga guro
na nagturo sa kanila, at
hindi ang mga computer
na kung saan sila natuto.
[M]alakas at mabisa
ang pakikiugnay ng
mga mag-aaral at guro sa
laboratoryong pananaliksik.
Sevilla
Emeritus PAGE 3
Referendum on Lim?
The USTFU election is turning out to be a
referendum on the tenure of Lim, who is part of the
medical faculty. Last year, union negotiators led by
Lim himself struck a new collective bargaining deal
with the UST administration for the years 2011-2016,
but not without acrimony.
The Lead 4 Change Alliance candidate for vice
president for legal affairs, lawyer Danielito Jimenez
of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, claims faculty
members got the raw end of the deal under Lim’s
CBA. Leave benefits in the new CBA are nothing to
crow about as they are already mandated by existing
laws, he said.
“These benefits under the CBA do not differ
from the legally mandated labor standards and cannot
therefore be considered a product of negotiation,”
Jimenez said in an interview.
UST administrators, meanwhile, were able to
get their way, particularly in the system of promotion
and faculty classification.
“During the general assembly, I tried to raise
the [concerns regarding CBA], but what happened
that time was that they prevented us from raising
concerns,” Jimenez claimed.
The CBA states that “a female faculty member
is entitled to 60 days leave with full pay based on
her gross monthly compensation” while “pregnant
faculty members are entitled to maternity leave for a
PUMPED UP. The UST Growling Tigers are poised to defend the general championship this UAAP Season 78.
Photo taken during the UAAP Opening Ceremony at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Sept. 5.
BASILIO H. SEPE
Thomasians
honored in 65th
Palanca Awards
THOMASIAN winners in this year’s
Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for
Literature included a former Varsitarian
editor
and
their
works
tackled
contemporary concerns in social realist
style.
Faculty of Arts and Letters alumnus
John Pacala won first prize in Maikling
Kuwento for his entry, Ang Reyna
ng Espada at ng mga Pusa, about an
old homosexual prisoner who
turns down the executive
clemency
granted
him for obvious
humanitarian
reasons because
he would rather
stay
behind
bars and enjoy
the freedom he
has ironically
discovered
there
which
he never felt
outside.
The Political
Thomasians PAGE 10
Union PAGE 5
Three profs eye labor union presidency,
vow to deal with K to 12 transition
THREE professors are vying for the
presidency of the UST Faculty Union
(USTFU), all vowing to deal with the
problems posed by the coming K to 12
transition.
The candidates are Dr. George Lim
of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
who is running for reelection, and from
the Faculty of Arts and Letters, Rene
Luis Tadle and Jove Jim Aguas.
The K to 12 transition is turning
out to be a major issue in the campaign,
as college teaching loads would be
reduced beginning next year. High
school students will be spending two
more years in senior high school
or grades 11 and 12, instead of
graduating to college. Because
of this, UST will offer only 13
programs to freshmen next
year.
The UST administration
is proposing several measures
to cushion the impact,
among them tapping displaced
professors to teach in the soonto-be-opened UST Senior High
School (SHS). Professors will also
have the option of doing office work,
taking research loads or going on
sabbatical or study leaves.
The three presidential candidates
agree that there must be a system of
distributing teaching loads as well as
protecting salary rates and tenure.
Tadle said getting assigned to
senior high school would not guarantee
that a faculty member's salary would be
the same as in college.
“The salary rates of faculty
members must be maintained because
in the first place it is just a [transition]
period,” he said in an interview with the
Varsitarian.
Tadle maintained that UST could
afford to maintain salary rates given its
financial standing.
Aguas said UST's proposals need
to be validated.
“Drastically, maaapektuhan [ang
teaching load]. If before we’ve been
accepting 10,000 students, now [it
will be] just around 5,000. Pagdating
doon sa distribution ng load, kailangan
doon transparent, gaano kalaki ‘yung
paghahati-hatian,” said Aguas.
Lim said professors’ salaries
should not be cut during the K to 12
transition.
“Pagdating doon sa financial
[aspect], retained ‘yung salary scale
regardless kung saan siya mapunta;
regardless kung mapunta siya sa
kolehiyo o sa SHS kasi itong mga
tenured na ito, nagbigay na ng service
sa University,” Lim said in an interview.
Thirty-five other candidates are
eyeing other positions in the faculty
union.
Running under Lim’s Kabalikat
are: Patrick Ellis Go for executive vice
president, Abegail Nierras for internal
vice president, Pablito Marasigan Jr. for
external vice president, Susan Petilla
for secretary general;
James Platon for vice president for
labor eductation and research, Aurora
Cristina Bermudez for vice president
for legal affairs, Jonathan Cabero
for vice president for grievance and
complaints, Joyce Tan for treasurer,
Marie Anne Lourdes Guanzon for
auditor, and Arlene de Leon for public
relations officer.
Kabalikat’s
candidates
for
the USTFU board of directors are:
Claudine Say, James Mark Nidea,
Frederick Roy Manubay, George Chao,
Profs PAGE 3
Lim
Tadle
Aguas
2 News
Editor: Dayanara T. Cudal
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
AB Student Council opposes hair regulation
THE STUDENT Council of the Faculty of Arts and
Letters (ABSC) wants the college administration to
suspend the implementation of the so-called “hair
policy” prohibiting long hair for males and “loud” hair
color, amid opposition from students.
The ABSC requested for a consultation and
suspension of the new policy in a letter to the
Artlets Dean’s Office last Sept. 8, after meeting with
representatives of the Board of Majors (BOM) on
Sept. 1.
In a statement released on Facebook last Sept.
13, the ABSC said the choice of hairstyle and hair
color did not affect students’ learning or obstruct other
people’s rights.
“In fact, we believe that this could contribute
to the holistic development of an individual,”
the statement read.
The
statement
mentioned Artlets Dean
Michael Anthony Vasco
as saying during a
meeting with council
officers last Sept. 11
that he was supportive
of freedom of expression
in the college, with limits,
and that he was open to a
dialogue with those opposed to
the policy.
“Dean Vasco was firm
in his response that even
freedom has its limitations. He
believes that the Artlets’ freedom to
wear different hairstyles and hair colors
has been abused,” the ABSC said.
The ABSC also said Vasco would allow long
hair for men “as long as they look neat.” For hair color,
Vasco preferred “blonde, burgundy and brown,” the
ABSC claimed.
Jan Dominic Castro, ABSC president, said the
council would seek another dialogue with the college
administration to know the reason behind the policy.
“We want to uphold the liberality in AB as well as the
freedom of expression of beliefs and personalities of
the students,” Castro told the Varsitarian.
The “Good Grooming Policy” of the University’s
Code of Conduct and Discipline, contained in the UST
Student Handbook, states that: “Unless otherwise
allowed by the administrators of the particular
Faculty/College/Institute School for specific reasons,
male students are not allowed to sport long hair. Hair
should not touch the collar of the uniform. The use of
hairpins, pony tails, headbands, etc. by male students
is likewise not allowed.” There is no mention of hair
color.
Social media campaign
The groups Union of Journalists of the PhilippinesUST and Student Alliance for the Advancement of
Democratic Rights-UST campaigned against the hair
policy on social media early this month. The groups
claimed that security guards had begun asking for the
IDs of students deemed to have violated the grooming
policy at the entrance of St. Raymund’s Building, and
instructing the same students to claim their IDs at the
Dean’s Office.
The social media campaign drew mixed
reactions, with negative views mostly coming from
alumni and outsiders.
Said Facebook user Dan Mendoza on the UJPUST Facebook page: “I honestly don’t care whatever
reason UST is getting strict on its hair policy. I’m not
even from UST to begin with. But rules are rules. Lagi
na lang ba gagamitin ang ‘freedom of expression’
para i-justify ang paglabag sa rules? Why do some
Regulation PAGE 3
UST improves in Electrical
Eng’g, Med Tech boards
THE UNIVERSITY aced the recent licensure
examinations in electrical engineering and medical
technology, with Thomasians making it to the top 10 list
of passers.
UST emerged as the top school in the board exams
for electrical engineers after getting a 98.61-percent passing
rate, with 71 out of 72 Thomasian examinees making the
cut, results from the Professional Regulation Commission
(PRC) showed.
This was higher than last year's 95.16 percent, wherein
59 out of 62 Thomasian examinees passed the exams.
Thomasian Cyrus Evangelista placed eighth with
a score of 89.60 percent. Evangelista shared the spot
with Arger Bondoc of Holy Angel University, Abrehn
Gacang of the University of Southeastern PhilippinesDavao City, Orlando Jularbal of Don Mariano Marcos
Memorial State University-San Fernando and Gerald
Mirano of Rizal Technological University.
The national passing rate went up to 63.01 percent,
with 2,536 examinees passing the test out of 3,772, from
last year's 59.89 percent, in which 2,190 passed out of 3,661
examinees.
UST improved in the medical technology licensure
Boards PAGE 5
Mercury Drug
founder conferred
with honorary degree
THE FOUNDER of the country’s
largest chain of drug stores has vowed
to continue supporting the education of
pharmacy students in the Philippines, as
he received an honorary doctorate from
UST, the first school of pharmacy in the
country.
“I have devoted my life in service
of others, especially those who wish to
pursue their own dreams and aspirations.
In fact I’m happy to say I’m happy to do
this, granting scholarships to deserving
students to complete their pharmacy
education here at UST,” Que said in his
address during solemn investitute rites at
the Medicine Auditorium last Sept. 9.
UST Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy,
O.P. emphasized Que’s contributions
to the pharmaceutical industry and
corporate social responsibility.
“The pharmaceutical industry looks
up to him as a source of inspiration
not only for his distinctive brand of
leadership, introducing many firsts in his
field and exceptional work ethics which
[are] truly worth emulating, but also for
his incomparable humanitarian work,”
Fr. Dagohoy said.
As a philanthropist, Que spearheaded
programs to make medicines available to
poor cities and municipalities, such as
Bigay Lunas and Bigay Kalusugan.
In March 1945, the opening of the
first Mercury Drugstore in Bambang,
Manila marked the birth of the country’s
pharmaceutical retail industry.
The University confers honorary
doctorates on those who have attained
exceptionally meritorious achievements
in the arts, the sciences, the humanities
and public service, in accordance with
the rules and conditions established by
the Commission in Higher Education.
CLARENCE I. HORMACHUELOS
PIONEER. Mariano Que, founder of the country’s largest chain of drugstores, was conferred by the University
with an honorary doctorate degree last Sept. 9 at the Medicine Auditorium.
G.L. CADUNGOG
Junior HS enhances English proficiency focus
UST JUNIOR High School (JHS) has
renewed its ties with an international
testing firm to develop English-language
proficiency among students and ensure the
quality of its teaching staff.
Crispin Javier, UST-JHS English
coordinator, said the partnership with
Hopkins International Partners Inc.,
authorized representative of the Test of
English for International Communication
(TOEIC) in the Philippines, seeks to help
the University attain high-quality English
language instruction.
TOEIC is a global standard for
measuring English language proficiency
developed by the Educational Testing
Service of Princeton, New Jersey. It consists
of two equally graded tests of comprehension
assessments.
Faculty members, guidance counselors
and some support staff are required to take
Usapang Uste
NOON pa man, hinihimok na ng
Simbahan at ng Unibersidad ang
mga Katolikong manunulat na
panatilihin ang kagandahan ng
kulturang pampanitikan.
Taong 1959 nang maglabas
ang Varsitarian ng isang lathalaing
tumatalakay sa “Catholic Writing”
sa bansa.
the TOEIC annually while students can take
the Test of English as a Foreign Language
(TOEFL). TOEFL is one of the two major
English-language tests in the world, the
other being the International English
Language Testing System.
UST-JHS is the first academic institution
in Manila to certify its students with the
TOEFL Junior and Institutional Testing
Program (ITP) tests, school officials said.
The TOEFL Junior test, intended for
students ages 11–14, is a general assessment
of middle school-level English-language
proficiency. It has three sections: reading
comprehension, listening comprehension,
and language form and meaning. The
Junior Comprehensive test has four
sections: reading comprehension, listening
comprehension, speaking and writing.
The TOEFL ITP test is a paperbased assessment used to evaluate the
English-language proficiency of nonnative English speakers. The test contains
new and previously administered TOEFL
test questions and is used for placement,
progress evaluation and exit testing, among
others.
“It is important for every young
Thomasian to be TOEFL-certified in order
to assess his or her level of proficiency and
determine if international standards are truly
met in terms of English language fluency,”
Javier said in an email.
Administrators, academic coordinators
and head teachers took the TOEIC in
Academic Year 2013-2014.
Javier said TOEIC-certified teachers
“reflect the level of competence evident
in UST-JHS,” adding that consistent high
marks in previous tests could be attributed
to the performance of the faculty. JEROME
P. VILLANUEVA
Panitikang Katoliko itinaguyod
Sa artikulong isinulat ni
Gregorio Brillantes, isang Palanca
Award Hall of Famer at isang
batikang manunulat sa katha,
binigyang-diin ang tungkulin
ng mga Katolikong paaralan
sa paggabay sa mga kabataang
manunulat.
Ayon
kay
Brillantes,
inaasahang mayroong natatanging
pagpapahalaga
sa
sagradong
pananaw ang isang Katolikong
manunulat dahil malaking
dagok sa mga manunulat
ng modernong panahon
ang mga makabagong
ideolohiya
tulad
ng
sekularisasiyon.
Kung sino pa raw ang mga
produkto ng mga Katolikong
paaralan, sila pa ang nagiging
biktima ng mga baluktot
na paniniwala.
M a r u p o k
din aniya ang mga
kabataang manunulat sa bugso ng
kanilang damdamin kung kaya’t
naaapektuhan ang kalidad ng
kanilang mga akda. Bunsod daw
ito ng kawalan ng espirituwal at
metapisikal na pundasiyon ng isang
Katoliko.
Ilan lamang ang mga akda
ng historyador at peryodistang
si Nick Joaquin na “Guardia de
Honor” at “The Legend of the
Dying Woman” sa mga kathang
nabanggit sa lathalain na nararapat
maging batayan ng tamang
paraan ng Katolikong pagsulat.
Isa rin si Bienvenido Santos,
isang premyadong nobelista, sa
mga Katolikong manunulat na
nakapaglimbag ng mahuhusay na
akda.
Ani Brillantes, bilang mga
kabataan ng isang Kristiyanong
bayan, dapat maging bihasa ang
mga Katolikong manunulat hindi
lamang sa mga akda ng mga
tanyag na banyagang manunulat
tulad nina Faulkner at Malraux.
Dapat din nilang kilalanin ang mga
Katolikong sina Claudel, Graham
Greene, Sigrid Undset at Santo
Tomas de Aquino.
“A Catholic writer, to be
effective, must also be a thinker,”
ayon kay Brillantes, na mariing
pinabulaanang puro misteryo at
kababalaghan ang itinuturo ng
Simbahan.
Pangunahing
tungkulin
din aniya ng isang Katolikong
manunulat ang ipahayag ang mga
turo ng Simbahan sa pamamagitan
ng panitikan.
Dagdag pa niya, hindi
nililimitahan ng relihiyon ang
“pagka-sining” ng isang akda.
Sa katunayan, sinasalamin nito
ang sanlibutan at pinagtitibay ang
humanismo.
Usapang Uste PAHINA 11
Assistant Editor: Danielle Ann F. Gabriel
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
Research project calls for ‘inclusive education’
By KATHRYN JEDI V. BAYLON
and ALHEX ADREA M. PERALTA
CHILDREN with “special needs” belong
to a regular classroom, not in special
schools, according to UST’s education
experts.
The College of Education, College
of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of
Science, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
and the Research Center for Culture,
Education and Social Issues (RCCESI)
have begun a project advocating for
“inclusive education” that seeks to put
children with disabilities in regular
classrooms instead of special education
centers.
The program will assess, through
research, the learning needs of children
and the most common learning disabilities
in eight areas: Pasig and Makati in the
National Capital Region, Laguna and Albay
in Luzon, Cebu and Capiz in Visayas, and
Caraga and Butuan in Mindanao, said
Maripia Rabacal, assistant professor at the
College of Education, the lead unit.
The project team is composed of eight
researchers: assistant professors Marichou
Beltran and Bernard Saldivar of the College
of Education; College of Science Assoc.
Prof. Marie Antonette Vargas; College
of Rehabilitation Sciences assistant
professors Donald Lipardo, Georgina
Mojica and Karen Ongtangco; Hubert
Ramos of the Faculty of Medicine and
Surgery and RCCESI Research Associate
Eleanor Bahrami-Tranquilin.
“The inclusive education program will
help public school teachers develop skills
in handling children with disabilities and
special needs,” Bahrami-Tranquilin told
the Varsitarian in an interview.
The program will develop screening
tools based on the inclusive education
program of the Department of Education,
to let teachers know the condition of
students in their areas.
“The screening tools will help the
teachers in monitoring the progress of the
students in learning. Teachers will be able
Ex-president of ABSC
discloses sanctions
over lost funds
TWO FORMER officers of
the Faculty of Arts and Letters
Student Council (ABSC) will
not get certificates of good
moral character due to “gross
negligence” as a result of the
loss of P50,000 in council funds
last year, the Varsitarian has
learned.
Former ABSC president
Marie Jann Klaire Lazo told the
Varsitarian the college’s verdict
was relayed by the Student
Welfare and Development Board
(SWDB) through a resolution
that was mailed directly to her
and former treasurer Julienne
Avila. Avila has yet to respond to
requests for comment.
The resolution also stated
that Avila, a political science
senior, would have to render 50
hours of community service,
Lazo said. Lazo however was not
required to render community
service, having graduated from
the journalism program last May.
The former student council
president declined to show
the SWDB resolution to the
Varsitarian, saying she was
forbidden to do so, but agreed
to discuss its contents in an
interview.
Lazo
described
the
resolution as “fair” but said she
was considering filing a motion
for reconsideration before the
SWDB or an appeal before the
Office of Student Affairs. The
motion for reconsideration or
appeal must be filed within 10
working days from the date the
resolution was received.
“The
resolution
helps
para matahimik na rin ang
AB community and to help the
present ABSC,” Lazo said.
Lazo admitted to negligence
on her part, saying she was
lenient with the way funds were
handled.
The SWDB conducted an
extensive investigation prior to
issuing the resolution.
Before the probe, officers
of the previous student council
shelled out money to pay for the
P50,000 allegedly lost right inside
the ABSC office on October 23,
2014. The cash was inside Avila’s
bag. ALHEX ADREA M. PERALTA
Emeritus
better understood and disseminated
when the medium used was familiar
to everyone.
“Sa pagtuturo ng agham tulad
ng Chemistry, mas mabuti kung
ito ay malapit sa araw-araw na
kabuhayan. Madali at malalim ang
pagtanggap ng panayam kung ang
mga salita ay pamilyar. Mabilis
na maiuugnay ang agham sa
pang araw-araw na kabuhayan sa
ganitong pamamaraan,” he said.
FROM PAGE 1
Dito ay sabay silang nakakakita ng
bagong kaalaman, natututo, nagiisip at napapalawak ang kanilang
pananaw,” said Sevilla.
Sevilla, an advocate of the
Filipino language, also called for
the use of the national language in
instruction. Lectures, he said, were
to determine how their students are doing
in terms of their cognitive development as
well as physical development,” Rabacal
explained.
The program will also come up with
“Pre-referral
Intervention
Manuals,”
which will seek develop gross motor
skills, fine motor skills, cognitive skills,
communication skills, social emotional
skills and self-help skills of the children
with special needs, according to the UST
website.
The proposal for an inclusive education
project was made by an international
funding agency in 2011 during the term of
Fr. Rolanda de la Rosa, O.P. as rector, and
was approved in June 2014.
The push for inclusive education is
based on the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization’s
Salamanca Statement of 1994, an
international agreement that states that all
persons with disabilities should learn in the
least restrictive environment, the general
education program.
‘Commerce fire could have
been prevented’—fire officer
NO SPRINKLERS, no well-trained
personnel.
These were the findings of
the investigation into the fire that
broke out last July 5 at the fourth
floor of St. Raymund de Peñafort
Building, which forced the College
of Commerce and Business
Administration to temporarily hold
classes in other buildings.
“Kung may sprinklers [ang
building], hindi naman magiging
malala ‘yung sunog. Factor pa na
hindi well-trained ‘yung nag-respond
sa sunog, kung saan nagkaroon pa
siya ng difficulty of breathing,” said
Senior Fire Officer 4 John Joseph
Jalique, head of the investigating unit
at the Manila Fire Department, in an
interview.
Antonio Espejo, in-house
mechanical engineer at the UST
Facilities Management Office
(FMO), confirmed that there were no
sprinklers installed in the building.
