The Varsitarian P.Y. 2014-2015 Issue 11

Volume LXXXVI, No. 11 • August 22, 2015 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF SANTO TOMAS Manila, Philippines

Editorial

‘Laudato Si’: Environmental degradation traced to individualism, corruption POPE FRANCIS’ first encyclical, at first glance, seems a document focused only on environmental issues—the first of its kind, though previous popes have mentioned the significance of care for the environment in their own encyclicals—but it is more than that: it is actually more of a critique of today’s individualism that led to the corruption not just of the natural, but also our social, economic, cultural, and moral ecologies.

His Holiness has taken a sharp turn in social teachings by incorporating environmental issues as an integral part of human and

social development. He is not the first to tackle environmental degradation; he in fact quotes his predecessors like Benedict XVI and John Paul II—but his encyclical Laudato Si (Praise be to You) puts the neglect of environment as the primordial effect of the destruction of the other aspects of human life and society.

In the encyclical, the Pontiff reminds people of the fundamental relationship of the person with God, with his or her neighbor, and with creation. This relationship is what makes our responsibility as stewards of God’s creation very

important, and all the more supports the fact that problems in natural and social environments are not matters to be dealt with separately, but they should go hand in hand because one affects the other.

“The human environment and the natural environment deteriorate together,” Laudato Si says.

“We cannot adequately combat environmental degradation unless we attend to causes related to human and social degradation.”

However, neglect of the environment is not just a cause but also the effect of an even broader epidemic, which is the extreme

individualism of our world today, as the Pope asserts that “humans no longer look at themselves as part and parcel of the world, but merely as individuals focused on themselves and on their power.”

In fact, the two problems addressed by the encyclical are the value of labor and the limitations of scientific progress, which respectively undermine workers and give power to only a handful.

Because of this, there is little focus on the environment and more on the self. Pope Francis is thus providing a critique of market-driven economics and pits against it an

integral ecology as a new paradigm of justice, wherein we human are fully aware of our relationship with our surroundings amd with one another.

“We are not faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental,” the Pope says.

For example, Francis, despite acknowledging the contribution of technology to the improvement of the quality of human life, criticizes

UST carpark dispute settled

By DARYL ANGELO P. BAYBADO and ROBERTO A. VERGARA, JR.

By DANIELLE ANN F. GABRIEL

Exorcism PAGE 11

Editorial PAGE 4

Six-year conflict over, compromise agreement signed

Weapons versus demons bared in exorcism-themed comic book CATHOLICISM has invaded the comic-book genre.

A group of devout Catholics is set to launch a comic-book series featuring an unlikely band of young heroes out to defeat the wickedness and snares of the Devil.

The message: Christian life requires catechism, prayer, and receiving the sacraments regularly, which are also the best weapons against demonic possessions and threats from evil spirits.

Patron Comics, written by pro-life advocate Anthony James Perez and published by Regina Caeli Publishing, deals with the popular theme of the occult to target young readers and thrill-seekers, but contains messages from Christ’s Gospel and the teachings of the Church.

The first volume is a 68-

COMPROMISE. A private car enters the carpark. UST has settled its legal dispute with Selegna Holdings Corp., the operator of the multi-deck parking building.

BASILIO H. SEPE

Thomasian co-director of acclaimed animated film comes home

By JELINA ANNE S. BUNAGAN and MARIA CORAZON A. INAY DISNEY Pixar’s newest crowd-puller, Inside Out, tells the story of an 11-year-old girl named Riley, who is coping with the changes brought by moving to a new city.

Her emotions come to life quite literally as Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger, who alternately take charge of her subconscious via control consoles.

Thanks to a UST graduate, we, and the rest of the world, now enjoy young Riley's journey on screen.

Ronaldo “Ronnie” Del Carmen, a UST Fine Arts graduate, made his own name in the animation industry as part of the story team on a number of Pixar Animation Studios film, such as the Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Up and now the Inside Out, which he co-directed.

“It’s kind of a surreal experience because I just watched movies while growing up and this is a dream come true,” Ronnie said in an Animated PAGE 8 For breaking news and real-time updates visit: www.varsitarian.net

THE CARPARK feud is finally over.

The University and Selegna Holdings Corp., the private operator of the multi-deck parking building inside the campus, have settled a six-year legal dispute involving their build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract and commercial leases.

Documents obtained by the Varsitarian indicated that UST and Selegna signed an Omnibus Compromise Agreement on March 9, 2015. This development was disclosed by the University in its annual financial report submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last April.

UST told the SEC that all parties were in the process of completing the “required attachments” to the compromise agreement.

Selegna had sought reimbursement of P217.5 million in connection with a civil case for “damages and specific performance” that was “anchored” on the carpark BOT contract, UST told the SEC. Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina, whose law firm Divina and Uy Law Office acted as counsel for the University, confirmed that the two parties had entered into a compromise agreement, but declined to disclose details.

“The parties are bound by a confidentiality clause as regards the terms and conditions thereof, nonetheless, UST’s welfare and its students are safeguarded, and very much taken into consideration by UST before giving its consent [to] said agreement,” Divina said in an email to Varsitarian.

Reached by phone, lawyer Ruben Lopez of the Benedictine Law Center, legal counsel for Selegna, also declined to talk about the compromise agreement.

UST’s counsel likewise confirmed that the compromise agreement has been approved, but could not give more details regarding the deal also because of the confidentiality clause.

History of dispute The Varsitarian was able to reconstruct a history of the legal battle between UST and Selegna from various court documents.

The case stemmed from the 2004 BOT contract between UST and Selegna in which the latter borrowed P247 million from Metrobank to build the three-level carpark and the fourth floor that now houses the UST Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy.

Part of the loan was guaranteed by the University.

Selegna was to run the carpark for a period of 15 years upon completion in November 2005. The 2004 BOT contract allowed Selegna to charge stipulated parking fees, lease commercial spaces, and collect

Del Carmen

/varsitarian

@varsitarianust

Carpark PAGE 3

/TheVarsitarianUST

2 News

The Varsitarian AUGUST 22, 2015

Editor: Lord Bien G. Lelay

UST changes vision-mission statement THE UNIVERSITY has revised its vision and mission statement, resolving to become the foremost Catholic university in Asia.

In a memorandum released last July 24, the Office of the Secretary General said the revisions to the UST vision-mission statement would be effective at the start of the new academic year.

The revised mission statement reads: “The University, in pursuit of truth, guided by reason and illuminated by faith, dedicates herself to the generation, advancement, and transmission of knowledge to form competent and compassionate professionals, committed to the service of the Church, the nation, and the global community.”

It retained the three core Thomasian values: competence, compassion, and commitment.

The line “inspired by the ideals of St. Dominic de Guzman and guided by the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas” pertaining to the founder of the Order of Preachers and the patron saint of the University, respectively, was changed to “in pursuit of truth, guided by wisdom and illuminated by faith.”

Meanwhile, the revised vision statement reads: “Faithful to its centuries-old tradition of excellence, the University of Santo Tomas envisions itself as a premier Catholic institution of learning in Asia, committed to the professional and moral formation of her stakeholders for social transformation.”

The identity “a globally recognized institution of higher learning” was changed to the “premier Catholic institution of learning in Asia.” The word “students” was changed to “stakeholders for social transformation.”

UST preserved its motto “Veritas in Caritate” or “truth in charity,” which is found in Ephesians 4:15.

The memorandum also enumerated nine “directional areas” of the University’s strategic plan, namely: Thomasian Identity, Leadership and Governance, Teaching and Learning, Research and Innovation, Community Development and Advocacy, Student Welfare and Services, Public Presence, Resource Management, and Internationalization.

Previously, there were 12 “long-term strategic areas.” RHENN ANTHONY S. TAGUIAM

Election body to launch voter education campaign

By DAYANARA T. CUDAL IN ANTICIPATION of the 2016 national elections, the UST Central Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to launch an extensive voters’ education program in the University.

The AKTIBOTO (Aktibong Boto ng Filipino) Election Hero Training Program (EHTP), which aims to be “a catalyst for meaningful social change through responsible voting,” will train young community leaders in conducting a five-hour community voters’ education program.

Comelec Vice Chairperson Raymond Naguit said the University initially wanted to focus on Thomasians, but decided to open the program to outsiders.

“Ang target talaga naming mga partner schools ay mga lesser known schools, ‘yung mga [schools na] nasa provinces sana, outside the National Capital Region,” Naguit said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

This academic year, the Comelec will conduct a screening process for applicants to the program.

Those who will be selected will go through the EHTP curriculum, which will have four clusters, namely: Konsepto ng Demokrasya at Representasyon, Proseso ng Eleksyon at ang Makabagong Media, Ang Aktibong Paglahok sa Eleksyon at Pagbabantay ng Boto, and Paglilinang ng Kakayahan para sa Pagpapalaganap ng Adbokasiya.

AKTIBOTO will also sponsor a “clean election” songwriting contest, a “value-mmercial” contest, and an election advocacy essay contest.

Naguit said the Comelec was eyeing partnerships with the UST Simbahayan—Office for Community Development, National Service Training Program, Office for Public Affairs, Office for Alumni Relations, Human Resource Department, Department of History, Department of Social Sciences, Research Cluster for Cultural, Educational and Social Issues, Department of Political Science, Department of Legal Management, Department of Communication Arts, Department of Languages, College of Fine Arts and Design, and the Conservatory of Music.

Voter PAGE 3

CHRIST-LIKE. Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, calls on Thomasians to ‘be like Christ’ during the celebration of the traditional Opening Mass last Aug. 3.

ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN

Mga Tomasino, hinikayat na maging ‘Hesus ng lipunan’ ANG TUNAY na misyon ng mga Tomasino ay maging tulad ni Kristo Hesus upang baguhin ang lipunan.

Ito ang mensahe ng pangulo ng Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Arsobispo Socrates Villegas, sa mga Tomasino sa taunang Misa de Apertura noong ika-3 ng Agosto sa simbahan ng Santisimo Rosario.

“The product of UST should be another Christ, and should engage in social transformation,” aniya sa pambungad na Misa sa pagbubukas ng bagong taong akademiko. “The product of UST must be saints.”

Ayon kay Villegas, ang UST bilang Katolikong Pamantasan ng Pilipinas ay hindi dapat dumagdag sa mga problema

Usapang Uste Ni JASPER EMMANUEL Y. ARCALAS

ng lipunan patungkol sa korupsiyon, kasinungalingan, kapabayaan at kasamaan.

Dagdag pa ni Villegas, ang taong maraming alam ay maituturing na walang pinag-aralan kapag nawalan ng “pakialam, pakiramdam at hiya.”

“The Holy Spirit is not a spirit of indifference, the Holy spirit is a spirit of courage, the Holy Spirit operates in the lives of men and women, and we who work and study in this institution of higher learning, this Catholic University of the Philippines must contribute to the transformation of society,” ani Villegas.

Sa pagtatapos ng Banal na Misa, opisyal na idineklara ni Villegas, ang arsobispo ng Lingayen-Dagupan, na bukas na ang taong akademiko 2015-2016.

Sinundan ang Misa ng Discurso de Apertura, na binigkas ng dekano ng College of Rehabilitation Sciences (CRS) na si Cheryl Peralta.

Tinalakay ni Peralta ang kalagayan ng mga may kapansanan at ang kaugnayan nito sa kahirapan sa bansa.

Ayon sa kanya, ang bansa ay hirap na tugunan ang pangangailangan ng mga taong may kapansanan sa apat na pangunahing dahilan: kakulangan ng serbisyo, pondo, transportasyon at kaalaman ng mga health workers.

Upang solusyunan ang mga suliranin, isinasagawa ng CRS sa ang “libREHAB,” isang community rehabilitation program.

ALHEX ADREA M. PERALTA AT KATHRYN JEDI V. BAYLON

Claustro Universitario

Unibersidad ang Claustro Universitario o University Cloister, ang pinakamataas na lupong nangangasiwa sa HIGIT PA sa tinatamasang Unibersidad. mga benepisyo mula sa UST Binubuo ito ng rektor mga alumni card ngayon ang Dominikanong propesor, mga nalasap ng mga nagsipagtapos lektore, mga pari, rehente at sa Unibersidad noon. punong estudyante. Itinatag Taong 1898, binuksan ang claustro noong 1649, apat sa mga alumno na mga na taon makalipas maiangat ng doktorado at mga lisensyadong gobyerno ng Espanya sa antas propesyunal ng na Unibersidad ang Colegio de Santo Tomas. Isa lamang ito sa maraming bagay na itinatag alinsunod sa mga Kastilang unibersidad sa Mehiko at Espanya.

Bilang bahagi ng lupon, binibigyan ang alumno ng kapangyarihang administratibo tulad ng pagsuri at pagboto sa mga isyu ng Unibersidad gayon din ang kakayahang kilatisin ang kapangyarihan ng Rektor at mga Dominikanong propesor na

maaaring umaabuso sa kanilang posisyon.

Liban sa pagiging isang lisensyadong propesyunal, ang pagkakaroon ng bukal na kalooban sa kagustuhang payabungin ang Unibersidad ang kailangan upang matanggap sa claustro. Mahigit 937 miyembro nito ang naitala noong 1920; 665 mula rito ay mga doktor habang 163 naman ay mga abogado.

Ilan sa mga isyu na pinagdiskursuhan ng claustro ay ang pagbibigay ng tip o propinas, pagpapataw ng multa sa paglabag sa mga alintutunin ng Unibersidad at pagbaba ng limpieza sa henerasyon ng magulang mula sa ikaapat na henerasyon ng mag-aaral.

Tomasino siya Alam niyo ba na bukod sa pagiging bantog na parmasista, kilala rin ang Tomasino bilang mahusay na pinuno?

Nahubog ang kakayahan ni Ma. Lourdes SindicoGarganera na mamuno habang nag-aaral pa lamang siya sa Unibersidad.

Nagsilbi

siya bilang pangulo ng konseho ng UST Faculty of Pharmacy at naging kasapi siya ng Federation of Junior Chapters of the Philippine Pharmaceutical Association.

Nagtapos ng kursong Pharmacy noong 1987, pinarangalan siya ng Manuel L. Quezon Leadership Award sa parehas na taon.

Dagdag pa rito hindi natigil sa loob ng Unibersidad ang kagustuhang mamuno ni Garganera at pinangunahan niya ang ilang mga programa katulad ng misyong medikal na “Bayanihan Pagamutan” ng Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines at outreach program ng Philippine Medical Associations sa mga nasalanta ng bagyong Ondoy noong 2009.

Taong 2007 naman, pinangaralan siya ng Leadership Award ng Philippine Association of Pharmacists kung saan nakapagsilbi na siya Usapang Uste PAHINA 13

Assistant Editor: Arianne F. Merez

AUGUST 22, 2015

The Varsitarian News

3

UST to use 4-star rating in marketing campaign

New programs needed to attract foreign students

IN A BID to boost its international image, the University is asking all offices to use the QuacquerelliSymonds or “QS Stars” badge and Philippine Quality Award (PQA) logo in all official documents.

Quality Management Office (QMO) Director Joehanna Ngo said the use of the logos as marketing and promotional tools was an entitlement because they were earned by the University. “[The QS Stars] are symbols [that mean] we are of quality in the international arena ... For the [PQA], this is the highest quality award body in the Philippines likened to the Malcolm Baldridge [National Quality Award] of America,” Ngo told the Varsitarian.

QMO executive assistant Nestor Ong said such badges showcase the strengths of UST in different areas like employability, facilities, engagement, teaching, internationalization and research.

In a memorandum last July 27, Secretary General Fr. Winston Cabading, O.P. asked the different offices of the University to use the QS Stars logo and badges.

