The Varsitarian P.Y. 2015-2016 Issue 10

Volume LXXXVII, No. 10 • June 14, 2016 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF SANTO TOMAS Manila, Philippines

UST sends off 8,214 graduating students LIVE a simple life, love others and be thankful to God. This was Acting Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P.’s parting shot to 8,214 members of the Batch of 2016.

“Ang Tomasino ay marunong lumusong sa baha, kumain sa karinderya, hindi takot lumakad sa lansangan sa gabi at sumakay sa jeep,” Fr. Ang said in his homily during the second of two Baccalaureate Masses held last May 20 at the Quadricentennial Pavilion.

“Tinuruan kayong magmahal Students PAGE 5

TRADITION. Graduating strudents of the College of Fine Arts and Design pass through the Arch of the Centuries as part of the Baccalaureate celebration on May 20.

ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN

Fr. Dagohoy elected to second term International links rise to 115, covering 25 countries IN LINE with a vision to become a “premier international university,” UST has increased its linkages, with a total 115 partnerships covering 25 countries so far.

Office of International Relations and Programs Director Lilian Sison said international linkages improve the quality of education in UST and its international ranking. Linkages and networks provide opportunities for exchanges

among faculty members and students for internship, practicum, research visits and study-abroad programs, she added.

“If you have partner universities, you can provide opportunities for students for internationalization, as well as other areas of collaboration like scientific activities, faculty exchange and even research collaborations,” Sison said in an interview.

A document obtained by the Varsitarian showed a 127-percent increase in the number of bilateral agreements with international higher educational institutions and research units since 2013.

In Academic Year (AY) 2012-2013, 45 memoranda of understanding (MOUs) were signed; followed by 65 in AY 2013-2014; 93 in AY 2014-2015 and 115 MOUs this year. Eighteen more MOUs are in the works, the document read.

Sison said 70 percent of UST’s linkages were active, contributing

to the University’s visibility in the international scene.

“We are trying to push for activating the rest or probably replacing them (MOUs) with more active ones. The nice thing is that many of the foreign universities who come to us request for partnerships,” Sison said. “We have empowered the deans and their coordinators to look at universities which they think can mutually benefit from a partnership.”

Sison added that UST’s internationalization would help prepare students for the global workplace.

“When you say internationalization, you go beyond the geographical boundaries of the country because now it’s crossboarder learning. You get immersed in other cultures and it increases your cultural quotient. You get exposed to other cultures, people and countries,” she added.

From 2012 to 2015, the number of outbound students or Thomasians

who were involved in internship, research training and study-abroad programs totaled 230, which was a 318-percent increase from 55 during AY 2012-2013. The number of inbound or foreign students who were involved in English language, cultural immersion, research and service learning programs reached 241, or a 174-percent increase from 88 in AY 2012-2013.

Sison emphasized the need to intensify internationalization by offering degree programs by distance education or learning through offcampus sites “so that we can increase the number of foreign students.”

“I think the selling point of UST is its history. The internationalization program of UST is robust. Nasa mapa na siya eh, so it is easier to connect.

Secondly the title of the ‘Catholic’ university which is the canonical title will also attract the best Catholic universities in the world. These are Links PAGE 3

5 Dominican schools to be integrated with UST UST IS set to lead five schools run by Filipino Dominicans under an integration plan to be implemented in the next four years.

This is part of a wider integration plan in which the Dominican schools follow only two “traditions”: the Santo Tomas tradition and the Letran tradition, newly re-elected Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. said.

“We believe that having traditions to follow is an advantage because we are following different models. So if we will have one model, then we live the same spirit, we live the same traditions, and as far as UST is concerned, our tradition is very rich and I think it will be to the advantage of the other schools to be part of the University,” Fr. Dagohoy said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

According to Fr. Dagohoy, five Dominican schools will fall under the leadership of UST, with one rector but different boards of trustees.

The two Angelicum campuses in Quezon City and in Iloilo, Aquinas University in Legazpi and the two future satellite campuses in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and General Santos City will be under the UST system.

“UST is main but [the different schools]

are independent. When you look at [it], when you understand the corporation setup, you can think of subsidiary or affiliated company. It is independent but it is being managed by one company,” Fr. Dagohoy explained.

UST traditions like the Welcome Walk and Paskuhan will be carried over to the campuses, but the uniforms will be different.

The Letran system has already integrated its four campuses in Intramuros, Manila; Abucay, Bataan; Calamba, Laguna; and Manaoag, Pangasinan. The Intramuros campus is the head campus of all Letran schools in the Philippines.

Fr. Dagohoy said the integration plan had “passed the scrutiny of the Council of Regents,” but would still undergo confirmation by the Academic Senate and the Board of Trustees.

According to UST’s General Statutes, the Board of Trustees is the highest policy and decision-making body of the University, composed of friars of the Order of Preachers.

The Academic Senate is composed of the vice chancellor, the rector, the vice rector for religious affairs, the vice rector for academic affairs and all deans.

New model, tedious process Fr. Dagohoy outlined the tedious process of building a new integration model, saying it would need the approval of the Commission on Higher Education. UST’s corporate papers and taxation regime will have to be revised.

The Angelicum campuses will be managed

by UST due to the proximity of the Quezon City campus, but will follow a different model, being basic education units.

The UST integration will be a “very new model in the Philippine educational setup,” Fr. Dagohoy said.

“Malaking kaibahan ‘yon kasi in terms of fiscal autonomy, and in terms of management it is being governed by a separate board, separate from the board of the University. In other universities, there is only one board governing all the campuses. ‘Yun ang kaibahan nitong setup na ito. So wala pa kaming nakikitang model na ito sa ibang universities sa Pilipinas,” Fr. Dagohoy said.

Fr. Dagohoy said the closest system to the planned UST integration was the UP system, Dominican PAGE 3

By KATHRYN JEDI V. BAYLON VERY REV. Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. will again serve as Rector of the University, after his reappointment by the head of the Dominican Order last May 27.

Fr. Dagohoy, who ended his first term last March, will serve another four-year term from 2016 to 2020.

“Humbled and grateful to all and with much trepidation. May I have the fortitude and wisdom to carry out the responsibilities entrusted upon me,” Fr. Dagohoy told the Varsitarian.

Fr. Dagohoy, a Thomasian certified public accountant, said he would prioritize finishing ongoing projects such as the K to 12 transition, flood mitigation and the opening of UST campuses in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and General Santos City.

Last April 25, the community of Dominicans in UST elected their terna or top three choices for rector, which Fr. Dagohoy topped. Acting Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. and Fr. Rodel Aligan, O.P., regent of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, were also nominated.

Vice Chancellor Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner, III, O.P., head of the Filipino Dominicans, approved the three candidates and sent the list to the Academic Senate, composed of the vice-chancellor, vice rectors, deans and secretary general; and the Board of Trustees, whose members include the vice rectors, the secretary general and other Dominican friars.

The names were then submitted to the Master of the Order, Fr. Bruno Cadoré, O.P., who endorsed the list of candidates to the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education for final evaluation. The Master of the Order made the official appointment.

To qualify as rector, a candidate must be a Dominican, a Filipino citizen and must have a civil or an ecclesiastical doctorate degree.

Fr. Dagohoy was internal auditor and director of finance and administration of UST Hospital before assuming the rectorship in 2012. He is a member of the Scientific Council of the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem, and head of the Association of South East and East Asian Catholic Colleges and Universities, an association promoting Catholic higher education in the region.

UST rectors have traditionally been re-elected to a second term, as in the case of Fr. Norberto Castillo, O.P. (1982-1986 and 1986-1990), Fr. Rolando de la Rosa, O.P. (1990-1994 and 1994-1998), and Fr. Tamerlane Lana, O.P. (1998-2002 and 2002-2006).

Dagohoy

2 News

Editor: Dayanara T. Cudal

JUNE 14, 2016

Fr. de la Rosa is new rector of Angelicum in Rome

By LEA MAT P. VICENCIO THREE-TIME UST rector Fr. Rolando de la Rosa, O.P. was incredulous upon receiving word last April that he was being considered to become rector of Rome’s Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, popularly known as the Angelicum.

For one, Fr. de la Rosa, the dean of Theology and a historian of the Church, did not study in the Angelicum, the top Dominican institution of higher learning that produced the likes of Pope St. John Paul II, the Venerable Fulton Sheen, and countless cardinals, bishops and theologians.

The former UST rector earned doctorates in religious studies and theology, magna cum laude, at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium.

“At that time, I was incredulous at being one of the candidates for rector of that prestigious university because I am not among its distinguished roster of alumni and professors,” Fr. de la Rosa told the Varsitarian.

Also, he was not too familiar with the Angelicum.

“What I know about Angelicum are the bits of information I got from the Internet, from some documents about the Rome PAGE 6 De la Rosa

University’s passing rate in Bar Exams jumps to 81 percent FOLLOWING intensive review sessions, UST saw its passing rate in the Bar Examinations zoom to 81 percent.

A total of 76 Thomasians passed out of 94 who took the 2015 Bar Exams, or a passing rate of 80.85 percent.

This was higher than 2014’s 59-percent passing rate, in which 68 Thomasians passed out of 115 examinees.

Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina said 38 out of 47 firsttime Thomasian examinees made the cut, or a passing rate of 82.22 percent.

A top-10 finish remained elusive for UST. The last UST graduate to enter the top 10 was Christian Louie Gonzales, who placed fifth with a score of 84.09 percent in 2011.

The national passing rate rose to 26.21 percent or 1,731 successful examinees out of 6,605, from last year’s 18.82 percent or 1,126 out of 5,984.

Rachel Angeli Miranda of the University of the Philippines topped this year’s bar exam with a score of 87.4 percent. Athena Plaza of the University of San Carlos (87.25 percent) and Jayson Aguilar of UP (86.75 percent) placed second and third, respectively.

Former Varsitarian staff members Akemi Aida and Kristine Jane Liu were among those who passed the 2015 Bar Exams, held in UST last November.

The exams, which were all essay questions, covered eight subjects: Political and Public International Law, Bar PAGE 14

Licensure exams show improved results in three programs THE UNIVERSITY improved its performance in the recent licensure examinations for secondary-level teachers, chemical engineers and accountants last March and May. UST recorded a higher passing rate in the March licensure exam for teachers (LET) in the secondary level after getting a 93.75-percent passing rate, with 45 Thomasians making the cut out of 48 examinees, according to the results of Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

This was higher than last year’s 89.06-percent passing rate where 57 passed out of 64 examinees.

Julie Ann Caringal leads the new batch of Thomasian high school teachers after placing seventh in the top 10 with 89.60-percent score.

She shared the spot with Anna Veronica Belmonte of Bicol University, Paola Bianca Jamolin of Ateneo de Manila, Rosa Layes of Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Colleges, Ana Therese Tandoy of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and Larraine Yapchiongco of Pines City College.

The national passing rate for LET-secondary rose to 35.43 percent, with 18,810 out of 53,090 examinees passing the test from last year’s 31.63-percent or 17,904 out of 53, 090 examinees.

In the elementary level, the University Licensure PAGE 6

THREE IN A ROW. Thomasians pose as they receive the “School of the Year” award, together with IABC President Kane Choa, ABS-CBN Corporate Communications Vice President Bong Osorio, UST Media Studies Chairman Jose Arsenio Salandanan, Tomasian Cable Television Coordinator Faye Martel, and Varsitarian Assistant Publications Adviser Felipe Salvosa II.

UST named top school in Quill Awards FOR THE THIRD straight year, the University bagged the “School of the Year” award in the Philippine Quill Awards, last May 17 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay.

UST won a combined 19 Awards of Merit and Awards of Excellence in the Student Quill division to defeat Angelicum College, Bataan Peninsula State University, Colegio de San Juan de Letran and the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde for the School of the Year award.

Eight awards were given to the Varsitarian alone, including the trophy for excellence in publication.

“My dream is to see a stage full of awardees from UST, and tonight, we proved that,” UST Media Studies Department Chairman Jose Arsenio Salandan told the Varsitarian.

For this year, 64 student awards were given to schools in Metro Manila as well as Pampanga, Bataan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite.

Usapang Uste

UST took home four Awards of Merit for the following entries: the Varsitarian editorial “Aquino’s Last SONA: Unpresidential, Philistine, Bitter,” the Varsitarian Papal Visit microsite, the documentary “Maneobra: Ang Bagong Dati” and “UST Tiger Radio Summer Airing.”

UST also had 15 Awards of Excellence, including the Varsitarian’s “16th Inkblots: the UST National Campus Journalism Fellowship,” “Botomasino 2015: A Special Coverage of the UST Student Council Elections,” “The Botomasino Special Supplement,” “Papal Visit Infographics” and “Special Supplement for the Papal Visit.”

The Tomasian Cable Television was also given Awards of Excellence for its shows “Tomasiknow” and “Tombayan.”

Completing the list were academic projects by Journalism seniors: “Age Does Not Matter,” “Innovations for Agricultural Efficiency,” “Kaabagan Marketing Plan,”

“Newshub: Traffic Story,” “Newshub: UP Diliman Story” and “UST Halalan 2016.”

The Varsitarian had two finalists for the Philippine Quill Top Award, namely: “Botomasino: A Special Coverage of the UST Student Council Elections” and “Papal Visit Infographics.”

“Sukat,” a television documentary from Colegio de San Juan de Letran, bagged the Philippine Student Quill Student Quill Top Award.

A student entry qualified for “Award of Merit” if it obtained a score of 4.75 to 5.25.

Those with 5.26 to 7 were given the “Award of Excellence.” The top five winners were automatically nominated for the Top Award.

The annual awards were organized by the Philippine chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators, a global network of around 15,500 business communicators in 80 countries. CLARENCE I. HORMACHUELOS

Ganda at talinong Tomasino noon at ngayon

NAKASASABIK noon pa man ang pagdaraos ng mga beauty contest sa loob ng Unibersidad tampok ang pinakamagaganda, pinakamatatalino at pinakamahuhusay na Tomasino bilang bahagi ng taunang Araw ng Santo Tomas.

Unang ginanap ang patimpalak pampagandahan ng mga itinuturing na college muses noong ika-12 ng Nobyembre taong 1928 bilang bahagi ng nabanggit na pagdiriwang.

Ito ang itinuturing na ina ng mga beauty contest sa kasalukuyan na kinabibilangan ng Thomasian Youth Ambassador and Ambassadress na napabantog sa dati nitong pangalan na Ideal Thomasian Youth Personalities.

Pipili ng isang musa ang bawat fakultad at kolehiyo na kakatawan sa kanila sa timpalak at isa lamang ang hihiranging panalo na siyang mag-uuwi ng titulong chief muse.

Babansagan naman bilang “queens” ang mga musa ng Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy (kasalukuyang Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at Faculty of Pharmacy) habang maids of honor naman ang itatawag sa mga kinatawan ng iba pang kolehiyo at fakultad.

Unang nag-uwi ng kampeonato ang pambato ng fakultad ng medisina na si Amparo Liwag.

Inalok siya noon din na lumahok sa Carnival Queen na isang patimpalak sa labas ng Unibersidad subalit tumanggi siya sapagkat prayoridad niya ang kaniyang pag-aaral.

Pumangalawa naman sa kaniya sa

puwesto ang pambato ng Faculty of Philosophy and Letters (kasalukuyang Faculty of Arts and Letters) na si Rosa Santos na siyang pinakabata sa lahat ng kalahok.

Hinirang ang mga nagwagi sa pamamagitan ng botohan.

Samantala, inihambing naman ng Ama ng Varsitarian na si Jose Villa Panganiban ang mga college muse sa siyam na musa ng Bundok Parnassus sa mitolohiyang Griyego.

Sa kaniyang artikulong “The Muses of the Golden Jubilee,” inilahad niyang unti-unti nang nagkakaroon ng bagong pagpapakahulugan ang mga beauty contest na mas kinakikitaan aniya ng kagandahan, kasiyahan at inspirasiyon.

Binansagan din niyang Parnassus ng Unibersidad ang dormitoryo ng Santa Catalina na tinutuluyan ni Amparo Liwag noon.

Tomasino Siya Kahanga-hanga ang dedikasiyon ng Tomasinong si Dr. Alberto Ignacio Gabriel sa medisina at pagpapaunlad ng kakayahang pangkalusugan ng kasundaluhan ng bansa.

Ibinuhos niya ang kaniyang kakayahan at panahon upang maghatid ng serbisyong medikal sa mga sundalong sumasabak sa pinakamapapanganib na lugar sa bansa tulad ng Jolo, Sulu.

Nagtapos siya ng Bachelor of

Science in Pre-Med sa Unibersidad noong 1971, bago makamit ang kaniyang doktorado sa medisina makalipas ang apat na taon.

Mayroon din siyang masterado sa Business Administration mula sa Wesleyan University sa Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija.

