The Varsitarian P.Y. 2015-2016 Issue 04

Volume LXXXVII, No. 4 • Novemeber 27, 2015 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF SANTO TOMAS Manila, Philippines

2 News

Editor: Dayanara T. Cudal

NOVEMBER 27, 2015

New exam policy trims scholars UST HAS trimmed the number of scholars this year after a large increase in 2014, official data showed.

Following a hike in the number of scholars last year to 3,850 from 3,223 in 2013, the total number of scholars this academic year went down to 3,263, according to the latest Rector’s Report.

Hazel Maye Reyes, president of Becarios de Santo Tomas, the Thomasian scholars’ association, said the decrease could be partly attributed to a new requirement—high school valedictorians and salutatorians must first pass the Scholarship Qualifying Examination.

“I think the examination required for Santo Tomas scholarship is one factor for the decrease of scholars this academic year,” Reyes said in an email to the Varsitarian.

The qualifying exam, implemented last academic year under the Santo Tomas scholarship program, is administered by the Office for Admissions and is separate from the UST Entrance Examination. It is an achievement exam aimed at ensuring the quality of applicants.

UST has four scholarship programs, namely Santo Tomas for high school valedictorians and salutatorians; San Lorenzo Ruiz for students willing to work in UST offices and belonging to families with gross incomes of not more than 300,000 pesos; San Martin de Porres, a 50-percent scholarship for students who belong to families with gross incomes of less than 300,000 pesos; and Santo Domingo for athletes and musicians.

In previous years, high school valedictorians and salutatorians were automatically accepted once they applied for scholarship.

Reyes said the qualifying exam has both advantages and disadvantages.

“It has a two-pronged effect. First, it may intimidate students who are applying for scholarship.

But the other effect is reasonable. The exam ensures the quality and excellence of the scholars and scholargraduates that UST produces,” Reyes said.

Office for Student Affairs Director Evelyn Songco for her part said the exam was only a “revival” of the scholarship procedure in the 1990s.

“When I started with the scholarship, there was already a qualifying test. Before, we decided to remove the qualifying test so that many will have access to [the scholarship], but we saw that some scholars were not able to adjust and maintain their [slots] by the second [year]. Kapag ang bata ay nagdaan sa qualifying test, mas malaki ang probability that they will sustain [their academic performance],” Songco said in a phone interview.

At any rate, a “balance” between scholarship programs is maintained since unused slots under the Santo Tomas program are opened for the San Martin Scholars PAGE 5

HEIGHTENED ALERT. Security personnel from the Philippine National Police guard the main entrance of the University on the first day of the 2015 Bar examination last Nov. 9.

ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN

Campus hosts Bar exams for fifth time UST HOSTED the yearly Bar examinations for the fifth time this month, with thousands of law graduates trooping to the campus amid tight security.

The total number of registered examinees from all over the country reached 7,146, 12.6 percent higher than last year’s 6,344. The UST Faculty of Civil Law fielded 49 examinees this year.

The UST Main Building, along with the Benavides, San Martin de Porres and St. Raymund de Peñafort buildings were designated as testing venues. The exam committee also used the Tan Yan Kee Student Center as its office.

Last Nov. 8, the subjects covered were political and labor law, while civil law and taxation subjects were tackled last Nov. 15.

The Nov. 22 exams covered commercial law and criminal law. The last day of the exams on Nov. 29 will cover remedial law and legal and judicial ethics.

Heightened security was implemented on campus by the UST security office and a multi-agency force.

The Philippine National Police (PNP), the Manila Police District (MPD), the Metro Manila Development Authority, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and the National Bureau of Investigation provided manpower on the first day of the exams.

A total of 107 PNP personnel were deployed around the campus on the first day, said Supt. Mannan Maurip of the Sampaloc Police Station.

Chief Supt. Rolando Nana of the MPD told the Varsitarian that the implementation of security measures was “according to plan.”

A liquor ban was implemented around UST, with beer and other alcoholic beverages prohibited between 4 a.m. and 8 p.m. during examination days.

The 114th bar exams is chaired by Associate Justice Teresita Leonardode Castro. KATHRYN V. BAYLON AND CLARENCE I. HORMACHUELOS

UST Simbahayan Paul Ricouer remembered ‘Student-centric’ extends help in international conference curriculum for Senior to typhoon victims High School pledged in Central Luzon COMMUNITIES devastated by Typhoon “Lando” will benefit from cash donations raised by the UST Simbahayan Community Development Office under the “Tulong Tomasino para sa Luzon” project.

Simbahayan Director Mark Abenir said the project was meant to address the disaster rehabilitation and recovery needs of Simbahayan partner-communities in Tarlac and Nueva Ecija.

“Dahil sa nagdaang bagyo, nasira ang mga kabahayan at pananim na nagsilbing pangkabuhayan ng mga nasalanta. Ang perang ating nalikom ay gagamitin upang maiayos ang kanilang bahay at pangkabuhayan,” Abenir said in an interview.

Typhoon “Lando” (international name: “Koppu”), which hit the country in October, damaged P6.57 billion worth of infrastructure and agriculture in provinces across Central and Northern Luzon.

With the help of student organizations and student councils, Simbahayan collected donations from Oct. 26 to Nov. 6 and raised a total of P172,979.25.

Central Student Council President Anna Mariz Mangalili said the project was a call for Thomasians to be compassionate.

“Through Tulong Tomasino, Thomasians are able to extend help to communities who are in need,” Mangalili told the Varsitarian, adding that Tulong Tomasino provided assistance to the communities beyond financial support.

“More than the financial or in-kind support we provide, it is the moral and spiritual help that matters most to them. Tulong Tomasino helps the communities beyond UST to recover, not only physically, but also spiritually and psychologically,” Mangalili said. ALHEX ADREA M. PERALTA

BEYOND the complexities of philosophy, the human side of the late French philosopher Paul Ricoeur served as the central discussion of an international conference co-presented by UST and Ateneo de Manila University last Nov. 21-23.

Leovino Garcia, former dean of the Ateneo School of Humanities, delivered a plenary speech on Ricoeur’s two early and untranslated works on philosophy and human beings.

Garcia extended his discussion to the role of philosophers in analyzing Ricoeur’s unpublished 1936 essay “The Risk.” In the essay, Ricoeur said philosophers must use their experience to share their knowledge and guide the people toward becoming more human.

“He’s a very ecumenical philosopher. He’s famous for the interpretation of texts, so he would be important to the people of literature, history, human sciences and religious study,” Garcia said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Garcia, also a philosophy professor at the UST Graduate School, said philosophers have a distinct duty of leaving an impact on society and history, in contrast to the tendency of most philosophers to isolate themselves from society.

Garcia also discussed Ricoeur’s 1948 work with existentialists Karl Jaspers and Gabriel Marcel, which linked transcendence and the meaning of human freedom to the essence of

being human.

The former Ateneo dean used the French philosopher’s 1950 work titled, “Freedom and Nature: The Voluntary and the Involuntary,” in raising hope within humanity despite the presence of evil and the lack of faith in God. Garcia hopes his plenary speech would spark interest on Ricoeur, especially among the youth. “[Ricoeur is] known in the [field] of philosophy, but [not yet] outside its circle,” he said.

Meanwhile, Thomasians Gian Carla Agbisit and Elaine Lazaro presented papers in the panel sessions.

Agbisit, a faculty member at Department of Philosophy, talked about how language leaves an impact on the memories of individuals and on their futures, referencing Ricoeur’s take on symbolization and language as a tool for human connection.

Lazaro, a student of the UST Graduate School who also represented De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, tackled Ricoeur’s writings on hermeneutics and human essence.

Ricoeur, who is regarded as one of the most important 21stcentury philosophers, influenced modern-day philosophers including Jacques Derrida, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Richard Kearney, John Caputo, Don Ihde and Michel Henry. This year marks the philosopher’s 10th death anniversary. R.A.D.R. NARRA

THE UST Senior High School (SHS) has improved its curriculum to make it “studentcentric,” in time for the first batch of Grade 11 students in 2016.

Newly installed Principal Pilar Romero said the curriculum was “streamlined,” and copies of the six-track “academic strands” had been sent to the Academic Senate, composed of all deans of the University, for approval.

“In so far as the curriculum is concerned, we are good, we are prepared,” Romero said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

“At this time, we have already streamlined the curriculum. [We will] have cluster meetings to further enhance the curriculum,” she added.

In the UST-SHS curriculum, a student can choose among six academic strands, namely the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Strand; the Liberal Arts, Education and Social Science Strand; the Accountancy and Business Management Strand; Music and Arts Strand; the Physical Education and Sports Strand; and the Health-Allied Strand.

The academic programs will have common core subjects aligned with the Department of

Education’s curriculum guides, as well as contextualized subjects or those that are common to all strands but are given a particular “bend” based on the nature of the strand, according to the UST website. Each strand will have specialized subjects to prepare students for the tertiary program they intend to pursue.

There are seven learning areas under the core curriculum, namely: languages, literature, communication, mathematics, philosophy, natural sciences and social sciences. The Filipino subject however is in question following the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court in April, halting the removal of Filipino from tertiary education and transferring it to senior high school under the K to 12 educational reform.

UST earlier said in an official statement that the opening of the UST-SHS was the University’s response to the call for a curriculum that meets the Asean Qualifications Framework and the Philippine Qualifications Framework, which classify the levels of education and qualifications needed for different types of jobs.

Romero said UST-SHS would be a “seedbed of innovations as Curriculum PAGE 5

Assistant Editor: Danielle Ann F. Gabriel

NOVEMBER 27, 2015

News 3

Growling Tigers back in UAAP finals

By PHILIP MARTIN L. MATEL

UST GROWLING Tigers are back in the chase for the elusive UAAP title for the third time in four years after dethroning defending champions National University Bulldogs, 64-55 in the semifinals of the UAAP Season 78 men’s basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum last Nov. 22.

UST was up by double digits for most of the final frame, with their largest lead at 16 points, following Kevin Ferrer’s baseline jumper off a crossover that put former Tiger Cub Kyle Neypes down on the floor with 6:40 remaining.

NU resorted to fouling Jon Sheriff, a 48.9-percent free throw shooter, to try to eat into UST’s lead. The fourth-year guard nailed only three of his 10 attempts as UST’s lead dwindled to seven, 62-55, with 27 ticks left.

Marvin Lee then nailed the insurance freebies to seal the game.

UST led from the get-go and raced to a 13-point lead, 15-2, after Louie Vigil’s jumper with 4:33 left in the first quarter. The Bulldogs came storming back with a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to three, 12-15, at the end of the period.

The Tigers kept their defensive tight in the second period as they limited the Bulldogs to eight points and led 30-20 at the half.

In the waning moments of the third frame, UST relied on an 8-3 blitz led by Vigil to push the

Louie Vigil leads the Growling Tigers in dethroning defending champion NU in the semifinals of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament last Nov. 22 at the Araneta Coliseum.

ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN

lead to 15, 44-29.

Vigil led the Tigers with a season-high 19 points on top of 11 boards and seven assists.

Ferrer added 11 markers and 7 boards.

Bulldog star Gelo Alolino ended his UAAP

career in disappointing fashion, finishing with just six points on a 1-of-17 shooting clip. Paolo Javelona was the lone player for the Bulldogs with in double-digits with 17 markers.

NU, which averages 66.8 points on 38.7

percent shooting, was held to a woeful 26.87 field goal percentage by the Tigers’ suffocating defense.