According to QS Stars Brand Guidelines, the QS Stars logo is the recognition of an institution’s “excellence across many areas.”

It “improves international recognition” and allows an institution to reach out to more students. It also increases web presence and media awareness and can serve as an “auditing tool to help improve performance.”

Finally, it “highlights

INTERNATIONAL students may make up for the lack of freshmen during the K to 12 transition period, but a University official said that would not happen unless UST offers “more attractive” courses.

Lilian Sison, director of the Office of International Relations and Programs, said drawing international students would require revising the curriculum to make it more appealing to the international community.

“We are now moving into a K to 12 program so we need to revise our curriculum to make it comparable with our neighboring countries. We also need to offer more attractive courses and not just the generic ones,” Sison said in an interview.

The Varsitarian previously reported that international students would compensate for the lack of freshmen during the K to 12 transition period in academic years 2016-2017 and 20172018, when high school graduates would be enrolling in additional grades 11 and 12 instead of first- and second-year college.

UST announced in June that it would offer only 13 of its 53 undergraduate programs, namely: accountancy, architecture, business administration major in financial management, business administration major in marketing management, communication arts, computer science, information technology, medical technology, music, music major in music education, pharmacy, physical education major in sports and wellness, and political science–as a response to the expected low number of firstyear enrollees once the K to 12 program goes full swing. Master’s, doctorate, and other postgraduate programs would still be offered.

Sison also called for highly specialized courses during the transition period, pointing to Bicol University’s Masters of Arts in Public Administration program which focuses on disaster risk and prevention management.

“There has to be a niche. Sa atin, public administration lang. Anong ibig sabihin nun?

Walang focus.”

The Asian Studies program in the Faculty of Arts and Letters is also too broad in scope, she said.

“This is a very general program and there should be a focus. For students to really go to our country for deep immersions, these general course programs should be broken down into specific courses,” she said. “If our degree programs are more focused and highly specialized based on the expertise of our highperforming researchers, we can attract more international students and academics.”

Institute of Religion Assistant Director Catalina Lituaños said the University should look into the needs and interests of international students.

“Ano ba yung interest nila? Baka wala ‘yun sa University natin. Maybe we can add more programs. How can we encourage them to enroll in our University kung hindi nila makikita sa atin ‘yung hinahanap nilang specialization?” she said.

Lituaños said the University should review its course offerings and train faculty members in handling highly specialized courses as well as senior high school.

“Sa part ng faculty members dapat they are updated, very well informed and trained bago mo ipasok sa grade 11 and 12. We need a lot of preparation,” Lituaños said.

The University will be opening its senior high school program next academic year with the f+ollowing academic strands: liberal arts, education, and social sciences strand; accountancy and business management strand; music and arts strand; and the science, technology, engineering and mathematics strand.

Marketing PAGE 6

By DARYL ANGELO P. BAYBADO

UST has been a consistent producer of topnotchers in the pharmacy and psychometrician board exams.

ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN

Thomasians top pharmacy, psychometrician board exams THE UNIVERSITY dominated the July 2015 licensure examinations for psychometricians and pharmacy, with Thomasians emerging as topnotchers.

UST was named the topperforming school in the licensure examination for psychometricians, with 11 Thomasians landing in the top 10, including first place.

UST registered an 89.25-percent passing rate with 166 passers out of 186 examinees, results from the Professional Regulation Commission showed. This was higher than the University’s 81.91-percent passing rate in the first psychometrics exams last year, wherein 163 passed out of

Carpark FROM PAGE 1 monthly rentals. Selegna was to pay UST a monthly royalty and 10 percent of gross receipts, and remit the net to Metrobank.

However, in 2006, Selegna allegedly started losing money because of the following: UST allowed parking along internal roads, student parking rates were not adjusted, the annual five-percent increase in parking rates was not implemented, some parking spaces were converted into elevator lobbies, and commencement of full operations were delayed due to the construction of levels three and four as well as the College of Accountancy. The original plan was to build a two-level structure.

As a result, Selegna claimed, it was unable to meet loan repayments to Metrobank.

In October 2006, Selegna sought corporate rehabilitation from a Makati court to suspend payments to all its creditors, including those in projects unrelated to the carpark deal.

The University then sought to terminate the BOT contract, invoking a provision that supposedly allowed UST to take over the carpark in the event Selegna defaulted on its loan from Metrobank.

In April 2008, Selegna went to the Manila Regional Trial Court and filed a “petition for declaratory relief” to resolve the contract dispute. In December 2009, Selegna

Voter FROM PAGE 2 “By principle, okay na [ang AKTIBOTO] sa Office of Public Affairs, they’ve been very supportive. Ngayon kasi ini-involve rin namin ang faculty through the different departments, para [University] initiative siya,” Naguit said.

“Sana mag-participate ang mga kabataan [because] one-third of the voter population comes from the youth. Ang boto ng kabataan ay pwede mag-dictate ng magiging resulta ng eleksyon,” he added.

The project was informally

199 examinees.

Leading the new batch of registered psychometricians is Van Alistair Faeldon who scored 84.20 percent.

Other Thomasians in the top 10 were Christine Allen Cadacio at third place (83.80 percent); Criselle Chua, Christina Gracia Meron and Lyka Paraboles at fifth place (83.20-percent); Alexandria Daplas at sixth place (83 percent); Lisette Angela Natial at seventh place (82.80 percent); Lyra Therese Dizon and Jamie Therese Lim at eighth (82.60 percent); Hannah Grace Rivera at ninth place (82.40 percent); and Camille Sigrid Vasquez at 10th place

asked the court to convert its petition into an ordinary civil case, and sought millions in damages. The court ruled in favor of Selegna in January 2013 and ordered UST to pay P186 million representing the carpark operator’s revenue losses.

Lease agreements Both sides nearly reached a settlement in June 2010 after Metrobank initiated discussions, but UST wanted to examine the carpark’s sublease agreements first.

Claiming to have found anomalies in the carpark’s commercial leases, UST filed its own civil case against Selegna and its lessees before the Manila Regional Trial Court in December 2010.

UST alleged that Selegna charged cheaper rates to certain lessees, which in turn supposedly charged higher rates to sub-lessees. UST also claimed it was not informed of such arrangements and as a result, was deprived of additional income.

The disputes reached the Court of Appeals, which submitted the case for decision in March 2014. The following May, however, UST and Selegna filed a joint motion to suspend court proceedings to explore the “possibility of amicably settling all cases between them.”

‘V’ sued twice, exonerated The Varsitarian was dragged into Selegna’s dispute against UST in September 2011 when the carpark operator amended its original complaint before the Manila court, and accused the paper of conspiring

launched on Aug. 7 at the Buenaventura G. Paredes, O.P. Building, with the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the Comelec and its partner organizations such as the Central Student Council and the Student Organizations Coordinating Council.

“We will be tapping professors and those working for Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and National Comelec [to help facilitate the sessions of the program],” Naguit added.

The official launch of the AKTIBOTO program will be on Sept.

11 at the Quadricentennial Park.

It will run until May 2016.

DAYANARA T. CUDAL

(82.20 percent).

The national passing rate went up to 46.15 percent (2,061 passers out of 4,466 examinees) from last year’s 39.29-percent (1,290 passers out of 3,283 examinees).

Also, three out of four Thomasians passed the licensure examination for psychologists, yielding a 42.86-percent passing rate.

Meanwhile, four Thomasians landed in the top 10 of the pharmacy licensure examination, including the topnotcher.

Leading the new batch of Thomasian pharmacists is Mark

Boards PAGE 6

with UST administrators to publish stories to damage the reputation of Selegna and its president, Edgardo Angeles.

In its motion to dismiss Selegna’s charge, the Varsitarian denied all the accusations and pointed out to the court that it was not a party to the carpark BOT contract and therefore should not be included in the civil case.

The Varsitarian maintains that its stories on the carpark beginning in 2008 were the products of independent and unbiased journalistic investigations, with only the interest of UST students, the carpark’s main users, in mind.

The Manila court eventually dismissed the case against the Varsitarian.

Members of the Varsitarian staff were also sued for libel for reporting the 2010 suit filed by UST against Selegna and its lessees in its January 26, 2011 edition.

The libel complaint filed by Selegna and Angeles was dismissed by the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office in July 2011 for “lack of probable cause.” Former senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. stood as chief legal counsel for the Varsitarian.

The Makati prosecutor’s resolution said the 2011 Varsitarian report “appears to be factual. [Varsitarian staff members Cliff Harvey Venzon and Rommel Marvin Rio] were merely reporting on the complaint filed by UST against Selegna, et al. It appears that the news article [that is the] subject matter of the case was a fair and true report of the complaint filed by UST against Selegna et al.”

Studies FROM PAGE 12 Higher Education.

Plant barcoding Grecebio Alejandro, the director of Graduate Research in the Graduate School, has put emphasis on taxonomy particularly on Rubiaceae species, or flowering plants.

His project on DNA Barcoding sought aims to create a database of Philippine medicinal plants by identifying unique markers that

could isolate one species from another.

Alejandro’s thrust in taxonomy has garnered recognitions from various award-giving bodies. His recent study on the genus Bikkia (Rubicaeae), which included Bikkiamontayae, a new endemic inland forest species, garnered the 2015 Outstanding Scientific Paper Award from the National Academy of Science and Technology.

Alejandro has named multiple endemic species of Rubicaeae, including Hedyotis papafranciscoi which is named after Pope Francis, and Mussaenda ustii, named after the University.

Surveillance FROM PAGE 4 The UST experience is more than just studying and achieving a bachelor’s or a master’s or a doctorate degree, it is staying at the university that gives you a well-founded love to inculcate its values, traditions and culture.

That is why, Mr. President, the Thomasian community has stood united against your petty, bitter rant.

Rest assured we will always rise to the defense of our cherished University against your unpresidential remarks, your mean and vindictive streak.

4 Opinion The

Varsitarian AUGUST 22, 2015

AUGUST 22, 2015

To a different focal point

Editorial

'Laudato Si': Environmental degradation traced to individualism, corruption FROM PAGE 1

technology and those with the power to use it to wield dominance over the larger, poorer parts of the global community.

The Pope, in turn, calls for dialogue in addressing the issues. Those in office and in positions of power are the ones faced with the challenge, since they have the means and the power to instigate radical changes in society.

“Here, continuity is essential, because policies related to climate change and environmental protection cannot be altered with every change of government… That is why, in the absence of pressure from the public and from civic institutions, political authorities will always be reluctant to intervene, all the more when urgent needs must be met.”

That is the challenge for the largest Catholic country in Asia, where apathy is rampant and political will is weak, if not nonexistent.

The country, rich in natural resources, is not only plagued with environmental disasters and abuses, but also political and social conflicts, because of the widening gap between the rich and the poor, as well as graft and corruption despite the political leadership's claims of sterling economic performance and good government.

To say that Laudato Si is an encyclical preaching pedantically about the state of the global ecology that scientists already know about and have obviously more expertise in, is a misreading of what Pope Francis is saying. Corruption of the environment is a corruption of the other aspects of human life,he's saying. Those in power—those who control technology, government, and the economy— exploit both natrural and social environments.

Summoning the Church's gift of prophecy, His Holiness applies eschatology to ecology: “What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?

This question not only concerns the environment in isolation; the issue cannot be approached piecemeal. When we ask ourselves what kind of world we want to leave behind, we think in the first place of its general direction, its meaning and its values. Unless we struggle with these deeper issues, I do not believe that our concern for ecology will produce significant results.”

The

Varsitarian

FOUNDED JAN. 16, 1928

RALPH JOSHUA D.R. HERNANDEZ Editor in Chief GRACELYN A. SIMON Managing Editor GENA MYRTLE P. TERRE Associate Editor LORD BIEN G. LELAY News Editor ARIANNE F. MEREZ Assistant News Editor PAUL KENNEDY A. LINTAG Sports Editor ANDRE ARNOLD T. SANTIAGO Special Reports Editor JUAN CARLOS D. MORENO Features Editor JONELLE V. MARCOS Patnugot ng Filipino APRIL JOY E. DY Witness Editor HEDRIX AR-AR C. CABALLE Sci-Tech Editor KRISTELLE-ANN A. BATCHELOR Circle Editor ELYSSA CHRISTINE A. LOPEZ Assistant Circle Editor MICHAEL CARLO C RODOLFO Online Editor KENO CARLO C. ENRIQUEZ Art Director JOHN PAUL R. AUTOR Photography Editor News Daryl Angelo P. Baybado , Dayanara T. Cudal, Bianca Kristin A. Taray, Jerome P. Villanueva, Roberto A. Vergara, Jr. Sports Angelica P. Abello, Karl Cedrick G. Basco, Carlo A. Casingcasing, Delfin Ray M. Dioquino, John Chester P. Fajardo, Clarence I. Hormachuelos, Philip Martin L. Matel, Randell Angelo B. Ritumalta, Josiah Darren G. Saynes Special Reports Paul Xavier Jaehwa C. Bernardo, Mary Grace C. Esmaya, Monica M. Hernandez, Mary Gillan Frances G. Ropero Features Jelina Anne S. Bunagan, Mone Virma Ginry P. Gumapac, Maria Corazon A. Inay, Vianca A. Ocampo, Bernadette A. Pamintuan Literary Zenmond G. Duque II, Alpine Christopher P. Moldez, Alhex Adrea M. Peralta, Josef Brian M. Ramil, Cedric Allen P. Sta. Cruz Filipino Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas, Erika Mariz S. Cunanan, Maria Koreena M. Eslava, Kimberly Joy V. Naparan, Krystel Nicole A. Sevilla Witness Kathryn Jedi V. Baylon, Angeli Mae S. Cantillana, Danielle Ann F. Gabriel, Marie Danielle L. Macalino, Lea Mat P. Vicencio Science and Technology Maritz L. Lubo, Mia Rosienna P. Mallari Circle Amierielle Anne A. Bulan, Ma. Czarina A. Fernandez, Ethan James M. Siat, Aliliana Margarette T. Uyao Online Rhenn Anthony S. Taguiam, Freya D.L.R. Torres Art Jean Helene C. Estella, Ma. Aurora A. Gonzalez, Kirsten M. Jamilla, Iain Rafel N. Tyapon, Ava Mariangela C. Victoria Photography Geonabeth L. Cadungog, Nazzi M. Castro, Alvin Joseph Kasiban, Amparo Klarin J. Mangoroban, Miah Terrenz Provido, Basilio H. Sepe Editorial Assistant Julius Roman M. Tolop

FELIPE F. SALVOSA II Assistant Publications Adviser JOSELITO B. ZULUETA Publications Adviser Letters/comments/suggestions/contributions are welcome in the Varsitarian. Only letters with signatures will be entertained. Original manuscript contributions must be typewritten, double-spaced, on regular bond paper, and should include a signed certification bearing the author’s name, address, year, and college. The identity of a writer may be withheld upon request. The editors will not be responsible for the loss of materials. Contributions must be sent to THE VARSITARIAN office, Rm. 105, Tan Yan Kee Student Center Bldg., University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila.

Aquino’s ‘bitter rant’ unites Thomasians YOU DO not mess with Thomasians.

The UST community has proven that no one, not even the highest political authority, could intimidate it.

Just last July 27, President Aquino III delivered his last State of the Nation Address which was dubbed by his critics as unsubstantial and a mere collection of rants.

In his address, Aquino blamed the “big university” that had allegedly rejected the plan of the Department of Public Works and Highways to convert its Open Field, a major venue of key historical and cultural events of the nation, and was declared by government itself as a National Cultural Treasure, into a flood catch basin.