Hinawakan niya ang mga posisyong commanding officer ng V. Luna General Hospital at chief surgeon ng Philippine Army.

Sa pagnanais na mapabuti ang benepisyong medikal na natatanggap Usapang Uste PAHINA 12

Assistant Editor: Danielle Ann F. Gabriel

Engineering dominates Pautakan 2016 IT WAS “clutch city” for the Faculty of Engineering after securing back-to-back wins in the individual and group categories of the 2016 Pautakan intercollegiate quiz contest last May 16 at the Medicine Auditorium.

Engineering was trailing UST-Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy in both categories. But it surprised the crowd with come-from-behind victories, overtaking Accountancy in the final questions.

Engineering snatched the group championship, scoring 240 points, from Accountancy which scored 230.

The Faculty of Pharmacy slowly but surely secured a podium finish with 175 points, outsmarting the Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets) by only five points. The College of Commerce and Business Administration settled for fifth place.

“We tried to cover everything kasi ‘yung training namin is dapat alam ng lahat ng topics. As much as possible, lahat ng puwedeng itanong, dapat i-prepare namin,” Engineering team captain Lois Idyl Ronquillo said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Ronquillo bagged first place in the individual category, ousting defending champion Arvee Gomez of Artlets in her own turf with 115 points.

Accountancy representative Joseph Aranzaso ended at second place in the individual category with 110 points, while Gomez settled for third place in her graduating year with 105 points.

The College of Education and Conservatory of Music placed fourth and fifth respectively.

“Swertihan na lang po sa tanong. Our goal as much as possible is wala kaming blangko,” Ronquillo added, after the students from Fr. Roque Ruaño, O.P. Building defeated 12 other participating teams.

The panel of veteran resource persons was composed of Jose Ramon Lorenzo (General Information), Oliva Koh (Physical Science), Selwyn Clyde Alojipan (Natural Science), J. Neil Garcia (Humanities), Jerome Ong (General

History), Jose Victor Torres (History) and Anita Ong (Mathematics).

UST’s UAAP Season 78 courtside reporter Angelique Manto and former MYX VJ Chino Lui Pio hosted this year’s Pautakan.

The 39th installment of the Varsitarian’s Pautakan, the oldest intercollegiate quiz contest in the country, had a Star Wars theme.

KATHRYN JEDI V. BAYLON and ROY ABRAHMN D.R. NARRA

Team members of the Faculty of Engineering celebrate as they win the Pautakan 2016 champiosnhip in both the individual and group categories on May 16 at the Medicine Auditorium.

AMPARO KLARIN J. MANGOROBAN

Pharmacy student leads academic awardees EXEMPLARY Thomasians from different faculties and colleges were recognized in the 2016 Student Awards Day last May 13 at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion, with a Pharmacy student leading this year’s batch of Rector’s Academic Awardees.

Rhys Jansen Pavon of the Faculty of Pharmacy obtained the highest general weighted average (GWA) of 1.121. He was one of the recipients of the Rector’s Academic Award, given to graduating students with the highest GWAs in their respective faculties or colleges.

Other Rector’s awardees were: Sem. Kenrich Anthony Bereber (Faculty of Philosophy, Sem. Kimrey Pintor (Faculty of Sacred Theology), Vincent Edouard Anthony Gullas (Faculty Medicine and Surgery), Zheanne Amira Dantis (Faculty of Arts and Letters), Masaru Nakaegawa

(Faculty of Engineering), Joyce Nicole Anne Clemente (College of Education), Marck Carascal (College of Science), Joanne Marie Camello (College of Architecture), Rhic Joshua Martin Miñoza (College of Commerce and Business Administration), Mayden Kae Ong (Conservatory of Music), Augustine Beth Cortez (College of Nursing), Efren Louis Llanos (College of Rehabilitation Sciences), Louise Bianca Limjoco (College of Fine Arts and Design), Ariel Joseph Nipas (AMV-College of Accountancy), Lia Ciaris Tani (College of Tourism and Hospitality Management) and Lance Paolo Aldeosa (Institute of Information and Computing Sciences).

The Quezon Leadership Award for students who had spearheaded activities that contributed to the welfare of students was given to:

Raymond John Naguit (Medicine and Surgery), Alyssa Lorraine Arreola (Architecture), Cherish Galleon Aperocho (Education), Kenneth Roy Aranas (Science) and, Maria Yvonne Erica Yap, Hazel Maye Reyes, Ysabelle Gabrielle Marasigan and Jan Dominic Castro (Arts and Letters).

Meanwhile, the Pope Leo XIII Community Development Award for students with outstanding involvement in community development activities was bestowed upon Veronica Moreno (Arts and Letters), Raymond John Naguit (Medicine and Surgery), Patrick Cristobal (Education), Katrina Caluya (Pharmacy) and 12 student organizations.

The Benavides Outstanding Achievement Award, an honor given to students whose performances in regional, national or international

competitions, conferences or congresses, was given to 51 Thomasians and 21 student organizations.

The St. Dominic De Guzman Award for students who had organized activities that were of significance to the entire University was awarded to the Junior Philippine Institute of Accountants (Accountancy); UST Community Achievers Association-Architecture Unit and UST Architecture Network (Architecture); UST Asian Studies Society and UST Sociological Society (Arts and Letters); UST Economic Society (Commerce and Business Adiministration); UST Red Cross Youth Council (Pharmacy unit); UST Theological Society (Theology); Becarios de Santo Tomas, UST Central Student Council and UST Central Commission on Elections.

Dominican

programs are not yet Level II accredited, so they would not be qualified as part of the system,” Fr. Dagohoy said.

towards integrating all existing educational institutions of the [Philippine Dominican] Province within the two venerable and historical educational institutions, that of Letran (1620) and UST (1611) [in the event that UST is transferred to the jurisdiction of the Province.]”

In 2014, jurisdiction over UST was transferred officially to DPP from the Spanish Dominicans with the approval of the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education of the revised General Statutes of the University.

In the same year, coinciding the 43rd founding anniversary of DPP, UST, together with

Angelicum College-Quezon City, Angelicum School-Iloilo and Aquinas University of Legazpi, signed a memorandum of intent to work on integrating the three Dominican educational institutions.

The memorandum of intent was signed by Fr. Dagohoy, Aquinas Rector Fr. Ernesto Arceo, O.P., Angelicum College Rector Fr. Ferdinand Bautista, O.P. and Angelicum School Director Fr. Lauro de Dios, O.P. in December 2014 at the Buenaventura G. Paredes, O.P. Alumni Center Building. ALHEX ADREA M.

Imago

I owe my journey in the V to the people who stood by my side and served as my mentors, confidantes, support group system and dearest friends.

To my family, the advisers, the selection committee, the editorial board members and batch 2013, thank you for everything.

I thought that holding on to my dream of becoming a part of the rich history of the Varsitarian was difficult. But now that I am soon to depart the safe and familiar confines of the V, I found out that it was harder now, more than ever, to let go.

In the end, you can take a staffer out of the Varsitarian, but you cannot take the Varsitarian out of a staffer.

FROM PAGE 1

noting that UP campuses are autonomous but managed by one board, and there is only one president.

“But to become a system is difficult because there are certain requirements, for example your programs must at least attain second level of accreditation, and majority of your programs are tertiary. So those limitations could not be applied to us because for example, Angelicum is basic [education],” he said. “Of course Aquinas is a university but their

Links

FROM PAGE 1 our advantages,” Sison said.

Partnership approaches Sison explained the two approaches to partnerships used by UST—bottom-up and top-down.

In a bottom-up approach, faculty members collaborate with international partners. Should the partnership at the faculty level mature, MOUs would be recommended.

In a top-down approach, university presidents or rectors meet in international meetings and begin to know each other, and form partnerships afterwards.

Last April, UST signed memoranda of agreement with the

Integration plan to be assessed Fr. Dagohoy said the integration plan would be discussed during the 11th Chapter of the Dominican Province of the Philippines (DPP) in October to “assess and evaluate progress.” The integration plan was conceived during the 10th provincial chapter in April 2012 in Pangasinan.

The 123rd act of the 10th provincial chapter states: “We ordain that the DPP move Catholic University of America, St. Mary’s University of London and the Catholic University of Korea. In June, 25 students from UST will be sent to the University of British Columbia for summer programs.

Fields of international collaborative researches with crossborder funding include biodiversity, climate change, sensors and biosensors, nanotechnology, migration, materials science and energy.

Some of the international networks that include UST are the International Federation of Catholic Universities, Association of Southeast Asian Catholic Colleges and Universities, ASEAN International Mobility for Students and the International Council of Universities of Saint Thomas Aquinas. K.J.V. BAYLON and A.A.M. PERALTA

News 3

JUNE 14, 2016

FROM PAGE 5 step out of my comfort zone and the resiliency to keep on going even when the will to fight has deserted me.

Maybe there is a grain of truth in the saying from Henry Kissinger that a diamond is a chunk of coal that did well under pressure.

After being part of the V for three academic years, the things I would sooner not forget are times when I was at my breaking point and it was easier to not show up at the office again, relinquish my spot as a staffer and pass my resignation letter.

KATHRYN JEDI V. BAYLON

PERALTA and VILLANUEVA

JEROME

P.

CHEd technical committees eye shortened Eng’g program THE COMMISSION on Higher Education (CHEd) is proposing to reduce the length of engineering programs to four years from five, as a result of having two additional years of high school under K to 12.

Faculty of Engineering Assistant Dean Nelson Pasamonte said the CHEd Technical Panel for Engineering and Technology’s proposal of shortened engineering programs was timely, as most general education subjects would be integrated to the curriculum of senior high school. “[Pina-plano ng lahat ng technical committees na i-reduce from five years to four years ang mga iba’t ibang programs sa engineering]. Lahat ng [engineering] programs ganyan ang thrust,” Pasamonte said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

The plan is expected to take full swing by 2018, as the first batch of K to 12 graduates enters the tertiary level.

Pasamonte said the plan was being reviewed by technical committees composed of experts from the academe, industry and government regulators who will assist in the setting of standards and monitoring of institutions or programs in the different engineering disciplines. Committees are starting to draft new curricula for their respective programs, he added.

Once the technical committees agree on the proposal, a technical panel, composed of chairmen of the different technical committees, will review the plan.

The technical panel will then bring it up to CHEd’s Office of Programs and Standards Development, the office in charge of the enhancement of program quality and standards and the development of policy guidelines.

The technical committee is expected to come up with revised curricula by December this year to meet the 2018 schedule. Public hearings will be held in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

Should the proposal to shorten the programs be junked, the last year of the University’s engineering programs will continue to be devoted to the students’ internship program, Pasamonte said. KATHRYN JEDI V. BAYLON

‘Teaching does not end in school,’ faculty retirees told NOT ALL goodbyes are heartbreaking, especially for the 29 retiring professors who were honored by the University on May 18 at the Accountancy multipurpose hall.

“We, teachers, are known to change our students and make a continuity on preserving excellence. Our job as teachers does not end in school and we always teach to help,” Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Clarita Carillo said in her opening remarks.

Among the 29 retirees, Professors Evelyn Songco, assistant to the rector for student affairs, and Benedicta Alava of the Faculty of Engineering, had longest tenure of service, at 43 years.

Prof. Belen Tangco, former dean of the Faculty of Arts and Letters who served the University for almost 38 years, spoke on behalf of the retiring batch, saying that being a Thomasian educator for several years was both an honor and privilege.

Other retirees honored in the testimonial event included: AMV-College of Accountancy -Mercedes Hinayon (36.5 years) Faculty of Arts and Letters - Amelita Del Rosario - Crescencio Doma, Jr. - Reynaldo Lopez (22.5 years) College of Commerce and Business Administration - Eduardo Marino Counseling and Career Center - Nenita Cervantes (41 years) College of Education - Evelyn Ladines (24.5 years) Faculty of Engineering - Virgilio Agbayani - Benedicta Alava (43 years) College of Fine Arts and Design - Myrna Sunico (23 years) Faculty of Civil Law - Maria Christina Cornejo Faculty of Medicine and Surgery - Mateo Bagsic (32.5 years) - Lourdes Coloma (35 years) - Imelda David (29.5 years) - Graciela Gonzaga (33 years) - Normando Gonzaga (35 years) - Pedro Danilo Lagamayo (32 years) Retirees PAGE 5

4 Opinion

JUNE 14, 2016

Editorial

Pathology of a president-elect CHANGE is definitely coming, but is it for the better or for the worse?

The sudden come-from-national-anonymity victory of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in the May 10 elections shows how a candidate can capture the imagination—and votes—of Filipinos by making “big” and “bold” declarations delivered in catchy, savage rhetoric but which might have little or no bearing on reality.

In a desperate move to see change in the country, Filipinos chose an unconventional leader to be their next president. Perhaps Duterte was seen as the most untraditional out of the other politicians who ran for the presidency. Here is a man who claims to have wiped out criminality and drug addiction in the biggest city (in terms of territory) in the Philippines through extra-legal means. Here is a man who claims to have practiced a no-nonsense style of leadership and governance.

Now, with just a few days before his formal inauguration as president, Duterte may be showing his true colors and Filipinos are realizing that they have elected not a president but a pathology into office.

To begin with, Duterte ditched his proclamation by Congress last May 30, saying he had not attended any proclamation in his entire life. He chose to stay in Davao where he had been playing to the gallery of the local and international press, savaging just about everyone except himself apparently to show why the nation was in the supposed deepest pit it was and why it needed a messiah like him.

The virtual boycott was brash, arrogant, and anti-democratic, true to Duterte’s extra-judicial, to-hell-with-democracy posturing.

During the campaign, he had declared he would proclaim a revolutionary government if he was voted into office and would rule by decree to implement radical changes. He was citing the initiative of Cory Aquino who had declared such a government in 1986 after the Edsa Revolution.

It seemed to have escaped Duterte, who claims to be a lawyer, that Cory had proclaimed such a revolutionary government because she had not been proclaimed president under the 1973 Constitution, which had instead proclaimed Ferdinand Marcos the dubious winner of the 1985 snap election.

Catapulted into power by the Edsa Revolt, Cory ruled by her “Freedom Constitution” (FC) until the 1987 Constitution was ratified.

Duterte, who claimed to have taken up law studies in Mendiola, a stone’s throw from Malacañang, seemed to have forgotten that it was Editorial PAGE 10

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 DELFIN RAY M. DIOQUINO Sports 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 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, Roy Abrahmn D.R. Narra, Alhex Adrea M. Peralta, Jerome P. Villanueva Sports Carlo A. Casingcasing, John Chester P. Fajardo, Philip Martin L. Matel, Randell Angelo B. Ritumalta, Leif Arild F. Sykioco Special Reports Paul Xavier Jaehwa C. Bernardo, John Paul P. Corpuz, Monica M. Hernandez Features Mary Grace C. Esmaya, Maria Corazon A. Inay, Vianca A. Ocampo Literary Josef Brian M. Ramil, Cedric Allen P. Sta. Cruz Filipino Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas, Bernadette A. Paminutan Witness John Gabriel M. Agcaoili, Lea Mat P. Vicencio Science and Technology Maritz L. Lubo, 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 Chinny Mae F. Basinang, Kirsten M. Jamilla, Seldon May T. Tagao, 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, University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila.

On leaving and getting left behind WHEN I entered the Varsitarian during my junior year, I did not realize I was about to get a glimpse of the “real world”—where the requirements were hard work, responsibility and professionalism.

Being a “V” staffer frightened me because of my limitations. I did not think I was capable of the dedication and sacrifice required by the publication that I felt deserved nothing but the best.

But the V trusted me and pushed me outside of my comfort zone. It honed my skills and talents, something that I will always be grateful for.

For two years, the V has grown to be my home—the first place I run to when I go to school and the last place that I leave at night.

Its demands sometimes take a strain on my personal life. But I do not feel them a burden because work seems less heavy whenever I see the same passionate dedication and hard work from my fellow staffers.

There are times when

Perhaps the greatest lesson the “V” has taught me is this: love lets you grow— even at the expense of leaving it or getting left behind.

I wanted to blame the V for my anxieties, failures, and heartbreaks. But at the end of the day, my love for the publication prevails.

The V believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. It taught me how to be a leader—how to embrace my flaws and forgive my shortcomings. It accepted me wholeheartedly without the slightest hint of judgment for which I will always say, “Thank you.”

My love for the V will always stay. It will always be one of the constants in my life, something that I do not have to think about but develops as an instinct of sorts.

But the time has come to leave the “V” and to make room for new people.

Leaving is sad for both for the graduating staffers and for the incumbent staffers. But the memories of their stay will fortify them.

I will leave behind staffers who have earned a special place in my heart.

I will pursue bigger dreams, discover new things about myself and face new challenges.

