The Varsitarian P.Y. 2016-2017 Issue 12

Volume LXXXIX, No. 12 • August 15, 2017 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF SANTO TOMAS Manila, Philippines

UNPRECEDENTED. President Rodrigo Duterte faces the protesters gathered outside the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City after delivering his second State of the Nation Address on July 24.

DEMOCRACY AND DISGRACE Judiciary Board orders Grecia proclamation despite record abstentions

THE CENTRAL Judiciary Board of the Central Student Council (CSC) has ordered the Central Commission on Elections (Comelec) to proclaim the candidates with the highest votes as winners in the April student polls, following petitions from various parties to disregard “abstain” votes.

In a July 24 resolution, the judiciary board ordered Comelec to set aside the poll body’s resolution, which declared the positions for president, vice president, treasurer

and auditor vacant.

The Comelec, through the May 10 resolution, also called for a special election after the April polls produced winners only for the posts of secretary and public relations officer.

The judiciary board said the Comelec should not have included “abstain” along with the names of the candidates in the ballots used during the elections because it violated Article 10 Section 5 of the UST Student’s Election Code of

2011 (USEC). “[Comelec] violated [Section 5 of Article 10 of the USEC] by including ‘abstain’ in the ballot as if it is a name of candidate. The said act of Central Comelec, even if previously done, cannot be established into a custom or established practice in contemplation of Article 2 of the Civil Code because it is contrary to the said law,” the resolution read. “[T]he abstentions should not have Democracy PAGE 14

CHEd lifts ban on off-campus activities

REVERENCE . Church officials bow before the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary during the fourth Philippine Conference on the New Evangelization in UST last June 29.

VL ADLYNN NONA MARYSE L. TADEO

THE COMMISSION on Higher Education (CHEd) has lif ted its nationwide ban on out-of-campus activities, issuing a new set of policies for colleges and universities.

CHEd Chair woman Pat r icia Licuanan approved the new g uidelines on conducting off-campus activities under Memorandum Order No. 63 last July 25.

“All Higher Education Instit utions (HEIs) are given the author it y to desig n, deter mine and approve the

JAMILLAH N. STA. ROSA

Voting technicalities stir calls to revise election code, CSC charter

By MA. ANGELA CHRISTA COLOMA and ARIANNE AINE D. SUAREZ THE CENTRAL Student Council (CSC) and the UST Central Commission on Elections (Comelec) are planning to revise the students’ election code and the CSC Constitution by the end of Academic Year 2017-2018.

Comelec Chairman Arvin Carlo Bersonda said the poll body was eyeing revisions to the University Student Election Code (USEC) to be effective next academic year, with the possibility of adding an “expanded” definition of terms including the “abstain” vote.

“The USEC is still connected to the CSC constitution from the qualifications and it is also Revisions PAGE 12

Law dean denies giving illegal commissions to Comelec chairman FACULTY of Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina has denied that his law firm gave commissions to Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista, who is under fire for alleged unexplained wealth based on a sworn affidavit filed last Aug. 1 by his wife Patricia Bautista.

Patricia claims Divina issued payslips and checks allegedly as commissions to the Comelec chief for referring clients to Divina’s law firm, DivinaLaw. “We’re not making any official detailed comments for now but we’re taking legal actions.

None [of the accusations] are true. [I’m] sure naman na I did not do anything wrong [and that] I did not do anything unethical,” Divina told the Varsitarian in a phone interview on Aug. 7.

Dean PAGE 13

Lifts ban PAGE 14

2 News

Editor: Alhex Adrea M. Peralta

AUGUST 15, 2017

‘Bridge gap between poor, rich,’ bishop tells schools CATHOLIC education should build bridges instead of walls to connect the rich and poor, and the educated and uneducated.

“If our educational attainment makes us untouchable, then it is not of God. If educational institutions build walls between rich and poor, learned and unlearned, instead of bridges, it has lost understanding of its purpose,” Bishop Robert Mallari said in his homily during the Misa de Apertura (opening Mass) for the new academic year last Aug. 1.

Mallari underscored the importance of education as part of the Church’s commitment to social transformation.

“Catholic schools and universities must offer an approach to education that aims for the whole human development while respecting freedom of expression,” he said.

While Catholic schools are attended by believers and non-believers, these institutions must provide students with a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ and present Him as the meaning of life, the prelate said.

Mallari also declared officially open Academic Year 2017-2018, during which UST will mark its 407th year.

The traditional Discurso de Apertura or Opening Lecture was delivered by Senior High School (SHS) Principal Pilar Romero after the Eucharistic celebration.

“These learners, steeped in the values that the University staunchly advocates, with fervent hope, will become advocates of social transformation,” Romero said.

Amid the growing population of the Build bridge PAGE 11

First feminist group in UST seeks official recognition

By IANNA GAYLE AGUS and ROY ABRAHMN D.R. NARRA A FEMINIST group is seeking official recognition from the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) as the first “intersectional feminist organization” in the University.

Tomasina, an organization calling for gender sensitivity and protection for Thomasian women, intends to educate students about the oppression women are experiencing based on race, class, ability and ethnicity.

Stef de Guzman, Tomasina founder and president, said her experience from an abusive relationship inspired her to form the organization.

“I decided to form Tomasina the same reason why I want to be a lawyer: to provide the help I never got at that time in my life [and to] protect women because I know somewhere out there, within our own community, someone is going through the same thing that I did,” de Guzman told the Varsitarian in an email interview.

“I don’t ever want them to feel that they are alone or that they can’t leave or speak up and stop the cycle of abuse. I want them to know that they can, and we are here to help and to listen,” she said.

De Guzman said the organization would focus on spreading five advocacies relating to intersectional feminism in the University, namely violence against women, gender equity, arts and culture, students in action and mental health.

“The Thomasian community can certainly improve on dealing with issues that are gendersensitive. I think understanding the differences in roles and relations among genders are not deemed important in the community yet,” she said.

Gender equity council Tomasina also plans to launch the first University Gender Equity Council (UGEC) to render opinions not only about sexual harassment cases but also on gender issues.

Aside from de Guzman, the UGEC will be composed of the organization’s adviser, an elected faculty gender advocate and elected gender advocates for every college.

“If the victim wants to raise the issue before the [Students Welfare and Development Board (SWDB)], Tomasina will facilitate the process of the filing of complaint and constantly check up on and communicate with the victim. The UGEC will render its advisory opinion on how it believes the SWDB/OSA/relevant office concerned should tackle the issue,” de Guzman said.

NEW BEGINNING. Bishop Roberto Mallari declares the academic year 2017-2018 officially open before the University’s faculty members and students following the Mass of the Holy Spirit at the Santisimo Rosario Parish last Aug. 1 VINCE CHRISTIAN C. IMPERIO

UST offers 53 undergraduate programs in 2018-2019 THE UNIVERSITY will again offer all 53 undergraduate programs for Academic Year 2018-2019, two years after it cut the programs to only 13 because of the implementation of the K to 12 basic education reform.

UST Office for Admissions Assistant Director Gezzez Giezi Granado said the office was prepared to accept applicants for next academic year.

“As far as the Office for Admissions is concerned, the two-year period (20162017 and 2017-2018) when there are limited applicants for college, is already over. We are done with it and we are now prepared to accept applicants for 20182019 wherein, we are ushering the first batch of graduates of Grade 12,” he told the Varsitarian in an email interview.

In the last two academic years, the University offered only accountancy, architecture, business administration major in financial management, business administration major in marketing management, communication arts, computer science, information technology, journalism, legal management

Usapang Uste

medical technology, music, music major in music education, pharmacy, physical education major in sports and wellness, and political science.

Biology adds three major tracks The College of Science has added three major tracks under its biology program this academic year: medical biology, industrial biology and environmental biology.

Science Dean John Donnie Ramos said the “ever-changing” field of biology brought about the addition of the three major tracks.

“We have to evolve because biology is constantly evolving and there are new discoveries, better technologies and changes in the biological sciences every day,” Ramos said in an email interview.

Medical biology will have introductory courses that will train students who are interested in specializing in the medical field, while industrial biology will offer courses in line with the demands of industry, such as biotechnology and research.

Environmental biology will provide courses suited to students who want to pursue fields related to environment preservation and protection, biodiversity studies, zoos, aquaculture and agriculture.

The new tracks will not affect undergraduate students.

“The old students will still be using the old curriculum until they graduate,” Ramos said.

The new biology curriculum will be offered to graduates of senior high schools under the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and Health Sciences strand starting 2018.

Last academic year, UST welcomed 7,915 freshmen — 2,957 college students and 4,958 senior high school students.

The decision to cut the number of programs offered was in anticipation of the expected low number of enrollees during the K to 12 transition. SAMANTHAWEE LIPANA and ROY ABRAHMN D.R. NARRA with reports from MIA ARRA C. CAMACHO and JACOB MARVIN D. URMENITA

Ang munting palahayupan sa loob ng Unibersidad Ni ERMA R. EDERA at WINONA S. SADIA

ALAM ba ninyo na minsang nagkaroon ng minyaturang zoo sa loob ng Unibersidad?

Noong 1932, pinasinayaan ang isang palahayupan sa publiko kung saan tampok ang iba’t ibang uri ng katutubong hayop na makatutulong sa mga pananaliksik na isinisagawa ng mga mag-aaral sa larang ng medisina at agham.

Sa isyu ng Varsitarian noong 1932, isinasaad na makikita rito ang halos lahat ng uri ng hayop na matatagpuan sa Filipinas, mababangis man o maaamo.

Bukas sa publiko ang itinayong pansamantalang zoo tuwing ika-anim ng umaga hanggang ika-lima ng hapon.

Hindi man naipagpatuloy ang minyaturang zoo, makikita pa rin sa Unibersidad

ang Botanical Garden sa pagitan ng simbahan ng Santisimo Rosario at Main Building na kasalukuyang may pampublikong museo kung saan masisilayan ang iba’t ibang uri ng halamanggamot at mga labi ng iba’t ibang hayop.

Tomasino siya Pinatunayan ni Rosario Setias-Reyes ang kalinangan ng mga kababaihan sa larangan ng abogasya nang hirangin siyang kaunaunahang babaeng pangulo ng pambansang samahan ng mga abogado sa Filipinas.

Taong 2015 nang italaga si Reyes bilang pangulo ng Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), isang institusiyong binubuo ng

mahigit 55,000 miyembro at itinuturing ng pamahalaan bilang opisyal na organisasiyon ng mga abogado sa bansa.

Nakamtan niya ang degree sa political science sa Unibersidad noong 1969.

Taong 1973 nang magtapos siya ng abogasya rito.

Bago pa man niya maipasa ang bar

examination noong 1974, naging empleyado siya sa legal division ng National Investment and Development Corporation, isa sa pinakamalalaking bangkong pangkomersyo sa bansa noon.

Usapang Uste PAHINA 15

News 3

AUGUST 15, 2017

Former CRS dean is new academic affairs chief

RITE OF PASSAGE. Senior High School freshmen enter the historic Arch of the Centuries last Aug. 5.

MARIA CHARISSE ANN G. REFUERZO

New deans vow improved academic standards

By ROY ABRAHMN D.R. NARRA and THEODORE JASON PATRICK K. ORTIZ NEWLY APPOINTED deans of the College of Commerce and Business Administration, Conservatory of Music, College of Rehabilitation Sciences (CRS), Institute of Information and Computing Sciences (IICS) and Graduate School of Law have pledged to continue efforts to improve academic standards.

Commerce Dean Leonardo Canoy, Graduate School of Law Dean Maria Liza Rosario and Acting Music Dean Antonio Africa assumed their posts last semester, while Acting CRS Dean Anne Marie Aseron and Acting IICS Dean

Rosario (Graduate School of Law)

Jerralyn Padua took over in July and August, respectively.

The new deans replaced Mary Hildence Baluyot (Commerce), Raul Sunico (Music), Cheryl Peralta (CRS) and Alex Santos (IICS). Rosario is the inaugural dean of the Graduate School of Law. Africa, who has worked with Sunico since 2004, said his familiarity with the previous Music administration helped him get through the transition period.

“No drastic changes, just a continuation. The normal process of change is there [but] aside from that everything is going on [smoothly],” he said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Africa promised to upgrade the conservatory’s curriculum and

Padua (IICS)

Canoy (Commerce)

facilities with the help of the University administration.

“I guess those are the two most important things that we should be assuring our students: continuous upgrading of education and continuous upgrading of facilities,” he said.

Aseron said she would continue the plans set by Peralta for CRS. She wants the college to become the standard for academic excellence.

“The plans have been set for the next three years [and] that is to achieve our vision to be the standard for academic excellence in the fields of physical therapy, occupational therapy, sports New deans PAGE 5

Africa (Music)

Simbulan

possible,” the statement read.

The 19-year-old Simbulan suffered a dislocated knee, a broken hip and severe spine injury after jumping from the 17th floor of the condominium building where he was staying on June 28.

“Even those in position, who exhibit nothing but happiness and passion for work are still vulnerable to anxiety and depression.” Simbulan told the Varsitarian in an online interview.

“I was weak. And for that I want to say sorry. I know now that support from friends is what I needed.”

Simbulan, an incoming Political Science senior, spent days in the intensive care unit of UST Hospital after the incident, and said he still could not move half of his body and would need to undergo a final spine surgery.

He said he wanted to continue his work in the student council despite multiple injuries. “[M]y psychiatrist and I have already

agreed that we will do everything to be able to enroll this upcoming semester [since] I myself wouldn’t want to leave my work in the [council],” Simbulan said.

External Vice President Jancisko Valera assured Artlets students he was ready to take on the responsibility of leading the council. “[Reymark] is my president…[but] if it entails me to [take over] Reymark’s post, I am up for the responsibility and I am capable as all [council] officers are,” Valera told the Varsitarian.

