The Varsitarian P.Y. 2017 to 2018 Issue 05

Volume LXXXIX, No. 5 • December 18, 2017 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF SANTO TOMAS Manila, Philippines

2 News

DECEMBER 18, 2017

Editors: Maria Crisanta M. Paloma and Hannah Rhocellhynnia H. Cruz

Pacucoa names UST as top university

THE UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas was feted on Dec. 1 for having the most number of accredited programs in Metro Manila recognized for excellent standard by a private accreditation agency.

UST has a total of 47 programs accredited by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (Pacucoa).

Of these, 26 enjoy Level IV status, the highest Pacucoa rating.

The travel management program of the College of Tourism and Hospitality Management (CTHM) was the first to be granted the Level IV accredited status in the country.

CTHM Dean Ma. Cecilia Tio Cuison said they maintainedtheir linkages and partnerships with tourism industries, academic institutions and the government by collaborative work in research, curriculum implementation, internship and service-learning programs.

“We have a lot of industry partners that help us develop our students to become the would-be professionals. We work closely with the industry,” Cuison said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Cuison said the travel management program has an industry advisory board that monitors the program’s curriculum from the conceptualization to the development and implementation.

The University was also recognized for producing graduates who have obtained the highest scores in the 2017 nutritionist-dietitian, pharmacist and librarian board examinations.

College of Education Dean Allan de Guzman said producing quality graduates has been a tradition of every program in their college.

“We make sure that the quality of our instruction is translated in to the kind of performance that is shown in board examination results,” de Guzman told the Varsitarian.

UST has been cited for having the most number of Pacucoa-accredited programs in the country since 2013. JULIA CLAIRE L. MEDINA

UST tops nursing licensure exams for third straight year TWELVE UST nursing graduates landed in the Top 10 of the November licensure exam as the university scored a 100-percent passing rate, making it the top performing school for the third straight year.

Led by Veronica Louise Necor, who scored 88.80 percent, 300 UST examinees passed the exams.

Thomasians Angelica Ann Louise Ignacio and Erika Kitajima secured the fifth and sixth places after obtaining scores of 87.60 percent 87.40 percent, respectively.

Other UST graduates in the top 10 were Gerardeanne Reposar who clinched the seventh spot with a score of 87.20 percent, and Krissa Isabel Gonzales and Sevie Heinrich Sagucio who landed on eighth place after scoring 87 percent.

Dhonna Faye Arcelona, Jaedi Garcia, Erika Janine Lepiten and Ciara Yumul shared Nursing PAGE 3

The Guidon, El Heraldo lead UST nat’l campus journ awards winners CAMPUS publications across the country were recognized in the 3rd UST National Campus Journalism Awards (UNCJA), with the winning entries tackling controversies under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The Guidon of Ateneo de Manila bagged this year’s Best In-Depth News Award for its entry “Execution Day.” The story described an inmate’s last day before receiving lethal injection.

“On EJK: Not just ‘collateral damage’”

by Heraldo Filipino of De La Salle University – Dasmariñas was named Best Editorial. It discussed how extrajudicial killings in the country have been seemingly “normalized.”

Mindanao State University’s Mindanao Varsitarian received the Best Feature Award for its story “Experiences of a Christian Evacuee from MSU during the conflict in Marawi,” which narrated the author Al Jay Mejos’ trials and triumphs amid the conflict in Marawi.

The Guidon‘s “Sa Ikauunlad ng Bayan, Pag-alala sa Kasaysayan ang Kailangan” and Awards PAGE 14

ILLUMINATE. Fireworks boom atop the UST Main Building during the opening of the Paskuhan festivities last Dec. 1.

DEEJAE S. DUMLAO

‘God will slay your dragons,’ Rector tells Thomasians UST Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. told Thomasians on Dec. 1 there was no “dragon” or trial in life that God could not defeat, as he opened this year’s “Game of Thrones”-inspired Paskuhan festivities. “[W]e have experienced so many trials as individuals, as a community [and] as a nation.

