The Varsitarian P.Y. 2015-2016 Issue 05

Volume LXXXVII, No. 5 • December 15, 2015 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF SANTO TOMAS Manila, Philippines

2 News

Editors: Dayanara T. Cudal and Danielle Ann F. Gabriel

DECEMBER 15, 2015

Pacucoa: UST is best Philippine university

THE UNIVERSITY has maintained its position as the educational institution with the most number of accredited programs in the country.

UST received five awards during the 26th annual general assembly and awarding ceremonies of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (Pacucoa) last Dec. 1 at the City of Dreams in Parañaque.

UST was awarded for having the highest number of Level III and Level IV accredited programs in the Philippines, and for having the highest number of accredited programs in both the National Capital Region and in the country.

The University was also cited for having the first food technology program to be granted Level IV accredited status.

UST has 11 programs with Level IV status, the highest rank that can be obtained by an educational institution from Pacucoa, while six programs have Level III accreditation.

Level IV programs will have full autonomy from government regulators for the duration of the Level IV accredited status, which is until 2019.

“As an awardee of Pacucoa, we have been privileged to be (given this honor as the institution with the most number of accredited programs) for years. We are sustaining the good culture that we have already developed over the years,” Clarita Carillo, vice rector for academic affairs, said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Carillo, who received the awards with some college deans, said the University adhered to the nine areas set by Pacucoa as guide for assessment.

The nine areas are purpose and objectives, faculty, instruction, library, laboratory, physical plant and facilities, student personnel services, social orientation and community involvement, and administration and organization.

UST has a total 37 accredited programs, followed by the University of Mindanao and Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas with 30 and 28 accredited programs, respectively.

Last Oct. 16, Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. said in his Rector’s Report that obtaining accreditation served as a validation of the University’s accomplishments in instruction, research and community service as well as high passing rates in licensure exams. DAYANARA T. CUDAL and ALHEX ADREA M. PERALTA

EdTech to launch ‘cloud’ services next semester SOON, class records and teaching modules will be available in the “cloud.”

The Educational Technology Center (EdTech) is set to upgrade to cloud services and virtual classroom technology as part of a digital transition.

EdTech Center Director Anna Cherylle Ramos said using the cloud would make it easier to store digital academic resources.

Cloud storage is a mode of digital data storage that keeps a user’s data available and accessible with the help of computer networking.

Ramos warned of the vulnerability of digital resources stored in servers inside the UST campus.

“Let’s say UST encounters flood incidents, the University will not face problems regarding the resources because they are saved in the cloud,” Ramos said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Cloud storage is expected to be used in UST by January 2016, with the main cloud hosting site located in Singapore. Other hosting sites in Germany, Switzerland and Brazil will serve as back-up.

Ramos admitted that there were also security problems with cloud technology, but the benefits of the system outweighed the risks.

“We know security is an issue but we don’t want to be left behind by the current delivery system,” Ramos said.

Virtual classroom possible Ramos also bared plans to launch Blackboard Collaborate, a module of the online learning management system Blackboard Learn, which would make virtual classrooms possible.

Blackboard Learn, known in UST as the E-Learning Access Program or eLeAP, was developed by the Washington-based educational technology company Blackboard Inc. With Blackboard Collaborate, professors EdTech PAGE 5

UnionBank chair: ‘Bring humanity back into capitalism’ THE CHAIRMAN and chief executive officer of one of the country’s leading banks encouraged Thomasians to “bring humanity back into capitalism” as he received an honorary doctorate from UST for his contributions to the field of commerce and banking.

“I encourage all to teach young people by example. That if we hold justness at par with profit, we gain back what is more valuable, our humanity,” said Justo Ortiz in his address during the solemn investiture rites at the Medicine Auditorium last Dec. 11.

Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. cited UnionBank for its role in the digitization of the groundbreaking Lumina Pandit exhibit of the UST Miguel de Benavides Library in 2011, which involved a grant of P50 million.

“Mr. Ortiz puts high premium on institutional heritage and national memory. For him the past is a vast story of cultural truths and timeless memories,” Fr. Dagohoy said.

Ortiz was one of the youngest Filipino officers of Citibank. He was tapped by the Aboitiz group to head UnionBank at the age of 35.

As philanthropist, Ortiz spearheaded the UnionBank learning systems program which has donated 2.5 million books to Grade 2 pupils nationwide.

Ortiz is the second recipient of an honoris causa doctorate

this year, following Mercury Drug Corp. founder Mariano Que last September.

The University confers honorary degrees on those who have attained exceptionally meritorious achievements

in the arts, sciences, the humanities and public service, in accordance with the rules and conditions established by the Commission in Higher Education.

CLARENCE I. HORMACHUELOS

REVOLUTIONARY. UnionBank Chairman Justo Ortiz receives an honorary doctorate for revolutionalizing the Philippine banking industry last Dec. 11 at the Medicine Auditorium.

AMPARO KLARIN J. MANGOROBAN

UST confers Golden Cross on US philanthropist THE UNIVERSITY has conferred the Golden Cross Award, one of the highest distinctions given by UST, on the owner of the largest hearing aid manufacturer in the United States.

William Franklin Austin, founder of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, was recognized for improving the lives of individuals with hearing disabilities.

R e c t o r Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. said Austin’s advocacy

brought people closer to each other. “[UST confers this award on Mr. Austin] for his invaluable contribution to humanity, his advocacy of philanthropic work and leadership in corporate social responsibility,” Fr. Dagohoy said in the awarding ceremonies on Nov. 27 at the Buenaventura G. Paredes, O.P. Building.

Austin said service to others had always been part of his life, and that he looked forward to bringing more help to people with hearing disabilities. “[I] thought that before I die there would not be children in the world who have not had the chance to hear and learn and be part of life,” Austin said in his acceptance speech.

The Starkey Hearing Foundation, established in 1984, is a non-profit foundation that conducts missions around the world. In the last 31 years, it has given more than 1.8 million hearing aids to several countries including the Philippines.

Austin

In 2010, the foundation distributed more than 4,000 hearing aids in the country for the UST Quadricentennial project “400 years, 4,000 ears.”

Austin pursued a degree in Medicine at the University of Minnesota in the United States, supporting himself by making ear molds in a local hearing aid repair shop.

Later, he discontinued medical school and worked full-time in sales.

He then purchased a small ear mold company in 1970 and turned it into the Starkey Hearing Technologies, now the largest hearing aid manufacturer in the United States and the third largest in the world.

The UST Golden Cross is the highest award given by the University to individuals who excel in the arts, humanities and sciences, or those who have distinguished themselves by their “total commitment to the service of mankind.”

Previous recipients of the Golden Cross include Mother Teresa, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Philippine presidents Corazon Aquino and Diosdado Macapagal, Carlos Romulo, and Irina Bokova, director general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

ALHEX ADREA M. PERALTA

Usapang Uste Parangal-pampanitikan ng Unibersidad UST tops BAGO pa man maitatag ang taunang parangal pampanitikan ng Varsitarian na Gawad Ustetika, mayroon nang patimpalakpampanitikan sa Unibersidad.

Taong 1769 nang dumating sa bansa si Fr. Salvador Llosent na naatasang panghawakan ang posisyong professorial chair of humanities ng Unibersidad.

Tungkulin niyang payabungin ang mga klase ng humanidades sa UST. Sa ilalim ng kaniyang panunungkulan, yumabong sa 220 ang mag-aaral sa humanities— ang pinakamalaking klase sa Unibersidad noon.

Anim na taon makaraan nang kaniyang pagdating, itinatag niya ang Certamen Literario (patimpalak pampanitikan) noong ika-7 ng Marso 1775 sa pista ni Santo Tomas de Aquino.

Isinagawa ang patimpalak sa publiko. Nagsilbing eksamen ang nasabing patimpalak para sa mga mag-aaral ng retorika, panitikan, humanidades at balarila.

Mahigit 100 na mag-aaral na may-alam sa panitikang Espanyol at Latin ang lumahok sa patimpalak. Pinangkat sa tatlo hanggang sampu ang mga kalahok na mayroong iba’t ibang gawain: ang ilan isinalin ang Aeneid ni Virgil; ang iba lumikha ng mga berso mula sa mga akda ni Cicero; at ang iba pa itinanghal ang Poetic Art ni Horace sa entablado.

Naitago naman sa isang koleksiyon ang mga hindi nailimbag na akda at likhang panitikan ng mga estudyante ni Llosent noong taong 1770 hanggang 1772.

Sa kasalukuyan, ang Gawad Ustetika ng Varsitarian ang pinakamatagal nang campus literary derby sa bansa na nasa ika-31 nitong taon ngayon.

Tomasino siya Alam n’yo bang isang Tomasinong imigrante ang nasa likod ng pinamalaking kompanya ng canned tuna sa bansa?

Si Ricardo Sy Po, mas kilala bilang “Tuna King” o “Mr. Tuna,” ang utak sa likod ng mga delata ng Century Tuna, Argentina Corned Beef at 555 sardines.

Purong Intsik si Po na Usapang Uste PAHINA 6

licensure exam for teachers

THE UNIVERSITY grabbed the top spot in the recent licensure examinations for teachers (LET) both in the elementary and secondary level, with one Thomasian entering the top 10 in the elementary level.

UST was declared the top-performing school in the elementary LET after obtaining a 96.21 percent passing rate. A total of 127 passed the test out of 132 Thomasian examinees.

In the secondary level, UST posted a 94.92 percent passing rate, with 168 Thomasians making the cut out of 177.

Marie Selene Dominique Galvan Estaris led the new batch of Thomasian elementary teachers, securing the third spot with a score of 86.20 percent.

She was tied with Airah Murielle de Guzman Antonio of Jose Rizal University and Teachers PAGE 5

Editor: Mary Gillan Frances G. Ropero

DECEMBER 15, 2015

Special Reports 3

Miriam, Bongbong top UST survey SEN. MIRIAM Defensor-Santiago is the top choice of Thomasians in next year’s presidential election, based on a survey conducted by the Varsitarian.

Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. topped the survey for vice presidential candidates with 29 percent.

The survey was conducted from Oct. 26 to Dec. 10, with 1,366 respondents randomly selected through the cluster sampling method.

Respondents were asked who they would vote for president and vice president if elections were held on the day of the survey.

Santiago, who claims she has recovered from Stage 4 lung cancer, emerged on top with 66 percent, while 17 percent of the respondents were yet to make up their mind.

Liberal Party standard bearer Mar Roxas placed third with 8 percent while Sen. Grace Poe, who has been disqualified by two Commission on Elections division, was at fourth spot with 5 percent.

Vice President Jejomar Binay got 3 percent.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was not included in the survey because the questionnaires had been prepared before he announced his presidential run. Still, four respondents picked him.

In the vice presidential race, Marcos, eldest son of the late dictator, got 29 percent.

Twenty percent of the respondents picked no vice presidential contender.

Roxas’ running mate, Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo, placed third with 17 percent followed by Sen. Francis Escudero with 15 percent.

Duterte’s running mate, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, got 13 percent, while Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV had 4 percent. PAUL XAVIER JAEHWA C. BERNARDO, MONICA M. HERNANDEZ, and MARY GILLAN FRANCES G. ROPERO

Broader ‘internationalization’ sought for students, faculty DESPITE recognition as a premiere Philippine university, UST still needs to improve its curriculum and offer niche programs to attain international standards for quality education.

Office of International Relations and Programs Director Lilian Sison said upgrades and changes in the curriculum as well as additional scholarship programs were needed to maximize opportunities for students.

“There should be something done in the curriculum for global learning so other students get exposed,” Sison said.

Early this year, UST received a four-star rating in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) “Stars University Rating” system. The University recorded a perfect five-star rating in four of the eight

criteria, namely: employability, facilities, engagement, and access, and four stars in the teaching category. It received a three-star rating in the internationalization criteria and one star for specialist criteria and research.

Sison defined internationalization as “mobility of students and mobility of professors.”

“Student representatives sent abroad are just small in number compared to the whole population of students in UST,” Sison said.

According to UST data sent to the QS, 73 percent of 790 international students were taking undergraduate degrees while 27 percent were in the

graduate school.

According to Sison, teaching strategies, content of the curriculum, assessment, extracurricular activities and leadership should be considered in developing UST’s global competitiveness.

The latest annual report released by Sison’s office showed that the number of inbound students went up to 241 from 88 during the academic years 20122013 and 2014-2015, equivalent to a 174-percent increase in the total number of visiting foreign

students. South Korea, Thailand and Australia were the top countries.

The office also recorded a 318-percent increase in the number of outbound students, from 55 to 230 in the past three years. A total of 190 students represented UST in international conferences and leadership camps last academic year.

UST also signed 93 memoranda of understanding last year to boost its internationalization program.

Globalization with localization Sison said UST was on equal footing with the rest of the “big four universities” when it comes to internationalization.