The UST Psychotrauma Clinic, located at the ground floor of the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex building, has been offering free counseling and psychotherapy services to Thomasians and even nonThomasians since 2002.

The clinic is open for appointments and consultations from Tuesday to Friday at 10am to 5pm, and may be reached through 406-1611 local 4012 . IANNA GAYLE S. AGUS

Conservatory of Music set to offer seconddegree programs ASPIRING musicians will now have a chance to earn academic degrees, as the UST Conservatory of Music will be offering a Bachelor in Music second-degree program to all holders of undergraduate degrees next academic year.

Acting Music Dean Antonio Africa said the Conservatory decided to offer the second-degree programs to attract more students, after recruting only 30 freshmen last academic year.

“We really have no plans of stopping it in the future, [and] as long as we can do it then we will accept degree holders in the bachelor of music program,” he told the Varsitarian in an interview.

The programs are also offered to students who were told there was no future in music as a profession, he said.

“The usual kuwento of music students or those who were unable to take up music is ‘Hindi ako pinayagan ng magulang ko magmusic kasi walang pera sa music.’ It’s hard to debate on that premise,” he said.

The second-degree programs will focus on the “music core and specialized courses”

Music PAGE 14

Aseron (CRS)

After apparent suicide try, Artlets student head considers quitting THE PRESIDENT of the Faculty of Arts and Letters Student Council is considering resigning from his post, apologizing for belatedly disclosing his health problems and multiple injuries after a bout with depression.

In a statement posted on the council’s Facebook page on Wednesday, Reymark Simbulan said he would file his resignation should his doctors prohibit him from continuing his studies because of his condition. “[I]n a possible worstcase scenario that I was not allowed by my doctors to continue my studies, I will file my resignation as early as

F O R M E R College of Rehabilitation Sciences (CRS) dean Prof. Cheryl Peralta has been appointed vice rector for academic affairs.

She will replace Prof. Clarita Carillo, who served as academic affairs chief for 11 years since 2006.

Peralta, a licensed physical therapist, was CRS dean from 2012 to 2017.

She obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physical therapy in UST in 1997 and 2003, respectively.

In an interview on UST’s official website, Peralta cited quality assurance or accreditation of academic programs and training for new curricula after the K to 12 transition as among her priorities.

“This year [academic year 20172018] will be spent for training and orienting the faculty members about the new curricula they will be implementing.

Public orientations are being conducted by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), and all curricular revisions are due by first term for CHEd submission,” she was quoted as saying.

In January this year, Peralta was appointed chairwoman of the Commission on Higher Education’s technical committee on physical therapy and member of the technical panel for health professions education.

She is also a member of the Continuing Professional Development Council for Physical Therapy of the Professional Regulation Commission. IANNA GAYLE S. AGUS

Secret FROM PAGE 9 “There were a lot who were suicidal. Good thing I have a psychologist friend who I ask for advice,” he said.

All interactions between him and his subjects take place through his email account or in Instagram.

One stranger, whose secret Eduarte found poetic, wrote: “I’m acting in a play where this guy has to act like he’s secretly in love with me.

But when the play ends, we go back to real life where I’m secretly in love with him.”

Eduarte’s portraits often depict his subject’s back side—a symbol for their secrets. He also deliberately excludes facial features and expressions for anonymity.

Eduarte specializes in digital art. His style is a play on vectors and the use of abstract shapes.

“100 Days of Secrets” concluded on July 30 and may be viewed on Eduarte’s website (http://trnz.co/100-days-of-secrets/) or personal Instagram account (@trnz.eduarte).

The illustrations will be exhibited at A SPACE Greenbelt in Makati on September 10.

4 Opinion

AUGUST 15, 2017

Editorial

Duterte and Ang’s shakedown of Inquirer THE SHOCKING announcement of the sale of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) to Ramon Ang, CEO of San Miguel Corp., the biggest corporation in the Philippines, is a blow to press freedom not only in the Philippines but in the region. The Philippines is touted to have the wildest press in Southeast Asia—a title that has become more and more a figment of the imagination in a region where press control is the norm rather than the exception. But as the announcement shows, even the Inquirer is more the exception in the Philippines rather than the norm. It has been the voice in the wilderness amid news media, print or broadcast, that are hardly independent of commercial and political interests. Now because of political pressure from the bully and murderous government of President Duterte, and because of capitalist economic considerations of the Rufino-Prieto family that controls and manages the Inquirer, the only beacon of free press in the Philippines and Southeast Asia is set to lose its luster, if not altogether extinguished, The Inquirer Group of Companies, headed by Marixi Rufino-Prieto, announced that the deal with Ang was “a strategic business decision that will maximize growth opportunities for the Inquirer Group.” It did not seem to be the case.

The Rufino-Prietos had no valid reason to sell their majority ownership and control of the 31-yearold PDI. The family had plans to transition to new media and digital journalism. In fact, Inquirer was the first broadsheet in the country to venture into online journalism when it launched Inquirer.net in 1997.

But the Rufino-Prietos had lately come into pressure for their controversial real-estate dealings with the Marcos regime, as charged by President Duterte who ironically had pressed for the burial of Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani and who seemed to be backing losing vice-presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr in the latter’s bid to have a recount of the 2016 election that he lost to Vice-President Leonor Robredo. Ironically enough too, the Inquirer is headed by Alexandara Prieto-Romualdez, who’s married to a nephew of former first lady Imelda Marcos.

But it is a sign of PDI’s editorial independence that despite the Romualdez and Marcos ties of its ownermanagement, its editors have performed the noble and critical role of the press to check or criticize heavyhanded government policies, programs and practices against the public, in this case raising questions about Duterte’s anti-drug campaign that has led to several thousands of unaccountable killings of drug suspects

Editorial PAGE 5

FOUNDED JAN. 16, 1928 KATHRYN JEDI V. BAYLON Editor in Chief BERNADETTE A. PAMINTUAN Managing Editor PAUL XAVIER JAEHWA C. BERNARDO Associate Editor ALHEX ADREA M. PERALTA News Editor DELFIN RAY M. DIOQUINO Sports Editor LEA MAT P. VICENCIO Special Reports Editor JOHN GABRIEL M. AGCAOILI Witness Editor AMIERIELLE ANNE A. BULAN Circle Editor KIRSTEN M. JAMILLA Art Director ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN, BASILIO H. SEPE Chief Photographers News Ianna Gayle S. Agus, Mia Arra C. Camacho, Hannah Rhocellhynnia H. Cruz, Christian de Lano M. Deiparine, Samantha-Wee Lipana, Roy Abrahmn D.R. Narra, Theodore Jason Patrick K. Ortiz, Maria Crisanta M. Paloma, Jacob Marvin D. Urmenita Sports Jan Carlo Anolin, Carlo A. Casingcasing, Philip Martin L. Matel, Randell Angelo B. Ritumalta, Ivan Ruiz L. Suing, Ralph Edwin U. Villanueva Special Reports Ma. Angela Christa Coloma, John Paul P. Corpuz, Ma. Consuelo D.P. Marquez, Neil Jayson N. Servallos, Arianne Aine D. Suarez Features Daniella T. Cobarde, Louise Claire H. Cruz, Ma. Czarina A. Fernandez, Daphne Yann P. Galvez, Alyssa Carmina A. Gonzales Literary Elmer B. Coldora, Nikko Miguel M. Garcia Filipino Erma R. Edera, Chris V. Gamoso, Jolau V. Ocampo, Winona S. Sadia Witness Joel Sebastian D. Cristobal, Sigrid B. Garcia, Lexanne O. Garcia, Kathleen Therese A. Palapar Science and Technology Karl Ben L. Arlegui, Dan Albert D. Besinal, Edris Dominic C. Pua, Edson C. Tandoc IV, Julius Roman M. Tolop Circle Klimier Nicole B. Adriano, Audrie Julienne D. Bernas, Chelsey Mei Nadine B. Brazal Art Mariyella Alysa A. Abulad, Blessie Angelie B. Andres, Chinny Mae F. Basinang, Rocher Faye R. Dulatre, Joelle Alison Mae Eusebio, Shaina Mae L. Santander, Juan Miguel M. Soriano, Seldon May T. Tagao Photography Ann Margaret De Nys, Deejae S. Dumlao, Vince Christian C. Imperio, Katrina Mae H. Marcos, Miah Terrenz Provido, Maria Charisse Ann G. Refuerzo, Michael Angelo M. Reyes, Ma. Alyssa Adrienne T. Samonte, Rhenwil James G. Santos, Jamillah N. Sta. Rosa, Vladlynn Nona Maryse L. Tadeo, Pauline Faye V. Tria Editorial Assistant Jose Miguel Luis G. Del Rosario

FELIPE F. SALVOSA II Assistant Publications Adviser JOSELITO B. ZULUETA Publications Adviser

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

Kudos to high court for injunction vs RH law SUPREME Court’s extension of the temporary restraining order against Reproductive Health (RH) Law demanding the certification of particular contraceptives seemed like a “partial” answer to the greatest invocation of life advocates.

Last January, Albay Representative Edcel Lagman complained about the high court’s decision, melodramatically saying it “pierced the heart and soul” of Republic Act No.10354 or RH Law by making the certification, procurement and access to contraceptives more difficult and cumbersome.

After more than a year of banning government purchase of Implanon and Implanon NXT — birth control implants that hamper women’s conception for three years and are asserted to possess certain abortifacient qualities — the scope of SC’s ruling broadened last August to a “re-certification” of some birth control pills of the like.

According to Lagman, this policy “derailed” the

SC’s restraining order is not an act of dilly-dallying but a favorable moment for the government and the public to scrutinize between the pages of Reproductive Health Law’s most debated provisions. implementation of the RH Law since SC practically halted the certification process duly delegated upon the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As stated in Section 9 of the RH Law, “any product or supply included or to be included in the Essential Drug List must have a certification from the FDA that the said product and supply is made available on the condition that it is not to be used as an abortifacient.”

Despite Lagman’s accusations, SC’s injunction is only necessary to ascertain RH Law’s responsible footing in the country even if it suspends the latter’s

nationwide execution and seemingly jostle into FDA’s affairs.

As a matter of fact, the government should not rush its implementation since there are still pending issues to guarantee maternal health. Maternity is one of the most important scopes of health benefits that should be included in every health insurance plan offered to families and individuals.

While it is true that Section 12 of the RH Law speaks of “maximum benefits” to be given to those with “lifethreatening reproductive health conditions such as HIV and AIDS, breast and reproductive tract cancers,

and obstetric complications, and menopausal and post-menopausal-related conditions,” ample time is needed for faultless actualization.

Aside from these, the injunction in itself serves as an opportunity to make couples aware of the kind and safety of drugs they are taking or about to take. Most especially, it seeks to inform the public of the side effects of contraception.

It is unfortunate, therefore, that President Duterte signed Executive Order No. 12 titled “Attaining and Sustaining Zero Unmet Need for Modern Family Planning Through the Strict Implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act, Providing Funds Therefore and for Other Purposes” in order to investigate the TRO and attempt to accelerate the implementation of the law by imparting the knowledge of modern family planning to the poor by 2018.

Dagitab PAGE 15

PWD-friendly PH far from reality THE DEPARTMENT of Tourism (DOT) has probably turned a blind eye to the everyday struggles of persons with disabilities (PWDs) as seen at the new tourism promotional video released a month ago.

Not only did DOT waste a part of its P650-million budget for advertisement campaigns by publishing plagiarized work, an output of their negligence and futility, but it also tried to fool both tourists and Filipinos.

This is both disappointing and aggravating; it does not require high intellect to realize that the DOT project is full of lies from technicality to content.

The campaign has raised suspicion it might have been plagiarized from a much earlier South African campaign, prompting DOT to stop its airing.

Moreover, it also painted a picture of the country that was far from reality—a destination friendly to PWDs. The video featured a blind, old retiree from Japan

The DOT and other government agencies should use their multimillion budgets to fix their impaired sights on the state of our PWD countrymen. traveling and “experiencing” the country’s wonders through senses other than sight. However, that would have been a lucky shot in reality for PWD tourists to be able to access places in the country safely because most of our own PWDs don’t.

I have been witnessing the inconvenience caused by the inaccessible establishments since I was younger when my grandmother had colon cancer and had trouble walking.

When we went to a sixstory building in Quezon City where her doctor’s clinic was located, we found the elevator broken. The

clinic was located at the top floor.

We had to put her in a monobloc chair and ask four men, whom we paid P100 each after, to carry her to the sixth floor. Due to the discomfort she had on the way up, she just decided to walk her way back down. It was a depressing sight.

This is only one of the many perils our PWDs experience every day.

Republic Act 7227 or the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, specifically its section on Accessibiity law or the Batas Pambansa 344, has fallen into the pit of those laws in need of strict compliance and amendment.

Its promotion of a barrier-

free environment is seldom carried out and never given much attention to to be assessed.

Many establishments, mostly government agencies, violate the law.

In 2015, the National Council for Disability Affairs reported that only 40 out of 1,200 local government agencies followed the requirement stated by the Accessibility Law when government offices should be the foremost models of the public in enforcing the said law.

But Frederick Alegre, DOT assistant secretary for public affairs, claimed that the ad intended to “show that we take care of them [elderly, PWDs] here.” He added that there had been a “constant effort” from the government to make more facilities PWD-sensitive.

However, even t r a n s p o r t a t i o n establishments like the transit systems hamper the mobility and safety of PWDs. Anastasis PAGE 14

Opinion 5

AUGUST 15, 2017

Shameless mockery of campus democracy IT TOOK only several petitions and four votes to completely overturn the April Central Student Council (CSC) election results — much to the dismay if not outrage of most Thomasians.

Three months ago, Thomasians overwhelmingly chose to abstain rather than vote for the candidates for president, vice president, treasurer and auditor, which is considerably a feat never before witnessed in recent student elections history.