Advent is a season that reminds us that this is God’s world. And no matter how big the dragon in our life that stabs us to disembowel our dignity, that attempts to rob us from our holy freedom, that threatens the strength of our life, we should never give up,” Dagohoy said in his homily during the Eucharistic celebration at Plaza Mayor.

The dragon was a loose reference to the mythical creatures adapted by ”Game of Thrones,” the popular HBO TV series about power struggles in a medieval-like realm.

Dagohoy also recalled the biblical story of the prophet Daniel, who destroyed false idols Bel and a

dragon after refusing to worship them.

The Rector urged Thomasians to welcome the Advent season with hope that faith in God would overcome any darkness that might come in their lives.

Dagohoy said the coming of Christ offered comfort amid exile and estrangement from God, “because the culmination of Advent is the happening of grace.”

“Hope was born from the womb of Mary,” he said.

A Christmas concert by students and professors of the UST Conservatory of Music followed the Mass, with Vice Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. leading the lighting of the Christmas tree and the opening of Christmas lights on campus.

An Agape for the Thomasian community was held on Friday.

The Paskuhan concert will be on Dec. 20. JULIA CLAIRE L. MEDINA

UST Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy presides the Mass during the opening of the Paskuhan fesitivities.

MIAH TERRENZ PROVIDO

UST campus in GenSan to push through LOCAL officials have given the go-signal for the construction of a UST campus in General Santos City, a University official said. The plan to build UST GenSan is supported by the local government including Sen. Manny Pacquiao, a former Sarangani representative, said Fr. Dexter Austria, O.P., director of the Facilities Management Office (FMO).

“We had a meeting with the mayor, with Senator Pacquiao [and] actually [with] all of the city councilors. Everyone is actually unanimous in their vote for the construction of UST-GenSan,” Austria told the Varsitarian.

UST Rector Fr.

Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. said documents for the new campus was now being processed.

“We are still finalizing the [documents] for the site development of UST campus (in GenSan City),” he said in a text message.

Dagohoy said GenSan was chosen to support the Mindanao region in terms of education. “[The University] has chosen [GenSan] to contribute to the growth of the region by offering the Thomasian brand of education,” he said.

UST GenSan will be an 80-hectare campus, four times the size of UST Manila, located in Barangay Ligaya and Katangawan.

‘Strategic’ location FMO Assistant

Director

Albert Surla said UST GenSan’s location would be strategic as the one-hour ride from Indonesia to GenSan allowed many Indonesians to visit the city. “[M]araming visitors from Indonesia mula [sa GenSan]… so baka [mag-aral] sila doon knowing [UST’s] quality of education. So ‘yun din yung isang nakikitang magandang effect [kapag nagkaroon] ng UST sa GenSan,” he said.

Austria said they plan to start with the first phase of the development plan next year, covering 14-20 hectares. “[W]hat we are after now is yung permits na for the site development plan. You need a permit to begin the site development, andoon na tayo.

[And] it would take… more

than a year to finish the site development plan,” Austria said.

Dominican mandate Dagohoy said the construction of UST GenSan would fulfill the Dominican Province’s mandate to the University.

Austria said the campus would also be an avenue to spread the University’s mission in Mindanao.

“The impact of [UST] would be so much for the people of [GenSan] and for the whole of Mindanao not only in terms of educational benefits... but I think… it could also be a catalyst for Catholic teachings UST GenSan PAGE 14

Editor: Neil Jayson N. Servallos

Special Reports 3

DECEMBER 18, 2017

Court upholds graft raps vs CHEd chief CHEd Chairwoman Patricia Licuanan speaks before the media in an education press conference held in the CHEd headquarters in Quezon City last Sept. 27.

MICHAEL ANGELO M. REYES

By: MA. CONSUELO D.P. MARQUEZ

THE FIGHT to hold Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) Chairwoman Patricia Licuanan liable for graft continues for a respected school-accreditation association.

In a Resolution dated 18 August 2017, the Court of Appeals (CA) reversed its earlier ruling to dismiss the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAASCU) petition, questioning the Office of the Ombudsman’s dismissal of the accreditation body’s complaint against Licuanan for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019). The CA, however, will only rule on Licuanan’s administrative liability as the appellate court maintained the dismissal of the PAASCU petition involving her criminal liability.