But I know that whatever happens in life, I will always have a home in UST especially in the V. Years from now, new staffers will probably have no idea that I was once just

like them—unsure of how I made it to the V. It is this very reason that I leave with a fulfilled heart—knowing that my departure will open new doors for another fainthearted writer out there who needs the reassurance and support that I received.

I will always admire the V from afar with pride, respect, and utmost love.

I will always cherish the memories I spent laughing, working, and even crying at the V office. The friendships I have made, the moments I shared with my fellow staffers whom I consider my second family, the support and encouragement I have constantly received, and the pieces of advice that have made me into a more mature person—one that does not easily break at the slightest problem—will be my guide into the world outside V and UST. In the end, perhaps the greatest lesson the V has taught me is this: love lets you grow—even at the expense of leaving it or getting left behind.

Holding on and letting go I CAN probably compare my journey at the Varsitarian with the journey of the The Little Prince—an experience that was full of lessons that prepared me for adulthood.

The first lesson I learned as a Journalism undergraduate was to look beyond the superficial.

The narrator in The Little Prince, during his childhood, drew a boa constrictor (a snake) that swallowed an elephant, but all the adults could see from the drawing was a hat.

I learned in the “V” to look beyond the basic 5Ws (who, what, where, when and why) and how.

Grownups take themselves too seriously, like the businessman in the story.

He is too busy counting the stars he owns that he has forgotten to appreciate their beauty.

I learned not to take myself too seriously—to be less of a perfectionist and to let myself have fun once in a while—so I can appreciate the opportunities the Varsitarian has given me.

I learned to take the

Even if everything is ephemeral, what matters is that one remembers, and that is, in itself, some sort of permanence. criticisms of my editors and advisers as opportunities to improve myself.

Beyond that, I learned to enjoy the experience and live in the moment.

“Busy” has been glorified in this day and age due to the advancement of technology.

People cannot keep still, they always have to do something or go somewhere.

Like the lamplighter in the story, soon we will all have little time to rest and to live in the moment because of our fast-paced lives.

Joining the Varsitarian indeed filled up my schedule with all of the day-to-day tasks of the publication. But amid coverages and editing,

I learned to appreciate the V for giving me an opportunity to be in the front seat as history was being made.

As Joseph Cook, former prime minister of Australia, said, “I believe in resting in reason and moving in passion. If you’re always busy or moving, you will miss important details.”

Being a writer for the University-wide publication has also taught me that there is very little substance in wanting the admiration of others.

In the story, the Little Prince meets a conceited man who always wants the admiration of others.

But to pursue a life

meant to please others is to not live at all.

Journalists are meant to be watchdogs; their task is to report nothing but the truth, even if it is against the opinion of many.

Media have always faced accusations of being “biased.”

However, instead of hitting back, I learned to reflect inwardly in order to understand others’ perspective.

Like what the King says in the story, “It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others.”

Some criticisms do make sense and it is by improving on these does one make him or herself better.

Even as I graduate and leave the walls of the University, I will always gravitate towards the Varsitarian when visiting UST. The V was my home for two years and its staff, my family, for hopefully a lifetime.

Try as I might to detach work from personal life, I Dauntless PAGE 5

Opinion 5

JUNE 14, 2016

How the ‘V’ taught me not to quit WHILE I am a survivor, I learned long ago that I am also a quitter.

From the first time I experienced, at a young age, the taste of defeat, I have always believed that it is easier to be honest with myself and just give in when something far exceeds my capabilities.

As Socrates famously pointed out, “to know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.”

And I mistakenly thought myself wise not to venture into territories which make me weak, vulnerable and at a disadvantage. Instead, I, most often than not, painstakingly choose to dwell on my strengths and push my limitations to the wayside without even trying to better myself.

My justification is that if somehow the “gifts” I have outweigh my shortcomings then maybe none of my flaws and weak spots will show through the facade of fine grades, unblemished standing, and irreproachable deeds. What I have denied, time and time again, is my odd and seeming attraction to the idea of quitting when self-doubt and despair over

For the first time ever, I realized that in the convenient act of quitting, I will lose more than I could ever gain. unimproved results and countless failures are stacked up against me.

It may have stemmed from my restless childhood and early adolescence which were filled with my shifting interests from playing the guitar and piano to swimming, fencing and then writing. The hobbies may transfer from one to another after just a few months when I lose interest or get easily frustrated but one thing did not change and that was I effortlessly gave up.

I am admittedly not the kind of person to stick tenaciously to something in the long run and, according to my mother, that’s my worst weakness.

In my way of thinking, that was what the Varsitarian

vigorously, while gently, changed in me.

When I applied for the position of literary writer back in 2013, I confidently wrote in my application form that I thrived and even pushed myself “in the face of pressure,” as asked of me.

But was I utterly wrong.

When I was accepted, I was wholly unprepared to be part of a student publication which has lasted for decades with an impeccable reputation. There was no step-by-step formal training for the incoming staffers and from where I was standing, information came at lightning speed from different directions.

Coming from the discipline of pure science in

the department of Physical Therapy of the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, I had no sufficient and prior background in journalism and it showed in the beginning when I floundered like a lost ship. But challenge after challenge made me cope and improved my self-confidence.

I experienced a lot of firsts in the “V”: first coverage, first interview, first article and later on column, first harsh criticisms outside family, first event as organizer and chairperson, first mental breakdown, first cry fest and first home away from home.

Most important, for the first time ever, I realized that in the convenient act of quitting, I will lose more than I could ever gain. I became conscious of the fact that what I feared in the unknown and uncertainty of my stay in V was what endeared it to me most. There is that exhilaration, for example, of getting your article published after slaving away for days and running after sources.

With all that that V has given me, I am most eternally grateful for the courage to Imago PAGE 3

Making everything worth it in the end IT HAS been decades since scientists have speculated the existence of “dark matter” or the substance that is responsible for the constant expansion of the universe.

This is why someone inside a car views the entire world as slower than him, while someone seeing the car views it as something faster—even if they are in the same timeframe.

Professor José Senovilla, Marc Mars and Raül Vera of the University Bilbao in Basque, Spain and University of Salamanca, Spain, believe that dark matter is an illusion, and time is in fact slowing down.

They said the moment may arrive when time will slow down... and then stop. Forever.

It is nice to think that time has a deadline—something to look forward to, or perhaps something to hate.

But for me, it is not a matter of finality or destiny, or setting one’s fate. Neither is it about accepting fate, defying it, or cursing whatever unfortunate circumstance arrived on our doorstep.

For me, perhaps the saddest part is when that moment arrived, and I still have a lot of regrets.

The facts dawn at every waking moment—“I did not tell them how I feel,” “I did not quit,” “I

I had a lot of things I wish never happened, but at the end of the day, Someone Up There is telling me that everything happens for a reason.

Dauntless

always be a next chapter in life.

Just as the Fox lets go FROM PAGE 1 of the Little Prince because he want what’s good for the hindi lamang sa Diyos kundi Prince, I must also learn to pati sa kapwa,” he added. let go.

Hard work leads to I’m letting go of the V success, he reminded the because better writers and graduating students. editors will come to keep the “Nakasalalay sa “V” in excellent condition. inyong mga kamay ang Moving on does not inyong kinabukasan. Kaya mean forgetting, it means binigyan kayo ng Diyos cherishing the memories so ng kakayahang mag-isip one can keep it alive. at magdesisyon,” Fr. Ang And as I leave the V, I said. “[S]a mga oras na will treasure the memories ito halos abot-kamay na and friends I made within the ninyo ang mga pangarap na short time I spent within the minimithi.” organization.

Thomasians, as persons Because even if of principles and dignity, everything is ephemeral, have good morals and what matters is that one virtues that are sought by remembers, and that is, employers, he pointed out. in itself, some sort of Fr. Ang concluded his permanence. homily by urging the Batch

FROM PAGE 4

have learned to care for the V as the Prince cared for his rose.

And just like what the Prince says, “Of course, an ordinary passerby would think my rose looked just like you.

But my rose, all on her own, is more important than all of you together, since she’s the one I’ve watered.”

I have learned from the Fox that love comes from “establishing ties” or investing in other people.

It said, “It is an act too often neglected. It means to establish ties.”

And lastly, sometimes I have to let go of the things I love because there will

was too afraid to try.”

And life has a funny way of reminding me of those things.

It has always been my philosophy to try and control every aspect of my life— my schedule, my habits, my decisions—I always try to have a plan for everything. I multitask and do everything at once, all for the sake of making sure I have enough time to do more.

Some people call it “precrastinating,” and they said it is just as counterproductive as procrastinating, but somehow it always worked for me.

“I’m lazy that way,” I tell others. And then the Varsitarian came.

Deadlines became tenets, and my entire routine was turned upside down. Things were not under my control anymore, and I had to comply with everything.

I had to make things work, and I was not allowed to give up.

I was suddenly forced to make friends and try new things.

I was suddenly forced into overnights, I got introduced to new habits and I met a part of myself I never thought I had.

I became the total opposite of the self-image I wanted to show: I became spontaneous, social, free-spirited. “Fun,” was not the term, but perhaps I finally became “me.”

It was fate, I always tell myself, that I was placed in a position I did not like. It fitted my “preference”—my style. It was a challenge, too, to make sure I go beyond my limits.

My grandmother always said my trying to fit into everything was my trying to compensate for my insecurity. That my trying to control everything in my life was

Students

an expression of weakness— that I knew I was not able to do everything I liked because I was too afraid. So I did the next best thing—I tried to control everything else.

And knowing time is literally running out is almost telling me the past 20 years has not been worth it—because I have been too “safe” and too afraid to take risks.

It is scary knowing that at the end of the day, we really only live once. Death is on the horizon.

One day that call for an interview with the Varsitarian interrupted my summer schedule, and now the day has come for me to say goodbye and finally be able to start that schedule I had planned from the start.

Looking back, I could say I have had my ups and downs. I had things I regretted, and perhaps maybe things I enjoyed. I had a lot of things I wish never happened, but at the end of the day, Someone Up There is telling me that everything happens for a reason, and perhaps I finally have to learn my lesson in finality—that I cannot control my life anymore and I cannot make decisions for myself the way I wanted to; that I am not God, it is not my fault that bad things happen, and we always have to say goodbye whether we Aletheia PAGE 6 of 2016 to “spread and be the Good News” to others.

The graduating students were given “mission crosses” as symbols of their mission in life outside the walls of the University.

The Mass ended with the “ceremony of light” to remind the graduating students of their duty to spread the light of the Christian faith.

A pyro-musical display, accompanied by songs from bands such as One Republic, followed the Mass.

The festivities ended with the recessional parade through the Arch of the Centuries.

The activity, traditionally held at the Grandstand, was moved indoors because of expected rains.

There is nothing to fear in life BEING part of the official publication of the University undoubtedly gave me a lot of opportunities and experiences to expand my knowledge and explore my capabilities.

In my two years at the Varsitarian, I have not only improved myself in countless ways, I was also was able to explore my art style, and give myself a unique trademark.

I still remember the time when I took the qualifying exam for the “V.” I was frightened and at that moment, clutching tightly on my art materials. As a Fine Arts student, the thought of joining one of the University’s most prestigious organizations, composed of top student writers, was intimidating, to say the least.

It was a completely new atmosphere and, quite frankly, a very daunting prospect.

For that moment, I doubted myself. Will I pass the test?

Will I make good friends if I will be accepted? Will I be able to adjust to the intimidating new environment?

But when I was finally accepted, I instantly felt the warmth of the incumbent staffers as they warmly welcomed us, the newcomers. Days, months and even years went by and I did not almost realize that I have already developed a strong bond with my colleagues.

Now, I can only ask myself, what was I so afraid about when I first entered the V? Sure, there were times when I compared myself others, when I was unsatisfied with my work, when I questioned

If I did not try, if I was overpowered by my fear, I might have lost the chance to become a part of the V and be a better version of myself. my reasons for doing things in the first place, but there was always one thing that kept me from giving up, and that was my passion for art and my love for the publication.

If I did not try, if I was overpowered by my fear, I might have lost the chance to become a part of the V and become a better version of myself.

I could never be more grateful than ever to the V for letting me discover myself and go beyond what was expected of me. I enjoyed doing my work as an artist because I was able to share my craft with the Thomasian community. The Varsitarian has been the main outlet for my ideas and creative juices.

I also would like to take this opportunity to thank my advisers who have been there to guide us through the years, my co-artists who were there to fill in for my duties during my absence, and my co-staffers, past and present, who have given me a feeling of worth and belongingness.

Indeed, it is more than enough to have been welcomed into a legacy of pride and tradition and to be honored with a position that is so privileged, yet I was blessed with so much more—a place that I can call home and people who I can confidently call a family.

The years may have been fleeting, but the impact my experience in the V will remain with me forever.

Everything that I went through in the V had shaped me into the person I am today—passionate, capable and ready to face the “outside” world.

With this in mind, I take one last glance at the trials and triumphs, the sleepless nights, the irreplaceable lessons, the friendships, the tears that were shed and everything else, and bid farewell with gratitude and a promise of a greater future ahead.

Lastly, I thank UST and my fellow Thomasians for supporting the ‘V,’ and wish all my co-graduates the best.

Now, I will always know, that there is nothing to fear because my beloved University and the V taught me how to be strong.

As a result, graduating students were split into two Masses at the Quadricentennial Pavilion.

The following are the number of graduating students per faculty and college this year: Accountancy (753), Architecture (393), Arts and Letters (994), Civil Law (101), Commerce (916), Ecclesiastical Faculties (72), Education (482), Engineering (841), Fine Arts and Design (564), Graduate School (217), Medicine and Surgery (520), Music (17), Nursing (346), Pharmacy (682), Rehabilitation Sciences (242), Science (618) and Tourism and Hospitality Management (456). KATHRYN JEDI V. BAYLON and ALHEX ADREA M. PERALTA

Retirees FROM PAGE 3

- Renato Reyes (36 years) - Antonio Say (32 years) - Jesus Valencia (35 years) - Robie Zantua (33 years) Conservatory of Music - Ricardo Calubayan (21 years) - Apolonia Guilang Faculty of Pharmacy - Ophelia Laurente (16 years) - Erlina Nuguid(38.3 years) Institute of Religion - Emmanuel Fiedican - Celia Vinoya (26.5 years) Acting Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. awarded the plaques of appreciation to the professors who have either reached the age of 65 opted for early retirement.

6 Special Reports

Editor: Mary Gillan Frances G. Ropero

JUNE 14, 2016

Politicians exploit election spending loophole LEGAL and political experts are calling for amendments to election laws to set a more realistic limit to campaign spending and give poor candidates a chance to run for public office.

Republic Act (R.A.) No. 7166 states that candidates for president and vice-president are allowed to spend P10.00 per voter.

Other candidates can spend P3.00 per voter, political parties P5.00 and independent candidates P5.00.

Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina said political spending limits should reflect annual inflation since R.A.- 7166’s passage into law in 1991.

Divina said the national Commission on Elections (Comelec) should continue to set a limit to the amount of donations given to candidates. But the spending cap should be increased to a “reasonable level.” Otherwise, candidates who lack financial resources would be placed at a disadvantage.

“Premium may be unnecessarily placed on wealth rather than competence and willingness to serve,” he said in an email to the Varsitarian.

For the 2016 polls, the number of registered voters stood at 54.3 million, Comelec data showed. This translates to an expenditure limit of P543 million for each presidential candidate.

But candidates have long exploited a loophole—by placing ads before the official campaign period. A total of P7.75 billion worth of “social concern” television commercials were aired by media outfits from Jan. 1 last year to Jan. 31 this year, based on a report by Nielsen Media, an agency measuring media viewership. These ads are not covered by spending limits.

Emerging as the candidate with the most spending for campaign ads was Vice President Jejomar Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance, who shelled out P1.1

billion on pre-campaign television ads alone.

Sen. Grace Poe, an independent candidate, was second at P1 billion, followed

by Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas with P969.2 million.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who ran under the banner of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, placed fourth with P146.4 million.

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago was the only presidential candidate who did not air advertisements prior to the official campaign period mandated by the national Comelec, which began in February and ended just before the May 9 polls.

Jan Robert Go, assistant professor at the University of the Philippines-Diliman

Political Science Department and managing editor of the Philippine Political Science Journal, warned that adjusting the limit of campaign expenses to a higher amount might increase the cost of elections.

“Elections should be an arena open for everyone. If a politician does not have enough money to keep up with other candidates, then winning would be a big challenge,” Go said in an interview.

Less expenses, more transparency Dennis Coronacion, head of the UST political science department, said a national campaign costs almost a billion pesos.

“There is only one way to recover the expenses. That is through corruption [or] kick-backs,” Coronacion said in an interview.

He said regulations on campaign spending should be amended to limit the personal expenses of the candidates.

Alternative fundraising events should be considered by politicians, he added.