In a report published by the Varsitarian last April 23, what forced Thomasians to abstain from voting was their dissatisfaction with the quality of candidates, especially with their recycled platforms and poor stands on important national and local issues such as tuition increase and martial law.

The Central Commission on Elections (Comelec) deemed the abstentions, or what most Thomasians call the ‘protest’ or ‘principled’ vote, as valid, and therefore declared the four positions vacant. A special elections was expected to follow through at the start of the school year.

However, after being tightlipped for almost three solid months, the little-known Central Judiciary Board overhauled Comelec’s plan for special elections, and has directed the poll-body to proclaim the candidates with the highest votes as winners in the April elections, following petitions from various parties to nullify such abstentions.

One of the petitioners is

Editorial FROM PAGE 4

as well as his quite treasonous coziness with China despite the communist totalitarian bully trespassing and practically claiming the entire sea between its territory and the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia and the Pacific!

Duterte has repeatedly used bully tactics and hate language and attacked the Inquirer and other critical news agencies, like ABS-CBN, calling them “rude, corrupt and unfair”— with expletives added. The Rufino-Prietos have felt the heat and realized Inquirer is an encumbrance to their larger business interests. This incident shows that by and large, the free press in the Philippines is not free after all; it is beholden to business interests forever ingratiating themselves with political interests forever in

Valles FROM PAGE 7

endearing and lighthearted person.

“He has a good sense of humor. He’s man who doesn’t take himself too seriously, kaya he’s very endearing. I think he will do well as president,” David said.

Valles, whom Secillano considers as an “excellent pastor,” is also said to be “very approachable, simple, and down to earth.”

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo echoed Secillano, saying the amicable relationship of Valles and Duterte would pave the way for dialogues between the Church and the state.

Thomasians don’t need a brand new set of event organizers, but a brand new set of leaders.

Butchering democracy

According to the three-page resolution posted by Comelec on Twitter last July 24, the judiciary board contested that there was no mention of abstain votes in the University Student Elections Code of 2011 (USEC), and that abstentions should not be counted or tallied as legitimate votes.

The resolution adds that Comelec should not have included “abstain” in the ballots as if it was a name of a candidate.

Section 5, Article 10 of the USEC states that the ballot shall contain the printed names of candidates, their position and their party; a box before the candidates’ names, serial number and instructions. Technicality wise, there is no real mention of the inclusion of abstain votes.

The legal basis of the judiciary board decision is understandable, but wasn’t there even a slight consideration about what the student body was trying to get across through their votes?

For the position of CSC president alone, a total of 15, 803 strong students opted to abstain.

This is three times more than the

5, 578 voters who abstained in the last year’s elections. If the judiciary board is saying that those 15 thousand votes are not real votes, what then should be counted as real ones?

Elections are held so voters can exercise democracy, so voters can freely choose who they want to sit as their leaders. Clearly, the Thomasian voting population was not impressed by any of the candidates for the four vacant positions.

Thomasians have grown sick and tired of the same old typical candidates who run for office every year with the same old campaign presentations.

Thomasians don’t need a brand new set of event organizers, but a brand new set of leaders. The mass abstention should not be considered as tantamount to ignorance nor apathy, but should be seen as a call for better, more deserving leaders who can represent the student body firmly.

To abstain has always been a part of the elections ballot so as to not force Thomasians to just pick the first name they see in the list. And since time immemorial, abstentions have been counted as real votes. Posts that have been left vacant because of abstentions have been recognized before, so why only now that the judiciary board intervenes?

The judiciary board should have asked themselves the question whether they were just simply junking the abstain votes or were they disrespecting and robbing Thomasians of their freedom to choose.

league with economic interests so on and so forth. This vicious cycle explains the endemic poverty and the fundamental disaster of the Philippine nationstate.

It is ironic that just as the Rufino-Prietos are compromised by their business interests in effectively and independently running PDI, they have decided to turn it over to Ang, who’s just as, if not more than, compromised, because of his rather cozy financial ties with Duterte. The President himself said that Ang contributed to his election funding last year. “Ang gave me some money,” he had said in June 2016.

With Ang’s lack of journalistic background and knowledge on newspaper business, his totally ruthless and greedy capitalist business acumen, and the fact that his boss, Marcos crony Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, wrested control of SMC by using the coco levy from poor cocnonut farmers (just about the biggest wholesale heist in Philippine

history!),the Inquirer is at risk of losing its editorial independence!

Ang and SMC’s acquisition of the Inquirer is a blow not only to press freedom but to democracy, truth and justice!

Does the conglomerate have a long-term commitment to PDI or will Ang sell it when it is no longer useful to him? Think about the kind of editorial policies that are going to be implemented under his leadership.

Ang, whose businesses include SMC and Eagle Cement Corp., wants to get big infrastructure contracts from government. Bloomberg reported that Ang had submitted a plan to the Department of Transportation to build a P700billion airport in Bulacan. So, would he just use PDI to further his business interests?

Yes, the Prietos have business interests but they have generally allowed the editors of the Inquirer wide latitude to exercise independent editorial judgment. If PDI becomes subservient to Ang—and

Duterte, then there will be a lack of a strong watchdog versus the government.

This is reminiscent of former president Estrada’s time when he shook down Manila Times after putting the newspaper under intense political pressure.

Estrada basically forced the Gokongwei family to sell it to Mark Jimenez, his crony. Looking closer, there is a parallelism; Ang donated to Duterte’s campaign and also shelled out money to build drug rehabilitation centers.

“Mark my word: This country will fly,” Ang had said in 2016. “This country will be a better place for our children and grandchildren because the drug problem will be eliminated under Duterte.” Presumably these words are an approbation of Duterte’s murderous steak coming from the CEO of Southeast Asia’s biggest food and beverage firm. It could be said that here is one blue-chip CEO who eats extra-judicial killings for breakfast! What a cannibalistic appetite!

David, however, highlighted the separation of Church and state. He said the Church would continue to fight for what it believes in, such as the right to life and due process.

The reimposition of the death penalty and the enormous number of extrajudicial killings under the present administration rocked the relationship of the Church and state, prompting the former to speak out.

“There are avenues for collaboration. We will always find spaces for working together. But because the Church is the Church, we will make a stand on certain issues,” David said.

focus on the “seeming apathy” of Catholics on issues involving the right to life.

“It should focus more on the welfare of women and children, especially those victims of clerical sexual abuse. It’s an issue ad intra (from within) that begs the question on what the Church needs to do to rally behind Church people to reject such legislative agenda,” he said.

Secillano said the new officers would continue to adhere to the unchanging Church teachings and beliefs on the dignity of life, human rights, poverty, peace and environmental protection.

“The new officers will have the same lens but may possibly employ different method, approach or strategy. Whatever these new officers will do, I’m

sure, will be for the good of the Church, the country and the people,” he said.

David said the new set of CBCP officers must also focus on the protection of the environment and peace in Mindanao.

He stressed the duty of the new CBCP officers to continue the preparations for the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines in 2021.

Filipino bishops elect a new president every two years.

Bishops serving as president of the conference are allowed two consecutive terms.

Reelected were Palo Archbishop John Du as treasurer Fr. Marvin Mejia as secretary general.

The new set of CBCP officers will assume office in December and will serve until Nov. 30, 2019.

lone CSC presidential bet Steven Grecia of the Lakas Tomasino Coalition (LTC), who claimed the Comelec erred in interpreting abstain votes.

With the judiciary board decision, candidates all hailing from LTC will assume the posts most Thomasians thought they were saving for other potential leaders. Grecia will assume the presidential post, Gabriela Sepulchre will become vice president, Daveson Nieto will be treasurer and Richard Javier as auditor.

While none of the aforementioned candidates have confirmed they will take oath to their respective positions, it must always be remembered that getting the positions via loopholes is different from being elected by the majority into office.

It will be hard to govern knowing majority of your constituents dislike you, and knowing that the options of recalling and impeaching the officers have also been raised.

New officers, same Church teaching For Secillano, the new set of CBCP officers should

Abstain missing in the frontiers of USEC LONE presidential candidate Steven Grecia from the Lakas Tomasino Coalition (LTC) has turned a blind eye to the overwhelming rejection of his candidacy as well as several others in the last Central Student Council elections as indicated by the overwhelming number of abstentions, the highest in UST campus politics history. Instead of gracefully accepting the voice of the studentry, he appealed to the the little known Central Judiciary Board to be declared president, claiming that the UST Students’ Election Code (USEC) did not mention a provision on abstention. Grecia said that while he “respects the results of elections and accepts the fact that there are a record number of abstention,” the USEC and CSC Constitution “do not define abstain nor provide for the effects of abstention.”

Biology senior Denise Martinez said the process was based solely on technicality.

“For me, nadali lahat sa technicality ng election code. [But] it is not okay na we have to suffer when the voice of the majority spoke na ayaw talaga nila sa candidate,” she said.

The official Facebook page of the student council even went under fire after some 3,500 Thomasians gave a rating of 1 star out of 5 stars to CSC. Despite the flak drawn by Grecia on social media, the poor and irresponsible system is also to blame.

The UST campus does not have a democracy; it has an autocracy.

Had the Comelec took enough efforts to revise the USEC, provided that the clear definition of abstain is included, this turmoil could had been less of a trouble.

There is a discrepancy as to what abstain really means. Thomasians keep referring to abstention as “abstain votes,” that “we voted for abstain.”

According to Robert’s Rules of Order, abstention refers to voters who refrain from voting. Thomasians, however, defined abstain as not recognizing the candidates for whatever reason.

And yet of course Grecia’s claim is justifiable.

In fact he was just following the principle of the rule of law. Aristotle would probably have given his nod to Grecia’s bold moves; to Aristotle, the concept of the rule of law is that the “law should govern.”

Such travesty it is if the law is crippled because the constitution fails to provide. Amend the University Student’s Election Code immediately.

Who would have thought this would lead to dirges sung to democracy in UST? Surprisingly the Central Comelec hardly contested the petition, and the judiciary board ruled in Grecia’s favor. We now have a renegade administration of rejected officers deaf and blind to the desire of the electorate. They’re virtual autocrats since they’ve been able to twist the law to suit Sputnik PAGE 14

New deans FROM PAGE 3

science and speech language pathology,” Aseron said in an e-mail.

Aseron said CRS students should expect full and competent implementation of outcomes-based curricula that would result in more productive community development activities.

Canoy said he was confident his experiences would help him improve the quality of education in Commerce.

“I changed the team to be in line with the Total Quality Management, in line with the instructions, research, developments and the international and

local linkages. I just want to go with the plans of the [Rector] for UST to go into a exchange programs with other universities,” he said in an interview.

Canoy said he accepted the offer to be the new Commerce dean because he was disappointed with the downgrade of the college’s accreditation.

“I was a bit dismayed because from Level IV [Center of Development], we went down to Level II and Level III,” he said.

“So ngayon, ang plans ko ulit is while I’m still here is to push and aspire and go up the ladder of [Center of Development and Excellence].”

Padua, the second director of IICS, said she would let the students of IICS judge her accomplishments as acting director.

6 Filipino

IKA-15 NG AUGUSTO, 2017

Internet, luklukan ng kabastusan, kabuktutan?

Nina CHRIS V. GAMOSO at JOLAU V. OCAMPO PAMILYA ang pangunahing susi upang matuldukan ang usapin ukol sa Facebook group na “Pastor Hokage Bible Study,” wika ng isang instruktor ng Unibersidad.

Iginiit ni Jan Erven Ganacias, nagtuturo ng sosyolohiya, na malaki ang gampanin ng pamilya bilang pangunahing socializing agent kasama ang maayos na sistema ng paaralan, gobyerno at simbahan, sa pagsugpo sa nasabing suliranin.

Matatandaang naging mainit ang talakayan hinggil sa secret online group na kinabibilangan ng siyam na libo hanggang dalawang milyong kalalakihang nagpapalitan ng larawan o video ng mga kabataan at kababaihan.

Sinasabi sa deskripsiyon ng pangkay na pangunahing layunin nilang pasikatin at paghigantian ang mga kasintahang “nanloko” sa mga miyembro nito kung kaya’t tinatawag din itong “revenge pornography.”

Binigyang kahulugan ng Facebook ang revenge pornography bilang “sharing nude/near-nude photos of someone publicly or to people whom they didn’t want to see them in order to shame or embarrass them.”

Paliwanag ni Ganacias, “Iyong moral implications kasi nito may mali… the end does not justify the means kasi, ‘yong epekto nito sa tao, kung gusto mo lang gumanti para ipahiya siya ay may mali na agad doon.”

Dagdag pa niya, kinakailangang saklaw ng ethical principles, kasama na ang golden rule, ang lahat ng ating kilos.

Idiniin niya ang konserbatibong pananaw at pagtingin ng Filipinas sa kababaihan nito na dapat pinahahalagahan at iginagalang sa lahat ng pagkakataon.

Paggamit sa mga konseptong relihiyoso

Salaysay ng isang dating miyembro ng grupo na itinago sa pangalang “Kevin,” higit pa sa malalaswang video na galing sa Internet ang laman ng Facebook group na ito. Wika niya, “mayroong mga kung anoanong nudes, then iba revenge porn, nudes ng iba, personal sex video. Mayroong iba pinopost nang walang pahintulot.”

Kaugnay n i t o , mababasa sa mga ulat ang paggamit ng grupo sa mga salitang panrelihiyon kagaya ng “Amen” na para sa kanila’y tumutukoy sa pagsang-ayon sa mga malalaswang nakapost. Mayroon ding ganitong pailalim na kahulugan maging ang mismong pangalan ng grupo na “Pastor.”

Sinasabing nagtataglay din ng animo “antas” ang mga kasapi nito na tinatawag na “sacristan” ang mga apprentice o mga bagong miyembro at “Obispo” o “Santo Papa” sa mga nakatataas na nakapagpo¬post ng mga pili at mahihirap na hanaping larawan o video ng kababaihan.