The CA said PAASCU should have questioned before the Supreme Court the Ombudsman’s resolution that dismissed the criminal cases against Licuanan.

Complaints filed against government officials at the Office of the Ombudsman are dual-purpose. After due investigation, the Ombudsman may order the immediate removal of a public officer as an administrative penalty and also cause an official’s indictment for a criminal offense.

If an official, like Licuanan, is indicted, she will be tried before the anti-graft court—the Sandiganbayan.

Due to “lack of probable cause,” the Ombudsman, in 2016, initially dismissed PAASCU’s complaint against Licuanan for violation of Section 3 (e) and 3(g) of RA 3019 for “causing or giving unwarranted benefits to any private party” and “entering into any contract or transaction manifestly and grossly disadvantageous to the government.”

PAASCU’s legal counsel Joseph Noel Estrada was elated at the reinstatement of his client’s case. “We think it would really be a big help if we don’t allow cases like these to

just go away without necessary consequence under the law. We filed a case [and] the Court of Appeals reinstated it, saying the Ombudsman was wrong to dismiss the case,” Estrada told the Varsitarian.

Estrada added that PAASCU will go to the Supreme Court to seek the reversal of the dismissal of their criminal complaint.

In 2014, PAASCU sought to hold CHEd’s top official liable administratively and criminally for authorizing the release of P10 million to fund Philippine Computer Society’s (PCS) Information Computing Accreditation Board, a newly established accreditation agency. PAASCU claimed that the transaction was anomalous because CHEd did not hold a public bidding before it awarded the P10 million to PCS. PAASCU also cited a 2014 Commission on Audit report that described CHEd’s agreement with PCS as “irregular, unlawful and grossly disadvantageous to the

‘Duterte to blame for priest’s death’ PRIESTS called for an end to extrajudicial killings and blamed President Rodrigo Duterte for the death of 72-year-old Fr. Marcelito “Tito” Paez, who was killed by assassins in Nueva Ecija last Dec. 5.

Fr. Oliver Castor, who considered Paez his “mentor,” blamed Duterte for the death, saying the regime’s culture of killings must stop.

“We accuse you of these killings! This is your policy, this is your government’s policy,” he said during the International Human Rights Day protest at the Bonifacio Shrine in Manila last Dec. 10.

Paez, director of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP), was shot by gunmen aboard a motorcycle around 7:30 p.m. while he was driving his Toyota Innova. He died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Castor, a board member of RMP, said Paez’s death was similar to the vigilante-style killings by the Davao Death Squad when Duterte was still Davao City mayor.

“Ang istilo ng pagkapaslang kay Fr. Tito ay modus operandi ng Davao Death Squad noong [si Duterte] pa ay mayor ng Davao. Pinag-aralan ko po, mga kapatid, ang modus operandi at kaparehas na kaparehas po ang pagpaslang kay Fr. Tito,” he said.

Castor said Fr. Tito’s death was premeditated, considering he was shot nine times.

“Isang motorsiklo ang humarang sa kanya at pinagbabaril ang kanyang sasakyan. Siyam ang tama ni Fr. Tito, talagang papatayin nila [siya],” he said.

Paez was known for providing services to victims of human rights violations in Central Luzon.

‘Not the time for fear’ Castor also urged the laity to get involved in social issues.

“This is not the time for fear, this is the time for courage, and siguro time for hope,” he told the Varsitarian.

“Malala ang paglabag sa karapatang panto ngayon sa ilalim ng Duterte administration kaya nandito kami para tutulan `yung continuing human rights violations,” he added.

Bishop Broderick Pabillo of the Archdiocese of Manila agreed. “[D]apat talagang paninindigan ‘yan. Kapag ang [human rights] ay binabalewala, ‘yan ay pang-aatake sa tao,” he said in an interview.

Kathy Panguban of the National Union of People’s Lawyers said the rising number of human rights violations under the Duterte administration was alarming and should not be ignored further.