“With the other [top three universities], I do not think we have any edge over them. We are more comprehensive in terms of

programs,” Sison said.

In terms of local competency, Sison said UST must offer niche programs to showcase its strengths, and to “really identify” what UST is as an academic institution.

Sison said globalized learning was about “crosscultural understanding,” and UST’s approach was to combine localization and global competitiveness.

Sison also said the University was expected to improve services to international students through the mobility of programs and research, international collaboration, dual degree programs and outcomesbased activities.

Cornelia Soto, chairwoman of the Ateneo de Manila University Department of Education, said interns from their institution receive good feedback from their Broader PAGE 5

4 Opinion

DECEMBER 15, 2015

Editorial

Do they know it’s Christmas?

FILIPINO Catholics may celebrate what they brag to be the longest Christmas holidays in the world, but they seem averse to the worldwide persecution of Christians, especially those right in Asia Minor where Christ was born.

In the Middle East, a Christian dies every five minutes, according to a report by the Catholic News Agency. Vatican analyst and journalist John Allen wrote that 11 Christians are killed per hour, per day, for the last 10 years. The situation has since escalated due to the increasing Islamic extremism in the area.

Early this year, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) released a video showing the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya for the express reason of practicing the Christian faith. The video caused uproar around the world, prompting the United Nations Security Council to particularly address the issue.

Pope Francis later on described the massacre as a “testimony that cries out” and that everyone is a brother in the Christian faith—may it be Catholic, Coptic, or Orthodox among others.

The European refugee crisis owes to Christians and Arabs displaced by the Islamic State campaigns in the Levant. Ancient Eastern Christian churches, many of them with ties to the Catholic Church in Rome, have felt the brunt of the Isis campaigns as whole populations of them have been killed, evicted, pillaged. Christian hierarchs and patriarchs have expressed wish for the Christian communities to remain, but they said they cannot stop them because to do so would expose them to genocide. So they’re trying to assist them to seek safer havens in Kurdish Iraq or elsewhere. They want Europe and the US to give the refugees visas but only Germany seems welcoming.

Elsewhere in the world, Christians face persecutions especially in Christians where they are a minority or where the regimes are outrightly atheistic and hostile to any religion.

Some, 200 million Christians in over 60 countries around the world face some degree of restriction, discrimination or outright persecution, according to the Guardian of England In Asia, North Korea is considered as the most dangerous place for Christians, according to the 2015 Open Doors World Watch list. Christians in North Korea are often sent to prison camps for possessing Bibles and are prohibited from practicing their faith. A Washington Post article last September said an estimated 12,000 Christians are imprisoned in North Korea.

Other countries, such as China, are also strengthening their non-tolerance of the Christian Editorial PAGE 14

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.

Shallow media and its repercussions YOU REAP what you sow.

The biblical saying has a bearing on how Filipinos have invested their time and money on television, the so-called boob tube. After nearly two generations for example of brainless noontime shows, trite melodramas, and innocuous entertainment, the Philippines has become a nation of shallow entertainment and circus freakdom.

The shallowness has become so unremitting that there have been attempts even among the intelligentsia and even the Catholic establishment to defend the so-called “Dubsmash” duo of one TV network as harmless, pure entertainment, even defending that the segment promotes and revives traditional Filipino morals, as if this part makes up for the fact that the show revolves around silliness and stupidity.

No matter how many times we dissect this phenomenon, we will always go back to square one, banking on the vulnerable feelings of ‘kilig’ of teenagers, middle-aged women, and even grandmothers., as well as the overall mediocrity and

If the normal Filipino, can invest his time in shallow matters, why can’t he also invest in the matters that make a difference in the country? even utter crassness of mass taste that has been fostered by television where competition merely impels broadcasters to seek the common denominator of bottomless stupidity.

If you don’t find yourself going gaga about the lip-syncwonder duo, you can always switch channels and watch that legendary comedian insult yet another helpless soul on national television.

Again, I understand that some individuals only watch these noontime shows to escape their mundane daily routines, or maybe coincidentally, it just happened that the carinderia where they have lunch are solid supporters of either show.

Meanwhile, some spend

hundreds of pesos watching and re-watching the worst films modern Filipino cinema has to offer: same actors, same scripts, same recycled stories, and same cliché endings.

If this isn’t bad enough, these rotten tomatoes have a Christmas reunion in the form of the Metro Manila Film Festival. Of course, again, one may argue that the yuletide season screams for happiness, so why should we burden ourselves by watching history films among other hard-hitting topics for movies?

And how on earth was Donnalyn Bartolome able to make a dent on the Filipino music scene with the song, “Kakaibabe?” But of

course, why would people listen to unpopular, yet brilliantly composed songs by independent artists when they could just mindlessly enjoy the youth and wit that is Donnalyn Bartolome?

Maybe some are already raising their eyebrows, thinking “kanya-kanyang trip lang ‘yan.”

But if people can spend time to watch asinine television shows, then they can probably spare a few minutes to watch a documentary on topics such as politics, war, and climate change, among others. If people can line up for blockbuster remakes and sequels at the movie house, maybe they can also find the time to visit Filipino film classics such as masterpieces created by Lino Brocka and Brillante Mendoza.

If the normal Filipino, can invest his time in shallow matters, why can’t he also invest in the matters that make a difference in the country?

Why is it that when things get remotely serious, Filipinos tend to return to the comfort that is Alden Richards and his Tempus PAGE 14

In victory or defeat, Tigers united UST THE UST Growling Tigers might have fallen short of the coveted championship title in the UAAP men’s basketball competition once again, but what they did this season was a feat that gave us what winning the crown could deliver—revive the Thomasian spirit and unite the Thomasian community.

The Tigers did not even figure among the contenders at the start of the season.

Even less were they expected to reach the Final Four and even the finals.

They were touted by sports analysts to finish the season at the bottom half of the league after a disaster of a campaign last year. But they turned every naysayer into a believer; they defied all the odds and they made us cheer “Go USTe” at our proudest again.

More than the coveted title and the bragging rights that come with it, the Tigers are already champions for proving everybody wrong since most of the people had counted them out even before the season began.

The Tigers, after being beaten and wounded last season, picked themselves up and shocked everybody.

The Tigers made us believe that after falling down, we can always pick ourselves up and come back with finesse.

Every Tiger embodied what “comeback” meant and the Tigers were the perfect epitome of it.

Ed Daquiaog, who was probably an unknown player for some of the UAAP fans, made a name for himself as UST’s new gunner. He even barged into the Mythical Five.

Kevin Ferrer, who watched his team got banged and beaten from the sidelines while nursing an injury last season, came back with fire to anchor the downtrodden Tigers with an MVP-esque campaign.

Marvin Lee, who starred for the FEU Baby Tamaraws and was relegated to Team B in their senior squad, proved that he is worth the roster spot he was deprived of.

UST head coach Bong de la Cruz, after being deemed incompetent to replace the decorated tactician Pido Jarencio, endured all the bashing and regrouped his wards to face the mighty Tamaraws in the last dance of the competition.

I had witnessed how the Tigers came up short of the championship for three times in the last four years and I honestly did not want to live in awe anymore, every time I wonder what could have happened should things had gone a different direction.

Looking back, after two finals mishaps in season 75 and 76 as the Tigers faltered against Ateneo de Manila University and De la Salle University, respectively, the

thought of losing another one was already heartbreaking.

But this time, the whole UST community held their heads up high knowing that there are no “what ifs” in games.

The FEU Tamaraws were simply the best this season as pundits had opined before the opening.

In spite of losing, we have achieved more than what the University is aiming for because with or without the championship, we have become stronger as a family.

We may wear different uniforms and study different programs but, in the end, we are all Thomasians with the blood of a Tiger running in our veins.

The Tigers made us believe that after falling down, we can always pick ourselves up and come back with finesse. They gave us a reason to be prouder of wearing yellow and bearing UST under our names.

Deep in our hearts, we know that the team can finally win it all someday. In the words of Karim Abdul, “It wasn’t meant for us,” but maybe someday, it will be.

Thank you, Tigers for giving us a legendary season.

Opinion 5

DECEMBER 15, 2015

Bring back family dinner this Christmas IN THE thick of the fast-moving world, do Filipino families really take the time to just sit down and have a calm dinner on an ordinary night? Is there real connection between parents and children today or is it all superficial?

For the past years, it would seem like only during special occasions like the eve of Noche Buena and Media Noche are most tables in every home filled to the brim with endless supply of food and conversation.

In the last decade, the Philippines has become the major supplier of labor migrants to over 100 countries. More than 8 million (10%) out of the 85 million Filipinos were working or living abroad and more than three thousand Filipino workers leave the country everyday as Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), hence transnational family has become a norm in the Philippines.

A more pressing concern is with regards to the children left behind. Though there is no systematic data on the number of these children, it is estimated on several studies done by nongovernmental organizations and local government

Broader FROM PAGE 3

partner universities abroad.

One of the internationalization programs of the Ateneo is the Junior Team Abroad, where thirdyear students, mostly from the business management program, are encouraged to train in partner-universities.

Ateneo also focuses on research, which involves a reward system from the school administration. This is because some teachers believe that they come to school to teach and not to do

Taxonomist FROM PAGE 12

Bayreuth, Germany and Université de FrancheComté in France.

Alejandro’s work is focused on discovering and naming species of plants, especially those endemic in the Philippines.

Other than the Gregorio Y. Zara award, Alejandro’s outstanding achievements in research and development has earned him the 2015 Outstanding Scientific Paper Award from the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) for his research on the Molecular Phylogeny of the Philippine genus Bikkia, including the discovery of a new species Bikkia montoyae, in honor of Academician and Director of the DOST-PCHRD Jaime Montoya.

He also received the 2014 Department of Science

Teachers

FROM PAGE 2

Shienna Michelle Verceluz Jorvina of Philippine Normal University–Lopez, Quezon.

Former Varsitarian features writer Mone Virma Ginry Gumapac was among those who passed the secondary level licensure exam.

College of Education Dean Allan de Guzman attributed the University’s performance to the designed curriculum for the students to excel better. “[The results were]

It is not merely the food that matters in the table but the collective ‘breaking of bread’ with our loved ones over conversation and laughter. organizations in Manila, that there are approximately nine million Filipino children under the age of 18 or 27% of the total youth who are left behind by one or both parents to work tentatively or live permanently abroad.

There is also the increasing clamor for the Divorce Bill being proposed by the Gabriela Women’s Party in the House of Representatives which is against the core of the Family Code that we have in the Philippines. The family, being the foundation of the nation, is a basic social institution which public policy cherishes and protects.

“Consequently, family relations are governed by law and

no custom, practice or agreement destructive of the family shall be recognized or given effect,” stated in the Executive Order no. 209 or Family Code of 1987, article 149.

Related to this is also the number of annulment cases in the Philippines which has alarmingly risen by 40 percent, from 4,520 in 2001 to 8,282 in 2010, with at least 22 cases filed every day based on the records from the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG). The data also showed that 82 percent of those who filed for annulment had children, who are ought to be affected.

The crux of the dilemma is who sits down with these

research, Soto said. “[Internationalization] must be a two-pronged approach because if we do not attend to this, we will be really left behind,” Soto added.

The official newsletter of the De La Salle University External Relations Office showed that its total number of international and exchange students in AY 2014-2015 were dominated by Asian countries like South Korea and China.

Of the 714 foreign students in La Salle, 258 were from South Korea and 119 were from China. Most

of the international students took business, education and liberal arts courses.

and Technology Outstanding Research and Development Award for Basic Research for his paper on the endemic genus Villaria.

This year, he was awarded the NAST Outstanding Young Scientists in the field of Biology for his pioneering work in Molecular Phylogenetics using Philippine species.

As the Director of the Office of Graduate Research, Alejandro feels the need to be a role model to his students and winning this award along with his other achievements encourage him to inspire his students even more.

“Awards should make you strive more in the field,” Alejandro said.

“For a research to be competitive it should be multi-disciplinary and to be a successful researcher, you need three key words: perseverance, determination and flexibility.” in fact a product of a relevant and evidencedbased curriculum delivery, competent and highly dedicated faculty, supportive and transformative administrators and hard work and passion for scholarship of learning of our students,” De Guzman said in an e-mail to the Varsitarian.

In ensuring the consistency of the performance, De Guzman said strengthening the faculty, expanding the network of partner schools and promoting reflective practice among teachers are the keys to continuously ace the board exams.

Improved quality The ranking of Philippine higher education zoomed to 29th place last year from 69th in 2010, the latest World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Report showed.

The country’s higher educational system got 4.5 points, higher than the 3.8 average of 144 countries surveyed. Switzerland ranked first with 6 points out of the maximum 7.

The ranking of

Paskuhan FROM PAGE 7

World Youth Day in January 1995.