The Bulldogs also boasts of 11.3 fastbreak points per game but was held to two fastbreak points. “‘Yung mga players talagang nilabas na nila yung pusong ayon eh, sabi namin one game lang, so from the start dumipensa hanggang sa dulo.

Basta one-on-one defense lang, kung sino ang matapat dumepensa lang ng maayos. Then ‘yung rotation namin nandoon. Na-execute namin ng maayos,” Tigers head coach Bong dela Cruz said.

The Growling Tigers will face the Far Eastern University Tamaraws in a best-of-three finals for the first time since 1979. That time, the Tamaraws prevailed over the then UST Goldies, 100-89.

Though the Tigers swept the Tamaraws in the eliminations, dela Cruz admitted that the previous two matchups are a different story from the upcoming series.

The team hopes to control the pace to contain FEU, the league’s best scoring team, which averages 74.7 points per game.

“More on half court (defense) tayo sa FEU kasi loaded sila sa tao. Actually naayos na namin (ang defensive plays)dati eh, i-execute lang namin ng mabuti.”

The second-year tactician added that the team will not be complacent and will ride on their momentum to draw first blood against last season’s runner-ups and potentially end a nineyear title drought.

CHEd drafts framework for exchange programs SCHOOLS should help promote the country’s vast human resource as part of their internationalization and cross-border learning programs, according to an official of the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd).

CHEd will hold a public consultation on a new “framework” for internationalization policies of the country’s higher education institutions this November, said Lily Freida Milla, CHEd director for international relations and linkages.

This will also be in line with the integration plan of countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), she said.

“Internationalization is the buzz word right now, but we need to identify what is our national interest in pursuing international activities and international programs. We cannot just have institutions send off [people],” Milla said in an interview, referring to students and faculty members sent abroad for scholarship grants and paper presentations.

“What we want to present is that we have very capable human resource in the Philippines that foreign investors or businesses that can tap into,” she added.

In 2014, CHEd released guidelines for internationalization.

CHEd Memorandum Order No. 11 states that the commission

is mandated to “oversee and guide higher education institutions in participating in the internationalization process.”

The memorandum promotes the “mobility of students among higher education institutions” through the Asean International Mobility for Students or AIMS program, which the University has been a part of since 2014.

Lilian Sison, head of the UST Office of International Relations and Programs, said the University has comprehensive internationalization guidelines of its own based on CHEd’s memorandum, focusing on the mobility of students and faculty, research, and other programs.

During the Rector’s Report last Oct. 16, Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P., noted the increase in the number of UST’s partnerships and linkages, citing the collaboration with Curtin University of Australia to establish a new post-graduate degree program in metallurgical engineering.

Dagohoy said out of the existing 102 linkages the University has with institutions abroad, there were 20 new bilateral agreements forged in 2014.

Research in rehabilitation sciences, biology and

chemistry were made possible through grants from international agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the International Foundation for Science, and United States Science Foundation.

Last year, the University synchronized its academic calendar with other Asean countries in preparation for the economic integration of the Southeast Asian region at the end of 2015. KATHRYN JEDI V. BAYLON with reports from DANIELLE ANN F. GABRIEL

UST seeks to improve Shell Eco-Marathon finish Mechanical Eng’g THE UST Eco-Tigers are all set for the 2016 Shell Eco-Marathon Asia with improved vehicles to boost the University’s ranking.

After a year of designing and fabricating their entries, the Eco-Tigers, a team composed of engineering students, will parade their official entries “T400D” and “T400E” for the prototype and urban concept categories.

“We are more prepared this year and our aim is to top the competition. We are 100-percent confident that we can beat our previous record,” prototype team manager John Raymond Cornes said in an interview.

Last year, UST topped all Philippine teams and placed fifth in Asia in the gasoline prototype category, with a total distance of 172.27 kilometers per liter. The urban concept entry of UST however failed to qualify for the competition.

The prototype category is for threewheeled vehicles designed for maximum fuel efficiency, while the urban concept category is for four-wheeled and conventionally designed vehicles.

Cornes said the major changes in the prototype included upgrades in the energy storage released by the vehicle, and “freewheeling” or the ability of the vehicle to glide even when the engine has already shut down.

Urban concept team manager Joven Talape said the improved vehicle would have lesser drag than the previous model. The body is made up of a lighter material called carbon fiber, molded into a shape that improves air flow and reduces weight.

Fifth-year mechanical engineering students Talape and Cornes are joined by Royce Leong, Kevin Uri Diaz, Adrian

Alemania, Dannie Baluyot, John Paul Diongco, Jerome Richard Inson, Mia Jane Reyes, Jason Faustino, Karl Enano, Hazel Sigua, Eli de Arroz, Meg Celine Cruz, Joseph Ignacio and Lance Pia Roda, along with electrical engineering students Jason Faustino and Karl Enano. The team advisers are engineering professors Jeffrey Mercado, Rogelio Almira and Raymundo Melegrito.

For 2016, the Shell Eco-Marathon will have the first-ever “world cup” competition for the urban concept category. Ten urban concept vehicles in Asia will be chosen to compete against 10 winners from Shell EcoMarathon Europe and the United States.

The UST team will compete on March 3 to 6 next year at Rizal Park to make a new record in the diesel prototype category by reaching its target mileage of 1,000 kilometers per liter.

Other participating schools include Mapua Institute of Technology, De La Salle University, Adamson University and Technological University of the Philippines.

Shell EcoMarathon is sponsored

by Dutch oil company Shell, challenging “student teams from around the world to design, build and drive the most energy-efficient car” by consuming the least amount of fuel.

KATHRYN BAYLON

JEDI

V.

From left: Cornes, Talape, Cruz, de Arroz and Alemania.

to implement board exam review courses AFTER recording the lowest passing rate in the mechanical engineering licensure examinations in the last 15 years, the UST Mechanical Engineering Department will soon require students to take preboard examinations.

Faculty of Engineering Asst. Dean Nelson Pasamonte said the exams would be a part of a “correlation subject” and serve as a final requirement before graduation. In previous years, taking the mock board exams was optional.

“It served as our wake-up call to emphasize the need for remediation and quality assurance, so that when the University has once again achieved a higher passing rate in the exams, we can sustain it,” Pasamonte said in an interview.

The department plans to include the subject as an elective, but it will be a part of the curriculum in the future. Topics include general mathematics, engineering economy and thermodynamics, which are part of the licensure exams.

Pasamonte said the department also wanted greater control over complacent students through the correlation subject.

“I see no problem with the implementation, especially that the department is doing this for their sake. We have been reminding them that the board examination affects not only the students and their respective parents, but also the University,” Pasamonte said.

This year, the University’s passing rate dipped to 63.21 percent, with only 67 UST examinees passing the test out of 106.

UST failed to make it to the list of topperforming schools and no Thomasian landed on the top 10 list.

Pasamonte said the department was also looking at external factors as reasons for the low passing rate, such as “lack of visual representations of the problems such as charts and tables.”

Review PAGE 5

4 Opinion

NOVEMBER 27, 2015

Editorial

Hair-raising policy IT IS appalling that while Thomasians have been generally scarce on social media on such pressing concerns as corruption in government, the future of Philippine democracy, the persecution and even massacre of Christians in the Middle East, and the removal of crosses in China by communist Beijing, they’ve suddenly become overzealous netizens over the very petty subject of the good-grooming policy of UST. It is likewise appalling that the UST administration, which is otherwise mum on the same urgent issues affecting the Church and society, is fanatically pressing on the same. Now UST is the butt of ridicule on social media for preoccupying itself with the most trifling of matters.

The matter is not even about overall grooming but about hair of all things!

In the University’s Code of Conduct and Discipline, the issue is broadly stated: “Good grooming includes the wearing of the prescribed college uniform, authorized shoes, ID, the male haircut and other considerations that are similar to these.” The same guidelines state in so many words that particular colleges and faculties may decide on how to implement this provision.

But trust UST bureaucrats to widen their turf by liberally interpreting such provisions for their selfaggrandizement and making supercilious demands on students.

We commiserate therefore with former Acting Dean Romeo Castro of the College of Fine Arts and Design (CFAD) for being forced to dig his heels because the local Student Welfare and Development Board (SWDB) has usurped the local administration’s prerogative over the issue and suddenly issued a directive banning such hair styles as “afro,” “undercut,” “funky,” “long hair,” “man bun, “mohawk” and “rat tail”—some of which are styles many lifestyle writers know nothing about and which have raised speculation if the CFAD faculty is really staffed by visual artists and designers and not

by Jessie Mendez, Jun Encarnacion, and your good ol’ “parlorista” from Trabajo or Central Market.

We agree with Castro that, against the claim of students whose activism cannot go beyond the petty and puerile, the policy does not violate freedom of expression and anyway, the expression of such right should go beyond “outrageous hairstyles.” But we don’t agree that “afro” and the other banned styles are “outrageous” or run against the general definition of grooming as “neat and clean.” An “afro” haircut can be neater and cleaner than the army cut of a person who is lice-infested, doesn’t cover his mouth when he sneezes, or farts obliviously.

One would think that CFAD would interpret the hair-regulation policy liberally since, after all, it is a school of fine arts. As well for that matter, one would think that CFAD would be concerned more about the fact UST has been hardly figuring for Editorial PAGE 10

FOUNDED JAN. 16, 1928 LORD BIEN G. LELAY Editor in Chief ANGELI MAE S. CANTILLANA Managing Editor ARIANNE F. MEREZ Associate Editor DAYANARA T. CUDAL News Editor DANIELLE ANN F. GABRIEL Assistant News Editor DELFIN RAY M. DIOQUINO Acting Sports Editor MARY GILLAN FRANCES G. ROPERO Special Reports Editor ERIKA MARIZ S. CUNANAN Features Editor ALILIANA MARGARETTE T. UYAO Literary Editor MARIA KOREENA M. ESLAVA Patnugot ng Filipino MARIE DANIELLE L. MACALINO Witness Editor DARYL ANGELO P. BAYBADO Circle Editor RHENN ANTHONY S. TAGUIAM Online Editor ROBERTO A. VERGARA, JR. Assistant Online Editor AVA MARIANGELA C. VICTORIA Art Director BASILIO H. SEPE Photography Editor News Kathryn Jedi V. Baylon, Clarence I. Hormachuelos, Alhex Adrea M. Peralta, Jerome P. Villanueva Sports Carlo A. Casingcasing, John Chester P. Fajardo, Philip Martin L. Matel, Randell Angelo B. Ritumalta Special Reports Paul Xavier Jaehwa C. Bernardo, Monica M. Hernandez Features Mary Grace C. Esmaya, Maria Corazon A. Inay, Vianca A. Ocampo Literary Zenmond G. Duque II, Cedric Allen P. Sta. Cruz Filipino Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas, Bernadette A. Paminutan Witness Krystel Nicole A. Sevilla, Lea Mat P. Vicencio Science and Technology Mia Rosienna P. Mallari, Kimberly Joy V. Naparan, Julius Roman M. Tolop Circle Amierielle Anne A. Bulan, Ma. Czarina A. Fernandez, Ethan James M. Siat Art Kirsten M. Jamilla, Freya D.L.R. Torres, Iain Rafel N. Tyapon Photography Alvin Joseph Kasiban, Amparo Klarin J. Mangoroban

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

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

Reconciling print and online journalism WITH the rise of online news and the social media, print journalists have learned how to adjust to fast-changing times.

Most newspapers now have their online sites where they could easily post breaking news and thus cater to the fastgrowing population of netizens.