Thomasians quickly hit back at Aquino and Lacierda for devaluing the significance of the open field. The Varsitarian’s editorial on July 30 that called the Sona “unpresidential, philistine, bitter” and “vindictive” went viral while UST students, faculty, and alumni, voiced their agreement with the editorial, and posted several tweets and blogs supporting the University.

UST has given us more than enough reasons to love and protect her.

As Thomasians, we have all

ALMOST a year ago during our retreat I described my life as a basketball game and sadly at that time, I was going through a rough stretch.

Fortunately, many came to my rescue, including the Varsitarian and eventually, I found a way to win that particular quarter. I’m not saying I’ve already won the game of life. But I’m not doing badly at it either.

To me, especially during the past year, the Varsitarian has been my saving grace. ‘V’ came through and knocked down a barrage of treys to help me get back on my feet. And for that I will forever be grateful.

Keeping the sports theme, let me use this final opportunity to turn this farewell piece into a “basketball game” filled with gratitude to the second family I never knew I would have.

1st quarter Because I’m not an offensive juggernaut, my game with the ‘V’ started off a little slow. I was very tentative and I did not rush things.

Like a good recruit, I waited for an opportunity and settled for “lesser beats” which would later turn out to

UST has given us more than enough reasons to love and protect her. As Thomasians, we have all the right to say that UST makes us strong. the right to say that UST makes us strong. After four years as a Journalism student, this writer is thankful for the education and the Thomasian formation.

Now that I am leaving my second home, I would love to recall the highlights of my fouryear stay.

During my freshmen days, I thought that the Main Building was a church and that the open space before it was indeed a lovers’ lane, as it is popularly called under the noses of the friars.

Of course, I leave the portals of UST with such notions corrected.

I was overwhelmed with the many traditions and rituals, such as the Freshmen Walk which marked the beginning of my Thomasian journey.

From a “promdi” who did

not know where to eat besides the usual fast food chains, I became an expert dorm tenant, Ate Jillene, Ate Niko, Ate Nica, Anielle and Leissa helped me in that transition.

When I was a sophomore, I started knowing my block mates better and I got more confident living in the city. I entered the Varsitarian during the summer of my first year not realizing at first that it would be a life-changing experience. The ‘V’ helped me mature.

The ‘V’ was and will always be my comfort zone. It did not make my college life easier, instead, it actually made my life tougher. But it was all worth it. I covered events, met sources and acquired knowledge and skills I that would not have been possible had I remained an ordrinary Journalism student.

It was where I found a place to rest when I could not stand the pressure of academic demands during my junior year.

To all the staffers whom I shared my life with from 2012 to 2015, thank you very much.

Thank you to all my kuyas and ates who guided me when I was just a neophyte in ‘V.’ To Mami Zsa, Glenn, James, Leigh, Rhowee, Paui and Gab who were not my ‘V’ mates but witnessed every hardship I had, thank you for putting up with me.

To Bien, thank you for everything. We have been through a lot in our life at the ‘V.’ We have seen each other grow.

And I am proud of what you have become now.

To my parents, thank you for the understanding when I could not go home to Bulacan for a whole month because of the hectic schedule during exams and Sunday meetings in the publication. You are my inspiration in all my aspirations.

Thomasians have all sorts of stories to tell when asked, “What makes your Thomasian journey a worthy ride?” But one thing is for sure, UST gave us more than a hundred and one reasons to stay firm even when we have to wade through the floods of difficulties.

Playing the game of ‘V’ Being the competitor I built myself into, I never gave 99 percent of me in my two years in ‘V,’ always 100 percent, most of the time even more. be good. Because the first time I had an opportunity to write a solo banner story was during the UAAP men’s basketball finals. I would have celebrated but the Tigers lost in Game 3, by two points in overtime and after leading by as much as 15 in the second half. I swear I’m not a jinx (unlike my two predecessors).

Luckily I came in ‘V’ with a great set of people; and even greater, the Sports section during my first year was awesome, and so it was all good.

To the ‘V’ incoming batch of 2013, I never realized it until the last few days of my stay but I’m very fortunate to start this journey with you. All of you are strong and awesome. I wish

I could have bonded with you more.

To Ar-ar and Forts, I am very proud of us. We were like the Lakers Showtime-era big three because we all had our time to shine. No bitterness with our trio, just genuine support and brotherhood.

To Kuya Alex, my one and only manager, and to Ate Patty, who I’d like to think was the older sister I never had, thank you for keeping me in check, guiding me and putting up with me for a whole year. To Kuya JanB, who I always say was the Michael Jordan to my Kobe Bryant, thank you for setting the foundation. Like the Black Mamba, I always wanted to “be like Mike” or in your case, “be like JanB.” I’d like to work

Surveillance PAGE 3

with you on the field soon to see how far I’ve improved.

As the quarter wound down, the initial awkwardness on the job was gone. If I were on the floor I’d like to think I had knocked down a couple of jump shots and was starting to gain some rhythm. Little did I know, the true test was yet to come.

2nd quarter It was a lazy effort to start this period of my life in ‘V’ because, well, I got lazy.

However, as things started to pick up once again, I realized, although I never really gave it that much focus yet, that if I wanted to move up the ranks, I had to start taking things more seriously.

Which I did, but like in a basketball game, you never know when a crazy play will come. In my case, life happened.

A family tragedy struck towards the end of the first half and towards the final stretch of my “Varsi game.” I was ready to quit and leave UST altogether.

Fortunately, I was not Cult PAGE 14

SOMETIMES the future changes quickly and completely, and we are left with only the choice of what to do next.

Towards the end of the 10th season of the hit US TV medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy, Dr. Cristina Yang had to make an important decision that would dictate how her life would turn out in the future—to stay in a job that had provided her stability or to leave it so she could challenge herself to grow as a person.

Much like Yang, portrayed as a go-getter cardiothoracic surgeon who had a zeal for success and a hunger to be the best, I, too, have entertained such question in my mind several times in the past—should I stay in the publication and finish my term or should I quit before my term ends?

I went through a rigorous screening process three years ago to be a staff member of the Varsitarian. Back then I had no idea of how it would

I have explored myself in every spectrum, and now I need to focus my parfocal lenses to greater opportunities. affect me in the long run. But as my job started, I realized that working in the publication meant sacrificing a lot.

Time was my biggest foe when I became a staffer of the paper. I chased time to scour for sources that I needed to interview for my articles. I wanted to freeze time to be able to write articles and beat the deadline. And I had to trade my time with my family every semestral break and the majority of my summer vacation with more work for extra-editorial activities.

But now I have realized

that my constant battle with time in the past three years has made me a tougher journalist.

Bearing with the rough ride was all worth it if only for me to reach the finish line.

Gladly, I never let the thought of giving up translate to a resignation letter.

I did not have bullets and rifles when I entered the Varsitarian. I started my journey in the publication with a slingshot and a couple of pebbles in my pocket.

Through time, the publication had taught me how to aim well. Until one day, I was

surprised to see myself shooting the bull’s-eye with higher accuracy.

The Varsitarian trained me to be a better reporter. It polished my craft to help me rise from the bottom of the press food chain to where I am right now and it scratched my surface to expose a gleaming newspaperman, who was once rusty.

And this transformation from a duckling to a swan would not be possible without the people who believed in me since day one.

To my ‘V’ family, thank you for making my three-year stay mean something, which I find hard to let go. Without all of you, my journey would have been a consequence of hurricanes and tsunamis. You held my every moment and calmed my raging seas.

To my writers—Mone and Jelina—thank you for all your contributions to the Features section. We may not have towered above the rest, Parfocal PAGE 14

UST’s culture of encounter IT IS quite interesting that people have a tendency to associate endings with farewells. When someone dies or leaves a familiar place, people simply cannot let go without bidding farewell.

The annual Baccalaureate Mass ends with graduates passing through the Arch of the Centuries to signify farewell.

When I was a freshman, I did not understand why graduates cried during the Baccalaureate Mass. I was never a fan of farewells, it seems.

It was only when I finally joined the more than 8,000 graduates during the Baccalaureate Mass this year that I fully understood the importance of formally saying goodbye.

Goodbyes give one a sense of fulfillment. Goodbyes give recognition to the ones we are leaving behind.

Making the exit through the Arch of the Centuries gives flashbacks of one’s entire journey as a Thomasian.

How could a Thomasian forget the excitement when entering the Arch during the Freshmen Welcome Walk?

How could one forget the

UST hones you to bring the spirit of camaraderie and Thomasian values outside the University. heart-pounding games during the UAAP season, the loud cheers during the Paskuhan concert, the inspiring homilies during key university Masses and the sleepless nights of study?

On my part, a big part of my Thomasian journey was the Varsitarian. My university life found a deeper purpose when I joined ‘V.’ People found it intriguing that I applied for the Witness section, the religion section of the ‘V.’ With all the controversies hounding the Catholic Church, only a few would dare to show interest and even write about it.

But for me, I knew that I was in the right place. I spent two years at the ‘V’ as a writer and

eventually an editor.

‘V’ brought me closer to the Thomasian community writing about the teachings of the Catholic Church, issues affecting it, public and secular matters in which the Church would have a say, the Dominicans, and even Pope Francis when he visited the country last January.

Lastly, ‘V’ has taught me to respect the idea that even if UST is a Catholic school, it is culturally and religiously diverse and this diversity has opened doors for unity in the institution.

In the end, whatever cultural group or religious denomination you are part of or even if you are just an independent soul, the

University does not hinder you to experience the joy and bliss of being a Thomasian.

As in the words Pope Francis had written in the University’s guestbook on January 18, “May the Lord bless all those studying and working for a culture of encounter.”

Truly, there is a culture of encounter in UST because it hones you to not just bring academic honor to the university but to bring the spirit of camaraderie and Thomasian values outside the University.

I would always be grateful to ‘V’ and UST for being a part of its culture of encounter.

To Mama and Daddy, I know that it was not an easy ride but thank you for supporting me in realizing my dreams.

To Sir Lito, Sir Ipe and the selection committee, thank you for the opportunity to be part of this publication. It was a pleasure to have served the Thomasian community for two years.

To Ate Gervie, Ate Poleng and Kuya James, thank you for all the guidance and tips. It

Roseline PAGE 14

The Varsitarian Opinion

5

Confessions of a harried commuter AS A FRESHMAN, I despised commuting. Probably because I disliked being with strangers, commuting felt like I was wasting hours of valuable time.

My commute would take two hours from my home to UST. The first hour of travel was bearable.

Sure, it could take a while to find a ride with a vacant seat, and traffic on Ortigas could be irritating. But I still looked forward to school because of friends. On the second hour of travel, all of my enthusiasm would turn to aggravation. By then, I would already in Manila where pollution was the worst.

I also hated how I often got lost. I was an inexperienced freshman who was poor with directions.

At times, I mistakenly took the wrong jeepney that would take me to the wrong places.

But after four years of commuting daily, I got the hang of it. I acquired a few skills: I improved my sense of direction. I found ways to be productive during my two-hour travel, like studying and sleeping peacefully without missing my stop. I guess we also gain from things we dislike. ***

My “commute” as a Thomasian and a ‘V’ staffer was exhausting. But it brought me to places I had never imagined.

The University of the Philippines was the desired destination by almost everyone in my high school. Maybe because of my parents’ wishes or peer pressure, it was mine too. When it was clear I would not be able to study there, I was forced to go to the more accessible UST. I was convinced that I was going to be a UP graduate. So when I started in UST, it felt like I took the wrong jeepney. I felt like I was going to be lost, bound somewhere I did not want to be.

But I met many great people and experienced things I know now can happen only in UST. Now that I’m a UST graduate, I realize this was the ride I was meant to take. Truly, it was never about the destination, but the journey. *** On the third year of my Thomasian journey, I took a detour. I applied for the Varsitarian, a random decision.

Without any background in journalism (or in writing decently), I was surprised to find out I passed. Until now I think I was just lucky.

My first year as a ‘V’ writer was full of enthusiasm.

I was eager to learn how to write well, I was excited to see my articles published with my byline, and I was ecstatic because of the fact that I was a student journalist.

But on my second year, I started to feel the fatigue. Work became toxic. Like my commute, I just wanted to finish the year as soon as possible.

But my two-year stint in the ‘V’ taught me time management, good work ethics, responsibility and perseverance. I did not only become a writer, I also became a janitor, archivist, public relations officer, food server, band manager, counselor, and events organizer.

But the best thing I got from being part of ‘V’ was the friends I made.

My journey as a ‘V’ staffer was an unexpected one.

I owe my fulfilling college life to that random turn I took in my journey. Do not be afraid to try different routes, you might discover something priceless. *** I joined the ‘V’ because I wanted to do something worthwhile during my free time. Describing ‘V’ as demanding is an understatement. It did not just consume my free time, it also took my time for academics and social life. What ‘V’ asked from me was not simply

Dominic FROM PAGE 11 urged Letranites to emulate St. Dominic through “feet, smile, and light” to be able to evangelize.

“Kung nais nating parangalan ang ating Amang Santo Domingo, tularan natin siya na may magandang paa dahil siya’y naglalakad para ipamahagi ang mabuting balita, tularan natin siya dahil siya ay may magandang ngiti na nagsasalita ng kabutihan, [at] tularan natin siya dahil siya ay liwanag na tumatanggap ng ilaw mula sa Diyos,” Marquez said at the Blessed Antonio Varona

Rorschach PAGE 14 Gymnasium in Letran.

Born in Caleruega, Spain, St. Dominic de Guzman founded the Order of Preachers in 1216. The order has approximately 6,135 members, statistics from catholic-hierarchy.org showed.

In the Philippines, the Dominicans run 16 convents and 10 schools, including UST and Letran.

This year’s celebration also coincided with the first death anniversary of Caceres Archbishop Emeritus Leonardo Legaspi, O.P., first Filipino rector of UST and former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

6 Special Reports The

Varsitarian AUGUST 22, 2015

Editor: Andre Arnold T. Santiago

2016 polls: Shallow bench of presidential bets

By MONICA M. HERNANDEZ and MARY GILLAN FRANCES G. ROPERO IN THE early days politicians presented themselves to voters possessing the right credentials and a long experience in public service.

Recent elections however have seen various personalities more than willing to throw their hats into the political arena even without the necessary preparation.

Jose Torres, a history professor at De La Salle University, considers many of the 2016 candidates as “neophytes” trying to conceal their novice status with a celebrity image.

The image of politicians, Torres argued, has been reduced to a dispenser of various favors, leading the public to root for a candidate with a “Messiah complex.”

“I do not think there will be any difference in the candidates today unless you have a voting population that is ‘intelligent’ enough to look at the qualities, [not the candidate] as a popular figure, but rather the qualities of leadership in governance,” Torres told the Varsitarian.

Reynold Agnes, political science professor at Far Eastern University, said programs and projects implemented by the officials in government positions were more important than experience.

Aside from political experience, comparing presidential candidates should also be based on

Marketing

credentials, performance, achievements, advocacy and stand on major issues, said Dennis Coronacion, head of the UST political science department.

The only qualifications of the president outlined in Article VII, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution are: being a natural-born Filipino citizen, a registered voter, 40 years of age at the day of the election, must know how to read and write, and must be a resident of the Philippines for 10 years preceding the elections.

Political system ‘regressed’ Compared with the past five decades, the current political system in the Philippines has “regressed,” but the political agenda of the candidates have remained, Torres said.

“The system of politics worsened and so has the public’s understanding of it,” he added.

Carmel Abao, political science professor at Ateneo de Manila, said political tactics have also not changed much from past campaigns. “[Politicians often] appeal to emotions, mudslinging and patronage-based tactics,” she said.