The FMO installed automatic
fire extinguishers in every room of St.
Raymund’s, which also houses the
Faculty of Arts and Letters, following
the incident, Espejo said.
According to the official fire
investigation report obtained by the
Varsitarian, the University also
“failed to submit a copy of [its] Fire
Sevilla has earned accolades
for his work in analytical chemistry.
His researches on chemical
sensors and biosensors have
been acknowledged locally and
internationally.
Last July 9, Sevilla was named
academician of the National
Academy
of
Science
and
Technology, one of the scientific
body’s highest distinctions. ALHEX
ADREA M. PERALTA
Profs
FROM PAGE 1
Beatriz Ribleza, Benedicto Ducat,
and Revenendo Vargas.
Running under Tadle’s Lead 4
Change Alliance are: Elvis Llarena
for excecutive vice president,
Edilberto Gonzaga for internal vice
president, John Vincent Igancio for
external vice president, Danielito
Jimenez for vice president for leagal
affairs, Jose Ngo for vice president
for grievance and complaints,
Rouena Villarama for secretary
genaral, Elizabeth Kapulong for
public relations officer, Almanzor
Macmod for auditor, and Rebecca
Adri for sergeant at arms.
Running for the board of
directors under Tadle are: Noel
Asiones, Mary Rose Coronel,
Michelle Desierto, Norman Garcia,
Emerito Gonzales, Archie Resos
Ramil Sasi, and Vercie Subaldo.
USTFU will hold its elections
on Sept. 28. CLARENCE I.
HORMACHUELOS
and Earthquake Drill Certificate.”
UST however joined the Metro
Manila-wide “shake drill” last July 30.
The fire department report ruled
out arson and said an overheated airconditioning unit in Room 405 started
the fire. But the accounts of witnesses
were not sufficient to establish the
definite cause of fire, it added.
“After careful examination and
thorough analysis of the burnt patterns
at the fire scene and based on the
testimonies given by witnesses, the
Investigator (Jalique) believed that the
fire originated [in] Room 405,” the
report stated.
Damage to equipment such as
refrigerators, ceiling fans, a television
set, a microwave oven and a projector
was estimated at P7.6 million.
Jalique said he was not given
access to closed-circuit television
video.
Espejo bared that the FMO
would soon install sprinklers in
different buildings in UST, as
recommended by the fire department.
“Umpisahan namin maglagay
ng sprinkler system sa [Faculty
of] Engineering at [College of]
Education kasi ‘yun ‘yung matataas
na buildings, and then the others will
follow,” Espejo said. KATHRYN JEDI
V. BAYLON
Regulation
News 3
UST retains
QS world rank
UST HAS kept its spot in the latest QuacquarelliSymonds (QS) world university rankings,
holding on to the 701+ bracket while three other
Philippine universities slid in the annual listing.
The University of the Philippines (UP)
remained the country’s top university despite
slipping to the 401-410 bracket from last year’s
367th place. Ateneo de Manila University also
went down to the 501-550 bracket from the 461470 bracket last year.
De La Salle University joined UST in the
701+ bracket, after figuring in the 651-700
bracket last year.
In the subject rankings, Ateneo and UP
secured spots in the 101-150 bracket in English
Language and Literature, while La Salle placed
in the 151-200 bracket. UST has failed to get a
spot in the subject area after landing in the 101150 bracket in 2011.
State-run UP was the only Philippine
university to rank in Modern Languages (151200 bracket), Agriculture (151-200 bracket),
Medicine (251-300 bracket), Development
Studies (51-100 bracket), Politics and
International Studies (151-200 bracket) and
Communication and Media Studies (151-200
bracket).
In Sociology, UP and Ateneo placed in the
151-200 and 101-150 brackets respectively.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology
continued to dominate the world rankings, after
being named the top university worldwide with
a perfect score of 100 for the fourth consecutive
time since 2012.
Meanwhile, the National University of
Singapore remained the top university in Asia,
improving its rank to 12th place from last year’s
22nd.
The highest ranking for UST in the QS
survey came in 2008, when it landed in the 401500 bracket. The survey started in 2004.
This year, a total of 891 institutions were
ranked by the London-based QS consultancy,
with more than 76,700 academics and 44,200
employers surveyed and more than 3,500
institutions considered.
The QS rankings are based on five criteria,
namely: academic reputation (40 percent),
employer reputation (10 percent), faculty to
student ratio (20 percent), citations per faculty
(20 percent), international faculty ratio (5
percent) and international student ratio (5
percent). DAYANARA T. CUDAL
Rehab Sciences
offers course
in Italian therapy
FROM PAGE 2
By JEROME P. VILLANUEVA
people always have this sense of
entitlement? Ganyan na ba talaga
katigas ang ulo ng mga estudyanteng
Pinoy? Freedom is not absolute.”
Said Randy Q. Villanueva:
“Meanwhile, in other parts of the
country, hordes of talented kids
dream of going to college but cannot
because they have no means. Instead,
they are working themselves to the
bone to help their parents in feeding
their siblings. Offered the chance to
study in UST, I doubt if they would
be enraged by a hair policy. I’m not
trying to be condescending. I’m just
saying there are nobler things to
fight for.”
Facebook
user
Xave
meanwhile commented: “To suggest
that students must obey without
questioning is to suggest that they
cannot think for themselves. To
suggest that these students who do
question the status quo should just
go and find another school is to
suggest that the University is not a
place of free thought.”
Said U.G. Naguit: “It is
disappointing to see ‘educated’
citizens asserting their so-called
‘values’ and imposing their status
quo mentality. It is even more
disheartening to see ‘educated’
people shunning Thomasians
merely for daring to question the
sudden implementation of the
haircut and hair color policy in the
UST-Faculty of Arts and Letters.”
ALHEX ADREA M. PERALTA
THE PHYSICAL Therapy program of the
College of Rehabilitation Sciences (CRS)
offered a course on an Italian therapy technique
called “fascial manipulation” early this month.
The six-day diploma course on fascial
manipulation was held Sept. 3 to 9 at Alfredo M.
Velayo Hall and was led by Alessandro Pedrelli,
vice president of the Fascia Manipulation
Association based in Italy.
Fascial manipulation was developed by
Luigi Stecco, an Italian physiotherapist. It
involves the fascia, a sheet of connective tissue
fibers that forms beneath the skin enclosing and
attaching muscles and other internal organs. It
serves as an additional treatment for patients
suffering from musculoskeletal disorders or
pain in the body’s joints, muscles and nerves.
The course was attended by 27 professionals
consisting of physiotherapists, chiropractors,
rehabilitation doctors and bodyworkers from the
Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.
Valentin Dones, chairman of the physical
therapy program, said the technique would be
integrated in the program curriculum. Faculty
members are also planning to write research
papers on fascial manipulation, he said.
“It has penetrated the market in the US, not
just in Europe. It is becoming evidence-based,”
Dones said in an interview.
Mark Serra, a CRS faculty member and
president of RehabTrends Inc., said his company
was eyeing a partnership with UST because of
the quality of its research.
Serra said fascial manipulation could serve
as initial therapy for patients set to undergo
surgical procedures.
The training program could pave the way
for research collaboration between the CRS and
the Italian association.
4 Opinion
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
Editorial
Mockery of separation
of church and state
ACCUSING Justice Secretary Leila de Lima of being
behind the criminal complaint filed by expelled Iglesia ni
Cristo (INC) minister Isaias Samson Jr. against the INC
leadership for alleged illegal detention, tens of thousands
of the sect's members took to Edsa and surrounding
streets to demand that the case be withdrawn, that De
Lima stop meddling in the affairs of the INC, and for the
government to respect the separation of church and state.
The 1987 Constitution provides that the “separation
of church and state shall be inviolable” and “no law
shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and
enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without
discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed.
No religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil
or political rights.”
The separation clause is actually an expression of
the secular republican rule that the state cannot establish
its own religion. “Non-establishment of religion” is
therefore a rule against the state, not against religion.
The prohibition is one-sided, yes. This is because
while the state has police and taxing powers, religion
has none. Having powers, the state has the tendency to
abuse them, which is historically proven by the Reign of
Terror that followed the Fall of the Bastille, Napoleon's
excesses, the Mexican torching of the churches, the antiChristian persecutions that triggered the Spanish civil
war, and even the raid of convents and abuse of religious
during the Marcos dictatorship.
But is the state abusing its powers and bullying the
INC—and perhaps favoring other churches over the
INC—when it accepted the criminal complaint of an exminister of the INC on his alleged detention in the hands
of the sect’s leaders?
No. In the first place, the complainant is not
anymore an INC member—he was kicked out in fact
by the church elders after he, along with other ministers,
including estranged kin of the INC “pope” himself,
complained they were being held against their will by the
INC leadership.
Although the INC leaders denied that the exminister and the others were detained, they did not deny
that an internal conflct was brewing. This was very
obvious to everyone in the country, especially since the
Philippine National Police (PNP), headed by an official
recommended to the post by the INC, suspiciously set
a detachment to bar the gate of the house where the
estranged relatives of the INC head minister, Eduardo
Manalo, were holed up in, apparently to stop them from
getting out and talking to the press. News TV cameras
showed the policemen stopping food deliveries to the
house, and it took an officer from the Commission on
Human Rights to stop the apparent harassment and
human rights violation by the PNP. Of course, the PNP,
headed by someone said to be an INC ally, explained that
Editorial PAGE 14
FOUNDED JAN. 16, 1928
LORD BIEN G. LELAY
Editor in Chief
ANGELI MAE S. CANTILLANA
Managing Editor
ARIANNE F. MEREZ
Associate Editor
DAYANARA T. CUDAL News Editor
DANIELLE ANN F. GABRIEL Assistant News Editor
MARY GILLAN FRANCES G. ROPERO Special Reports Editor
ERIKA MARIZ S. CUNANAN Features Editor
ALILIANA MARGARETTE T. UYAO Literary Editor
MARIA KOREENA M. ESLAVA Patnugot ng Filipino
MARIE DANIELLE L. MACALINO Witness Editor
DARYL ANGELO P. BAYBADO Acting Circle Editor
RHENN ANTHONY S. TAGUIAM Online Editor
ROBERTO A. VERGARA, JR. Assistant Online Editor
AVA MARIANGELA C. VICTORIA Art Director
BASILIO H. SEPE Photography Editor
News Kathryn Jedi V. Baylon, Clarence I. Hormachuelos, Alhex Adrea M.
Peralta, Jerome P. Villanueva
Sports Carlo A. Casingcasing, Delfin Ray M. Dioquino, John Chester P.
Fajardo, Philip Martin L. Matel, Randell Angelo B. Ritumalta
Special Reports Paul Xavier Jaehwa C. Bernardo, Monica M. Hernandez
Features Mary Grace C. Esmaya, Maria Corazon A. Inay, Vianca A. Ocampo
Literary Zenmond G. Duque II, Cedric Allen P. Sta. Cruz
Filipino Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas, Bernadette A. Paminutan
Witness Krystel Nicole A. Sevilla, Lea Mat P. Vicencio
Science and Technology Mia Rosienna P. Mallari, Kimberly Joy V. Naparan,
Julius Roman M. Tolop
Circle Amierielle Anne A. Bulan, Ma. Czarina A. Fernandez, Ethan James
M. Siat
Art Kirsten M. Jamilla, Freya D.L.R. Torres, Iain Rafel N. Tyapon
Photography Alvin Joseph Kasiban, Amparo Klarin J. Mangoroban, Miah
Terrenz Provido
FELIPE F. SALVOSA II
Assistant Publications Adviser
JOSELITO B. ZULUETA
Publications Adviser
Letters/comments/suggestions/contributions are welcome in the
Varsitarian. Only letters with signatures and corresponding contact
details will be entertained. Original manuscript contributions must be
typewritten, double-spaced, on regular bond paper, and should include
a signed certification bearing the author’s name, address, year, and
college. The identity of a writer may be withheld upon request. The
editors will not be responsible for the loss of materials. Contributions
must be sent to THE VARSITARIAN office, Rm. 105, Tan Yan Kee Student
Center Bldg., University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila.
Laudato Si’: Eradicating ‘pollution’
POPE Francis’ declaration of
the first day of September as the
annual World Day of Prayer for the
Care of Creations is arguably the
best time for the Pope to reiterate
that being stewards of Creation
does not only mean people should
protect the enviroment, but that
they should also check the human
corruption and spiritual “pollution”
that have caused the environmental
crisis--among several crises--in the
first place.
With “Laudato Si’,” his
second encyclical, Pope Francis
has called for the revitalization
of God’s creation and reminded
the faithful that along with
upholding life, practicing charity,
promoting justice, and observing
morality, they must also protect the
environment.
Pope Francis’ 168-page
encyclical can be summarized
thus: humanity cannot free the
“pollution-plagued” world from
trafficking of endangered species
while remaining completely
indifferent to human trafficking,
unconcerned about the poor, or
destroying another human being
deemed unwanted.
This is a challenge for the
Philippines, the largest Catholic
Humanity cannot free
the world from pollution
while remaining
completely indifferent
or unconcerned about
the poor, or destroying
another who is deemed
unwanted.
nation in Asia.
Climate change, pollution,
decline in the quality of human
life, social breakdown, and global
inequality, cited by Pope Francis as
major “pollutions” of the Earth, are
experienced by most Filipinos.
The country has seen the
reckless exploitation of the
environment in the name of
financial gain.
Corruption, drug and human
trafficking, and killings populate
the news headlines. Gross iniquity
in social and economic relations
show the intractability of the
problems facing many Filipinos.
The rich and the powerful prey on
the weak and the powerless.
Pope Francis blames the
intractability of the environmental
disaster facing the globe on the
“lords” of political and economic
power. The same lords are to
blame for social and economic
iniquity facing Philippine society.
They are the ones whose interests
have led to the despoiliation of the
environment.
In the fight to protect the
environment, young people have a
leading role.
More Filipino Catholics
should support the Global
Catholic Change Movement, an
international petition aiming to cut
excessive carbon emissions and
to assist the vulnerable in coping
with the effects of environmental
changes.
In the Archdiocese of Manila
alone, more than 1,000 priests,
religious, and lay leaders have
signed the petition.
This support would be
essential as Church leaders call for
a global climate treaty during the
Paris Climate Change Conference
in November.
Even before the release of the
encyclical, Pope Francis already
said that Filipinos, especially
the youth, can do something to
preserve God’s Creation.
“We need to see, with the
eyes of faith, the beauty of God's
saving plan, the link between
the natural environment and the
dignity of the human person. As
stewards of God's Creation, we are
called to make the earth a beautiful
garden for the human family,” the
Pope said in his undelivered speech
during his visit to the University
last Jan. 18.
As citizens of a predominantly
Catholic nation, we are expected
to act as global leaders in terms
of virtuous culture and upholding
morality. Thus, we should not
let the passage of bills and
promulgation of laws that we think
contradict Church’s teachings and
destroy human life and dignity.
Manila traffic, no big deal?
AUTHOR
Dan
Brown's
infamous statement of Manila
as the “gates of hell” may have
caused quite an uproar among
Filipinos two years ago, but
given the current situation of
traffic and transportation woes in
the city, one may have to treat the
line as gospel truth rather than an
exaggeration.
Being a regular commuter, I
have had my fair share of times
uttering curse words out of sheer
annoyance that despite an early
morning start, a major gridlock
is bound to have me late and
distressed.
I have had instances
wherein a 30-minute travel
from Makati to Shaw Boulevard
became a three-hour excursion.
To commuters haggling with
EDSA on a daily basis, it is
always a toss-coin between
putting up with the long MRT
lines and playing the waiting
game inside a bus reminiscent of
a sardines can.
But atleast, the traffic is
“not fatal.” Or so says Transport
and Communications Secretary
Joseph Abaya in a TV interview
last Aug. 17.
He was quick to downgrade
his shocker of a description to
“not burdensome” before later
on apologizing for his remarks
all in all.
A year ago, several
government
officials
have
taken it upon themselves to
The road congestion
problem should not
be merely seen as a
commuter concern or
a social media rant,
but a serious threat
that could derail the
country’s economy.
take the challenge of riding
public transport on rush hour to
immerse themselves in the life of
a daily commuter. Whether that
was campaigning strategies or
sincere gestures to improve the
transport system is another story.
News outfits reported the
Philippines as ranking fifth
among countries with the worst
traffic conditions in the world
and third in Asia.
Adding insult to injury,
the dismal traffic situation is
said to be costing the country
P2.4 billion a day. According
to a report done by the Japan
International
Cooperation
Agency, the daily traffic grind
affects commuters' productivity
hours, health, fuel costs among
others.
Putting
a
monetary
equivalent on the time wasted
on the road may be unlikely, but
picture the possibilities of having
the two to three hours a day spent
on commute translated to extra
hours with family or on study.
The
mammoth
road
congestion problem should not
be merely seen as a commuter
concern or a social media rant
by the late and the haggard. It is
a serious threat that could derail
the country's economy.
With pollution being one of
the obvious consequences of the
influx of vehicles on the road,
health concerns also rise and so
does the hospital bill. Higher fuel
costs due to turtle speeds during
traffic also means bad news for
transport operators and owners
who will be making less profit.
On a larger scale, the
horrendous traffic blunder
likewise affects the country's
foreign investments scene.
During my internship,
I had the chance to talk
with European Chamber of
Commerce of the Philippines
Vice President for Membership
and Business Services, Florian
Gottein, who said that one of
the main hindrances he sees in
the development of the country
is on infrastructure, noting that
potential investors would be less
likely to set their eyes on the
Philippines if the difficult traffic
situation persists.
According to architect
and urban planning expert, Jun
Palafox, an average Manila
resident spends 28,000 hours of
his economic life in traffic. That
is almost three years of wasted
time—nothing too serious to fret
about apparently, as far as the
government's transport sector is
concerned.
With all due respect, the
efforts to have Manila roads
facelifted
are
recognized.
However, I fear for the amount
of dedication authorities are
putting on the battle against
decongesting the city. We have
seen time and time again road
repairs and coding schemes in
varying shades of success.
There is re-building but not
exactly renewal, so are we really
inching closer to solving the root
of the problem?
With politicians playing
urban planners and calling the
shots without considering the
long-term consequences of a mixand-match type of construction,
our transport system will truly be a
laughing stock, if it does not prove
to be fatal, at least in the long run.
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
Pia Cayetano law promotes athlete piracy
EVEN THE country's premiere
collegiate sports league is not
immune from dirty politics.
Just last August 28,
President
Aquino
signed
Republic Act (RA) 10676 or the
Student-Athletes Protection Act
junking the two-year residency
enforced by the University
Athletic Association of the
Philippines (UAAP) on high
school athletes opting to play
for another school in collegiate
level.
Under the new law, student
athletic associations like the
UAAP and the National College
Athletic Association (NCAA)
are barred from imposing
residency requirements on
high school athletes who are
transferring to another college.
Amid strong opposition by
some UAAP-member schools,
the bill's proponent, Sen. Pia
Cayetano, who is supposed
to conduct inquiries “in aid of
legislation,” was successful in
having the bill passed. She might
have probably forgotten that the
issue of UAAP residency was
clearly not in aid of legislation.
The publicity generated
by her intervention has surely
Narra
FROM PAGE 10
take care of the flowers for the
tikbalang to give to his bride?”
she thought sadly. Gently parting
her fingers, the young Lourdes
released the butterfly’s wings,
and watched it fly back into the
underbrush. Suddenly, a piece of
green fruit dropped in front of her.
Then she remembered hearing the
leaves rustle, and a low rumbling
sound coming from the trunk.
“Salamat po,” she thought
she heard a soft, feminine voice
say. Lourdes scurried home, both
frightened and curious as to what
had happened.
“Is that true? Did the tree
Union
FROM PAGE 1
maximum of 60 days for normal
delivery and 78 days for caesarian
delivery.”
Also, “every male faculty
member shall be entitled to a
paternity leave of seven working
days with full pay for the first four
deliveries or miscarriages.”
Republic Acts 7322 and
8187, however, already mandate
maternity and paternity leave
benefits, respectively.
‘CBA a negotiation’
Jimenez said he would “push
for better terms and conditions of
employment over and above labor
standards” should he win in the
USTFU polls.
Lim acknowledged that
some CBA provisions may not
be “advantageous” to the faculty,
but pointed out that it would be
unrealistic to expect the union to
obtain all of its demands during
CBA talks.
“There are provisions that
Boards
FROM PAGE 2
exams. The passing rate went up to
95.36 percent, with 329 passing the
test out of 345 examinees. This was
higher than last year’s 93.30 percent,
in which 209 Thomasian examinees
passed out of 224.
However, UST failed to make
it to the list of top schools this year.