Undoubtedly, the Internet has been a great help for journalists to become more effective.

And with the widening presence of the social media, news reports whether on print or online may be better disseminated. To be sure, they can easily gain attention through the dynamics of the social media—contributing to public information, shaping public opinion and fostering healthy public debates on national and international concerns.

At present, 44.2 million Filipinos use the Internet and 90 percent of this figure have their own social media accounts.

With timeliness as one of the key elements of news, it is the duty of journalists to cascade the news to their readers as soon as the story takes place. This is why more

What is needed these days is to have a proper mix of the new media and the traditional ways of responsible journalism. and more newspapers are adopting the “digital-first” strategy. The Varsitarian, the foremost campus paper in the Philippines, has taken such approach.

Employing this strategy, news articles are first released online and later published— in more thoughtful and more comprehensive form—on print.

For years, the world of reporting has been held within a cycle—to write the news and expect its publication tomorrow, a week, or a few weeks later.

But now, the story is told and reported as it unfolds or as it has just unfolded.

Of course, if there is one thing that journalists know

about, that is, the news cannot wait.

The news needs to get out as soon as possible to retain its freshness, essence and relevance.

Thus, the digital-first policy is the key toward fulfilling such a demand.

With the digital world becoming a widespread platform with almost no space and reach constraints, stories can be written no matter how short or long they may be.

The online media is also tool to make the news in a more interactive and comprehensive way, so that several links and related stories can be included and put in a single news article.

This new strategy is also multi-faceted since it can facilitate any attachments such as photograph, video and graphics, which may be necessary for news articles to be better understood and appreciated.

Websites and social media pages of newspapers are also not hard to monitor.

In fact, daily statistics can be accessed by the newspapers’ online facilitators to determine the number of people who have viewed and read every single article, and how many online users have visited the newspaper websites and their related social media accounts.

As chief technology officer of the British Guardian, Tanya Cordrey, said in 2013, embracing digital is the only way for media organizations to survive.

Despite this great leap, journalists should still make that every article they publish online is of great quality and the result of responsible journalism.

The biggest challenge will always be how to beat Excelsior PAGE 5

Are NPA, militia behind ‘Lumad cleansing’?

THE BRUTAL killings of Lumad leaders allegedly by the paramilitary Magahat-Bagani as well as by the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in Mindanao seem not to have generated any public outrage, much less firm government response to check them and prevent similar incidents from happening.

In an article published by the Varsitarian last Nov. 7, Dulphing Ogan, secretary general of the Kusog sa Katauhang Lumad sa Mindanao, said the killings started when the Lumad, as the indigenous cultural communities are collectively known, resisted mining operations and expansions of agricultural plantations in the northeast area of Mindanao.

Republic Act No. 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997 ensures the protection and the promotion of the rights of indigenous cultural communities, stating that “the State shall protect the rights of indigenous cultural communities or indigenous peoples to their ancestral domains to ensure their economic, social and cultural well-being and shall recognize the applicability of customary laws governing property rights or relations in determining

Despite the efforts of various human rights groups, religious organizations, and even the Catholic Church to help the Lumad, Lumad killings continue unabated. the ownership and extent of ancestral domain.”

With this, the Lumad are endowed the right to be protected in their ancestral domain.

But the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 has allowed foreign companies to conduct mining operations in the country, enabling them to acquire lands, many of them ancestral domain of the Lumad, for the commercial mining of gold, nickel and copper.

Evidently mining interests have co-opted the paramilitary and even the NPA to wrest the ancestral domain away from the Lumad. It is wellknown that that the NPA charges “revolutionary tax” from any commercial interest in territories it claims to control; this makes the NPA a mercenary of capitalism,

which is not surprising since China is socialist only in name; it’s actually capitalist in economic practice and authoritarian and even fascist in political practice.

But is the Philippine government doing its part in implementing the law to protect indigenous communities supposedly crafted by its own legislators? Alas the state itself is mercenary to mining interests. At the least it has chosen to implement more the mining law rather than the indigenous rights law.

Thus, despite the efforts of various human rights groups, religious organizations, and even the Catholic Church to help the Lumad, Lumad killings continue unabated.

In a conference held by the Lumad datus in 2008, it was revealed that the NPA

killed 357 Lumad from 1998 to 2008. Last September, three datus and several other Lumad were killed. The killings have uprooted the Lumad communities who have fled to Manila to escape harassment and violence.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle visited the Lumad camp in Liwasang Bonifacio last November 11 to show his support for the indigenous people. The Lumad started to camp out in several places in Manila last November 2 to send a message to the government they want to secure their ancestral lands.

Some Lumad have asked UST and other universities for support. Last November 4, UST organized a forum for the Lumad, which became an avenue for the cultural communities to voice out their sentiments. UST’s Lumad Advocacy Photo Exhibit is also being displayed until Dec. 8 along the covered walk near the Quadricentennial Pavilion. All this should raise public awareness of how the Philippine state, paramilitary groups, and the NPA’s have wittingly or unwittingly been conducting what amounts to an ethnic cleansing of our Lumad brothers. May God have mercy on them.

NOVEMBER 27, 2015

Amid Apec woes, gains for the Philippines ORDINARY Filipinos endured the travails and encumbrances that came with the week-long Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit last Nov. 16 to 20. Because international flights were cancelled, many travelers were inconvenienced. Domestic flight passengers were likewise displaced since roads to and from the airports were closed to traffic.

Many had to walk for kilometers to catch their flights or, for those coming from the provinces and disembarking in Manila ports, to get to their destinations in the metro. Thousands of commuters likewise had to endure traffic jams because major roads were closed or huge portions of them set aside solely for unimpeded use by Apec vehicles.

The public exasperation was understandable but should be held in check. It could be said that all of these would be the wages of hosting an important international gathering like the Apec.

With the theme “Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World,” the Apec summit was a perfect avenue for the Philippines to create stronger ties with other countries. For example,

Russia agreed to enhance trade and economic cooperation with the Philippines and even vowed to fight against illegal drug trafficking. The country was likewise listed as Canada’s priority for its development assistance among many other vows by other countries.

The Apec also allowed Filipinos to shine or for them to connect with outstanding foreigners. Filipino engineer Aisa Mijeno showed her invention, the salt-powered lamp, to US President Barack Obama.

Meanwhile, she also got to meet entrepreneur Jack Ma, the second richest man in China, who offered her a scholarship to an

entrepreneur school in his country.

Formed in 1989, Apec is composed of Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, United States, and Vietnam. Together they comprise 40 percent of world trade and over 50 percent of the global gross domestic product.

Hosting the summit of the member-economies of Apec was therefore a singular moment for the Philippines as an emerging economy and a democratic showcase.

Of course, the Apec likewise was an occasion for Filipinos to show their shallowness on the social media. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto were compared to Disney male characters. Also trending on social media was a hashtag titled #APECHotties where the two are became the main subjects.

Meanwhile, our President was likened to a minion from the film Despicable Me. Just the same, the Philippines was able to shine in the global arena. Aside from government meetings, there were also privatesector meetings to foster the proper business climate as well as propel greater economic integration in the Asia-Pacific.

While many Filipinos were disgusted by heavy traffic or just simply enjoyed a one-week vacation, we cannot deny the diplomatic and economic benefits of hosting the Apec. To be sure, the country was able to generate a huge amount of respect and goodwill which she could use to come up with better trade with other countries as well as generate more foreign investments.

Scholars

Curriculum

Review

Laure

de Porres program, Songco said.

In previous years, most scholars were in the Santo Tomas scholarship scheme, she noted.

Songco said opening more slots for the San Martin de Porres scholarship program showed that UST provides access to education for marginalized families.

Stricter policies are also being implemented in other scholarship schemes such as San Martin de Porres and San Lorenzo Ruiz, where scholars must avoid a grade of 3.0 in all subjects.

we aim not only to ensure, but also enhance the quality of education that we are giving in the University.”

“We want our students to have a cutting-edge advantage over students of other senior high schools,” Romero said.

The Varsitarian previously reported that USTSHS was eyeing at least 5,000 students to enroll in 2016. The UST-SHS will be housed at the Buenaventura G. Paredes O.P. Alumni Center Building.

In 2014, UST placed fifth on the list of top-performing schools with a 92.03-percent passing rate.

Nico Andro Capiral of Batch 2014, who finished 10th, was the last Thomasian to secure a place in the top 10. It was in 2002 when the University last topped the mechanical engineering board exams. That year, 61 out of 68 examinees passed, equivalent to an 89.71-percent passing rate. KATHRYN JEDI V. BAYLON

For Eya, elevating her play for the Junior Tigresses is not just about fulfilling her role as team captain but also an act of giving back for those who support her on and off the court. “[Kay Ate] ko nakita kung paano maging matapang sa court.

Kahit ‘nung teammates pa kami, binibigyan niya akong mga tips kung paano maging matatag and kung ano ‘yung mga dapat gawin,” Eya said.

The older Laure is expected to anchor the Golden Tigresses’ quest to the Final Four this season.

Book

Papelismo

and art enthusiasts. Isidro, an abstractionist and a former fine arts dean of the Philippine Women’s University, said that the publication was “overwhelming.”

“Although there were books published before, this is different as it takes on a personal and intimate relationship with the artist,” Isidro said.

Meanwhile, veteran watercolorist Edgar Doctor said that this book is a breakthrough in the Philippine art scene because it gives recognition to local artists.

“It’s always the art more than the artist, and now the Filipino artist is given recognition,” Doctor said.

“Filipino Artists in their Studios” is available in leading bookstores nationwide.

hellfire.

Renato Habulan, the exhibit curator, told the Varsitarian that he wants to change the mindset of people who think of paper as a second-class artwork.

“We want to challenge the market, that paper is as durable as canvas,” Habulan said.

Ali Alejandro, director of Nova gallery and also a practicing artist, emphasized how paper is a staple in the art scene and how it will always hold a purpose despite arising forms of new mediums.

“Working on paper is a one-act job which requires perfection because committing one mistake will mean you have to start all over again,” Alejandro said.

The group has expanded to 12 artists for this year’s show from the initial five in their 2012 exhibit originally titled PapelMismo.

FROM PAGE 2

JEROME P. VILLANUEVA

Excelsior FROM PAGE 4

the deadline, but being the first one to break a scoop will never be worth it if the story will be written out of haste rather than careful construction.

What is needed these days is to have a proper mix of the new media and the traditional ways of responsible journalism.

Having the imperative to release the news to the online public as fast as possible must not mean that journalists will no longer apply the traditional ways of verifying the facts and interviewing multiple and credible sources. It should not mean setting aside the strenuous editing process.

With a wider audience reach online, it must be a prerogative for news publications not to make mistakes because a single error can easily create confusion and disturbance in just a few minutes—or even seconds.

Being a journalist of this

While many Filipinos were disgusted by heavy traffic, we cannot deny the diplomatic and economic benefits of hosting the Apec.

FROM PAGE 2

JEROME P. VILLANUEVA

era is challenging more than ever. Sometimes, journalists may think about abandoning the traditional way of publishing newspapers because of what the online media can offer—having no constraints.

Journalists should realize that these same constraints are the same reasons why printed newspapers shall and will remain relevant.

With the heavy online news traffic every day, readers may have the tendency to be buried under the flood of information.

However, with the help of the printed newspapers, information and stories are significantly filtered.

The gate-keeping function of the news media should remain.