The International Human Rights Day protest was organized by Movement Against Tyranny.

ARIANNE AINE D. SUAREZ

government.”

“Absence of CHEd guidelines on the financial assistance to [non-government organizations] vying for international recognition as the country’s accrediting agencies for identified degree programs resulted [in] the lack of competitiveness and transparency on the selection of PCS by CHEd,” the report read.

Estrada said Licuanan lacked transparency in those dealings, saying funding PCS was profoundly inconsistent with the state requirements for use of public funds.

“It affects the higher education as a whole especially when the leadership does not use entrusted government funds properly,” Estrada said.

‘Baseless, inaccurate’ Licuanan maintained that there was CHEd PAGE 12

Nursing

Usapang Uste

FROM PAGE 2

MULA SA PAHINA 6

the ninth spot after obtaining a score of 86.80 percent, while Clarissa Briones and Meri-Yee Liao placed 10th after scoring 86.60 percent.

Raymund Kernell Mañago of the University of the Philippines – Manila led the country’s fresh batch of nurses with a score of 89 percent.

“We prepare our graduates by following the tradition of excellence [in] the college.

We are thankful that the admin has been very supportive in our program [and that the] faculty are dedicated and passionate [in] teaching our students the excellent way as they have been mentored before,” Dean Susan Maravilla of the College of Nursing told the Varsitarian in an interview.

“I am proud of our students. I am glad that nobody was left behind. I hope that whatever they have learned from the college will equip them to handle future challenges of life and in their career.”

The national passing rate slipped to 45.65 percent, or 5,875 out of 12,869 examinees, from last year’s 47.73 percent or 6,836 examinees out of 14,322.

In 2016, UST aced the nursing board exams with all 324 Thomasian examinees passing the test and 18 UST graduates making it to the top 10.

The UST College of Nursing is designated as a Center of Excellence by the Commission on Higher Education, and has Level IV or the highest accreditation status from the Philippine Association of Colleges and UniversitiesCommission on Accreditation. JULIA CLAIRE L. MEDINA

Architects of the Philippines (UAP) lifetime achievement award noong 2014.

Noong 2007, itinalaga siyang tagapangulo ng Architects Bowling Club.

Nagsilbi rin siyang pangulo at director ng Philippine Bowling Congress, Philippine Construction Association at Architects Toastmaster Club.

Sa kasalukuyan, tumatayo siyang kasangguni ng ENDESCO, isang multidisiplinaryong engineering design, consulting at construction management firm, at arkitekto ng Professional Design Architect.

Tomasalitaan langayák (pnr.) [ST] tamad.

Hal. Hindi makararating sa karoroonan ang pagiging langayák ng taong matayog ang pangarap.

Mga Sanggunian: The Varsitarian TOTAL Awards 2016 UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino

4 Opinion

DECEMBER 18, 2017

Editorial

Dengvaxia, RH, Garin, and greed PRESIDENT Duterte in one rare instance of withholding his vindictiveness toward his predecessor, who had equally been vindictive toward his predecessor, said he would not put the blame on anyone for the disastrous dengue vaccination program, in which the scarcely texted Dengvaxia formulation from the French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur was administered to tens of thousands of Filipino students during the waning months of the Aquino administration.

Sanofi has recently admitted tests showed that the vaccine would make those who had not contracted dengue even more prone to it, so that Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, a Thomasian, has ordered the vaccination program stopped. Duterte said he himself would have implemented the ambitious and very costly P3.5 billion program, if only to check the dengue menace and save children’s lives.

Crocodile tears! Duterte’s reaction is vintage statist. Even if the vaccine then as now has had zero effectiveness, he would have ordered it administered to the masses not because of altruism but out his own sense of populism and socialist demagoguery. Costs do not matter to him or at the least, he seems impervious to them, as is evident in his tax reform, free tuition in state colleges and universities (SCU), increase of social security pension, and even his one-year extension of martial law in Mindanao. The military cost of the Marawi crisis alone cost P5 billion and Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the free tuition for SCU’s would cost P100 billion next year.