“Nakaka-offend sa kung kaninong practice iyon… ginagamit ang mga salitang iyon para sa sagradong gawain,

para sa mga magaganda at positibong bagay tapos gagamitin ng ibang tao sa negatibong pamamaraan,” wika ni Ganacias.

T i n u k o y naman nito ni Josephine P l a c i d o , tagapangulo ng Depar tamento ng Sosyolohiya ng Unibersidad, b i l a n g estratehiya ng grupo u p a n g dumami, tanggapin at tangkilikin ng publiko. “ D i t o sa Filipinas, n a p a k a relihiyoso natin.

Regardless of religious sector, religion plays a big role in inf luencing people in anything that you want to do.” wika niya.

Paggabay sa mga kabataan “Nakakainis ang mga tao roon dahil mga sabik,” dahilan ni Kevin kung bakit niya iniwan ang grupo. Dagdag pa niya, “kawawa [ang] mga babaeng pino-post doon [dahil] ‘di man lang [nila] nalalaman na pino-post sila.”

Pinapaalalahanan ni Placido ang mga kabataan na maging mapagmatyag at

maingat sa pagpasok sa mga grupo lalo na kapag walang sapat na kaalaman tungkol dito.

Nakadidismaya rin wika niya ang tila paglimot ng pamahalaan sa pagkakaroon ng gatekeepers o censorship sa pagpasok ng teknolohiya.

“Administrators can be deceiving so kailangan talaga ng vigilance about everything that has been introduced.” wika niya. “Dapat may mga nakaantabay na gatekeepers upang mabantayan ang mga insensitibong galaw ng mamamayan at matutukan ang anumang anomalya sa paggamit ng Internet.”

Iginiit naman ni Ganacias ang kahalagahan ng tamang pagpapalaki sa mga kabataan sapagkat magiging repleksiyon ng kanilang pagkatao ang kasalukuyang kulturang mamanahin ng susunod na henerasiyon.

Gayunpaman, tiyak na magsisilbing halimbawa ang pag-usbong ng grupong ito sa pagkakaroon ng kamulatan sa kung papaano dapat maging maingat sa social media.

“Dahil din diyan, magkakaroon ng change of regulation sa social media upang wala nang gagaya sa mga taong ito sa mga susunod na taon,” wika ni Ganacias.

Patuloy ang pagbabantay ng National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Cybercrime Division ang mga grupong kagaya at kaugnay ng grupong Pastor Hokage.

Isinusulong naman ni Senador Risa Hontiveros ang Senate Bill 1251 o ang Anti-Gender-Based Electronic Bill na susupil sa mga taong responsible sa “misogynistic” at “homophobic attacks” sa social media at may karampatang hatol ng pagkakulong na aabot sa lima hanggang 10 taon at multang P100,000 hanggang P500,000.

Kawastuhan sa ispeling ng Filipino, pagtitibayin ng ‘Spell Checker’ Nina ERMA R. EDERA at CHRIS V. GAMOSO HUMIGIT-KUMULANG 60 milyong mga salita mula sa iba’t ibang wika sa Filipinas ang nakapaloob sa ilulunsad na Filipino Spell Checker sa susunod na taon.

Layunin ng soft ware na ito ang pagpapatibay ng pangkalahatang pamantayan sa wastong pagbabaybay ng mga salita sa wikang Filipino alinsunod sa Or tograpiyang Pambansa.

“Nag-corpus collection [kung saan] karamihan ay sa Inter net at t weets nakuha. Sa mga nakolektang corpus tiningnan ‘yong mga salitang ginagamit, kung ano ang spelling at paano ‘yong paggamit ng salita.” wika ni Sheilee Vega, tagapangulo ng Sangay ng Salita at Gramatika ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino.

Inihambing ni Vega ang software sa Microsoft Word kung saan kapag magtitipa sa wikang Filipino, magkakaroon ng kulay pulang linya sa ibaba dahil hindi ito naka-program sa computer.

“Hindi lang iyon automatic na magpupula dahil na-check na nito ayon

sa tuntunin ng wikang Filipino. May mga iseset ka pa doon sa software para ‘yong patter n nito ay maiwawasto.” wika ni Vega.

Ayon naman kay Jeslie del Ayre, language researcher sa KWF, kapag lubos nang naisaayos ang software, ilalagay ito sa website ng komisyon upang maging downloadable sa publiko.

“Mahaba kasi ‘yong proseso.

Habang ginagawa at tine-test namin ‘yong project [ay] may pumapasok pang mga conf licts sa tuntunin.” dagdag ni Ayre.

Maisasakatuparan ang proyektong ito sa pakikipag-ugnayan ng komisyon sa National University na siyang nagsulong ng software.

“Mga propesor ng NU ang nagintroduce nito sa amin… nag-present sila tungkol sa gagawing software tapos naging interesado rin kami kasi wala pa talagang ganoong ginagamit sa Filipino.” wika ni Vega.

Layunin ng komisyon na makipagugnayan sa iba’t ibang ahensya ng pamahalaan lalo na sa Depar tment of Education at Commission on Higher Education upang magamit ito ng mas marami pang mag-aaral.

Filipino, sapat sa diskursong akademiko MAKAKAMIT ang pagkakaisa at pagbabago sa Filipinas kung pauunlarin ang wikang Filipino at gagamitin ito sa karunungan, wika ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining at iba pang mga tagapagtaguyod ng Wikang Pambansa.

“Kailangan na nating igpawan ang ating mga sarili at mag-isip pambansa,” ani Purificacion Delima, komisyoner ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), sa Pandaigdigang Kongreso sa Araling Filipinas sa Wikang Filipino noong ika-2 ng Agosto.

Dagdag pa niya, panahon na upang gamitin ang Filipino sa diskursong akademiko at sabihing kaya ring gawin ng wikang Filipino ang mga nagagawa ng wikang banyaga.

“Nais nating maalis kung hindi man maigpawan ang takot at alinlangan ng mga propesyonal hinggil sa kanila mismong kakayahang magpahayag ng nais [nilang] sabihin sa pamamagitan ng wikang Filipino,” wika naman ni Virgilio Almario, Pambansang Alagad ng Sining sa Panitikan na nakipag-ugnayan sa Philippine Studies Organization na bumuo ng kumperensya sa wikang Filipino sa unang pagkakataon kasama ng KWF. Inilahad pa niya na isa itong paraan upang mapatunayan na mataas ang

kakayahan ng Wikang Pambansa laban sa ilang mamamayan na nagsasabing kasangkapan lamang ito sa usapang kalye at tsismisan sa brodkast midya.

“Bahagi ang kumperensya [na ito] ang kasalukuyang kampanya ng KWF na maging ‘Wika ng Karunungan’ at wika ng mga malikhain at mapanuklas na saliksik sa alinmang disiplinang pang-edukasyon ang Filipino,” wika niya.

Para naman kay Bienvenido Lumbera, isa ring Pambansang Alagad ng Sining, ang kasaysayan at kultura ng bansa ang humubog sa mga salita sa wikang Filipino at nagmula ang mga ito sa araw-araw na pamumuhay ng mga Filipinong gumagamit nito.

Dagdag pa niya, nagkakaroon ng kaisipan na mas nakaaangat ang mga mamamayang marunong sa wikang Ingles, na bunga ng pagtuturo gamit ang wikang banyaga.

“Sa pamamagitan ng Ingles bilang wikang panturo, naganap ang pagkakahati sa mga mamamayan sa ‘edukado’ at ‘diedukado,’” wika niya.

Gayon pa man, hinimok niya ang mga kabataan na itugma ang kahalagahang makabayan sa ikagagaling ng malawak na sambayanan, sa halip na pagluwalhati ng mga dayuhan. CHRIS V. GAMOSO

Editor: John Gabriel M. Agcaoili

Witness 7

AUGUST 15, 2017

Dialogue urged to end wars, conflicts

VINCE CHRISTIAN C. IMPERIO

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle with the students.

Cardinal Tagle with pilgrims who gave their testimonies in PCNE 4.

RHENWIL JAMES G. SANTOS

DELEGATES to the Fourth Philippine Conference on New Evangelization (PCNE 4) were called to practice communion with neighbors to counter hatred last July 28 to 30 at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle highlighted the importance of communion by understanding the differences in cultures.

“If you look at the divisions, hatred and wars in the world, one of the causes is the understanding of greatness according to the kingdoms of this world. In the kingdom of heaven, the form of greatness leads to communion; and the greatest is the one who becomes like a child,” he said.

Tagle likened the communion to sharing of wounds, which allows a person to journey with his neighbor as it expands the sense of family and makes room for forgiveness.

“There is no stranger when it comes to woundedness. Entering the wounds of Jesus present in the wounds of the world helps us recover a sense of common humanity,” he said.

For Archbishop Bernardito Auza, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, the Church shares in the wounds of the poor by being a voice for them in UN. “It is our primary mission to bring all the experiences of our Church, all these moral principles of our Church into the international debate,” he said.

Auza also discussed six issues concerning the Church – war and conflicts, nuclear disarmament, human trafficking, extreme poverty, forced migration and protection of life and family – which greatly affect the poor and marginalized around the world.

The Church’s involvement in social and political issues is in line with the inward and outward sense of Church mission, Caloocan Archbishop Pablo Virgilio David said in his talk on Church as communion.

“We serve the Church so that we can serve the world as a servant church. They should just be in

communion not just with those they are in common baptism but with all those with basic common humanity, basic common desire for common good,” David said.

Revitalize Christian message for the youth Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the Vatican’s head for new evangelization, challenged the Church to find new language to reach out to the youth in its bid to revitalize the Christian message and ensure the Church’s future.

“The Church has a particular responsibility [to] the youth. We need to make our youth responsible for the order and the new evangelization,” Fisichella, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Promotion of New Evangelization, said.

Fisichella also warned the youth of the dangers of irresponsible Internet use, while recognizing the importance of social media in evangelization.

“The capacity of communication is the possibility of formation; however, using this new culture [brings forth] a new question: the truth and how we read with a critical mind what we receive,” he said.

Together with other “pilgrims,” actors Alden Richards, Dingdong Dantes and Dimples Romana, Couples for Christ member Rodito Mahinay and Sr. Mary Jane Caspillo of the Medical Mission Sisters shared their faith experiences in the conference.

This year’s PCNE focused on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ declaration of the “Year of the Parish as Communion of Communities.”

It featured testimonies, exhibits, Eucharistic celebrations and concurrent sessions about family, youth, parish, catechism, social justice and environment.

A total of 6,500 delegates participated in PCNE 4, with over 1,500 participants coming from the youth sector.

The next PCNE is scheduled to take place on July 20 to 22, 2018.

L.O. GARCIA

Duterte’s pastor is new CBCP president

By SIGRID B. GARCIA and KATHLEEN THERESE A. PALAPAR DAVAO Archbishop Romulo Valles has been elected president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, succeeding Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, who served the organization for four years.

Valles, who is known to have close ties with President Duterte, was elected by his fellow bishops during the 115th CBCP Plenary Assembly last July 8 at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center.

Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the CBCP Permanent Committee on Public Affairs, said Valles’ election as CBCP president was an “advantage” for the Catholic Church.

“To say that [Valles’] closeness with President Duterte will compromise the Church is to underestimate the leadership qualities of the good bishop.

The CBCP members did not elect a man without conviction. They elected an official who knows for sure what the Church stands for in these trying times,” Secillano told the Varsitarian.

Secillano said the new set of CBCP leaders would stand their ground amid the criticisms thrown at the Catholic Church.

“The bishops made the right decisions. The President, down to the regional representatives, make for

excellent officers. They will represent the Church at a time when it is being criticized left and right,” he said.

Valles studied philosophy and theology at St. Francis Xavier Regional Major Seminary in Davao City. He obtained his licentiate in sacred liturgy in Rome’s Pontificio Ateneo Sant’Anselmo and master’s degree in religious education at Ateneo de Davao University.

He was ordained priest in 1976 and was appointed bishop of Kidapawan in 1997. He served as the bishop of Zamboanga in 2006 before being named archbishop of Davao by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.

Valles was the CBCP vice president during Villegas’s term. He also served as chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Liturgy and a member of the CBCP Permanent Committee on Cultural Heritage of the Church.

‘Excellent pastor’ Other members of the CBCP had nothing but good words for their new leaders, especially for the newly elected president.

For incoming CBCP vice president Pablo Virgilio David, Valles is an Valles PAGE 5

Abp. Valles PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SPLENDOR OF THE CHURCH

FEATU

8

A member of the police operatives takes a picture of the body of Noel Dumate, 43, who was killed by unidentified gunmen riding on motorcycles in Marikina City.

BASILIO H. SEPE

Drug war through lens of a UST photojournalist

By LOUISE CLAIRE H. CRUZ and ALYSSA CARMINA A. GONZALES

AT THE crack of dawn, an abrupt phone call disrupts the peace at the Manila Police District, sending the reporters and photojournalists stationed there into a frenzy.

One of them is Thomasian lensman Basilio Sepe, whose coverage of President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody anti-drug campaign became both a subject for his undergraduate thesis and ticket to international recognition.

“I thought there was really something inside the drug war that had to be shown to others who couldn’t really see it. They know the drug war, but they have no idea what’s happening inside it,” he said in an interview.

The advertising arts alumnus, who graduated last June 2, had to balance his studies, drug war coverage and duties as a Varsitarian photographer.

He admitted he was hesitant at first due to the dangers the coverage entailed.

“Being a photojournalist is both risky and intriguing,” he said. “I’m not used to covering violence and I couldn’t stand seeing

dead people.”

Going global Sepe’s photos of the drug war were first printed as a coffee table book for his undergraduate thesis.