Both print and online media have their own advantages and disadvantages and it is just up to us, journalists, how to make the two work in a complementary way, not only for our benefit but also for the benefit of the audiences that we serve.

FROM PAGE 3

FROM PAGE 7

FROM PAGE 11

FROM PAGE 7

Opinion 5

How my ‘special’ brother has made my family extra-special I BELIEVE our family is extra-special.

At first blush, we are just an ordinary family. Both of my parents go to work. A brother and I are in college.

But what sets us apart from other families is my youngest brother: He’s a “special child.”

His name is Emilio and he has Down Syndrome (DS). Of course, we did not know what to do when we first learned about his condition. To be honest, I felt sad about what was about to come and how to adjust to the situation, but there was nothing we could do but to accept it—whole-heartedly.

Down Syndrome is the most common known cause of intellectual disability. People with DS experience some delay in their development, especially cognitive and learning development.

While some people with DS may need relatively little support to lead an ordinary life, others may require a significant level of support.

Despite DS being a lifelong condition, children who have it can grow up to have healthy, happy, productive lives with the proper care and support from their family and friends.

At first, when we learned about my brother’s disability, we became depressed. But we thought wrong, because the disability of my kid brother enabled our family to rally. DS made our family stronger and happier.

Moreover, people with DS are not fundamentally different from anyone else, since they have the same needs and aspirations in life as those who are “abled.” These include the opportunity to enjoy the company of friends and family and having a role in the society.

Our duty is to make sure that Emilio will have such opportunities.

As the eldest child, I feel having a sibling with special needs is a huge responsibility. It demands a lot of time and effort because

I am glad that our society has become more welcoming to people with Down Syndrome, recognizing that each person is unique in his own way.

I have to be there always—for him. It has been challenging as well for my other brother, who like me has to attend to his studies and work, while setting aside quality time for our youngest brother.

As for my parents, they have to work hard to meet all the needs of Emilio.

So I have never taken my responsibility to Emilio as a burden.

Putting him to bed and taking him to school in the morning are things that I will not be tired of doing.

Emilio is now six years old. Taking care of him as he grows up, I have learned to be more caring, patient, responsible, and understanding. I have become a better person.

Now, I can say that I know how to be there for the people I love and how to stick to them no matter what.

Our family has learned that there is more to us than just being relatives—we are a team. We have assured ourselves we will always be there for each other.

Other families who are also experiencing the same situation should not fear nor be saddened. Speaking from experience, I must say everything is going to be hard in the beginning. But as soon as you learn how to fully accept it, you will be able to deal with it at your best.

I am glad that our society has become more welcoming to people with DS, recognizing that each person is unique in his own way, with his own share of talents, abilities, thoughts and interests.

With appropriate health and education services, and livelihood opportunities, people with DS can look forward to long and fulfilling lives. They can be valued members of society who contribute to the general welfare.

For this to happen, children with DS need to be treated with care and love, not only by their own families but also by other people. They should not feel that they are any different from us.

And although they have what may be seen as an “impairment,” they actually allow other members of the family and society to improve themselves. In effect, they allow us to repair our broken, selfish selves, so that we can become more loving, more caring and yes, more human.

6 Sci-Tech

NOVEMBER 27, 2015

New frontiers in food development FOOD scientists were encouraged to use creative inventions and methods in visionary food development at the Food Conference on Innovation and Advancement last Nov. 11.

Spearheaded by UST Food Technology alumnus Richmond Victor Ejanda, the conference highlighted innovations in food manufacturing, retail and services,such as reverse food engineering, deformulation, and the use of nanoencapsulated flavors.

“[Reverse food engineering] is an interesting field that is booming right now [to the point] where companies hire food technologists to disassemble their food products,” Ejanda said. “It can divide food in different ways to obtain substantial (physical, chemical and nutritional characteristics) information about the product.”

Non-alcoholic beer with a 30-percent chance of inebriation, chicken nuggets made out of what chickens eat instead of pure chicken and pizza dough without the use flour, oil, water and eggs were some of the innovative products presented.

“This means we can create [products] and adapt [to trends] at the same time,” Ejanda said. “Innovation happens when we get to create exciting new products from the ones we already see out in the market.”

Ejanda also said deformulation aids food manufacturers to compete with each other by producing similar yet innovative products.

“The process is a [back step] where you may be able to learn everything on the existing products and then you [move forward for improvements] and future developments” he added.

New age of gourmet UST Food Technology alumna Kristine Villaruel, now a technical account executive of McRitz International Corporation, and nutrition and dietetics professor Jess Adaya of the Technological University of the Philippines

Ejanda

also shared new trends in food science and the Philippine food manufacturing industry.

Villaruel focused on gourmet sauces, condiments and dressings, reintroducing enhancers such as hydrolysed vegetable protein from plants such as soy and corn, autolyzed yeast extract that can create buttery mouthfeel for chicken and beef, and disodium guanylate that can intensify flavor without using much salt.

Stevia, a sugar substitute, was featured for its efficiency as a sweetener and its potential anti-carcirogenic properties. It is extracted from leaves of the plant Stevia rebaudiana, and is getting popular for being 200 to 300 times sweeter than table sugar.

“We only place five grams of Stevia in a liter of soft drinks and it’s just as sweet as a liter of soft drinks with the usual sugar content,” Ejada said, adding that mastery of flavor optimization using different enhancers will unlock a food product’s potential.

Adaya focused on the importance of proper usage of tools and research to ensure the stability of nutritional content of food products.

“One must be able to use the tools around him in order to be effective

in work,” he said. “Tools and methods such as visual inspection, texture and viscosity measurements aid subjective analysis and help determine what can make a certain food product better.”

The conference was attended by food technology students from several colleges and universities along with professionals from different food and flavoring companies.

“This is to help me adjust on the advancement in food industry, especially in baking where my forte is,” said entrepreneur and UST alumna Winifred Gonzales in attending the conference. JULIUS ROMAN M. TOLOP

Conversations Does your blood type determine your personality? in the digital age WHEN he realized his friends took more pictures of their food than talk to each other during lunch, Bien Desingaño could not help but frown.

The Chemical Engineering senior had been planning to have lunch with his friends for weeks but the beeps of notifications from his friends’ smartphones told him that it did not go as planned.

“I was gone for a while because of my training with my pep squad,” Desingaño explained. “But now that I’m here everyone seemed to be too focused with their phones.”

His situation was reminiscent of the photographs published

by London-based photographer Babycakes Romero in 2014. His “Death of Conversation” captured a series of images showing people “plugged in” to their devices instead of talking with their company.

Romero’s series went viral and evoked various reactions on social networking sites. Some expressed guilt, some commented that smartphones are taking a toll on social etiquette, while some agreed that oral conversation might indeed be “dead.”

“Human beings are required to communicate with each other, [but] the manner in which we communicate changes,” psychiatrist Edilberto Gonzaga, M.D. said.

Age of multitasking Data from global mobile sample and technology provider On Device Research showed that mobile penetration in the Philippines for the year 2014 reached up to 101 percent, parallel to the 28 million mobile phones sold in the country in 2013 versus a population of 97 million people.

Gonzaga said this dependence on technological innovations, particularly smartphones changed how people behave and interact nowadays.

“The activity we do now requires less physical effort than things we do before,” he said. “Before, the way we conduct speeches can influence people. Now, we rely on machines to talk for us.”

For some people, gadgets create “covers” where they can immerse themselves without minding the company of others, said Gonzaga.

“Our gadgets, become our reason—our escape—not to have a conversation,” he said.

To sociologist Clarence Batan, this is an unfolding phenomenon on human communication.

“It’s the birth of being multi-tasked,” Batan said. “[Though] the question [of] what may be considered as a quality conversation is a different realm entirely,” noting that the challenge for netizens is to be able to navigate their smartphones and be engaged in the real world at the same time.

In a report by the European Commission, a lot of people share positive and negative feedback towards technological innovation.

Some believe that innovations are “truly designed to help people” while others think that machines will soon replace humans. “[What is] most feared is lack of control,” the report told.

‘Death’ of conversation According to Gonzaga, getting hooked on technology really Conversations PAGE 10

TESTS such as the Rorschach and the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator (MBTI) have been commonly used by psychologists and people in general in determining one’s personality, but in the 1920s, a Japanese professor theorized that blood types can also do the same.

Takeji Furukawa of Tokyo Women’s University introduced the blood type personality theory (ABO theory) in a paper published in 1927. His “A Study of Temperament and Blood-Groups” stated that the four blood groups—A, B, AB and O—may work similarly with Hippocrates’s Four Temperaments, and that each blood group may hold characteristics unique from the other three.

While the relationship of blood types and personality has been the topic of numerous studies, the phenomenon of personality tests and why people tend to follow this trend is also a popular subject in the field of psychology.

‘Scientific racism’ Renz Christian Argao, supervising psychologist of the UST Psychotrauma Clinic, said the ABO theory took its roots during the period of World War II because of the prevalence of scientific racism during the early 1900s.

While the topic on racial classification started to decline after the war, there are still scientists and some post-war anthropologists like William Boyd attempted to find more “valid and objective” racial

classification using blood group technology.

Though the theory was debunked due to his lack of credentials and the paper’s lack of scientific backing, popular reception from the Japanese and a broadcaster named Masahiko Nomi revived the theory in the 1970s.

Theorists view Type O, the most dominant of the blood types, as a “hero” because of its members’ tendencies to be natural leaders. They are also said to be the most expressive, flexible, easygoing and honest of the blood groups.

However, Park DongSun, author of the “Simple Thinking About Blood Types” also described Os as cold, competitive, self-centered and stubborn.

Meanwhile, Type A are believed to be “role models” for their Zen-like personality and the “most industrious” among the blood groups.

Wendy Watson, doctor in family therapy and author of “Blood Type & Your Personality” suggested that these people have “subtle and delicate personalities,” though they also tend to be obsessive and uptight.

Type B, opposite of As, are known to be rebellious for their strong will and personality.

They also tend to be charming, charismatic and assertive.

Lastly, Type AB possesses both qualities of Types A and B. They are said to be the most generous and tend to think outside the box.

In 1961, a hematological study published by Raymond

Cattell and his colleagues from the University of Illinois and Harvard University said that the findings in the psychiatric field contributed to the development of the theory on blood type personalities.

Cattell’s study suggested that primary personality factors appearing with certain blood types formed roots for blood type association even though these relationships can be purely coincidental.

‘Self-fulfilling prophecy’ Edilberto Gonzaga, M.D., resident psychiatrist of the UST Psychotrauma Clinic, added that unlike standardized tests, theories on personality like the ABO theory are hard to assess because they rely simply on association.

“The Myers-Briggs, for example, is a standardized test with a predictive value,” he said. “Unlike the blood type personality theory [which] is not 100-percent scientificallybased.”

The ABO theory and similar concepts such as those found in astrological signs are what psychologists call examples of “self-fulfilling prophecies,” which is defined as “a belief that becomes true because a person is acting as if it is already true.”

Gonzaga echoed this by saying that people easily believe what they see in the Internet, especially if it is convenient for them.

“You read something good about your blood type and you would believe it’s true, but you hesitate to believe it

when it says something bad or negative about your blood type,” he said.

In 2002, Akira Sakamoto and Kenji Yamazaki from Ochanonizu University published a paper that proved that blood type personality theory did not show any relationships between blood types and personalities.

According to the paper, individuals who are unfamiliar with the theory may simply “choose” a blood type, while some may be influenced by family traditions and cultural traits.

