2
News
Vol. 1, No.1 APRIL-JUNE 2022
UST approves F2F baccalaureate mass and graduation rites in June Justine Olaguera
The Office of the Secretary General has announced that The University’s Crisis Management Committee approved the conduct of face-to-face graduation ceremonies and Baccalaureate Masses in June to be held at the Sampaloc campus for the first time after three years. The in-person rites will be held for the Classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 from tertiary, post-baccalaureate, and graduate levels. For the Senior High School graduates, only the Class of 2022 shall have in-person graduation. UST Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P. said that the first batches, specifically Batch
2020 and 2021, had already virtual ceremonies. Two Baccalaureate Masses will be held in June, specifically June 3 and 4. While solemn investiture rites will take place from June 6 to 30. The schedule varies depending on the college or faculty. The University will not stage a firework display as this year’s mass will be “solemn and austere” according to the OSG. During the graduation rites, only two companions will be allowed. Moreover, the University requires all attendees of in-person rites to be at least fully vaccinated. Should there be changes in the alert level status in the Na-
tional Capital Region (NCR), the University will reschedule the rites. Coronel said, “Just in case magkaroon ng surge […] we will reschedule to the best possible schedule after that. So ngayon, buong June siya, baka maging July or kahit mag-opening na tayo ng [classes by] August, pwede pa naman n’un.” In the Baccalaureate Mass, the students’ respective Type A uniforms shall be the default uniform requirement. For their togas, the graduating students will be asked for their measurements. Photo From The Varsitarian
Presidential Aspirants Lens on Labor Sector Highlighted During the CNN Debate Czarina Chescka Angela Bernardo
The Philippine presidential bets agreed on the need for reform in the health and labor sector but clashed on the proposed minimum wage during the CNN presidential debate last February 28, 2022. A few days after Labor Day, where the rights of every Filipino worker are celebrated and remembered, only a few days are left before the 2022 Presidential Elections in the Philippines. Looking back on the CNN Presidential Debates, labor in the Philippines is one of the most talked-about and pressing issues that a president should be able to manage. This debate was attended by nine out of ten presidential candidates. Former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was the only one unable to participate. One of the topics about labor discussed was related to the issue in the health sector and the COVID-19 pandemic. As the working conditions
Photo from Rappler
for the medical frontliners and laborers continue to worsen, many Filipinos opted to work abroad due to better salaries, benefits, and other compensations. If this were to continue, the country’s labor supply for medical personnel would be negatively affected. Manila Mayor Isko Moreno argued that it is high time for us Filipinos, with the government’s initiative, to invest in the health sector and the overall quali-
ty of health in the country. If elected president, his first two years will be focused on health and livelihood, particularly for the displaced laborers unable to find jobs during the pandemic. Senator Ping Lacson agrees with Moreno that salaries must be increased together with additional benefits to keep Filipino nurses in the Philippines. However, this is easier in public hospitals than in the
private sector. Senator Manny Pacquiao added that once elected, he will automatically increase the salaries of healthcare workers in the Philippines so that laborers will be less tempted to work abroad and instead remain in the country with their families. The next topic about labor discussed in the debate is the standardized and increased minimum wage proposed by the presidential bets. Labor
leader Leody de Guzman proposed a seven-hundred and fifty pesos daily minimum wage for laborers. He stated statements from the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) that prevailing minimum wage rates in the country are nowhere near livable due to the high prices of essential goods and commodities in the Philippines. His proposed minimum wage and additional benefits for laborers will strengthen and revitalize the economy due to increased economic consumption. On the other hand, Senator Pacquiao suggests a twenty to thirty thousand monthly minimum wage. However, Dr. Jose Montemayor asked De Guzman if his proposed salary considers the employers and the businesses in charge of giving the wages. De Guzman further rebuts that laborers deserve a comfortable and good quality of life.
Pfizer: Covid vaccine for all variants possible before 2023 Justine Olaguera
Photo from The Times of India
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla told on Wednesday at a media briefing organized by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) that the company could possibly develop a COVID-19 vaccine effective against all variants before the end of 2022. Bourla said that the compa-
ny was also aiming for manufacturing a vaccine that could perhaps last for a whole year and offer protection to people. According to him, it is “technically very challenging to do it with its virus. But we are working on it.” Additionally, this will become the “optimal public health solution.” It has seen that vaccines that will be taken annually are likely more significantly easy to be
administered. “You don’t have to do different vaccines for different variants… I hope clearly by autumn… that we could have a vaccine” that is effective against multiple variants, including the dominant Omicron, he said. “It is a possibility that we have it by then. It is not a certainty,” Bourla said. The Pfizer-BioNTech vac-
cine is known to be one of the most effective against COVID-19. However, like other vaccines, the efficacy rate declined over time. Despite that, it still provides strong protection against serious illnesses, hospitalization, and death.