The Paskuhan again served as an avenue for charity work when four typhoons struck in 2004. That year, UST opted to donate funds that were supposed to be spent on fireworks. It was again the case when supertyphoon Yolanda devastated central Philippines in 2013.

In 2006, when the UST Growling Tigers won the UAAP basketball crown, Paskuhan also served as a thanksgiving.

In 2010, Paskuhan served as the start of University’s quadricentennial countdown while last year’s celebration was celebrated in anticipation of Pope Francis’ visit earlier this year.

Since its official celebration last 1993, Paskuhan has been well-known for its concert organized by the Central Student Council (CSC) and Student “We believe that quality, excellence and consistency are enduring hallmarks of high performing organizations.

Our commitment to these hallmarks prompt us to constantly renew our instructional platform, strengthen our faculty, monitor student learning progress through effective mentoring system, expand our network of partner schools and promote reflective practice among our teachers so that theory and practice operate in full unison,” he added.

The University’s passing rate for the elementary LET

children in a table to talk to them on a daily basis? Who will shape their identity and sense of what a true family is?

Meanwhile, in conservative countries like the Philippines where mental health is rarely discussed the figures for suicidal rate has slowly been growing in the last 21 years with the majority of cases involving young people of 24 years old and below based on records collected from the National Statistics Office.

Out of all these disturbing matters of declining family life, the question of utmost importance is where can we start connecting to the Filipino youth of this generation on a deeper level.

The answer is simple if we look back to what is slowly lacking in our homes today and that is the benefits of meaningful table talks. Most research suggests that both parents and children place high value on sharing meals together and find the experience to be worthwhile and gratifying after a day’s tiring cycle of frenzied schedules and Imago PAGE 14 Philippine business schools meanwhile slid one place to 40th in 2014, but local schools kept an advantage over those in other Asian countries such as Japan and China, which ranked 72nd and 85th respectively.

The availability of specialized research and training services also improved, with the ranking going up to 49th last year from 77th in 2010. Internet accessibility among private and public academic institutions went up 10 places to 66th in the same period.

J.P.P. CORPUZ and MONICA M. HERNANDEZ

Organizations Coordinating Council (SOCC).

“We get to incorporate the realities of our time with Paskuhan in a way conducive to the values of our University,” CSC President Anna Mangalili said in an interview.

“Just the thought of it sends everyone smiling and makes everyone look forward for Christmas itself.”

“We [UST] celebrate Paskuhan with a Christmas mass and ‘Panunuluyan’ because it shows how we celebrate in a religious manner,” SOCC President Ser Loisse Mortel said.

Mortel hinted that this year’s celebration is going to be “very bright,” even brighter than the previous celebrations.

Over the years, Paskuhan has served as the epitome of Christmas celebration among schools and it is surely one of the historical celebrations in UST that Thomasians will always be proud of. MARY GRACE C. ESMAYA

was down slightly from last year’s 98.57 percent, while its performance in the secondary level saw an improvement from the 89.93-percent passing rate recorded in 2014.

The national passing rate in the elementary LET dipped to 31.37 percent, with 21,461 passing the test out of 68,442 examinees.

The passing rate last year was 35.74 percent.

For the secondary level, the national passing rate jumped to 41.75 percent from 34.41-percent last year, with 34,010 making the cut out of 81,463 examinees.

Working habit of Generation Y

I FIND it worrisome that many of my peers consider late nights until early mornings as the time they become most productive.

More and more friends in my Facebook chatbox are marked “online” when I stay up until 4 a.m. and the line between “because it is finals week” and “because I was lazy” is becoming hazier by the minute.

I am not safe either, I fail to meet deadlines.

To be sure, it would be easy to say that we (Generation Y) can do tasks as early as the time that they were given to us. But, just like every other senior out there, we all just go to a point when we “snap” and decide to give ourselves a break. We deserve one, at least for the three years of stressful academic and extra-curricular activities (not to mention little extras like weight and love problems) we had to endure.

Having been in a state of “being too prepared” for long, the body will always look for opportunities for rest and leisure. This is especially the case when the body has “experienced” such an activity, and it will want to experience it as often as it could, given the amount of time it spent without it.

“There’s a fundamental tension, in humans and other animals, between seizing available rewards in the present, and being patient for rewards in the future,” economist David Laibson said in a Harvard paper last 2006. “It’s radically important. People very robustly want instant gratification right now, and want to be patient in the future.”

Having gained them with the hours given to prepare for papers, I may have shifted from goodie-two-shoes into a couch potato. I admit that I am a procrastinator, but I am not the only one out there.

Apparently, a lot of us are in Facebook.

“Procrastinators, who are often unmotivated to get certain tasks done until the last minute, are more likely to be addicted to Facebook than those who are bored, and are also more likely to

Our generation can do tasks as early as the time that they were given, but we all just go to a point when we ‘snap’ and decide to give ourselves a break. suffer from Facebook withdrawal,” Erica Sherman of the University of Massachusetts Boston said in her paper last 2011.

Piers Steel of the University of Calgary also said in his research paper published in 2007 that 80 to 95 percent of college students in the United States engage in procrastination, approximately 75 percent consider themselves procrastinators, and almost 50 percent procrastinate consistently and problematically.

Steel, who is dedicated to researching about the subject, even made a “Procrastination Formula” that indicates one’s “willingness” to do tasks—U = EV/ID. In the formula, the desirability of the task (U) is a product of one’s confidence of success (E) and the value gained by its completion (V), divided by the product of the immediacy and availability of the task (I) and one’s sensitivity to delay or distraction (D). A high result indicates more willingness to do the said activity.

However, the “opposite” (should such a concept exist) is also problematic. In a research by David Rosenbaum and his colleagues, “Pre-Crastination” is becoming a prevalent phenomenon worldwide and is not giving solutions either.

Rosenbaum and his colleagues were surprised to find out that students are now starting to prefer to do everything in advance even if it meant expending more energy, explaining that they “wanted to get the task[s] done as quickly as possible.”

Given this definition, I began wondering if I was really hardworking or was simply looking for an avenue to rest “earlier.”

Was I really being productive, or was I really just reverse-lazy?

The desire of Rosenbaum’s respondents to lighten their mental load was stronger than their determination to reduce physical effort, which Cory Potts, a co-researcher, said may be just as conflicting as procrastinating due to its capability to reduce performance.

“Imagine if you devote a lot of energy towards completing a task immediately, and then [a client] calls and interrupts you. Is your attention going to go to the phone, or is it still going to be on the task?” he said.

The growing need for Filipinos to use Facebook may also stem from the gratification it provides. Researchers Richard Basilisco and Aletheia PAGE 11

EdTech FROM PAGE 2

and students can use gadgets to hold lectures anywhere on days when there are no classes.

The virtual classroom program was tested with UST Engineering students at the International Conference on Engineering Education–Philippines, which tackled engineering education innovation, last Oct. 22.

The conference, hosted

by UST, held a “webinar” with Prof. Milo Koretski of Oregon State University

in the United States on the effects of technology-based instruction on students.

Last October, EdTech was awarded a four-star rating by the Philippine E-learning Society for its e-Learning programs, number of trained faculty members and length of membership in the society.

EdTech has been a member of the society, which aims to promote the use of technology in teaching in the Philippines, since 2004.

Two years ago, the society gave the University a three-star rating. ROY ABRAHMN D.R. NARRA

6 Filipino

Patnugot: Maria Koreena M. Eslava

IKA-15 NG DISYEMBRE, 2015

Ang Pasko ni Tatay Anding Nina JOHN GABRIEL AGCAOILI at BERNADETTE A. PAMINTUAN

IGINAGALA ni Mariel ang kaniyang paningin sa labas ng simbahan habang pinagmamasdan ang makukulay na palamuti sa paligid nito gayundin ang mga pailaw na nagpapaligsahan sa kislap.

Masarap sa balat ang dampi ng hangin at kakaiba ang taglay nitong bango. Dagsa ang mga pamilya galing sa kahit saang sulok ng barangay. Matagal pa bago sumikat ang araw subalit animo alas dos na ng hapon.

Sa gitna ng mga naghahagikhikang mga kabataan, naroon si Mang Anding na halatang aligaga sa pagdukot ng barya sa kaniyang bulsa.

Pilit niyang ibinabalanse ang kaniyang sarili sa kaniyang luma at marupok na saklay. Isinabit muna niya ang bunton ng sampagita malapit sa mga tulusan ng kandila bago marahang binilang ang tigpipisong sukli ng isang aleng may bitbit na sanggol.

Nais tumulong ni Mariel subalit tumunog na ang kampana, hudyat ng pagsisimula ng misa.

Nagpasukan ang lahat ng nais humabol at naiwang nakatayo sa likuran ang mga nahuli. “‘Nalalapit na ang araw,’ sabi ng Panginoon, ‘na pasisibulin ko mula sa lahi ni David ang isang sangang matuwid, isang hari na buong karunungang maghahari. Paiiralin niya sa buong lupain ang batas at katarungan,’” wika ng tagapaghatid ng unang pagbasa.

Bahagyang ginambala ng mayuming pagpatak ng ulan ang katahimikan sa loob ng simbahan.

Nagpulasan ang mga tindero’t tindera sa labas at nagtungo sa pinakamalapit na masisilungan nila. Sa gilid ng patio nagtungo si Mang Anding akay-akay ang batang may kapansanang si Martha. Tinignan ni Mariel ang bulag na kapatid bago tumango kay Mang Anding. Ngumiti naman ang matanda at animo’y may ibinulong kay Martha. Marahang kumaway ang bata habang nakatingin sa malayo subalit alam ni Mariel na para sa kaniya ang pagbating iyon.

“Panginoong Matuwid” ang madalas na pamagat ng unang pagbasang iyon. Hindi iyon kailanman makalilimutan ni Mariel sapagkat isang taon na rin ang nakaraan nang basahin sa parokya ang mga naturang bersikulo. Isang taon na rin mula nang dumating sa buhay nila ni Martha si Mang Anding. Panibagong Pasko na naman makalipas ang aksidenteng bumago sa buhay nilang magkapatid.

Isang humaharurot na trak ang sumalpok sa traysikel na sinasakyan nilang mag-anak noon at kumitil sa buhay ng kaniyang mga magulang. Dahil din sa aksidenteng iyon kaya nabulag si Martha.

Marahil wala na rin pati si Mariel kung hindi dahil kay Mang Anding na noo’y sorbetero na napadaan lamang. Pilit niyang inangat ang motor na dumagan sa magkapatid subalit pinaandar muli ng lasing na drayber ang kaniyang trak na siyang bumali sa kaliwang binti ni Mang Anding.

Isa. Dalawa. Tatlo.

Tatlong segundo ang binilang ni Mariel bago siya tumayo habang inaawit ng koro ang “Bukas Palad.” Ipinaikot niya ang basket sa bawat hanay ng mga nagsisimba at pinakinggan ang kalansing ng mga baryang kanilang ihinuhulog.

Hindi pa rin tumitila ang ulan subalit naaninag niya ang nag-iisang pulang payong sa labas. Patuloy pa rin itong nagbebenta ng sampaguita.

“Kapag naubos ko ito ngayong gabi,” naalala niyang wika ni Mang Anding noong umaga, “bibilhan ko kayo ni Martha ng tig-isang bagong bestida at kakain tayo ng pansit at puto bumbong.”

Napabuntunghininga na lamang siya sa kabaitan ng kaniyang ama-amahan.

Sa kabila noon, nalulumbay niyang inusisa na kung talagang

“matuwid” at makatarungan ang Panginoon kagaya ng nasa bersikulo, bakit sila maagang naulila?

Bukod sa mga magulang, bakit ipinagkait kay Martha ang kaniyang paningin? Higit sa lahat, bakit tila hindi pinagpapala nang sapat si Mang Anding?

“Humayo kayong taglay ang kapayapaan upang mahalin at paglingkuran ang Panginoon.”

Tumayo si Mariel mula sa kaniyang kinauupuan. Lumuhod siya sa harap ng altar kahanay ng iba pang naglilingkod sa parokya bago iniyukod ang ulo at tuluyang lumabas ng simbahan.

“Kumusta naman ho ang benta natin ngayon?” narinig ni Mariel na tanong ng isang diyakono kay Mang Anding.

“Sapat na po para sa aming makakain ngayong gabi, brother. Nakakalungkot lang na hindi ko pa naipagbili ang lahat ng sampaguita ko.” nadidismaya subalit nakatawang sagot ni Tatay Anding. “Hindi

Balikbayan, balik-Pasko Ni JASPER EMMANUEL Y. ARCALAS HALOS taon-taon nagbubukas kami ng balikbayan box tuwing sasapit ang kapaskuhan.

Naging tradisiyon na ito mula nang maging overseas Filipino workers (OFW) sina Papa at Mama noong 2008.