“People would define themselves based on [these tests], but in reality personality is complex,” Argao said. “It is so fluid and diverse that even psychologists have a hard time doing tests that determine personality.”

According to Gonzaga, while blood type may be genetically linked with personalities, more studies should be made because of the conflict it presents.

“Blood types are fixed and permanent. If you say that a personality is linked to a blood type, then personality is also fixed,” he said.

Gonzaga also said the ABO theory may help people justify or rationalize their personalities, but it might be a good or a bad thing depending on how people would let the theory affect their lifestyles.

“You will become the person you think you are,” he said. “The things people believe will become their reality.” K.J.V. NAPARAN

Editor: Daryl Angelo P. Baybado

Circle 7

NOVEMBER 27, 2015

Artists and their ateliers featured in book

By AMIERIELLE ANNE A. BULAN and MA.. CZARINA A. FERNANDEZ A NEW coffee-table book on Philippine art by former Varsitarian artist and photographer documents through beautiful photography and informative text the ateliers or work studios of 75 of the country’s foremost artists, what critics have described as a very helpful “archival” project to record the creative process that goes into masterpieces of the visual arts.

“Filipino Artists in their Studios” is published by the Manila Bulletin and conceptualized and photographed by visual artist-photojournalist Jose Vinluan “Pinggot” Zulueta, a BS Fine Arts in Advertising Arts graduate of the old UST College of Architecture and Fine Arts.

“Our goal is to give a glimpse of the artists’ lives, not just a usual profile presentation of them with their artworks,” Zulueta told the Varsitarian during the book launch last Oct. 30 at the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel.

The 324-page book is not only a compilation of photographs by Zulueta that originally appeared in the C’est La Vie or lifestyle section of the Bulletin. It is also accompanied by insightful texts and captions written by writers and journalists such as Paul Zafaralla, Barbara Dacanay, Dennis Ladaw, and Isabel de Leon.

“Usually, the audience see just the artwork alone, mounted or framed in an exhibit,” said CJ Tañedo, one of the artists featured in the book.

“But once they get to see the studio, they can see the artists in a new light, and they can see his work habits and the natural setting in which he works.”

Tañedo, a winner of the Metrobank art

awards back in the late 1990’s, himself is a Thomasian.

De Leon, a News staffer of the Varsitarian during her student days and now the news editor of the Bulletin and a former Malacanang assistant press secretary, compared an artist’s studio to a bedroom which is “not accessible to anyone.”

“We were very humbled when they allowed us to enter their spaces,” De Leon said. “Not everyone can be granted the opportunity to enter an artist’s sacred space.”

Art enthusiasts like Silvana Diaz, who owns Galleria Duemila, the country’s longest running gallery, said the book gives new perspective on Philippine art.

“He [Zulueta] brings the client and the public who are not well versed in art into an intimacy and place where they see the artist in their environment. When you don’t have art education or study art history, you may penetrate into their intimate life this way,” Diaz said.

25 alumni artists Among the 75 artists featured in the book, 25 are notable Thomasian alumni mostly products of the old College of Architecture and Design. Sculptor Ramon Orlina, National Artist for Visual Arts Arturo Luz, the late abstractionist Romulo Olazo and father of Philippine conceptual art Roberto Chabet are featured along with Antonio Austria, Manuel Baldemor, Gabriel Barredo, Andres Barrioquinto, Salvador Ching, Fil Delacruz, Danny Dalena, Mideo Cruz, Igan D’Bayan, Edgar Doctor, Alfredo Esquillo Jr., Raul Isidro, Prudencio Lamarroza, Julie Lluch, Sofronio Y Mendoza, Mario Parial, Mario de Rivera, Jose Tence Ruiz, CJ Tanedo,

Zulueta launches his first coffee-table book about Philippine art last Oct. 30 at the Manila Hotel.

BASILIO H. SEPE

Ronald Ventura, and Juvenal Sansó.

Ruiz, who was part of the creative team behind the Philippine Pavilion in this year’s Venice Biennale, recalled the time when the book was still an idea.

“Why don’t I make a more active documentation of what’s happening in our art scene?” was the question asked by Zulueta to Ruiz back in 2008.

According to Ruiz, Zulueta was given the go-signal by the Manila Bulletin to start the

project, and from there started a weekly feature in the newspaper that puts the spotlight on a local artist and his or her works.

“He would bring a young writer, and he himself was the photographer. Little did we all realize that that would be a book seven years later. It was all a happy accident,” Ruiz said in an interview.

The book has long been awaited by artists Book PAGE 5

Colorful, reader-friendly DBM booklet makes proposed 2016 national budget understandable The Heir 2 by Daquioag, Patakam sa kung ano ang kinain...bago kumain by Culaba and Garden Delight by Cabrera

More Thomasians featured in ‘Papelismo’

By MA.. CZARINA A. FERNANDEZ

Knowing Francis Bacon by Zulueta

ABAKADA Series by Daquioag

THE PAPER as a premier medium in Philippine art was the focal point of Papelismo 6, a group exhibit at the Nova Gallery, Makati City.

Thomasians Thomas Daquioag, Pinggot Zulueta, Benjie Cabrera and Melvin Culaba were among a dozen artists who explored the creative possibilities of paper as an art medium.

Daquioag, a Painting alumnus of UST, shows social realism in “The Heir” and “The Heir 2,” which portray a child on the floor and a woman sitting on a couch.

His other featured work, a watercolor on arches or air-dried paper titled “ABAKADA Series” features a family making their way through a flood.

“Working on paper as compared to other mediums presents a more difficult challenge,” Daquioag said.

“Paper requires a degree of perfection that you don’t necessarily employ in other mediums.”

Meanwhile, Pinggot Zulueta’s black-on-white-ink-on-paper works, reflect his life as an illustrator and newspaper cartoonist back in the 1980s.

Zulueta’s “Talking to Basquiat,” “Knowing Francis Bacon” and “Dialogue with George Condo” are explorations of faces and portraits using the forms and shapes of artists like Picasso and Condo.

“I borrowed art styles from renowned artists and incorporated them with my own style,” Zulueta

said. “It’s like a conversation of art between my style and the style of others.”

Zulueta also expressed his preference for paper as a medium since he is known for sketches and illustrations.

“With paper,” he said, “art is boundless. You can sketch, cut, fold, or literally do anything that doesn’t limit your art.”

Meanwhile, engraving artist Cabrera’s works titled “Unexpected Visitor,” “Garden Delight” and “Erratic Self-Reflection” deal with themes of creation, preservation and destruction.

“My works in this edition of Papelismo tell the story of evolution where spectators can see the process of life growing and decaying,” Cabrera said.

Despite using engraving in most of his works, Cabrera does not mind using other mediums such as paper, which to him is special if not superior to other mediums.

Culaba’s charcoal-on-paper works delve on religious themes.

“Patakam sa kung ano ang kinain… bago kumain” depicts the Crucifix mounted on a wall, among various framed religious icons like the Virgin Mary holding the Infant Jesus.

Culaba’s “Patatawarin po” shows a capped face, resembling the figure of Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant reformation, flanked by a horde of demon-like creatures in the background, in what seems chaos and Papelsimo PAGE 5

A DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) booklet seeks to inform and educate the public in lay-friendly terms the intricacies of the proposed 2016 General Appropriations Act (GAA) in the interest of public transparency.

The proposed 2016 GAA is P3.002 trillion.

The 2016 People’s Proposed Budget (PPB), as the booklet is titled, aims at comprehensibility and clarity, said BS Fine Arts in Advertising Arts

alumna Adrienne Ponce.

Ponce, a freelance, graphic designer tapped by DBM to design the booklet, said she and her design team sought to make the public action visually appealing and inviting.

“Since this was going to be a booklet filled with a lot of charts and numbers, we needed to present everything in an attractive and engaging way, otherwise the readers might become bored with plain presentations of the text,” Ponce said.

The 52-page booklet’s art and design team included Dan Matutina, a designer and illustrator of local and international magazines, and DBM information designer Emmie Albangco as the layout supporter.

The booklet features graphic illustrations of infrastructures, houses and landscapes accenting the bold face and blue “2016” center text on its cover. The PPB title is emphasized by a background of washed-out graphics of mountains and lakes in the rural setting and buildings and roads presented in the urban setting, depicted in varying palettes of yellow. P Color schemes of the infographics, charts and tables representing the booklet’s content circulate around different palettes of primary colors.

The booklet also features graphics of the budget dimensions analyzed through divisions by

sector, by expense class, by region, by top 10 executive departments, by department and special purpose funds.

The booklet acquaints the reader on the priority programs of the proposed 2016 budget, such as social protection, managing disaster risks and basic education.

Social protection, for example, consists of the anti-poverty Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, which the book shows has been raised to P59.38 billion from this year’s P57.4 billion. The Department of Public Works and Highways meanwhile has been proposed to receive an increased fund for flood control and drainage— P59.84 billion.

A budget cycle, shown at the concluding part of the booklet, gives the public a view of the fourstep process of preparation to accountability. AMIERIELLE ANNE A. BULAN

8 Witness

Editor: Marie Danielle L. Macalino

NOVEMBER 27, 2015

Candles lit for Dominican Jubilee FILIPINO Dominicans marked the eighth centenary of the Order of Preachers with the opening of the Jubilee Door at their mother church Santo Domingo last Nov. 7, ushering in a year-long celebration.

Reflecting on the Jubilee year’s theme “Go and Preach,” Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle led the celebration and called on Dominican friars, sisters and laity to continue their mission of “spreading the light” of Jesus Christ.

“The Order of Preachers was given official confirmation for two reasons: to preach and to save souls. That has not changed to this day,” Cardinal Tagle said in his homily during Holy Mass. “All of our preaching, including the preaching ministry of the Order of Preachers, must always go back to Jesus who is the Word.”

He urged the Dominican community to live up to the responsibility of proclaiming the word of God and fulfilling it, stressing the importance of obedience and simplicity of life.

“Our way of life should not negate the message we wish to proclaim. The word of God is not just read, proclaimed and preached. It is fulfilled,” the prelate said.

Before the Eucharistic celebration, the cardinal led the “Rite of Opening of the Jubilee Door,” which represents Christ’s openness to pilgrims seeking for His mercy.

Fr. Filemon de la Cruz, O.P., socius of the provincial of the Dominican Province of the Philippines and vice rector for religious affairs of UST, started the celebration by reading a message from Fr. Bruno Cadore, O.P., master of the Order of Preachers.

“The resurrection of Christ is the revelation of the mercy of God for the poor. Preach the resurrection to preach a new path of friendship with God,” Fr. Cadore said in his message.

After the Holy Mass, candles were lighted and members of the order sang “Tell the World of His Love,” the 1995 World Youth Day theme song.

“Laudare, Benedicere, Praedicare,” the official theme song of the global Dominican Jubilee celebrations composed by Filipino Dominican Fr. Guiseppe Arsciwals, O.P., was also sung.

Plenary indulgence Pope Francis has granted a plenary indulgence to those who will take part in the Dominican Jubilee events, including those who will hold pilgrimages to Dominican churches.

“The experience of mercy, indeed, becomes visible in the witness of concrete signs as Jesus himself taught us. Each time that one of the faithful personally performs one or more of these actions, he or she shall surely obtain the Jubilee Indulgence,” the Pontiff said in a

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle holds the candle symbolizing the guiding light of Saint Dominic de Guzman during the opening of the 800th anniversary of the Order of Preachers at the Santo Domingo Church last Nov. 7.

ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN

letter last Sept. 1.