Agnes said targeting the emotions of the people was a traditional strategy used by the candidates, and was very effective in winning votes.

Coronacion agreed, adding that voters were fond of good-looking and approachable candidates carrying a clean public image.

“Citizens base their votes

on blood relations leading to clan-based politics, while others cling to material incentives that develop to patronage politics,” he said.

Candidates’ resumes Among the expected 2016 candidates, Sen. Grace Poe topped the Social Weather Stations survey last June 18 as the preferred choice for president and vice president.

However, she has only served in government for five years, having been chairwoman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board from 2010 to 2012 before being elected senator in 2013.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, who has long been open with his plans for a presidential candidacy, has been a public servant since 1986, when he was appointed officer in charge-mayor of Makati City.

He served as mayor until 1998 when he became ineligible for reelection after serving three straight terms.

His wife Elenita warmed his seat from 1998 to 2001.

Binay again served as mayor from 2001 to 2010. In 2010, he was elected vice president.

Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, who obtained the endorsement of President Benigno Aquino III on July 31, has served in government for 22 years. He first served as a member of the House of Representatives, then was designated by presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as trade and industry secretary.

Roxas became a senator

The role of the Church Given the shallow nature of political contests in the Philippines, the religious leaders have become one of voters’ main sources of guidance and reflection.

“The [Catholic] Church can be a good source of enlightenment for the voters,” Coronacion said.

However, Torres said that the Church only steps in when moral values and religious freedoms are being threatened by bills or political advocacies.

The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), established in 1991, is one of the Catholic initiatives aiming to transform the electoral culture of society. PPCRV monitors the tabulation of election results and works to prevent election fraud.

Torres commended Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle’s role as a public commentator, which allows the prelate to reach out further to the population.

“The efforts of the Church not to condemn politicians but the immoral values per se will help the people to shape their perception of the government,” Torres said.

‘Tis the season for premature campaigning

Boards FROM PAGE 3 Dumago, who had a score of 93.35 percent.

With the most number of examinees, UST remained the third top-performing school after posting a 93.56-percent passing rate, equivalent to 247 passers out of 264 examinees, results from the Professional Regulation Commission showed. This was higher than last year’s passing rate of 81.71 percent, equivalent to 268 passers out of 328 examinees.

Other Thomasians who made it to the top 10 were Arianne Angeli Baluyut (92.03 percent) at fourth place, Darwin Bryan Kiong (91.70 percent) who was tied with Katrina Angelie Pieldad of San Pedro College-Davao City at seventh place, and Chriselle Marie Mirhan (91.42 percent) at 10th place.

The Varsitarian Science and Technology editor Hedrix Ar-Ar Caballe was among those who passed.

Saint Louis University of Baguio was named topperforming school anew with a 94.55-percent passing rate or 52 passers out of 55 examinees. It was followed by Our Lady of Fatima University-Quezon City with a 94.23 percent passing rate or 49 passers out of 52 examinees.

The national passing rate improved to 63.78 percent or 2,004 passers out of 3,142 examinees, from last year’s 54.88 percent or 1,525 passers out of 2,779 examinees.

JEROME P. VILLANUEVA and BIANCA KRISTIN A. TARAY

By PAUL XAVIER JAEHWA C. BERNARDO and MARY GRACE C. ESMAYA POLITICAL advertisements are already being aired on radio and television even before the official campaign period for the 2016 national and local elections. But politicians spending big money on such ads cannot be penalized for “premature campaigning” because of a legal loophole.

Election laws and Supreme Court rulings do not prohibit these advertisements as the personalities being promoted are not yet official candidates, according to the head of the University’s political science department.

“As stated in the election law and jurisprudence, premature campaigning takes place if a political aspirant has already filed his or her certificate of candidacy and has engaged in prohibited acts before the campaign period,” Asst. Prof. Dennis Coronacion told the Varsitarian.

In November 2014, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago filed a bill seeking to prohibit any act of premature campaigning or self-promotion one year before the start of the official campaign period.

The bill, according to Santiago, would address the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Penera v. Comelec (2009), which stated: “Unlawful acts or omissions applicable to a candidate shall take effect only upon the start of the aforesaid campaign period.”

Therefore, based on the ruling, a candidate is only liable for an election offense during the campaign period, implying that no one can be penalized for premature campaigning.

Article X, Sec. 80 of the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines states: “It shall be unlawful for any person, whether or not a voter or candidate, or for any party, or association of persons, to engage in an election campaign or partisan political activity except during the campaign period.”

The official period of campaign shall commence 90 days before the day of election for national candidates and 45 days before the local election for local

candidates, according to Article I, Section 3.

The term “candidate” refers to “any person aspiring for or seeking an elective public office, who has filed a certificate of candidacy by himself or through an accredited political party, aggroupment, or coalition of parties,” according to Article X, Sec. 79 (a) of the Omnibus Election Code.

The Senate committee on electoral reforms, headed by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, began tackling Santiago’s pending bill last May 19.

For the upcoming 2016 national elections, the filing of candidacies is slated in October, while the campaign period will be from February 12 to May 11, 2016 for national candidates and March 30 to May 11, 2016 for local candidates.

Political aspirants are obviously taking advantage of the election law loophole to increase their public exposure and their chances of being elected to office,

Coronacion said.

Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina urged lawmakers to revisit election laws. "You see many aspirants resorting to all sorts of media to be able to attract public attention [and] foster name recall,” he said.

Divina pointed out that political aspirants running early advertisements obviously possess more financial resources and are placed at a huge advantage over other potential candidates who do not have campaign funds.

Among prospective candidates for the 2016 elections already airing paid advertisements are Vice President Jejomar Binay, Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Sen. Grace Poe, former senator Panfilo Lacson, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno. PAUL XAVIER JAEHWA

C. BERNARDO and MARY GRACE C. ESMAYA

AUGUST 22, 2015

UST Singers reigns in Florence

in 2004 before serving as transportation and communications secretary in 2011 under Aquino. In 2012, he became interior and local government secretary.

Coronacion said Roxas appeared to be the most qualified candidate, but lacks the support of the public.

FROM PAGE 3 institutions not traditionally well placed in the rankings.”

UST is the lone Philippine university to receive a four-star rating from QS, the London consultancy that releases annual university rankings. According to QS, a four-star rating categorizes the university as “highly international, demonstrating excellence in both research and teaching, and provides an excellent environment for students and faculty.”

UST recorded a perfect five-star rating in four out of eight criteria, namely: employability, facilities, engagement, and access; four stars in the teaching category; three stars in internationalization; and one star in specialist criteria and research.

UST was conferred the Level II PQA Recognition for Proficiency in Quality Management in 2005. The PQA is the highest level of national recognition for exemplary organizational performance of private and public organizations in the country, based on the principles of “total quality management.” JEROME P. VILLANUEVA

Editors: Kristelle-Ann A. Batchelor and Elyssa Christine A. Lopez

After a succesful stint in Florence, the UST Singers are headed to Germany to continue their tour.

COURTESY OF UST SINGERS

WORLD-RENOWNED UST Singers reigned supreme in the 4th Florence International Choir Festival, bagging the overall best choir award and bringing home the grand prix, the Golden David Trophy.

The 32-member chorale bested 14 ensembles from various countries such as Armenia, Bulgaria, China, England, Estonia, Hong Kong and Italy in the competition held last July 22 to 25 in Florence, Italy.

The UST Singers emerged as first-prize winners in the Mixed Choirs Adult Category, Pop, Folk, Gospel and Barbershop Ensembles Category, Sacred Music Category, and Modern and Contemporary Music Category.

Roberto Tagalog, group's baritone specialist and College of Science alumnus, won as Best Male Soloist for his part in “Gabag-an” by Ruben Federizon.

“We studied Gabag-an just last June. I did not expect this award because my solo part only lasted a couple of seconds in the introduction of the song,” Tagalog said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Fidel Calalang Jr., the conductor the UST Singers, also won special prizes for Best Contemporary Work's Arrangement for his choral arrangement of Ennio Morricone’s “My Heart and I” and the Best Interpretation of the Required Piece “Vergine O Natura” by Gaetano Lorandi.

The Golden David trophy won by the UST Singers represented the emblem of Florence and the festival: it was a replica of Michelangelo’s famous scuipture of David. Jury was composed of choral experts from Italy, Japan, and the Netherlands.

The UST Singers will be continuing their tour in Germany and will hold a thanksgiving concert upon arrival in Manila.

The UST Singers achieved much global acclaim after winning again the Choir of the World title, or the Pavarotti Prize, in the Eisteddfod choral fest in Wales, United Kingdom in 2010, the only choir in the history of one of the oldest choral fests in the world to do so. It had previously won the grand prize in 1995 AMIERIELLE ANNE A. BULAN and MA. CZARINA A. FERNANDEZ

Brillante Mendoza tackles ‘Yolanda’ aftermath in ‘Taklub’

By ELYSSA CHRISTINE A. LOPEZ and ETHAN JAMES M. SIAT TACKLING the aftermath of super-typhoon “Yolanda/ Haiyan” in Tacloban City, Cannes best director and UST fine arts alumnus Brillante Mendoza has come up with a poignant semidocumentary fictional tale of survival and recovery in “Taklub,” which opened the 11th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on Aug. 6.

Focusing on three families and their struggles in the wake of the biggest typhoon in history ever to hit land, the movie’s multipronged narrative is governed by the point of view of Bebeth, played by veteran actress Nora Aunor.

When one of the tent cities in the refugee center burns, a family of five is consumed by the flames.

The father Renato (Lou Veloso) becomes the lone survivor, and Bebeth comes to his aid, helping raise donations for him.

Bebeth lives with her daughter, Angela (Shine Santos), and earns a living by her eatery. She maintains her optimism all throughout, so that her small business becomes the refuge of other victims and survivors of the typhoon, such as Larry (Julio Diaz), a father of two, and Erwin (Aaron Rivera), who has become the family breadwinner for his two siblings, who have lost their families to the typhoon.

The film follows the characters’ daily activities, as they struggle to cope physically and emotionally with the effects of the disaster.

Although trying to maintain her composure and optimism, Bebeth is herself coping with the

aftermath of the disaster. When her former husband says that he has not found their three children in the mass grave, she’s stoic about it: “Let God take care of it.”

This is no melodrama. The optimism of Bebeth is not embodied in the art direction, where dark and neutral hues take over, evincing the grim subject matter. The shaky camera work and extreme closeups give audiences an intimate yet uncomfortable feeling of the characters’ ordeal.

The film seems to focus more on the spiritual devastation rather than the physical rehabilitation of the victims.

In another scene, Larry, a devout Catholic, buries a crucifix after his aunt has died from a landslide caused by a new typhoon.

Such spiritual symbolism is evident throughout the film, as if posing a test of faith to audiences.

Small wonder the movie, which was part of the Un Certain Regard competition of the Cannes international film festival, was given the Ecumenical Jury PrizeSpecial Mention.

But its spiritual bleakness, like in nearly all of Mendoza’s movies, does not really explain how the victims of “Yolanda” have survived to tell the tale. Mendoza shows that the victims are really trapped in their hapless fate: in fact, the title, the Visayan word for Tacloban. ground zero of the storm, means “tight lid,” or as the English title of the movie translates it, “Trap.”

If there’s resiliency in the victims, the film seems to show, it is owing to their pessimistic fatalism, not their optimism or sense of hope.

The Varsitarian Circle

7

That kind of love that sticks with you A FEW months back, I learned of the Korean term “jung.”

“It is the connection between two people that cannot be severed, even when love turns to hate. You still have those old feelings for them; you cannot ever completely shake them loose of you. You will always have tenderness in your heart for them.” —P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han. The Varsitarian is my jung.

They say joining the ‘V’ is like having a boyfriend or a girlfriend— for it is demanding and attention-seeking.

The ‘V’ demands full time and attention from its staffers, much like a lover who would seek undivided commitment and would nag you and demand your attention.

It seems like a distant memory now but in 2012, my life once revolved around the ‘V.’ I was crazy, head over heels for it.

I do not think I will be who I am now if not for this publication and for that, I will forever be indebted.

But because commitments piled up one after another, there came a time when I started shoving the ‘V’ to the bottom of my priorities.

I admit, there came a time that I neglected it, took it for granted, and I had the urge to leave it.

For a while, I felt as if the ‘V’ does not want me anymore.

I do not think I will be who I am now if not for this publication and for that, I will forever be indebted.

I tried rekindling the old spark, but I felt like fighting for a lost cause.

I am leaving the ‘V’ now, not in the peak of our love, But my heart will always pine for it. It will always have a part in me that I can never eradicate.

And just like a parting lover, I owe the ‘V’ my sincerest apologies for my disregard of it. I have so many “should have’s, could have’s, and would have’s” that I can now only lament on this brief space.

The Varsitarian will always be my jung. *** To my batch mates in 2012, thank you for giving me the best year of my life. We are all embarking toward different directions now but I hope, someday, our roads will converge again.

Poy, Mara, JC, and Ar, we have seen each other grow these past three years. Thank you for you sustained me when things just felt too tedious to continue.

Gelyn, I thank God for the “V” because it led me closer to you. You are a blessing to every person you meet and whose lives you touch.

Kuya Enzo and Andre, you are the brothers I never had. I will always be sentimental of the short stint we had together. Thank you for you shaped me into the kind of writer I am now.

MC, Jelina, Ely, Ally, and Ethan, you all fulfilled my purpose as a Special Reports and later on, as a Circle editor.

Collectively, I learned bigger lessons from you than what I imparted as your editor.

Ate Patty and Jan B, I consider you two as my closest friends now. No matter what happens, I hope this piece reminds us of the special bond we had in time immemorial.

“So, why do you suffer so much when someone you love goes away? At least, you had your chance. Be grateful for it. You shared a moment, one night or a whole year, doesn’t matter. You. Were. Something. And it’s true what they say, everything we love we will leave behind.

But, what about all those friends & lovers we never met nor will ever meet? For them, I cry sometimes.”—Ines Kotarac

86

Editor: Juan Carlos D. Moreno

FEATURES

The

97

Varsitarian AUGUST 22, 2012

co-director comes home

FROM PAGE 1 interview with the Varsitarian.

In his speech during his courtesy call to the Rector for his outstanding contribution in the field of animation last Aug. 10, Ronnie urged Thomasians to continue reinventing themselves and to not be afraid to make mistakes along the way.

“Think about the better versions of yourself and please make mistakes because this is not a world wherein you should know the right answers. You only know them when you make mistakes,” Ronnie said.

“I’m a bit slow. I make the same mistake several times, but this is not the way we make movies at Pixar.

We make mistakes for about three or four years trying to tell the story but only when we learn the best things about the story that we make the movie.”

In and out life’s maze Just like in the movies, Ronnie’s life had had its twists and turns.

Instead of enrolling in college, Ronnie had to work right after he graduated from high school because his family lost their house. Worse, they were left with very little when one of his father’s business partners ran-off with the money.

Ronnie had a brief stint as a painter at the age of 15, working on the set of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 film “Apocalypse Now" to help with his ease his family’s financial woes.

A few years later, his father left for the United States to work, his earnings allowing Ronnie to finally enroll as a freshman at the College of Fine Arts and Design major in Advertising.

‘Oldest’ student Though he was four years older than most of his classmates, Ronnie didn’t see it as a disadvantage. He in fact enjoyed his time in the University by joining numerous student organizations.

“I had a great time here that by the time

I got in, I was probably the happiest oldest student they had in freshman because I not only loved the classes but I understood it easier so I ended up joining every club I could join,” Ronnie said in his speech.