Go proposed that the government subsidize a portion of campaign expenses through the Political Party Development Act or House Bill 6551.

The Political Party Development Act seeks to reform the financing of political campaigns, provide subsidies to and develop political parties, “promote party loyalty and discipline,” and encourage the electorate to be more active through voter-education programs conducted by political parties.

“This may be made possible by politicians because it would be really favorable on their side,” Go said. PAUL XAVIER JAEHWA C. BERNARDO and MONICA M. HERNANDEZ with reports from KIRSTEN M. JAMILLA

UST builds catch basin Re-elected mayor of General Santos AFTER rejecting the government’s proposal to dig a massive catch basin for flood waters under the Open Field, UST plans to build its own catch basin in a different location on campus.

The “flood catcher,” to be dug under Osmeña Drive between the Parade Ground and Benavides Park, was designed by professor Peter Lim, former dean of the Faculty of Engineering.

In an exclusive interview with the Varsitarian, newly re-elected Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. said that with the planned 10-meter deep basin, the campus should be able to withstand two hours of continuous rain. Water will be pumped out afterwards.

“We have approved the plan at the level of Economic Council.

What we are talking about here is everyday rain. We

noticed that the water inside the campus could not get out,” Fr. Dagohoy said.

The earlier proposal of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to dig a catch basin under the Open Field, to drain floodwaters from Quezon City and Sampaloc area toward Manila Bay, was opposed by the University due to security concerns and possible disruption of classes and other University activities.

Moreover, the Open Field was declared a National Cultural Treasure along with other structures inside the campus in 2010.

No formal proposal Fr. Dagohoy also said the government did not make a formal proposal, and the DPWH did not submit any scientific study.

“It was just a letter given by the district DPWH supervisor addressed to Fr. Roux during the time of former rector Fr. Roland de la Rosa,” Dagohoy said.

In a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer on July 29, 2015, DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson said the 3.3-kilometer long catchment project to be constructed from Blumentritt to Tondo might be “the solution” to lessen flooding in Quezon City and Sampaloc, Manila.

JOHN PAUL P. CORPUZ and MONICA M. HERNANDEZ

Rome

FROM PAGE 2 university that I have gathered, and from fellow Dominicans in UST who had the privilege of studying there,” he said.

In early April, the Master of the Order of Preachers, Fr. Bruno Cadore, O.P., told Fr. de la Rosa he had been chosen for the job. He was included in a shortlist drawn up by a selection committee of Angelicum professors and officials.

“The Master called me up to say he has chosen my name from the list and sent it to the [Vatican’s] Congregation for Catholic Education which gives the nihil obstat (no objection) for the appointment of the rector. It came as a shock,” Fr. de la Rosa said.

Last May 4, Fr. de la Rosa went to Rome to attend the meeting of Spem Miram Internationalis, the Dominican foundation where he is a board member.

“After the meeting I had an audience with the Master of the Order and the assistant to the Master

for intellectual life. I expressed my hesitation at accepting the position.

But the Master said he would not change his decision,” he said.

Fr. de la Rosa received an email from the Master last Friday officially informing him of his appointment.

He will be the first Asian to serve as Angelicum rector. He will replace Fr. Miroslav Konštanc Adam, O.P. on Sept. 1.

On top of the Dominican friar’s to-do list is to learn Italian and to familiarize himself with the Angelicum’s environment. “For now, my only plan is to go there, study Italian, and familiarize myself with the university. Good planning requires a certain familiarity with the place, people, structures, culture, finances, procedures, and operations of the institution in which one is working,” he said.

Fr. de la Rosa, a former Varsitarian Witness (religion) editor, served three terms as the rector of UST: 1990 to 1994, 1994 to 1998, and 2008 to 2012. From 2004 to 2005, he was chairman of the Commission on Higher Education.

vows support for UST Mindanao

RE-ELECTED to a fresh term, General Santos City Mayor Ronnel Rivera has vowed to support the construction of a UST satellite campus in the country’s “Tuna Capital.”

In a report by Manila Bulletin on Tuesday, Rivera said the local government would “fully support” the long-delayed development of the satellite campus in barangays Ligaya and Katangawan.

He won with 117,120 votes, defeating rivals Richard Atendido and Panfilo Alvarez, who got 66,160 votes and 1,751 votes, respectively.

The development is expected to move forward after the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) issued a resolution last May 2 allowing the conversion of the 82-hectare land into “agri-institutional” from agricultural.

DAR first approved the conversion of the land in 2003 and issued another order in 2008, extending the development period of the site until 2013. The order expired on July 22, 2013, putting the construction of the campus on hold.

The city council under Rivera approved the rezoning of the property to

institutional from agricultural on Oct. 8, 2013 through City Ordinance No. 15 s.

2013.

The University bought the land for P96 million in 1997, but city officials opposed the project.

UST earlier planned to offer in the GenSan campus programs not available in the Manila campus, including marine sciences and agriculture courses. Other

Aletheia

Licensure

courses previously eyed were Bachelor in Secondary Education (major in English, Math and Science), Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology, Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, Bachelor of Science in Entertainment and Multimedia Computing, and Bachelor of Science in Tourism. J. P. P. CORPUZ

Screengrab of the campus’ digital site plan from the Facilities Management Office.

FROM PAGE 5

FROM PAGE 2

want it or not.

All great things must come to an end, but I still do not understand why I am not happy.

I am on the verge of stepping into the threshold where time will stop, that my time in the Varsitarian has ended and it is my turn to step into the outside world.

But as I make this inevitable step— this one scary step—I want to take a look back one last time and share the one piece of advice I hoped someone gave me and ask you: Have you done everything you wanted to do, said everything you wanted to say, showed every bit of feeling you wanted others to feel? Can you tell yourself, with that satisfying exhale, that everything was worth it?

Because I am taking this step, and I am saying goodbye, telling myself it was not worth it. That I wanted to do so much more, but my time has come and my time has to stop.

So before you go, make sure everything was worth it.

registered a 77.78-percent passing rate, lower than last year’s 85.71-percent where seven passed out of nine examinees.

The national passing rate for the LET-elementary increased to 28.38-percent, with 12,128 out of 42, 739 examinees passing the test.

Last year’s passing rate was 27.42 percent, with 12,103 passing the test out of 44,144 examinees.

Meanwhile, UST also aced the licensure examinations for certified public accountants being declared as the second top-performing school. UST had a 90.32-percent passing rate with 84 out of 93 examinees making the cut.

The University’s performance is higher compared to last year’s 66.67-percent passing rate in which 18 passed out of 24 examinees.

UST was joined by two other universities on the list of topperforming schools.

De La Salle University-Manila

was the top performing school with a 93.10-percent passing rate or 54 passers out of 58 examinees.

University of San Jose Recoletos had an 81.20-percent passing rate or 108 passers out of 133 takers.

The national passing rate stood at 42.84-percent, with 2, 967 examinees out of 6, 925 making the cut. This is higher than 35.78-percent passing rate, with only 2, 132 out of 5,959 examinees passing the boards.

In addition, UST also increased its passing rate in the board examinations for chemical engineering. UST recorded a 52.50-percent passing rate with 21 making the cut out of 40 examinees.

This is an improvement from last year’s 43.44-percent, wherein 13 passed out of 30 examinees.

The national passing rate rose to 64.13-percent, with 320 examinees passing the board exams out of 499 from last year’s 59.01-percent, with 239 passing the test out of 405 examinees. ROY ABRAHMN D.R. NARRA and ALHEX ADREA M. PERALTA

Editor: Marie Danielle L. Macalino

Witness 7

JUNE 14, 2016

Pope laments youth’s lack of interest in married life POPE FRANCIS is saddened that marriage is becoming farthest in the minds of young people, calling on the Church to help ease unduly high expectations on married life.

In his post-synodal exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” (The Joy of Love), the Holy Father joined the world’s bishops in a call to help young people rediscover aspirations for married life, to further strengthen the family as institution.

“We live in a culture which pressures young people not to start a family, because they lack possibilities for the future. Yet this same culture presents others with so many options that they too are dissuaded

from starting a family,” Francis said in the exhortation released by the Vatican on April 8.

“We need to find the right language, arguments and forms of witness that can help us reach the hearts of young people, appealing to their capacity for generosity, commitment, love and even heroism, and in this way inviting them to take up the challenge of marriage with enthusiasm and courage,” he added.

Some of the reasons behind broken marriages were “unduly high expectations about married life”

and not considering the union as a “process,” he said.

“Once it becomes apparent that the reality is more limited and challenging than one imagined, the solution is not to think quickly and irresponsibly about separation, but to come to the sober realization that married life is a process of growth, in which each spouse is God’s means of helping the other to mature,” Francis said.

No to discrimination The document also called for the elimination of “unjust discrimination” against homosexuals.

“We would like before all else to reaffirm that every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity and treated with consideration,” Francis said.

Families should be given pastoral guidance, so that persons in “homosexual orientation can receive the assistance they need to understand and fully carry out God’s will in their lives.”

Pastoral care A number of sections dealt with the situation of divorced and remarried Catholics.

Pope Francis called for greater pastoral care for divorced and remarried Catholics, following the Synod of Bishops’ firm decision last year to stick to the Church’s teaching of not allowing them to receive Holy Communion.

“Respect needs to be shown

especially for the sufferings of those who have unjustly endured separation, divorce or abandonment, or those who have been forced by maltreatment from a husband or a wife to interrupt their life together,” Francis said in the exhortation.

Francis called on the clergy to help and guide divorced and remarried Catholics.

“As members of the Church, they (divorced and remarried Catholics) too need pastoral care that is merciful and helpful.

The Church needs to minister to the divorced, especially those who were unjustly separated or abandoned or sought it after unjust treatment by their spouse,” Francis wrote.

Catholics in these situations should take a “path of discernment” while examining their conscience and reflecting on their faith. “[Neither] the Synod nor this Exhortation could be expected to provide a new set of general rules. What is possible is simply a renewed encouragement to undertake a responsible personal and pastoral discernment of particular cases,” Francis said.

Synod The exhortation came months after the Synod of Bishops last Oct. 24 to 25, attended by 200 bishops from all over the world.

With the theme “The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the modern world,” the synod saw strong opposition from American and African bishops over a proposal to grant divorced and remarried Catholics access to communion.

The Synod stated that such changes would condone adulterous relationships and result in disunity

in the Catholic Church.

In an interview, Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco said Amoris Laetitia did not mean that divorce and remarriage would be tolerated.

“Ang hindi tama ay hindi pa rin tama. Ang kasal ay napakabanal dahil ito ang larawan ng pagmamahal ng Diyos sa tao. It is meant to last, not ‘until further notice,’” the prelate said.

Indissolubility of marriage Some news agencies interpreted Francis’ exhortation as a relaxation of the Church’s doctrine on marriage and of rules on divorce. The New York Times ran an article saying Francis “seemingly signaled a pastoral path for divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion.”

Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron, founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, took exception to these commentaries.

“The Pope, by no means, is relaxing Church rules on divorce.

In fact, he emphatically reaffirms the centrality and indissolubility of marriage, and he actually says nothing directly about Communion for the divorced and remarried,” said Barron on the Word of Fire blog.

Bishop Barron recently visited the country as one of the speakers during the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu last Jan. 24 to 31.

Bishop Ongtioco said Amoris Laetitia was a reminder that God’s love is for all. “Pinaliwag niya (Francis) na ang pagmamahal ng Diyos ay hindi nakakulong sa nagdarasal lang, o sa mga Katoliko na nagsisimba. Dapat ang kaisipan natin ay bukas,” he said.

JOHN GABRIEL M. AGCAOILI

Fr. Syquia’s third book on exorcism Knights of Columbus seeks ‘miracles’ for PH founder tackles spiritual warfare, discernment THE COUNTRY’S top exorcist claims demonic activities are rife in Christian Philippines amid social injustice, moral decline and a growing “anti-life” culture.

In his latest book, Fr. Jose Francisco Syquia, director of the Archdiocese of Manila’s Office of Exorcism, calls on Filipino Catholics to increase their knowledge of the faith to guard against demonic “obsession, oppression, possession and infestation.”

“A growing challenge in the Philippine Church today is to prepare ourselves to detect, confront, draw out and defeat the devil when he attacks and subjugates Christians in an extraordinary manner,” Fr. Syquia says in Exorcist: Spiritual Warfare and Discernment.

The 547-page book is the third installment of the Exorcist series. The first two books are “Exorcist: A Spiritual Journey” and “Exorcist: Spiritual Battle Lines.” His first book, a local bestseller, is titled Exorcism.

According to Fr. Syquia, an alumnus of the Central Seminary, demonic possession is not always seen, because it hides itself in people’s seemingly normal actions. Disbelief in the existence of demons makes demonic activity more powerful and cunning, he points out.

False Christian religions, the proliferation of drugs, pornography, materialism and secularism are “tactical possessions” of the devil, he adds.

The general loss of faith and sense of sin in society also give the devil and his demons power to influence people, he says.

Spiritual warfare Compared with his previous works, the new book highlights the more technical and practical aspects of demonic possessions, stressing the growing number of cases in different archdioceses and dioceses. There are testimonies of different people who have experienced cases of demonic possession.

He describes exorcism as one of the most effective ways to fight the devil as it is “directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church.”

Pagan habits The book also warns that even the most prayerful persons are not immune to demonic attacks within their environs.

Fr. Syquia cites a case of demonic infestation of a religious convent. “Objects where seen to move by themselves; or objects suddenly disappeared and were never found; or objects disappeared and reappeared later but in other locations,” Fr. Syquia says.

The convent, it turns out, was built on a former graveyard and location of tribal practices. But that was not the worst problem, he says. Novices were engaged in crystal and energy healing sessions, which Fr. Syquia describes as pagan.

Fr. Syquia says his office, which consists of three exorcists and three volunteers, instructed the novices to break the pagan habits before the initial exorcism.

“It was a case of ignorance since in their province it was normal to turn to occult practitioners for aid when these types of phenomena occurred.

It did not enter their minds that since they are Catholics, Jesus should have been their only recourse,” he says.

Holy Mass, sacramental blessing and individual deliverances from demons were used by the exorcism team to remove the demons from the religious community.

Still the best defense Demonic attacks may be weakened through a prayerful life, Fr. Syquia says. Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Rosary protect Christians against the devil, he adds.

Humility, obedience and charity are also considered efficient protection against all forms of demonic attacks. JOHN GABRIEL M. AGCAOILI and LEA MAT P. VICENCIO

FILIPINO Knights of Columbus are calling on the faithful to help advance the cause for sainthood of their Jesuit founder.

Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco, chaplain of the Knights’ Luzon jurisdiction, said the lay fraternal order was in search of miracles that would confirm the sainthood of Fr. George Willmann, S.J., a naturalized Filipino priest, who expanded the membership of the Knights in the country after World War II. “In the prayer leaflets we are giving away, it’s written: ‘In the event or in case you have received a favor through the intercession of Fr. Willmann, please report to us,’” Ongtioco said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, at least one miracle is required for beatification and at least two miracles to be declared a saint.

“There are two kinds of requirement for beatification. Martyrs like St. Pedro Calungsod and St. Lorenzo Ruiz, do not need a miracle [to be beatified], because the act of offering yourself for the faith itself is a miracle,” Ongtioco said.

Father of Filipino Knights Dubbed as the “Father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines,” Fr. Willmann arrived from the United States in 1922 and taught at Ateneo de Manila.

He established the Catholic Youth Organization, a recreational group focused on the holistic development of young Catholics, in 1938.

Fr. Willmann became a prisoner of war during the Japanese occupation and was sent to a concentration camp

in Los Baños, Laguna. With the help of the Americans, he was freed in 1945.

The fraternal order of the Knights of Columbus, founded in the US as the Catholic alternative to freemasonry, was brought to Philippine soil as early as 1905, and was strengthened when Fr. Willmann took over the leadership after World War II. As a result of Fr. Willmann’s labors, the Philippines became second only to the US in terms of membership. There are some 300,000 Filipino knights.

On July 1, 1975, he was granted Filipino citizenship by President Ferdinand Marcos under Presidential Decree No. 740. He was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice by Pope Paul VI in 1977 for his contributions to the Church.

Helper of the poor The cause for Fr. Willmann’s sainthood is being pushed by several Church groups mainly for his services to the poor.

Bishop Ongtioco described Fr. Willmann as “very down-to-earth and helper of the poor.”

“Fr. Willmann had the intent to attend to the poor and the needy,” he said.

The Jesuit priest also established the Daughters of Mary Immaculate in 1951.

A National Executive Committee was established to strengthen the promotion of the cause for Fr. Willmann. The committee is headed by former chief justice Hilario Davide Jr. and Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, director of the media office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. J.G.M. AGCAOILI and L.M.P. VICENCIO

8

Editor: Erika Mariz S. Cunanan

FEATU

Brainchild of Education alumni: Café for book lovers and board gamers FOR EDUCATION alumni Kenneth Orallo and Daniel Valderueda, teaching goes beyond the four corners of the classroom.