Laman ng malalaking kahon ang sandamukal na tsokolateng nabibili nila ng bagsak presyo kumpara sa Pilipinas, mga bagong kamiseta na branded at ginto kung tingalain sa Pinas, at mga rekadong panghanda sa noche buena—gatas na delata, spaghetti noodles, ketchup at maraming pa iba.

Nakagawian na nila ang pagpapadala ng balikbayan box sa aming bahay sa Pampanga gawa na rin ng kanilang mahigpit na trabaho sa ibayong-dagat. Pihikan

sa bakasiyon kaya hindi sila nakauuwi ng bansa upang ipagdiriwang ang pasko at bagong taon kasama ang angkan. Ngunit paminsanminsan, sa abot ng makakaya—ng bulsa at ng trabaho—nagbabalikbansa sila.

Ngunit ngayong taon, mukhang alanganin ang dalawa: balikbayan box at pagbabalik-bansa para sa mga OFW na katulad ng aking mga magulang.

Sa kaliwa’t kanang problemang kinahaharap ng bansa, hindi maiiwasang tumatanim ito sa isipan ng mga “bagong bayani.” Lalo na nang pumutok ang isyu ng balikbayan box nitong Agosto kung saan walang harbas na binubuksan ng mga taga-Custom ang mga kahon para sa “random inspection.” Dagdag pa rito ang suhestiyon ng ahensya ng Customs na itaas ang tax sa mga box ng 125 percent.

Matapos ang halos tatlong buwan, sumambulat naman sa bayan ang isyu ng tanim-bala sa NAIA. Simple lang ang modus: magtatanim ng bala at kapag hindi ka “naglagay” sa kinauukulan, hindi ka makaaalis ng bansa.

At hanggang ngayon wala pa ring malinaw o matinong resolusiyon ang dalawang problema.

Tinatayang halos 10.2 milyon ang bilang ng mga OFW sa buong mundo. Isipin na lamang ang takot na maaaring matanim sa isipan nila dahil sa mga problema ng bansa. Bakit pa magpapadala ng mga balikbayan box para sa kapaskuhan kung iba naman ang makikinabang? Bakit pa uuwi sa bansa kung hindi naman makaaalis muli nang hindi nahihingan ng pamasko?

Para sa tulad kong anak ng mga OFW, higit sa isang balik-bayan box ang simpleng kahon na naglalaman ng mga padalang pasalubong. Simbolo iyon ng paghihirap at pagmamahal ng isang OFW para sa kaniyang pamilya.

Lalo na para sa mga hindi makababalik ng bansa upang ipagdiwang pasko kasama ng kanilang mahal sa buhay.

Ang mga pakete ng spaghetti at rekado pang-noche buena ang nagiging daan upang makasama ang mga kamag-anak na OFW sa salu-salo. Ang mga bagong kamiseta at tsokolate ang nagsusumigaw ng “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!”

Ngunit, mukhang “Merry ‘Customs’” at “Happy New Year! ‘Ito ang bala, hindi pumuputok,’” ang matatanggap ng mga OFW at ng mga mahal nila sa buhay ngayong kapaskuhan.

ko tuloy maibibili ang mga bata ng paborito nilang puto bumbong. Pero alam kong hindi naman magtatampo itong si Martha.”

Tinapik ni Brother Isko ang kaniyang balikat.

“Mayroon pa ho ba kayong plano ng mga bata para mamaya?”

“Wala na naman po. Bakit po?”

Pinagmamasdan ni Mariel ang pag-uusap ni Brother Isko at Tatay Anding sa katapat na gilid ng hapag sa loob ng simbahan. Noon lamang nila naranasang makisalo sa mga pari pagkatapos ng Simbang Gabi. Napansin niyang nagkulay-rosas ang mga pisngi ni Tatay Anding pagkatapos may sabihin si Brother Isko. Isang paper bag ang iniabot sa kaniya. Mula roon, inangat niya ang dalawang bulaklaking bestida. Ipinakapa ni Mariel ang laylayan sa kapatid na sarap na sarap noon sa puto bumbong na inihain ng parokya.

Ngumiti si Martha.

Ngumiti rin ang kanilang butihing amain. Palagi naman itong nakatawa’t masaya subalit sa pagkakataong iyon, tila pinitas ng isang anghel mula sa hardin ng langit ang pambihirang ngiting iyon ng matanda at ibinigay sa kaniya bilang regalo ng makatarungang Panginoon.

Usapang Uste MULA SA PAHINA 2 nagmula sa Guanzhou China. Taong 1947 nang lumipad at nanatili sa Filipinas ang kaniyang pamilya upang makaahon sa kahirapan. Dahil tanging wikang Intsik lamang ang alam ni Po noon, puspusan ang kaniyang pag-aaral ng Ingles sa pamamagitan ng mga aklat para makapagnegosyo.

Upang mairaos ang pag-aaral ng Industrial Chemistry sa UST, pinagsabay-sabay niya ang trabaho bilang tagasalin, manunulat at mamamahayag para sa isang diyaryong pangIntsik. Ngunit dahil sa kakapusang-palad kinailangan niyang itigil ang pag-aaral sa Unibersidad.

Ipinagpatuloy niya ang kaniyang sigasig sa pagnenegosyo hanggang sa naitaguyod niya ang Century Canning noong 1978 gamit ang hiniram na kapital na $100,000. Mula noon magpahanggang ngayon, patuloy ang paglago ng kompanya ni Po na may hawak ng 84 porsiyento ng tuna sa kasalukuyang merkado.

Taong 2010 naman nang itinatag ni Po ang Century Pacific Group-Ricardo Sy Po (CPGRSPo) Foundation na naglalayong maibsan ang gutom sa bansa at makatulong sa mahihirap.

Halos tatlong milyong pagkain ang hinahain ng foundation para sa mga kapos-palad kada taon.

Sa yamang nagkakahalagang $640 million, siya ang ikadalawampu’t limang pinakamayaman sa bansa ayon sa ulat ng Forbes Magazine sa taong 2015. Pinarangalan siya ng UST bilang Top Outstanding Thomasian Alumni noong 2007.

JASPER EMMANUEL Y. ARCALAS

Tomasalitaan Salimsim (PNG)-malungkot na alaala Hal.: Sa salimsim natin naaninag ang liwanag sa dilim ng ating karansan.

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

TOTAL Awards Souvenir Program 2007

Editor: Erika Mariz S. Cunanan

Features 7

DECEMBER 15, 2015

17th Inkblots: Story-telling in the digital age WITH THE fast-paced tide of information flowing from different media platforms, quality in journalism should not be overlooked.

This was the central theme of the 17th Inkblots held last Dec. 1 to 3, highlighting a series of lectures from the country’s top journalists.

Award-winning broadcast journalist and ABS-CBN news anchor, Karen Davila described journalism as a “calling,” which should be practiced with responsibly reporting stories to the public.

“In the past, you only get information unilaterally, through only one direct source, but social media has changed that; it is a portal of limitless information,” Davila said in her keynote address, speaking before the 263 campus journalists gathered at the Thomas Aquinas Research Center auditorium.

ANC reporter Christian Esguerra reiterated the journalists’ crucial role in a democracy. He urged student writers to develop skills in the print, broadcast and online platforms, including a better understanding of topics or issues so they would not just parrot what interviewees tell them.

“You need to have a good story to tell to the readers. It’s a mix of providing what the audience wants and what they need,” said Esguerra, former Varsitarian editor-in-chief who founded the Inkblots in 1997.

Palanca awardee and UST instructor Eros Atalia gave a lecture

Paskuhan mirrors Thomasian charity, solidarity, spirituality YOU CAN probably associate the word “paskuhan” only with one university—UST. But UST’s Paskuhan, highlighted by a beautifully lit Christmas tree, captivating lights and enchanting music, does not only symbolize the Thomasians’ way of celebrating Christmas.

The colorful Paskuhan also mirror parts of history of the University and how Thomasians value charity, solidarity and spirituality.

Ever since it was organized, Paskuhan is not only a year-ender event for the Thomasians but also as a showcase of empathy during tragedy, celebrations, or simply as a countdown for a highly anticipated event for the following year.

The first UST-wide Christmas celebration was organized by then treasurer Fr. Tereso Campilo, O.P. in 1991. Reflecting on the theme “Paskong Tomasino, Paskong

Filipino ’91,” Campilo, initiated the idea of having a “salu-salo” for the Thomasian community and also to gather donations for the victims of Typhoon Uring, which left at least 5,000 people dead.

It also depicts the Filipino tradition of “panunuluyan” which featured a Eucharistic celebration, procession around the University, and an intercollegiate lantern-making contest.

A gift-giving ceremony served as the curtain-raiser of the event, where Thomasians put their donations for the victims of the Typhoon Uring were placed at the foot of the 14-foot Christmas tree.

It was in 1993 that “Paskuhan” was coined as the official name of the celebration.

The 1994 Paskuhan was a welcome celebration for Pope John Paul II’s visit to the Philippines for Paskuhan PAGE 5

on Filipino journalism and also emphasized the role of journalists in promoting integrity and reliability in publishing trustworthy stories.

“As journalists, isn’t it our role to spread truth, to educate, and to raise awareness?” said Atalia.

He added that journalists can immensely improve their writing by extensively reading both local and foreign work.

Jarius Bondoc, a veteran columnist from the Philippine Star, called on the fellows to develop the initiative in mastering the language.

“We should not be [writing] if we cannot support it with facts. If you want to be a good journalist, you have to master the language,” he said.

Although publications are expected to keep up with the fast pace of information, the quality of the stories and articles published online should not be reduced in the process. Such was explained by former BusinessWorld editor, UST lecturer Felipe Salvosa II, in his talk on campus paper management. He explained the “digital first” policy which uses social media as a platform for faster news dissemination to have a wider audience reach.

“The ‘digital first’ strategy does not mean you will have to abandon print, rather it should vastly improve the print edition,” he said.

Finding the angle Veteran journalist and long-time editor of the entertainment section of the Manila Bulletin and Tempo, Nestor Cuartero, gave a lecture on feature writing and explained that journalists should know how to choose the right stories and the right people as their sources. Journalists, he said, are a work in progress and their job is mainly centered on reliability, integrity and research.

“Print media has the element of trust that social media lacks. There should be a difference between journalism and information,” he said.

Cartoonist and “Kikomachine” author Manix Abrera challenged the students to value everyday stories that are often overlooked by the

audiences to separate themselves from the others and give a fresh look on the stories that others fail to identify and recognize.

This was echoed by Philippine Daily Inquirer assistant sports editor Francis Ochoa, adding that writers should not disregard subtle details which could help improve the quality of a story.

“Always choose to write a compelling story.

Strive to look for the little details and never let your writing get in the way of a good story,” he said.

Cuartero’s lecture ended with a mock press conference with actor Enchong Dee, while Ochoa brought in three former Tiger star athletes, Jeric Teng, Jeric Fortuna and Dylan Ababou for a sports conference.

On-the-spot news, sports, and feature writing competitions about the event and mock press conferences were held after the lectures.

Credits and recognition The 17th Inkblots ended with the presentation of awards for the winners of the on-the-spot writing contests and the first UST National Campus Journalism Awards (UNCJA).

Founded by the two-time editor in chief of the Varsitarian, Julio Macaranas, in honor of his late mother and first writing mentor, Mercedes Macaranas, UNCJA aimed to recognize outstanding work of campus publications in categories of feature, in-depth news, and editorial writing.

The Bataan Peninsula State University’s “The Defender” dominated the competition, winning both feature and editorial categories with the pieces “Ang Tagapangalaga ng Barangay Sta. Elena, Isang Pag-analisa sa Kasalukuyang Estado ng Mangrove Trees” and “Tactless Diction.”

The Faculty of Arts and Letters’ “The Flame,” meanwhile, claimed the award for in-depth news for the “UST Bargains Tuition and Other Fees Increase; Artlets Expect Improved Facilities, Instruction” write-up. VIANCA T. OCAMPO

Thomasian’s versatility brings life to Filipino art WHO SAYS professionalism and love for toys cannot be a good combination? Such is not the case for this Thomasian artist.

After his graduation in 2005, 33-year-old Jomike Tejido shifted from the strict conventions of architecture to the more playful art of illustration.

“I liked children’s book art because there were not much rules. Being an artist, you can do it anytime as long as you’re good at your particular niche,” he said.

Tejido is the man behind the “Jepoy Dyip” series, an interactive children’s toy book depicting the life of an animated jeepney with his vehicle friends. Inside the Jepoy Dyip book are cutouts from which children can construct dioramas of Filipino sitios.

“Being an author and illustrator for children’s books, I get

to create worlds and transport these worlds into the minds and hearts of Filipinos across the globe,” he said.

Last Nov. 28, he launched “Foldabots Toy Book 8,” the latest compilation of old and new Foldabots robots. It is a series of cardboard robots that kids could make and reassemble into different vehicles or gadgets, published monthly in K-Zone Magazine.