Last year, UST ranked 10th on the
list of top performing schools.
Marelle Yamzon placed
third and led this year’s batch of
Thomasian medical technologists,
scoring 90.10 percent.
Two other Thomasians made
it to the top 10. Eunice Licudine
With its successful
high school athletic
program, UST, among
the eight UAAPmember schools,
has always been the
foremost victim of
piracy.
Much has also been said
about Dindin Santiago, who
after winning a championship
with the Golden Tigresses in
UAAP Season 72, opted to play
for National University with her
sister Jaja Santiago who also
used to be a part of UST High
School girls' volleyball team.
Despite the mercenary
ways of some athletes it has
trained, UST has managed to
keep afloat, even reclaiming the
UAAP general championship
last year.
Schools like UST invest on
young people to develop their
athletic and intellectual potential
and in order for them to prepare
for bigger competitions like
UAAP. But RA 10676 puts to
shame a school's effort in training
athletes and empowering them.
This law may promote
freedom among young athletes
to decide on where they would
want to study and play for, but
the fact they can easily shift their
allegiance when lured with better
prospects and offers by other
schools means that the Cayetano
law is actually abetting piracy
influenced other lawmakers in
agreeing with the pretentious
provisions of this law, which
actually promotes athletes
piracy.
With its successful high
school athletic program, UST,
among the eight UAAP-member
schools, has always been the
foremost victim of piracy.
Who can forget the
controversy involving Ana
Dominique Bartolome, a star
swimmer from UST High
School, who, just as UAAP
Season 76 was about to begin,
transferred to and represented
the University of the Philippines,
so that four UAAP-member
schools boycotted the swimming
competition.
Bartolome and her parents
even filed a complaint against
UST and UAAP and perhaps
because Cayetano, a UP
alumna, gave public comments
supporting her, the judge ruled
in her favor.
In 2010, Alyssa Valdez,
arguably the best volleyball
player in the country today,
shifted and played for Ateneo de
Manila University after getting
all the benefits from her four-year
stay as a high school volleyball
player in UST. Together with
her was Kim Fajardo, one of
the assets of the De La Salle
University's Women's Volleyball
Team at present.
really talk to you?” Pia asked.
Lourdes remained silent
and simply smiled. Outside,
the leaves of the narra rustled,
as the summer breeze passed
through the branches and flowers.
Pia gawked askance from her
grandmother to the tree.
Lourdes looked out the
window, as if caught in deep
thought. A car horn once again
broke the silence. Pia quickly
packed up her things and walked
to the back door. She opened the
door and almost went through the
threshold before peering back at
her grandmother.
Lourdes smiled, and Pia
smiled back. She continued her
walk outside to take one last
look at the tree, while Lourdes
lumbered towards the car to greet
Conrado.
She stood where Lourdes
once stood: beneath its rustling
leaves and in front of its massive
trunk. She gazed up at the
colossal wooden tower. In her
periphery, a pair of gleaming,
bright blue wings caught her
attention. In the bushes nearby,
a butterfly struggled to free itself
from a spider’s web. She picked
up a twig and reached out for it,
letting the tiny insect’s legs latch
on, as she pulled it close to her.
The butterfly flapped its wings
and freed itself from the strands
of web that entangled it, silently
flying off into the brush.
A rustling sound emanated
from the canopy and a green,
disc-shaped fruit shortly fell in
front of her. Puzzled, she looked
up and stared at the canopy.
“Salamat po,” a voice
echoed back, seemingly from
the tree and similar to her
grandmother’s.
Surprised, she looked
around and saw Lourdes talking
to Conrado, who waved his hand
and beckoned Pia to the car. She
leaned down, picked up the fruit
and rushed up the steps, back
through the living room and out
the front door into the waiting
vehicle. Peeking out the car
window, she held the fruit tightly,
taking one last look of awe at her
grandmother and the tree as the
engine propelled the car back
onto the dirt road.
may not be to the advantage of
the faculty members. We do
not claim [that the CBA] is a
perfect instrument. Hindi naman
pwedeng lahat gusto nila, or
lahat gusto namin [ang ilagay]
kasi hindi na CBA `yon. CBA
is a negotiation,” Lim said in an
interview.
The CBA also performs
the role of informing faculty
members of their benefits, which
is why benefits already mandated
by law were included in last year’s
deal, he added.
“There are so many benefits
provided by law that the faculty
members are not even aware of. If
you do not put it there, [the more]
they will not be aware of that
information,” Lim said.
At any rate, Lim said
USTFU officials never obliged
members to ratify the document
last year.
“The document is presented
to everybody. We did not coerce
anyone to vote for its ratification.
So na-ratify `yan, more than 80
percent [voted for it],” Lim said.
K to 12 woes
Tadle, who quit the USTFU
vice presidency to run against
Lim, meanwhile scored the lack
of immediacy in information
dissemination to union members,
particularly on University policies
in relation to the K to 12 scheme.
A reduction of teaching
loads is expected beginning
2016 as high school students will
spend two more years in senior
high school instead of graduating
to college. UST has reduced its
program offerings to just 13 from
56 for the next academic year.
“I think there is a need
for a more assertive leadership
and someone who is really
knowledgeable regarding the
things that must be done. Nakita
ko talaga na may kakulangan
sa policy in relation to K to 12
and I think we have to be more
proactive in protecting the rights
and interests of faculty members,”
Tadle said in an interview.
Tadle’s Lead 4 Change
Alliance promises to deal
with problems concerning the
K to 12 transition through a
“trifocal approach”: urging the
government to enact policies
protecting faculty members,
partnership
and
dialogue
between the UST administration
and the union to prevent job
cuts, and coordination with nongovernment organizations like
the Catholic Bishops’ Conference
of the Philippines in upholding
labor-friendly policies for faculty
members that will be affected by
the transition.
ranked eighth with a score of 89.50
percent, sharing the spot with
Jessica Jane Rivera of San Lorenzo
Ruiz College of Ormoc and Jan
Mark Lester Roxas of Far Eastern
University.
Cian Michael Rayco placed
ninth with a score of 89.40 percent,
sharing the spot with Marc
Frederick Soco of Velez College,
Nasudi Pastores of Cagayan State
University-Andrews Campus, and
Grace Joy Apale and Monique
Mondragon of San Pedro College of
Davao City.
The national passing rate
stood at 83.64 percent, with 4,048
examinees making the cut out of
4,840. This was higher than last
year’s passing rate of 82.60 percent,
in which 2,986 examinees passed
out of 3,615.
Meanwhile, the University
recorded a 66.67-percent passing
rate in the licensure exams for
chemists, with 32 passers out of
48. This was lower than last year’s
78.26-percent passing rate, in which
36 out of 46 Thomasian examinees
passed.
UST’s Justine Vigo secured
eighth place with a score of 88
percent.
The national passing rate
stood at 53.70 percent this year,
with 414 making the cut out of
771 examinees. This was lower
compared with last year’s 59.72
percent, in which 421 passed out of
705 examinees. KATHRYN JEDI V.
BAYLON, DAYANARA T. CUDAL
and DANIELLE ANN F. GABRIEL
Line PAGE 14
Transparency, full disclosure
Aguas is proposing to form a
special committee to address K to
12 issues and another committee
focused on CBA negotiations.
Aguas’ platform stresses
the need for “advancement in
academic excellence” through
a support system for faculty
research and publication as well
as financial incentives. Aguas also
vows to ensure “good governance
and administration” through full
disclosure of USTFU spending and
the publication of yearly financial
reports. C.I. HORMACHUELOS
Opinion 5
Patama ng pamahalaan,
tama nga ba?
“HINDI naman sa gobyerno
napupunta ang ipinapadalang dolyar
ng mga overseas Filipino workers
(OFW) kaya hindi ito nararamdaman
direkta sa ekonomiya ng bansa.”
Ito ang napabalitang pahayag
ni presidential spokesperson Edwin
Lacierda bilang tugon sa samu’t
saring pambabatikos na inani ng
administrasyong Aquino patungkol
sa plano ng Bureau of Customs
na ipatupad ang pag-iinspeksiyon
at pagdadagdag ng buwis sa mga
“balikbayan boxes.”
Habang naghahanap ako ng mga detalye nito ilang araw
matapos pumutok ang balita, maging ang infographic na nakita ko
sa social media noong ika-23 ng Agosto ay hindi ko na makita.
Walang kahit na isang balita tungkol dito at kinumpirma ito ng
isang opinion column sa Manila Times ng kolumnistang si Ben
Kritz, “I was unable to find a reliable (as in, non-social media)
source for it.”
Marahil kasunod ito ng pagtanggi ni Lacierda na minaliit
niya ang halaga ng remittance ng mga OFW sa ekonomiya ng
bansa. Depensa niya, pakana ito ng mga kontra-administrasiyon
sa kagustuhang sirain ang tingin ng mga OFW sa administrasiyon.
Pagpupunto ni Lacierda, hindi epektibo ang No Remittance
Day (NRD) dahil pamilya naman na nakikinabang sa mga padala
ng kanilang mga kamag-anak mula sa abroad ang direktang
apektado nito.
“Iyong remittance po ng mga OFWs po, hindi po napupunta
po 'yan sa ano... napupunta po 'yan sa kanilang mga kamag-anak,”
aniya.
Hindi naman talaga niya ito sinabi. Nagpasaring lang siya.
Nagparinig. Gaya ng madalas niyang gawin bilang tugon sa
mga isyung binabato sa Malacañang. Matatandaang maging ang
UST ay hindi nakaligtas dito nang sabihin ni Lacierda na ang big
university na tinutukoy ng Pangulo sa kaniyang huling State of the
Nation Address ay “definitely not Jesuit.”
Hindi naman na bago
ang taktikang ito ng mga
miyembro ng kasalukuyang
administrasiyon—ang
magpasaring at magpaligoy-ligoy.
Hindi kailangan ng napakatalinong tao upang ipakahulugan
ang sinabi niya. Gaya ng hindi niya direktang sinabing Dominikong
Unibersidad, hindi rin niya direktang sinabing hindi apektado ng
remittances ang ekonomiya ng bansa.
Hindi naman na bago ang taktikang ito ng mga miyembro ng
kasalukuyang administrasiyon—ang magpasaring at magpaligoyligoy para sakaling makaramdam ang mga pinatatamaan nila, wala
silang panghahawakang direktang salita.
Pero tulad ng sinabi ni Kritz, hindi na importante kung ano at
kung kailan ito sinabi ni Lacierda. Aminin man niya o hindi, mali
pa rin ito.
Ang sinasabi niyang dahilan kung bakit hindi epektibo ang
NRD ang siya namang sinabi ni Rosemarie Edillon, direktor ng
National Economic and Development Authority, na dahilan kung
bakit malaki ang gampanin ng OFW remittance sa pagpapaunlad
ng ating ekonomiya—ang pagderetso ng mga ito sa mga kamaganak nila.
Bukod kasi sa ginagamit na panustos sa kanilang mga
pangangailangan tulad ng pagkain, bahay at edukasiyon,
ipinapasok ito sa bangko na dumadagdag sa pondong pinaiikot ng
huli na kalauna’y gagamitin rin bilang puhunan sa mga negosyo.
“Zero dependence on remittances is probably very ambitious.
In reality, overseas remittances are a significant part of a country’s
economy, whether developed, developing or at any stage of
economic development,” ani Edillon.
Hindi na kailangan ang makailang pagbibigay-diin o ang
detalyadong pagpapaliwanag tungkol sa halaga ng remittances sa
ekonomiya dahil alam kong alam ito ni Lacierda o kung sino man
sa mga miyembro ng administrasiyon.
Higit pa sa malaking epekto ng OFW remittances sa
ekonomiya ang dahilan kung bakit hindi dapat ipatupad ang
mga hakbang ng Customs. Liban sa usapin ng pagbubuwis sa
mga balikbayan boxes, mas ikinababahala ng mga OFWs at ng
kanilang mga kaanak ang paraan ng pag-iinspeksiyon ng Customs
na, hindi lingid sa kaalaman ng marami, may salik ng invasion of
privacy at lantarang pagnanakaw.
and K.J.V. BAYLON
Smokers
FROM PAGE 13
usually a breaker during social
drinking,” he added.
Curbing the addiction
Despite
smoking’s
popularity, the government has
formed regulations to help curb
the negative effects of smoking.
Primary to this endeavour
is the Tobacco Act of 2003 that
serves as a guide to tobacco
control. Other related laws include
the Philippine Clean Air Act and
the Philippine Sin Tax Reform
Act of 2012, which increased
taxes on vices such as smoking.
More recently are the directives
to add picture-based warnings on
the effects of smoking to cigarette
packs.
Yana believes the problem
with
suppressing
rampant
smoking in the country through
these methods is lack of national
presence.
“I don’t think there ever was
an idea that smoking was good,”
she said. “I believe a smoker
should already know what can
happen if one would continue
doing the vice.”
“I became a bit agitated
because my consumption was
affected
[by
picture-based
warnings],” Matthew said. “I
think the picture-based warning
lessened people’s tendency to
smoke.”
Glenn added the sin tax
law may have affected smokers
financially. Having allocated
a budget for smoking in his
allowance, higher cigarette prices
definitely affected his smoking
habit. “Smoking is an expensive
vice,” he said. “Your budget for a
day is decreased, and sometimes
money allotted for commuting is
spent on cigarettes.”
According to Mazo, the
therapy for quitting smoking
begins with the smoker wanting to
be “cured” of the vice.
“If the smoker is willing to
stop the habit, he will have selfcontrol to get better and successfully
stop smoking,” he said. RHENN
ANTHONY S. TAGUIAM and
JULIUS ROMAN M. TOLOP
6 Special Reports
Editor: Mary Gillan Frances G. Ropero
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
New cards, old trains
By PAUL XAVIER JAEHWA C. BERNARDO and MONICA M. HERNANDEZ
APPARENTLY, not all systems
upgrades result in improvement.
For many Thomasians, riding
the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and
Metro Rail Transit (MRT) lines
is a daily ascent to calvary. The
implementation of a “unified
ticketing system” for the three
existing rapid rail transit lines has
exacerbated commuter woes.
The new “contactless” tickets,
known as “beep cards,” were
introduced by AF Payments Inc.
under a public-private partnership
or PPP contract. AF Payments is
owned by two big conglomerates,
Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific
Investments Corp.
Users can load a minimum of P12
and a maximum of P10,000 worth of
prepaid credits into each ticket. The new
tickets replaced the old magnetic cards
in LRT Line 2 beginning July, followed
by southbound LRT Line 1 stations last
Aug. 16.
Michael Sagcal, spokesman of
the Department of Transportation and
Communications (DOTC), said the
unified ticketing system, formally
known as the Automated Fare Collection
System, would generate a “net positive”
to government revenues.
Student feedback has been mostly
negative, however, as the transition
to the new cards has not been smooth.
Train services remain poor, students
pointed out.
Razbert Uy, a Communication Arts
junior who regularly rides the LRT Line
2 that runs from Recto Avenue in Manila
to Santolan in Pasig, said the funds used
for the ticketing upgrade could have
been used to increase the number and
improve quality of coaches.
“Kasi ang nagawa ng [beep cards],
mas napadali ‘yung pagpasok ng mga
tao sa mismong station, sa platform,
pero kulang naman ‘yung trains para
ma-accommodate ‘yung tao,” Uy said.
Angela Martinez, an Accountancy
freshman, said ticket-vending machines
often malfunctioned. “Mas gumulo lang
‘yung service ng LRT kasi hindi pa
naman nagfa-function ng maayos ‘yung
iba[ng machines] at saka kulang-kulang
pa ‘yung ticket,” Martinez said.
Color-coded coupons serve as
temporary tickets for northbound LRT
Line 1 stations that are still in the process
of upgrading their turnstiles for the new
system. For MRT Line 3, AF Payments
finished testing in August.
For her part, Central Student
Council President Anna Mariz Mangalili
said the beep cards proved to be
convenient for students.
“So far ang lagi ko kasing naririnig
na reklamo is more on service mismo ng
train,” Mangalili said in an interview.
Metro Manila has three rapid transit
lines.
Construction of LRT Line 1 began
in October 1981 under Electrowatt
Engineering Services of Zurich,
Switzerland. The Baclaran to Central
stations were completed in December
1984, and the Central Station to
Monumento segment opened in 1985.
The Balintawak and Roosevelt stations
were added in 2010. Line 1 has a total
of 20 stations spanning 19.65 kilometers.
MRT Line 3 started operations in
1999. It has 13 stations, spanning 16.9
kilometers from Taft Avenue in Pasay to
North Avenue in Quezon City.
LRT Line 2, which has 11 stations
and runs 13.8 kilometers from Recto to
Santolan, was built with funding from
the Japanese government, and started
operations in 2003.
Contractor to benefit
Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares
said the DOTC should focus instead on
urgent matters, particularly train services.
“What is the use of having an
improved ticketing system if passengers
still experience service interruptions
such as mismanaged signaling and train
overhaul?” Colmenares said in an email
to the Varsitarian.
He
said his party, Bayan
Muna, did not oppose the ticketing
system upgrade but considered its
benefits “effectively diminished” amid
other problems of the rapid transit lines.
“The
government
cannot
even competently hire a long-term
maintenance contractor and ensure that
the latter fulfills its duties,” he added.
Peter Maher, chief executive officer
of AF Payments, concessionaire of the
ticketing project, said the beep cards
were ideal for commuting students who
take more than one train line daily.
The beep cards enable shorter
queuing time and make transfers from
one rail system to another easier, Maher
said in an interview.
The DOTC is also considering
allowing the use of beep cards in retail
transactions with convenience stores,
fast-food restaurants, and other means
of transportation like buses. This will be
similar to Hong Kong’s Octopus Card.
Colmenares however said the
government should not allow such
projects to be taken advantage of by forprofit corporations.
The ticketing project is a “waste
of government’s funds because it could
have, at an amount [it] could shoulder,
procured, installed, and operated the
Automatic Fare Collection System on its
own,” he added.
The unified ticketing project costs
P1.72 billion. AF Payments holds a
10-year contract including a two-year
development period. The Ayala-Metro
Pacific tandem beat rivals SM and the
Comworks-Berjaya and MegawideSuyen consortia in a public bidding
conducted by the DOTC in January
2014.
Train lines to be upgraded
Lawyer
Hernando
Cabrera,
spokesman of the state-owned LRT
Authority, blamed congestion for
disruptions in the LRT lines.
“[One of the] causes of operation
disruptions is mostly the number of
passengers, especially in Line 1,” Cabrera
said in an interview. “Sometimes the
train would not operate or break because
of overloading.”
However, Cabrera said the two
LRT lines would be extended, and 120
coaches for 30 trains, at four coaches
per train, would soon be added to
accommodate growth in the number of
passengers.
Sagcal said the maintenance of LRT
Line 1 and construction of the LRT Line
1 extension would soon be transferred
to the Light Rail Manila Consortium,
another Ayala-Metro Pacific business
venture.
“We are supposed to turn it over to
them, the operations and maintenance,
[on] Oct. 1 this year at the latest,” he said.
Despite legal disagreements with
the MRT Corp., owner of the MRT Line
3 concession, the DOTC has bought
48 new light rail vehicles (LRV) from
Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stock
Company of China.
Sagcal said the modernization of
MRT Line 3 units would maximize the
capacity of trains to 900,000 passengers
per day from 540,000.
“Of course there are a lot of other
issues in MRT such as changing the rails
and the signaling system,” Sagcal said.
Sagcal said the lack of investment
of both the private sector and
government was the primary cause of
railway disintegration, noting that the old
line operated by the Philippine National
Railways had been shortened to 56
kilometers from 700-800 kilometers.
“Pinabulok [‘yung train system]. It
is a matter of continuously investing in
your infrastructure,” Sagcal said.
New lines delayed
Construction plans for LRT
Lines 4 to 6 have been pending since
the 1980s due to the “negligence” of
previous administrations, said Sagcal.
Construction of Lines 4 and 6 was finally
approved by the board of the National
Economic and Development Authority,
headed by President Benigno Aquino III,
last Sept. 4.
Line 4 will run 11 kilometers from
the SM City in Taytay to the intersection
of Ortigas Avenue and EDSA at Ortigas
Center in Pasig. Line 6 will run 19
kilometers from Niyog in Bacoor,
Cavite – the terminus of the LRT Line
1 extension from Baclaran to Cavite
province – to Dasmariñas City.
In addition to Lines 4 and 6, the
DOTC plans to build MRT Line 7 that
will run from EDSA to San Jose del
Rail PAGE 14
UST Library keeps up with advances in technology
By MARY GILLAN FRANCES G. ROPERO
DESPITE rapid technological innovation and
the growing popularity of e-books, the UST
Miguel de Benavides Library is confident that its
services remain significant and relevant to its main
clientele—students of the University.