The two turned random paper cutouts and bare studio space into a backyard-themed café for book lovers and board game enthusiasts, The Bookyard Café.

The Bookyard Café, which opened last March, can be seen as a garden in the middle of gray concrete buildings.

The two young entrepreneurs decided to start the business while reviewing for the Licensure Examination for Teachers. They finished their bachelor’s degrees in secondary education in 2015.

“We decided to open a book café because teaching is not only l i m i t e d inside the

classroom,” the 22-year-old Orallo said in an interview with the Varsitarian. “We want to feed not only [the customers’] stomachs but also their minds by encouraging them to read books.”

The small yet cozy café is decorated with white picket fences, bean bags, wooden crates and a tree-shaped shelf that hold local and international authors of young adult and classic novels.

“Reading has a lot of benefits like expanding our vocabulary and even bringing readers to far-away places through their imagination.

[We] wanted to create a place where someone could read, appreciate, and share the magic of books,” Orallo said.

The café also has card and board games that the customers can borrow and play with, including Jenga, Snakes and Ladders, Dominos and Uno.

Their menu is inspired by book authors such as John Green Tea (Matcha Green Tea frappe), Lang Leavmonade (Pink Lemonade) and Nichocolas Sparks (European Dark Chocolate frappe). Other mouthwatering menu items served are nachos, fries, and churros.

Beverages range from frappes to milkshakes.

Do-it-yourself and self-study The duo surprised everyone when they were able to open the café in just a month. They did not take any course related to food, beverage and entrepreneurship, but this did not stop them from being hands-on with their business. The two did not hire anyone to design the interior and mind the store. They take shifts as the café’s baristas, cooks, advertisers, servers and even dishwashers.

“In college, both of us cooked and made drinks during our spare time. We did everything through trial and

error,” Orallo said. “We asked our family and friends to taste our food and drinks and we plan to take up courses in the near future so we can add more skills.”

Despite some challenges, the two kept their resolve and sought the help of friends and family to jumpstart their business. They strived to cut expenses through “doit-yourself” activities, from their café decors to their pastel walls. The colorful books above the kitchen are about 70 years old, most of them donated by family members.

The tree-shaped bookshelf that completed the whole look of the café was designed by Orallo when he cut its silhouette on paper.

Orallo said one of his proudest moments was finishing all the required paperwork and cutting the ribbon when the restaurant opened to the public.

“Success isn’t an easy thing to measure. You can’t say that you’re successful in just a span of two years. What’s important is that

you enjoy the company of your customers because that in itself is already success,” said Orallo.

Bookyard expansion Valderueda said being graduates of the College of Education taught them how to market their café and interact with their customers.

He said he considered building everything from scratch and seeing things fall into place as a “reward.”

One of the duo’s goals is to open a mini-library called The Bookyard Express, which will be the size of a small shipping container or container van. According to Orallo, the mini-library will be located at various places where people can eat, read and relax.

Another plan is to put up “The Bookyard Lounge” which will be a bigger version of the Bookyard Café and can accommodate more customers and a wider selection of menu and books.

M.G.C. ESMAYA OCAMPO

and

V.A.

Valderueda and Orallo

Commerce website fills in need for maternal info, baby products

By MARY GRACE C. ESMAYA and VIANCA T. OCAMPO WITH a P100,000 capital, senior Entrepreneurship majors Kristine Gonzales and Edric Ng Cha brought their undergraduate thesis to life with “Urban Mom,” an online shop offering maternity and breastfeeding products.

Gonzales said their business was inspired by Ng Cha’s cousin who ended eight years of infertility.

“We saw how she cared so much for her precious baby that she researched everything from the benefits of breastfeeding to the proper way of raising a child,” Gonzales said in an e-mail to the Varsitarian. ‘ M o d e r n mothers’ Gonzales and Ng Cha joined online groups to observe and research about modern mothers.

They found out that modern mothers were very

hands on with their babies, which was different from the past decades whereas mothers leave their babies in the hands of their nannies. With this result, they decided to innovate maternity products to satisfy the needs of modern mothers.

“Urban Mom focuses on locally made products. We have the value of the products we offer and we aim to make the lives of moms simpler and easier,” said Gonzales.

Their business offers maternity and baby products, but focusing more on breastfeeding mothers.

They also have a line of product named “Milking Treats” which is a lactation snack that boosts milk production and popular to mothers because it helps in breastfeeding especially to those who are low in milk

production.

At present, Urban Mom is still an online based business and may be found in several bazaars like Baby and Family Expo, Ustepreneur and Babypalooza. According to Gonzales, the business still has room for improvements to make it more successful than it is now. “[It] has limited distribution of products, the company wanted to create a way to have wide distribution,” Gonzales said. “There is no better sales agent for us other than mothers because they personally need the product and have a better understanding of the product.”

Like a first time mother, the students-turned-business partners were also careful in taking care of their first business because they have to keep the sales high, while ensuring sustainability for a year as a completion for their thesis implementation.

For Gonzales, being a student entrepreneur is hard because balancing academics and the business at the same time is stressful enough.

Sacrifice like being absent in class because it coincides with a bazaar they joined is only one of the difficulties they experienced. “[However], for us it is [still] a good experience because in that way, we are being pushed to exceed our limits and give the best that we can,” she added.

“We also earned a lot of good exposure to the real world.”

Erlinda Sarno:

Thomasian chemist-l

UNITED States-based patent attorney Erlinda Sarno, who graduated magna cum laude from the University with a degree in chemistry in 1966, passed away at the age of 72 last Feb. 1 in her home in California.

She was known as a civic and professional leader, dedicated to the development and patenting of certain inventions. She worked for Baxter Healthcare Corp., an American healthcare company, where she occupied managerial and supervisory positions after graduating from California State University-Long Beach (CSULB) in 1975.

Sarno was awarded the first Dave Winchell Patent Award by Baxter International for the patent with the most significant business impact in the corporation.

Some of Sarno’s patented inventions include stable intravenously administrable immune globulin preparation and hollow semi-circularly curved loudspeaker enclosure, among others.

She received numerous awards for her civic involvement, including the Southern California Edison Leadership Award in 2010 and Citizen of the Year Award by the Lions Club in 2007.

For Wigsby Mendoza, a colleague, Sarno was persistent in her work, making sure that Filipino-American businesses can compete for opportunities.

“The USA business market

can be daunting and that is why Linda’s wisdom to guide the Filipino businessmen in the US is just what is needed,” said Mendoza in an e-mail to the Varsitarian.

Mendoza was working in a water company when he first met Sarno, then of the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County.

Sarno co-founded chamber in 1994, a nonprofit organization of Filipino American entrepreneurs, professionals and students. She was president of the group from 2004 to 2005.

Sarno’s wisdom in guiding Filipino businessmen is what is needed in the US market, Mendoza said. “Linda’s brand of leadership was able to unite members of the chamber and to keep it going,” he added.

When Sarno passed away, people mourned the loss of Sarno’s undying passion in developing science and community involvement in California. “[She] was a beloved community organizer and leader who supported the development and professionalism of Filipino American businesses and raised awareness and appreciation for Filipino culture and cuisine in Southern California,” said US Rep. Ed Royce in a statement.

Royce worked with Sarno for the advancement of Southern California’s Filipino-American community in 2011.

According to Royce, Sarno

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9

JUNE 14, 2016

Sports Science alumna: A blazing presence in motocross MOTORCYCLES can also be a girl’s best friend.

This was proven by Jannelle Kristin Saulog when she first held the leather seat of a 50-cc motorcycle at the age of four.

She did not want to get off the bike since her father, a motocross legend, introduced her to the extreme sport.

Growing up on the tracks, the daughter of motocross veteran Jovie Saulog’s earliest memories was competing when she was seven years old. Since then she has been finishing multiple races and has won numerous awards including the 1999 Peewee Intermediate National Championship, 2010 Sel-J Lady Rider of the Year, as well as the 2012 and 2014 Special Event National Championship. She was also named the National Motorcycle Sports and Safety Association Lady Rider of the Year for four consecutive years until 2013.

She was hailed as the country’s leading female motocross rider after her recent title defense—an outstanding performance on the racetracks of the 2016 Diamond Motocross Series last April 2 at the MX Messiah Fairgrounds at Taytay, Rizal.

Gender stereotype?

Motocross is an extreme sport held at open race courses, where riders speed off at dirt road tracks to the finish line. It is dominated by males, and female riders are rare.

Saulog said a lot of female enthusiasts have started to break the stereotype. “I remember when I was a kid, we were only two girls. Today, the community is starting to grow.

There are a lot of groups forming in different parts of the country,” she said.

As a girl in a male-dominated sport, Saulog said motocross is not as easy as it looks. Girls have to train and exert extra effort for them to place and get noticed during the race.

“Not everyone gets the chance to be noticed. Just to be recognized as one of the leading lady riders is enough for me,” she said.

Recovering from a bruise, she said accidents were normal in races. “You need to have faith and courage. You need to believe in yourself for you to execute

-lawyer will be missed

ted initiatives in the community promote the advantages of green hnology, health, and conservation h in business and everyday life, h as helping young entrepreneurs California in improving their inesses.

In 2011, Sarno was awarded the standing Chemistry Alumna for ustrial Research and Development Public Service during the dricentennial celebration of UST. Her significant contributions the field of human plasma ctionation merited the ard. She was joined by ee other chemistry alumni he College of Science.

In addition, Sarno ted and headed the versity of Santo Tomas emistry Periodic Table ndraiser, an endowment for mistry students with financial iculties.

She also established a olarship at the Department of emistry in CSU-LB.

Sarno

The death of Sarno was a great loss of a “truly compassionate being,” Mendoza said. “[We lost someone] who is devoted to improving the lives of others and who also had inspired many of us to make a difference,” Mendoza said..

MARY GRACE C. ESMAYA

jumps, stunts and also for speed. The sport isn’t just for play,” she said.

Motocross competitions take up the entire day with races happening one after another. With this, riders have to fight off the heat, especially on outdoor racetracks.

The 25-year-old graduated last year with a degree in sports science from the College of Rehabilitation Sciences. Initially thinking that her course was purely sports related, Saulog only came to appreciate it during her internship year when she was able to apply all the lessons she had learned.

“With my course, I’ve learned how to properly work out. This has helped me a lot especially with all the training I have to do for a race,” she said.

Her internship has allowed her to work with the University’s Swimming Team, known as the Tiger Sharks.

Saulog said being a sports science graduate prepared her with the necessary knowledge and skills to handle the physical training that her sport demands. She has to train two to three times a week before entering a race, focusing on cardio and upper body strength.

Aside from motocross, she also enjoys trying different sports during her free time, including tennis and basketball.

logo of the family-run business, JMS Motorcycle Shop, stitched on her racing suits. Nueva Ecija, Baguio, Iloilo, Cebu, Palawan, Davao, and Cagayan de Oro were some the many places that she was able to visit because of the sport.

Saulog urged tough and competitive girls to try out motocross, saying the adrenaline rush was worth feeling. She appealed for more support to riders in local and international competitions.

“Everything I’ve done, everywhere I’ve been, and everything is all because of motocross. I wouldn’t have gone to places without my bike,” she said. VIANCA A. OCAMPO

Sanchez

Toward the ‘finish line’ Saulog was optimistic of the future of motocross.

The crowd is energetic, and more people are beginning to notice the sport. It’s fulfilling to be able to be one of the few girls who can actually say that they can handle a bike, she said.

“Not all girls can ride a motorcycle, so if you’re one, then you’re cool.

The feeling that many of you are racing together is one of the best things ever,” she said.

Saulog acknowledged that being successful in motocross requires support from sponsors. She has the

CRS faculty braves new frontiers in geriatric health care RAPID ageing has prompted new and creative approaches in healthcare and prevention strategy.

This is why Thomasian physical therapist and academician, Donald Manlapaz, aims to bring into perspective an innovative way of getting everyone in tip-top shape through “Exergaming,” a combination of both exercise and gaming.

“As physical therapists, we promote an active lifestyle by encouraging individuals to be physically active by exercising.

With the advent of virtual and augmented reality, I’m exploring its possible adherence to exercise since this can both be fun and motivating especially for patients,” Manlapaz said in an email.

The 31-year-old alumnus of the College of Rehabilitation Sciences is currently taking up his doctorate studies as a scholar in School of Physiotherapy in the University of Otago in New Zealand.

He has been in the spotlight mainly for his thesis, “The use of Nintendo Wii Fit™ in improving falls risk and adherence to exercise in patients with Knee Osteoarthritis,” a study about a degenerative disease affecting the aging population not only in the Philippines, but also in other countries.

“As age increases, the prevalence and incidence of falls also increase. Therefore,

addressing balance as one of the risk factors for falls may help in lessening the occurrence,” he said.

This study served as Manlapaz’s tool in encouraging therapists in maximizing the benefits of assistive technological advancements in rehabilitation sciences, including the use of game console, Nintendo Wii Fit. Nintendo Wii Fit is currently being used both for exercise and recreational purposes, most especially in yoga, aerobics, balance and endurance training and strength exercises. Being a functional gadget, it is highly recommended by therapists for both home therapy and clinical rehabilitation.

“Technology has invaded the rehabilitation domain. This idea prompted me to explore and investigate on the role of exergaming, in order to say that it is really effective,” he said.

Aside from being a scholar in the University of Otago, Manlapaz takes great pride in the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, calling it his home and comfort zone, after finishing his undergraduate studies with a degree in Physical Therapy back in 2006 and serving as the college’s secretary for three years from 2012 to 2015. He later on graduated cum laude and earned his master’s degree at the University’s Graduate School in 2015.

“My contribution for UST

after obtaining my PhD will be in three-fold aspects: positively contributing in teaching and learning strategies, research productivity, and empowering my colleagues,” he said.

He has also presented many of Health PAGE 14

Manlapaz

10 Lenspeak

Editor: Basilio H. Sepe

JUNE 14, 2016

UST BACCALAUREATE MASS 2016 Photos by ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN, AMPARO KLARIN J. MANGOROBAN and BASILIO H. SEPE

Graduates rejoice during the pyro-musical display.

Acting Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. presides over the Baccalaureate Maas and leads the Ceremony of Light.

Batch 2016 exits through the historic Arch of the Centuries.

More than 8,000 candidates for graduation light candles during the Baccalaureate Mass.

Editor: Aliliana Margarette T. Uyao

JUNE 14, 2016

Literary 11

The epic imagination of Cirilo Bautista

By JOSEF BRIAN M. RAMIL and CEDRIC ALLEN P. STA. CRUZ CIRILO Bautista may have finally been proclaimed National Artist for Literature in formal Malacañang ceremonies, but his prodigious and prolific achievement seems missed by many Filipinos who after all have often been criticized as “not a reading culture.”

Not too many Filipinos know that Bautista’s major work, “The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus,” is as reinvention of the epic and is a narrative in modern idiom of Philippine history.

Born in 1941, Bautista spent much of his childhood reading through all manner of Tagalog literature and anything else he could get his hands on in Balic-Balic in Sampaloc, Manila.

He went to Legarda Elementary School and Mapa High School where he graduated valedictorian. He finished AB Literature, magna cum laude at the old UST College of Liberal Arts. In college, he was a member of the Varsitarian. He took up graduate studies at Saint Louis University in Baguio where he taught for a time. He also taught at San Beda College and De la Salle University, where he obtained his doctorate.

He received an honorary fellowship in creative writing at University of Iowa in 1969 and British Council fellowship at Trinity College in Cambridge in 1987. He was first writer to be elevated to the Palanca Hall of Fame for winning five grand prizes in 1995.

The National Artist Awards pleased him no end.

“It’s my life’s achievement in writing. It’s the highest award you can have in our country,” he said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Throughout his career, he combed through the pages of Philippine history and reflected on the state of the nation and its people.

In his 1973 essay, “The Theory of Poetry,” Bautista said the poetry is as much a science as it is an art.

“Like all sciences, it contains within its concept a system of principles which the structure of its being, its inner force, is explicable and defensible,” he wrote.

His concept of poetry seems to govern his 30-year literary endeavor, The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus, in which he revived epic poetry writing in order to provide a modern retelling of Philippine history.

“The Archipelago,” “Telex Moon” and “Sunlight on Broken Stones” comprise the trilogy.

Despite being written individually, each book connects key episodes of Philippine history.

The collection was called such in honor of the Philippines’ original name, Las islas de San Lázaro or “The Archipelago of

Saint Lazarus,” as named by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521.

“The Archipelago,” the first book in the trilogy, tackles the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, beginning with a passage from Antonio de Morga’s “Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas,” about the strategic location of the Philippines and how it was named after San Lazaro.