Graduating at the age of 25, Ronnie tried his hand at advertising by working as an art director for an agency. In 1989, another opportunity knocked, a chance to migrate to the States through his father’s petition.

It was not an overnight success for Ronnie as he had to start over in advertising.

He was unemployed for a while.

“I was lucky to dream these things that people believed in me enough to actually hire me,” he said.

He first worked in animation as a storyboard artist for “Widget,” “The World Watcher” in 1990, “Where’s Waldo?” in 1991 and Warner Bros’ “Batman: The Animated Series” in 1992.

Ronnie later moved to the big league as he worked for DreamWorks Animation as a story artist in “The Prince of Egypt” and story supervisor for “The Road to El Dorado” both in 1998.

It was not until 2000 that Ronnie decided to try his luck at Pixar Animations Studios.

Proud of being a Filipino animator, Ronnie joined a community at Pixar called “Pixnoys” where he bonded with fellow Filipino co-workers through charity events.

Ronnie continued to do several projects with Pixar as a storyboard artist for “Ratatouille” story and character designer for “WALL-E” and story artist for both “Brave” and “Monsters University.”

The 55-year-old animator made his directorial debut in the short film “Dug’s Special Mission,” released on the “Up” DVD and Blu-Ray. It was his work in “Up” as a storyboard artist and story supervisor where Pete Docter, director of “Inside Out” took notice of his talent and invited him to be his codirector.

BOOKS and BORDERS: TWO UST academicians are flying to Europe for prestigious scholarship grants.

After years of hard work and dedication in the field of research and education, Peter Emmanuel A. Mara, a faculty member at the Department of Philosophy, and Daniel D. Vicario, an assistant professor at the Department of Mathematics and Physics, are the only Southeast Asians to receive the prestigious Master Erasmus Mundus Europhilosophie and Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate Program for Experimental Physics by the European Union, respectively.

Deeply humbled by this scholarship grant, they believe that the program will not only guarantee the acquirement of higher degree, but would also pave the way in strengthening academic linkages between European universities and UST. Alfredo P. Co was the last Thomasian faculty member who was granted a scholarship for philosophy in Sorbonne in the 1980s.

From España to Europe From what once an undecided college freshman who only considered Philosophy as a platform for either priesthood or law school, Mara now sees his profession as a way of life.

Recalling his first few years in college, he said: “All I can remember is the elegance and prestige that came along with the pronunciation of the word ‘philosophy.'"

“The call to the vocation slowly vanished and since I developed a great dismay towards the legal system in the

Philippines, there was only one choice left for me: teaching,” he said.

Instead of taking up a doctorate degree, he took five years to meet the French language requirement as a preparation for his application for the Erasmus Mundus educational grant.

Mara said it was worth the sacrifice. He survived the grueling screening process, besting numerous applicants from all around the world.

“To have a holistic understanding of life, we must learn to deal with the horrifying and unpleasant things that life may bring us. But in all of the unbearable ordeals that may bring us down to our knees, we just need to look up for His Divine help and inspiration,” he said.

Vicario hopes to further enhance his skills through the scholarship and share his knowledge to other Thomasians.

“I expect to learn new scientific practices and ways of thinking in Europe, which can provide us with new perspectives and a deeper understanding of the principles,” he said.

Vicario, who has been awarded as an Outstanding B.S. Applied Physics alumnus by the College of Science, aims to prove that Thomasians can do well in a scientific environment.

“I want to be remembered as the pioneer Filipino researcher in laboratory tomographic microscopy to inspire my students to value science and education,” Vicario said.

Vicario challenges his students to always aim for excellence and to never stop finding various creative means to achieve their dreams.

“Education is the best equalizer; failure is but a learning opportunity to achieve greater success,” he emphasized.

WITH his wit and attitude, multi-awarded filmmaker Rommel “Milo” Tolentino, who released his most recent short film titled “Nenok” in this year’s Cinemalaya Festival, never ceases to fascinate his audience.

Tolentino, an independent filmmaker, hopes that viewers would be more aware and appreciative of the eye-awakening experience the local film industry offers.

“The fact that Filipino filmmakers get to make films that they want to do is already a winning predicament to the Philippine cinema. We should celebrate Filipino filmmakers and their films,” Tolentino said in an e-mail interview with the Varsitarian.

A Thomasian, Tolentino says UST has

played an important role in the formation of his success.

“UST provided me a home for my education, so if people find my work palatable, decent and worth their money, then my education from UST contributed to that,” he said.

Out of rich desire for learning, Tolentino pursued his film education in the University of the Philippines-Diliman after finishing his undergraduate studies in UST. “To supplement my video production education, I produced a crappy 30-minute short film and suddenly, I’m in love with the cinema,” Tolentino said.

To his surprise, the small trial project became a hit in the big screen and ended up

in the Rotterdam Film Festival years later.

On Cinemalaya’s second year, Tolentino’s short film titled “Orasyon” won Best Short Film and got his first Gawad Urian nomination.

For Tolentino, there is nothing more rewarding than to be able to make the audience appreciate the people and the ideas that move behind the cameras.

The film industry has not always been kind to him.

Tolentino said the lack of sufficient budget for independent filmmakers often keept them from turning their ideas into reality.

“How do you overcome it? There is no way of sugar coating it: you beg for

Vicencio

Mara

money,” he said.

Nevertheless, the film industry continues to thrive and flourish with unique and talented artists, each a stand out blockbuster in their own way, he said.

“Let us not be bounded by the thought that we are just producing quantity over quality—taste is highly subjective, anyway,” Tolentino said.

Tolentino urged all aspiring filmmakers to spend time digging for inspiration and indulging in whatever movie they could get their hands on.

“You have to love films unconditionally.

Love films in all of its forms, faults and glory.” MARY GRACE C. ESMAYA and

VIANCA A. OCAMPO

Emmanuel Canlas: Towering above Malaysia's cityscapes

By MONE VIRMA GINRY P. GUMAPAC and BERNADETTE A. PAMINTUAN

Traversing the path of science

By VIANCA A. OCAMPO

Milo Tolentino A glimpse of life behind the camera

MEET Malaysia-based Thomasian architect Emmanuel “Manny” Canlas.

Manny was one of the architects who designed the iconic Petronas Twin Towers of Malaysia. His works also include parts of the Platinum Park in Kuala Lumpur, Queen’s Bay Complex in Penang and The Istana NurulIman in Brunei Darussalam.

Manny said joining the industry was not a piece of cake.

“Being a Thomasian architect always makes me feel I have the edge. I cannot explain that in technical details, but just the feeling of it,” he said.

“I’m very proud to be a Thomasian as I know, there was something special about being one.”

Looking back Manny grew up in an artistically-inclined family. Painting was his first love, he said.

He wanted to take it up in college, but for some reason, he found himself standing in the queue for architecture enrollees. This "mistake" eventually led to his success.

When he graduated from then the College of Architecture and Fine Arts and passed the architecture licensure exam in 1981, he immediately worked for Leandro V. Locsin, a National Artist for architecture, whom he fondly calls “tatay.”

“During my early career days, tatay was a mentor and inspiration to each one of us. My direct mentor was his nephew, architect Ed Ledesma, Jr.”

Building a name In 1983, he arrived in Kuala Lumpur where a good number of Filipino architects had made a name.

“I have met most of [the Filipino architects] after we have formed United Architects of the Philippines Kuala Lumpur Chapter,” said Manny, who leads the organization.

As an architect, he said that he never settled for any type of brand in designing, rather, he continues to explore the vast architectural design possibilities. “[Each architect] has his or her own design approach and design principles that I respect,” he said.

Aside from being in the architecture industry, Manny also works as a lecturer at Taylor’s University, one of Malaysia’s higher learning facilities and at the same time designing bungalows for selected clients.

10 Literary

The Varsitarian

AUGUST 22, 2015

Editor: April Joy E. Dy

Nightingale back. “I’m really sorry about Tita G. Breast cancer, it’s just awful. She was a strong woman and maybe, it really was her time.”

I remembered nights when Maya and Nanay swapped stories about work. It almost always revolved around their clients: a badmouthed, balding ex-policeman, a tattooed eskapo, and when they were lucky, a relatively well-off lonely husband. I never joined them in this kind of kiss-and-tell. You put makeup on, you wait for someone, you lie in a dusty bed, you get paid, then you do it again the next night. I mean, this is what we do. Do we really have to bring it home, too?

I started to feel ashamed. I mistook rebellion for freedom, and so I recklessly t o o k the path Nanay n e v e r wanted for me. I loved her so much I wanted to become exactly like her — long, flowing hair and a painted face in a medley of vibrant clothes.

This was before, of course, I had the benefit of insight.

“I wonder how it would be like if I became a nurse like she wanted,” I thought. Instead

of the dresses that desperately begged for attention, there will only be the white ensemble and a calming voice that says, “You’ll be fine. We’ll take care of you.” My disdainful image of forced inebriation is replaced with the fine Nightingale who helps people like my mother.

Most nights she came home drunk. She told me her job required it. I always wanted to know what her job was, and why she slept through the day and stayed up all night unlike other parents. She would sigh in impatience and tell me her usual response, “The oldest profession, might as well grow old with it.”

Everyone seemed to know my mother. “Gina the Lover,” “The Acrobat,” they called her. I thought it was a compliment.

I marveled at her nicknames, and I badly wanted that kind of admiration.

If only I knew back then what they meant.

The first few times I was nervous.

After a month, I got comfortable. After

Pieta Edit(ed) No one understood why he indulged in the agony of the pen, as he dragged it across the ghostly sheet, and spewed out emotion line per line.

Once the verses had been finished, came the torture—to be corrected and freed from error by the master— verses, slashed open with every mistake, until they bled scarlet, with the promise of being better.

No one understood his masochistic endearment to punishment and healing, why he took delight in the vicious cycle he had to live with.

To others, he had gone mad in the eternal quest to find the beautiful out of the tortured.

JOSEF BRIAN M. RAMIL

THE MOTHER was haunted, by memories of her son: camouflaged in green, and stained by red— nightmares that made her break in cold sweat, pray to all the saints that the heavens protect her dearest from the enemy’s bullets.

She relived the days when her soldier was but a little boy who always cried in school.

“Mama!” he implored, as he marched back home, a school bag hanging from his shoulder alongside young men in faded polo shirts and slacks.

Soon, his shoulder bore the weight of a mud-splattered rifle, and he marched with men in proud salute, who returned without him and offered nothing but a disc of smelted gold to a mother unable to hear again his last haunting words: “I love you, Ma.”

CEDRIC ALLEN P. STA. CRUZ

The Varsitarian Witness

11

Order of Preachers celebrates Feast of St. Dominic

By ANGELI MAE S. CANTILLANA and KATHRYN JEDI V. BAYLON

By ZENMOND G. DUQUE II and ALHEX ADREA M. PERALTA I WANTED someone to tell me that this wasn’t really happening.

I felt a brief sting in my stomach. I started to cramp. It’s becoming impatient. I can’t call it “he” or “she” yet; I’m not ready.

“Hoy, girl!” Maya waved her hand in front of my face and clutched at my arm. “Let’s go sit down first. I’m all sweaty from that jeepney ride. If only I had saved enough for that second-hand motorcycle Nestor was selling.”

I couldn’t focus on what she was saying. My eyes roamed around the room before I fixed them on the dull-looking wall. “Look at my face. It’s terrible,” she exasperatedly said, fanning herself with a frayed hand towel.

My voice was shaking. “I’m sorry for dragging you here. I didn’t want to go alone.”

“Uy, don’t say sorry. I promised Tita G that I’ll always look out for you.” We made our way towards the wooden bench near the reception desk.

I sat beside her as she reapplied her lipstick.

At least the place was tidier than the last time I was here. Surprisingly, the lights were working.

But still, ambulance sirens angrily blared and the room was teeming with panic-stricken faces.

“I never liked this place,” I said, breaking the silence. Of all of Olongapo, perhaps I hate this place as much as I hate the bar-plagued Barrio Barretto.

“Ha? Why is that?” Maya asked, putting down her cell phone. I didn’t even notice that she had finished retouching as I drowned in my doleful thoughts.

“The last time I was here, I cried the whole time. And the people here, they’re just…” I started to stammer. My knees shook. “They still have that pained look: walking around in circles, waiting for the doctor to say everything’s going to be fine.” I tried to catch my breath. “Nothing’s ever fine when you’re in a hospital. It just means you’re about to lose someone you love or you’re going to visit a sick person or, or…”

“Mars, calm down.” She gave me a pat on the

AUGUST 22, 2015

a while – a long, numbing while – I grew sick of it.

“You know how far the apple can go,” I said.

I choked back tears and forced a smile. “I should have known better. I should have never dropped out in the first place.”

“Look,” Maya said, holding my hand. “You got out.” Her phone started ringing again but she ignored it. “Sure we won’t be working together anymore, but at least you’ll never feel bad about yourself again.” With that last part I wasn’t sure.

“Cheer up, okay?” she finally said. “It’s not good for the baby.”

I felt like choking on my own words. “I don’t think I can handle this kind of responsibility,” I said.

“Mars, enough.” Her phone started to ring again, and this time she took it out of her bag and turned it off. “I’m here. I’ll listen.”

The receptionist called my name. I looked at her: busy, impersonal, writing something at a chart.

Maya nudged me. “Now, let’s go. We came here to know if it’s a boy or a girl and not to enact a scene from your soap opera life.” She began to laugh and I laughed too, this time a genuine kind of laughter.

On to the next one, I thought.

For a moment, I started to think about new beginnings, ones filled with passionate optimism.

But then I realized: only the situation is new.

Wherever you are, you are still the same person as before. There is nothing new about that, unfortunately.

A few months from now, I’ll cradle a fragile thing in my arms and have a new purpose, and hopefully a new job. But to the world, I am still the gin-soaked girl who ended up exactly like her mother.

I put my hands behind my back as another nurse — this one with a friendly, accommodating demeanor — led us to a room. I took a step and took in what I think was my deepest breath, inhaling the panic-filled air and letting it out after.

FILIPINO Dominicans marked the solemnity of their spiritual father St. Dominic de Guzman last Aug. 8, as they looked forward to marking the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the Dominican Order in 2016.

Holy Masses were held at Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City, headquarters of the Dominican Province of the Philippines, as well as at the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas and Colegio de San Juan de Letran de Manila, two important Dominican centers of higher learning.

At the massive shrine of Santo Domingo, Franciscans led the Eucharistic celebration, following a tradition among Dominicans and Franciscans that the leaders of each mendicant order preside over the commemoration of the feast of the founder of the other order.

Countless blessings from God will be obtained by following the path of St Dominic de Guzman, which entails humility and living a “simple life,” said Fr. Francis Mateo, O.F.M., custos of the Conventual Franciscans in the Philippines.

Despite moments of guilt due to sinfulness, a “flicker of light” will remain within the hearts of the people who live with “simplicity and humility,” he said in his homily at Santo Domingo last Aug. 8.

“Bagamat ikaw ay asin na parang nawawalan ng alat, saysay, at halaga, ikaw ay ilaw din na mayroong liwanag na hindi mapaparang at hindi mapapagal. Ang dapat lamang gawin ay mailagay ito sa tamang kalagayan upang maging malaya,” Mateo said.

Mateo said that by embracing the real essence of simple living, Catholics would be able to spread the Gospel, inspired

by St. Dominic and his followers.

“Tanggapin natin ang kasiyahang dala ng simpleng pamumuhay, ng namumuhay na naka-depende sa Diyos,” Mateo said.

More than 40 Dominican friars concelebrated the Mass at the Santo Domingo Church. It was presided by Fr. Cielo Almazan, O.F.M., vicar provincial of the Franciscans in the Philippines.