Prefect of Libraries Fr. Angel Aparicio, O.P.
said the library’s continuous acquisition of both
traditional (printed) and modern (electronic)
resources keeps it relevant.
“The library is using [a] variety of resources,
from the traditional ones to the most modern
ones. If the library
is not using
that,
perhaps
the
library
will
become
irrelevant,”
he said in an
interview with
the Varsitarian.
Moreover, the
Miguel
d e
Benavides Library is in the process of digitizing
its collections and has scanned and uploaded an
estimate one million pages to its website.
“The problem is that we cannot [do it at]
full blast because we lack personnel, but we are
working on that. I think we already have [online]
not only the heritage collection, but also the
publications, especially the journals. We are going
into that direction,” Fr. Aparicio said.
Pri-ann Tinapunan, a Library and Information
Science professor at the College of Education,
agreed and noted that the UST Library has a rich
collection of rare books as well as printed and
electronic resources.
“We are not only holding the latest
resources for our students and users,
but we are also holding historical and
rare materials, which are preserved by
the library for the next generation,”
she said.
Fr.
Aparicio
encouraged
Thomasians to use the library’s
electronic resources like EBSCO,
JSTOR, Taylor & Francis Online and
Science Direct, all of which can be
accessed remotely or on campus.
“Freshmen students receive
general information. Throughout the
year, we encourage faculty members
and students to come to orientations,
particularly on databases,” he said.
The library has 64 electronic journals,
19 electronic databases, four e-books
databases, two local databases,
and one on-trial database.
Thomasians
may
browse
the
library’s
catalogue online through the
UST Online Public Access Catalog. The library
holds 265,816 titles and 361,899 volumes of books.
The UST Library is also planning to equip
the soon-to-open UST Senior High School with a
“paperless” or “bookless” library.
Limited resources
Ma. Theresa Lubang, head librarian of the
University of the Philippines in Diliman, said a
library’s stable technical infrastructure (website uptime) was of utmost importance, to allow students
to use electronic resources effectively.
There are three criteria in acquiring new
reference material, she said: the resource should be
appropriate for teaching, curriculum development
and research. Reference materials for teaching
are those used by professors in their lesson plans.
Curriculum development reference materials
are those included in course syllabi and are
recommended reading materials for the students.
Research reference materials are for those in the
graduate programs.
However, library budgets are limited, she
said. Because libraries are not degree-granting
institutions, they do not have alumni and therefore,
donations rarely come in.
Libraries are also not yet prepared for disasters
and recovery, citing libraries lost in the onslaught of
Typhoon Yolanda, Lubang said.
“There is no local expertise to restore and
rebuild [libraries]. Staff lack registered and
professional librarians. Sometimes, you will get
non-professionals [and] you need to train them,”
she added.
Training at UST
The UST Library contributes to the
development of future library professionals
by serving as a venue for training Library and
Information Science undergraduates for one
semester, said Tinapunan.
“We are very grateful [to the library] for
allowing us to train our [students] there, because
when they train for off-campus library practicum,
[the students] are on their own. We are helping [the
library] because they, too, are helping us,” she said.
Although the UST Library can compete with
any academic library in the country, there is still
much room for improvement, Fr. Aparicio said.
“We are aware of our shortcomings but given
the budget that we have, I think we are working
quite well,” he added.
Thomasians pay a library fee ranging from
P1,000 to P2,500 per term. Revenues are used to
acquire new reference materials as well as pay for
electronic subscriptions and the maintenance of the
library itself.
The number of books borrowed as of the
beginning of the academic year increased to 13,904
from last year’s 13,619, data from the Miguel de
Benavides Library showed. The Faculty of Arts
and Letters borrowed the most books for the month
of August, at 1,989 books or 14 percent of the total.
A total of 130,981 books were checked out in
the previous academic year. The highest number of
books borrowed was in October 2014, with 19,919
books checked out of the library that month. A
cumulative number of 808,156 library users were
recorded last academic year.
Built in the 17th century, beginning with
the library of Miguel de Benavides, O.P., third
archbishop of Manila and founder of UST, as well
as those of Fr. Diego Soria and Hernando de los
Rios Coronel, the UST Library is considered the
oldest library in the Philippines. With reports from
MARY GRACE C. ESMAYA
Editor: Erika Mariz S. Cunanan
Features 7
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
Thomasian puts up ‘Harry
Potter’-inspired cafe
By ERIKA MARIZ S. CUNANAN
and VIANCA A. OCAMPO
YOU DON’T need a port key, floo powder,
Knight Bus, or Hogwarts Express to experience
Hogsmeade and have a taste of the famous
Butterbeer.
Nicole Guanio, a Business Economics
Guanio
graduate of 2014, came up with a Harry Potterthemed café called The Nook Café on the
famous Maginhawa food strip last July which
continues to leave Potterheads spell-bound with
all of its quirky charms.
Butterbeer, a frothy drink that was adopted
from the Three Broomsticks pub in Harry
Potter, is the signature drink of the Nook Café,
which allowed it to gain the favor of many
Harry Potter fans in and out of the metro.
The quaint café has a small interior,
brandishing different Harry Potter collectables.
Customers are allowed to borrow robes, wands,
books, and other memorabilia.
It also features a hammock and a
“quidditch broom,” both suspended mid-air, as
well as the famous “cupboard under the stairs”
that used to be Harry’s room when he lived with
his foster family.
‘Small talk over good food’
Growing up reading Harry Potter books,
Guanio’s dream of setting up a Harry Potterinspired café was sparked during a visit to
Universal Studios in Japan where she was able
to get a glimpse of “The Wizarding World of
Harry Potter,” a themed area that featured food,
structures, and merchandises related to J. K.
Rowling’s piece.
“Naisip ko na sa café ko nalang ilagay
yung love ko for Harry Potter. At least, hindi
siya mawawala sa akin,” she said. “Lagi akong
naghahanap ng maliliit na coffee shops na
hindi alam ng mga tao, kaya ang ‘nook’ which
means corner, parang reading nook, dito na
pupunta yung mga katulad ko.”
To make sure that her dream
café would turn out the way she
envisioned it, Guanio strictly
supervised
the whole project
and personally bought everything
inside her store—from the
wooden pillars up to the painted
drawers.
From the little figurines
to the stacked books on the
shelf, Nicole openly shares
her Harry Potter collection with
her customers, allowing them to get a feel of
the magic inside her cafe.
“Masakit nung una na ipahiram ‘yung
mga collection ko, ngayon pinapahiram ko na
yung scarf ko, pero nasanay na ako. Babalik
din naman ako doon sa Universal Studios to get
new Harry Potter collectables,” Nicole said.
Even though she had a rocky start with
people just passing by her shop, Nicole’s first
few weeks in business were filled with small
talk over good food with her fellow Potterheads.
“Meron akong isang araw na wala akong
benta, ilang araw na walang tao, na P2,000
lang sales ko, pero masaya pa rin,” she said.
After several months in business, Nicole
admits that she is still overwhelmed by the
success of her cafe and the feedback of the
customers. Even with the attention her café is
getting, she still considers her first few months
in business as her happiest moment so far.
“First month, masaya ako kahit hindi
ko nakukuha yung quota
ko every day, kahit wala akong benta, kasi
nakakausap ko lahat ng mga customers,” she
recalled.
Expansion
Guanio plans to expand with a Weasleythemed branch in Tagaytay next year.
“Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams.
There are three statements—‘I’ll try’, ‘I’ll try
my best,’ and the last, ‘I’ll do whatever it takes.’
Dapat nandoon ka sa pangatlo. Kahit anong
mangyari, huwag lang doon sa ‘I’ll try my
best.’”
Theses turn into businesses
CTHM alumnus:
bartender extraordinaire
THIS UST graduate is a world-class bartender.
Kenneth Bandivas, who obtained a
bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant
Management in 2011, was named winner of the
“Around the World” challenge of World Class
2015, the cocktail industry’s most prestigious
mixology competition.
Bandivas bested 53 other bartenders with
his drinks “Bitter Felipe,” an ampalaya infused
cocktail mixed with lime, and “My First Float,”
a Marula flavored cocktail with rum and syrup.
Aiming to pay homage to the Filipinos,
Bandivas’ “drinks with a twist” relived all-time
favorite drinks, but cream liquors provided extra
twists to his pieces.
World Class 2015, hosted by Diageo
Reserve bar in South Africa, was held last Sept. 4.
The local leg of the world competition
commenced in January followed by the semifinals held last July in Thailand, where Bandivas
emerged as the World Class Philippine Bartender
of the Year.
He said he was grateful to be part of an
organization that promotes responsible drinking.
“I was honored to be here and to represent
Philippines this year. [Diageo] World Class is the
most prestigious bartending competition and I am
very happy to be part of it,” Bandivas said in an
email to the Varsitarian.
Valuing the Thomasian identity
Aside from the unique taste in mixing
flavors, Kenneth also exhibited his unique way of
dealing with the “challenges” through valuing the
core values that the University had taught him—
competence, compassion, and commitment.
“The three C’s are my core. As a Thomasian,
you have to live on those core values. It will lead
you to success,” he said.
Bandivas is now the general manager of
Alcohol by Volume, a speakeasy bar inspired by
the prohibition era during the 1920’s which offers
a range of top notch drinks, most of which were
crafted by Bandivas.
On his last year working at Shangri-La
Singapore, he was asked to make different
cocktails and concepts for the hotel. Bandivas
explored the service of bartending and
experimented with the different flavors available
that he could use in building different drinks.
“When it comes to cocktails, I always stick
to the basic methods and give it a twist. There
are tons of cocktails listed and created by a lot of
bartenders. As much as possible, we always try to
be unique,” Bandivas said.
When he came back to the Philippines,
he joined the Makati Shangri-La where he was
tasked to open and manage the different outlets.
He opened the Vu’s Sky Bar and Lounge at the
Marco Polo Davao Hotel last year.
Weeks before his stint in the World Class
2015, Bandivas launched “Señorita Marquez,”
which he dedicated to his fiancée.
Bandivas is planning to conduct classes for
people who want to learn about bartending and
encourage them to contribute genuine ideas in
their menu to satisfy the public with a new flair.
MARIA CORAZON A. INAY
Bandivas
SAAN tayo kakain?
For the College of Commerce
and Business Administration,
finding the answer to this generic
question has been one of the
objectives of some Thomasian
entrepreneurs.
Students
under
the
entrepreneurship program were
required to establish businesses
as part of their theses and, true to
their objective, were able to hit this
sweet spot.
Not ‘just’ a thesis
Thomasian gourmets may
start to recognize stores at a glance,
and even formulate "food plans"
before ever entering their chosen
establishments. From a diversity
of meals and price ranges, a
prospective Thomasian may either
try new meals or simply choose
their “usual.”
But more than the full
stomach and money well-spent,
Thomasians may agree that it
is the stories behind every meal
that count. Some of their favorite
establishments have stories of their
own.
For instance, Celine Tabia
would consider “Chiquitos” her
“saving grace.” Celine would not
have graduated in 2010 had it not
been for this risky move.
“[My] first business plan
was rejected,” she said. “Nakita ko
yung vacant space dati sa Asturias,
[tapos] sabi ko, bahala na kasi
wala talaga akong alam sa food.
The rest is history.”
Chiquitos came from “Chi,”
Celine's nickname, and “Quito”
from her grandfather. Originally a
Mexican-themed restaurant, “Chi”
eventually evolved into “Chicken”
and Chiquitos became the allchicken restaurant it is known
today.
Partners Bill Hablo and
Lynice Coronado may be more
well-known by their signature
tapsilog from Billy's Tapa To-Go,
a restaurant that specializes dishes
for take-out.
The establishment of Billy’s
Tapa To-Go has won for Hablo
and Coronado UST’s Entrepreneur
of the Year Award.
Newcomer
Tanya
Macabuhay's “Snacketeers” just
opened March this year with an all-
day breakfast premise.
“Several names yung tinatry namin sa DTI (Department of
Trade and Industry). Maraming
names na mas interesting, pero
hindi nila na-approve,” she said.
“Snacketeers, if you're familiar
with the Three Musketeers, [so]
there's a 'recall' involved.”
Home is where the profit lies
Although their menus
consisted of homemade meals, it
is perhaps the flexibility of their
dishes that appeal to Thomasian
foodies.
Chiquitos’ bestsellers buffalo
chicken and chicken-based meals
are worth 60 pesos.
“[Ang] price range ko is P60.
Dati, P55, kaso after two years
ginawa ko nang P60,” Celine said.
“Kaso kasi yung tao parang, ‘Ay,
P60 na?’ [kasi] ang bilis nila magreact.”
She said that though another
branch was opened in Mendiola,
Chiquitos had a lot of competition.
After opening the new branch
September last year, Celine
eventually closed shop and settled
for her Asturias branch.
“Mahirap
kasi
yung
competition [sa Mendiola],” she
said. “Maraming kainan at saka
lutong-bahay, tapos sa price of
50 pesos ang dami nang [kanin at
ulam].”
Celine added while she was
working out with a P60 price
range, a new branch on P. Noval
Street or Taft Avenue may boost
profit.
“Doon (P. Noval Street or Taft
Avenue) ko nalang sana gustong
mag-expand kasi sa UST, alam
na rin siya (Chiquitos), familiar
na yung mga tao,” she said. “Sa
Taft, mas may kaya [yung mga
customer, at] hindi sila sensitive sa
prices so pwede ko na paglaruan
yung prices doon.”
Billy’s Tapa To-Go, known
for their signature tapsilog, offers
other dishes such as liempo and
other homemade fried dishes.
“[We use] competitive
pricing, kasi kung iko-compare
mo sa iba, kailangan naibabalance mo [yung prices] para
makapasok ka sa market,” Lynice
said. “Mahirap kasi makipagcompete kung tataasan mo, [at]
baka mahirapan kang makapasok
sa market since bago ka pa lang.”
The signature tapa, which
recipe came all the way from
Nagcarlan, Laguna, is delivered
every morning to the stall in
Antonio Street. Although the
small eatery specializes in take-out
meals, small tables were set up on
the walls of the small store for a
dine-in option.
No limits to creativity
Tanya did careful research on
concept restaurants before coming
up with a plan that eventually
blossomed into Snacketeers.
“Ang gusto talaga namin
i-serve is all-day breakfast, pasta
and sandwiches pero we found
out na dito sa school market
Theses PAGE 14
8
Acting Editor: Daryl Angelo P. Baybado
CIRC
Glorious Farrales
Model Ana Arambulo dons
a geometric patterned halter
top and shorts with matching
floor-length vest from the
designer’s runway show in
Honolulu, Hawaii.
Socialite Chona Kasten
models one of Farrales’
earlier designs—a shift dress
accesorized with a scarf,
pillbox hat, and gloves.
BENJAMIN “Ben” Farrales, recognized by his
colleagues in the fashion world as the “Dean of
Philippine fashion designers,” has received the
Gawad CCP Award for Fashion Design—the highest
distinction given to artists and scholars who has
eked out distinguished careers in the arts and cultural
scholarship by the Cultural Center of the Philippines
(CCP).
Farrales was honored for his remarkable
contributions to the Philippine fashion industry through
the use and integration of Philippine and Muslim
culture in his works.
A fine arts graduate of the old UST College of
Architecture and Fine Arts, Farrales is, with Salvacion
Lim Higgins (the woman behind the Slims fashion
school), perhaps the biggest Thomasian name in
fashion. All other influential Thomasian fashion design
names look up to him—Nolie Hans, Lulu Tan Gan,
Danilo Franco, Larry Silva, J.C. Buendia, Edgar Allan,
Edgar San Diego, Junjun Cambe, Gerry Katigbak,
Jerome Ang, Eric Pineda, and Vittorio Barba.
Born in Cotabato City on July 1, 1932,
“Mang Ben,” as he is called in fashion and lifestyle
circles, grew up with a keen fascination for the
weaving and clothing traditions of the lumad or
indigenous communities of Mindanao.
He moved to Manila to study in UST and
later started his career as a fashion designer by doing
apprentice work at Aurelia’s, a popular fashion
boutique during the 1950’s.
Farrales then opened his first boutique in Malate
where he mastered his talent in dressmaking. Even as
a neophyte designer, his works were already desired
among Manila’s social elite circle and admired by no
less than Ramon Valera, the only National Artist in
Fashion Design.
“Mang Ben” is most acclaimed for his penchant
for creating Muslim-inspired gowns and attires and for
his constant use of local fabrics such as piña, hablon
and jusi.
Awarded as the 2005 Ten Outstanding Filipino
awardee for Fashion by Junior Chamber International,
a non-governmental international organization,
Farrales is also known for staging big and awaited
fashion shows. He was one of the first few Filipinos to
successfully present a show at the Manila Hotel and
Administration
alumnus,
linked
together an irregularshaped silver block, a
glittered pink, green and
white cylinder block, a
multicolored and abstractlypainted tube block, and an
orange and black cube speckled
with miniscule silver triangles
using a braided dyed orange cloth,
accented by two tiny bells.
“I used whatever I can get my
One of the showstoppers
during Farrales’ 50th
anniversary showcase was a
wedding gown and umbrella
adorned with sampaguita
blossoms.
2013
Farrales’ Spring/Summer
2014 collection showcased
a contemporary take on
the Filipiniana silhouette
with a striped black-andwhite kimono top and skirt
modeled by longtime muse
Marina Benipayo.
also to stage solo international fashion shows such as in Muslim bridal gowns accented with capiz and pearls.
He was also awarded a plaque of recognition by the
Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
Makati City’s Museum and Cultural Affairs Office for
In 2013, he closed the Spring Summer season
his “exceptional contribution to spreading awareness
of Philippine Fashion Week, a feat only done by
established and reputable designers. The show, entitled about Filipino attire through his designs and creations.”
Just January, friends and co-workers of Mang
“Ben Farrales: A Retrospective,” highlighted his blackand-white collection along with his classic trademark
Farrales PAGE 14
Muslim designs.
The finale show, whose closing was greeted by a
standing ovation from the audience, also also featured
his timeless pieces from different decades: the Kimona
Filipiniana collection 1950s; Metal collection (1970);
Obi collection (1983); and Maranao collection (1986).
When parts of the country was devastated by
typhoon Inday in 2002, Mang Ben held a repeat
performance of his 70th birthday gala, “Ben Farrales:
50 Years in Fashion,” to raise funds for typhoon
victims.
It was followed by a fashion show, “Encore,”
which showed his collection of Greek-inspired toga
dresses and gowns. The show also included flattering
figured gowns worn by beauty queens such as Melanie
Marquez and Ruffa Gutierez.
His classic Filipiniana stunners were shown in
“Kasuotang Pilipino” in September 2014, including Farrales at the PNB Fashion Show in June 1998.
malong-inspired long-sleeved green dresses and
PHOTO COURTESY OF PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
Different artistic media bring
wooden blocks to life
PLAIN wooden blocks were brought to life
through different artistic media by 25 artists
including two Thomasians, in BaBel, or
Building a Better Edifice Leisurely, an art
exhibit held at the Underground Gallery in
Makati Square.
Exhibit curator Nice Buenaventura
designed four wooden, irregularly-shaped
blocks originally intended to be
stacked and re-stacked by the
viewers which served as the
blank slates for the artists.
This structural limitation ties
the whole exhibit as different
artists unveil intricate and
bizarre designs the given
blocks can be.
Mixed-media artist
Zeus Bascon’s “Lost
Charms,” a College
of
Commerce
and
Business
2002
1972
1960
A TRIBUTE TO THE legendary FASHION DESIGNER
hands on in this exhibit. I sometimes stopped
on working on my pieces but I really dedicated
a set of consecutive days to focus mainly on
that piece,” Bascon said in an email to the
Varsitarian. “I even bring the wooden blocks
with me a couple of times so I can work with it
once inspiration and motivation kicks in.”
Meanwhile, Costantino Zicarelli, an
Advertising Arts alumnus of the College of
Fine Arts and Design, used black gesso—a
paint mixture usually used as a primer made
from a combination of chalk, gypsum and
pigment, which he partnered with graphite on
paper.
Zicarelli said he underwent a hard time
thinking of a design for the wooden blocks
which made him resort to reusing old ideas.
“The challenging factor was using the
blocks as the main work. It was stressing me
out but I had a last minute decision to reuse
an old idea which is a camouflage illusion,” he
said.
Zicarelli’s work “Block Objects” consists
of an illustration of the aforementioned shapes
accentuated by precise tracings on each side of
the blocks all overlaid by continuous tracings
of the wood texture’s pattern. Drawn on a
black canson paper, his interpretation of
the wooden blocks stands out as the only
tabular work in the exhibit. Stacked
beside this were his work of wood
prisms all painted in black.