Who’s going to pay for all of this? Who else but the Filipino taxpayer, presumably more prone now to dengue (and higher health costs) than ever before because government has wasted P3.5 billion on a vaccine that not only doesn’t work, but makes things worse.

Duterte and Aquino may resent being compared to one another, but their common denominator is that both personify the state’s inordinate appetite for spending just for the sake of spending, the better for the state and bureaucracy to batten on money and resources pooled from merciless taxation and charging of state fees of Editorial PAGE 5

FOUNDED JAN. 16, 1928 AMIERIELLE ANNE A. BULAN Editor in Chief BERNADETTE A. PAMINTUAN Managing Editor ALHEX ADREA M. PERALTA Associate Editor MARIA CRISANTA M. PALOMA News Editor HANNAH RHOCELLHYNNIA H. CRUZ Assistant News Editor RANDELL ANGELO B. RITUMALTA Sports Editor NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS Special Reports Editor CHELSEY MEI NADINE B. BRAZAL Features Editor NIKKO MIGUEL M. GARCIA Literary Editor JOLAU V. OCAMPO Patnugot ng Filipino LEA MAT P. VICENCIO Witness Editor EDRIS DOMINIC C. PUA Science and Technology Editor AUDRIE JULIENNE D. BERNAS Circle Editor CHRISTIAN DE LANO M. DEIPARINE Online Editor SHAINA MAE L. SANTANDER Art Director DEEJAE S. DUMLAO Acting Chief Photographer News Ianna Gayle S. Agus, Samantha-Wee Lipana, Jacob Marvin D. Urmenita, Pauline Faye V. Tria Sports Jan Carlo Anolin, Mia Arra C. Camacho, Ma. Angela Christa Coloma, Ivan Ruiz L. Suing Special Reports Ma. Consuelo D.P. Marquez, Arianne Aine D. Suarez Features Louise Claire H. Cruz, Daphne Yann P. Galvez Literary Karl Ben L. Arlegui, Elmer B. Coldora Filipino Erma R. Edera, Chris V. Gamoso, Winona S. Sadia Witness Lexanne O. Garcia Science and Technology Alyssa Carmina G. Gonzales Circle Klimier Nicole B. Adriano, Kathleen Therese A. Palapar Art Mariyella Alysa A. Abulad, Blessie Angelie B. Andres, Rocher Faye R. Dulatre, Joelle Alison Mae Eusebio Photography Ann Margaret De Nys, Vince Christian C. Imperio, Miah Terrenz Provido, Maria Charisse Ann G. Refuerzo, Michael Angelo M. Reyes, Rhenwil G. James Santos, Vladlynn Nona Maryse L. Tadeo, Pauline Faye V. Tria FELIPE F. SALVOSA II Assistant Publications Adviser JOSELITO B. ZULUETA Publications Adviser Letters/comments/suggestions/contributions are welcome in the Varsitarian. Only letters with signatures and corresponding contact details will be entertained. Original manuscript contributions must be typewritten, double-spaced, on regular bond paper, and should include a signed certification bearing the author’s name, address, year, and college. The identity of a writer may be withheld upon request. The editors will not be responsible for the loss of materials. Contributions must be sent to THE VARSITARIAN office, Rm. 105, Tan Yan Kee Student Center, University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila.

Rebuild hopes and homes in Marawi: A Christmas wish ‘TIS NOT the season for corruption, injustice and ignorance to prevail, especially when 60,000 families displaced due to the Marawi crisis are still suffering from trauma and subject to the poor conditions in evacuation centers months after the government declared them “liberated.”

Although the death of militants Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute and withdrawal of Islamic State-linked fighters in Marawi signaled the Philippine military’s victory in war last October, there is still fear and hopelessness among the Marawi people. It has been three months since the President declared the military victory in Marawi, but there has been no concrete step yet toward rehabilitation.

All that it has done has been to extend martial law in Mindanao for another year, a dubious move constitutionally.

The government has promised a “full-swing rehabilitation” for Marawi.