Fr. Ivan Obando, O.P., provincial secretary, said more activities were lined up for the Jubilee year.

“This is a spiritual year; we have started it by celebrating the thanksgiving Eucharist, and the granting of plenary

indulgences to those people who will be coming to our churches and joining us for the celebration,” he told the Varsitarian.

Family retreat Prior to the Jubilee opening, Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., former master of the Order, led the Asia-Pacific Dominican

Jubilee PAGE 9

Cardinal Tagle and Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco beam with Dominican friars Fr. Filemon dela Cruz, O.P., Fr. Gerard Timoner III, O.P. and Fr. Jesus Prol, O.P.

Pope Francis names legate Archbishops Palma, Valles on Synod to Cebu Eucharistic Congress results: ‘No change in Church teaching’ THE FIRST cardinal of Myanmar will represent Pope Francis in the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) to be hosted by Cebu City in January 2016.

Yangon Archbishop Charles Bo, the first cardinal from Burma, has been appointed by the Supreme Pontiff as papal legate to the eucharistic congress, organizers announced last Oct. 25.

Cardinal Bo was one of the 20 new cardinals appointed by the Pope in February 2015. He served as president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar for six years.

The cardinal is an advocate of harmonious relationships b e t w e e n Myanmar ’s diverse religious groups.

With the theme “Christ in You, Our Hope of Glory,” the international congress will be held from Jan. 24 to 31 next year. An estimated 15,000 people are expected to attend the religious event.

This will be the second

time the Philippines will host the IEC, which is held every four years.

The last time was in 1937 in Manila during the pontificate of Pope Pius XI, the first time the IEC was held in Asia.

Apps launched For its 51st edition, the IEC is taking advantage of digital technology. Two mobile applications have been launched: the IEC 2016 Guide and the Real Presence. Both were made by Cebubased developer InnoPub. IEC 2016 Guide serves as the official app of the IEC, featuring a comprehensive guide to the heritage structures of Cebu, which will be part of the IEC’s Visita Iglesia activity. The Real Presence was initially launched to introduce the IEC hymn and disseminate the schedule of the event.

Digital presence however is not only what makes the 51st IEC different from its previous editions.

According to Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, the 2016 IEC’s theme “Christ in You, Our Hope of Glory,” is true to the IEC’s goal of showing to the faithful the nature of the Eucharist as mystery and mission.

The theme of the upcoming congress seeks to encourage Catholics, especially the laity, to reawaken their faith in Christ, Palma said in a phone interview.

“To come to the Eucharistic

Congress PAGE 10

But divorced Catholics and homosexuals should be treated with compassion THE RECENT Synod of Bishops on the Family remained firm on the Church’s teaching that the divorced and remarried cannot receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist, but stressed that they are among the baptized and should be “more integrated into the Christian community,” while “avoiding every occasion of scandal.”

Granting access to the sacrament for the divorced and remarried, proposed by European bishops reportedly with encouragement from the Pope himself, encountered stiff opposition from African and some American prelates, who claimed that such change condoned adulterous relationships and would be contrary to the teachings of Christ.

“They must not only not feel excommunicated, but they can live and mature as living members of the Church, feeling that she is a mother who always welcomes them, takes care of them with affection and encourages them in the walk of the life of the Gospel,” Paragraph 84 of the final synod document stated.

Pope Francis is expected to issue an apostolic exhortation, drawing from the synod’s recommendations, next year.

Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles, one of the Filipino participants, said divorced and remarried individuals should be treated as members of the Church.

“The practice of the Church remains, but we need to let these people know that they are still part of the Church, in the spirit of mercy and compassion. [Their situation] does not mean that they are no longer members of the Church,” he told the Varsitarian.

The Davao prelate said that in general, the results of the synod discussions “did not go beyond what is already practiced in the Catholic Church.”

The synod document encouraged the divorced and remarried to examine their conscience and reflect on “how they behaved toward their children when the marriage entered into crisis,” and on the “consequences of their new relationship on the rest of the family and the community of faithful.” They were also urged to direct their discernment to “the awareness of their situation before God.” “Conversation with the priest, in the internal forum, contributes to the formation of a correct judgment on what hinders the possibility of a fuller participation in the life of the Church and the steps that can foster it and make it grow,” the document stated.

Pope St. John Paul II’s “Familiaris Consortio,” promulgated following the 1980 Synod of

Bishops, held that giving divorced and remarried individuals access to Holy Communion would lead the lives of the faithful to error and confusion as regards the Church’s teaching on the indissolubility of marriage.

This year’s event had the theme “The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the modern world,” and followed 2014 extraordinary synod on the family, which focused on pastoral challenges involved in family life.

The recent “ordinary” synod ran from Oct. 4 to Oct. 25 and was

Archbishops PAGE 10

Patnugot: Maria Koreena M. Eslava

Tawiran Matapang kong nilakad ang kalye ng Dapitan.

Hindi na alam ng baga ano ang pagkakaiba ng usok na nakasasakal sa hingang pagal.

Iisa na rin ang sigaw ng busina ng mga sasakyan sa tawag ng mga nangangailangan ng tulong paganahin ang kanilang kompyuter.

At ang basa sa karatula ng mga dyip?

Hindi na “LRT Tayuman” kundi “LRT Tayuan.”

Umilaw ng pula ang stop light.

Nalimutan ko na kung paano iangat ang kaliwang binti upang maglakad.

Natakot na rin yata ang kanang binti sa nakaambang panunuot ng mga ugat pagkasakay sa LRT. Nagpaalon na lang ako sa daluyong ng taong patawid Dahil nakapara na pala ng dyip ang anino ko sa kabilang kalye.

JASPER EMMANUEL Y. ARCALAS

Jubilee FROM PAGE 8

Family Retreat last Oct. 12-14 at the Quadricentennial Pavilion, where he reiterated the importance of forgiveness, humility, and concern for others.

“If we believe in God’s forgiveness, then even in the desert of our lives, God could bring fertility,” he said before 1,200 religious and lay people who took part in the retreat.

Fr. Radcliffe said true happiness could be attained through selflessness.

“Happiness starts when we stop caring just about ourselves. The culmination of our freedom and joy is when we give away our lives just like what Jesus did,” said Fr. Radcliffe, who was awarded the Santo Domingo Preaching Award by the Institute of Preaching.

Calendar FROM PAGE 11

momentum and strengthen their championship bid going to Season 78.

Sand court powerhouse Tiger Spikers, Lady Jins, Male Paddlers and Salinggawi Dance Toupe settled for runner-up finishes this season. The Female Paddlers picked up a bronze.

With an additional month for preparation due to time adjustment, Salinggawi showcased an almost flawless routine at the 2015 cheerdance competition.

However, last year’s beach volleyball champions Cherry Anne Rondina and Rica Jane Rivera slid to

Renewal begins with humility, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and member of the Dominican Clerical Fraternity of the Philippines, said.

“Kneel down for mercy and adoration. Kneel down to wash one another’s feet. We cannot wash one another’s feet without kneeling down.

The goal of all preaching is service,” Villegas said in his homily during the retreat’s opening Mass.

The Dominican Family Leaders’ Conference was held after the retreat to allow Dominican superiors to discuss various ways to celebrate the eighth centenary of the order.

Domnet turns 20 Youth from Dominican schools all over the country meanwhile marked the Jubilee as well as the 20th anniversary fifth place this season, their worst finish in five years.

The UAAP beach volleyball tournament was usually held in August, the month when Rondina and Rivera apparently “peaked” this year.

They were untouchable last August, sweeping the pre-season tourney Ibalong Cup with a 10-0 win-loss card against the same opponents who beat them in the UAAP two months later. Last year’s UAAP beach volleyball games were also held in August where they were undefeated en route to a championship.

Rondina, however, downplayed the idea that the calendar shift had an impact on their conditioning and peaking.

“Hindi naging rason ang calendar shift. Kasi kung nilarong tama at

IKA-27 NG NOBYEMBRE, 2015

Filipino 9

Usapang Uste

Aktibismo noong ‘Unang Sigwa’ NOON PA man, matunog nang usapin sa Unibersidad ang kahulugan at hangganan ng kalayaan para sa mga Tomasino.

Dati nang binigyang-diin ng dating dekano ng Faculty of Civil Law na si Andres Narvasa ang kahalagahan ng mga limitasiyon sa kalayaan ng mga mag-aaral sa pagpapahayag at pagkilos sa loob ng paaralan.

Sa isang simposyo na pinamagatang “Freedom in a University” noong 1969, sinabi ni Narvasa na “there can be no liberty without restraint; restraint produces freedom.”

Kaugnay ng usapin ukol sa kalayaan, laganap rin sa Unibersidad noong taong iyon ang mga tinaguriang “student rebels.” Sa kaniyang inambag na artikulo sa isang isyung inilabas ng the Varsitarian, ipinaliwanag ni Hernando Gonzales II ang kanilang mga ipinaglalaban na mailalarawang may malaking pagkakapareho sa situwasiyon ng Unibersidad sa kasalukuyan.

“While the majority of Thomasians are expectedly more interested in basketball, movies, dating, and making out in school, radical elements are busy sowing seeds of discontent,” aniya.

Binigay na halimbawa ni Gonzales ang mga student rebels ng Faculty of Arts and Letters na nagdeklara ng war of attrition laban sa Unibersidad.

Sinalubong nila ang ikalawang semestre sa isang programang nakadirekta laban sa college council, sa mga pasibong mag-aaral, sa Varsitarian at sa administrasiyon.

“There is an exchange of manifestos and counter-charges in the hit-andrun battle between the council and the radicals. The rads seem to be doing most of ‘the hitting’— and the council doing most of the running,” ani Gonzales.

Sa parehong isyu, naglabas ng pahayag ang dating punong patnugot ng Varsitarian na si Hernando Magsangkay na pinabubulaanan ang mga umaakusa sa pahayagan ng pagkakalubog nito sa sensura ng administrasiyon ng UST. “Lest we be misunderstood and labelled as lackeys of the Administration because of our editorial, we would like to stress at the outset that we have nothing against students activism. In fact, we welcome it. We would even be willing to lead the fight against the Establishment [UST] if we could honestly see the cause is unquestionably valid,” ani Masangkay.

Paliwanag naman ni Narvasa

kaugnay ng academic freedom para sa mga miyembro ng fakultad, ito ang pagiging malaya na ituro ang pinaniniwalaan nilang tama at magsaliksik sa kung anong pinaniniwalaan nilang balidong panukala; samantalang para sa mga mag-aaral, nakabagay ito sa layunin nila sa Unibersidad.

Patungkol sa student power, sinabi ni Narvasa na hindi na ito bago. Sa katunayan, nagsilbi pa silang hamon para sa mga propesor sa Unibersidad para pag-ibayuhin pa ang kanilang pagtuturo at nang makapagbahagi ng mas maraming kaalaman.

Naniniwala si Narvasa na nais lang ng mga mag-aaral na mapakinggan.

Gayunpaman, pinaalalahanan niya ang mga ito na maaaring malagay sa alanganin ang buong Unibersidad kung ito ay sumosobra.

“If students are now very freedomconscious, it is because teachers have shown them the way,” ani Narvasa.

Naging punong hukom ng Filipinas si Narvasa mula ika-1 ng Disyembre 1991 hanggang ika-30 ng Nobyembre 1998.

of the Dominican Network (Domnet) during the second installment of “Adonai” youth rally at Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Calamba last Nov. 14 to 15.