The same photos were showcased in an exhibit at the annual WARM Festival last June 30 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

“As a Filipino, it’s a really great opportunity and a memorable experience to be part of the exhibit,” he said. “These kinds of opportunities are what motivate me to continue what I’m doing as a photojournalist.”

WARM is an international foundation dedicated to war reporting and war art.

The exhibit, titled “Philippines War on Drugs: The Nightshift,” featured photos and videos captured by 13 Filipino photojournalists. Among them were veteran documentary photographers Ezra Acayan, Jes Aznar and Raffy Lerma.

But it was not the first time Sepe got overseas exposure.

He also participated as a fellow last December in the 12th Angkor Photo Festival and Workshop, the longest running

One of the images used by Sepe in his photo essay about the old market in Siem Reap, which was a requirement for the 12th Angkor Photo Festival and Workshop.

Sepe

international photography event in Southeast Asia.

“We have a requirement (in the workshop) to have a photo essay about someone or something,” Sepe recounted.

“So I chose the old market in Siem Reap and documented the place showing how slow the day can be for the people inside a usually lively place.”

‘Work-in-progress’ It was photojournalist Jun Sepe, Basilio’s father, who sparked the younger Sepe’s interest in photography.

Sepe added that his three-year experience with the Varsitarian, where he served as chief photographer in his second year, was vital in the improvement of his craft. He regarded the publication as his training ground.

Sepe is also motivated by his personal ethics to serve the people.

“As a photojournalist, the first commitment is to truth for the people you serve,” he said.

Despite the wunderkind success, Sepe said he still sees himself as a “work-inprogress.”

“Dapat mag-focus ka sa sarili mo,” he

said. “Mayroon kang capability, we all have our capabilities and we should use it to fight for what is right because that is what will lead to [the] change [our country needs].”

We all have our “ capabilities and we should use it to fight for what is right because that is what will lead to [the] change [our country needs] Basilio H. Sepe Former Chief Photographer, The Varsitarian

”

One of the images used by Sepe in his photo essay about the old market in Siem Reap, which was a requirement for the 12th Angkor Photo Festival and Workshop.

URES

9

AUGUST 15, 2017

The art of keeping a secret

By DANIELLA T. COBARDE and DAPHNE YANN P. GALVEZ THIS artist from UST will illustrate for you for free in exchange for your deepest, darkest secret.

Terence Eduarte started an online art project called “100 Days of Secrets,” where he created digital portraits of strangers. In return, his subjects must share with him a personal secret.

Eduarte, 24, earned his advertising arts degree from the College of Fine Arts and Design in 2013.

He is a freelance illustrator who previously worked at an international advertising agency.

His works have appeared in foreign publications such as Telegraph, Wired UK and Newsweek.

Eduarte sought to make his portraits stand out from those of other portrait artists.

“Na-realize ko ‘pag ginawa ko ‘yon [100 Days of Strangers] maraming magpapadrawing, so paano ko [sila] ifi-filter out? Naisip ko why not take their secrets,” Eduarte said in an interview.

“Medyo self-serving ‘yong reason ko, siyempre kung i-drawing kita, I [should] get something out of you so mayroong effort sa part mo,” he added.

His first subjects were his friends but he soon found his inbox flooded with other people’s secrets as the project gained popularity online.

‘Therapist’ As the project went on, Eduarte found himself taking on a role beyond illustrator.

“I suddenly became a therapist. Sometimes it gets hard because I’m not equipped to deal with those [situations],” he said.

He conversed with some of the strangers to help them deal with their secrets but some were just too heavy for him to respond to.

One stranger revealed that she was abused by her stepfather.

Secret PAGE 3

Jemimah Tiambeng: Law graduate and synchronized swimmer

By MA. CZARINA A. FERNANDEZ WHILE most student-athletes make names for themselves through the collegiate conferences like the UAAP and NCAA, Jemimah Tiambeng made a splash as a member of the national synchronized swimming team.

But the 26-year old was not your average studentathlete.

Alongside performing intricate maneuvers in the pool, Tiambeng digested a pile of case readings as a student at the Faculty of Civil Law, where she graduated from last June 2.

“You have to be disciplined,” Tiambeng told the Varsitarian. “’Yong discipline mo sa work habits, maganda ‘yong work ethic mo in terms of studying… parang hahatiin mo ‘yong priorities mo.”

Tiambeng’s daily routine involved training from 7 to 11 in the morning. She would study after and attend classes in the evening.

“After school, magre-review ako para wala ako masyadong backlogs until about 2 or 3 a.m.,” she added.

Tiambeng, who also earned her legal management degree from UST, admitted that it was not an easy feat to meet the demands of both academics and athletics.

Ballet in the pool Tiambeng took up various sports when she was young. She trained as a ballerina, competitive swimmer and diver.

She went as far as joining the Philippine diving team but an accident prompted her to quit. “One time in training, plumakada ako and it really hurt. So I stopped for a while,” she recalled.

“When I saw synchro, sabi nga ng coach ko to join kasi para siyang pinaghalong diving, ballet and swimming. In-encourage niya ko,” she said.

Tiambeng trained with Synchronized Swimming Philippines for three years before formally joining the team in 2011.

She has collected a total of 17 medals in international competitions such as the Thailand Synchronized Swimming Open and Age Group, Sunsmart Synchronized Swimming Championships, Asia-Pacific Synchronized Swimming Championships and Asian Swimming Championships.

She earned her lone gold medal at the Panasonic Hong Kong Synchronized Swimming Championships Swimmer PAGE 13

Tia mbeng

10 Circle

Editor: Amierielle Anne A. Bulan

AUGUST 15, 2017

Diaphanous B-CLXXII

Olazo

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ART SCENE IN CEBU WEBSITE

CCP retrospective pays tribute to late master abstractionist Olazo THE LARGE-SCALE paintings by late abstractionist Romulo Olazo have returned to the Bulwagang Juan Luna (Main Gallery) and Pasilyo Guillermo Tolentino (Third Floor Hallway) of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in a survey exhibit, almost four decades after CCP first mounted Olazo’s works.

The exhibit, titled Olazo Large-Scale, features an array of Olazo’s abstract paintings from 1974 until before his passing in 2015.

This includes his magnum opus “Diaphanous” series.

According to wife Patricia Olazo, the

exhibit serves as a homecoming for her late husband’s first exhibit.

“This exhibit is a commemoration of Ola’s works and career. We started conceptualizing this two years ago,” she said.

The exhibit reunites the mural-largescale paintings from Olazo’s private collection along with other private collections from Paseo Gallery, Ayala Foundation, PLDT Foundation, among others.

Greeting exhibit-goers is 12 of the 13 first large-scale paintings from Olazo’s 1974 debut exhibit, which were carefully restored due to ant infestation.

Mounted on the opposite side is “Wordless Book,” a five-panel oil-on-canvas painting from 2014, which depicts indefinite figures and intervening lines painted against a dark-toned backgrounds.

Displayed on the opposite sides of the Main Gallery are two large-scale paintings, each from two of Olazo’s “Diaphanous.”

“Diaphanous B-CXXXV” depicted see-through, cascading subjects like plants, Anthuriums and waves. On the other side, “Diaphanous Anthurium” portrayed Anthuriums, a flowering plant, in green, red, orange, blue and yellow against a cerulean

background. Both measured 80 x 240 inches.

Olazo had his first one-man exhibition at the CCP Main Gallery in 1974 titled “The Silkscreen Process and Its Possibilities.”

Its main feature was a 24-foot serigraph monoprint, a type of silk-screen printing.

A native of Balayan, Batangas, Olazo moved to Manila in 1959 to study at the old College of Architecture and Fine Arts in UST. He learned under the tutelage of National Artist Victorio Edades and Olazo PAGE 11

Janos Delacruz’s graphic skills in full display at NCCA gallery

By KLIMIER NICOLE B. ADRIANO

NY Times-lauded tenor Peñaverde Jr. mounts UST homecoming concert AFTER making a name in the international music industry, Conservatory of Music alumnus and classical singer Rogelio Peñaverde Jr. staged “With a Song in My Heart,” a homecoming concert last July 15 at the Insular Life Auditorium Alabang in Muntinlupa City.

With Music associate professor Najib Ismail on the piano, Peñaverde treated the audience to a night of timeless operas and lyrical ballads.

Other alumni and professors from the Conservatory joined Peñaverde such as sopranos Elisanta Cortes and Jenny Garcia and baritone Jilbert Chua.

Peñaverde credited his success to Salvacion Oppus-Yñiguez, his voice teacher until her passing in 2005.

“I always performed in operas and musical theaters where I played characters.

This would be the first time in ten years since I performed in a solo feature concert,” Peñaverde told the Varsitarian.

The two-part concert, his first in the country after a decade, had 16-song set which boasted of classical songs. Included in the repertoire were “Un’aura Amorosa,” from Mozart’s opera “Cosi Fan Tutte,” to Filipino composer Levi Celerio’s “Parang Maghapon Lamang.”

Peñaverde’s rendition of “Madaling Araw” by Filipino lyricists Jesus Balmori and Jose Corazon de Jesus was accompanied by a careful but extravagant exhibition of his fully tonal voice. The song is considered as one of the most beautiful kundiman or traditional Filipino love songs, centering on the keen expression of plea for love.

Peñaverde was joined by the UST Vocal Students Ensemble in his rendition of Ryan Cayabyab’s “Prayer of Saint Francis.”

Singphony Alumni, the former resident choir of the San Beda College Alabang Chapel, which Peñaverde directed for 12 years, also performed with him.

To cap off the concert, the Peñaverde family joined the singer onstage and rendered an arrangement of film score composer Constancio de Guzman classics, “Minamahal Kita” and “Maalala Mo Kaya.”

“We always performed as a family. It was very casual, nothing really formal,” he said.

Peñaverde holds a Bachelor of Music Degree with a major in Voice and a minor in Piano from the Conservatory. He also has a master’s degree in music at the Manhattan School of Music where he was a merit scholar.

He is known for his roles on both traditional and modern repertoire, with its various portrayals of certain characters providing diverse vignettes for Peñaverde’s career as an artist.

Having earned a nod from the New York Times for his “sweet sound” and praised

by Opera Magazine as an “incisive tenor,” Peñaverde continues to animate his vocal artistry through his ceaseless collaborations with the San Lorenzo Ruiz Choir of New York as its musical director.

He has performed with the New York City Opera, Bronx Opera Company, Taconic Opera of New York, Tuscia Opera Festival of Italy and covered as tenor for the Caramoor International Music Festival. AUDRIE JULIENNE D. BERNAS

ADVERTISING arts alumnus Janos Delacruz used prints, paintings and digital art to represent the influence of philosophy and society in his artistic journey in A Visual Journal, his first solo exhibit at the National Commission for Culture and Arts Gallery in Intramuros, Manila last July 6 to 30.

Delacruz is noted for his graphic skills and his representational works usually are laden with social commentary and philosophical musings.

For Delacruz, art is a “continuous journey” driven by the goals of the artist.

“Visual artists must be open to different mediums and artistic expressions that help us in propagating a given philosophical goal in our art,” he said in an online interview.

Displayed along the exhibit entrance was “Not a Day without Lines,” a threedimensional rectangular wood plastered with Delacruz’s journal entries printed in intaglio, a printmaking technique in which the image or text is incised on the surface.

He further injected his mysterious “philosophical goal” in “Kamaynilaan,” a peach- and brown-hued intaglio depicting a man holding a bottle and a gun beside tall buildings and clocks.

Delacruz also highlighted societal

problems in the exhibit.

In “Crossroad,” he illustrated a crowded train and cramped cars, showing the daily struggles of Filipino commuters amid the state’s poorly managed and maintained mass transportation system.

“Art is a continuous process and every exhibition is merely a momentary pause in the search for artistic satisfaction,” Delacruz said.

Delacruz has received notable awards, such as the 2006 Benavides Outstanding Achievement Award from UST, the Philippine Art Award’s 2013 Juror’s Choice of Merit and the Metro Manila Arts Award’s 2014 Juror’s Choice.

He is also a member and a former secretary of the Philippine Association of Printmakers, an organization representing the Philippines in the field of printmaking in exchanges and events internationally. It has produced many distinguished alumni who excelled in printmaking such as his father Fil Delacruz, Lito Mayo and Rodolfo Samonte.

A 2012 alumnus of the Art Students League of New York, he also mounted solo exhibitions in other countries such as including New York, Bangkok and Singapore.

VLADLYN NONA MARYSE L. TADEO

Sci-Tech 11

AUGUST 15, 2017

Deadly silence about prostate cancer A FORM of cancer affecting the reproductive system kills more than 500 Filipino men each year, according to Global Health Statistics.

Inside the male body, a walnutshaped gland normally the size of a ping-pong ball sits below the bladder.

This gland is called the prostate.

As one of the most important organs involved in male reproduction, it produces fluids that protect the sperm during ejaculation.

As the human body ages, the prostate has a tendency to become enlarged, resulting into a minor condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

BPH is a normal occurrence in the elderly male—caused by hormonal changes during the aging process.

Meanwhile, an abnormal, sudden growth of this gland may lead to cancer dubbed as “the silent killer of men” orprostate cancer.

“Symptoms are not usually that alarming—sa una dedma lang iyong mga pasyente,” Dr. Anita Sangalang, a professor from the Faculty of Pharmacy, said in an interview with the Varsitarian. “They go for check-ups only when the symptoms are serious.”

The first symptom of prostate cancer is difficulty in urination, which is caused by blockage in urine flow due to the enlarged prostate.

Sangalang added that most patients misdiagnose difficulty in urination only as urinary tract infection (UTI).

“If ignored, this may lead to loss of weight and presence of blood in the urine, which are indicative symptoms for middle stage prostate cancer,” she said.

“Lung cancer is reported [more] because the symptoms are cough and difficulty of breathing. Kapag nahihirapan kang huminga mas matatakot ka, as opposed to painful

urination in prostate cancer.”