In his homily during the UST mass at the Santisimo Rosario Parish last Aug. 7, Fr. Gerard Timoner III, O.P., prior

Fr. Timoner receives offerings during the Mass commemorating the Solemnity of St. Dominic at the Santissimo Rosario Parish Church last Aug. 7. MIAH TERRENZ PROVIDO

provincial of the Filipino Dominicans, urged Thomasians to eradicate “toxic memories” that hinder Catholics from proclaiming the Good News.

Timoner likened the proclamation of the Gospel to travel in which bringing “excess baggage and negative memories” should be avoided.

“Traveling becomes less enjoyable when we are saddled and weighed down by too many things to carry. Jesus admonishes us to travel light and to carry only the necessary

things we need for the journey,” Timoner said in his homily.

Timoner also emphasized the importance of forgiveness to obtain faith and blessings from God. “Reconciliation happens when both persons involved in a conflict humble themselves, and decide to tread the path of a healed future, empowered by a healed memory,” he said.

Letran Rector and President Clarence Marquez, O.P., Dominic PAGE 5

Crash theology Weapons versus demonic possessions course offered bared in exorcism-themed comic book

By MARIE DANIELLE L. MACALINO and LEA MAT P. VICENCIO TO BRING the study of Christian beliefs closer to the faithful, a theology crash course is now being offered at the UST Graduate School every fourth Sunday of the month.

Conducted by Fr. Jose Antonio Aureada, O.P., regent of the UST Graduate School, the theology course is considered an extension course of the Faculty of Sacred Theology. The first session was held at the Graduate School last July 26.

Topics include Synthesis of Fundamental Theology, Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization.

According to Louie Hermosa, one of the organizers, the three-unit course is open to all college graduates who wish to study theology “in a deeper sense.”

"This course is unlike the formal course in the school that has daily meetings, grading system and exams. It is mainly composed of lectures,” Hermosa said in an interview.

Compared with the theology course taught in seminaries, the crash course is “more relatable” from the laity’s point of view, Aureada said.

“This course is more of updating one’s faith. We use a classroom setting,” Aureada said in an interview with the Varsitarian. “I use Tagalog so they would understand most of the parts.”

Aureada began giving theology crash courses three years ago upon the request of the Company of St. Dominic, a Dominican secular institute. The sessions were held at Siena College in Quezon City.

To have a definite place for the crash course, Aureada asked permission to use the facilities of the Graduate School.

Aureada described the attendees of the first session as “hybrid.”

“I was surprised because there were high school students and married couples,” he said.

In the course, eight sessions are devoted to the Synthesis of Fundamental Theology, and 10 sessions to Biblical Theology. The number of sessions for the New Evangelization has yet to be announced.

Interested participants are asked to pay a minimal fee of P100 per session. Handouts costing P200 per topic are also available.

Admission is free if participants do not wish to get the three-unit credit.

FROM PAGE 1

Youth, commended the comic book for “participating creatively in the New Evangelization.”

In a December 2014 letter, Jaucian described Patron Comics as “100% entertainment fused with 100% catechism,” because it aids the youth in understanding the sacraments and fulfilling Christian duties.

Other Church officials also saw potential in the comic book series becoming part of materials for theology and religion classes.

In the comic book’s foreword, UST Secretary General Fr. Winston Cabading, O.P., who is also part of the Archdiocese of Manila’s Ministry on Exorcism, said readers would be entertained and informed on the Catholic exorcism ministry and catechism.

page black-and-white comic book that tells the story of how a group of teenagers came to assist a priest-exorcist in relieving a ghost hunter of a severe case of demonic possession. The setting is the mysterious town of Sagrada Cozaron.

Dangers of the occult Perez told the Varsitarian he incorporated people’s inherent interest for supernatural stories and the occult into the comic book's subject matter, to educate the public on extraordinary phenomena, a field riddled with misconceptions.

“Talk of the supernatural gives me the opportunity to talk about what the Church teaches about good and evil, the Devil, angels and God. There is also the opportunity to correct some false notions that we have held ever since,” Perez said in an interview.

With television shows and movies increasingly promoting active homosexual lifestyles and violence, there is a need for materials that promote Christian values, to help avoid the weakening of morals, he added.

The comic book shows the struggles of the main characters with school, family and friends—from winning the love and attention of their parents to proving one’s worth among peers. The characters are haunted by their sins, insecurities and deepest desires, which they must battle to perform the exorcism successfully.

The comic book also warns readers against engaging in occult activities like playing the ouija board and other rituals that may leave them vulnerable to demonic attacks and possessions.

Controversial issues like same-sex relationships and abortion are also tackled.

The language is slightly rebellious and angst-filled, reflecting teenage culture. The graphics, meanwhile, take their cue from

manga comics and anime characters.

While it dwells on supernatural phenomena, the comic book has less to offer in terms of scares and more on explaining extraordinary phenomena from the point of view of the Catholic Church.

Endorsements earned For successfully merging catechism with the supernatural, Patron Comics has earned the endorsement of Church officials.

Bangued Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian, chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)-Commission on

September launch set Unlike many television shows and publications that stop with encouraging the public's curiosity for the occult, Cabading said Patron Comics presents exorcism and supernatural events in a Christian manner and deals with them through holiness, virtue and love of God. “Many people get thrilled with demon stories without realizing how terrible it could be for one to fall into the hands of evil. The [stories in the comic book are based on] real happenings and [present] everything in a truly Catholic and Christian way,” Cabading said.

“The comics [story] is very clear that fighting demons is meaningless unless we grow in true love of God.” The people behind Patron Comics include penciller Gilmond Monsanto, inker Raymond Ferrer and editor Jay Acosta.

Regina Caeli Publishing is headed by businessman Mike Mapa.

The comic book is available for sale online for now, but there will be an official launch in September.

Perez said the next books and chapters of Patron Comics would include other forms of possession, pages for reflections and notes on biblical characters and saints.

12 Sci-Tech

The Varsitarian AUGUST 22, 2015

Editor: Hedrix Ar-ar C. Caballe

University’s top scientist named ‘National Academician’

By MIA ROSIENNA P. MALLARI FORMER College of Science dean Fortunato Sevilla III was conferred the title, "National Academician," by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) during its 37th Scientific Meeting at the Manila Hotel last July 10.

Three other Science faculty members also got recognitions. Allan Patrick Macabeo was named Outstanding Young Scientist.

Grecebio Jonathan Alejandro and Mary Beth Maningas were recognized for their Outstanding Scientific Papers. (See related story below.)

“Colleagues from the University of the Philippines (UP) who are already in

the academy say it’s high time na may UST dito, that we get to see a different face,” Sevilla said, referring to the UP-dominated academy.

The title “academician” is one of the highest distinctions to be conferred on a scientist.

Conquering chemistry Sevilla, who is also former research director of the UST Graduate School, was acknowledged for his pioneering work in chemical sensors and biosensors research in the country, as well as providing low-cost laboratory equipment and instruments.

After earning his Chemistry degree in the University, he acquired graduate degrees on Instrumentation and Analytical Science in the

Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in England.

“The challenge was [for us] to be able to do the work that was being done in the United Kingdom,” he said, noting that his graduate degrees were newly introduced at the time and he thought the technology used in the field could be brought back to the country.

His colleague Macabeo, a trailblazer in the field of Chemistry, was recently conferred the Outstanding Young Scientist award for his contributions in sustainable biologically active and natural products from Philippine medicinal plants and agricultural by-products.

Macabeo was also awarded The World Academy of Sciences Prize for Young Scientists in the Philippines, which recognized Macabeo for his work in Organic Chemistry and granted him financial support for his research in a developing country like the Philippines.

“It may not be the Nobel Prize, but in a country where Chemistry is not popular, it gives recognition to [a] passion all the way from childhood,” he said in a statement.

Meeting global standards With an eye for innovation, Sevilla gathered ways to produce low-cost equipment and to cut down unnecessary consumption of materials for researches. These equipment, he said, are now shared with schools from countries such as Mexico, Panama and China demanding affordable alternative equipment. “[Cooperation]

Fortunato Sevilla III (left) receives his citation as national academician from William Padolina, president of the National Academy of Science and Technology. JOHN PAUL R. AUTOR

turned full-circle,” Sevilla said. “[What] they give you, you [also] give to others.”

Maningas, whose research on gene silencing and the White Spot Syndrome Virus merited an Outstanding Scientific Paper award, also garnered recognition in both the local and the international scientific community.

Her diagnostic kit for the virus, which has been plaguing the global shrimp industry by weakening shrimps, is set to be tested on local shrimp farms.

“The mechanism of shrimp response to viral infection is poorly understood,” she explained in a previous Varsitarian interview.

“There has not been any significant advance in finding effective means to control the virus’spread and effects.”

A cycle of learning Sevilla said fruitful research stems from effective mentoring, with teachers passing down knowledge to students who will branch out their topics of focus.

“Maningas [studies shrimps], but she focused on one type of sickness. Look at Alejandro, [who tackles] taxonomy. It is a large field, but he focused on Rubiaceae."

Alejandro has also recently received an Outstanding Scientific Paper award for his study on Rubiaceae, a family of flowering plants such as coffee. His comprehensive work on taxonomy also netted him an Outstanding Young Scientist award back in 2006.

His extensive research also led him and his team of students to name various endemic Rubiaceae species, including Mussaenda ustii, named after the University, and Hedyotis papafranciscoi aptly named after Pope Francis.

Alejandro’s work on DNA barcoding has also established him as the pioneer in digitally preserving the country’s plant biodiversity.

Now holding the highest possible title for a scientist, Sevilla aims to stretch the country’s research potential and meet international standards.

“Training students to become researchers is a good indicator of success,” he said.

“The challenge for me is to have good graduate school training, good researches, and have a publication, exclusively from UST.”

3 UST scientists recognized for outstanding researches

By MARITZ L. LUBO FOUR Thomasian scientists are leading in their respective fields, with researches on chemical and biological sensors, gene silencing, taxonomy and plant barcoding now making leaps in the scientific community.

The Chemical Sensor and Biosensor group of the Research Center of Natural and Applied Sciences (RCNAS) established by Fortunato Sevilla III has published at least 85 papers in international journals, which led to several international partnerships, and brought a number of recognitions to the University.

“We [UST] pioneered chemical sensor research in the Philippines,” Sevilla told the Varsitarian.

Their latest project, called “E-Nose,” can be used to differentiate and check the quality of plants using conductive polymers, or substances that conduct electricity.

The “E-Nose” is also capable of detecting therapeutic plants, such as Vitex negundo (Lagundi), Mentha arvensis (Yerba Buena), and Mentha piperita (Peppermint).

Sevilla said the technology was also capable of identifying fake, low quality and adulterate products that might have adverse effects on consumers.

His team is further developing the sensors using new resources

such as nano materials that can increase the polymers’ sensitivity.

Natural medicine Allan Patrick Macabeo and his drug discovery research program based in the RCNAS pioneered contributions in the field of healthcare.

Macabeo has been using biologically active and natural products derived from native medicinal plants to produce medicine and improve synthetic testing methods. His research has opened opportunities for drug discovery and academic purposes.

His research aided in the usage of phytochemicals, or chemical compounds found in plants, from native medicinal plants to fight disease-causing bacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is the most common causative agent of tuberculosis.

Macabeo has also contributed in identifying natural products that can fight cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. His studies have also promoted the conservation of the country's biodiversity.

“The chemical and biotechnological methodologies underlying my projects enable the generation of ecologically and environmentally sound approaches,” Macabeo said in an interview during the awarding ceremony of the 2015 National Science and Technology Week

celebration.

“Our projects contribute greatly to the sustainable use of local biodiversity.”

Save the shrimps Mary Beth Maningas’ research on shrimps is focused on the White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV), which has been a growing threat to the global shrimp industry by weakening the immune system of shrimps.

Maningas seeks to create a diagnostic kit to be used in local farms to detect signs of the virus using gene silencing technology, which isolates genes containing signs of the virus.

The four-year project is now on its pilot testing stage. Maningas aims to complete the project by 2016.

Her research on shrimps has received various recognition and funding from various government agencies, including the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology and the Philippine Higher Education Research Center of the Commission on Studies PAGE 3

Patnugot: Jonelle V. Marcos

IKA-22 NG AGOSTO 2015

Saksi ang puso sa paghulma ng pagkatao ng bawat isa sa kani-kaniyang kuwento

MAHIRAP maligaw kung wala ka naman talagang patutunguhan.

Iyong naglalakad ka lang, nagpapalipas ng oras hanggang marating ang destinasyon na hindi mo naman alam kung saan o kung posible man lang bang matagpuan.

Iyong naglalakad ka lang, nagpapalipas ng oras hanggang magkaroon ng kasagutan ang mga tanong na matagal nang bumabagabag sa isipan.

Mula pagkabata, palagi na akong naliligaw. Palaging akong nasa maling lugar, maling oras, maling panahon at maling pagkakataon. Palagi akong naliligaw sa paghahanap ng patutunguhan. Palagi akong naliligaw sa paghahanap ng mga sagot sa kung bakit ba ako naririto sa mundong ito, kung ano ba talaga ang silbi ko at kung mayroon ba talaga ako nito.

Kaya naman nang matagpuan ko ang aking sarili sa tapat ng room 105 ng Tan Yan Kee (TYK) para kumuha ng application form ng Varsitarian, alam kong naligaw na naman ako. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang maibabahagi ko sa pagsusulat sa diyaryo gayong Asian Studies ang kurso ko at sadyang marami akong readings at research papers na higit na kailangan pagtuunan ng pansin. Hindi ko rin naman pangarap ang maging mamamahayag o maging

Pag-asa— sa paandap-andap na sulo na bitbit sa malayong paglalakbay, munting liwanag na nagbibigay lakas para magpatuloy.

Pagkabigo, sa tuluyang pagkapundi ng kapirasong ilaw, pagbagsak sa kawalan panlulumo, pagkalugmok Poot, sa mga alaala ng pagkabigong nagbabalik, nambabagabag, nanggugulo, siyang tumutubong buto ng pagngangalit at pait Sa huli’y maglalaho ang lahat ng damdamin sabay ng pagkawalang saysay ng buhay na minsang nangarap ERIKA MARIZ S. CUNANAN, MARIA KOREENA M. ESLAVA, KIMBERLY JOY V. NAPARAN at JOSEF BRIAN M. RAMIL

Balikbayan “R

eminders, please fasten your seatbelts, and switch off all electronic devices as we are about to land in a few minutes.”

Ang init.

Ito ang mga unang katagang pumasok sa isipan ni Kirsten nang lumapag ang eroplanong kanilang sinasakyan pa-Pilipinas. Sabi ng mga magulang niya, minsan na daw silang nanatili dito. Ngunit tila hindi naman niya matandaan kung kailan ‘yon.

“Tinay! Iha, ikaw na ba ‘yan? Ang laki mo na at ang ganda pa! Mestisahin ka talaga noon pa man.”

“Hi, Tita, Tito.”

“Kirsten po. Kirsten na lang sana, mas sanay ako,” giit niya sa kaniyang isipan. Hindi niya malaman kung bakit, ngunit sa puntong iyon ay may kung anong hiya na bumalot sa kaniyang kamalayan at ‘di tulad sa Amerika, hindi niya nasabi nang tahasan ang kaniyang saloobin.

“O’siya, tara na sa bahay at siguradong matindi na ang trapik ng ganitong oras.”

Mula sa paliparan ay sumakay sila sa sasakyang minaneho ng kaniyang tiyuhin. Huminto sila sa tapat ng isang compound sa Sampaloc at doon niya nalamang narating na pala nila ang tahanang kinalakhan ng kaniyang ama.