The exhibit, which ran through
early September, also featured the works
of veteran artists Nilo Ilarde and Juan
Alcazaren namely “Big Kick, Plain Scrap”
and “Best Excuse Ever,” respectively.
Zicarelli is a contemporary artist
who was one of the recipients of the
Cultural Center of the Philippines’ 13
Artists Awards in 2012 while Bascon
won an illustrator’s award at the
2010 Philippine Board on Books for
Young People Awards.
Ebarle’s
‘Hibla 8’
weaves
magic out
of weaving
traditions
ABSTRACT ethnic motifs from Philippine native
weaves are further abstracted and reworked in Jane
Arrieta Ebarle’s eighth edition of “Hibla” series of
paintings at the Hibla ng Lahing Filipino Gallery of the
National Museum of the Philippines.
Threads on Canvas: Interweaving of Different
Artistic Traditions showcases Ebarle’s abstractexpressionist acrylic-on-canvas works.
A graduate of Advertising Arts from the old UST
College of Architecture and Fine Arts, Ebarle studies
the works of traditional weaving communities such as
the Ifugaos, Kalingas and Tausugs and interprets them
in her abstract style.
But for the new series, Ebarle researched on the
collection of ancient weaves from the National Museum
collection.
“For instance, there is a textile related to the tribe
of Kalinga so my painting will have something to
complement that,” Ebarle said in an interview with the
Varsitarian.
Ebarle’s 15 featured artworks have vivid colors,
overlapping lines and strokes and combinations of
patch-like partitions along with tribal patterns.
“I want my artworks to be culture-based because
our country has a very beautiful heritage of textiles,”
Ebarle said. “My aim is
a tribal context.”
“I never run out of
mystical with my conne
see something textured,
designs,” she added.
Ebarle’s interest on
she read Philippine Ethn
by the Design Center of
Though the artworks de
black-and-white, it didn
lively colors.
After showcasing t
Maranaos during her sec
Pinagmulan at the UST
was inspired to create a
interweaving thread-like
birth to the “Hibla” seri
“It is a struggle for
signature style, which I
Ebarle said.
The Hibla ng Lahin
of Senator Loren Legard
to preserve and reveal th
Philippines. AMIERIELL
CLE
9
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
Works
of Thomasian
artists fetch
high bids
at Leon auction
WORKS by top Thomasian visual
artists such as National Artists Ang
Kiukok, Arturo Luz, and J. Elizalde
Navarro, and Ramon Orlina and
Romulo Olazo fetched high bidding
prices in the Magnificent September
Auction of Leon Gallery last September
13.
“Seated Figure” by Ang was sold
for P10 million, the highest bid among
his five other auctioned works. The
expressionist painting shows a nude
human figure with arms clasping the
knees and with the skeletal framework
highly prominent.
Luz’s “Desert Architecture” was
sold for P800,000. It shows a carnationpink geometric landscape of ancient
Asian temples.
Luz’s three-piece mixed media
“Collage” also rose from the pegged
price of P100,000 to the final hammer
price of P500,000.
The famous “Permutation Series”
by late abstractionist Olaza was sold for
P1.75 million from a starting price of
P300,000. Among four of the artworks
sold from his “Diaphonous Series,”
two were bought for P1.2 million, both
bearing his translucent abstract forms.
Meanwhile, sculptor and architect
Orlina’s untitled emerald green-colored
sculpture was sold for P550,000.
An untitled piece by UST Painting
alumnus Ronald Ventura, which sold
for P5.5 million, displays his style of
hyperrealism. It shows a pale-white
skin toned woman, sitting in a relaxed
position contrasted by a dynamic,
orange-colored background.
The late Oscar Zalameda’s
“Portrait of Chona Kasten,” a pastel
oil-on-canvas portrait of Senator
Claro M. Recto’s daughter Maria
Priscilla “Chona” Silos Recto-Kasten,
considered a fashionista during her
days, was sold for P450,000.
Works of emerging contemporary
artists from the UST College of Fine
Arts and Design also were sold for
fabulous prices.
Titled “First to Blink,” a 122 x
152 painting of a detailed, closed-up
face by Advertising Arts alumnus
Ronald Caringal sold for P80,000.
“Three Very Landscapes,” Buen
Calubayan’s depiction of Mt. Banahaw,
fetched P550,000.
f designs and that is what’s
ection with Hibla. Whenever I
, I automatically picture it with
n indigenous designs began when
nic Patterns, a book published
f the Philippines in 2006.
epicted in the book were mainly
n’t stop her from visioning it in
he ethnic patterns of the
cond solo-exhibit titled
Museum in 2009, she
series of paintings with
e geometric patterns, which gave
ies.
r every artist to find her own
accidentally found in Hibla,”
LE ANNE A. BULAN
AMIERIELLE ANNE A. BULAN
Filipino
family
tradition
painted
to life by
Thomasian
s to highlight every design within
ng Filipino Gallery is a project
da which has been established
he rich weaving heritage of the
According to
auction director Jaime Ponce de
Leon, the floor prices of the artworks
are reasonable and affordable.
“The auction has a good balance
of contemporary and classic works
so we also balance the starting prices
we set,” Ponce de Leon said in an
interview with the Varsitarian. “It
undergoes a piece for piece basis; we
don’t just consider the materials or the
artwork itself. We make sure that we
have something affordable for every art
collector.”
The lowest floor price in the
185-piece September auction was
P20,000.
Leon Gallery, which was founded
in 2010, specializes in “historically
important and museum quality
Philippine art.” Works of Filipino
master painters Juan Luna, Felix
Resurreccion Hidalgo, Fabian de la
Rosa and Fernando Amorsolo form
the core of the gallery’s collection.
Ebarle
FAITH and the Filipino family are subjects that drove
Thomasian Alexander Jorge Pingol to create Traces of
Memory, an ensemble of paintings depicting the close
family ties of Filipino culture.
The exhibit, which featured 25 oil-on-canvas
paintings depicting tradtional Filipino family and rural
life, was staged at The Podium Mall, Mandaluyong City
and Galerie Raphael, Taguig City.
Works like “Unica Hijo,” “Banana Boat,” “Lola’s
Favorite,” and “Mother’s Love” portray the intimate
relationship between parents and son, happy family
moments spent in the beach, the tender embrace between
a grandmother and grandchild and the classic image of a
mother and her child.
His other works, like “First Harvest”, “Green
Pears” and “Big Catch”, among many others, show the
lives of fishermen and farmers—a classic of Filipino
rural life.
Pingol’s vibrant paintings and folk art style give a
certain aura of children’s book illustrations and evoke a
sense of warm and homely nostalgia. He said this exhibit
shows his inner nature not just as an artist but as a devout
and caring family man to his wife and three children.
Pingol said Traces of Memory should refer to any
nostalgic longing for the past, especially for the folk and
homey traditions of Filipinos which are anchored on
"faith" and family closeness.
10 Literary
Editor: Aliliana Margarette T. Uyao
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
When
the Narra
Spoke
By CEDRIC ALLEN P. STA. CRUZ
THE AGING narra tree in Lourdes’
garden sported a vibrant new mane.
Lemon-colored flowers bloomed amidst
its leaves. “Summer is here,” it seemed
to convey, as it eagerly displayed its
beauty under the May sun, as it had for
more than a hundred summers.
For twenty of these summers,
its elderly caretaker found herself in a
peaceful siesta on an antique rocking
chair beneath its branches. But on this
day, a car horn had broken her slumber,
and she willed her arthritic legs up the
stone steps back to the house, towards
the living room and on to the front door.
She was greeted by a man in his
forties, whose ragged jaw reminded her
of her late husband.
“Mother!” he said.
“Conrado!” she replied, putting
her arms around him, prompting him to
do the same. Before she could release
him, a disgruntled child’s voice caught
her attention.
“I don’t want to stay here! I want
to eat some pizza!” the child said.
Lourdes paused and examined the
child—her hazelnut eyes, rosy cheeks.
She realized that five summers ago, she
had rocked this
child’s cradle
as she sang
her to sleep with a
lullaby.
“Pia, try not
to get on your Lola
Lourdes’ nerves. Okay?”
Conrado said, but the little girl
responded only with a pout,
clutching her doll closer and stomping
her feet. Lourdes raised an eyebrow and
slowly stretched out her arm, holding her
hand towards Pia’s forehead, expecting a
soft, sweet “mano po.”
The girl brushed her off and
stormed into the living room. She
maintained her sour expression as she
threw her backpack on the bamboo sofa
and took out her tablet, her eyes now
glued firmly to the screen.
“I’ll be back to pick her up later,
Ma. I have to go meet someone near
the Barasoain Church.” Conrado said.
“By the way, have you ever thought
about getting rid of all these wooden
statues?” he continued, pointing to the
wooden figurines which decorated her
living room—tikbalang wielding spears,
duwende and leprechaun mounds, and a
sigbin standing on its hind legs.
“You and your father used to love
collecting these when you were young,”
she rebutted. “I remember when we used
to go to the market to buy these after we
went to church.”
Conrado merely nodded and gave
his mother a kiss on the cheek as he
returned to his car, and set off on the
unpaved road back to town. Lourdes felt
a gentle tug on her skirt.
“I’m hungry,” she said. “Do you
have any cookies?”
“No, but we have some laing under
the table. It is covered by—,” Lourdes
said before she was cut off.
“I don’t like vegetables!” Pia
yelled.
Lourdes frowned a little, but she
decided to ignore her. She proceeded to
the kitchen and began preparing some
biscuits and hot chocolate. Midway to
Clockwork
City
THIRTY minutes until the next stop
His tired body colliding
With shoulder after shoulder
After shoulder
He arrives, he departs
Steps quick
Impersonal
Doors now closing
His static reflection
Staring back
Face leaden by
Crunching numbers and juggling deadlines
Sitting through meetings
Where each face
Is an electric fence
And after the toil and the talk
And the toil and the talk
He stands up
Rushing
Towards caves of steel
Pausing
Honking
Speeding to nowhere
Is there nothing left
But an automated progression
Of day and night
Stretched across infinity?
Or can he instead turn his half-imagined phrases
Into brave new worlds
And cities in flight?
An electric chime rings
The door opens
He stands there frozen
Footsteps coming, going
The door closes
ZENMOND G. DUQUE II
the living
room, she
heard a loud thud
reverberating through the wooden
floor.
She briskly made her way to
the living room. She arrived to discover
that the wooden statuette of the winged
lady had been knocked off the coffee
table.
Pia gazed at Lourdes, bowing her
head and holding her doll close to her.
Lourdes placed the tray on the coffee
table. She picked up her cane from the
rack beside the sofa, and carefully bent
down towards the floor, her old bones
cracking as she struggled back to her
feet. She returned the winged lady to her
perch on the coffee table, as Pia returned
to tapping the tablet screen.
Lourdes gave a loud huff, while
Pia studiously paid no mind to her
grandmother struggling to her feet.
Lourdes began to realize why she
didn’t hear the “mano po” she expected
earlier, as she straightened her body and
observed Pia with a disgruntled look.
The fairy doll soon caught her attention.
“What’s her name?” she asked.
“Susie. She’s a princess,” Pia
replied.
“Mine is named Maria. Maria
Sinukuan. Would you like to hear her
story?” she asked.
To her surprise, Pia nodded with
enthusiasm and gave her grandmother
an inquisitive look. Lourdes turned to
her grandchild.
“When I was your
age,” she began, and
not once for the hours
that passed did Pia
move from her spot, as Lourdes told
her of the legends she grew up with
as a child. She recalled back then
how she thought that a sneaky tikbalang
would come at night and steal some
flowers from the narra tree and give it to
his bride. Every night, she would look
out her window and try to catch it in the
act, only to fall asleep and discover in
the morning that some of the flowers
had somehow disappeared.
She remembered how she
imagined that beneath its giant roots
was an ancient city of duendes. As she
played along and hopped over the roots,
she frequently exclaimed, “Tabi-tabi
po.”
But her fondest memories were the
times she went “diwata hunting” in the
late afternoons under the shade of the
narra tree, armed with a small butterfly
net. Scouring through the garden, she
searched tirelessly for winged ladies
fluttering in
the bushes and
thickets.
On one
eventful afternoon a pair
of blue wings caught her
attention. She chased it around
the narra tree, ducking and
weaving around its trunk and
hopping over its roots. Finally,
trapping it in her net, she reached
into it and picked the little insect
by its wings.
Suddenly, she remembered her
mother’s story of Maria Sinukuan,
the diwata who supposedly took care
of the forests and trees by controlling
the blooming of the flowers and in the
process disguising herself as a butterfly
to hide from the humans.
“If I keep you, who would
Narra PAGE 5
Thomasians
honored in 65th
Palanca Awards
FROM PAGE 1
Science alumnus said his victory was merely added pleasure
to his pursuit of his passion for writing.
“I really love to write and the Palanca Awards is like the
true measure for writers,” Pacala said. “Most of the characters
I write are anti-heroes, because I like themes that break moral
boundaries.”
Brylle Tabora meanwhile won second prize in Dulang
Pampelikula for his screenplay, Sekyu, which probes the life
of a security guard who uncovers dark secrets in a building
he’s guarding in Cubao.
“Sekyu” also explores power relations.
Tabora, a former managing editor of the Varsitarian, said
that he followed the tradition of Cannes-winning Thomasian
director Brillante Mendoza and prolific screenwriter Armando
Lao.
“I follow their tradition which has a very serious tone and
very much grounded on realism,” he said.
Literature sophomore Lance Santiago bagged second place
for Kabataan Sanaysay for his essay, “Ang Nakakakiliting
Kalabit ng Bukang-Liwayway,” which emphasizes the
significant role of Filipino literature in uniting the nation.
“Like what I wrote in my essay, what is the sense of
reading literature if you don’t read your own?” he said.
The three Thomasian winners said the future of literature
in the country does not depend alone on the writers, but also on
the audience, particularly the younger generation of readers.
“If you want serious literature, there are many great local
literary works people can read,” said Tabora.
Pacala said literature will never die and will only change
in medium, as there are other platforms like Wattpad and
blogs which can be used as alnernative media for writing.
“It simply evolves but it’s the same content. Same writing
style [and] everything from the very beginning of literature,”
he said.
Santiago called for quality literature.
Without quality, literature “could... eventually die,” he
said. D.A.P. BAYBADO and C.A.P. STA.CRUZ
Tabora
Santiago
Pacala
Patnugot: Maria Koreena M. Eslava
Filipino 11
IKA-26 NG SETYEMBRE, 2015
Suliraning pampanitikan, tinalakay
sa Asean Literary Symposium
Nina JASPER EMMANUEL Y. ARCALAS
at BERNADETTE A. PAMINTUAN
KAWALAN ng suporta sa pagsasalin at
kakulangan sa pondo ang ilan sa mga
pangunahing suliranin sa panitikan ng mga
bansang kasapi sa Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (Asean), ayon sa mga iskolar
at mga propesor na dumalo sa Asean Literary
Symposium sa Ateneo de Manila University
mula ika-26 hanggang ika-28 ng Agosto.
“We love [the] English and American
Usapang Uste
MULA PAHINA 2
Nakalulumbay isipin ani Brillantes
na maraming magagaling na manunulat
ang tumitigil sa pagsulat bunsod ng
kawalan ng sapat na suporta mula sa
mga kinauukulan kaya iminungkahi
niya ang pagbibigay ng Unibersidad
ng kaukulang benepisyo tulad ng
scholarships, subsidies o travel grants.
Isang sagradong uri ng panitikan
ang Katolikong panitikan. Binubuo ito
ng mga simbolong kumakatawan sa mga
katotohanang tanging pananampalataya
lamang ang makapagpapaliwanag.
Kaugnay nito, ang mga tema
ng Katolikong pagsulat ay umiikot
sa kabutihan at kasamaan, biyaya’t
kasalanan, buhay na walang hanggan at
pagdurusa sa impiyerno, at marami pang
iba.
Datapwat isang Kristiyanong
bansa ang Filipinas, aminado si
Brillantes na mahirap makamtan ang
mahusay na Katolikong panitikan at
epektibong Katolikong pagsulat kaya
nangangailangan pa ang mga manunulat
ang matimtimang pagsasanay at
mahabang panahon.
Patuloy na pinupunan ng
Simbahang Katolika ang mga pahina ng
ating kasaysayan. Batid ni Brillantes na
marami pa itong pagsubok na susuungin.
Aniya, ito ang dapat pangalagaan at
ipaglaban ng mga kabataang manunulat.
Tomasino siya
Tampok ang natatanging talento
ng isang arkitektong Tomasino sa iba’t
ibang proyektong panlungsod tulad ng
Tourism Master Plan of Metro Manila at
Urban Renewal Tourism Master Plan for
the City of Manila, na kapuwa inilatag
upang masolusyunan ang iba’t ibang
suliranin at maibalik ang kagandahan ng
mga lansangan ng Kamaynilaan.
Taglay ang kaniyang mga
karanasan mula sa Canada, Estados
Unidos at Filipinas, magiliw na
nagsisilbi sa iba’t ibang lungsod ang
arkitektong si Jose Ramon Carunungan
upang pagbutihin ang disenyo ng mga
writers so much, we don’t know anything
about our [Southeast Asian] neighbors. It’s
always about translation,” ani Prop. Nor
Faridah Binti Abdul Manaf ng International
Islamic University Malaysia sa unang araw
ng symposium.
Ani Manaf, ang kawalan ng pagtangkilik
at pagsasalin ng mga akda mula sa rehiyong
Asean ay sanhi ng kanluraning pag-iisip,
o mataas na pagtingin sa mga akda ng
kanluran.
“We are so busy understanding our own
identity as Indonesian[s] and have no time
to look at our neighbors,” pagsang-ayon
ni Prop. Melani Budianta ng Universitas
Indonesia.
Binigyang-diin ng dalawang propesor
ang kahalagahan ng
pagkakaroon ng isang
wikang
maaaring
mag-ugnay sa bawat
miyembro ng rehiyong
Asean.
“If we want to work
as a group then there
should be a unifying
language. We [must]
take the effort
of learning [ for
example] Tagalog
and Malay,” ani
Manaf.
L i b a n
sa
kawalan
ng
wikang
makapag-uugnay
sa bawat bansa sa
Asean, problema
rin ang kawalan
ng
matatag
na
wikang pambansa sa
kani-kaniyang bayan,
ayon kay Prop. Loh
Chin Ee ng Nanyang
komunidad at palakasin ang turismo sa
mga ito.
Taong 1984 nang magtapos ng BS
Architecture sa UST si Carunungan
bago siya kumuha ng Civil Engineering
sa California. Ilang taon ang kaniyang
ginugol sa Amerika bago siya bumalik
sa bansa noong 2002 upang kumuha ng
panibagong degree sa Urban Planning sa
Unibersidad ng Pilpinas.
May espesyalisasiyon siya sa
larangan ng planning, architectural
design at project management. Ilan
lamang ang City of Valenzuela
Government Center, Azure Residential
Resort at Jaro Estates sa mga proyektong
pinaglaanan niya ng panahon.
Katuwang
ang
kaniyang
maybahay, isa ring arkitekto, nagtayo si
Carunungan ng isang architectural firm
na kinabibilangan ng mga premyadong
arkitekto, interior designer at urban
planner sa Filipinas.
Sa kasalukuyan, nakapagdisenyo
na sila ng mahigit-kumulang 100,000
ektaryang lupain kabilang na ang ilang
nasa labas ng bansa.
Layunin ni Carunungan at
ng kaniyang mga kasamahan ang
pagandahin at isaayos ang urbanidad
sa loob at labas ng bansa habang
pinangangalagaan ang kalikasan.
“Good
work
becomes
a
legacy,” ayon sa website ng kaniyang
architectural firm. “Lead by example, be
sensitive to the needs of the client [and]
be a solution-finder.” BERNADETTE A.
PAMINTUAN
Tomasalitaan
Halop (PNG)—sa sinaunang
lipunang Bisaya, tubog sa ginto na takip
sa ngipin
Hal.: Naaalala ko pa ang
sinaunang kuwentong-bayan tungkol sa
mahiwagang halop na kumikinang sa
bibig ng isang matandang lalaki.
Mga Sanggunian:
The Varsitarian: Tomo XXX Blg.
12, Enero 1959
2014 TOTAL Awards Souvenir
Program.
Jose Ramon P. Carunungan. Nakuha
mula sa carunungan-partners.com/
Technological University Singapore.
“We promote the ‘Speak Good English’
movement where we encourage everyone to
use standard English. Singlish (pinaghalong
Singaporean at Ingles) is not encouraged to be
used in school,” ani Chin Ee.