Schools that took part in the event were UST, Letran-Calamba, Dominican College of San Juan, Holy Rosary College, Gerona Catholic School, Dominican School of Sta. Rita, Sta. Catalina College of Manila, St. Rose Catholic School, St. Mary’s Dominican School, Dominican School of Apalit, Sta. Catalina Laguna, Siena College of Quezon City, and the Dominican Academy of Unisan.

Fr. Christopher Jeffrey Aytona, O.P., national adviser of Domnet, said the 800th year of the Dominican order was a source of pride and a call for the renewal of the Dominican mission.

“This is our original calling, preaching. How we can renew, how we can respond to the challenges of

this time, especially on how we preach the Word of God—that’s the greatest challenge,” he said.

Fr. Lauro de Dios, O.P., chairman of Domnet Western Visayas, said the main reason behind the order’s 800 years of existence was God’s presence in its ministry.

“We stayed this long because we are faithful to our mission. From the very beginning when the Order was founded it’s really clear that we have to preach the Word of God as Jesus commanded his apostles. At the same time, we do this preaching for the salvation of souls,” he said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

binuhos ng todo kung paano [dapat] maglaro, [‘yung] resulta magiging basehan. Dapat handa lang every time, part naman ‘yun ng pagiging athlete.

In-accept lang naming ang lahat kahit sobrang masakit sa kalooban but I know [there’s’ a good reason why it happened,” Rondina said.

With the general championship race tied at 137 between UST and the De La Salle University, the University could still snatch the first place should the Growling Tigers win the title and La Salle’s women’s basketball team settle for second place. UST would then finish the first semester with 152 points while La Salle would be trailing with 149 points. C.A. CASINGCASING and J.C.P.

Judokas

FAJARDO

mga mahahalagang saliksik sa larangan ng Biology.

Kinilala rin siya bilang honorary fellow ng Indian Mycology Society.

Tinanggap rin ni Dela Cruz ang mga susumunod na parangal: Mycological Society of America-Martin-Baker Research Award, UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme-Young Scientist Award, at American Society for Microbiology-UNESCO Leadership Grant for International Educators.

MARIA KOREENA M. ESLAVA

Tomasalitaan Ta n g o n g i t i k (PNG) - pangakong hindi natutupad.

Hal. Malapit na ang eleksiyon. Kaliwa’t kanan na naman ang tangongitik ng mga pulitiko.

Mga Sanggunian The Varsitarian: Tomo XL Blg. 24, Enero 28, 1969 TOTAL Awards Souvenir Program 2011

Tomasino Siya Alam n’yo bang isang Tomasino ang patuloy na gumagawa ng ngalan sa larang ng siyensiya?

Bilang isang microbiologist, personal na layunin ni Dr. Thomas Edison dela Cruz, pangulo ng UST Department of Biological Sciences, na mapalawig ang fungal biodiversity conservation sa bansa. Kabilang sa kaniyang mga hangarin ang maturuan ng agham ang mga bata sa murang edad.

Taong 1996 nang magtapos si Dela Cruz ng BS Microbiology at taong 1999 ng MS Biological Science sa Unibersidad. Nagtapos naman siya ng Doctor of Natural Sciences sa Technical University Braunschweig sa Germany.

Bukod sa pagiging isang senior faculty researcher, si Dela Cruz rin ang kasalukuyang pinuno ng Fungal Biodeivesity and Systematics (FBS) group ng Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences ng Unibersidad.

Ginawad kay Dela Cruz ang Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Prize for Young Scientist in the Philippines noong 36th Annual Scientific Meeting of the National Academy of Sciences and Technology (NAST) bilang pagkilala sa kaniyang

Founding of the order The Order of Preachers was founded by St. Dominic de Guzman of Caleruega, Spain in the 1200s, and was confirmed in 1216 by Pope Honorius II. The first Dominicans to arrive

FROM PAGE 11

all three matches. The Male Judokas would have been crowned champions for the second straight time if they won at least two of those matches.

In those gold medal bouts, Male Judoka Jolo Atienza (-90kg) suffered an Ippon throwdown by Ateneo’s Ramon Santiago, while teammates Robert Quito (-81kg) and Joaquin Miciano (-100kg) lost via penalty and Waza-ari(half a point), respectively.

Only Russel Lorenzo (-55kg), who edged out fellow Thomasian Daryl Mercado in the opening day,

in the Philippines were Cristobal de Salvatierra and Domingo de Salazar, first bishop of Manila, in 1581. A larger group of Dominican missionaries arrived in 1587.

Filipino Dominicans formed their own province in 1971, separating from the Spanish missionary province of the Holy Rosary.

The Filipino Dominicans run 16 convents, including the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas in UST and Santo Domingo Convent in Quezon City.

They administer the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag in Pangasinan, which was recently declared a basilica minore and an affiliate of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

The Dominicans also run more than 10 educational institutions in the country, including the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas. K.N.A. SEVILLA AND L.M.P. VICENCIO

managed to claim a gold medal.

Karl Navarro (-66kg) also settled for silver while Dither Tablan (+100kg), Renzo Cazeñas (-90kg), Nikole Ong (-81kg) and Lucky Flores (-73kg) all took home bronze medals.

Last year’s MVP and three-time gold medalist Al Llamas (-60kg) settled for bronze after suffering an Ippon defeat against UE’s Khalid Macadagdag in the semifinals.

“Mataas ‘yung expectation, pero wake-up call ito para sa akin,” Llamas said.

The Male Judokas still lead the overall-title tally, with 10 titles, followed by Ateneo’s seven championships.

10 Limelight

NOVEMBER 27, 2015

Art Director: Ava Mariangela C. Victoria

BEN N' VIDES BY KIRSTEN M. JAMILLA

USTIPS BY FREYA D.L.R. TORRES

TOMAS U. SANTOS BY IAIN RAFAEL N. TYAPON

Editorial

FROM PAGE 4

several years in the Shell, MADE, AAP Annual, GSIS, Petron and other important art contests. Heck, UST has not been winning even in its own UST On-the-Spot Painting Contest! But CFAD has chosen to dig its heels on such paltry matters as hair style.

It is laughable that the local SWDB mentions afro as one of the banned hairstyles for two reasons: one, the name of the style obviously draws from “African,” thus making fun of the kinky hair of our African brethren, and also thus betraying the SWDB’s lack of “political correctness” or at the least, Catholic “intercultural tact.” (Whatever

Conversations FROM PAGE 6

has a significant effect on the “art of conversation,” especially in a generation which is seemingly dependent on smartphones.

“Confrontations, talking, using your vocal chords, using your body to communicate is now becoming a lost art because of [our dependence to technology],” he said.

Aside from the blurring lines of social etiquette in using phones while in the company of others, people are also losing their ability to narrate, Gonzaga said.

“The way we do it at present becomes impersonal compared from before,” he said. “It takes courage to talk face to face. The medium (smartphones) could create a buffer that could shield you from mistakes or if you’re showing signs of insecurities.”

However, Batan explained

Congress FROM PAGE 8

congress is to realize that indeed in Christ is our hope. Christ is present in many ways, but above all in the Eucharist. We will realize the social dimension of the Eucharist.

We are needed to engage in a mission through dialogue with the poor, youth, with culture and other religions,” Palma said Why Cebu was chosen For the year 2016, the Church

Tigresses

has happened to the contextual theology supposedly promoted by the Dominicans!). And second, if one would look at the Thomasian Yearbooks of the 1970’s, one would find graduates from the UST Central Seminary sporting the afro and other “groovy” styles. Many of those graduates with un-“neat” and un-“clean” haircuts have since become bishops, such as Fr. Oscar Solis, now the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the first Filipino priest to be elevated to the American episcopacy.

Come to think of it, Jesus Christ wore long hair!

The Lord’s example should indicate that hair styles are determined by age, aesthetics, taste, history, and the generations—a gamut of issues that should

preoccupy more Ricky Reyes’ hair institute rather than the Pontifical University.

Moreover, while the SWDB declares ex-cathedra certain hair styles as anathema, it asks the security guards of CFAD to enforce its capricious policies. Blue guards have more pressing security matters to attend to, but in having been given the responsibility to decide which haircut to ban and corollarily, which students to refuse admittance, they have been practically authorized to classify students as “security risks.”

But students are not criminals or terrorists. In addition, students are clients of UST; their parents and guardians have paid tuition. For UST to ban tuition-paying students from attending their classes just because certain administrators and

teachers don’t like their hair style smacks of estafa!

Ironically enough, over at the Faculty of Arts and Letters, Dean Michael M. Vasco has outdone CFAD as far as “painting” is concerned by saying he would allow outlandish hair colors as blonde, burgundy and brown, and would allow male students with long hair, as long as they look “neat.”

His pronouncement hasn’t exactly shaken social media, but at least he has followed the “liberal” tradition fostered by his predecessors who by and large have applied wisely to UST’s student grooming policy the spirit of the English idiom sired by George Eliot in her immortal novel, The Mill on the Floss: “Do not judge a book by its cover.”

that personal conversations cannot be romanticized in such a way to consider them as “dying.”

He added that to argue about the “death of conversation” would strike a lengthy discussion in the academe, especially whether or not a person’s dependence on technology can “kill” conversations or simply enhance them.

“One cannot really say what is happening, because it’s an issue of meaning. One can have different views of what is happening to the world, but yes, we [are starting to have] shifting [lifestyles],” Batan said.

Admittedly, Desingaño said that he himself cannot refrain from checking his phone every once in a while because important messages or announcements might arrive.

“I need this, too,” he said.

“No one can survive without a smartphone nowadays.” MIA

Archbishops

It also denounced moves by international organizations to pressure countries into introducing laws allowing marriage between people of the same sex.

“The Church repeats that every person, independently of his sexual tendency, is to be respected in his dignity and welcomed with respect, careful to avoid ‘every sign of unjust discrimination,’” Paragraph 76 stated, quoting the Catechism.

Valles called on the faithful to be Christ-like in treating homosexuals and to constantly remind them that they are still members of the Church.

“There were very strong reminders that they are still part of the Church community. In many aspects, we should do our best to be Christ-like, and not be condemning and discriminatory, but to allow them in many aspects of the life of the Church,” Valles said.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, another synod participant, said homosexuals should be treated with friendship and guidance.

“The people within the

community and the Church should give them the non-judgmental attitude and the accompaniment, and should become their friends and their guide as they search for meaning in their life,” the Cebu prelate said in a phone interview.

According to the Vatican’s documents on IECs, reevangelization was the central objective of the 33rd congress, which was attended by 1.5 million pilgrims from all over the world.

A report by Fr. Lawrence Bunzel, S.V.D. posted on the blog philippineromancatholic.blogspot. com narrated how communists tried to undermine the Manila IEC in 1937.

“The communists of Tondo told the people to boycott the Congress by not decorating their houses. The communists threatened to burn all

houses that would be decorated.

The people were afraid to decorate, except one family in the heart of the suburb,” the priest wrote. Fire later destroyed Tondo, except the house that had decorations.

The first eucharistic congress was held in the 19th century, amid advances by Protestant missionaries.

Organized by Gaston de Segur, a French bishop, it was held in Lille, France on June 21, 1881. The congresses were originally meant to gather local residents, but eventually grew in importance in the universal Church. M.D.L. MACALINO

ROSIENNA P. MALLARI

decided to hold the IEC in an Asian country.

Palma said the capacity to organize and welcome delegates from other countries in an open manner was among the reasons Cebu, the country’s “cradle of faith,” was chosen by the Vatican to hold the event.