In 2010, Tejido launched “Robotars: Robotic Tarsiers,” an environment friendly toy whose head can be used as a pot for small indoor plants while its hands can hold pens and a picture can be clipped to its tail. He released 100 handpainted Robotars, 10 of which were designed by different visual artists close to him.

The Wood Menagerie, also one of his crafts, is a collection of hand-assembled sculptures influenced by cubism and DeStijl, an artistic movement also known as neoplasticism.

The sculptures are animals presented in various light colors and basic geometric forms. These are assembled in his home studio here in Manila where each mimic block is carefully painted in order to be a reminiscent of Tejido’s childhood.

The artistic, versatile ‘chameleon’ Being on the Dean’s list for three years, Tejido graduated with flying colors and also received the Thesis of the Year Award

in 2005. His first solo exhibit, “The Tree that Captured the Stars,” which was staged after passing the board exam in 2007, represented his fears, hopes, and dreams as a fresh graduate and a new jack ready to participate in the art industry.

Likening himself to a chameleon, he works with different companies with various visions resulting in exposure to different materials, from acrylic paint to digital art programs.

He never sticks to a specific art style and he explores the other mediums available, such as wood, woven mats and digital tablets.

Aside from the banig paintings and the wood menagerie, he also hopes to eventually master sculpting using metal and craft the kind of art that people would be happy to look at.

Tejido shows love for the country by creating paintings on native products, including banig, which he considers as a way of spreading environmental awareness while also showcasing Filipino art and culture. His chosen theme is a tribute to the country that raised and took care of him. His sixth solo art exhibit back in 2010, “Gentle Giants,” centered on whale sharks and underwater landscapes, with paintings having titles such as guidance, partnership, and leadership, while his 2012 exhibit, “Ako’y Isang Mabuting Pilipino,” depicted the everyday life of Filipinos.

Versatility PAGE 14

8

Editor: Daryl Angelo P. Baybado

CIRC

CFAD students reimagine yuletide decor UNCONVENTIONAL but tasteful Christmas decor by Interior Design students enlivened the holiday spirit at the UST Museum of Arts and Sciences last Dec. 3-18.

Third-year students from the College of Fine Arts and Design recreated Christmas accessories in “Objects: Reimagined Christmas Accessories,” into a visual art application of new techniques and innovation from simple materials.

“We came up with an all-white avant-garde theme, which is very in right now and complements our concept of making the exhibit (a showcase of simplicity,” said Justin Co, student head of the exhibit in an interview with the Varsitarian. “The materials we used are simple and light and we transformed it into something minimalistic but still beautiful and elegant.”

Now on its eighth year, participating students created a snow-colored walk-in art wonderland through their depictions of Christmas scenes and ornaments.

Bordered by tall Christmas trees, the exhibit is neatly festooned with compressed hanging balls, small wreaths and snowflakes on the side along with scattered line sculpture portrayals of reindeer. In the center is a figurine of the infant Jesus from the Nativity. Circular ornaments, which were mostly 3-D pieces in white, designed in varying intricate cut-outs or made in knitted fabric and lace materials gave the exhibit a simple yet sophisticated look.

Eventhough the artworks and installations were all white, all came out beautifully in fading hues of magenta, blue, and yellow, through the reflection of light projectors.

A venue for appreciation of Thomasian cultural heritage since 1871, the UST Museum has been staging yearly Christmas exhibits with Interior Design students to collaborate with the University’s efforts of celebrating Christmas-themed activities such as the Christmas Concert Gala and Paskuhan.

Interior Design students created a minimalistic and avant-garde walkthrough art exhibit which features Christmas decorations in different artistic forms.

Thomasian Osias Barroso choreographs Ballet Manila’s ‘Pinocchio’

Barroso

THOMASIAN danseur and former Salinggawi Dance Troupe member Osias Barroso choreographed the classic children’s tale “Pinocchio” for Ballet Manila (BM) into a fitting Christmas ballet story. It was staged early this month at the Aliw Theater in Pasay City.

The ballet show, the third installation of BM’s “From Page to Stage” repertoire for its 20th season, enchanted young people and adults as a two-act holiday production derived from the 1940 animated film by Walt Disney Productions. Originally, the story was based on the 1883 children’s novel by Italian writer Carlo Collodi, The Adventures of Pinocchio.

“Pinocchio exhibits hope, love and festivities; a perfect Christmas

Alvin Santos of Ballet Manila who played as Pinocchio

season production for the family,” Barroso told the Varsitarian. “I believe that the kid in all of us will adore the colorful, magical, and entertaining classical ballet story.”

Geppetto is a lonely wood carver who creates a puppet he calls Pinocchio. Perhaps wanting his own son, he makes a wish to the stars for the puppet to come to life. The Blue Fairy grants his wish but warns Pinocchio that in order for him to become a real boy, he needs to prove himself by being brave, truthful and selfless.

Pinocchio goes through a series of magical adventures and misadventures with Jiminy Cricket, the talking cricket and the story’s narrator. They meet the dishonest Cat

AMPARO KLARIN J. MANGOROBAN

and Fox duo, the greedy Stromboli, the wicked Circus Master and the giant whale who swallows him.

In the end, Pinnochio proves his worth and he becomes a full boy.

Alvin Santos, Barroso’s protégé, played Pinocchio and enthralled the audience with his entrechats and pirouettes (rapid turns) in allegros topped off by grand jetés (split jumps).

“He [Santos] is an inspiration because of his dedication and tenure in the art of Ballet,” Barroso said.

Aside from the spectacular classical ballet dancing, Pinocchio offered other spectacles such as a scene titled “Pleasure Island” which featured acrobats, jugglers, and a unicycle rider in a circus-themed setting. A.A.A. BULAN

CLE

9

DECEMBER 15, 2015

Russian, Korean artists grace annual Christmas concert THE PARTICIPATION of a Russian violinist and a Korean classical singer who happens to be the spouse of UST’s pride, soprano Rachelle Gerodias, provided an international flavor to the annual UST Christmas Concert, whose gala last December 3 again provided a highly classical— and tasteful—kick-off to this month’s holiday season.

With the UST Symphony Orchestra under Prof. Hermenegildo Ranera, Yaroslava Poletaeva, a Russian violinist who was trained at the Conservatory of Music at Lynn University in Florida, gave an astounding violin performance of “Zigeunerwersein” by Pablo Sarasate and “Carol of the Bells” by Mykola Leontovych.

“I’m very honored that I had the chance to play for the University because of its high regard (for) cultural preservation,” Poletaeva said.

Meanwhile, Korean lyric baritone ByeongIn Park sang Johann Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio.”

He later did a duet with his wife, Gerodias, and sang the “Gesu Bambino-O Holy Night” medley.

Before the duet, Gerodias, the country’s leading soprano and a faculty member at the UST Conservatory of Music, had sang “Hallelujah” from Wolfgang Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate.

Other Conservatory talents featured were tenors Frederick Maturan and Radnel Ofalsa who, together the Liturgikon Vocal Ensemble and Coro Tomasino, performed Bach’s “Jesu Joy-Sing unto God.” Soprano Katrine Sunga sang Aldon Nova’s “A New Day Has Come.”

Scene-stealer was six-year-old marimbist Rafael Ley who played a “Sound of Music” medley together with his elder sister, Mikaela Ley. As expected, two-time Choir of the World UST Singers under Prof. Fidel Calalang Jr., captivated the audience with their renditions of “Gloria Patri,” “The Ground” and “Happy Days.”

The concert closed with a Christmas ABBA Medley and a community singing of “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Joy to the World.”

“This concert is for the conservation of the cultural heritage of the University,” UST Christmas Concert committee Chairman and Faculty of Civil Law Regent Fr. Isidro Abaño, O.P. said. “The level of musical ability is now on a higher ground which is excellent and extraordinary.” DARYL ANGELO P. BAYBADO with reports FROM A.A.A. BULAN and M.C.A. FERNANDEZ

From left to right, top to bottom: Russian violinist Yaroslava Poletaeva, the UST Singers, six-year-old marimbist Rafael Ley and Conductor and Prof. Herminigildo Ranera with the UST Symphony Orchestra. AMPARO KLARIN J. MANGOROBAN

Annual piano concert rocks; UST Conservatory plays ‘Moves Like Jagger’ by Maroon 5

STAPLE classical music and contemporary popular tunes like American band Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger” were performed by the UST Conservatory of Music and highlighted the 31st “Sampung Mga Daliri” concert at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo at the Cultural Center of the Philippines last November 22.

The annual concert showcased its trademark of 10 grand pianos on stage and performances by ensembles like: the UST Symphony Orchestra, Wind Orchestra, Coro Tomasino, Liturgikon Vocal Ensemble, Chrous Class, USTe Mundo, Jazz, Guitar, Rondalla, Percussion and Musical Theater Ensembles, and Extension Program. Aside from classical and contemporary hits, the concert performed “It’s Always A Good Time,” by band Owl City. It likewise featured the “Zumba Medley.”

Students, faculty members and alumni dressed as different anime characters

UST Singers sings OPM in pre-Christmas concert ALTHOUGH more known for its classical repertoire that has made it the toast of choral festivals in Old Europe, the acclaimed UST Singers is also noted for its Philippine repertoire, which it showed to full effect in a pre-Christmas Original Pilipino Music (OPM) concert, “Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika,” organized by the Bel-Air Makati village.

It was the fourth time for the UST Singers to be invited to the Bel-Air concert, proof that residents of the tony Makati village are appreciative of UST Singers’ brand of musical excellence.

“This concert gives light to the musical side of the Filipino culture,” Prof. Fidel Calalang Jr., UST Singers founder and choral director, told the Varsitarian. “Our blending classic Filipino traditional songs with little pop and modern OPMs are new offerings by the Singers in their four-year participation in this event.”

The 32-member ensemble sang

Nitoy Gonzales’ “Ay, ay, ay, O, Pagibig!,” Santiago Suarez’s “Sa Libis ng Nayon,” Robert Labayen’s “Piliin mo ang Pilipinas” and the Eraserheads’ classic “Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka.” Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra also participated in the event under the baton of guest conductor Ryan Cayabyab who led them in the rendition of the concert’s titular song by Cayabyab himself titled “Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika.”

As a tribute to the guest conductor, Cayabyab’s “Minsan ang Minahal ay Ako” was also performed by the UST Singers.

The concert concluded with Christmas songs “Heto na Naman” and “Pasko na Naman.”

Bel-Air, an enclave of Makati City, has been staging free pre-Christmas concerts since 2006 with the goal of giving a spotlight to music and arts in the community.

performed for the “Tokyo Skies Anime Medley,” which featured the famous “Voltes 5” theme song.

Among the classical standards performed were “Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major”

by Jonathan Bach, “Variations on a Theme of Paganini” by Witold Lutoslawski, and “Hoedown” by Aaron Copland.

Also rendered was “Sister Act Medley,” inspired by the 1992 movie starring Whoopi Goldberg. Included in the medley was “Salve Regina” and the pop song, “I Will Follow Him.” A compelling sight for the audience was the performance of the “Danse Maccabre” by Saint-Saens.

The concert ended with a nostalgic performance of the Walt Disney Medley Finale, featuring songs such as “A Whole New World,” “Reflection” and “Part of Your World.”

Annual PAGE 11

The UST Singers with conductor Fidel Calalang, Jr.

GEONABETH L. CADUNGOG

10 Witness

Editor: Marie Danielle L. Macalino

DECEMBER 15, 2015

Emmanuel

By CEDRIC ALLEN STA. CRUZ and LEA MAT P. VICENCIO

THE RUMBLE of plastic wheels rolling across a hardwood floor was heard across the hallway and into the kitchen, followed by successive thuds—the sound of running footsteps. A toy train halted in front of the stove. Lured by the smell of steamed peanuts, Manny reached out for the lid, before a hand grabbed his forearm.

“Manny, what did I tell you about touching the stove while I’m cooking?” said his mother. Manny stepped back and tightly held the string attached to his train.

Manny gazed at the plates set by his mother. He saw slices of grilled pork seasoned with red pungent powder, on a bed of cut banana leaves. Next to it was a bowl of nuts with the brown outer shells peeling off, placed adjacent to a bowl of fish sauce. Wafting from the plate alongside it was the aroma of burnt rice. Manny quickly lost interest and turned back to his mother.

“I don’t want this!” yelled the boy. Cecilia answered with a gentle strike to the mouth.

Manny stormed into the living room, dragging his toy train with him. Rodolfo followed the boy into the next room.

He found Manny huddled on the couch, clutching a throw pillow. Manny made a smirk and threw his train on the wall. Rodolfo restrained himself and adjusted the crooked framed painting of a man and a woman huddled over a baby, with the silhouette of a manger, three men in the background, and a white star. He sat down on the couch beside his son.

“Have I ever told you the story of your first Christmas with us?” said Rodolfo.