Backboned with excerpts from important figures that led to the conquest of the Philippines, it ultimately transitions to the times of Jose Rizal.

Bautista considers Rizal an inspiration for writers.

“Many people influenced me. Jose Rizal influenced me, and down into history, the other American poets, influenced me, for instance, T.S Eliot, the English writer. There are many. Anything that I read and that affected me very well has influenced me,” Bautista said.

In “Telex Moon”, Bautista tracked the simultaneous growth and degradation of the city of Manila, lamenting its subsequent fate under the tyranny of wealth, and drawing from his own views the developments and circumstances surrounding Rizal’s time as well as what was happening in the country during the Marcos era.

Bautista writes:

of God favored by the cross-sticks and cross-lights Aramaic, is to dress violence in pied puppetry.

Such lines depict the city as undermined by materialism and the adverse effects of the so-called march of progress. It The “crawling of the sea” alludes, in a way, to the telex moon, which hovers over the city as a symbol of the ever-present glare of these wayward forces.

Finally, in “Sunlight on Broken Stones”, Bautista chronicled Epic PAGE 14

To say that of man or of any categoric being, is only to philosophize, as to conclude that because the motorguards who run over children in the part are doing their duty, the levies on machineries ought to be revoked, is only to beg the point. The sea crawls as it ought to crawl,

Bautista

dragging the seaweeds and the seastones with it. as it should, but to conclude it retards the growth of hibiscus and ephemera, or clog the brains of statesmen on rainy days, is to debase one’s own persona. To say of this City that it is the City

Effective publishing practices tackled in internat’l literary fest

Metro

HE WAS all smiles as he bore the discomfort of a broken seat, a whiff of scents combined— boiled peanuts, and nauseating pine air freshener— unfazed, still.

Everyone slept he couldn’t shy away from the view of towering squares and spaghetti wires.

Opportunity lurked in a tin can with wheels, that took him to places: A five-hour trip to the golden city.

The conductor shouted “Buendia.”

He alighted from the rectangular tin, and breathed in the dangerous dark breeze— Nothing like they said— neither gold, nor diamond just grime and smoke and dirty children.

It was too late to realize his warm welcome to the belly of the beast.

JOSEF BRIAN M. RAMIL

DIFFERENT publishing strategies were discussed in the 7th Philippine International Literary Festival at the Quezon City Memorial Circle held on April 28 to 29.

The festival, which had the theme “Against Forgetting,” featured Thomasians authors, such as Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, director of the UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies, who gave a lecture on literary editing in print, particularly in the book and magazine industries.

Hidalgo lamented the lack of trained editors.

“The lack of literary editors has led to this situation: many authors, particularly those who already have made a name for themselves, do not readily accept editing other than copy editing,” she said.

Hidalgo said a good literary editor should be a good writer, team player and wide reader who is careful and considerate of the writer’s work, while possessing a good feel of the market. “One problem is the size of the market

for literary works,” she added.

Ralph Semino Galan, Arts and Letters professor, was a panelist in a discussion on writing workshops in the country alongside Michael Coroza, a UST Graduate School professor.

Poet and former Varsitarian editor in chief Vim Nadera and Artlets professor Ferdinand Lopez served as moderators in a discussion on sex and sexuality.

In the same session, Mayette Bayuga, author of such erotic novels as Halinghing sa Hatinggabi and Sa Templo ni Tamillah, pointed out the difference between erotic literature and pornography, saying that the erotic becomes pornographic when it loses its story element.

In a session titled, “Letters to a Young Poet,” veteran Filipino writers Benilda Santos and Edel Garcellano and exiled Chinese writer Bei Ling addressed emerging writers. They advised young writers to be wary of treating the craft as a way of getting recognition without considering the

commitment that comes with it.

The festival also featured speakers on marketing, book design, copyright selling and publishing for an international audience.

Stacy Whitman, founder of Tu Books, which publishes middle-grade and young-adult literature, opened the final day with a discussion on publication in the international market, stating that social media are “the great equalizer in publishing.”

She drew from her own experience in publishing books of various genres, particularly children’s books and young adult novels. “For writers, once you’ve perfected your craft, you have to look at who is selling the kinds of books or the kinds of stories that you’re writing, and if nobody is selling it, you might still be avantgarde,” she said in an interview.

Whitman was joined by dramatist Nicholas Fest PAGE 15

12 Filipino

Patnugot: Maria Koreena M. Eslava

IKA-14 NG HUNYO, 2016

Balagtas bilang pambansang bayani Nina JASPER EMMANUEL Y. ARCALAS at BENRADETTE A. PAMINTUAN ANO ANG pagkakapareho nina Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Heneral Antonio Luna at Francisco Baltazar?

Manunulat silang lahat subalit hindi kinikilalang bayani ng ating bansa ang isa sa kanila.

Para kay Virgilio Almario, Pambansang Alagad ng Sining, karapat-dapat lamang na hirangin si Francisco Baltazar, o mas kilala bilang Balagtas, bilang isang bayani ng Filipinas dahil wala pa ni isang bayaning kinikilala ang bansa na “hindi nagpakamatay [o] hindi namuno ng rebolusiyon, pero ginamit ang kaniyang talino para mag-ambag ng isang likhang sining o likhang pambansa.” “[Marapat maging bayani si Balagtas] para maisip ng mga tao na puwede palang maging bayani ang isang manunulat,” ani Almario sa isang personal na panayam sa Varsitarian. “Lahat kasi ng mga bayani natin [ay] martir, pulitiko, heneral. Wala tayong bayani na fulltime writer.”

Dagdag pa niya, “part-time writer” lamang diumano ang ilan sa mga kinikilalang bayani natin ngayon tulad nina Rizal at Bonifacio at tanging si Balagtas lamang ang tinuon ang buong buhay sa pagsusulat at iniakda ang awit na Florante at Laura na naging inspirasiyon nina Rizal, Bonifacio at Apolinario Mabini.

“Bukod pa roon, ang Florante at Laura ay naging simbolo ng pag-ibig sa bayan,” ani Almario.

“Ito ang unang naging simbolo ng pagsulat para sa bayan kaya sina Rizal, hanggang kay Apolinario Mabini, ay nagpahayag ng paghanga sa Florante at Laura,” ani Almario.

Plano ng Tagapangulo ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) na isulong ang kampanyang ito sa pamamagitan ng paghimok sa mga Filipino na makilahok sa kanilang layunin at himukin din ang Pangulo ng Filipinas na bigyangpansin ang nasabing pagpapahalaga kay Balagtas.

“[Kailangang] kumbinsihin ang presidente at gumawa ng executive order,” aniya. “Kailangan ng ingay at kampanya. Kailangan mabanggit ng mga manunulat kung bakit si Balagtas ay hindi nagiging bayani.”

Bayani o makabayan?

Ayon kay Augusto de Viana, historyador at tagapangulo ng Departamento ng Kasaysayan ng Unibersidad, may pagkakaiba ang isang bayani at patriot o makabayan.

“Nationalism is different from patriotism,” ani De Viana..”A hero is a nationalist while a patriot is something higher than a nationalist.

You don’t have to die to be a hero.

But to become a patriot is to lose everything including your life, willing to endure extreme hardships.

It is the conviction that can make a patriot different from a hero.”

Dagdag pa niya, “A patriot inspires a hero. He is usually the first hero. Heroes follow the patriots.”

Alinsunod sa ganitong konsepto, para sa historyador, hindi nabibilang si Balagtas sa alinman sa dalawang kategorya.

Paliwanag ni de Viana, kailangan tandaan na isinulat ni Balagtas ang Florante at Laura base sa kaniyang karanasan ng kabiguan sa pagmamahal na nagkaroon na lamang ng iba’t ibang interpretasiyon sang-ayon sa pananaw ng nakabasa nito.

“Balagtas is a literary genius but he is not a hero, although he was a victim of Spanish oppression.

Just because he fell in love with a woman he cannot have, he was put into prison,” ani de Viana. “He composed a play [but] it did not cause a revolution [and] it did not form the Katipunan. It was just a source of entertainment which the Spaniards liked.”

Inilimbag ang Florante at Laura noong 1838 ilan tinutuligsa ang pagkaluklok ni Reyna Isabela II, ang unang anak ni Haring

Prusisyon DAHAN-DAHANG pinapapikit ang pinto ng simbahan habang pinasasayaw ang kampana sa ligalig at pag-asa. Pauunahin ko pumasok ang mga pagkukulang: pagkalimot sa anibersaryo ng kasal nina Ima at Taytay; hindi paghahanda ng almusal at baon sa pagpasok ng aking nobyo; at pagtalikod sa isang trabaho abroad dahil hindi nais mawalay sa piling ng aking mga mahal.

Saka pasusunurin ang mga papuri at pasasalamat: ”Nandito lang kami, anak.” ”I do.” ”Huwag kang maging kumander ha?”

At kapag nakapasok na ang huli sa pila: ang aking mga agam-agam Saka ako pipikit hihinga ng malalim, ngingiti Aalalahanin ang habilin ni Ima kagabi habang dahan-dahang bumubukas ang pinto at pinasasayaw ang mga kampana: Mahaba-haba ang prusisiyong ito, Elena.

JASPER EMMANUEL Y. ARCALAS

Ferdinand VII, sa trono ng Espanya dahil ayon sa batas ng bansa hindi maaaring mamuno ang isang babae.

Kinaayawan ng mga Carlista noon ang pagkaluklok niya dahil ayaw nilang mapasailalim sa kapangyarihan ng isang babae.

Ngunit giit ni Haring Ferdinand VII, mas namamayani ang dugo kaysa sa kasarian sa pamumuno sa kaharian, kaya natuloy ang pagkaluklok ni ng reyna.

Nagsagawa naman ng rebelyon ang mga tumituligsa kay Reyna Isabela II na tinaguriang “Glorious Rebellion” na nagtagumpay kalaunan sa pagpapatalsik sa reyna at nagbigay-daan sa pagkaluklok ni Haring Amadeo I. “It [Florante at Laura] had a hidden message for the Filipinos, [that] we are oppressed but soon we will win. [As] for the Spaniards, their queen is being oppressed but she will [reign] in the end. Florante at Laura causes a double vision for the Filipinos and another for the Spaniards that is why both the Filipinos and the Spaniards acclaim him, although for different reasons,” wika ni de Viana.

Ayon sa National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA), bagaman ipinagdiriwang ang araw ng mga bayani at araw ng kamatayan ng ilan sa mga ito, walang opisiyal na hinirang na pambansang bayani o mga bayani ang Filipinas.

Ayon sa ahensiya, walang batas o panukalang ipinasa na siyang nagtatalaga kina Rizal, Bonifacio, Luna at Mabini na mga bayani ng ating bansa.

Wala ring legal na basehan ang pagturing kay Rizal na pambansang bayani. Walang batas na nagsasaad na siya ang pambansang bayani.

Tanging pagbibigay-pugay lamang ang pagtanaw natin sa kaniyang kadakilaan at ambag sa lipunang Filipino.

Sa kabila nito, kinikilala ng mga Filipino ang mga natatanging ambag ng mga bayani sa kasaysayan at pagbabagong panlipunan kagaya ng pagkilala

sa mga pambansang simbolo na naging bahagi na ng ating kultura sa pamamagitan ng pagdiriwang ng araw ng kanilang pagkamatay at araw ng mga bayani, ayon sa NCCA. Gayunpaman, alinsunod sa Executive Order No. 75 ni dating pangulong Fidel Ramos, nilikha ng gobyerno sa ilalim ng Office of the President ang National Heroes Committee na siyang magtitiyak at magtatalaga ng mga bayani ng bansa.

Ayon sa alituntunin na inilahad ng nasabing komite noong 1993, kailangang mayroong ang isang bayani ng “concept of nation” na siya namang naglalayong ipaglaban ang kasarinlan ng bansa. Ikalawa, dapat nakapag-ambag sa sistema at pamumuhay ng malaya ng mga Filipino ang isang bayani. Panghuli, nakatulong dapat ang bayani sa pamumuhay ng kaniyang kababayan gayundin sa tunguhin at bisyon ng Filipinas.

Nadagdagan naman ang tatlong alintuntunin na ito noong ika-15 ng Nobyembre, 1995 nang muling Bayani PAHINA 14

Mga bayani ng Filipinas

Usapang Uste

MULA SA PAHINA 2

ng ating sandatahang lakas, nagsulat siya ng ilang polisiyang pangkalusugan para sa Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Kabilang sa mga ito ang innovative prevention strategies na naglalayong bawasan ang panganib sa buhay ng mga sundalo sa pamamagitan ng Combat Lifesaver Course na isang serye ng medikal na pagsasanay para mismo sa AFP. Ginawa rin niyang mas epektibo ang pag-ehersisyo ng mga sundalo sa pamamagitan ng bagong Physical Fitness Test na inilunsad niya noong 2006.

Dahil sa kaniyang natatanging galing, ginawaran siya ng mga medalyang Military Civic Action, Presidential Unit Citation, Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation, Mindanao Sulu Campaign, Wounded Personnel at Military Commendation.

Gayundin, pinarangalan siya ng Philippine Military Aacademy ng Dr. Jose P. Rizal Memorial Award for Government Service dahil sa kaniyang walang humpay na pag-aalay ng kaniyang sarili sa paglilingkod.

BERNADETTE A. PAMINTUAN

Tomasalitaan: Takap (png)—malakas na pagsigaw; nakaiinsultong pagbubunganga; pasigaw na pagmumura Hal.: Nakabibingi ang takap ng mga sundalo habang tino-torture ang mga biktima ng Martial Law. Mga Sanggunian: The Varsitarian: Tomo II Blg. 7, Oktubre 1, 1928 The Varsitarian: Tomo II Blg. 8, Oktubre 16, 1928 The Varsitarian: Tomo II Blg. 10, Nobyembre 12, 1928 The Varsitarian: Tomo II Blg. 11, Disyembre 1, 1928 2009 TOTAL Awards Souvenir Program

Sci-Tech 13

JUNE 14, 2016

Thomasians urged to practice ‘green’ hospitality

By JULIUS ROMAN M. TOLOP IN AN effort to mitigate the harmful effects human activities on the environment, future Thomasian hoteliers and restaurateurs were encouraged to fulfill their roles as stewards of creation through “green hospitality,” in a seminar at the Accountancy Multipurpose Hall last May 4.

“In planning structures for hotels and restaurants, we could use biological control agents [such as guppies, a freshwater fish] to help diminish the growth of mosquitoes in certain areas,” said Gregg Yan, communications and media manager of the World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines and Earth Hour Philippines AsiaPacific Association o f Communication Directors.

Yan cited the Nuvali Retention Pond, which serves as a breeding ground for koi fish that are distributed t o

Ayala Land establishments. The pond also serves as a flood control basin, with the help of plants known for their water-holding capacity.

Florence Lavador, technical services manager of Hotel & Spa Essentials Inc., said conserving the environment should not compromise the quality of the services sector. For instance, “green” hotels save more money and have a better public image.

“Use of eco-friendly products might be considered expensive, initially, but in the long run you can see their satisfactory value and from there you got to save up,” she said. “You can come up with eco-friendly products such as EcoKnit, a technically advanced a n d energy efficient towel and biodegradable packaging materials

for toiletries.”

Studies have shown that environmentally friendly hotels have better employee retention, customer loyalty, and profitability. Studies have shown that approximately 54 percent of a hotel’s solid waste could be recycled and reused.

Lavador recommended switching to low-flow toilets and shower heads using toilet-tank fill diverters, to conserve water.

Switching from old appliances to newer ones can also conserve more electricity.

Training and coordination among hotel staff, environmental action plans and in-house “green teams” assignments can also bolster a hotel’s environmentfriendly performance.

Yan said

environmental protection should start in the household. People can opt to use solar panels as a source of electricity. Rainwater can be collected and used for cleaning, and guppies instead of insecticides can be used as a safer way of killing mosquitos.

Thomasian stewardship The event also emphasized the University’s take on environmental protection, starting with the Ambag 2021 Kalikasan project launched on April.

Mark Abenir, director of the UST Simbahayan Community Development Office, said one of the University’s goals was to include e n v i r o n m e n t a l advocacy in its vision and mission statements, e m p h a s i z i n g

“proactive and environmental stewardship” towards God’s creation.

A committee or a center for environmental sustainability and action can be responsible for coordinating with the different faculties and colleges in devising their own environmental policies, he said.

Aside from the inclusion of environmental education in the curriculum, environmental campaigns can also be conducted through training sessions and seminars, to raise environmental consciousness among Thomasians.

Policies toward decreasing the University’s carbon footprint, regulation of air-conditioning units, and the use of LED lights and renewable energy sources were also recommended.

Thomasians were encouraged to observe a “zero-waste” policy, by minimizing the use of straws and tetra-pack drinks, and the improvement of waste segregation.