Mysterious causes “The cause of prostate cancer is usually not well-explained. Nothing has been proven yet,” Sangalang said.“Perhaps the most usual cause would be genetic.”

However, even with a history of prostate cancer in the family, a patient may only exhibit a 5 to10 percent chance of developing it.

Age, diet and race could also contribute to its progression. In a study done by the Philippine General Hospital, it was found that Asians are classified under the low-risk category for developing and dying from prostate cancer.

“This type of cancer is more frequently found in African Americans and in men above the age of 50.”

Sangalang added.

She was also skeptical regarding the popular belief that men who ejaculate more in their twenties are less to develop prostate cancer as they grow older.

“I don’t think that’s scientifically backed-up. Wala pa naman akong nababasang ganoon,” she said.

Diagnosis and treatment of the disease One of the simplest ways to detect the possibility of prostate cancer is to measure prostate specific antigens (PSAs) present in the blood. PSA is a protein produced by the prostate, and an elevation of this antigen could possibly be a sign of prostate damage.

However, an increase of PSAs is not a definitive diagnosis for prostate cancer.

“It could also be just BPH or prostatitis,” Sangalang said.

Prostatitis a condition when the prostate gets inflamed due to infection or other causes.

Sangalang added that the next step after PSA measurement is to consult a urologist—a specialist of the urinary tract—and have a digital rectal examination done.

A digital rectal examination is performed by inserting a finger through the anus to assess any abnormal enlargement or hardening of the prostate.

If there is evidence of prostate growth, the urologist can request for a biopsy of the prostate tissue for further analysis.

Sangalang, who teaches pharmacology, commented on the different approaches to prostate cancer treatment.

“There are a variety of options for treatment, but it all really depends on the cancer stage,” she said.

During the first and second stage, the tumor is confined only to the prostate and is ideally controllable.

Chemotherapy or surgery can be done when cancer is detected in these stages.

If the cancer is already in the late stages—metastasis occurs, and management becomes difficult.

“Metastasis is the spread of the tumor to other organs,” Sangalang said.

“During Stage 3, the cancerous cells start to spread to nearby organs. [This] is followed by Stage 4, in which the distant organs are already involved.”

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the most common treatments, which aim to eradicate cancer cells from the body.

Radiotherapy reduces tumor sizes by radiation, which presents more side effects. “Adjacent organs that should not be exposed to radiation are exposed during radiotherapy.” Sangalang said.

She also stressed about the role of the physician to lay out all the options of the patient regarding the treatment.

While there is no conclusive way to prevent prostate cancer, lifestyle

modifications such as lessening red meat consumption and maintaining a healthy weight may reduce its occurrence.

Sangalang also recommends routine check-ups to monitor a patient’s susceptibility to the disease. “It really is the patient’s responsibility. Regular check-ups are preventive,” she said.

A patient’s survival increases tremendously when prostate cancer is detected and treated at the initial stages.

Perhaps then, routine check-ups, together with a healthy lifestyle, may just render the silent killer neither silent, nor a killer. EDSON C. TANDOC IV

HIV cases prevalent among the youth

By KARL BEN ARLEGUI and JULIUS ROMAN M. TOLOP

HUMAN Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has yet to reach its statistical figure plateau in the country with majority of the cases belonging to the younger population despite efforts made by Department of Health (DOH).

Last May, the National Epidemiology Center reported that 80.05 percent of the recorded 1,098 HIV cases are of ages 15 to 34.

“This age bracket is our country’s workforce and obviously has an economic

impact in the community,” Faculty of Medicine and Surgery Professor John Delgado said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

D e l g a d o specializes in infectious diseases at the UST Hospital.

“May 2017 has the highest data since HIV was first recorded in 1984,” Delgado added. “Akala mo bababa na dahil last April bumaba ‘yong statistics from 968 to 629, then nag-spike again this May with 1,098 cases.”

Delgado explained that HIV has four clinical stages. The first stage is the asymptomatic phase while stages two and three are more progressive phases of the virus in the human body.

Stage four is relative to AIDS-defining illnesses such as tuberculosis, meningitis and Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia.

CD4 or the so called “helper cells” are lymphocyte cells that aid in fighting against infection. A CD4 count equal or below 200 weakens one’s immune system and hints a possibility of HIV infection. “’Pag bagsak ‘yong immune system, nagse-set in ‘yong opportunistic infection kaya ‘yon ‘yong importance ng CD4. The lower the CD4 count, the higher the chance

of having multiple infections at the same time, at ‘yon ‘yong nakamamatay,” Delgado said.

Transmission of the disease DOH calculated an average of 36 new HIV positive cases is diagnosed every day. Males who have sex with males (MSM), whether through paid sex or romantic involvement, is the most common activity for the transmission.

Meanwhile, heterosexual viral transmission is rampant among polygamous couples wherein females are more susceptible to the disease.

Other modes of spreading the disease are through motherto-child transmission during childbirth and needle sharing among injection drug users.

“In MSM, [the] anal mucosa was not made for sexual purposes.

Unlike the vaginal canal, the anal mucosa has a very thin lining making it prone to trauma during intercourse and can be damaged easily where virus proliferation first takes,” Delgado said.

Also, Delgado added that college students are at risk given that the most infected age bracket is prominent among young individuals.

He said that the number one factor is internet engagement where anonymous partners lure individuals to do risky activities. Another factor is the lack of parental guidance due to students being away from family.

Therapies against virus replication HIV can be classified into two types; HIV-1 and HIV2. HIV-1 affects 95 percent of patients and is the most common type worldwide, while HIV-2 is often found in Africa and is much harder to cure.

Furthermore, the Epidemiology Bureau noted that both types can co-exist at the same time.

Delgado said that there is no absolute treatment to eradicate the infection nevertheless, there are therapies available that help boost CD4 count in the body and suppress virus replication.

“First step is screening to examine the patient’s blood sample then a confirmatory test follows at San Lazaro Hospital. When diagnosed positive, we have treatment hubs in the country that offers free medical services for patients,” he added.

In partnership with the Global Fund, DOH aims to eliminate HIV infection and other similar diseases by providing free treatment centers.

In NCR, treatment hubs are located at Philippine General Hospital, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Makati Medical Center, The Medical City, Sta. Ana Hospital, St. Luke’s Medical Center — Global City and San Lazaro Hospital.

Olazo FROM PAGE 10 Diosdado Lorenzo.

In 1972, he was recognized as part of the first batch of the Thirteen Artists awardees of the CCP. He married Patricia in 1966 and had three children, one of whom is Jonathan Olazo who curated the exhibit.

The younger Olazo said the purpose of the layers of his paintings is to give “more depth on the work.”

“For him, it’s also important to play with form,” Jonathan told the Varsitarian. “My father once said he found big spaces natural to doodle or work on.”

“He told me that painting large spaces has always been a challenge.

He used to work on painting billboards before tarpaulins were popular,” he added.

Olazo Large-Scale runs until Sept. 8. CHELSEY MEI NADINE B.

BRAZAL

Build bridge FROM PAGE 2 SHS, UST is adopting “alternative organizational strategies,” as an estimated 8,000 senior high school students are enrolled in the University this academic year, she said.

Last year, a total of 4,910 senior high students enrolled in UST. Grade 11 students will still occupy the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. building, while the first batch of Grade 12 students will hold classes in college buildings where their tertiary programs are offered, Romero said. JACOB MARVIN D. URMENITA and PAULINE FAYE V. TRIA

12 Special Reports

Editor: Lea Mat P. Vicencio

AUGUST 15, 2017

UST produces 1,090 honor graduates

By MA. CONSUELO D.P. MARQUEZ and JOHN PAUL P. CORPUZ THE NUMBER of Thomasian honor graduates rose by 11 percent on account of higher admission standards, teaching innovations and improved curricula, deans from UST’s colleges and faculties said.

Batch 2017 produced a total of 1,090 academic awardees out of 8,276 graduates: 935 cum laudes, 148 magna cum laudes and seven summa cum laudes, data from the Registrar showed. This was higher than last year’s 979 honor graduates.

The Faculty of Arts and Letters was the top producer of honor graduates, producing 188 cum laudes and 26 magna cum laudes out of 1,002 graduates.

Artlets Assistant Dean Narcisa Tabirara said the faculty’s admission standards affected the number of honor graduates.

“Despite the high number of applicants, the students selected to enroll are only students who have the greatest potential to be the best students,” Tabirara told the Varsitarian.

Tabirara added that Artlets are achievement-oriented, which contradicts the notion that they are “not very serious” students.

“Students accepted in AB have the greatest possibility to succeed which belies the impression that they are happygo-lucky students. In fact, they are no longer interested to just graduate with honors but to get into the international circuit,” Tabirara said.

The Faculty of Pharmacy produced 175 honor graduates out of 624, compared with last year’s 157 out of 682.

Medical technology graduate Neill Steven Cachuela is this year’s batch valedictorian, with a general weighted average of 1.059. He was also a recipient of the Rector’s Academic Award.

The College of Tourism and Hospitality Management maintained the highest ratio of honor graduates to the total number of graduates, with 137 honor graduates out of 412, surpassing last year’s 114 out of 456 graduates.

Architecture, law The College of Architecture produced its first summa cum laude: Jemi Marie Sy Ling, who had an average grade of 1.186. “[It is] enlightening and inspiring to the younger ones because they have something to look after,” Architecture Dean Rodolfo Ventura said.

Architecture’s honor graduates went up to 54 out of 308 graduates, from 32 out of 393 graduates last year.

The Faculty of Civil Law had a

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR

Breakdown of Latin honor receipients per college/faculty.

notable increase, with 11 Latin honor recipients out of 102 graduates from last year’s one cum laude.

Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina said this was the first time in 25 years that the law faculty produced a significant number of honor graduates.

“We did a lot of innovations, we have compiled the Supreme Court decisions of the last five years, prepared case digests of the chairman of the bar examination last year and made them available for examinees,” Divina said in an interview.

Increase, decrease The number of Latin honor recipients

in the College of Fine Arts and Design (CFAD), College of Rehabilitation Sciences (CRS), Institute of Information and Computing Sciences (IICS), UST-Alfredo M. Velayo - College of Accountancy and College of Nursing also rose.

CFAD and Accountancy produced 102 honor graduates out of 565 and 56 honor recipients out of 711, respectively. Last year, CFAD had 59 honor graduates out of 916 while Accountancy had 53 honor graduates out of 753.

CRS and IICS both had 38 honor graduates this year out of 269 and 404 graduates, respectively. Last year, CRS

produced 30 honor graduates out of 242 while IICS had 32 honor graduates out of 481.

The number of honor graduates in Nursing also went up to 16 out of 330 graduates, beating last year’s 10 out of 346 College of Nursing Dean Susan Maravilla said the college was constantly reviewing its curriculum, training policies and requirements.

“Grades and honors are not the only thing that matter, it is the performance of the graduate in the field once they Latin honors PAGE 14

Voting technicalities stir calls to revise election code, CSC charter

Francis Gabriel Santos, Central Student Council public relations officer-elect, is interviewed after the proclamation of winners last April 22 at the Tan Yan Kee lobby.

DEEJAE S. DUML AO

FROM PAGE 1 written in the CSC constitution what has to be done in case of vacancy,” Bersonda said in an interview.

Francis Gabriel Santos, CSC public relations officer-elect,

said the CSC was also planning to revise its charter to “solidify” some provisions, including the definition of abstain.

The revisions, which will happen for the first time since 2002, might be finalized before the next CSC elections, he said.

Santos said some of the revisions include aligning the election dates with the new academic calendar, improving the qualifications set for presidential candidates and new provisions on CSC committees.

The USEC states that elections should be held every Friday of February, a schedule that is no longer in sync with the new August to May academic calendar adopted

by UST three years ago. The old academic calendar began in June and ended in March.

However, Santos said this was not a sufficient reason to revise the constitution and the code, citing Comelec’s decision-making powers on election dates even without revising the USEC. “[The CSC and the Central Board] are reviewing the constitution so we know what other loopholes or what necessary changes we should do in order for us to have a solid constitution that is relevant today,” Santos said.

Thomasians voted abstain for president, vice president, treasurer and auditor in the April 2017 CSC elections. Independent candidates Santos and Therese Gorospe were elected public relations officer and

secretary, respectively.

Grecia’s claims ‘justifiable’ Following elections, lone CSC presidential candidate Steven Grecia and Faculty of Arts and Letters Student Council (ABSC) vice president-internal candidate Daniella Frigillana wrote petitions addressed to the Comelec and Central Judiciary Board (CJB), claiming that the candidates with the most number of votes should be proclaimed winners due to the absence of a rule defining “abstain” in the CSC Constitution and the USEC. On July 24, the CJB issued a resolution siding with Grecia and ordering the Comelec to proclaim the winners with the highest number of votes.

For Dennis Coronacion, chairman of the political science department, Grecia’s claims were justifiable, since USEC does not have clear provisions for the abstain votes.

“If you’ve read his complaint, he quoted a provision to support his argument that he should be declared winner [in] the past election, [to which I agreed],” Coronacion said in an interview.

He added that there was a discrepancy between the Comelec’s interpretation of the provisions and how the USEC and constitution govern the conduct of elections.

“Comelec said it is empowered by the constitution to count such votes but based on Grecia’s complaint, the first constitution is silent,” Coronacion said.

Following the decision, Comelec filed a motion for reconsideration before the CJB, citing previous elections that upheld the option to abstain from voting.

Comelec added that the judiciary body should have acknowledged the “overwhelming” number of students who chose to “abstain from voting” in the elections.

“To proclaim the candidate who received the highest amount of votes while disregarding the vast number of votes garnered from [abstaining] will run counter the true will of the electorate,” the Comelec said.

The USEC was ratified on March 29, 2011, while the CSC Constitution was approved on May 6, 2002.