Manny’s crumpled expression began to dissolve. He sat down calmly. He was told of the family’s migration from Bicol to Manila.

They hopped from apartment to apartment.

Rodolfo settled for a job as a taxi driver.

Cecilia later discovered she was three months pregnant.

Their first Christmas dinner was a meager one, a bowl of macaroni and a large bottle of soda being the only things decorating the supposedly festive dinner table. A cold breeze swept into the room, as the lights flickered on and off, eventually going out and leaving the kitchen in total darkness. All that illuminated the table was a half-melted candle. The baby was wrapped in a blanket and cradled in Rodolfo’s arms. Suddenly, Cecilia heard a knock on the door and rose from her seat.

The family wasn’t expecting company, so she wearily approached the door and slowly turned the knob. She was greeted by a stout, bearded man, holding something wrapped in cellophane and smelling of chilli. Two men stood behind him with goofy smiles plastered on their faces and plastic b a g s dangling from their fingers.

“We thought we’d pay our little sister a visit,” said the burly Ramon. The man behind him, Jose, barely a year older than his rotund brother, followed it up with a

hug of his own, as did the scrawny Kiko.

Cecilia led them inside and into the kitchen, where Rodolfo was busy lulling the baby to sleep. She took hold of Manny and introduced him to his three uncles. Each unwrapped what they had brought.

Ramon removed the cellophane and revealed his father’s favorite Christmas dish—roast pork slices with chilli powder and ground pepper. Cecilia recalled that old Bicolano folktale their

Thomasians showcase unexplored side of Quezon City in an interfaith book

SIX THOMASIANS have collaborated to showcase Quezon City’s spiritual and cultural heritage in a coffee table book titled “Facets of Faith.”

The 93-page book, written by Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets) alumnus Billy Malacura, features churches, relics, and religious artworks found in Quezon City.

Other Thomasians who contributed to the book were Artlets Assoc. Prof. Felicidad Galang-Pereña, book editor and former Varsitarian literary editor; Regalado Trota Jose, UST archivist, who wrote the book’s foreword; and Eric Zerrudo, director of the Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics of the UST Graduate School, who served as editorial consultant.

Sherwin Vardeleon and Carla and Jonathan Gamalinda, former Varsitarian photography editor and art directors, respectively, headed the photography and layout of the book.

In his foreword titled “Prayer at Once Old and Young,” Jose said

Quezon City’s cultural properties were inextricably linked to history.

“The cultural properties are enlisted according to their significance in terms of historicity, exceptional artistic value, as well as the tangible and intangible manifestations of the local churches in Quezon City,” Jose said.

The book highlights Santo Domingo Church and non-Catholic places of worship such as Iglesia ni Cristo’s Central Temple, an Aglipayan church, and the Quezon Memorial Circle, as an outdoor place of prayer for Muslims. It also features relics of San Antonio de Padua and Santa Lucia.

The book was initially a documentation project for churches visited by Holy Week pilgrims doing the traditional “Visita Iglesia.” It later became a mapping exercise of significant church properties in the city.

Vardeleon said many people do not know about Quezon City’s rich heritage, because it is seen as an urban city.

“Quezon City is not just a big

metropolis where you see malls, businesses, and other establishments.

Quezon City is a hotbed of culture, full of significant relics and amazing places of worship,” Vardeleon said in an email.

Interreligious dialogue The book promotes interfaith dialogue or the harmonious interaction between people of different religious backgrounds.

“We decided to include almost every religious organization in the book to show the diversity Quezon City has,” Vardeleon said.

Quezon City houses two Catholic dioceses—the Diocese of Cubao and Diocese of Novaliches, currently headed by Bishop Honesto Ontioco and Bishop Antonio Tobias, respectively.

The book is also a response to the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, which mandates national agencies and cultural offices to safeguard the country’s cultural patrimony by keeping a registry of cultural properties. KRYSTEL NICOLE A. SEVILLA

father used to tell, of the wild boar that was slain by the village folk and was struck by lightning. The chieftain was the one who had the first taste of its crispy flesh. It had been a tradition ever since to give the pork dish to a datu or the head of the family as a sign of respect and gratitude.

Next was Jose, who unwrapped a bowl of pili nuts, their outer shells still soft and tender from being boiled. They gave off a bitter aroma. But it was overpowered by the smell of fish sauce.

“The old folks back home used Emmanuel PAGE 14

Francis calls for mercy before judgment, opens Jubilee Year VATICAN CITY—Pope Francis opened the Holy Door here at St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 8, inaugurating an “Extraordinary Jubilee Year” focusing on mercy, a key theme of his papacy.

The Holy Father was cheered as he greeted his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who was among the first to cross the threshold of the “Portal of Mercy” that symbolizes Christ, the door to forgiveness and salvation.

In his homily, Francis reminded Catholics that “mercy must come before judgment,” and that the Holy Door was an opportunity for Christians to rediscover God’s infinite forgiveness.

He recalled the Second Vatican Council that modernized the Church, saying it had also opened a “door” to a “true encounter between the Church and the men and women of our time.”

Marking the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the Pope said the Virgin Mary’s conception without original sin expressed the “grandeur of God’s love.”

The 2015 Jubilee Year is “extraordinary” as popes usually proclaim jubilee years every 25 years. The last jubilee was 15 years ago during celebrations marking two millennia of Christianity.

In a papal bull issued last year, Pope Francis encouraged Catholics to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and ordered churches all over the world to receive confessions round the clock throughout the Jubilee. Special attention is to be given to those who wish to repent from the sin of abortion.

The Jubilee plenary indulgence may be obtained by making a pilgrimage to the Holy Door at designated churches, going to confession, receiving Holy Communion, and praying for the

Pope and his intentions.

In his general audience at St. Peter’s Square last Dec. 9, the Pope said “mercy” alone could “triumph over human sin and bring true freedom.”

“God’s mercy, made present in our midst by the incarnation of his Son, is the very heart of the Gospel. This Year of Grace reminds us that mercy is what ‘pleases God most,’ and that it has to find clear expression in our lives and in the Church’s structures,” the Pope said.

“In today’s world, mercy and forgiveness often appear overwhelmed by self-interest, hedonism and venality, while in the Christian life they can be stifled by hypocrisy and worldliness.

Forgetfulness of God’s mercy blinds us even to seeing sin for what it is,” he said.

Local celebrations Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle opened the Holy Door at the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros on Dec. 9, the day after the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Cardinal Tagle reminded the faithful to believe in God’s mercy, recalling the story of how the Israelites built their nation under a covenant with God. “God and the Israelites are not equal but why did they still have an agreement? This is because of mercy,” he said in his homily during the Holy Mass at the cathedral in Intramuros. “When we enter that door, we make a commitment [to God].”

Fr. Estaban Lo, episcopal vicar for foreign communities of the Manila Archdiocese, led the opening of Holy Doors at the Sanctuario del Santo Cristo, the parish in San Juan under the Spanish Dominicans. He Mercy PAGE 14

Editor: Aliliana Margarette T. Uyao

Literary 11

DECEMBER 15, 2015

Trinkets OUR EMERALD tower of prickly pines, crystal spheres dangling from its sturdy wooden arm our neighbors fuddled with drink singing carols with jumbled lyrics pouring drinks in your name, saying, “O, kay Kuya Leo naman.”

Philippine PEN 2015:

The writer in the political arena CELEBRATED journalist, poet, and screenplay writer Jose “Pete” Lacaba expressed pessimism about the future of Philippine democracy, saying that next year’s elections would not exactly improve the prospects of Philippine democracy. Lacaba urged the people to look back carefully at the lessons of the country’s traumatic past in order to ameliorate the present. “[Ang bayan natin] ay nasadlak sa dusa at naging pugad ng luha at dalita,” he echoed.

Lacaba made the remarks during the 58th national conference of the Philippine Center of the International PEN (Poets & Playwrights, Essayists, Novelists), the oldest and most highly respected writers group in the country founded by Thomasian National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose, editor in chief of the Varsitarian during his UST college days in the late 1940’s.

Lacaba, who was imprisoned during martial law, said that while some nationalists would criticize the Philippines’ colonial past for its history of underdevelopment, much of the poverty and underdevelopment experienced in Philippine contemporary history were the work of Filipinos themselves.

During the conference’s first literary session, “The Writer in Philippine Politics,” Elmer Ordoñez, former chair of National Literary Arts Committee (NCLA) of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), told the story of a fresh graduate recruited to write for a pro-Quirino publication in 1953, Juan Escribo, who soon lost himself to the world of political propaganda when he became a speechwriter and propagandist of politicians.

Ordoñez later said the story was completely fictional. He said he made up the story to illustrate how a writer should never compromise his principles despite political temptations.

“The writer should focus on issues and platforms [that would] educate voters on the problems of our society, such as poverty, the environment, social justice and human rights, national security, and the political and economic [oligarchies] in the country,” said Ordoñez.

Mindanao-based writer and professor Christine GodinezOrtega, current chair of the NCLA, focused on the writer’s duty to tell the truth since most writers use literature as a platform for expressing their views while also “romanticizing” the issues.

Reading literary works with a political bent, she observed

Aletheia

that these were almost always written in an angry tone.

“All (politicians) are condemned as bane of the Earth.

[They] have no redeeming quality,” she said.

Meanwhile, poet and translator Marne Kilates emphasized the writer’s important role in nation-building.

“Ano man ang panahon, may isang manunulat na nasa likod ng kapangyarihan,” said Kilates, adding that the writer has the ability to give alternative versions of reality or to personify logical propositions as his written word becomes history which, in turn, becomes civilization. “Ang guni-guni ay nagiging realidad.”

Globalization Poet Gil Won-Lee of the Korean PEN said that the Philippines has a major role to play in international congress because of its thriving economy and proficiency of its people in the English language.

“Another problem is the fact that writers tend to be proud of their work, making it difficult for them to attend congress.

I would like to see the Philippine PEN become more active in international congress and organize with other countries to globalize Filipino literature,” Won-Lee said.

Meanwhile, Filipino romance novelist Mina Esguerra said the success of her novels in the international market was because of the use of different media such as podcasts and interviews, which can pull in more readers.

“That is what going global has been about, positive contribution and participation, engaging readers and authors outside my community and finding more readers here by using the methods out there.” Esguerra said.

Bicolano poet Luis Cabalquinto, formerly based in the United States, said Filipino writers abroad are reaping the gains of globalization.

“There is a prolific gathering of Filipino in the U.S., especially in California, Los Angeles and New York both born in the Philippines and born in America,” he said. “At this point in time, this globalized writing among Filipinos will only increase in time.”

The 2014 PEN congress is supported by the NCCA, UST Varsitarian, and others. ZENMOND G. DUQUE II and CEDRIC

You used to wipe the dust off the figurine angels revealing faded smiles paint chipping off from handheld harps and trumpets left, right, left, right went the washcloth and the golden star for the finish that you wouldn’t let anyone touch nor clean (Remember when I used metal polish and you didn’t speak to me for a week?)

You used to bring yards and yards of garlands lines of silver and blue and purple whirling enveloping the tree in a wiry embrace around and around the tree it went.

“Like everything around us,” you said.

“Like the Sun. It rises and sets, and rises again.”

Sweet promises of the indefinite tomorrow And when you were done you beamed the delicate angels with harps and trumpets holding a little cheer even if only for a short, bitter while At least it brought you away from the viciousness of the concrete jungle betrayed by emotions the anxiety of everyday objects empty bottles of Prozac hidden in your drawer “Even if you’re damned,” you used to say, “you press on.”

The angels, the garlands, your beloved Star they are still with us we dust them off we spin it around as it dangles and then settles like a memory that settles slowly in the center of a caloused heart Z.G. DUQUE II

ALLEN P. STA. CRUZ

Annual

FROM PAGE 5

FROM PAGE 9

Kyung Jin Cha from Korea said in their paper that Filipinos are motivated to use Facebook because of four main reasons.

First, Filipinos understand that Facebook will be able to help them communicate better with friends and connect them to strangers, as well as to promote themselves and their businesses.

Second, Filipinos see Facebook as a source of information for their daily needs.

Another motivation is to meet and connect with other people in the virtual world, and the last is that Filipinos see Facebook as a source of enjoyment.

These may explain the amount of time people dedicate to use Facebook for their personal affairs than to do their duties.

And despite the large number of “successfully-prayed-for papers” and “miraculously high marks” to be discussed over pulutan and a few bottles of beer, the rate of people procrastinating and pre-crastinating is at an alarming rate.

There is a need to discover the kind of foundation as to why people have tendencies to both do tasks in the last minute, or do tasks too early than necessary.

The crowd then gave a thunderous standing ovation to a magnificent rendition of “Be Our Guest” by the whole ensemble.

UST Music Dean Raul Sunico and Regent Fr. Jose Ma. Tinoko later awarded Assoc. Prof.