Dagdag pa niya, dahil sa mabilis na
pag-unlad ng bansa, ginigiba ang mga
institusiyong pangkasaysayan upang palitan
ng mga istrukturang pangtransportasiyon na
pangunahing dahilan kung kaya’t nalilimutan
ng mga kabataan ang kanilang panitikan at
kasaysayan.
Sang-ayon si Budianta na nagkikibitbalikat ang pamahalaan sa larangan ng
panitikan na nahahayaan na lamang mabulok
ang mga sinaunang manuskrito sa Indonesia
na nakasulat sa Arabic, Javanese at Malay,
dahil sa kawalan ng sapat na pondo.
Binigyang-pansin din ni Budianta ang
katatasan ng mga akdang isinusulat sapagkat
sa kaniyang bansa, unti-unti nang nawawala
ang kahalagahan ng pagsusuri sa mga akda
o pagkakaroon ng literary criticism na
nagtatakda at nagsusuri ng mga natatanging
akda sa isang bansa.
“There’s no quality writing anymore.
It has been a concern [in our country
because there’s] very little literary criticism
nowadays,” aniya. “We scholars focus only on
research and teaching. Nobody wants to do
literary criticism anymore.”
Isa ring suliranin ng mga bansang
Asean—partikular na ng Pilipinas—ang
kawalan ng interes sa mga kurso ng sining at
panitikan dahil mas binibigyang pansin ang
kulturang popular at mga araling ekonomiko
at teknikal, ayon kay Prop. Michael Coroza,
convenor ng symposium.
“Only few parents want to support their
children’s love for arts and literature because
they don’t find it practical compared to
technical courses like engineering,” ani Chin
Ee.
Pagsasalin
Dismayado ang mga Filipinong delegado
sa kultura ng pagsasalin sa bansa kung
saan nauuwi lamang sa mga textbook ang
mga isinaling akda sa Filipino, imbes na
naililimbag nang maayos at napababantog sa
mga Filipinong mambabasa.
Idiniin ni Mario Miclat, propesor
ng Philippine Studies sa Unibersidad ng
Pilipinas at isang ring tagapagsalin, na ang
pagtingin sa wikang Filipino bilang isang
mas nakabababang wika kumpara sa Ingles
ang ugat ng suliranin sa ating kulturang
pampanitikan.
“Filipinos would not admit that they read
Filipino literature,” aniya.
Dagdag pa niya, hindi lamang dapat
mga akda sa Ingles ang isinasalin sa wikang
Filipino kung hindi pati na rin ang mga akda
ng mga karatig-bayan sa Asya na nasa wikang
Indones, Lao o Malay.
Iginiit naman ni Danilo Francisco M.
Reyes, assistant professor sa Department of
English ng School of Humanities ng Ateneo,
na nararapat parangalan ang mga Filipinong
iskolar na nagsasalin ng mga akdang banyaga sa
wikang Filipino at suportahan ng pamahalaan
ang kanilang mga adhikain.
“We should reward translators and
scholars. We should also protect them from
piracies and unjust appropriations,” ani Reyes.
Layon ng tatlong araw na pagpupulong na
makalikha ng ugnayan sa pagitan ng mga bansa
sa Asean kung saan maaaring magbahaginan
ng kani-kaniyang panitikan.
Isa sa mga hakbangin ng simposiyum ang
pagkakaroon ng cross-translation project kung
saan isasalin sa wikang Filipino at gagamitin
sa pagtuturo ang mga akda ng iba pang bansa
sa Asean.
Anim lamang sa sampung bansa sa
Asean ang may kinatawan sa tatlong araw na
pagpupulong: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore,
Thailand, Laos at Filipinas.
Tomasino kinilala sa paggamit
ng wikang Filipino sa Pilosopiya
KINILALA ang ambag ng dalawang Tomasino sa wikang
Filipino sa kani-kanilang larangan sa nagdaang Buwan ng
Wikang Pambansa.
Iginawad ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF)
kay Prop. Florentino Timbreza, propesor ng UST Graduate
School, ang “Gawad Dangal ng Wikang Filipino” para sa
kaniyang kontribusiyon sa pagpapaunlad ng wikang Filipino
at larangan ng Pilosopiya, noong ika-19 ng Agosto sa Sulo
Riviera Hotel, Lungsod Quezon.
Ipinagkakaloob ang parangal sa mga piling indibidwal
na may angking kontribusiyon sa pagpapaangat ng wikang
Filipino sa iba’t ibang larangan at dominyo ng kapangyarihan,
ayon sa KWF.
“[Binibigyang] pagpapahalaga nito (Gawad Dangal
ng Wikang Filipino) ang aking matagal na pagsisikap at
pagpupursigi na mapaunlad ang wikang Filipino,” ani
Timbreza sa isang panayam sa Varsitarian.
Ayon sa KWF, napayabong ni Timbreza ang larangan
ng Pilosopiya sa bansa mula sa kaniyang pandoktoradong
disertasiyon hanggang sa ngayon.
“Nag-iwan ng mohon sa pambansang wika ang
kaniyang doktoradong disertasiyon at yumanig sa daigdig
ng Pilosopiya ang kaniyang unang aklat. Binuksan niya ang
pinto sa mga katutubong kultura at malinaw na inilarawan ang
hugis ng kaisipan at kaloobang Filipino,” pahayag ng KWF.
Tinaguriang “Ama ng Pilosopiyang Filipino” si
Timbreza dahil sa kaniyang pagpapalawig sa larangan
ng Pilosopiya sa bansa, maging ang kaniyang paggamit
ng wikang Filipino sa pagtuturo. Pinakilala rin niya ang
“Pilosopiyang Filipino” na nakabatay sa mga katutubong
pananaw sa bansa.
Sa katunayan, siya ang unang nakapagpalimbag ng aklat
tungkol sa Pilosopiyang Filipino at kaakda ng kauna-unahan
at nag-iisang ensiklopediya ng Pilosopiya sa bansa noong
1983.
Sa kasaysayan ng edukasiyon sa Filipinas, si Timbreza
ang kauna-unahang nagsulat at nagdepensa ng disertasiyon
gamit ang wikang Filipino para sa kaniyang pagkadoktorado
sa Pilosopiya sa Unibersidad noong 1980.
Bukod sa pagiging propesor, isa ring tagasalin, kritiko at
manunulat si Timbreza.
Samantala ipinagkaloob naman kay Victor Emmanuel
Carmelo “Vim” Nadera Jr., dating patnugot ng Varsitarian at
nagtatag ng taunang parangal pampanitikan nito na Gawad
Ustetika, ang prestihiyosong “Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni
Balagtas” para sa Tulang Filipino, kaalinsabay ang ika-41 na
Kongreso ng Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL)
noong ika-28 ng Agosto sa Ateneo de Manila University.
Mula 1988, ginagawaran ng UMPIL ang mga Filipino na
malaki ang naiambag sa pagpapayabong at pagpapalaganap
ng panitikan sa iba't ibang kategorya at wika katulad ng
Ingles, Hiligaynon, Iloko, Filipino at Cebuano.
Para kay Nadera, naiiba ang gawad na ito sa mga
naunang parangal na kaniyang natanggap sapagkat kinikilala
nito ang lahat ng kaniyang ginawa sa talambuhay niya bilang
isang manunulat.
“Tinuhog nito ang lahat ng mga gantimpalang
nakuha mo noon hanggang ngayon. Parang sinulid itong
nagkukuwintas sa iyong sampal at halik ng mga karanasan.
Ang galing nito ay galit sa ating kapuwa-manunulat,” ani
Nadera sa isang email na ipinadala sa Varsitarian.
Timbreza
Kilala si Nadera bilang
tagapasimuno ng Poetry Therapy
sa bansa. Ito ang paggamit ng
pagtula bilang terapiya sa mga
pasyenteng may kanser at AIDS,
at maging sa mga inabusong
kababaihan at mga batang
lansangan.
Siya rin ang pinakabatang
makata na hinirang na Makata
ng Taon noong 1985 ng dating
Surian sa Wikang Filipino (ngayon
KWF). JASPER EMMANUEL Y.
ARCALAS
Nadera
12 Witness
Editor: Marie Danielle L. Macalino
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
Clergy given power to absolve
abortion during Holy Year
POPE FRANCIS has given all priests the authority
to absolve the mortal sin of abortion during the
coming Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy of the
Catholic Church.
In a letter last Sept. 1, Pope Francis said
forgiveness must be granted to those who repent
with a sincere heart through the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, including those who had procured
abortion.
“For this reason... I have decided, not
withstanding anything to the contrary, to concede to
all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve
of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and
who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it,”
Pope Francis said.
The Pope urged priests to contribute in the
enlightenment of women who had procured abortion
by helping them realize the gravity of their sin and
guiding them towards conversion.
“May priests fulfill this great task by
expressing words of genuine welcome combined
with a reflection that explains the gravity of the sin
committed, besides indicating a path of authentic
conversion by which to obtain the true and generous
forgiveness of the Father who renews all with His
presence,” the Pope said.
This is not the first time for a pope to express
sympathies to those who had procured abortion. In
the encyclical Evangelium Vitae released in 1995,
Pope St. John Paul II said that through Sacrament of
Reconciliation, a person who had procured abortion
would “also be able to ask forgiveness from” her
child.
During the World Youth Day celebrations in
2011, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI let confessors
absolve the sin of abortion among young women.
Jubilee or Holy Years, which usually take
place every 25 years, are some of the Church’s most
important events, where grave sins are pardoned
under certain conditions. The last Holy Year took
place in 2000, when the Church marked two
millennia of Christianity.
The Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy will
begin on Dec. 8 and will end on Nov. 20 next year.
talk to their children since they don’t usually open
up to their parents. Here in the Church, we serve as
an adjunct, and we are always here to teach
these women the dangers of abortion,”
he added.
Bishop Broderick Pabillo,
auxiliary bishop of Manila, said
the laity should be grateful to
the Lord’s unending mercy, and
should themselves be merciful.
“Pahalagahan natin ‘yung mercy
ng Diyos sa atin, na hindi naman
tayo karapat-dapat, na makasalanan
tayo at tayo ay pinatatawad,” he said.
Understanding absolution for abortion
Fr. Jose Maria Tinoko, O.P., dean of the Faculty
of Canon Law, said abortion is a reserved sin that can
only be absolved by the local ordinary, meaning the
bishop or his vicar general.
“Usually, the one who can absolve is the local
ordinary or the mendicant priest … However, during
the Holy Year, the priest can absolve the sin and
remove the censura (censures) at the same time,” Fr.
Tinoko said.
According to Church law, a person who
procures a complete abortion incurs latae sententiae
excommunication or automatic excommunication.
Tinoko said Christians should always uphold
importance of human life. “Parents should always
Abortion still a ‘grave offense’
In a pastoral letter titled
“Understanding Pope Francis’ gesture
rightly,” the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP) said abortion remains a
grave offense and absolution for abortion, while
making God’s mercy more visible, does not make
the sin less grievous.
CBCP President and Lingayen-Dagupan
Archbishop Socrates Villegas urged Catholics to
take time to understand Pope Francis and not believe
misleading reports that the Church stance on abortion
had been relaxed.
“Terminating the life of an unborn child should
not be among a woman’s options because her right
Dominican Order
releases guide
for Jubilee year
pilgrimage
By MARIE DANIELLE L. MACALINO
PILGRIMS will get a glimpse of St. Dominic de Guzman’s
life by visiting places related to the foundation of the Order of
Preachers, which is set to mark its 800th year next year.
The Coordinator of the Jubilee of the Order, in cooperation
with the provincial promoters of the Jubilee, has published
an itinerary guide titled “The Path of Dominic,” that contains
information on places pilgrims can visit.
“To cross, 800 years later the same roads, towns and to
see homes and churches that have marked Dominic’s itinerary,
allows us to understand and to internalize the spirituality and the
charisma he left to his Order,” the guide says.
The pilgrimage begins in Caleruega, Spain (present-day
Castille-Leon) where St. Dominic was born in 1170 and first
attended school.
Several places surrounding Caleruega are close to St.
Dominic. These places include Gumiel de Izan, where he
attended his first school from the age of seven to 14; Palencia, the
city where he spent university studies at the Studium Generalis;
and Burgos de Osma, where he began his priestly ministry in
1195.
Monasteries closely associated with St. Dominic’s family,
such as the Silos or La Vid monastery, show that his vocation
was influenced by his exemplary Christian family.
The first Dominican convent founded by St. Dominic can
also be found in Segovia, Spain.
Outside Spain
Pilgrims are also encouraged to visit Languedoc, southwest
of France, where St. Dominic began his ministry of preaching.
St. Dominic preached in Languedoc from 1206 to 1218.
Like Caleruega, places surrounding Languedoc influenced
St. Dominic’s ministry of preaching. It was in Prouilhe where
St. Dominic founded a monastery to house women that he had
converted from heresy. In Carcasonne, St. Dominic became
vicar from 1213 to 1214.
The last destination for pilgrims is Bologna, Italy, where the
Dominican Order developed and grew rapidly. Places of interest
include the Basilica and the Patriarchal Convent of St. Dominic
and the Church of St. Mary and St. Dominic of “Mascarella,”
where St. Dominic and his brothers stayed during his visit to
Italy in 1219. It was also in this place where St. Dominic died.
The pilgrimage aims not just to reintroduce St. Dominic
to the
faithful, but also to encourage them to
dedicate their lives to preaching
the Word of God.
Says the guide: “The
travellers will come across
not only monuments,
but also nuns, brothers,
religious people, and
[laity]
who
have
decided to unite to
Dominic’s path. This
is a story that remains
alive because today, like
yesterday, we are sent to
preach the Gospel.”
to privacy and to make decisions about herself do not
extend to the life in her womb over which she enjoys
no dominion at all,” Villegas said.
Villegas said that Catholics should see the
Pope’s gesture as an opportunity to approach God’s
mercy.
“The proper, Catholic response to the Holy
Father’s gesture is for all of us, sinners, to approach
the mercy of God that constantly reaches out to us,
that seeks out the lost,” Villegas said. KRYSTEL
NICOLE A. SEVILLA and LEA MAT P. VICENCIO
CBCP calls same-sex marriage an ‘injustice’
By LEA MAT P. VICENCIO
THE CATHOLIC Bishops’ Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP) has stood firm on
the Church’s consistent opposition to samesex marriage amid growing clamor among
homosexuals to be given the “right” to a “holy
union.”
In a pastoral letter titled “The Dignity
and Vocation of Homosexual Persons,”
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates
Villegas, CBCP president, reiterated that
same-sex marriage could not happen because,
aside from a loving relationship, holy union
requires procreation, which is exclusive to
male and female couples.
“As it is ordered or directed to the union
of man and woman, human sexuality is also
ordered towards the procreation and education
of children. It is in and through the conjugal
union that God has willed to give man and
woman a share in His work of creation,”
Villegas said in the letter released last Aug. 28.
Villegas said granting homosexual
couples the right to marriage would be
an injustice as they would not be able to
contribute to procreation. “They are not
able to contribute in a proper way
to the procreation and survival of
the human race, and thus it would
be an injustice to grant them legal
recognition along with
the same benefits and
privileges accorded
to marriage,” Villegas
said.
Villegas, however,
clarified that homosexual
attraction is not a sin.
The Catechism
of
the
Catholic
Church states that the Church is not against
“homosexual people” but homosexual acts.
According to the Catechism, homosexual
people must be accepted with respect,
compassion, and sensitivity.
Bishop Broderick Pabillo, auxiliary
bishop of Manila, said the ability to procreate
and openness to creating life are paramount in
the institution of marriage.
“Sa natural law, ang pamilya naman
talaga ay babae’t lalaki. Ano ba ang
purpose ng marriage? Openness to life and
procreation,” Pabillo told the Varsitarian.
“With the love of the family and the married
couple, is the love that is open to life. Hindi
naman mangyayari ‘yan sa homosexual
unions,” Pabillo said.
Anthony Perez, president of the group
Filipinos for Life, said the Church would
continue to oppose same-sex marriage
because its role is to “teach the truth.”
“Tungkulin ng Simbahan [na] ituro
ang katotohanan, kaya lalabanan ito ng
Simbahan. Hindi siya makakapayag na
ibahin ng tao ang tunay na diwa ng kasal,”
Perez said.
US Supreme Court ruling
The CBCP pastoral letter
came on the heels of the June
26 US Supreme Court decision
making
same-sex
marriage legal in all 50
states in the US.
The
ruling,
penned by Justice
Anthony
Kennedy
was widely praised for
upholding a concept
of marriage that
embodies “love that
may endure even past death,” but was also
roundly criticized for short-circuiting the
democratic and legislative processes.
Previously, it was up to each state
to legalize same-sex marriages under the
US federal system of government, which
divides powers between the federal and state
governments.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote a
vigorous dissent, as did the three others in the
minority. Roberts said the majority created
a right not found in the US Constitution and
past rulings, and closed the debate instead of
leaving the matter to state governments.
He wrote: “The majority’s decision is
an act of will, not legal judgment. The right
it announces has no basis in the Constitution
or this Court’s precedent. …The Court
invalidates the marriage laws of more than
half the States and orders the transformation
of a social institution that has formed the
basis of human society for millennia, for the
Kalahari Bushmen and the Han Chinese, the
Carthaginians and the Aztecs. Just who do we
think we are?”
Local efforts begin
In the Philippines, proponents of samesex marriage are taking their cue from their
successful US counterparts.
Last May 18, lawyer Jesus Nicardo
Falcis III petitioned the Supreme Court to give
the “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender”
(LGBT) community in the Philippines equal
protection of the law and the right to marriage.
The petition aims to nullify parts of the Family
Code or Executive Order No. 209.
Members of the LGBTS Christian
Church Inc., an independent church that
Injustice PAGE 14
Campus faith groups gear up for Jubilee Year of Mercy
By KRYSTEL NICOLE A. SEVILLA
RELIGIOUS organizations in the University
are set to hold spiritual activities to encourage
the youth to be involved in works of mercy
ahead of the upcoming Extraordinary Jubilee
Year.
Leaders of religious organizations like
the Marian Evangelization Council (MEC),
the Bosconian-Thomasian Youth Movement
(BTYM), and Youth for Christ (YFC) are
planning a number of programs and activities
to encourage Thomasians to perform works
of mercy.
“Aside from our activities such as youth
camps and worship nights to evangelize the
youth, meron din kaming youth power na
tumutulong sa ibang tao through community
development and outreach,” said Andross
David, president of YFC.
MEC and BTYM kicked off their
Jubilee Year activities with the exhibit titled
“Mater Misericordiae,” which aimed at
promoting Pope Francis’ call for spiritual
and corporal works of mercy.
“Itong exhibit na ‘to ‘yung way namin
to promote the Jubilee Year of Mercy na
sinimulan ni Pope Francis,” said Anthea
Allam, MEC public relations officer.
The exhibit, which also featured the
upcoming octocentenary of the Order of
Preachers next year, ran from Sept. 4 to 11.
Richard Pazcoguin, assistant director
of the UST Campus Ministry, said student
religious organizations’ enthusiasm in
evangelizing the youth showed that young
people remained involved in the Church.
“I think many of our young people are
still very much involved with the Church.
Nakita naman natin ‘yun nung dumating si
Pope Francis,” he said in an interview.
Pazcoguin said being uninformed about
religious activities was one of the reasons
behind the youth’s lack of participation in
Church activities.
“The only reason they are unable to
participate ay dahil hindi nila nalaman kung
saan ba pwedeng pumunta. So our first duty,
especially the Center of Campus Ministry, is
to participate in information dissemination
so that the young people will know what to
do,” he said.
Hans
Comagon,
BTYM
communications head, said encouraging
Thomasians to perform works of mercy
won’t be an easy job.
“Kailangan magsimula sa sarili mo
kasi hindi mo naman talaga mapipilit ‘yung
ibang tao na gawin ang isang bagay dahil
choice nila ‘yun,” Comagon said.
Sci-Tech 13
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
Juan, Tomas and medical marijuana
THE POTENTIAL medicinal benefits
of cannabis or marijuana have given
a ray of hope to patients with terminal
conditions, prompting some countries
to allow its use for strictly medical
purposes.
In the Philippines, advocates of
medical marijuana want it legalized as
well through a recent bill filed last May
2014.
House Bill No. 4477 or the
“Compassionate Use of Medical
Cannabis Act” calls for the legalization
of the medical use of marijuana for
patients with serious medical conditions
such as cancer.
Rodolfo Albano III, House Deputy
Minority Leader, said his bill intends “to
provide accessible, affordable, and safe
medical cannabis to qualifying patients.”
Though the issue on medical
cannabis has long been controversial, a
fatality in 2013 opened the discussion
regarding its usage.