AUGUST 15, 2017

Literary 13

Put an end to clichés, ‘hugot,’ authors urge young writers

By ELMER B. COLDORA and NIKKO MIGUEL M. GARCIA ALTHOUGH the “hugot” have come a long way in pleasing the Filipino readers, a creative writer should go away with it and develop a broader sensibility in writing.

This was the challenge of the country’s esteemed writers and literary scholars to the 16 fellows of the 4th Thomasian Undergraduate Writers’ Workshop (TUWW) held last June 7 to 9 at the Rizal Hall of St. Raymund’s Building, hosted by the UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies (CCWLS).

As part of its literary endeavor, this year’s writing workshop addressed not only the fellow’s writing know-hows but also the issue of cliché love subjects in writing.

The word “hugot,” roughly translated as “pull out” or “draw” in English, refers to expressions with sentimental undertones “pulled out” and “drawn” from someone’s personal experiences in life, usually about love.

While it may be commonly seen on social media nowadays through posts or tweets, established writers have long used “hugot” in their literary works.

Panelists directly criticized young writers, who are confined to ‘hugot’ and typical romance narratives which target readers who are having the same sentiments with them.

Ned Parfan, CCWLS fellow, urged aspiring Thomasian writers to write about their own unique experiences as an effective

UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies Director Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo (center), Jack Wigley (left) and Chuckberry Pascual (right) host the 4th Thomasian Undergraduate Writers’ Workshop last June 7 to 9.

way of keeping one’s work compelling, instead of persisting in ‘hugot’ subjects just to make their works crowd-pleasing.

“Tanggalin mo ang lahat ng narinig na namin noon,” he said.

“Gawin mong specific sa experience mo ang sinusulat mo para maging interesting. Kung gagawin mong specific, lahat ito ay magiging maayos,” he added.

Joselito de los Reyes, award-winning author and one of the workshop coordinators, encouraged writers to discover and present their readers a unique story when writing about

love.

“Marami na ang natula tungkol sa pag-ibig and that makes it more difficult for you to think of something na panibago,” he said. “Pero ayun nga eh, creative writers tayo at nagtatangka tayong lumikha ng bago.”

“Sigurado akong hindi lang ganito kapayak ang sensibilidad sa pagmamahal. Ano ba ang biggest longing mo na hindi pa nila naranasan, pangkaraniwan pero hindi pa nila narinig?” he added.

Jerry Gracio, screenplay

Thomasian architect’s Book Stop project lures Filipino readers

By ELMER B. COLDORA AS HIS way of building a community of Filipino readers, a Thomasian architect-cum-literary enthusiast envisioned a plan that is far from a traditional library—a mobile and unconfined “pop-up library.”

William Ti, Jr., 37, who obtained his Architecture degree from UST in 2002 and Master’s degree in Urban Design from the National University of Singapore in 2012, initiated his so-called Book Stop Project on April 23 last year.

Book Stop Project, an urban initiative project of WTA Architecture and Design Studio, is a pop-up public library of about 12 square meters built in steel and wood where passersby can borrow and exchange educational and literature books.

Fascinated by numerous pop-up libraries during his trip in Moscow, Ti together with his

Ti

architecture team launched the project in line with the celebration of World Book Day and National Literature Month. Ti, who is an avid reader of fantasy novels, explained how his passion in reading motivated him to plan the Book Stop Project.

“It (fantasy novel) shows you the different possibilities, like how the world can be different and in architecture, it’s very important,” Ti told the Varsitarian.

Aiming to bring the books closer to people, Ti thought of building an “accessible and barrier-free” library where readers can interact and share their ideas about the books.

“Our perception of libraries is school work.

We want to change that and make them realize that library can actually be a fun place,” he said.

Last July 22, Ti discussed his project in the Philippine Children’s Book Summit at the Toyota-GT Asian Center in University of the PhilippinesDiliman. Ti emphasized how the Book Stop Project provides a reading community, especially for street children.

“You might also have parents who are reading for you when you were younger, but they (street children) didn’t have. So imagine the kind of change that is being introduced into their lives,” he said.

Ti said he felt fulfilled and surprised when his Book Stop Project was announced as among the winners of 2017 Architizer A+ Awards, an international awards program that

Book Stop PAGE 14

writer, said while writing about one’s “love life” is alright for beginning writers, they should eventually “level up” and offer a new perspective about life.

“When you get older at puro hugot at pag-ibig ka pa rin, hahanapan na kita ng ibang insight bilang mambabasa,” he said.

Good writing Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, CCWLS director, advised the workshop participants to improve their craft by reading the best works in their genre.

Dean FROM PAGE 1

Divina and Bautista were said to have become friends when the two became law deans of UST and Far Eastern University, respectively.

Patricia claimed in her affidavit that she had discovered several checks and commission sheets issued by Divina’s law firm in Makati City to the Comelec chairman and even his relatives.

“It would thus, appear that Andy (Andres Bautista) secured the services of DivinaLaw, Nilo’s law firm, in order to profit from his position in the Comelec.

[B]ased on the breakdown sheets and checks, I found that Andy was getting commissions from Nilo, while he was

Swimmer FROM PAGE 9 in 2011under the Solo Free Routine category.

In 2015, Tiambeng also competed in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, which she considered her most memorable but also grueling experience as a student-athlete. She was in her second year in law school at the time.

“I usually train five hours a day pero nung SEA Games ‘yong pinakahectic. I trained eight hours a day and went to school after,” she said.

Tiambeng’s tight schedule prompted her to fall behind—and even fail—in some classes.

She kept herself motivated when she is reminded of the struggles of other law students.

“Hindi naman din excuse ang [pagiging] athlete eh. Like especially

“How do you learn to sing well and improve? You listen to the ones who do it well and learn from them. You do the same for writing,” she said.

John Jack Wigley, former UST Publishing House (USTPH) director, emphasized the relevance of an outline as part of one’s preparation in writing a literary piece.

“Nakatutulong siguro ang outline for writing para nakikita ‘yong progress ng kuwento.

Hindi mo kasi masyado makikita ang kabuuan ng kuwento kung walang outline,” he said.

De los Reyes also discussed the important role of research in the writing process.

“May malaking component ang research sa pagiging creative writer. Hindi lamang tayo basta humuhugot ng salita sa alapaap,” he said.

Other panelists were USTPH director Ailil Alvarez, CCWLS fellows Ralph Galan and Chuckberry Pascual, poet Joel Toledo and University of the Philippines-Diliman professor Joey Baquiran.

Author Dawn Marfil served as one of the workshop coordinators alongside de los Reyes.

Writing is for everyone Although they consider writing as a “completely different world” in their field of expertise, eight non-Literature students also proved that their fellowship in the workshop was Writers PAGE 15

or is in active government service,” she claimed.

“Surely, a private practitioner such as Nilo would not give commission or some form of incentive to Andy if it wasn’t for any favor or service that he (Andy) had done for him. However, it appears that Andy would get some sort of commission from Nilo for the clients that his law firm handled before the Comelec as well as other private people and institutions,” she added.

Patricia claims her husband hid nearly P1 billion worth of bank accounts, real estate and foreign investments from his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth in 2016.

Bautista was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III as chairman of the Presidential Commission on Good Government in 2010, and Comelec chairman in May 2015.

‘pag kunwari, ‘di ka nakasagot sa recitation, dapat naba-balance ko siya,” she said. “’Yong mga working students sa batch ko ... ang gagaling nila. Hindi excuse ang may ginagawa kang iba,” she added.

Unpopular sport Tiambeng hopes her fellow synchronized swimmers will gain recognition since the sport is unpopular in the country.

Once she becomes a full-fledged lawyer, Tiambeng said she will continue to support the national team.

“If I were a lawyer na, I could get sponsors for the team din. Kasi usually ang mahal ng equipment namin. The costumes and swimsuits are so expensive,” she said.

Tiambeng will skip the Bar Exams this November to give way for the SEA Games. After that, she plans to leave the pool for good to practice labor and family law.

14 Limelight

Art Director: Kirsten M. Jamilla

AUGUST 15, 2017

TOMALINO BY SHAINA MAE L. SANTANDER

BUHAY TOMASINO BY JUAN MIGUEL M. SORIANO

TOTOY N BY SELDON MAY T. TAGAO

Democracy FROM PAGE 1 been counted or tallied because they are not votes,” the resolution added.

Article 10 Section 5 of the USEC states that the ballot shall contain the printed names of candidates, their position and their party; a box before the candidates’ names, serial number and instructions.

With the decision of the judiciary board, candidates from Lakas

Music FROM PAGE 3 without the general education subjects offered in the undergraduate programs.

Classes for the seconddegree program will only be on Saturdays, starting August 12. The first term will be from August to December, the second term from Januar y to May. The special term will be from June to July.

The majors offered are

Lifts ban FROM PAGE 1

conduct of off-campus activities as par t of a duly approved cu r r iculum as noted by CHEd and as par t of the HEI’s par ticular context or respective mission,” the document read.

On Febr uar y 20, 12 st udents f rom Bestlin k College were killed af ter their tou r bus crashed in Tanay, R izal. This prompted CHEd to suspend offcampus activities in all universities and colleges

Tomasino Coalition will assume the vacant posts.

They are Steven Grecia (12,596 votes) as president, Gabriela Sepulchre (10,130 votes) as vice president, Daveson Nieto (9,446 votes) as treasurer and Richard Javier (10,212 votes) as auditor.

Comelec Chairman Arvin Carlo Bersonda said the poll body did its part in securing the votes of Thomasians. “[A]bstain has been part of the ballots for years [so] bakit ngayon lang [ito] naging big deal?” Bersonda said in a text message to the

the following: • brass instruments • composition • conducting (choral and orchestral) • guitar • jazz studies • music education • music technology • music theater • musicology • percussion • piano • sacred music (pipe organ) • string instruments • voice.

THEODORE JASON PATRICK K. ORTIZ and JACOB MARVIN URMENITA

all over the count r y.

The new 16 -page g uidelines also require HEIs to inspect the qualit y of vehicles to be used in off-campus activities.

“It is the obligation of the HEIs to adopt mechanisms for safet y and welfare of all par ticipants to the offcampus activities, and obser ve due diligence and st r ict ad herence to the requirements stipulated in this [memorandum…],” it read.

Joseph Noel Est rada, law yer for the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, said lif ting the suspension

Varsitarian.

“The Commission firmly believes that it operated in the most lawful, unbiased and democratic definition of the Constitution for the student electorate,” the official statement of the Comelec read.

Lone CSC presidential candidate Steven Grecia sent a “written clarification” to the Comelec and the judiciary board on April 29 and May 16, respectively.

Grecia said the written appeal was to clarify the definition of “abstain” after a whopping number

Book stop FROM PAGE 13 annually recognize the best architectures and products.

“You see there the power of an idea. With such a small space, it was able to beat other [international] projects,” Ti said.

Ti considers the lack of support from the government as the biggest challenge in improving the Book Stop Project.

“They’re like ‘Okay, congratulations you got a good job’ and that’s it.

order could be followed by another “unauthor ized” morator ium when another accident occu rs.

“The lif ting of the suspension has ver y lit tle or no impact on those HEIs aversely affected by such pointless morator ium of CHEd in the f irst place,” Est rada said in an email to the Varsitarian.

The Universit y complied with the order imposed by CHEd. However, ret reats and f ield works under the National Ser vice Training Prog ram were allowed to push th rough af ter get ting a go-sig nal f rom CHEd. MA . ANGEL A

CHRISTA COLOMA

of Thomasians chose to abstain rather than vote for the candidates in four out of six positions in the CSC. “[The written clarification was] regarding the effects of abstain in our elections since the CSC Constitution and the Students Election Code does not mention anything about abstain,” Grecia said in a text message last May 24.

Aside from Grecia, Daniela Frigillana, a candidate in the Faculty of Arts and Letters’ student elections, also filed a petition before the judiciary

We’ve talked to different government agencies, but it’s very disappointing,” he said.

Book Stop Project also serves as a venue of different literary events such as the gathering of spoken word poetry enthusiasts, exchanging of books, storytelling for children and talks from different authors.

Book Stop Project has been set up on a number of locations such as Plaza Roma in front of Manila Cathedral, Plaza del Carmen in front of San Sebastian Church, Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati and Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City.

Latin honors FROM PAGE 12

graduate that will matter most,” Maravilla said.

The Faculty of Engineering, Conservatory of Music, College of Commerce and Business Administration, College of Education, College of Science and Graduate School had fewer honor graduates this year.

The Graduate School produced only nine honor graduates out of 102, from last year’s 74 out of 217.

Engineering‘s honor graduates declined to 42 out

board, arguing abstentions were not and should not be counted as votes.

The judiciary board is composed of the University Legal Counsel Alfonso Versoza, Legal Coordinator Elgin Michael Perez, Office for Student Affairs Director Arlene Calara, Canon Law Student Council President Glen Mar Gamboa and outgoing CSC President Janela Love Nartates.

Only outgoing CSC President Janela Love Nartates dissented with the judiciary board’s decision.

MARIA CRISANTA PALOMA

M.

Sputnik FROM PAGE 5 their whims and caprices.

The UST campus does not have a democracy; it has an autocracy. Its students may have been told to pursue modesty and humility; but the leaders of the students who have imposed themselves on the electorate despite the overwhelming rejection they had suffered last April hardly have those qualities—they’re persons of immodesty, ambition and utter shamelessness.

Since most of the train stations are elevated, PWDs find a hard time going up especially now that broken elevators have become the norm.

Ramps near the facilities are also not visible.

There is also a nonexistent auditory and tactile paving on pedestrian lanes for the deaf and visually impaired. In other countries, pedestrian lanes are often

accompanied with beeping sounds: slow for stop and fast for go.

However, in our country, PWDs have to treat simple, daily activities as daily challenges, such as needing to cross the street.

Like I said, the Philippines is far from being a PWD-friendly country.