“We are now Eucharistic apostles who can bring the love for the Eucharist in other countries.

Filipinos have become missionaries who must not only think of growing as Catholics in the country but also disciples of Jesus and sharers of

FROM PAGE 8

attended by 200 bishops from all over the world.

At the conclusion of the synod, Pope Francis said the gathering was not about settling issues about families, but attempting to see them in the light of the Gospel.

“Surely it was not about finding exhaustive solutions for all the difficulties and uncertainties which challenge and threaten the family, but rather about seeing these difficulties and uncertainties in the light of the Faith, carefully studying them and confronting them fearlessly, without burying our heads in the sand,” Pope Francis said.

No ‘unjust discrimination’ The Synod also called for openness to homosexual individuals.

The document emphasized the importance of each person regardless of his or her sexual orientation. faith to other people,” he said.

The Philippines had the most number of delegates in the 2012 IEC in Dublin, Ireland. Palma, then president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, headed the Philippine delegation.

1937 IEC in Manila The Philippines is no stranger to IECs. The country hosted the 33rd International Eucharistic Congress on Feb. 3 to 7, 1937 at Luneta Park in Manila, with the theme, “The Eucharistic Apostolate in the Mission.”

FROM PAGE 11

The Tigresses missed the services of sharpshooters Shanda Anies, who was out with a head injury, and Jhenn Angeles, who is still hampered by knee and foot problems.

Team captain Cortes, who had a prolific season as a double-double machine, said their missed chances that may have changed the outcome of the season.

“Para sa akin, masakit, sobrang sakit (ang pagtatapos ng season). Kasi siguro naman, nasa amin (graduating players) ang pagkakamali, dahil buong season, hindi namin naibigay ang buong kakayahan namin o nagkamali. Dahil kami ang veterans, dapat kami ang aasahan ng team,” Cortes said.

Filipino perspective Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle reiterated the importance of preserving the family in a theological forum on the synod at Ateneo de Manila last Nov. 10.

“The Synod realized the fragility of the contemporary family.

And at the same time, the Synod celebrated the strength, the nobility of families,” he said.

“I emphasized the socioeconomic context, and even the political battles being waged in different countries and how they impacted the family. This is not an external context when you come from a developing country. Poverty hits the heart of the family,” the cardinal added.

Acting Editor: Delfin Ray M. Dioquino

Sports 11

NOVEMBER 27, 2015

Lady Judokas still queens of UAAP

By JOHN CHESTER P. FAJARDO

THE LADY Judokas took home their second straight title with a landslide victory over the University of the East in the UAAP Season 78 championships at the La Salle Greenhills from Nov. 17 to 18.

But their male counterparts were dethroned by Ateneo.

The Lady Judokas won six out of 10 gold medal matches and added four silver and three bronze medals against the UE Warriors, who placed second with 24 points.

UST has won five of the last six women’s title and now has a total of eight championships.

The Lady Judokas are the second winningest squad behind the University of the Philippines which has 12 championships. UP finished third this season.

“Inspiration namin ‘yung natalo kami. Coming from a threepeat, noong season 76 lumagapak kami sa fourth [place.] Kailangan naming bumaba sa lupa para ma-realize namin kung ano ‘yung mga pagkakamali namin,” Lady Judokas coach Gerard Arce said.

Philippine National Games medalist and Rookie of the Year awardee Miam Salvador (-44kg) opened the gold-medal haul for UST with an Ippon (whole point) victory over UE’s Regine Laudino in the first day.

UST then secured the -52kg and -48kg titles as Sueko Kinjho and Season 78 Most Valuable Player Khrizzie Pabulayan defeated their teammates Almira Ruiz and Kimberly Pantoja, respectively.

Lorelie Tolentino (-57kg) bagged another gold in the second day in another all-Thomasian championship match after outhustling Tracy Jean Honorio.

Lady Judoka Eunice Lucero (-70kg) secured another top-ofthe-podium finish with an emphatic Ippon takedown over University of the Philippines’ Dywnlyn Keith Gimena, while Aislinn Agnes Yap edged out University of the East’s Bianca Estrella to rule the -78kg category.

Jamaika Ponciano (+78kg) added a silver while Judokas Ednorly San Andres (-63kg), Khrisna Lynd Rotairo (-78kg) and Alexis Belen (-48kg) bagged bronze medals.

The Male Judokas finished with 45 points; Ateneo had 61.

UST faced the Blue Eagles thrice for the gold medal and lost

Judokas PAGE 9

Tracy Homario (right) trashes her opponent en route to an all-Thomasian gold medal game. The Lady Judokas bagged six gold medals.

ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN

Growling Tigresses miss semifinals berth UAAP calendar shift benefits UST teams in overall title defense

By PHILIP MARTIN L. MATEL

THE UST Tigresses failed to notch a semifinals spot for the first time in three years following a 53-64 overtime loss in their door-die game against the Ateneo Lady Eagles in the UAAP Season 78 women’s basketball tournament held at the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym last Nov. 18.

The Tigresses finished fifth place with a 6-9 record.

After forcing overtime, the Tigresses ran out of steam and blew

their chance to take the lead after missing all of their four fastbreak layup attempts.

The Tigresses trimmed Ateneo’s 16-point lead to six at the start of the fourth quarter, 34-40, after a furious 17-7 run led

by Misaela Larosa and team captain Maica Cortes.

The momentum continued

The UST Tigresses succumb to Ateneo Lady Eagles in a do-or-die match and landed at fifth place, their worst finish in three years.

to shift toward the Tigresses who tied the game at 44 with 5:08 remaining in the fourth quarter courtesy of Bettina Peñaflor’s putback.

Hazelle Yam gave the Lady Eagles a 5048 lead after a fastbreak layup with 1:21 left in the game. Peñaflor banked a game-tying shot with 4.7 ticks remaining in regulation to force an extra period.

Yam took charge for Ateneo, scoring 10 straight points in overtime, including two consecutive three-pointers, to give the Lady Eagles a 60-51 lead with under a minute remaining in the game. “‘Yung momentum, nasa atin na. Kung naka-abantetayo kahit isa lang sa apat na layup, atin ang laro. Exhausted na rin sila noong overtime,” Tigresses head coach Chris Cantonjos told the Varsitarian.

Peñaflor paced the Tigresses with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Graduating players Cortes, Candice Magdaluyo, and Sofia Felisarta scored 10, 4, and 3 markers, respectively.

Yam led Ateneo with 26 points, while Danica Jose had 15 points and 19 rebounds.

Tigresses PAGE 10

Laure sisters make waves in collegiate, HS volleyball

By CARLO A. CASINGCASING SISTERS EJ and Eya Laure proved bloodlines could be a factor in breeding top-caliber players as they both provide firepower to their respective teams.

Playing as a sophomore for the UST Golden Tigresses, EJ played like a veteran and led her team in scoring in the 12th Shakey’s V-League Collegiate Conference with 190 points in 14 matches for the second Best Open spikeraward behind Most Valuable Player Alyssa Valdez.

EJ finished the tournament with 13.6 points per game and had her season-high game after torching the College of Saint Benilde Lady Blazers with 23 points last Aug. 25. Veterans Pamela Lastimosa and Carmela Tunay averaged 8.2 and 11.5, respectively.

Junior Golden Tigresses captain Eya did wonders for her

team and bagged the MVP award even if UST finished second behind defending champions National University (NU) Lady Bullpups.

She led the charge for the Junior Golden Tigresses with 241 points in 15 matches played including the semifinals and finals series.

Eya averages 16.06 points per game and recorded a gamehigh 27 points in a four-set loss against NU in the eliminations round last Sept. 13.

Golden Tigresses and Junior Tigresses head coach Emilio Reyes Jr. said the Laure sisters’ will to win and innate leadership play a pivotal role in boosting the team morale for their respective squads’ success.

“Pareho silang may magandang pundasyon. Si Eya, mas kumpleto, puwedeng magset at puwedeng pumalo. Si EJ, maasahan naman sa depensa at

atake,” Reyes told the Varsitarian.

The open hitters are daughters of former Adamson Falcon and PBA player Eddie Laure, who suited up for Alaska Aces.

“Nasa dugo rin kasi nila [ang pagiging athlete]. Bukod sa akin, pag-uwi sa bahay andoon si Eddie para mag-guide—kung paanong disiplina ang gagawin,” Reyes said.

Aside from being the go-togirls of their teams, EJ and Eyaalso became part of the in-transition national team. EJ played in the Asian Volleyball Championships (AVC) Under-23 competition last May while Eya showed her wares in the AVC Under-17 tournament last October.

At their young age, EJ and Eya’s volleyball career are already decorated. EJ was the Best Scorer in the 11th Shakey’s V-League Collegiate Conference, Rookie of the Year in the UAAP Season 77 women’s volleyball tournament,

Season 76 girls’ volleyball MVP and Best Attacker, Season 75 Best Receiver and Season 74 Best Server, while Eya was named Season 77 Best Attacker and received the Best Setter award in Season 76.

EJ said aside from her passion for the sport, her desire to win drives her to be relentless inside the court. “[I think of] my love ones kasi they always motivate me in everything I do and I want to make them all proud of where I am right now,” the 5-foot-9 open spiker said.

EJ also recognized her sister’s MVP-caliber showing in the girls’ tournament.

“She is doing great. I think she can play in the collegiate level and she has a heart and determination of a champion. She isn’t afraid of any challenge,” EJ said.

Laure PAGE 5

THE SHIFT in academic calendar, which also adjusted the UAAP schedule, provided extra training and recovery time for UST athletes, who now sit at the top of the overall ranking.

With five out of eight participating schools adjusting their academic calendars, host University of the Philippines moved the schedule of the UAAP Season 78 two months later than the usual July opening.

If last year’s schedule was adapted, the basketball championships should have been done by now and the second semester tournaments should have started already.

This change proved pivotal in UST’s overall championship campaign especially for the men’s basketball team, which is now in the Finals after an injury-plagued season 77.

The Growling Tigers would have entered the season without the services of two-time Mythical Five member Karim Abdul, who suffered a knee injury last summer, if the tournament commenced in July. “[Noong] July, si Karim (Abdul) hindi pa makatalon at makatakbo,” UST Growling Tigers conditioning coach Kris Anthony Agarao told the Varsitarian.

The two-month layoff gave extra recovery time for other injured Tigers like veterans Kevin Ferrer (ankle), Louie Vigil (hip), and Ed Daquioag (ankle), Renzo Subido (knee), and rookies Jeepy Faundo (knee), Kyle Suarez (knee), and Mario Bonleon (knee).

“Sa pananaw ko siguro iba ang posisyon natin in terms of standing [kung nag-start ang season ng maaga,]” Agarao said.

‘On the right track’ Rodrigo Sambuang, UST athletic moderator, commended the athletes for adjusting well with the academic calendar shift.

“As of now, tingin ko maganda naman ‘yung tinatakbo natin despite the schedule adjustment, kaso leading pa rin ang La Salle.

Maganda naman ‘yung performance especially ng men’s taekwando and poomsae. We are on the right track pa rin naman sa UAAP,” Sambuang said.

The Tiger Jins also benefited from the adjustment as they grabbed gold medals in the men’s taekwando and poomsae championships.

The champions dominated various pre-season tournaments, including the Hangnadam Taekwando Meet in South Korea and the National Poomsae Taekwando Championship 2015 where poomsae captain Jo Ninoblawon gold medals.

These events helped the Tiger Jins set their

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