Moon Jaden Yutuc was only a
year old when she died from Dravet
Syndrome, a form of intractable epilepsy
that begins during infancy. Cannabis oil
was suggested as a form of potential
treatment but Yutuc’s parents were
denied permission to use it.
Hits and misses
Even if marijuana is largely known
for its addictive effect, numerous studies
have confirmed its medical potential.
This led to the formation of the
Philippine
Cannabis
Compassion
Society (PCCS), a non-government
organization comprised of doctors,
patients, and other advocates.
Kimmi del Prado, founder of
PCCS, said the bill would benefit patients
with terminal conditions and may even
avoid incidents similar to Yutuc’s.
“Aside from providing relief for
patients, it assures a cheaper alternative
to their current line of medication,” del
Prado said in an email.
Dr. Gem Mutia, a member of PCCS
and part of the doctors taking the lead in
support of HB 4477, said marijuana’s
potential for abuse is overpowered by its
medical benefits.
“[Marijuana] has recreational
effects such as euphoria or an overall
sense of well-being, heightened senses
and creativity,” he said in an email.
“[Other] medical effects [include]
appetite stimulation, sedation, and pain-
relief.”
He said both the beneficial and
adverse effects of marijuana were
dose-dependent. Negative effects
include dizziness, decreased short-term
memory, abnormally-rapid heart rate,
and addiction.
However, anti-medical cannabis
groups such as the Philippine Medical
Association, the Philippine College
of Physicians, and the Philippine
Neurological Association expressed
fears that allowing medical marijuana
might only promote abuse.
“We cannot downplay its
(marijuana) side effects and the dangers
of abuse. If future studies will show
no benefit and more harm, then we
would have wasted all our time in
contemplating to pass this bill,” Dr.
Minerva Calimag, Philippine Medical
Association president, said in an
interview.
Dr. Anita Sangalang, a professor
of Pharmacology at the UST Faculty
of Pharmacy, agreed that medical
marijuana has positive effects. But she
said patients should not become fully
dependent on it and should not replace
prescribed medication.
“I know it (marijuana) may help
the patient, [and] it may ease their
pain. But still, it should not replace the
appropriate medication for illnesses,”
she said in an interview.
Sangalang added that doctors
should conduct further research on
medical marijuana.
The Department of Health (DOH)
said it was reviewing the proposal.
In a position paper, the Medical
Cannabis Research Center said that if
the bill is passed, “the Philippines will
lead Asean [Association of Southeast
Asian Nations] in the emerging field of
medicine based on whole plant cannabis
extracts.”
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop
Socrates Villegas, president of the
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP), said in a statement
last August that drug addiction is a grave
offense, except on strictly therapeutic
grounds.
“We cannot issue a blank rejection
to the use of marijuana for medical
purposes,” Villegas said. “Catholic
medical ethics allows us to use even
prohibited drugs to be regulated by
government in case of terminally-ill
patients in order to assist them in their
pain, especially in the last stage of their
ailment.”
Villegas, however, emphasized
that abuse and dependence to of these
kind of drugs are against Christian
ethics.
“Substance abuse and drug
dependence are wrong, and any measure
that makes abused or habituating
substances within easy reach of potential
abusers and dependents is morally
wrong,” he said.
“[The] government, no doubt,
must be vigilant, and measures that
facilitate access to abused substances
cannot be countenanced. The family
must [also] do its part and so must the
community,” he added.
Members of PCCS emphasized
that the issue on medical cannabis not
only revolves around morality but also
on the fundamental right to health and
right to life.
“Health is a human right. Patients
should be at least be informed of, if not
given, all possible treatment options,”
Mutia said.
Although methods of palliative
care to patients with terminally-ill
diseases include drugs such as cannabis,
Villegas appealed to Filipino doctors to
be vigilant.
“Physicians [should] determine
carefully whether there is due
proportion between the risks involved
and the benefits anticipated,” he said.
KIMBERLY JOY V. NAPARAN and
RHENN ANTHONY S. TAGUIAM
‘Yosi Lane’
‘Unfollowed’ yet still a friend:
and the psychology of smokers
Facebook refines filtering
A REGULAR Facebook user may generate an
average of 1,500 potential stories every day from
friends, pages they have liked and people they
follow.
According to a report from The Guardian, the
news feed algorithm of the social networking site
considers various factors in choosing what to show
on a user's news feed.
In his blog, Facebook engineer Lars
Backstrom said that out of the 1,500 stories, the
algorithm filters posts to around 300 stories that it
deems “of relevance” to a particular user.
The algorithm considers factors such as the
“frequentness” of one’s interaction with a friend
or a page, how many comments, likes and shares
a post has received, a user’s previous encounters
with similar types of posts, and whether those posts
are being hidden or blocked.
Kelly McBride from the Poynter Institute
noted that these algorithms relate to how young
internet users, or the so-called “millennials,” get
their share of news.
“If you look at the research on how people get
their news now, you often hear this phrase: ‘If news
is important, news will find me’—particularly
for millennials,” said McBride in an international
conference on emerging technologies last March
2014. “But behind that statement is something
really important: if news is going to find you, it’s
going to find you because of an algorithm.”
Roy Narra, a Journalism student, said
he tends to be critical when it comes to posts
appearing on his news Facebook feed, admitting
that he hides posts that “annoy” him and uses the
mute option whenever he decides to no longer
receive updates from a specific friend.
“Gagamit lang ako ng unfriend kung
talagang nakakainis na [‘yung tao] and block
kapag creepy na [siya] and nakaka-bother na sa
akin,” Narra said.
Sociologist Clarence Batan, director for
Research Center on Culture, Education and Social
Issues, said despite the shifting culture online, there
is still no data whether online interactions have any
effect on real life socialization.
“It's an entirely different platform from
communicating face to face,” Batan said in an
interview, explaining that there are different norms
imposed for various setups.
In this case, how one behaves in the virtual
world can be entirely unlike how he behaves in real
life.
Filipinos on Facebook
As of December 2013, data from the Internet
World Statistics showed that there are 44,200,540
Filipinos who uses. 29,890,900 of these are
Facebook users.
A study from a UK-based social media
agency We Are Social revealed that the Filipinos
spend the most time on online browsing compared
to citizens of other countries, with an average
Filipino spending 6.2 hours daily on a desktop or
laptop and additional 2.8 hours on a mobile device.
Additional reports noted that Thailanders
and Filipinos spend the most time on
social media everyday, averaging
at 3.7 hours and 4 hours,
respectively.
With the influx
Facebook users,
information
shared online
can begin to be
overwhelming,
Narra added,
with regular
netizens feeling
discomfort
towards people
who share posts
abruptly.
“Kasi ‘yung
iba uneducated,
basta-basta na lang
sila nagshe-share
ng information. They
don’t analyze kung totoo
ba or hindi,” he said.
Batan said the question of
control over Facebook requires an
understanding of how a user navigates the
technology.
“The premise is if you’re really into and that
you’ve grown to become a digital native, then you
become capable of controlling it,” he said. “If you
are young and you are capable of navigating, then
you can control it.”
Batan believes that there is a deeper
dimension regarding the control on Facebook usage
which includes two things: security and privacy.
“The reason why the likelihood of the younger
users to control [Facebook] is higher than the older
[ones] is because of the knowledge of accessing it,”
he added. MIA ROSIENNA P. MALLARI
A CERTAIN narrow yet crowded street on the
corner of Dapitan has been a hub for students and
adults alike who want to spend their free time with
a stick of cigarette.
Yana, a first-year graduate student, spends
most of her afternoons on the busy street with a
white stick teeming with nicotine. Her friends
keep her company.
“I realized that the bonding is really different
when I smoke with friends,” she said.
And despite the strong smell of burning leaves
and cluttered cigarette butts, the claustrophobic
ambiance of Antonio Street is still home.
What is in a stick
“[I] first tried smoking
during my 19th birthday,”
Yana said. “Sa isang
araw, I consume four
to six sticks at siguro
the longest I can
stand
without
‘yosi’ is three
days or else
nagiging
uneasy na ko.”
“Matthew,”
a
third-year
entrepreneurship
student,
started
smoking when he
was in high school and
momentarily stopped by the
time negative health manifestation
got evident such as coughing.
Raymond Jay Mazo of the Lifestyle Related
Disease Division of the Department of Health said
smoking can damage every part of the body.
“Smoking causes [ailments such as] stroke,
blindness, coronal heart diseases, asthma and
other respiratory effects, and [may even] affect
[the] reproductive system,” he said in an email.
“Children who are second-hand smokers are
prone to respiratory problems, and some studies
[also] indicate [that] this can cause brain tumors,
lymphoma and leukemia.”
Dr. Maria Ronila Santos, unit head of the
Smoking Cessation Clinic of the UST Hospital,
said smoking also causes dependence and
addiction.
“Nicotine binds to dopamine receptors in
the brain, causing pleasure, increased awareness,
increased wakefulness and increased cognitive
activity,” she said in an email. “[However], more
cigarettes will be needed to satisfy the craving.”
Based on the July 2015 data of World Health
Organization, cigarette smoking kills around six
million people each year.
More than five million of these cases result
from direct smoking, while more than 600,000 are
non-smokers exposed to passive smoking.
According to the Department of Health
(DOH), as of 2009, 17.3 million of the population
aged 15 years old and above smoke.
Motivation to smoke
Mazo said understanding smoking behavior
was contingent on comprehending the three parts
of smoking addiction: physiological dependence,
emotional condition and psychological connection.
Physiological dependence is parallel to
addiction caused by ingested nicotine which as
shown in studies, affects the brain similar to the
drugs, heroin and cocaine.
Addiction to tobacco is due to the growing
number of nicotinic receptors in the brain, thus
to reach the level of satisfaction, the tendency of
a smoker is to continuously smoke and purposely
fill in the emptied receptors.
“[In my case], a free cut or a break from class
will usually lead to both eating and smoking,”
Matthew said. “Stressful days and long classes, [as
well as] schoolwork come in play. Smoking can
both help you forget stress and energize you.”
Oftentimes, smokers consume cigarettes
based on their mood, either when happy, stressed,
or sad.
“Despite its negative notion, smoking is
a ‘way of life’,” Yana said. “It might have a
biochemical effect to make us relax, but smoking
also forms some sort of bond with friends.”
Psychologically, smoking can form part of
the daily routine of smokers and could have social
implications.
Junior Marketing student “Glenn” started
smoking last year. Although he had a try in high
school, peer pressure and stress in college led him
to the vice.
“Masama siyang tignan at gawin pero this
is a relief [during the times when I am] down and
Smokers PAGE 5
14 Limelight
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
Art Director: Ava Mariangela C. Victoria
BEN N' VIDES BY KIRSTEN M. JAMILLA
USTIPS BY FREYA D.L.R. TORRES
TOMAS U. SANTOS BY IAIN RAFAEL N. TYAPON
Editorial
pretending to be in the guise of purely
religious affairs,” he explained in an
email to the Varsitarian.
To be sure, it appears that during
the rally, which paralyzed traffic in
Edsa, it was government that kowtowed
to the INC, with many politicians
making political hay by expressing their
agreement with the strange logic of
the INC elders, and generally winking
at them to support their base political
aspirations.
The INC generally votes as a bloc
and in many close contests, their vote,
however small, could be decisive. So
perhaps for the state--and its bevy of
politicians--the INC has earned the right
to “meddle” in state affairs.
But the INC overkill should be
welcomed if only for the fact that it gave
the state a dose of its own medicine.
Whenever
Catholic
leaders
criticized government policies, laws
or
initiatives—logging,
mining,
reproductive health, agrarian reform,
free-market capitalism—they are always
accused of violating the separation of the
church and state.
The accusation is generally levelled
at the clergy and the bishops, as if their
ordination to holy orders generally put a
stop to their Filipino citizenship.
Likewise Cafeteria Catholics apply
the logic of the cafeteria to the bishops,
nuns and clergy: when Cardinal Sin
and the episcopal conference criticized
Marcos and condemned human rights
abuses, they welcomed them. But when
they opposed contraception, abortion, sex
education, population control, and capital
punishment, they accused the clergy and
religious of violating the separation of
church and state.
Cafeteria Catholics--and the state
and its statist liberal champions--should
be reminded that while bishops and clergy
obviously employ the resources of their
theology and thus, religion, in discerning
social and political issues, they start off
with something more basic—natural
law, human rights and the dignity of the
human person. When she condemns state
policies, laws, and initiatives for their
injustice or danger, the Church hierarchy
doesn't exactly invoke the Bible or God's
law, but natural law, the law written in the
hearts of men. For example, the Church's
opposition to contraceptives is due to the
fact they have by and large harmful side
effects to women who use them, if not
that they are harmful to the unborn since
many of them are really abortifacients.
To kill or put someone's health and life
is against the natural law. That is very
obvious to everyone even without a
working knowledge of the Bible.
Injustice
and commercialization of varsity
athletics rather than protecting athlete's
rights.
Despite the law’s discouragement
of student-athletes from receiving huge
bonuses aside from the benefits and
incentives they should get from the
schools they choose, no one can ever
guarantee that there are no additional
bonuses that elitist schools for the
affluent usually employ to lure young
players. Financial benefits for the
students’ families, car, condominium
units, and other bribes can be given
clandestinely by schools desperate to
get good athletes to play for them.
In
short,
stopping
the
commercialization of varsity sports
and rampant piracy is better said
than done. Even Cayetano cannot
implement it, and implementing the
law she crafted—through her subjudice
intervention in the judiciary for it to
rule against the residency rules of the
private sector and her mockery of “in
aid of legislation”—Senate hearings
would be the least of her concerns, since
she has done her part in ensuring that
her alma mater, always at the tail-end
of UAAP rankings, could pirate, oops,
“lure” fresh talent from institutions like
UST which has better-rounded sports
programs that start from the grass roots
and the basic-education level.
But more than a threat to their
athletic programs, UAAP-member
schools should consider the enactment
of this law as a challenge to nurture
their young athletes more, for them to
gain their athletes’ loyalty.
As for the athletes, they should
learn how to express gratitude to their
respective schools that have helped
them develop their skills, by staying
and fulfilling their maximum playing
years.
This should also set as a reminder
for lawmakers and other government
officials to focus more on their prime
responsibilities as public servants and
to not delve on matters involving the
private sector.
‘Impossible’
But lawyer Jeremy Gatdula,
professor of law at the University of Asia
and the Pacific, said legalizing same-sex
marriage under the 1987 Constitution
was impossible, as the charter adheres to
the traditional context of marriage.
“Marriage in [the Philippine]
constitution is always within the context
of the family and of the raising of
children,” Gatdula told the Varsitarian. “In
order for same-sex marriage to happen in
the Philippines, there will have to be an
amendment of the Constitution. But as
it stands now, marriage is safe given the
traditional definition of marriage.”
The state’s interest in marriage is
clearly linked to its procreative purpose,
he added.
“Why should the state have any
reason to actually be involved in the
relationship of two people just because
they’re in love?” Gatdula asked. “Under
the traditional marriage institution, the
interest of the state is clear. It is because
of the fact that the family is taking care of
the future citizens of the state.”
Article XV, Section 2 of the 1987
Constitution states that “Marriage, as
an inviolable social institution, is the
foundation of the family and shall be
protected by the State.” Section 3 states
that “The State shall defend: (1) The right
of spouses to found a family in accordance
with their religious convictions and the
demands of responsible parenthood.”
The Family Code defines marriage
as “a special contract of permanent
union between a man and a woman
entered into in accordance with law for
the establishment of conjugal and family
life.”
Rail
Farrales
Monte, Bulacan via Commonwealth
Avenue.
MRT Line 7 is delayed due to a legal
dispute over where to put a “common
terminal.” The SM retail conglomerate
wants it at SM North EDSA, while
Ayala wants it to be at its Trinoma mall.
“If 1980s to 1990s railway plans
were enforced, people would not be
on the road or end up taking the bus or
buying a car,” Sagcal said. “We would
not have this bad traffic.”
Ben in the fashion industry held a tribute
for him, showing five decades of Farrales’
career as a fashion designer.
The tribute was divided into three
parts: Pais Tropicale, which featured islandthemed dresses; Moda Maynila, which
focused on contemporary and modern
couture; and Farrales Filipiniana, which
showcased his classical works of Musliminspired Filipiniana costumes such as the
Maria Clara and the terno.
Models included Farrales’ long-time
muses such as Marina Benipayo, Sara Jane
Paez, Izza Gonzales, Bambi Harper and
Gem Padilla.
Lorenzo Leviste, a long-time fashion
writer and contributor to the Philippine
Daily Inquirer, wrote in his 2009 tribute
article to Ben Farrales that “it was our
own Mang Ben Farrales who became the
purveyor of this Muslim style in fashion,
not by choice but by design.”
Leviste told the Varsitarian in an
interview that he was able to wear the
signature Muslim-inspired designs of
Mang Ben when he won the crown and
title of Miss Universe, a gay pageant in
Jade Vine Resto on United Nations Avenue
when he was just 16 years old.
“I remember it was bright green and
royal purple chiffon and silk. My hair and
make-up was done by Lucas Danao, the top
model of that era,” he said.
The Varsitarian tried to visit Farrales
in his old boutique in Malate, Manila for an
interview but the in-house keeper said he
doesn’t go there anymore and that he can’t
be interviewed because of his critical health
condition.
Now 82, Mang Ben has established
himself as a legend in Philippine Fashion
for his timeless creations of world-class,
cultural-based clothing designs that stays
true to Filipino heritage and culture.
FROM PAGE 4
the police were merely protecting the
household staff--but from what? From
food deliveries? Obviously for the PNP
to have raised the possibility of danger
should impress everyone--including law
enforcers and justice authorities--that
something was amiss.
In any case, it should be up to De
Lima and the Department of Justice
to determine if there was basis to the
complaint. That is their duty.
Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina said it
is only proper for the state to accept the
complaint and start the process for its
resolution.
“While the state cannot intervene
in purely religious affairs, it cannot close
its eyes to clear violations of the law
Line
FROM PAGE 5
FROM PAGE 6
FROM PAGE 8
FROM PAGE 12
describes itself as “Protestant,” attempted
but failed to apply for a marriage license
in the Quezon City Registrar’s Office last
Aug. 3.
Rev. Ceejay Agbayani, founding
pastor of the LGBTS Christian Church,
argued that procreation should not be the
basis of marriage. “Mutual love, respect,
and support [is] the essence of marriage.
Walang procreation doon,” Agbayani
told the Varsitarian in an interview.
Moreover, the Church knows
whereof she speaks. She puts her money
where her mouth is.
When Church leaders oppose
the distribution of condoms to check
HIV/Aids and of contraceptives that
are actually abortifacients, cafeteria
Catholics and politicians condemn them,
ignoring the fact that the Catholic Church
runs the biggest health care system in the
world that ministers to many pregnant
women and HIV sufferers especially in
the Third World.
Cafeteria Catholics and the state are
kindred fellows: by their reductionism
and capriciousness, they basically
establish their own religion, like the
INC perhaps, which they favor over the
Catholic Church.
And then they have the gall to
accuse the Catholic Church of violating
the separation of church and state!
Theses
FROM PAGE 7
[ay] talagang hanap ‘yung may rice, so
kailangan talaga naming mag-offer ng
mga rice meals," she said. "[Kailangan]
affordable ‘yung prices para meron kami
nung chunk ng karamihan ng market,
which is UST talaga.”
She said it would be effective to put
oneself into the shoes of customers to have
an idea on what kind of concept might sell.
“Gusto namin na ‘yung servings niya,
hindi nakakabitin,” she said. “Before, we
went to several own-concept places, and
we found out na parang nakakabitin.”
Snacketeers added more rice meals
fitting the middle mark of the price range.
Products included bestsellers pasta and
pancakes, chicken meals, and desserts.
Although fairly new in their chosen
field, the three restaurants, may be just
dots in the cluster of successful businesses
created by intuitive Thomasian minds,
show that the secret in success in not trying
to find what the customers want, but in
finding the sweet spot through finding what
they want to share with their target market.
Rule
FROM PAGE 16
have difficulties in finding key members
as head coach and national team coach
Dindo Simpao scouts possible talents
from the national pool to play for UST.
Notable Tiger Cubs standout
who chose to stay—Golden Tigresses
Alyssa Teope and EJ Laure, Philippine
National Games gold medallist Tiger
Fencer Ashley Espiritu, and King
Tiger Kevin Ferrer—also proved that
the university takes care of its budding
talents up until they reach their peak.