The DOT and other government agencies should use their multimillion budgets to fix their impaired sights on the state of our PWD countrymen and how they are not experiencing the “constant efforts” they claim to do.

of 844, from last year’s 54 out of 841. Music recorded eight honor graduates out of 62, lower than last year’s 14 out of 70.

Commerce produced 42 honor graduates out of 873 compared with last year’s 59 out of 916, while Education had 29 honor graduates out of 441 from last year’s 44 out of 482.

The number of honor graduates in the College of Science decreased to 54 out of 574 graduates, from last year’s 68 out of 643.

College of Science Dean John Donnie Ramos said they encourage students through the “St. Albert Degree Circle,” which cites students who

got at least two grades of 1.00 in a term.

“It is very important to graduate with honors in the field of science like biology and psychology.

These students will eventually [pursue] medicine because many of the medical schools will give scholarships,” Ramos said.

The Faculty of Medicine and Surgery produced 65 honor graduates out of 508 this year.

Figures from the Institute of Physical Education and Athletics and the Ecclesiastical Faculties were excluded from this report.

Anastasis FROM PAGE 4

Editor: Delfin Ray M. Dioquino

Sports 15

AUGUST 15, 2017

New stars shine for Junior Tigresses

Mangolabnan Pepito

EYA LAURE may be a standout among the UST Junior Tigresses but two other players from the volleyball squad are now sharing the spotlight.

Setter Maji Mangulabnan and libero Bernadett Pepito played pivotal roles in UST’s four consecutive finals appearance in the UAAP juniors division.

“It is a challenge and I feel pressured since there are already expectations. For me, I need to prove myself that I can stand out,” Mangulabnan told the Varsitarian.

She grew up in a family of notable volleyball players, which she said motivates her to play better.

Her siblings, Vince and Hannah, played in the UAAP for the National University and the University of the Philippines, respectively.

But the 5-foot-6 ace has begun to move out from her siblings’ shadows. She won the Best Setter award in the Shakey’s Girls’ Volleyball League last year and showed potential as guest player for UST’s collegiate squad in the V-League.

“There is higher level of competition in the collegiate league so I need to perform well in order to share what I learned to my teammates in the junior level,” said Mangulabnan, an incoming Grade 12 student.

Like Mangulabnan, Pepito bears the weight of coming from

a family of volleybelles. Her sisters, Margaret and Mary Jane, were once the defensive aces for San Sebastian College in the NCAA. But Pepito said she is not pressured of being compared to her sisters.

She admits that her drive comes from the fact that she will lead the Junior Tigresses after Laure and Mangulabnan, who are in their last year of playing in the UAAP juniors division, depart.

“I feel the pressure since there is a sense that I need to show that I am deserving to be a leader and I should have great confidence in myself,” Pepito said.

Pepito snagged the Best Receiver award in 2015 and the Best Libero plum in 2016—a testament that she can hold her ground despite being one of the smallest in the court.

As the Junior Tigresses aim to reclaim the title they last won in 2013, Pepito said the team has been designating each training session to a specific attribute.

“Training is harder now. It is the last season for the seniors so we have to go all out,” Pepito said.

“We should be focused on every training day since there is a day allotted for spiking, a day allotted for defense and a day allotted for every facet of the game,” she added. RANDELL ANGELO B. RITUMALTA IVAN RUIZ L. SUING

and

Top poomsae player is family breadwinner

By R ALPH EDWIN U. VILLANUEVA RODOLFO Reyes Jr. may be the country’s top poomsae artist but he is foremost a family man.

Out of the nine international competitions Reyes joined in, he made sure he did not come home empty-handed.

He has already won 11 medals from stints outside the country but his motivation to succeed does not lie solely on making the country proud.

It also includes the monetary incentives to help his family of six.

His family relies on their small sari-sari store in Dasmariñas, Cavite and on the income of their father, who works as a seaman.

“The better the performance, the better the incentive. [The incentive I receive from competitions] is my way of thanking my parents,” Reyes said in an interview.

“Come to think of it, it is like a reversal of roles. I am the youngest in the family yet I am the breadwinner,” the 22-year old said.

But before winning 11 medals in the UAAP which translated to two poomsae championships for UST, Reyes almost stopped going to school.

His sister was supposed to graduate first before he could study but thanks to the full scholarship offered by

UST, he was able to go to college on time.

Now in his sixth and final year in the UAAP, the Education major dedicates his future performances for his family, especially for his mother who suffered from stroke last year.

“It is actually a sad thing whenever I go home in Cavite to see mama in that state. It is one of the reasons why I study hard and train harder [for competitions]. The whole family is counting on me.”

UST poomsae team head coach Rani Ann Ortega commended Reyes for being a team captain that gives a positive effect on the team.

“He sets an example

in the team. He pushes his teammates to give their all during training, and he [guides] those who needs guidance. I saw determination and willingness [in Reyes when we first trained him in poomsae], and he perseveres and works hard [to become the player that he is],” Ortega said.

Reyes said he is eager to take the poomsae crown from rivals De La Salle University in the upcoming UAAP season.

“I asked my teammates to train harder, because I really want to reclaim the championship in my last playing year,” he said.

“I told them that I want the championship

Writers

[...], but TUWW had ignited my hope to be a better writer once again, knowing that regardless of your program, anyone who has the zeal and perseverance to write can write meaningfully,” Ang said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Tabios, who recently graduated after the announcement of fellows, said the degree programs have no bearing when joining a writing workshop.

“Kahit hindi ka [Literature] major, basta alam mo sa sarili mo na passion mo naman talaga, makasasabay ka sa diskusyon. Ang kailangan mo lang naman talaga ay makinig at maging open sa criticisms,” he said.

Fellows who are Literature students were: Arielle Abrigo, Leanne

Claire Bellen, Francis Agapitus Braganza, Ma. Doreen Evita Garcia, Nikko Miguel Garcia, Philip Jamilla, Marianne Ella Lao, Lloyd Alcedric Opalec and Neal Andreu Tayco.

During the application period, fellows were required to submit a manuscript which may be one short story, one work of creative nonfiction, one one-act play or two poems, written either in English or Filipino. The workshop aims to discover and nurture budding writers belonging to different colleges, serve as a “wakeup call” for them to join more prestigious writing workshops outside the University and motivate them to submit literary works to different publications and literary contests.

Usapang Uste

FROM PAGE 13

still a worth shot.

The fellows from different degree programs were: Elaine Joyce Ang (BS Medical Technology), Carl Keith Leal (BS Architecture), Moses Matsuzawa (BS Hotel and Restaurant Management), May Siglos (BS Accountancy), Kim Alwin Sy (BS Education, major in English), Kenneth Arvin Tabios (BS Civil Engineering), Kevin Glenn Yee (BS Civil Engineering) and Zymon Arvindale Dykee (AB Journalism).

“It is a bit disheartening to join this workshop at first, being a non-Literature major

MULA SA PAHINA 2

Kalaunan, nagsilbi rin siya sa iba’t ibang mga bangko sa Filipinas. Taong 1987 nang italaga siyang kawani ng bise presidente sa legal department ng Urban Development Bank.

Naging bise presidente naman siya sa legal division ng Philam Savings Bank noong 1992, at sa Philippine Savings Bank noong 1998.

Bukod pa rito, nakapagtayo rin siya ng kaniyang sariling law firm noong 2000.

Kabilang sa mga pinagsisilbihan nito bilang legal consultant ang Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, LGU Guarantee Corporation at iba pang malalaking kompanya

Reyes

as a graduation gift from them. We’ll come ready,” he added.

Ahead of the UAAP, Reyes will try to anchor

the Philippine team in their title defense at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 19 to 30.

sa bansa.

Dahil sa kaniyang mga nakamit bilang Tomasinong abogado, kabilang si Reyes sa mga pinarangalan sa The Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Awards noong 2015.

Bagaman nagtapos na ngayong taon ang kaniyang termino bilang pangulo ng IBP, patuloy niyang ipinamamalas ang kaniyang kalinangan at katapatan sa larangan ng abogasya.

Dagitab

Tomasalitaan: gahi (png) – bakas ng pagkasira o pagkabasag.

Hal.: Maaaring matagalan bago maghilom ang tinitiis kong gahi, ngunit hindi nito matatawaran ang nabuo nating samahan.

Mga Sanggunian: The Varsitarian Tomo V Blg. IV, March 20, 1932 p.

1, 1928-1933 TOTAL Awards 2015

FROM PAGE 4

Ironically, however, pills are too expensive to be of utmost priority of the government at present. It will be a downright farce to burden the poor who are supposed to benefit from RH. Fundamentally, taxpayers are going to suffer. Moreover, the biases of the government to certain drug companies also add to public skepticism.

SC’s restraining order therefore, is not an act of dilly-dallying but a favorable moment for the government and the public to scrutinize between the pages of Reproductive Health Law’s most debated provisions.

Sports

AUGUST 15, 2017

Pole vaulter Obiena sets new PH record UST’s Ernest Obiena broke the Philippine pole vaulting record anew at the 8th Stabhochsprung Classic at Leverkusen, Germany Friday.

Obiena registered a towering vau lt of 5.61 meters in his first attempt, surpassing his previous record of 5.55 meters set in Singapore last year. “[The poles] felt stronger than they should have been so I tried to be strong and focused,” he told the Varsitarian in an online interview. “I know that I can jump high, but I still need to keep in mind that it is a competition.”

Earlier this month, Obiena was on the verge of missing the Southeast Asian Games after his poles were damaged in a flight to Italy.

But last July 25, he received five fiber glass poles from the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) and three more from other sponsors.

Obiena said he was now “fairly confident” in the upcoming SEA Games on August 19 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“I want to be consistent at these heights so I can have a good placing in the SEA Games,” Obiena said. IVAN RUIZ L. SUING

Bonleon saga: Disgruntled Tiger staying put after all

By JAN CARLO ANOLIN a nd MA. ANGELA CHRISTA COLOMA AN APPEAL from UST alumni convinced Mario “Embons” Bonleon to reconsider his decision to play for the Arellano University Chiefs.

But the 6’3 Bonleon, who had complained of not getting enough playing time under coach Rodil “Boy” Sablan, remained firm on his decision not to play for the Growling Tigers this year.

The 22-year-old shooting guard said he would be willing to suit up

for the Tigers again after he earns his sports and wellness degree in May next year.

“Para masuklian ko man lang ang tulong sa akin ng alumni,” said Bonleon, who intends to take enroll in UST’s master’s program afterward.

In the meantime, he said he would continue to suit up for the AMA Titans in the PBA Developmental League.

“Tinawagan nila [UST alumni] ako noong nalaman nila na lilipat ako sa Arellano. Tapos nagpromise sila na papaaralin kami ng kapatid ko which is good,” he said in a text message.

Last Thursday, Bonleon told the Varsitarian that he and his brother were set to to move to Arellano.

Bonleon averaged 4.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists for the Tigers in 16 games.

Obiena

Nurse is new Salinggawi coach

By PHILIP MARTIN L. MATEL and RANDEL ANGELO B. RITUMALTA

VL ADLYNN NONA MARYSE L. TADEO

Alumni raise P14 million for Thomasian athletes A TOTAL of 14 million pesos was raised for Thomasian athletes at the second Rector’s Cup, UST’s alumni golf competition at the Santa Elena Golf and Country Club last Aug. 1.

The fundraiser doubled last year’s earnings with 194 participants. The amount collected would be given to the athletes as subsidy.

“We are here to support them and at the same time help them in whatever way that we can,” Office of Alumni Relations (OAR) director Cherry Tanodra told the Varsitarian.

Tanodra added that the OAR is planning to make next year’s tournament a two-day event due to the drastic increase in the number of alumni joining the event.

Last year, the event attracted 108 participants.

Alumni from the College of Architecture won first place this year while graduates of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery nabbed silver. IVAN RUIZ L. SUING and MA.

ANGELA CHRISTA COLOMA

FORMER Salinggawi member Mark Chaiwalla is back, this time to coach the dance troupe in its bid to recapture the UAAP cheerdance championship it last won in 2006.

Chaiwalla replaced Ramon Pagaduan IV, who guided Salinggawi from 2012 until May this year.

The 26-year old, who was appointed in June, said he plans to veer away from P a g a d u a n ’s sophisticated style and introduce a routine which will include more dangerous stunts.

Chaiwalla

“[An] example of our differences is how I try to attack a routine in terms of picking up a specific set of cheer elements.

I want to give it all during our performances while coach [Ramon] is very specific with the cleanliness of the routine,” Chaiwalla told the Varsitarian.

Chaiwalla knows he has big shoes to fill. His predecessor, Pagaduan, who now coaches of the De La Salle University Animo Squad, led Salinggawi to silver and bronze medal finishes in 2015 and 2014, respectively.

But Chaiwalla said he did not hesitate to take over after Pagaduan left.

“I’ve always been passionate on what we’ve been doing here and coaching as well. I told myself that if coach [Ramon] is not the coach anymore, I might try as well,” he said.

Chaiwalla said several personalities from other UAAP schools also applied for the position but what made him stand out was his familiarity with the squad.

“I know what goes around in Salinggawi. I know the tradition,

the system and how we do things here. I wouldn’t need to adjust much in terms of learning the system,” he added.

Chaiwalla had to leave his job as staff nurse in the UST Hospital, where he worked since 2015, due to his new priority.

Optimistic Although key members of the dance squad graduated last June, Chaiwalla is optimistic that the current crop will be able to bring home the school’s ninth championship. UST and the University of the Philippines Pep Squad are currently tied with eight championships apiece in tournament history.

Chaiwalla said that the team started training since mid-July to prepare for the 23rd edition of the competition, which will be held in October or November.

“Every year, there will always be something where they need to improve on. Even though they are already strong, it does not mean that we stop there. You should always find a way to improve on that specific part where you are strong,” he said.