The program ended with a pledge of commitment, where students vowed to commit to the preservation of the environment when they become professionals and to support the University’s policies on environmental conservation.

Experts call for Taal Lake research, conservation THE RICH biodiversity of Taal Lake in Batangas is largely unexplored and needs to be protected, experts said during the first Philippine Symposium on Freshwater Biodiversity and Ecosystems that opened last June 7.

The symposium featured “Taalaman: The Lake’s First Biomuseum,” which showcases the lake’s biodiversity in an exhibit of a wide range of vertebrate and invertebrate freshwater species in glass aquaria, and photo walls and illustrations of marshlands and microorganisms near the lake.

Assoc. Prof. Rey Donne Papa, symposium chairperson, said Taalaman, a word play between “Taal” and “laman” (“content” in English), could help fuel research on the lake, the country’s third largest. It is the location of Taal Volcano, the second most active volcano in the Philippines.

“Kapag kinausap mo ‘yung ibang scientists parang ang dating ang dami na nilang alam pero kapag tiningnan mo ‘yung literature, parang puro haka-haka,

puro hearsay. That is why we need more studies, not just theses, but we need them to be published to be validated,” he said in an interview.

The UST Central Laboratory Building, still under construction, will also house a laboratory dedicated to specimen collection in line with Taalaman’s goals, he added.

“Hindi lang ito magiging limited sa freshwater species (in Taal); basta may mga Thomasian researchers, gagawin naming practice na i-document at i-catalogue ‘yung mga darating pa [na research] para maging reference collection,” Papa said.

Taalaman is open to the public until June 17. The symposium is a four-day convention that aims to foster international and national interest in the research field of freshwater taxonomy and parasitology.

The event, hosted by the UST Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences, is in collaboration with the International Society of Limnology, Biodiversity Management Bureau, National Fisheries Research and Development

Institute, Manila Ocean Park, Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, University of the Philippines Institute of Biology, Ateneo de Manila and the Association of Systematic Biologists of the Philippines. It received

grants from the California Academy of Sciences, Pusod Inc. and the United States Agency for International Development.

MIA ROSIENNA MALLARI and JULIUS ROMAN M. TOLOP

Taal Lake in Batangas.

‘Super Typhoon’ enters lexicon Pagasa activates La Niña watch of severe weather disturbances THE WEATHER bureau has adopted the “super” storm category in a bid to improve disaster preparedness.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) will use the “super typhoon” category for storms with maximum winds exceeding 220 kilometers per hour (km/h).

Chris Perez, a weather forecaster at Pagasa, said the news media had referred to strong typhoons such as “Haiyan” (local name “Yolanda”) as “super typhoons,” but these were not official designations.

“Some of them were not necessarily ‘super typhoons,’” Perez said. “It was the media who started this [trend], not Pagasa.”

Perez said the new storm category could help visualize the extent of a typhoon’s outcome and prompt residents in affected areas to evacuate if necessary.

“The problem with disasters is that some people are really stubborn, so they don’t listen to the authorities,” he said. “We can’t help it that some people would want to go back for other purposes, such as to protect their livelihood,

THE UNITED Nations’ World Meteorological Organization

[but] with [this] new category, we could at least give them a view of what could happen.”

This is the fourth category after tropical depressions (maximum winds of 63 km/h), tropical storms (64km/h up to 118km/h of maximum winds), and typhoons (118 km/h of

maximum winds and higher).

In 2015, super typhoons “Lando” (“Koppu”) and “Chedeng” (“Maysak”) were the first to be placed under the new category.

RHENN ANTHONY TAGUIAM

S.

h a s declared 2015 the hottest year, the worst in 15 years since its recordkeeping began.

However, recent weather reports project a shift in climate conditions— El Niño is coming to an end and its sister La Niña is looming in

the horizon.

El Niño and La Niña are opposite phases of a natural climate pattern across the tropical Pacific Ocean, swinging back and forth every three to seven years, on average.

El Niño is associated with warmer surface waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific region.

La Niña occurs with the formation of tropical cyclones over the western Pacific, increasing the number of tropical storms and bringing heavier rainfall to the Philippines.

The term La Niña, which means “little girl,” was used by scientists and meteorologists to differentiate it from El Niño.

It is sometimes called El Viejo (old man), which means “anti El Niño,” or simply described as a “cold event.”

According to the 15th El Niño advisory and La Niña watch of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), El Niño continues to weaken in the tropical Pacific, where the country is located.

The weather bureau activated its La Niña watch last May 18.

“La Niña will be felt around September or the last quarter of

this year,” said Joseph Basconcillo of the Pagasa Climate Monitoring and Prediction Sections, which are under the agency’s Climatology and Agrometeorology Division.

El Niño and La Niña climate patterns happen due to climate variability in the Pacific region, Basconcillo said.

“Many believe that when there is El Niño, there is no rainfall.

This is wrong. El Niño only causes delayed onset of rainy season or a reduction of rainfall. May ulan pa rin pero mahina o malimit lang,” he said in an interview.

Scientists have studied the contribution of climate change to these climate patterns.

Some found that climate change had exacerbated these patterns, while others saw little to no effect.

Basconcillo clarified that climate change was not the main cause, but could intensify the effects of El Niño and La Niña.

“When you hear some statements saying that El Niño or La Niña can be attributed to climate change, they are wrong. These [climate patterns] are naturally occurring in all their phases. It is a cycle,” he said. KIMBERLY JOY V. NAPARAN and JULIUS ROMAN M. TOLOP

14 Limelight

Art Director: Ava Mariangela C. Victoria

JUNE 14, 2016

BUHAY USTEDYANTE BY CHINNY MAE F. BASINANG

BEN N’ VIDES BY KIRSTEN M. JAMILLA

USTIPS BY FREYA D.L.R. TORRES

Editorial the same FC that Cory used to oust elected local officials beholden to Marcos and to put officers in charge in their place, one of them being Duterte himself!

Moreover, Duterte seemed to have forgotten—or did it escape his legal logic?—that the 1987 Constitution enabled him to formalize his OIC position in Davao when he ran and won for mayor in 1987 based on the new charter.

But mind you, it is the same charter that has enabled Duterte to win the presidency and under which Congress has proclaimed him as the winner of the May 10, 2016 elections!

Therefore, Duterte’s boycott of his own proclamation by Congress is an insult to the Constitution.

Saying at one time he would appoint men and women of integrity in key positions regardless of partisan affiliations, Duterte later admitted it never crossed his mind to give a Cabinet position or any position for that matter to

Vice-President-elect Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, since it would hurt his alliance with losing vicepresidential candidate and outgoing senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos.

The adoring media had played all of this until they got to know blatantly how low Duterte regarded them when the president-elect, asked to comment on the 2009 Maguindanao incident in which more than 30 media persons were killed, said any journalist was not “exempt from assassination... if you are a son of a bitch.” When certain sectors of the press cried foul, he told them, “Don’t fuck with me!”

Generally treated by the media during the campaign with kid-gloves, Duterte after his proclamation has repeatedly displayed his chauvinism, his disdain of women, his scorn of the Catholic Church, his derision of democracy, and his megalomania.

During one press conference, he whistled lewdly at a womanjournalist. When the reporter’s husband protested, he invoked freedom of expression. Earlier in the campaign, he repeated his

lewd remark about an Australian missionary who was raped and brutalized by prisoners during a jail revolt in Davao in the 1990’s: “They’ve gotten to her ahead of the mayor. Kill them all!”

He later apologized for the remark, especially to the Australian government, but the fact he repeated roughly the same chauvinistic gesture during the press conference should worry people that he didn’t quite see the point of why his controversial remarks had raised much furor here and abroad In fact, it was not the first time that he made such statements.

During the campaign, he defamed the Catholic Church by calling it as the most “hypocritical institution” and attacked some bishops by calling them “sons of whores.”

He even cursed Pope Francis for causing traffic jams Metro Manila during the papal visit in 2015.

Even before his proclamation, Duterte has been holding extended press conferences in which he has harangued the Church, government, police and military, and other sectors of society, and loudly proclaiming changes in policies and

programs, which however do not seem to jive with his choices for the Cabinet many of whom have been obviously made to pay off political debts.

Duterte lacks humility and respect. By hogging the limelight and proclaiming this and that change, he seems to have forgotten there’s still an incumbent administration and that rules of courtesy require that he should shut his trap till he’s inaugurated on June 30.

Duterte’s utter lack of urbanity, his predisposition toward vicious, even hate, language, and his unrepentant ways of speech and comportment appear to confirm the psychiatrist’s report to the court during his marriage annulment: that he’s narcissistic and shows no capacity for real remorse and compunction.

The “psychological incapacity” that annulled his marriage now seems set to be transposed to his marriage with the Filipino electorate. The nation has elected not a new presidency, but a regressive pathology.

Career

Epic

through the inception of Manila and the stormy periods in the history of the nation, setting Manila as an example.

Bautista credited the inception of the trilogy to his goal of writing an epic about the development of the Filipino soul “from the very start of Philippine history to the twentieth century.”

According to fellow poet, the late Ophelia Alcantara-Dimalanta, the trilogy goes beyond its depiction of history.

“The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus conveys the Filipino psyche, the ‘uniqueness and beauty of the Filipino Experience,’” she wrote.

During the UST tribute to his works, Bautista took to the aesthetics in poetry, as observed in his work.

“You see poetry, is a kind of public communication, where everything that you say is of immediacy. That’s the point with artists and art, at some point, the art becomes the life. We can’t get out of it,” said Bautista.

Bautista believed that the most fruitful way of writing a historybased epic was “to treat historical data creatively by fictionalizing them.” “[The] objective is to make a poem out of history,” Bautista said, adding that a writer reconfigures history through artistic and aesthetic means so that it comes out as a pleasurable interpretation and not one that is contradictory to it.

Health

FROM PAGE 4

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FROM PAGE 11

as he also aims to clinch a slot in the national team in hopes of competing in international tournaments.

Meanwhile, softbelles Arlyn Areglado and Kris Lacupa have different plans after graduation.

While Lacupa is considering a coaching career in Iloilo, Areglado said her playing days are over and “wants to have a permanent work.”

Golden Sox’ Arvin Plaza said he will continue playing baseball for it was the key to his education and advised the other student-athletes to “study well and do not slack off.”

Three-time gold medalist and last year’s track and field MVP Jila dela Rosa, on the other hand, will prioritize looking for a job while reviewing for the Licensure Exam for Teachers after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education Major in Technology and Livelihood Education.

Her teammate, Jessa Fernandez, also has a degree in education and “would like to continue her career as a professional but would like to try a different chapter” in her life.

“I have learned so many values here in UST. Even if you are good or as superstar, you should always be a humble person despite your achievements,” said Fernandez. JOHN

further into the progression of Philippine history and the search of Filipinos for oneness in spirit through the tumultuous periods that follow.

CHESTER P. FAJARDO

Manila rose up on sticks and stones: that pale Rizal, pinned like a butterfly to his texts, Impotent as the alphabet he rode on: “offerings of gold and silver and brass, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goat’s hair and ram’s skin dyed red, and badger’s skin’s, and shittim wood, oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, and onyx stones, and also stones to be set in blue ephod, and in blue breastplate”: the death with their dryads and decimals, their spirit like rubber mannequin—how long can they hold to the letters of tombs?

Such lines strongly highlight the primary idea of the third book, the march of Philippine history on

Bayani

MULA SA PAHINA 12 magpulong ang National Heroes Committee.

Ang mga sumusunod ang tatlong kuwalipikasiyon na dinagdag: Una, kailangan naging bahagi ng pamamahayag ng mga mamamayan ang buhay at gawa ng isang bayani; panagalawa, iniisip ng isang bayani ang hinaharap ng bansa, partikular ng susunod na henerasiyon; at pangatlo, dapat isaalang-alang ang kabuuang pinagdaanan ng isang tao bago siya maituring na bayani.

Kailangang suriin kung papaano siya humantong sa pagiging bayani, hindi lamang ang pag-alala sa ilang mahahalagang yugto ng kaniyang buhay at kasaysayan.

Sang-ayon sa mga nasabing kuwalipikasiyon, siyam na Filipino ang nirekomenda ng komite upang maideklara bilang pambansang bayani: Rizal, Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Mabini, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, Sultan Dipatuan Kidarat, Juan Luna, Melchora Aquino at Gabriela Silang.

Bar

FROM PAGE 8

FROM PAGE 2

his scholarly research on assistive technology and therapy in many conferences including the 6th AsiaWestern Pacific Region Conference of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy, 12th International Conference for Asian Confederation for Physical Therapy at Taiwan in 2013, World Confederation of Physical Therapy in Amsterdam back in 2012 and 2011 and 7th Pan Pacific Conference on Rehabilitation in Hong Kong back in 2010.

Manlapaz has also been given numerous awards for his contribution to the rehabilitation field including a special citation as an Outstanding Professional in the field of Physical Therapy by the Professional Regulation Commission of the Philippines last year. Manlapaz also served as the vice president for internal affairs of the Philippine Physical Therapy Association from 2010 to 2012.

“The ride in this professional journey was not easy. It has always been a great experience to continue my research especially if there is a chance to study offshore.

It was a turning point in my life when I decided to study here in New Zealand,” he said.. VIANCA T.

Labor and Social Legislation, Civil Law, Taxation, Mercantile Law, Criminal Law, Remedial Law, and Legal and Judicial Ethics.

According to Bar Exam rules, a bar examinee is deemed to have passed his or her examinations successfully if he or she has obtained a general average of 75 percent.”

Dean Divina attributed this year’s improved results to new review materials and a peer coaching system.

“We really dedicated time and money and resources. We provided our reviewees with all the cases penned by the chairman of the Bar Exam committee and all the cases penned by justices. We prepared for them also the summary of jurisprudence,” Divina said in an interview. “We adopted this peer coaching system so we assigned a faculty member for five examinees giving them encouragement, advice, suggestion and strength to be able to continue up to the end. And of course you have to add prayers.”

Divina said the exams for all subjects in the Faculty of Civil Law were departmentalized since last semester. If students master jurisprudence, past bar exam questions and basic legal principles, a 100-percent passing rate is possible, he added.

Divina confirmed that UST will again host the 2016 bar exams. D.T.

OCAMPO

CUDAL and A.A.M. PERALTA

Editor: Delfin Ray M. Dioquino

Sports 15

JUNE 14, 2016

Jeff Santiago: 44 years around the diamond

By CARLO A. CASINGCASING BACK when the University of the Philippines (UP) ruled collegiate baseball in 1970’s and early 1980’s, Jeffrey Santiago was making a name for himself as a member of the UST Golden Sox. The 54-year-old tactician helped the University end its 14-year title drought and spearheaded the squad’s historic four-year straight championships from 1982 to 1986, the longest streak of the University since 1954.

Despite a stellar collegiate career, Santiago said UST was never his first choice to play ball. “Actually, ang first tryout ko was sa UP, pumasa ako sa UPCAT. Kaya lang galing akong probinsya, hindi naman ako kilala. Samakatuwid, hindi ako kilala ng coach kaya ‘di ako tinanggap. Kaya noong pumasok ako sa UST tinalo ko na ang UP,” Santiago told the Varsitarian.

After putting an end to the Maroon era, the Golden Sox never dropped a game since then and continued its supremacy until Feb. 15, 1986 when they demolished the National University, 10-0, to capture the plum for the fourth time.

The now Golden Sox head coach claimed the most number of strikeouts in UAAP baseball history with 24 strikeouts out of the maximum 27 in a nine-inning game.

The celebrated pitcher, who won the Best Pitcher award four times in the UAAP, received the Benavides Award for Athletes and the Philippine Sportswriters

Association award for the top baseball athlete in 1983.

Santiago was also a member of the Philippine national baseball team from 1982 to 1986 which saw action in the Asian Games and the South East Asian Games.

After exhausting his playing years in the University, the MAPEH major played as an import for the Hawaii Island Movers in the Asia-Pacific baseball tournament late in 1986.

The Dipolog City-native also had the chance to display his potential overseas after the University of Hawaii offered him a scholarship in exchange for his services but Santiago declined the offer and decided to practice the degree he finished from UST. “I played for two months in Island Movers. Medyo wala akong suporta doon, na homesick ako, I’m not used to American culture. At that time, naisip ko magturo na lang, parang hindi rin kasi mataas ang ambisyon ko noon,” Santiago said.

The southpaw pitcher also had the opportunity to play alongside Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves for almost a month in a coaching seminar in 1994.

Santiago then served as an instructor at the De La Salle University and soon became the head coach of the La Salle Green Batters from 1991 to 1995. He also gave La Salle its first baseball championship in 1995.

Being a loyal Thomasian he is, Santiago returned to his roots in 1997 to mentor the Tiger Softbelles until he left his post in 2001 to coach the Golden Sox. As a tactician, Santiago has three

titles under his belt, one of which was the historic sweep in Season 72 in time for the University’s 400th year celebration.