Apolonia Guilang with a Lifetime Achievement award because of her many years in service concluded by her retirement because of health problems.

Sunico wrote in a message for the event: “An annual concert of the UST Conservatory of Music, it is a great opportunity for the school to highlight its many talents, many of whom will be the leading musicians of tomorrow.”

Fr. Tinoko expressed thanks at the longevity of the concert series.

“That it [Sampung Mga Daliri] has lasted this long is because of its ability to entertain, to inspire, and to delight. For more than three decades, it has gained faithful clientele which never ceases to be enthralled by its music, its performers, and its versatility.”

Spellbound He caught himself tiptoeing the line between reality and fiction, lost in daydreams of sumptuous dishes and new clothes.

The December breeze blew and tuggedat both the roof and his thoughts as he was greeted bythe cold— nothing spelled seasons better than gifts cradled in boxes, draped with patches of red and green, aroma of cured meats wafting through the air, a sea of lights flooding the town by nightfall.

He snapped out of wishful thinking and embraced raw truth, reality bared as it truly were— cheap bulbs, Mother’s bland spaghetti, and Father’s hand-medowns, everyone cramped in a little hut far-flung from the heart of the celebration — images he was willing forgo even for a little while for the love of Yuletide magic.

12 Sci-Tech

DECEMBER 15, 2015

Gov’t certification for traditional healers

By MIA ROSIENNA P. MALLARI and KIMBERLY JOY V. NAPARAN IN A HOUSE sitting in a maze of shanties not too far from the heart of Imus is Francisca Solmerano, the city’s “hilot” for more than five decades.

Soon she will be among local healers to be accredited by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

The Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) of DOST has partnered with the Philippine Institute for Traditional and Alternative Health Care (Pitahc) to launch a P100million program that will seek to certify traditional healers in 2016.

Launched last August, the program will consist of a five-year survey and a comprehensive research on traditional medicine, with details still not specified by the organization.

“Integrating albularyos in the mainstream will help the government to assure the Filipinos to receive quality health care that is backed with scientific studies and evidence,” said PCHRD Executive Director Jaime Montoya at the Global Forum 2015 in an article published by the Business Mirror.

Ladylore May Baunle from PCHRD also told the Varsitarian that although the project is a partnership, “Pitahc will be the one who will license the traditional healers, not DOST-PHCRD, which will only oversee the process.”

Pitahc envisions this program to

provide an accessible health care to people with economic difficulties by accrediting traditional healers, who give a helping hand to the professional doctors and health practitioners in promoting quality health services in the country.

Solmerano was surprised to hear the proposal for

accreditation but was glad that the DOST is planning to distribute licenses to local healers.

“Ay salamat naman, kasi ngayon wala na akong masyadong inaasahan,” she said.

The 80-year-old Solmerano was taught by her mother-in-law how to use oil and other parts of medicinal plants to treat ailment, for the benefit of her children.

She uses everyday plants for treatment such as tuba leaves to remedy muscle pain, lagundi leaves for cough, guava leaves for stomach cramps and

sambong for other illnesses.

“Kasi ‘yun naman, turo rin. Kapag may sakit, isang tapal lang ganoon. Ilalaga mo lang ‘yang mga ‘yan,” she said.

Traditional medicine In the Philippines, traditional healers (albularyo or maestro, and manghihilot), who are experts in making herbal medicine, are known to be significant resources of

health care amid modern medicine.

There are also some Filipinos who still seek assistance from healers whose methods in treating ailments are referred to as alternative or folk medicine.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), traditional medicine is the “sum total of the knowledge, skills, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures” in maintaining health and preventing diseases. However, the authenticity of traditional medicine as a tool in medical science has also been the subject of debate in the academe.

Data from the WHO, showed that 80 percent of people around the world rely on herbal medicine for treatment.

It added that “the use of herbal medicines is well-established and widely acknowledged to be safe and effective, and may be accepted by national authorities.”

Grecebio Jonathan Alejandro, director for graduate research of the UST Graduate Studies, said in a previous article that the Philippines has a very rich folkloric culture, especially when it comes to herbal medicine.

“Filipinos do not only rely on prescriptive drugs, but also depend on herbal plants as well,” he said.

Teodora and Ashlyn Balangcod from the University of the Philippines-Baguio also said the practice of traditional medicine is prevalent among societies of developing countries such as the Philippines due to the belief that certain diseases are caused by spirits.

Why Filipinos are getting obese Thomasian taxonomist bags THIRTY percent of Filipinos are overweight and 48 percent prefer to eat the food of their choice rather than to be fit, according to the October 2015 Asia Health Index of life insurance company Sun Life Financial Asia.

The 2013 National Nutrition Survey reported that one out of three Filipino adults and adolescents were overweight, while eight out of 100 were obese.

Lifestyle obviously is a major factor.

Civil Law freshman Mia Bataller admitted to stress-eating.

“Unfortunately, I’m not one of those people that lose weight when they’re stressed. I gain weight [instead],” she said.

An entry in the Harvard Mental Health Letter in 2012 linked stress-eating with cortisol, a hormone that can increase motivation. When stress levels are high, cortisol can make a person eat more and have higher chances of obesity.

A nutritionist-dietitian at the UST Hospital, Maureen Sarmago, noted that the primary cause of obesity is energy imbalance in the body, where energy taken from food does not match energy spent doing work.

“Decreased physical activity also contributes to weight gain such as using of escalators instead of stairs and automation of most equipment. Parents nowadays have probably forgotten to immerse their children in outdoor games,” she said in an email.

With the standards of the World Health Organization, computing the body mass index

(BMI) of an individual can determine obesity. People with a BMI equal or greater than 25 are overweight while those who have a BMI equal or greater than 30 are obese.

Different genes have been associated with obesity. Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated Protein (FTO) and the Melanocortin 4 Receptor (MC4R) are genes commonly in conjunction with BMI and are determinants for obesity, with the former playing hypothalamic expression which manages food intake without stimulating a feeling of being full, while the latter is responsible for body’s basal metabolic rate.

Coupled with unbalanced diet, the FTO gene holds a risk of causing Type 2 Diabetes, which can cause heart disease, kidney failure and nerve damage.

According to a study conducted by the Catholic University of Korea in 2006, the number of Asian youth who have been diagnosed Type 2 diabetes increased compared to the previous years.

A study from Harvard showed that this occurrence is also prevalent in Metro Manila, and that about 333 million Asians will probably have the said disease by 2025.

Holiday binge With the holidays approaching and a night filled with hamonado, queso de bola and lechon just around the corner, where do

we draw the line between extra and healthy?

Nutrition and dietetics professor Diane Mendoza’s advice is to observe “portion” control during holidays to avoid overeating.

“The key is moderation,” she said. “You don’t have to deprive yourself, but rather eat smaller portions and avoid second servings.”

Like other health conditions, being able to avoid or treat obesity can help lessen the likelihood of more serious conditions such as hypertension and diabetes.

Doctors usually recommend a proper diet and adapting a healthy lifestyle. Vegetables such as cabbage, celery and cucumber are known to reduce weight as antioxidants, and with their water content which can keep one hydrated and full at the same time.

However, morbid obesity cannot be treated by simple diet and physical activities.

On certain instances, bariatric surgeries such as gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, adjustable gastric band, and biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch are considered.

Kurt Ong, a senior Pharmacy student, anticipated that the month-long Christmas break would be a challenge to him, as he was dared to maintain his health and body.

“I am also planning to play sports with my cousins during the vacation as a form of bonding,” he said. ROY ABRAHMN D.R. NARRA and JULIUS ROMAN M. TOLOP

science research award

A UST professor’s work in the field of taxonomy and systematics has earned him a prestigious scientific award.

Grecebio Alejandro, director of the Office of Graduate Research, was awarded the Gregorio Y. Zara Achievement Award for Basic Research for his contributions particularly in Plant Molecular Phylogenetics Established in 1968, the Gregorio Y. Zara award is the brainchild of the family of National Scientist Gregorio Zara and the Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology (PhilAAST).

The annual award seeks to recognize the achievements of the country’s most outstanding scientists in two fields: one in the field of Basic Science Research, and another for Applied Science Research.

Alejandro, also a resident researcher at the Research Center of the Natural and Applied Sciences and a professor in the College of Science, is the 38th recipient of the award. He received it from Pacita Zara, Gregorio’s daughter, during the International Conference on Science and Technology Education and 64th annual Convention of the PhilAAST last September 10.

“I am very happy. I really had no idea that I was chosen for the award,” said Alejandro.

España’s botanical garden Alejandro’s work pioneered Plant Molecular Phylogenetics in the Philippines. It is a field that analyzes differences in DNA sequences to gain information on an organism’s evolution through time.

The researcher is also recognized for the discovery of novel genera and several new endemic species of plants in the country. He is also currently the project leader of the Thomasian Angiosperm Phylogeny Barcoding Group that will aid in the molecular identification of Philippine medicinal plants by a DNA Barcoding Database.

Alejandro has also discovered

more than 20 species of endemic plants. Some of the plants that he discovered are the Mussaenda ustii, a plant he named after the University, and the Hedyotis papafranciscoi, a plant named after Pope Francis after the recent Papal Visit in the country last Jan 15-19.

“I am very grateful to them [PhilAAST] for this wonderful award. I’m really happy they recognized me because my field [Systematics and Taxonomy] is already a dying field,” he said, adding that he promised Pacita that if he discovers a new plant, he will name it after Gregorio Zara.

Alejandro’s development of the DNA Barcoding Database, a four-year project, in partnership with the Department of SciencePhilippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD), made the University the “Center for DNA Barcoding and Conservation.”

The project will be turned over to the DOST-PCHRD this December.

Alejandro is planning to work next on the development of a “seed bank” in the University.

This project is under the umbrella of a bigger program which is already partially accepted.

Life for science Alejandro earned his BS Biology degree in Far Eastern University in 1993. He later got his master’s degree in Biological Science in 1999 at the University of Santo Tomas. He received his Doctorate Degree in Natural Science at the University of Taxonomist PAGE 5

Alejandro

Art Director: Ava Mariangela C. Victoria

DECEMBER 15, 2015

Limelight 13

14 Limelight

Art Director: Ava Mariangela C. Victoria

DECEMBER 15, 2015

BY C.M.F. BASINANG, S.M.T. TAGAO AND K.M.O. VELASCO

Editorial faith. In 2014 alone, Christian human rights organization China Aid has documented 572 cases of religious persecution, wherein 17,884 Christian believers were affected, 1,592 of which were leaders of the Catholic Church.

Crosses were removed and church buildings were demolished as a response to the Chinese government’s efforts of a “crackdown on cult activities” since the official religion of the Chinese Communist Party is atheism.

Chinese authorities continued to harass and restrict Catholics who practice their faith outside of state-approved parameters. Among the victims of harassment are two Catholic priests who were detained for conducting “adult catechism classes,” the Catholic News Agency

has reported.

Meanwhile, in Somalia, Christian celebrations and conversion to the Christian faith are illegal after the Ministry of Justice and Religious Affairs prohibited Christian activities in 2013.

Government efforts to protect religious freedom are also not enough to curb the worsening persecution of Christians.

In Egypt, for instance, Christians continue to suffer mob violence from their Muslim neighbors who are not even part of any extremist group.

This continues despite the Egyptian government’s appeal for “goodwill” in the community.

While many Christian Filipinos are busy wrapping presents, preparing for parties and singing carols, their fellow Christians in other countries with very unwelcoming regimes to Christianity are searching for freedom and safety with the profession of the Christian faith.

In his homily in Bangui, Central African Republic last November 29, Pope Francis stressed the need for a “spirit of communion” amid injustice, persecutions, terrorism attacks and clashes of beliefs all around the world.

For most people, Christmas is supposedly the “most wonderful time of the year” but for many brothers and sisters, this season becomes a reminder of the faith that they cannot freely exercise.

“In every place, even and especially in those places where violence, hatred, injustice and persecution hold sway, Christians are called to give witness to this God who is love,” the Holy Father said.

Lives are in danger for the free exercise of religion, a fundamental right violated by radicals who believe that violence is the will of their god and the road to salvation.

More often than not, most Christians do not realize the far cry

for justice and peace of persecuted Christians around the world, like in the Philippines where there are laws that guarantee religious freedom.

The persecution suffered by Christians in hostile countries may also seem abstract and not alarming to those who are shielded away from it.

As a predominantly Catholic country, the Philippines cannot ignore the plight of its fellow Christians abroad. And even if the Philippines weren’t predominantly Christian, its government has the duty to uphold freedom of religion and make all countries that have signed the relevant international conventions on that matter to uphold it and provide protection to Christian minorities or any minority for that matter, irrespective of any religion.

One man’s call to uphold religious freedom may seem too small for religious extremists and hostile countries but as one Church,

the call will serve as an assertion that Christians around the world are ready to stand for their faith.