Doon daw sila mamamalagi sa kanilang pananatili ngayon sa bansa.

Pagkababa ay sinalubong si Kirsten ng isang binatilyong mataba na kung

13

Hiwaga ng pagkawala

Damdamin

Nina ALPINE CHRISTOPHER P. MOLDEZ at KRYSTEL NICOLE A. SEVILLA

The Varsitarian Filipino

ngumiti ay wari nakikingisi ang mga mata, na para bagang nagiging singkit ang mga ito. May hawak siyang plastik na baso na may kung anong inumin na nakalagay. “Ano iyon?” tanong niya sa sarili, “Pagkain? Inumin? Ano iyong nasa maliliit na baso na kulay kape at may halong puti at bilog-bilog…”

“Taho!” sigaw ng isang matandang papalayo sa gate ng compound nila.

Mula sa kinatayuan nito ay sumunod ang tatlo pang kabataang sing tatanda niya na may dala ring plastik na basong mayroon din noong ‘bagay’ na pinagtatakhan niya.

“A, oo. Taho.” bulong ni Kirsten sa sarili.

“Maligayang pagdating, Tinay!

Ang ganda mo naman, may dala ka bang tsokolate para sa amin?” pagbati ng binatilyong mataba.

“Sshh, magsitigil nga kayo, nakakahiya,” pananaway ng tiyahin niya na sumundo sa kanila sa paliparan.

"Pasensiya ka na sa mga pinsan mo, iha.

Parang walang pinagbago ‘yang mga ‘yan ‘e. Makukulit pa rin, tulad noong mga bata pa kayo. Tanda mo pa naman sila, ano? Si Biboy ‘yung mataba, si Linda ‘yung iyakin, si Popoy ‘yung matangkad, at si Paeng naman ‘yung nakasalamin.”

Tanda pa naman ni Kirsten ang kaniyang mga pinsan gawa ng maraming retratong nakikita niya madalas sa computer. Tanda niya ang kanilang mga mukha at pangalan. Ngunit hindi niya napigilang isipin na kung wala kayang mga retrato at computer, tanda pa rin kaya niya ang mga ito?

Pumasok sila sa compound at sa tahanan ng kaniyang lolo’t lola ay pinagsaluhan nila ang inihandang tanghalian ng isa pa niyang tiyahin.

“See-knee-guhng.”

“Iyan! Paborito mo ‘yang kainin noong araw.

‘Yan lang ‘ata ang ulam noon na hindi kita kailangan habulin para lang pakainin,” tawa ng kaniyang tiyahin.

Talaga? Buong akala niya’y burger lamang ang nag-iisa niyang paborito.

“Sabi ni Inay, mamamasyal daw tayo sa Baguio at Palawan para maka-relaks ka naman.

Pagod ka raw lagi sa bago mong trabaho, a,” ani Linda.

Baguio? Palawan?

Pamilyar ito kay Kirsten, ngunit hindi niya lubos na maalala kung ano ito.

“Baguio ba kamo?

Makakakita na naman tayo ng mga palakaibigang Igorot!” siyang galak ni Biboy.

Nabagabag si Kirsten lalo dahil wari ay pamilyar na naman sa kaniya ang salitang Igorot ngunit hindi na naman niya mawari ng buo kung ano o sino ito.

“Nakasakay ka na ba sa kalesa?

Gusto mo ba mamaya ay dumaan tayo sa Intramuros para masubukan mo?” tanong ni Paeng.

“Nako Paeng, apat lang ang kasya sa kalesa, huwag ka nang sumama.

Kumain ka na lang ng paborito mong balot habang hinihintay mo kaming bumalik,” biro ni Popoy.

Kalesa? Teka, amusement park ba ang Intramuros kaya may rides? At anong pagkain na naman itong ‘balot’ na ‘to? Tila nahilo si Kirsten. Ilan pa ba ang hindi niya na maalala? Ano pa ba ang mga hindi niya alam? Talaga bang minsan ay namalagi siya sa lugar na ito?

Kung oo ay bakit tila wala man lang siyang maalala?

Sa isang bagay lamang siya tiyak: siya si Kirsten, dalawampu’t limang taong gulang. Sanay siya sa iba’t-ibang lugar. Palipat-lipat sila ng bansang pinamamalagian buhat ng trabaho ng kaniyang mga magulang na negosyante.

Marami siyang kaibigan at kamakailan lamang ay nakapagtapos ng kursong business administration sa isang unibersidad sa Australia.

Nakatagpo at nakihalubilo na siya sa mga puti, singkit at iba pang mga lahi at naging maayos naman ang kaniyang pagtanggap sa bawat lugar na napuntahan. Ngunit anong mayroon sa panibagong lugar na ito na tila nadismaya siya sa kaniyang labis na paninibago? Sanay siya sa pakiramdam ng palipat-lipat ngunit ngayong sila ay huminto, hindi siya mapalagay.

Ito ba ay dahil sa mga palangiting mukha na tila ba minsan na niyang nasilayan ngunit hindi niya lubusang matandaan? O baka dahil sa kabaitan at init ng pagtanggap ng mga taong halos hindi naman niya maalala ngunit naguumapaw ngayon ang saya nang muli siyang makita?

Siguro, ito ay dahil batid niyang sa dami ng bansang kaniyang napuntahan, ang isang ito ang dapat niyang alam at ang dapat niyang inalam mula noon pa man kahit siya ay malayo, sapagkat ito raw ang kaniyang tahanan.

“Kirsten? Ayos ka lang ba? Bakit bigla kang tumahimik, may kailangan ka ba?” tanong ng kaniyang tiyahin.

“Kristina po. O kaya Tinay na lang.

Ayos lang po ako. Katunayan, excited na akong puntahan ‘yong Intramuros, para masakyan ‘yang kalesa na ‘yan,” nakangiting sagot niya.

Sa pinakaunang pagkakataon, nagkaroon ako ng isang bagay na ayaw kong mawala sapagkat dito ko natagpuan ang aking sarili. manunulat, tinalikuran ko pa nga. Marami pa akong ibang kailangan gawin. Ngunit may kakaibang hiwagang dala ang mga salaming durungawan ng TYK. Tila may tinig na tumatawag sa akin tuwing mauupo ako sa mga bangko sa harap ng aklatan at masusulyapan ko ang room 105. Kaya naman kahit mali ang oras, ang lugar, ang panahon at ang pagkakataon, wala akong nagawa, tuluyan akong naligaw at sumali sa Varsitarian.

Bagaman hindi ko masasabing naging madali ang aking pananatili sa publikasyon nang dalawang taon, taas noo ko namang masasabi na rito ko natutunan ang maraming bagay na lubos kong ipinagpapasalamat— ang tunay na kahulugan ng mga salitang kaligayahan, pananagutan, pagtitiwala, pagtanggap at pakikisama.

Sa Varsitarian ko natutunan ang pagpapahalaga, at sa pinakaunang pagkakataon sa buhay ko, nagkaroon ako ng isang bagay na ayaw kong mawala kahit pa alam kong hindi ko ito pag-aari sapagkat dito ko natagpuan ang aking sarili. Isang patunay na sa wakas, may narating ako, may dahilan ang pananatili sa mundo at may silbi na maaaring ipagmalaki. Nagpapasalamat akong hindi ako nito sinukuan kahit pa ilang ulit ko ito sinubukan talikuran.

Ang pagpasok sa Varsitarian ang pagkawalang hindi ko pagsisisihan sapagkat naririto ang mga alaalang palagi kong nanaising sariwain at balikan. Isang mahiwagang pagkawala na nagdala sa akin sa masayang mundong hindi ko sinasadyang matagpuan.

Kaya naman ngayong dumating na ang panahon ng aking paglisan mula sa samahan na nagsilbing kanlungan, walang pighati at pag-aatubili akong lalabas sa room 105 upang magbigay daan sa pagdating ng iba pa, sapagkat hindi dapat sinasarili ang isang magandang karanasan tulad ng Varsitarian.

Sa lahat ng mga tao sa opisina na nakilala ko at kinilala ako, kayo ang patunay na pumasok ako sa Varsitarian sa tamang lugar, oras, panahon, at pagkakataon. Lubos akong nagpapasalamat dahil kayo ang mga nakasama ko sa bawat lungkot, ligaya, pagkadapa at muling pagbangon. Kung pulos tulad ninyo ang madaratnan ko sa tuwing maliligaw, ‘di bale nang maligaw ako habangbuhay. Nawa’y muli akong makatagpo ng mga katulad ninyo sa susunod kong pagkaligaw.

Usapang Uste MULA SA PAHINA 2 bilang presidente, bisepresidente, public relations officer at direktor.

Sa likod ng mga parangal na natanggap ni Garganera, hindi siya nakalimot sa Unibersidad at muli itong pinagsilbihan.

Naging bahagi siya ng programa para sa mga kapus-palad ng Barangay Imelda Tawid sa Caloocan ng UST Faculty of Pharmacy Alumni Association and Scholarship Foundation mula 2009 hanggang 2011.

Naging presidente rin siya ng nasabing asosasyon.

K a s a l u k u y a n g nagsisilbi si Garganera bilang bise-presidente

ng United Laboratories (Unilab). Limang beses na siyang ginawaran ng Unilab ng Outstanding Performer na parangal kung kaya’t noong 2012 ay napabilang na siya sa Hall of Fame.

Tomasalitaan Nakatipak (PND)— sinuwerte; biglang nanalo ng malaking halaga Hal.: Daig ko pa ang nakatipak sa lotto Nang pakasalan ako ni Nicole.

Mga Sanggunian: Villarroel, Fidel (2002). A History of the University of Santo Tomas: Four Centuries of Higher Education In the Philippines, 1611-2011 (Vol. II) Manila: UST Publishing House.

TOTAL Awards 2014 Souvenir Program

14 Limelight

The Varsitarian AUGUST 22, 2015

Art Director: Keno Carlo C. Enriquez

AUGUST 22, 2015

Editor: Paul Kennedy A. Lintag

The Varsitarian Sports

Tigresses inch toward F4 after narrow win

TOMTOM! BY JEAN HELENE C. ESTELLA

By PAUL KENNEDY A. LINTAG

TOM-ASH-ANN BY MA. AURORA A. GONZALEZ

BEN N' VIDES BY KIRSTEN M. JAMILLA

The Golden Tigresses are raring to book a ticket to the semifinals. AMPARO KLARIN J. MANGOROBAN

Korfball FROM PAGE 16 Casuga, Alyanna Andrea Sebastian, Sayaka Uchida, Allen Nicole Santos, Brigette Ann Soriano, Chadelyn Mae Ebreo, Raven Mae Muyrong, Arienne Janina Macaso, Paolo Enrico Cruz, Tyrone Eurick Maturan, Jae Keenan Yap, Luis Uvins Felix Juan, Lance Maynard Gajardo and

Cult FROM PAGE 4 raised a quitter and the One in Heaven would have never really liked my leaving, so I put my big-boy pants on and continued.

To Jenz, Naz, Jelina, Kuya Enzo, Kuya Hirro, Batchie, you guys know what you did for me and I thank you very much.

To Sir Lito, Sir Ipe, Sir Ian and the rest of the selection committee, thank you for your trust in me. I hope I did well.

To the rest of the Gothic team, I’d like you to know that no team that I was ever a part of received the same effort and commitment as the one I gave to you. I hope I did a little more bite than bark in my brief stay.

Parfocal FROM PAGE 5 but your efforts and feats surpassed my expectations. I am so lucky to have led the two of you and see you grow over the past year. Your growth and constant pursuit to improve yourselves made my work as your editor a lot easier. Continue to inspire others in your chosen paths in the same way that you have

Roseline FROM PAGE 5 would have been a difficult summer without your support.

To Gelyn, thank you for being one of my closest friends and for being the best editor. Thank you for your guidance.

To Marie and Danielle, it was an honor to have served you as your editor. Have faith in your abilities.

To Gena, Jelle, Ally, Angeli and Mone, thank you for the genuine friendship. I could not imagine my stay in the ‘V’ without all of you.

Wyn Colin Ong. The team is a product of the Philippine Korfball Federation’s (PKF) efforts to introduce the sport to different schools in the country, starting with Luzon.

The PKF was established in 2007 after delegates from USTIPEA attended a korfball seminar workshop in Hong Kong. Six years later, another seminar took place in the Philippines, forming the firstever team to compete in the Asia-

Oceania tourney.

The PKF’s plan was to build connections with different P.E. directors across the country to help them kick start their respective korfball programs. From there, the federation would organize interschool competitions to discover new players and possibly improve the next roster of the national korfball team. CARLO A. CASINGCASING

Sometimes life decides to land a big haymaker right in your face, but you just have to stand up and keep on fighting. I know I just used a boxing analogy but it still fits with the basketball theme.

editors, Gena, Bien, Andre, Jelle, Jake, MC, April and of course, Gelyn and Batchie, for doing so well that my little mistakes were washed away by your greatness. It was hard for us with the new academic calendar and all that but we did it.

To the new set of editors, you guys know what we did wrong, learn from us and do better. I know you can carry ‘V’ to greater heights.

Thanks to ‘V,’ after being down this quarter, I was able to not only claw my way back up but also give myself an opportunity to pull off a victory.

3rd Quarter When I was promoted as the Sports section editor, I distanced myself from the staff because I did not want people to see or feel that I was having a hard time.

Thankfully, Ced, Jica, JD and Delfin were the best writers an editor could have and thus my job and transition got a little easier. I started taking shots again and my confidence level slowly recovered. Thank you guys for everything; forgive me as well, I did not mean to isolate myself from you.

I’d also like to thank my fellow

15

and RANDELL RITUMALTA

ANGELO

B.

4th Quarter As I prepared for the final stretch of my basketball game with ‘V,’ I never really knew what to expect.

And I’d like to think I’m leaving on good terms with the staff, thanks to

inspired me.

To the triune titans of the Varsitarian—Sir Lito, Sir Ipe and Sir Ian—thank you for entrusting me with such a responsibility. I may have had lapses during my first two years in the publication, but you still believed that to lead the Features section was within the range of my caliber.

I feel a lot like Yang who had left Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital as I step out of the office, which practically became my second home

for three years. Like her, leaving the institution, which helped my bud blossom, cuts deep and will leave an indelible scar. And the scar that will form in the future shall remind me not of how hard it was for me to leave the ‘V,’ but of the fundamentals of how to become an excellent journalist.

I have done my job. I have explored myself in every spectrum, and now I need to focus my parfocal lenses to the greater opportunities that await me from this day forth.

To Julius and Kim, I only wish for your success. Thank you for the friendship.

To Ralph, MC, Bien, Paul, Dayan and Em, thank you for the friendship that we had forged not just inside the classroom but through ‘V.’ To Ced, Bianca, Andre, Jica and JD, we entered the portals of UST as Journalism students together but we belonged to separate classes. Through the “V” we developed special bond with one another.

To Ely, Naz, Jelina, Keno, Josef, Ate Jenzine, Kuya Celton, Kuya Tristan and Kuya Yuji, we went through bittersweet experience, but we survived because we supported

and cared for one another.

To Bro. April, Bro. Dale, Bro. Patrick and the seminarians of the UST Central Seminary, thank you for generously assisting us during Witness coverages. I pray that you will persevere in your vocation.

To Kuya Hansson, our acquaintance blossomed unexpectedly into friendship. Thank you for all the support you have given to the Witness section.

All of these people and more have made my stay in UST memorable.

Once a ‘V’ staffer, always a ‘V’ staffer.