Sports 15
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
Tigresses miss V-League finals again
UST GOLDEN Tigresses’ hopes of ending a threeyear finals dry spell vanished after a straight-set loss
to UAAP defending champions Ateneo de Manila
University Lady Eagles, 18-25, 18-25, 19-25, in a
do-or-die Game 3 of the 12th Shakey’s V-League
Collegiate Conference semifinals at the San Juan
Arena last. Sept. 16.
The Lady Eagles dominated with 32 attack
points, nine block points and seven aces.
UST only had 27 attack points, three block
points and four service aces while committing a 27
errors.
Ateneo was leading 24-14 in the last frame
before UST racked up five straight points. A service
error from Tigress EJ Laure secured the Lady Eagles
a finals berth.
Alyssa Valdez powered the Lady Eagles with
19 points while Bea de Leon and Amy Ahomiro
added nine apiece.
Laure had nine markers for UST.
Game 2 was a different story for UST as the
Lady Eagles’ saw their 10-game winning streak
come to a halt with the Tigresses pulling an 18-25,
25-16, 25-23, 25-22 upset last Sept 12.
UST banked on its balanced attacking as four
Tigresses scored in double digits. Laure powered the
Tigresses with 17 points while Carmela Tunay, who
was scoreless in Game 1, finished with 15 markers.
Marivic Meneses and Pam Lastimosa added 12 and
10 points, respectively.
“Nagko-commit kami ng [mga] error pero ang
importante ‘yung mga gusto naming mangyari,
nangyari,” UST Golden Tigresses head coach
Emilio Reyes said.
UST lost Game 1 of the battle-for-third match
against Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws, 1725, 17-25, 25-10, 20-25, last Sept. 19.
The Lady Tamaraws dominated with 50 attack
points while UST only had 36.
The Tigresses kept it close in the fourth set,
20-22, but FEU unleashed three consecutive points
capped by Toni Rose Basas’ crosscourt kill to clinch
the win.
“Noong pumasok kami ng Final Four, it doesn't
mean okay na. I hope maayos namin [ang mga
mali naming] before mag-UAAP. [Sana] mag-end
naman kami ng pangatlo,” Reyes said.
Laure, Golden Tigresses’ leading scorer, was
awarded second best spiker of the conference.
The Golden Tigresses have lost four of their last
five games and will try to bounce back in Game two
of their battle-for-bronze clash against FEU again
on Sept. 26, 12:45 p.m. at the San Juan Arena. C.A.
CASINGCASING and RA.B. RITUMALTA
Lady Eagles end the Golden Tigresses’ title hopes with a straight-set loss in the Game 3 of Shakey's V-League
last Sept. 16 at the San Juan Arena.
G.L. CADUNGOG
7 rookies add new energy to Tigers lineup
By PHILIP MARTIN L. MATEL
SEVEN rookies will try to provide fresh legs and
instant energy for the Growling Tigers off the
bench as part of coach Bong dela Cruz’ run-andgun style of play.
Name: Marvin Lee
Age: 18
Height: 5’8”
High School: Far Eastern
University Diliman
Position: Guard
His small stature may
deceive opposing players, but Lee can play with
the big guys inside the paint. His playmaking and
scoring off the bench will be his biggest assets as a
spark plug for the Tigers.
Name: Zachary Huang
Age: 18
Height: 6’3”
High School: Sacred Heart
School-Ateneo de Cebu
Position: Forward
The Cebu Schools Athletic
Title
FROM PAGE 16
summer.
According to coach
Que, Paul Que, Janssen Cruz
and Justin Catalan are also
expected to perform, noting
that all of his players are
“reliable.”
Tiger Cubs
Last year: Sixth place
This year: Fifth Place
The Tiger Cubs are
far
from
returning
to
championship
contention
in the junior’s basketball as
they enter the season with
13 rookies spearheaded by
returning veteran Marlon
Navarro.
Despite this, there is a
lot of optimism for the Cubs
as they try to rebuild this
year and bounce back from
a disappointing sixth place
finish in Season 77.
“We're trying to get to
the Final Four first. Then from
there, we'll see. Pero ang
game plan namin is one game
at a time,” Tiger Cubs head
coach Allan Ascue said.
Poomsae
Last year: Third place
This year: Second place
With the addition of
Palarong Pambansa gold
medalist Jerel Dalida and
Angelica Peralta, the intact
UST poomsae team will look
to regain the championship
they last won in 2013.
UST
notched
the
inaugural title of the newly-
Foundation Mythical Five member hopes to
improve his speed and ball handling and provide
hustle and rebounding for the team.
Name: Mario Bonleon
Age: 20
Height: 6’3
High School: La Salle
Greenhills
Position: Guard/Forward
A former member of the
Philippine Under-19 team, the La Salle Greenhills
standout will offer efficient perimeter shooting and
great man-to-man defense, backed up by his prior
experience in leading a lowly team to the finals.
Name: Justin Araña
Age: 16
Height: 6’5”
High School: Baroda National
HS, Daet, Camarines Norte
Position: Forward/Center
Araña showed he could
dominate the paint during the 2015 Palarong
Pambansa held in Davao. His defensive mindset
and rebounding will be a big boost for the Tigers,
recognized UAAP sport but
failed to repeat a year later.
The team settled for third
behind University of the
Philippines and De La Salle
University.
“We will definitely do
better than last year. The
players have more experience
now because they have been
competing in different national
competitions in preparation,”
head coach Rani Ortega said.
Tigersharks
Last year: Third place
Prediction: Second place
The Tigersharks are
now ready to show more grit
this Season 78 with a more
cohesive and mature squad.
Head
coach
Cyrus
Alcantara
said
effective
communication between his
players would be their biggest
weapon to raise the intensity
of their play.
“‘Yung current disposition
ng team is better than last
year. Right now, mas positive
sila, mas nagwo-work sila
together, they are talking and
they are thinking about sa
kung ano ‘yung ikabubuti ng
mga kasama nila,” Alcantara
said.
The addition of UAAP
juniors swimming standout
Skyler Claveria is expected to
bring new hopes for the squad
while Jux Keaton Solita,
Franz Marquez and Francis
Alvin Marquez are looking to
bag medals for points.
Female Tigersharks
Last year: Fourth place
Prediction: Third place
After a year-long absence,
key returnees Thea Belen and
Ryan Keith Regidor, alongside
veteran Maegan Sanchez, are
expected to show dominance
and firepower this Season 78.
According to Alcantara,
Angelic
Saavedra
and
Samantha Cambronero could
help the team’s campaign in
earning quality points while
Palarong
Pambansa
ace
Katrina Aguelo is anticipated
to excel in the individual
medley and freestyle events.
“Ang edge [nila] ay
parang sa men’s [team] lang
din. They are just starting to
mature,” Alcantara said.
UST Salinggawi Dance
Troupe
Last year: Third place
Prediction: Third place
With less than a month
before the much awaited
cheerdance
battle,
UST
Salinggawi Dance Troupe
team captain Gladys Eunice
Cruz said the squad has
improved on its stunts, its
male lifters are now more
capable.
“Syempre, iniisip namin
mag-podium
finish,
na
[makasamasa] top three this
year, pero as of now, mas
iniisip namin ma-hit lahat
ng stunts namin eveytime na
magra-run kami [ng] routine.
We are about 60 percent ready
[by now],” Cruz told the
Varsitarian.
National University and
UP are still expected to battle
it out for the crown, and the
SDT might again settle for
third.
as he has a huge chance of being a starter in his
future years with his expected growth.
Name: Kyle Suarez
Age: 21
Height: 6’2”
High School: Ateneo de
Manila
Position: Guard/Forward
Amid posting unimpressive
numbers in his stint in UP in which he averaged 2.8
points and 1.3 rebounds in 11 minutes of playing
time, this former national under-18 player can use
his quickness to finish inside and score when his
number gets called by dela Cruz.
Name: Enrique Caunan
Age: 17
Height: 6’5”
High School: Colegio de San
Juan de Letran
Position: Forward
His
double-digit
rebounding numbers as a Letran Squire may not
translate yet to the college game but the slotman
will provide great inside and perimeter defense
for the Tigers. His ball handling skills are rare for
a big man and could provide a mismatch among
opposing players.
Name: Osama Said
Abdurasad
Age: 20
Height: 5’10”
High School: Kaunlaran HS,
Navotas
Position: Guard
This combo guard has decent perimeter
defense and instant scoring off the bench.
Abdurasad has good potential, though he will need
to take advantage of his limited playing time.
Softbelles lead Manila
League in World Series
By RANDELL ANGELO B. RITUMALTA
THREE Thomasian softbelles helped the Manila
Little League to a third-place finish in the 2015 Little
League World Series Big League Division last Aug. 2
to 9 in Lower Sussex County, Delaware.
Manila Little Leaguers improved on their fifth
place finish last year after a narrow 3-2 victory against
2014 champions Millsboro Delaware for bronze.
The squad finished with a 4-1 win-loss record,
winning its first three games against California
District 51, Morganton Little League, and Indiana
District 11 before losing to eventual champions
Louisiana in the semifinals.
Little League veteran Anne Antolihao ended
her stint with the team as the starting pitcher after
replacing mainstays Veronica Belleza and Annalie
Benjamin who played their last games the previous
year.
“Ang World Series ay isang magandang
experience para sa akin kasi makakalaban mo ‘yung
[teams ng] iba’t ibang lugar sa mundo. Hindi ‘yung
puro Pinoy lang nakakalaro mo,” Antolihao said.
Southeast Asian Games champion and
sophomore Celestine Palma, who manned the
catcher position, proved to be a force to reckon with
after blasting three huge homeruns in the tournament.
Two-time national team member Cristy Roa
also showcased impressive hits and solid defensive
stops to secure wins for the Philippine team.
“Very overwhelmed at sobrang masaya.
Even though magkakaibang schools kami, we still
managed to cooperate [with each other]. Malaking
boost sa confidence kasi nga it’s international and
nagawa naman namin ang dapat ipakita sa coaches
namin,” Palma said.
The Manila Little League team is composed
of softbelles from other UAAP schools such as
Adamson University, Ateneo de Manila University,
National University and University of the East.
UST duo bags 2nd Ibalong crown
By CARLO A.
CASINGCASING
UST’s beach volleybelles
again ruled the sand court after
notching another gold medal in
the Ibalong Beach Volleyball
Cup last Aug. 21 to 23 in
Legazpi City, Albay.
UAAP Season 77 beach
volleyball champions Cherry
Anne Rondina and Rica
Jane Rivera clinched their
fourth-straight title as sand
court partners for UST after
demolishing FEU’s Bernadette
Pons and Kyla Llana Atienza in
the finals, 21-19, 21-14.
Despite sweeping the
tournament with a 6-0 win-loss
record, Rondina recognized
FEU’s solid defense and
admitted that grabbing the title
was not a walk in the park.
“Magandang
exposure
kasi nakalaban namin ‘yung
mga kasali sa UAAP (FEU
and Adamson University).
Good thing [‘yun] pero nakita
na rin nila kami
kung
paano
maglaro,”
R o n d i n a
told
the
Varsitarian.
UST
has
dominated the tournament in
the last three years with two
titles coming from the Rondina
and Rivera duo.
For Rivera, the
tourney also prepared
the Lady Spikers for
their quest to defend
the UAAP crown they
captured last year against
volleyball powerhouse De La
Salle University.
Prior to the Ibalong Cup,
the UST tandem bagged their
third championship for UST
after dethroning DLSU’s Kim
Fajardo and new partner Cyd
Demecillo in the 18th Nestea
Beach Intercollegiate Volleyball
Competition last May 2.
But Rivera said they still
need to work double time to
defend the UAAP crown and
to continue their championship
streak they started after winning
the Ibalong title last year.
“Sana tuloy-tuloy lang
‘yung performance na binibigay
namin. Sana ‘yung performance
mas ma-improve pa namin,
may mga skills din
kami na kailangang
mag-improve like
service
a n d
setting,”
Rivera
said.
Rivera
Sports
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
Chasing the 41st title
BY THE SPORTS TEAM
THOMASIAN athletes are hungrier
than ever to keep the overall crown in
España. Here is the second part of The
Varsitarian’s prediction of the University's
performance for the first semester sports
this UAAP Season 78.
Growling Tigers
Last year: Sixth place
Prediction: Finals
With
Ed
Daquioag’s
emergence as an MVP-caliber
player, along with Kevin Ferrer's
and Karim Abdul’s steady
performance, the Tigers are
primed to go to the last dance
after stumbling to a 5-9 finish
last season.
The Tigers’ bench, one
of the deepest in the UAAP,
will be spearheaded by
sharpshooters Renzo Subido
and Louie Vigil, along
with rookie scorers Mario
Bonleon, Enrique Caunan,
Marvin Lee, and Zachary
Huang.
“Gusto naming umabot
sa finals, pero we will have
to approach the season one
game at a time,” coach Bong
dela Cruz told the Varsitarian.
Growling Tigresses
Last year: Fourth place
Prediction: Finals
With veterans Mythical Five member
Lore Rivera, Kristine Siapoc, and Kim Reyes
exhausting their playing years, head coach
Chris Cantonjos is hoping that the Tigresses
will flourish under new team captain Maica
Cortes.
The Tigresses will bank on the momentum
of their championship in the Filipino-Chinese
Basketball League and runner-up finish in the
Fr. Martin Pre-season Cup.
Returning Shanda Anies will bolster the
run-and-gun offense with her outside shooting.
With Cortes and Filipino-Americans
Candice Magdaluyo and Sofia Felisarta playing
in their final year, Cantonjos is expecting that
the team will exceed their disappointing finish
last season.
“Sabi ko nga sa mga player, hindi tayo
maglalaro para sa fourth place lang. So, aim
din namin ang championship,” Cantonjos told
the Varsitarian.
Male Judokas
Last Year: Champion
Prediction: Champion
There is a long tradition of dominance by
UST’s judo program and the UST Male Judokas
are unfazed in defending their title this season.
Even after missing the Philippine National
Games, the squad is in top form coming off
successful pre-season stints in the General
Trias Invitational, Hajime Judo Tournament
and Diliman Slam.
The team’s lineup from last year’s
championship run remains basically intact even
with the departure of two Judokas.
Season 77 MVP Al Rolan Llamas seeks
to lead the squad for a potential back-to-back
championship.
Lady Judokas
Last Year: Champion
Prediction: Champion
Even with the departure of Season 77 MVP
Annie Ramirez and four other seniors, the UST
Lady Judokas still is a force to be reckoned
with this coming season.
Lady Judokas head coach Gerard Arce,
who compared the team’s training to a soldier's,
said their young athletes are well equipped
before they “go to war.”
Team captain Sueko Kinjho will lead the
charge while there is a big expectation in rookie
Miam Salvador who bagged silver and gold
medals in the last Philippine National Games.
Male Paddlers
Last Year: Third Place
Prediction: Finals
After their semifinal meltdown against
University of the Philippines last year, the UST
Male Paddlers look to come out stronger and to
never repeat the same mistake.
Head coach Jackson Que believes that the
Paddlers are at their peak entering the season
as they parade a veteran lineup with no rookies
this year.
Team captain Adolfo Bazar will anchor the
team together with Norielle Pantoja, Alberto
Bazar, Christian Abendan and Gil Ablanque
who trained with the Philippine Air Force last
Title PAGE 15
Rizza Mae Darlucio
SpecialReport
New law scraps UAAP 2-year residency rule
By JOHN CHESTER P. FAJARDO
THE VULNERABILITY of homegrown talents
being lured by other universities has been
intensified with the enactment of a new law that
“protects and promotes the rights of studentathletes.”
Republic Act No. 10676 or the “StudentAthlete Protection Act” voids the UAAP's
mandatory two-year residency, implemented in
2013, on high school student-athletes not released
by their alma mater.
Section 4 of the law, enacted last Aug. 26,
states that “residency shall not be imposed on
a student-athlete who is a high school graduate
enrolling in a college or university” while
collegiate transfers would only be limited to a
maximum of one-year residency.
The new law also defined the benefits a
student-athlete should only receive, such as
tuition, miscellaneous, lodging, learning materials,
and athletic materials.
However, it left a blind spot and failed to
mention a concrete limit to the benefits that a
student can accept, which could be abused by
competing universities.
This deepens the lingering issue of studentathlete “piracy” which points to the luxurious
offers and bribery as reasons for athlete transferring
to other institution.
UST’s athletic authorities declined to
comment on the issue. But in a previous interview
with the Varsitarian in July 2014, Fr. Emerito de
Sagon O.P., director of the Institute of Physical
Education and Athletics said the then proposed
“Student-Athlete Protection Act” would not stop
schools from providing excessive incentives to
lure players.
“I don’t think this will solve problem because
any school or university can deny the fact that they
are giving excess incentives to the athletes,” de
Sagon had said.
The issue became a hot topic in 2010 when
Mikee Bartolome, a decorated high school
swimmer trained by UST, opted to play for UP
despite failing to secure clearance from UST. A
temporary restraining order allowed Bartolome to
compete.
The UST Female Tigersharks went on to
boycott the entire competition as a protest.
Not a cause of worry
While UST has bitter memories of athlete
“piracy” with Alyssa Valdez, Kim Fajardo, Dindin
Santiago among others leaving the University for
what could have been a dynastic Golden Tigresses,
concrete evidence of such claims has yet to be
recorded.
Then rookie sensation and Season 73
badminton MVP Peter Gabriel Magnaye left for
NU. The Tiger Shuttlers struggled in the following
years, finishing fifth last season.
Siblings Therese and Pauline Gaston also
left the Tigresses in two consecutive seasons and
joined the Ateneo Lady Eagles.
Therese said that it was education, not the
incentives that convinced her to transfer to Ateneo
but claimed that UST has “one of the finest
[programs] in the country.”
“I wanted to pursue what was best for my
career path which was to get my education from
Ateneo. They (Ateneo) just offered me a slot in the
team, monthly allowance, and full scholarship,”
Gaston said in a text message to the Varsitarian.
Although a lot of these top-tier athletes left
UST in the past, the Growling Tigers remains a top
contending and recruiting team as athletes still see
the University’s offer more beneficial, contrary to
the belief that UST is just a “milking factory” of
other universities.
UST has one of the best benefits when it
comes to student-athlete accommodation—
lodging, allowance, daily meals, advanced
facilities, and an excellent medical assistance
and hospital which other schools do not have.
These benefits and familiarity halted
Tigershark rookie Skyler Claveria from
accepting higher offers, which he decided not
to disclose, from other institutions.
“Naglalaro pa ko ng third at fourth year
[high school] nag-offer na ang La Salle at
Ateneo pero ‘yung mindset ko mag-stay na
noon,” Claveria said in an interview. “May
parts na mas maganda ‘yung bigay nila
pero sa UST kasi kumpleto at ‘yung
nagpa-stay sa akin ay ‘yung family
na nadevelop noong high school
saka dahil na rin sa magandang
education.”
Outside the limelight of
mainstream sports, UST has
nurtured a quality group of
players from the province and
turned them into stars.
Beach
volleyball
standouts Cherry Rondina
and Rica Jane Rivera
were both recruited from
Cebu last year and won
four beach volleyball
titles as a duo since
then. The Golden Sox,
meanwhile, houses 20
players from different
provinces.
Champion
taekwondo team
does not seem to
Rule PAGE 14
Mariano to suit up
for Ginebra Gin
Kings in PBA
By JOHN CHESTER P. FAJARDO
AFTER a disappointing final UAAP
year, with the Growling Tigers missing
the Final Four after back-to-back
finals appearances, Aljon Mariano
will start anew in the Philippine
Basketball Association (PBA) with
crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra.
The “Clutch Cat” slipped in the
second round of the PBA Rookie Draft last
Aug. 23, after getting picked 16th over all and will
be playing his natural position as a shooting guard
for Tim Cone, PBA’s winningest coach.
“Looking forward na maganda ang ilaro
ko kasi mas natural na ang positionw college,”
Mariano told the Varsitarian.
During his collegiate stint where he missed
most of his first two years due to injuries, Mariano
suited up as a small forward for the “small ball” style
of play of the UST Growling Tigers which does not
require a lot of height but leans on speed as the main
point of attack.
The 6-foot-3 Mariano said that he can adjust
well with Cone’s patented triangle offense citing
that it was also used in former UST head coach
Pido Jarencio’s system.
Mariano also said that he wants to prove
that he "belongs in the league" and wishes for
a "long and healthy career” while leaving the
memory of the missed game-winning shot in
game three of the UAAP Season 76 final behind
which is “now a thing of the past.”
"Malaki ang natulong sa ‘kin ng UST, doon
ko talaga na-develop ang character ko and how I
matured as a player,"Mariano said.
In his last three years with the Growling Tigers,
Mariano averaged 11.94 points on a 39.8 percent
shooting, 6.76 rebounds and 1.96 assists.
Mariano