Aside from being a brilliant athlete, Santiago has also mastered the art of mentoring as he developed quality talents through time.

Two-time UAAP Most Valuable Player Jonjon Robles, who also serves as the Golden Sox assistant coach, admitted Santiago helped him reach his peak as an athlete.

“Isa siya sa mga naging coach ko na buhos ‘yung turo. Lahat ng alam niya based on his own experience,itinuturo niya sa mga bata. Para sa akin, si coach Jeff ay isa sa mga naging tagumpay ko nung naglalaro pa ako sa UST lalo na kung nasaan ako ngayon,” Robles said.

In 2009, Robles bagged the Best Pitcher award in the Extraliga, the professional baseball league of Czech Republic where he played as an import for Arrows Ostrava.

Amid all awards and glories, Santiago still wonders what would have happened had he accepted the overseas offers he received before.

“Nahuka ko na ‘yung speed ng pitching, ‘yung 90 mile-per-hour which is the basic of the professional league and may maganda naman akong kurba. Sayang talaga. Sumasagi sa isip ko ‘yun kasi sayang. Siguro I’m just simple as I am. ” Now that he has spent 44 years in baseball, Santiago said he wants nothing more but to create and discover players who would put the country back on the map.

Santiago

Graduating student-athletes: What is next after UAAP career?

Alfafara

Ramos

Lacupa

Sueko

De la Rosa

Areglado

Fest

FROM PAGE 11 Pichay; Frankfurt Book Fair senior manager Claudia Kaiser; author Kate Evangelista; book designer, food writer and visual artist Guillermo Ramos; and others in plenary sessions on topics ranging from negotiating publishing contracts to breakthroughs in digital publishing in the Philippines.

Some of the highlights included lawyer Nicholas Pichay, who contended that the author must not only be aware of the technicalities involved in getting into a publishing contract but must also exercise caution in allowing one’s own work or the work of others to be copied or used.

Head Organizer of Filipino

Diet

FROM PAGE 16 carbohydrates,” Olympic hopeful and Male Trackster Ernest Obiena said. “It’s the other way around in the canteen. [They serve] two cups of rice, half cup of meat and a little vegetable.”

According to the athletes, their meals vary from fried fish, chicken, pork, sea food, kangkong and other vegetables.

Also, Ann Antolihao of the Tiger Softbelles said the food being served is helpful but is still insufficient to curb their post-training cravings.

“Minsan kapag pagod galing sa training medyo napapadami ng kain.

WHAT’S next for these UST athletes?

Some exit the arch as champions, and while others are deprived of the elusive UAAP title, the University remains boastful of its products who will sure continue a long line of successful student-athletes who excelled in their respective fields.

Recently, a former Growling Tiger and a member of the dynastical 90s UST basketball team, Joel Villanueva, was elected as a member of the Senate. He may not have a lustrous professional basketball career but nonetheless managed to stand out in the field he

chose.

Nothing less is expected from this year’s batch of graduating student-athletes.

Outgoing basketball stars, Kevin Ferrer and Ed Daquioag, are mostly likely to opt in for the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Draft with a high possibility of getting picked early.

Ferrer was tapped for the Gilas cadet pool and Daquioag managed to win a title in the PBA Development League.

Golden Tigress and architect-hopeful Jessey de Leon said she will play professional volleyball as long as she is given the chance to play and if her

Readercon Honey de Peralta noted that digital publishing had seen a fair amount of disruption in the conventional forms of publishing, which she likened to startup companies. She argued that publishers should learn to assimilate this phenomenon in order to establish themselves in this new market.

“I think it’s highly advantageous to know these things, other things that have been happening in the industry, how start-ups think, because if you’re going to be disrupted, might as well disrupt yourself,” she said.

Leading the discussion on publishers in the international sphere was Frankfurt book fair senior manager Klaudia Kaiser who encouraged local publishers to extend their reach into well-established and

multi-national book fairs.

Book designing sessions were led

by Singapore-based comic artist and illustrator Sonny Liew.

He later spoke alongside author of young adult novels Sophia Lee in a session regarding writing for an international and diverse audience.

The festival also featured book sales that showcased translated versions of notable foreign authors such as Kafka and Tolstoy.

It also highlighted the works of local authors and artists such as F. Sionil Jose, Manix Abrera and Eros Atalia.

The festival was a project of the National Book Development Board and served as the highlight of Philippine Book Development Month.

Kaya ayun, nabibitin [kami],” the Softbelles pitcher said. “Ang gagawin [namin], gagamit na naman ng extra na stub para lang makadagdag ng pagkain or kung minsan, kakain ulit sa labas.”

Meanwhile, Althea Belen of the Female Tigersharks rued the inconsistent supply of supplementary vitamins that are vital to the athletes’ nutrition and dietetics.

“Mas okay sana kung tamang supplement vitamins ‘yung mga supply namin at saka all-year round ‘yung supply,” Belen told the Varsitarian. “Saka mas okay din kung may nutritionist kami. Kain lang din kasi kami ng kain kumbaga kahit bawal kinakain namin.”

The Institute of Physical

Education and Athletics (IPEA) and the Sports Science department of the College of Rehabilitation Sciences (CRS) have had a partnership since 2006 to focus on the athletes’ strength and conditioning program.

Despite the IPEA and CRS’ bond, no formal alliance between departments was made to concentrate on specific measures regarding the diet of athletes.

Asst. Prof. Reil Espino, head of CRS’ Sports Science department, said a partnership between the nutrition and athletics departments of the University would help in maximizing the potential of Thomasian athletes.

“If we could get the help of the nutrition department ng UST to help them [athletics department] in terms

CEDRIC ALLEN P. STA. CRUZ

schedule for architecture fits the time.

Another volleyball standout and former UAAP Most Valuable Player, Mark Gil Alfafara, looks to continue a celebrated professional volleyball career as he currently plays for PLDT. “Tuloy-tuloy pa din as long as kaya pa at nageenjoy pa. Minsan lang naman na opportunity ‘yun na makapaglaro sa professional league, pero hindi ‘yun ‘yung panglifetime ko na career,” said Alfafara, a Commerce and Business Administration Major in Marketing Management graduate.

M e a n w h i l e , Marketing Management

Championship

FROM PAGE 16

aspiring student-athletes.

“School spirit at quality education lang talaga ang panglaban natin,” Sambuang said.

“Pagdating sa pera, wala tayong maibibigay sa kanila.

Pero ‘yung mga binibigay naman natin hindi cash basis like dorm and food allowance kapag nagcompute ka, mas malaki pa ‘yung binibigay natin.”

Sambuang declined to comment on the new UAAP residency law filed by Senator Pia Cayetano banning schools from imposing residency on athletes who wish to transfer to a of preparing the food or at least making a recommendation of the food na pwedeng i-intake ng athletes ng University, mas maganda sana ‘yun.”

Prescribed diet Espino, who also serves as the strength and conditioning coach of PBA team Globalport Batang Pier, said athletes’ diet should mainly consist of carbohydrates, followed by protein and fats to maximize the players’ energy when training or competing.

He also recommended foods rich in carbohydrates to athletes of endurance sports to serve as “fuel” throughout the activity and advised to increase the protein intake for

major and one-time UAAP judo gold medalist, Kinjho Sueko, said she will return and use her last playing year while taking a master’s degree.

With her help, the Lady Judokas has a chance to notch their third straight championship next season.

“They are offering full scholarship until I finish the degree. It is a great opportunity for me and I don’t want to miss that,” Sueko told the Varsitarian.

Fencer Angelo Ramos will also continue his stint with UST while taking up a master’s degree Career PAGE 14

different institution.

The University has been a target of athlete piracy in the past with notable names such as UAAP Athlete of the Year Alyssa Valdez, Dindin Santiago and Kyle Neypes among the lot suiting up for different colleges.

Former junior Lady Tigershark Mikee Bartolome’s case even went as far as the Supreme Court issuing a Temporary Restraint Order for her to play for University of the Philippines.

UST will try to regain the general championship as they prepare to host the 79th season of the UAAP. PHILIP MARTIN L. MATEL and LEIF ARILD F. SYKIOCO

athletes who are undergoing repair of their tissues and muscles during training.

Espino also noted that unspecific diets could hinder athletes’ movement and affect their on-court decision making.

“Pag masyadong maraming kinain ‘yung athlete before competition, usually that could hinder ‘yung movements niya sa actual game or sa training kasi nga mabigat ‘yung katawan kasi masyadong maraming carbohydrates na kinain,” he said.

“Minsan naman, ‘di kumain ‘yung athlete or kulang, so hindi naman niya ma-maximize ‘yung energy sa katawan niya kasi in the middle of the game nakakaramdam siya ng gutom.”

Sports

JUNE 14, 2016

Growling Tigers has new head coach

By PHILIP MARTIN L. MATEL and LEIF ARILD F. SYKIOICO AFTER the controversial exit of Segundo “Bong” dela Cruz as head tactician of the Growling Tigers, the University found its next coach in another former Tiger.

Former Glowing Goldie Rodil “Boy” Sablan will call the shots for the rebuilding squad in next UAAP season and will try to steer the Tigers amid the loss of last year’s core of players.

Probably an unknown to the UAAP community, he was picked from a pool of well-known tacticians in Estong Ballesteros, Bal David Jr. and Chris Cantojos. Even former head coach Aric del Rosario, who steered UST to four straight championships from 19931996, expressed a desire to take the job.

“Ang nasa itaas ang nagdala sa akin dito.

Wala na akong masasabi sa kanila (critics.)”

Sablan said. “Gagawin ko lang ang trabaho ko.

‘Yung ine-expect nila sa akin, dodoblehin ko.”

Sablan was formally introduced as the new head coach of the Tigers last May 31, the day dela Cruz’ two-year contract expired.

“Nagulat ako, kinausap na ako ni Father (Ermito de Sagon.) I kept on praying kasi gusto ko bumalik dito, galing ako dito eh,” he said.

Sablan played for UST from 1980 to 1985 and was part of Pido Jarencio’s coaching staff which saw the Tigers’ last championship in 2006.

A total revamp in the coaching staff was also done with Patrick Fran, Juben Ledesma, Tylon Darjuan, Rabbi Tomacruz named as assistant coaches. Gina Francisco is the only one who got retained from the previous staff.

Sablan

The 52-year-old coach now has to form a competitive team next season following a runner-up finish in Season 78. The Tigers will no longer have Kevin Ferrer, Ed Daquiaog and Karim Abdul in Season 79.

Even Louie Vigil and Jamil Sheriff, who were tipped to lead the squad next season, will not see action as a new UAAP rule reducing the age limit for athletes rendered them ineligible to compete.

“Wala pa tayong lineup, napakaaga pa lang naman and I need time kasi hindi ko pa naman sila kakilala.” Sablan told the Varsitarian. “I’m happy kasi marami akong pagpipilian. Sa team captain, factor lang ‘yung seniority since I’m looking more sa character.”

The Blackwater Sports Elite assistant coach will have to make good use of Kent Lao, the oldest Tiger in the team, slotman Jeepy Faundo, Mario Bonleon and Marvin Lee. Among the remaining players, Lee had the biggest impact in scoring with a 6.2 point average in 19.8 minutes per game (mpg) followed by Bonleon who scored 4.5 points a game in 16.6 mpg.

UST’s starting lineup last year, composed primarily of Ferrer, Daquioag, Abdul, Vigil and Sheriff, did most of the work on the offensive end while the Tigers’ second unit ranked last in bench scoring. This time, there will be no stars who will carry the team on their backs.

“Hindi ko naman sinasabi na masyado tayong nasa baba. Hindi ko hahayaan na babagsak tayo kaagad.”

Sablan will only have a few weeks to prepare the Tigers and to come up with a cohesive lineup that can compete with the elites in the league as Season 79 of the UAAP will soon open in August.

UST surrenders general championship to La Salle Ex-Tiger clinches Senate post UST FELL short of its 41st UAAP general championship as Thomasian athletes failed to sustain their momentum in the league’s 78th season.

After a slim twopoint lead against De La Salle University at the end of the first semester, UST once again saw the title slip away from its hands, three times in the last four years, as the Green Archers turned the tables and finished the season with 282 points, ahead of UST’s 280 points.

La Salle’s second

half surge was backed by gold-medal finishes in women’s volleyball, women’s chess and men’s baseball.

UST’s lone gold in the second semester meanwhile came from the Lady Tracksters.

Athletic director Rod Sambuang admitted there was a decline in the level of play of UST athletes especially in the second half of the season and that could be attributed to varying factors.

The UST Golden Booters were undefeated midway through the season before an array of losses deterred the success of the squad. As the last remaining hope for UST’s 41st overall

crown, the Booters suffered a manhandling in the Final Four from the University of the Philippines which eventually won the title.

“Sa men’s football nagka-yellow card na ‘yung mga seniors kaya hindi sila nagamit masyado. Sa women’s [football] naman, hindi pa ganoon katibay ‘yung team.” Sambuang told the Varsitarian.

Ateneo de Manila University, which finished fourth last season, improved to a third place this year.

With the recruitment wars heating up, Sambuang said the University would stick to its usual offers to Championship PAGE 15

Athletes clamor for improvement of diet, nutrition

By RANDELL ANGELO B. RITUMALTA SOME Thomasian athletes have expressed dismay over the University’s imbalanced dietary food supply, a matter that could make or break UST’s athletic performance.

Aside from developing their physical attributes t h r o u g h t r a i n i n g sessions in their respective sports, athletes also need to follow a balanced diet to enhance their performance during games.

UST provides the athletes’ daily food

supply through Cindy’s, commonly known as Ate Eva’s Grill, a fast food restaurant located at the carpark of the University.

“Kung diet, kailangan limited [ang] rice and most of the athletes I know madami mag-rice kasi limited din ‘yung ulam. Kailangan mas maraming dishes and less pork para makapili and ma-maintain ng athletes ‘yung diet nila,” former Growling Tiger Louie Vigil told the Varsitarian.

Vigil said supplements are provided only during the season and are cut off after their

campaign ends.

“For me, hindi po [sapat ang food na sine-serve] kasi hindi po siya same sa others na ‘yung mga sine-serve na food sa athletes is with fruits, ‘yung talagang masusustansya,” track and field rookie and Most Valuable Player Karen Janario said.

Janario shared that the repetition of the food served diminishes its nutritional value as food that are supposed to be eaten for breakfast are sometimes served for lunch.

Three meal stubs are given per athlete equivalent to the threemeal routine a day.

“I think [the food] is short [and] the proportion is just wrong.

Athletes need more protein than Diet PAGE 15

FORMER UST Growling Tiger Joel Villanueva is now a senator.

“TESDA Man,” as he calls himself, garnered 18,459,222 votes, good for second-most just behind Senate President Franklin Drilon who notched 18,607,391 votes.

Villanueva, who won two UAAP championships with the Growling Tigers in 1994 and ‘95 alongside Tigresses head coach Chris Cantonjos and former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) player Dennis Espino, graduated with a degree in Economics at the College of Commerce and Business Administration in 1996.

He then completed his graduate studies at Harvard University in 1998.

In 2001, the 40-year-old was elected congressman of the Citizen’s Battle Against Corruption partylist and held the post until 2010.

He was then appointed by President Benigno Aquino III as director general of the Technical Development Skills Authority where he focused on the development of the agency, implementing programs such as the Shoot for Your Dreams project, where Villanueva and former PBA stars promoted the agency as a viable option for Filipino out-of-school youth. PHILIP MARTIN L. MATEL

New UAAP rule leaves Vigil, Sheriff in limbo VETERANS Louie Vigil and Jamil Sheriff will miss the next UAAP basketball season after the league’s board lowered the age limit from 25 to 24.

Vigil and Sheriff will both turn 25 before the season starts.

“They changed the rule eh. I can’t do anything about it. Sayang, competitive pa naman sana tayo this season and host tayo,” Vigil told The Varsitarian via Facebook.

Vigil was expected to lead the Tigers this season Vigil

following the graduation of Karim Abdul, Ed Daquioag, and Kevin Ferrer.

Their departure, along with the new ruling putting Vigil and Sheriff in the sidelines, means five of the Tigers’ most powerful players will be out of the tournament.

Vigil, an Asian Studies student, was dismayed with the nee UAAP age rule, noting he skipped the PBA Development League to focus on the Tigers.

“Syempre kawawa ‘yung mga naiwan ‘cause I was leading them especially during practices,” Vigil said.

“It sucks but just gotta move on, you know. I’ll apply for Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) D-League draft in October. Just gonna stay in shape for now and try finding other leagues,” Sheriff said.

Vigil plans to finally join the D-League and the PBA Draft after graduation. DELFIN RAY M. DIOQUINO