Injury FROM PAGE 16 finishing the match against TIP, the 5’7” senior still scored eight points, helping UST win.

“It’s been a while bago ko [ulit] nakita pangalan ko sa [mga] stats. Isa ‘yan sa motivation ko to do better each game. Kasi if andun ‘yung names namin, we must be

doing something right somehow kaya isa ‘yun sa way para magmaintain at iangat ang laro,” Tunay said.

“Pero like I said, team event ito. In the end, wala naman makakaalala sinong best scorer. Ang maaalala nila is sinong nanalo sa larong ‘to.

And that’s what should matter.

Na magtulungan kami as a team [para] maipanalo every game.”

CARLO A. CASINGCASING

the team I’m leaving behind. To the new Sports section, continue to reach for our goal of being the best. Nobody needs to tell us we are number one, people should see that we are and the way to do that is through hard work.

To Poy, Keno, Josef, Forts, Kute, Cely, Bien, MC, Alvin, Eli, I had a great time just being in your company.

Thank you very much idols.

To GGS, thank you for allowing me to bully you, such fun times.

Also, never forget that V-JRN2 first broke ground in ‘V.’ We were the best when we came in and still are when we stepped out. Yes, V-JRN1, I said it so deal with it.

Finally, I thank my whole family for always being there in spite of my sacrifices that may have seemed unnecessary. To my parents, I hope I made you proud. I wish I can send a copy of this in heaven for you,

Dadang. To Llhonette, without you I would not even be here in the first place. I love you all.

My game in ‘V’ is down to its last few seconds. It has been a crazy ride complete with crazy runs and frustrating stretches.

Being the competitor I built myself into and my obsession to be the best, I never gave 99 percent of me in my two years in ‘V,’ always 100 percent, most of the time even more.

To ‘V’ and all the people I’ve met in there from batch 2013 to the ones who will now carry the torch, from the bottom of my heart, thank you very much.

As the clock winds down, the Varsitarian passed me the ball and with a second left, it’s time for me to put up one last fadeaway. I’m making sure it goes in. Once a ‘V’ staffer, always a ‘V’ staffer.

Rorschach

student could have learned from a regular journalism program.

And I can boast that I covered Pope Francis' visit to Leyte. I’m very grateful for the privilege. To Kuya Enzo and Kuya Yuji, whom I consider my role models, you do not know how much I look up to both of you.

To my online team, my work would have been twice as hard if it were not for you. Thank you for always being reliable.

My biggest gratitude goes to all of the people in ‘V’ with whom I shared hardships and joyful memories. If I included all of your names here, I might as well have inserted the whole staff box in this short space. Thank you to all of you for being not only my friends, but also family. I’m proud to say: Once a ‘V’ staffer, always a ‘V’ staffer. *** Looking back, my “commute” as a Thomasian and a ‘V’ staffer was exhausting. But it brought me to places I had never imagined. I may not want this journey to end yet, but I have arrived at the last stop; there’s nowhere else to go.

Another journey beckons.

FROM PAGE 5 worthwhile, it was grueling. I want to use this little space of the paper to show gratitude to the many people who helped me survive this journey.

First of all, thank you to my family that has been the most supportive. Even though I do not spend as much time as I should with you, and even if you always fell victim to my grouchiness, you always remained understanding. I will make it up to all of you.

For the opportunity of a lifetime, thank you to the Selection Committee. Until now, I do not know what they saw in me to accept me to such a prestigious institution.

Whatever reason it was, thank you for the lifechanging experience.

To our advisers, Sir Ipe, Sir Ian, and Sir Lito, thank you for the guidance and trust. I’m sorry for my many shortcomings.

Because of the position entrusted to me, I became equipped with skills no ordinary journalism

SPORTSFLASH Juniors fencing team cop medals in tourney FIVE PLAYERS from the UST Juniors Fencing Team secured podium finishes during the Luzon leg of the Batang Pinoy Sports Tournament held at the PhilSports Complex in Pasig last July 26.

The boys’ team bagged one silver and one bronze medal, while the girls’ squad snagged one silver and two bronze medals.

In the boys’ individual epee category, Timothy Gonzales won silver while Andrea Alarcon also settled for second in the girls’ individual sabre category.

Anthony Macaraig (boys’ individual foil), Pauline Bernate (girls’ individual epee), and Hannah Alarcon (girls’individual foil) all won bronze medals. PHILIP MARTIN L. MATEL

Golden Booters notch third straight victory THE UST Golden Booters notched their third straight win in the Ang Liga football tournament after edging the Lyceum of the Philippines Pirates, 1-0, at the San Beda College pitch last Aug. 16.

After starting their season with a loss against defending UAAP champions Far Eastern University, the Golden Booters rolled to three straight victories. They now sit at second place with a 3-1 win-loss card.

Midfielder Efren Menares drilled in the lone goal of the match off a Jason Rafol dish in the 32nd minute.

UST tried to convert again in the second half, unleashing six of their nine goal attempts. They also showcased stifling defense halting Lyceum’s swift attacks in the 58th and 63rd minute.

UST head coach Marjo Allado commended his rookies who stepped up big time. “’Yung performance was okay pero some players need to step up. ‘Di puwedeng ‘di makakasabay sa laro especially if you are a senior tapos mababa ang performance compared to the rookies,” Allado said.

DELFIN RAY M. DIOQUINO

THE UST Golden Tigresses won their sixth straight game after a pulsating 18-25, 25-17, 25-23, 17-25, 15-9 victory against the University of the Philippines Lady Maroons in the Shakey's V-League Season 12 Collegiate Conference at the San Juan Arena last Aug. 22.

UST bucked a slow start and took a 2-1 lead thanks to their impeccable defense and balanced offense.

The Tigresses were able to fend off the Lady Maroons in the deciding set to remain at second place behind undefeated Ateneo with a 4-1 carry-over record in the crossover quarterfinals.

EJ Laure once again led the UST offense with 15 points while Ria Meneses added 10.

Carmela Tunay, who returned from a nose injury (see story on page 16), picked up where she left off and finished with 13.

Despite the narrow win, Tigresses head coach Emilio Reyes Jr. gave credit to their opponents for putting up a good fight.

“Skills wise, merong talent ‘yung mga bata (from UP). Very evident naman ‘yun sa laro.

Kaya nga lang, [a] win is a win,” Reyes said.

The Tigresses’ fifth win came at the expense of reigning National Collegiate Athletic Association champion Arellano

University Lady Chiefs last Aug. 16 with another five-set affair, 25-21, 25-22, 19-25, 2426, 15-15.

The Tigresses appeared to be on their way to an easy straight-set victory before they had to withstand a furious comeback by the Lady Chiefs.

After Arellano’s Mina Aganon tied the match at 12 late in the fifth set, the Tigresses turned to team captain Pamela Lastimosa and Laure to seal the match.

Back-to-back hits by Laure prevented a UST collapse. She finished with 23 points while Lastimosa added 18. “’Di puwedeng mag-relax kahit gaano kagaling ang kalaban. Masyado kaming maraming tinapon na puntos nung third set,” Reyes said as his wards dropped two sets in a row that allowed the Lady Chiefs to comeback.

Last Aug. 9, the Tigresses capped the elimination round with an easy 25-22, 25-15, 25-17 win over San Sebastian College despite the absence of the injured Carmela Tunay.

UST cruised to its first straight-set win in the tournament with a solid team effort led by Lastimosa and Laure who finished with 14 and 12 points respectively.

Chloe Cortez filled in nicely for the injured Tunay and scored 10 points.

The Tigresses unleashed a 12-5 run in the third set that took the wind out of San Sebastian who posed a challenge in the opening frame.

Tigers Basketball League Season II opens August 26 AFTER a successful first season, the Tigers Basketball League (TBL) will kick things off by coming home for its opening game on Aug. 26 at the Quadricentennial Pavilion.

Like last year, the opening match will be an all-star game that will feature alumni Growling Tigers including previous UAAP Most Valuable Players Bal David, Gerard Francisco and Dylan Ababou, and former star players such as Danny Melencio, Jervy Cruz, and Jun Dizon.

For its second season, the league has expanded and will now field 10 squads headlined by the defending champion Red Cross.

John Joseph Fernandez, dean of the College of Architecture will be the league’s new commissioner.

Carlos Fenequito, a former Growling Tiger and last season’s commissioner, told the Varsitarian that the league will now be “more interactive.” Games will be played every Sunday starting Aug. 30 at the YMCA Gym in Ermita, Manila.

He shared that the league aims to raise awareness among Thomasian students and alumni, but reiterated that camaraderie is the main goal.

Fenequito also noted that the TBL is a way for UST to become attractive to prospects that want to see how the university treats its athletes.

“Kahit hindi ganoong kalakihan ang maitutulong, ang aim ng programa ay tulungan ang mga bata ng lahat ng alumni para magkaroon ng support system kasi magagamit talaga ang samahan natin para sa future nila,” he said.

In its opening game during the inaugural season last year, members of the 1996 four-peat championship team, led by coach Aric del Rosario, carved out a 99-97 victory over the 2006 championship team, led by Cruz, Japs Cuan, and Ababou.

The defending champion Red Cross will look to defend their title with an all-new lineup. PHILIP

MARTIN L. MATEL

Chris Cantonjos

FILE PHOTO

Lady Jin shines in internat’l tournaments FOR UST Lady Jin Jocel Lyn Ninobla, taekwondo never stops.

After bringing home a bronze medal as part of the country’s poomsae team in the last Southeast Asian Games, Ninobla added two more gold medals to her collection after a successful stint in the Chuncheon Open International Taekwondo Championships and the World Taekwondo Hanmadang 2015.

It seems winning medals has been a tradition of the Ninobla household.

Jocel’s father Jojo, who was also a national team player, has been supervising his daughter’s training since she was 4.

“My father is my inspiration. He has always believed in me since

I started. I think it’s the hope that he gives that inspires me a lot,” Ninobla told the Varsitarian.

As a five-year-old white belter, Ninobla she bagged a gold medal in her very first competition at the St. Bellarmine Championship. Fourteen years later, she was donning the country’s flag, fighting for international glory the same way her father once did.

But Ninobla’s success did not come easily.

“I once thought of giving up but I guess God made a way for me not to give up so I tried and tried until I succeeded,” she said, referring to the time she did not even make the sparring team in 2012.

Instead of languishing in defeat, Ninobla saw that as an opportunity to make the transition from sparring to poomsae in the

The Golden Booters are starting to pick up their game in the Ang Liga tournament.

same year when her father was invited for the national poomsae team.

“Sinama niya (my father) lang ako doon sa training niya pero I wasn’t looking forward to poomsae. Pero as I trained with his team, nagustuhan ko na siya so nag-continue na ako then [dumating ang opportunities] kaya nag-stop na ako sa sparring because it’s hard to adopt both genres,” she said.

Still, roadblocks continued to challenge Ninobla when she injured her tail bone in practice the following year.

Not only did she move past it, she can afford to joke about the injury now two years later.

“Na-overstretch, pero I think mas naging flexible ako because of that,” she said. JOHN CHESTER P. FAJARDO

AMPARO KLARIN J. MANGOROBAN

Sports

AUGUST 22, 2015

The Varsitarian

‘The Captain’ boosts Tigers’ coaching staff WITH THE addition of PBA legend Alvin Patrimonio in their coaching staff, the UST Growling Tigers are confident of a better campaign in the upcoming UAAP Season 78.

Patrimonio, who joined the team last July, replaced former “big man's coach” Estong Ballesteros.

The four-time PBA Most Valuable Player told the Varsitarian that he was reluctant at first to accept the job as a trainer. But his close friend Jonjon Villanueva, UST team manager was able to convince "The Captain” to finally agree.

“That time kasi iniisip ko pa kung paano ko sisimulan ‘yung pagtuturo sa kanila (post players) but syempre na-realize ko din na it's about time to share my knowledge sa post so sinabi ko itatry ko dito sa UST,” Patrimonio said.

Since his arrival, Patrimonio has seen the big men's eagerness to learn.

Occasionally deviating from the physical aspects of the game, Patrimonio also instills creativity and anticipation to provide a wide

array of weapons for the Tigers, be it on the offensive or defensive end.

“Very important din ‘yung mga techniques kasi the players now rely lang sa strength.

Sometimes you have to read your opponent kung anong defense sa ‘yo. Dapat ready rin sila, prepared sa kung ano ‘yung sitwasyon come game time,” said the former national team captain.

Tigers slotman Karim Abdul was thankful for Patrimonio's lessons. Reserve Jeepy Faundo has also seen improvement in his play since Patrimonio’s arrival.

“Ina-apply ko yung mga tinuturo niya kasi big man din ako so malaking tulong sa ‘kin,” Faundo said.

With the new season just a few weeks away, head coach Bong Dela Cruz believes that the team’s level of preparation and the presence of Patrimonio could bring them back to championship contention.

“Very competitive ‘yung team this season at well-prepared.

Nakikita ko na magiging maganda ‘yung result,” Dela Cruz said.

RANDELL ANGELO B. RITUMALTA

Dela Cruz and Patrimonio

After injury, Tunay returns ahead of schedule CARMELA Tunay’s impressive outing in the 12th Shakey’s V-League Collegiate Conference came to a screeching halt after suffering a nose injury during the Golden Tigresses’ battle with the Technological Institute of The Philippines Lady Engineers last August 2.

The veteran utility spiker underwent operation last Aug. 4 to fix her cracked nose bridge after a collision with team captain Pamela Lastimosa in the third set of the match.

The fifth-year veteran spiker said that returning to the game would depend on her condition during training as she still experiences minimal pain that hampers her usual game.

“The last [practice] I tried na mag-dig-pass sa gilid, medyo nag-ba-vibrate pa [‘yung] ulo ko. Sana may progress this week

para makasabay ako agad and umabot sa pinakamalapit na game na puwede [kong] abutan,” Tunay said. “As much as I can, gusto ko bumalik kasi andoon ‘yung gigil ko makatulong and maglaro. Pero di talaga kaya I was really dizzy and had difficulty in breathing.”

Tunay said she passed out right after the collision. She was brought to the hospital immediately but was in high spirits afterwards especially after the Tigresses pulled off the win in four sets.

The injury served as an unlucky development for Tunay particularly since she had experienced a sort of renaissance in the V-League, averaging 12.5 points in four games. Despite not

Carmela Tunay comes back unexpectedly and delivers 13 points in their win against University of the Philippines.

Injury PAGE 14

UST korfball lands 6th in Asian tourney THE PHILIPPINE Korfball team, which consisted of Thomasians, settled for sixth place in the recently concluded International Korfball Federation Asia-Oceania tournament in Hsinchu, Taiwan last Aug. 2.

Team captain Jef Denzel Go was the lone bright spot after notching a Mythical 8 award.

He scored a total of 20 points in six games.

His team, however, could only muster a 1-6 win-loss record for sixth place as they only beat Macau, 14-12. The Philippines lost its last match against India in a blowout, 17-45.

"Sa ‘min malaking achievement since [sa physical education classes] lang sila nakuha.

Then six months lang ‘yung preparation, naka6th place pa kami. And this is the first time na nag-compete [tayo] internationally,” said head coach Rodrigo Sambuang, Jr., who is also the athletics moderator of the Institute of Physical Education and Athletics (IPEA).

With the National Sports Associations (NSAs) yet to recognize the korfball team, the squad relied on UST to provide the equipment and facilities needed for their sixmonth preparation. UST also granted the players exemptions from their P.E. classes to help them focus more on their daily training.

T h e national korfball team is composed of Go, Fitz Howard Azarcon, Jessel May

ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN Korfball PAGE 15

Go