It is difficult to empathize when half of the world does not experience the pain and sufferings of persecuted Christians, especially if what they are experiencing is the opposite—a festive mood of the Christmas season.

Let us not be swayed by bright lights, comic relief, and the false joy that come along with the luxuries of the season. Beyond the glitter and the glamour is the underlying message of Christmas, the hope and love that is Christ.

The least we could do is give a moment of prayer for our persecuted brothers and sisters, in the hope that someday, they may also celebrate with us in joy during this special season, in which we remember the birth of our Savior—whom we also trust to save those who are in need the most.

Mercy

Tempus

Versatility

Emmanuel

“Emmanuel. It means,” said Rodolfo, before he was cut off midsentence.

“God with us,” said Cecilia.

A bell rang in the kitchen and Manny set his toy train down on the couch as Rodolfo followed suit. In the kitchen, Cecilia was busy setting up the evening’s menu—the pork slices, the pili nuts and the tutong.

Rodolfo opened the window and pulled apart the blinds to let some air into the room. As they were settling in, the lights suddenly began to flicker. The room fell dark.

After a brief moment, Cecilia opened the drawer and took out a new candle, setting it in the middle of the table. It was a timid light, yet bright enough to remind them of how the family’s first Christmas was wrapped in warmth.

Manny let the light mesmerize him and take him back to their first Christmas as a family. It was a vague memory, but it lingers in the corners of his mind just as the shadows cast by the meek candle lingers in their little room.

A gust of wind suddenly rushed into the room via the open window, and Manny began to look outside, seeing the curtains part to reveal a lone star twinkling beside a waxing moon. The family began to settle once more.

At the end of the kitchen, an old picture of the Holy Family, during the first Christmas in Bethlehem, hung on the wall.

FROM PAGE 4

FROM PAGE 10

FROM PAGE 4

was joined by Fr. Jesus Prol, O.P., parish priest of Santo Cristo.

Fr. Lo urged the faithful to perform corporal and spiritual works of mercy in observance of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. “Be merciful like the Father. Jesus is the mercy that is invincible and palpable,” Fr. Lo said.

Celebrations were also held at the the Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Mandaluyong and Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Pasay on Dec. 13.

The 2015 Jubilee Year will be run from Dec. 8 this year to Nov. 20 next year. With GABRIEL M. AGCAOILI in

dimples?

It is true, that Philippine media are here to entertain us, but their purpose doesn’t stop there. With their influence, they can empower and create revolutions, expose the truth and be a guide for smart elections, destroy barriers between government and citizens, and educate people in the most significant way. But alas, media in the Philippines are also an agent of crass commercialism, shallow entertainment, and mediocre taste. The Philippine media are a force for a vehicle for stupidity and sheer mindlessness.

Imago

identity is born—the place where the story of our lives is retold, re-molded, and relived,” Sweet wrote.

Jesus Christ Himself connected most to His disciples during the meals of exchanging food and good faith in the table; that is why the Last Supper leaves a poignant message to all Christians for it was the very last time Christ shared a meal with the 12 disciples. It is not merely the food that matters in the table but the collective “breaking of bread” with our loved ones over conversation and laughter.

The family table has the potential to become a positively transformative place for those who gather around it.

Building blocks of the community as well as the formation of one’s identity

Manila

FROM PAGE 5 hefty workloads.

Leonard Sweet, in his book “From Tablet to Table,” tackled the importance of bringing back the table to our homes, communities and churches.

Since these days, we do not take much time to just sit down and swap stories with our family members like we used to during dinner or family meals, Sweet emphasized that we should find time and make an effort to personally converse with the people who are dear to us, and to take pleasure in the communal benefits of fellowship and conversation.

“The table is the place where

FROM PAGE 7

“Companies hired me to do their work despite my novice level and young age. There were times that I failed, but I just took everything that was offered to me and never said no,” he said.

From his witty whimsical toys to creative banig portraits, there is no denying that Tejido immortalizes Philippine culture at its core, preserving and upholding the traditions our culture is known for with each and every continuing brush stroke. MARIA CORAZON A. INAY and VIANCA T. OCAMPO

can be taught and formed in the table.

One out of many benefits of eating meals together is the effect on strengthening family bonds and sense of one’s identity.

It would be beneficial for all Filipino families to realize that it should not take a special occasion to gather the whole brood up in a meal, but rather to make it a daily occurrence. Although there is no absolute guarantee that eating together will resolve all family problems, it may provide the opportunity to make a fresh start and a strong foundation. In the end, the table can serve as the stronghold on which a family can stand on in a world where authentic relationships are gradually being lost due to the modern ideas of “fast-food and [a] together-butseparate society.”

FROM PAGE 10

to have this superstition about offering these to the spirits to keep them from stealing their children’s souls,” Jose told Rodolfo, who raised an incredulous eyebrow.

Kiko began unwrapping what he had brought. A burnt scent emanated from the plastic bag. It revealed a bowl of tutong or burnt rice. Cecilia recalled how she and her brothers fought over the last portions of rice in their mother’s pot.

A cold breeze suddenly swept into the room via the open window.

Rodolfo quickly felt his way around and reached for the drawer, where he grabbed a box of matches. With a flicker, he cupped his hand over the flame and lit the candle wick. On the far end of the room was a painting of the nativity scene, with Mary, Joseph and the three kings huddled over a baby in a manger.

As the flame grew, a peculiar silhouette materialized on the wall behind the family—a mother, a father and three men huddled over a baby. The smog outside began to clear, the car horns toned down into silence and a curtain of evening clouds parted to reveal a moon adjacent to a lone star twinkling alongside its celestial better. A gust of wind surged into the room.

“What is his name?” asked Ramon.

Acting Editor: Delfin Ray M. Dioquino

DECEMBER 15, 2015

Sports 15

UST leads general UAAP race—but barely

By RANDELL ANGELO B. RITUMALTA HALFWAY through the season, UST is clinging on a two-point lead over De La Salle University for the UAAP general championship.

UST has a total of 155 points in large part because of championships men’s taekwondo, women’s judo and poomsae.

But UST sports officials are not celebrating early, knowing a lot can still happen in the second semester.

UST took home silver medals in men’s basketball, men’s judo, men’s table tennis, men’s beach volleyball and women’s taekwondo, and grabbed bronze in women’s table tennis.

The Tiger Jins and the Female Judokas muscled their way into two consecutive championships while the UST poomsae squad redeemed themselves from last year’s third-place finishing on top podium this season.

The Male Judokas failed to defend their crown after winning only one gold this year, while the Lady Jins fell short as the University of the East took home the title fter a perfect campaign.

For the third straight season, the Tiger Spikers settled for silver while the Growling Tigers lost in the finals against the FEU Tamaraws.

The Tiger and Lady Paddlers had a better

season this year as they improved from their third and fourth place Season 77 finishes to third and second place, respectively, this year.

La Salle is trailing UST with 153 points in the race for the overall title. It ruled the table tennis and women’s beach volleyball tournaments but failed to enter the men’s basketball semifinals for the first time since 2011.

Ateneo de Manila University is at third place with 140 markers. It bagged championships in swimming, men’s judo and beach volleyball.

Season host and women’s badminton champions University of the Philippines came in at fourth place with 115 points, followed by men’s basketball titlist Far Eastern University with 90 markers.

Women’s basketball and men’s badminton champions National University, women’s taekwondo titlists University of the East and Adamson University tallied 82, 79 and 37 points, respectively.

The University’s football teams are expected to have a better season after registering their worst finishes in UAAP history.

UST has the record for the most number of general championships after topping 40 out of 67 seasons since the award was first given in Season 10.

Leaving the Tigers’ lair Patrimonio sees with ‘almost championships’ ‘bright future’ for Tigers despite loss

By PHILIP MARTIN L. MATEL

UNFORTUNATELY, the third time still was not the charm.

The Tigers, for the third time in the last four years, ended another season with a heartbreak, losing to the FEU Tamaraws in three games for the UAAP basketball championship.

In the winner-take-all game, UST stormed back from an 11-point deficit in the third quarter as Ed Daquioag took over and gave the Tigers a six-point lead, 59-53, with over three minutes left in the game.

But FEU’s Roger Pogoy had other plans. He scored seven straight points to secure the Tamaraws’ 20th basketball title and their first since 2005.

“As a head coach, losing the Finals, sobrang sakit. Sobrang painful ng loss. Third time eh.

‘Yung mga kasama kong beterano na pangatlong finals, nandito sa puso namin. Sobrang sakit,” head coach Bong dela Cruz told the Varsitarian after Game 3.

Kevin Ferrer, who waxed hot with 29 points in UST’s Game 2 victory, said he did not regret anything in his five-year stint with the Tigers. He was held to six markers in his final game as a Growling Tiger.

In his five years with UST, he said was most proud this season when he led the team to an 11-3 record and a Finals appearance.

“Wala naman kumikilala sa amin na aabot kami dito. I’m so proud na napatunayan ng team na kayang pumunta sa championship.”

Karim Abdul, the Cameroonian big man who manned the paint for the last five years, said he’s leaving with a heavy heart for failing to win a title.

With the whole starting lineup gone for next season, second-year tactician Dela Cruz will have to rebuild the Tigers under newcomer Mario Bonleon and Rookie of the Year runner-up Marvin Lee.

King Tiger Kevin Ferrer

By LEIF ARILD F. SYKIOCO DESPITE the heartbreaking loss against Far Eastern University, UST consultant Alvin Patrimonio still sees a bright future ahead for the Growling Tigers.

The four-time PBA Most Valuable Player was among the 23,124 fans who witnessed the Tamaraws survive the Tigers in Game 3 of the Finals and claim their 20th basketball crown. “(This) is UAAP’s version of Manila Clasico.” Patrimonio told the Varsitarian. “Ang daming napasayang tao at marami talaga ang nag enjoy. Pero isa lang talaga ang mananalo, and FEU deserved that win.”

Patrimonio lauded the Tigers for defying early predictions that gave them no chance of even reaching the semifinal round.

“Maganda naman ang (ending) ng team. ‘Yung mga puso ng mga bata, hindi talaga nagpatalo,” he said. “(Before the) start of the season hindi maganda yung seed ng team pero nagtrabaho naman lahat and umabot pa sa finals and for that I’m very proud of them.

Patrimonio, who was named in the PBA Hall of Famer in 2011, said he was willing to stay on as the team’s consultant if given another opportunity.

“Nage-enjoy pa ako watching them play and nakikita ko yung mga potential nila. Sa akin naman lahat pwedeng maging leader eh, pero si Marvin Lee ready na to step up for the team,” he said.

Homegrown talent shines for UST Lady Judokas

By CARLO A. CASINGCASING and JOHN CHESTER P. FAJARDO

THREE years ago, Khrizzie Pabulayan was uncertain if her family could send her to college.

And judo was farthest from her mind.

Fast forward to 2015. She joined the UAAP tournament for the first time and wrestled her way to the Most Valuable Player award as she led the UST Lady Judokas to back-to-back championships.

Before her triumphs, the Bacolod native had slim chances of completing a degree until she was introduced to the UST judo program as part of the athletes’ scholarship in 2013.

“Naawa [sa akin si ate Jilloue Mosqueda (former national team member)] kasi hindi kaya ng pamilya ko na makapagaral ako for college, so in-introduce niya ‘ko sa UST,” Pabulayan told the Varsitarian.

Lady Judokas head coach Gerard Arce admitted that Pabulayan was “recruited with zero knowledge in judo.” But he saw her courage and height advantage.

The 5-foot-3 Pabulayan honed her skills with the Lady Judokas’ Team B for two years before entering the league.

In 2013, Pabulayan trained for a month with former

Judoka and Season 77 MVP Annie Ramirez and mentor John Baylon to master the basics of judo before joining the roster.

“Noong una ang hirap magadjust kasi ‘yung iba alam na nila ‘yung ginagawa nila. Masakit sa katawan, parang binubugbog ka lang. Na-down ako tapos inisip ko, ‘Bakit ganoon, bakit parang ‘di ako gumagaling?’” Pabulayan said.

Her skepticism vanished after she stormed the UAAP Season 78 with an unblemished 3-0 win-loss record en route to a gold medal in the -48 kg weight class and the MVP plum.

“Noong tumagal sinabi ko na kailangan ko talagang mag-focus, kailangan kong ipakita sa kumuha sa akin na karapat dapat ako sa mga binigay na benefits sa akin. Pinush ko sarili ko na maibalik sa kanila ‘yung binigay nilang opportunity,” said Pabulayan, now a third year Physical Education student.

In her semifinal match last season, Pabulayan was trailing behind by 11 points with only over a minute remaining. But the courage that Arce saw in her showed up in the dying moments as she scored an impressive takedown for an Ippon (whole point) victory.

Still, Pabulayan is keeping her feet on the ground. It is all about UST’s judo program, which took a chance on her and it paid off.

Pabulayan