Verbal promises, however, do not cover wounds of disappointment, especially when our officials are prone

It is already December yet we still lack concrete and feasible plans for Marawi. We cannot prolong the agony. to repeating the mistakes committed during the rehabilitation of cities in the Visayas destroyed when Typhoon Yolanda hit the Philippines in 2013.

Four years have passed yet only 38 percent or 78,291 houses of the 205,128 targeted number of permanent housing units have been constructed and only 12.79 percent of the houses are actually occupied by beneficiaries. Only less than half of the housing demand of the victims are completed and thousands of families are still homeless.

According to the National

Housing Authority (NHA), the coordination between the local government and the national government in identifying, listing and validating the identity of the beneficiaries was a problem in both building and distributing permanent housing for the survivors. This is because the typhoon hit six regions or about 14 provinces with 171 towns and cities.

It was a “massive scale of devastation,” NHA officials said.

It took the government a year to plan and gather data before starting reconstruction.

Although officials claimed that

they prioritized the subsistence of the affected citizens, it is still highly questionable that little progress has been made.

Like in the provinces hit by Typhoon Yolanda, the rehabilitation of Marawi City also needs to start from scratch.

The city, known as the country’s Islamic capital, is severely damaged, with almost all of its buildings left in ruins. Images of Marawi’s edifices circulating online, verified of course, look almost entirely destroyed and deprived of life. Rubble now occupy where schools, buildings, churches and mosques once stood.

Aerial and land bombardment wiped out almost all residential houses. “All of our effort and all our belongings are gone,” 77-year-old Marawi resident Hadj Esmail Abaton told the Wall Street Journal.

Abaton is one of the few residents able to return to where there homes one stood. Other residents, however, said they did know what happened to their homes as most of the areas were Anastasis PAGE 5

Duterte: The Grinch who stole our Christmas CHRISTMAS has always been a celebration of love and life but for President Duterte, it is a convenient time to resume the bloody war on drugs.

The number of extrajudicial killings in the country is still rising and will probably continue to rise as President Duterte has restored the Philippine National Police (PNP) at the helm of its campaign against illegal drugs.

Not to mention the presence of “vigilante killers” around the corners doing for the PNP its dirty work.

Under the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), only one death was recorded in the conduct of its anti-illegal drugs operations. Over P100 million worth of illegal drugs have been recovered since Oct. 12.

The President seems to think PDEA lacked the grit for the job. With some 4,000 fatalities, the police must be passionate enough to impress him.

Last Dec. 5, President Duterte signed the Memorandum Order No. 17, directing the PNP to give “active support” to PDEA in the operations against illegal drugs. The PNP has now resumed the drug war’s

It is logical to believe that with the return of the PNP in the forefront of the drug wars, the estimates would increase. flagship campaigns “Oplan Tokhang” and “Oplan DoubleBarrel” which aim to visit the houses of drug users and peddlers and ask them to surrender and change for the better.

How can the police who “accidentally” killed three children and treated them as “collateral damage,” who “blindly” fired at lone suspects when there are more of them, who cannot hold themselves accountable for their mistakes be trusted to deliver justice?

But President Duterte has repeatedly shrugged off local and international human rights groups condemning the police abuses in his administration’s anti-drug campaign. He tried to acknowledge the rising opposition two months ago by hauling off the police from the

operations.

However, like the January suspension, after police were involved in the murder of a South Korean businessman, Duterte retaliated and resumed the bloody business.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) officials hit the Philippine government’s lack of efforts to hold the police accountable for abuses in the course of the drug wars.

During the 16th Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute in the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Presidential Spokesman Henry Roque said the International Criminal Court should leave the country alone in its war against drugs. He said critics of the Duterte administration were using the court as an avenue to “destabilize governments and

undermine legitimate national authorities.”

But it is only right for sectors to hold the government accountable. A government that does not recognize checks and balance is self-serving and prone to error.

President Duterte said he resumed the drug war due to public demand.

But HRW Asia deputy director Phelim Kine said the alleged clamor is unlikely to come from “Manila’s urban poor areas, the epicenter of the killing zones.”

“This effective ‘war on the poor’ may constitute crimes against humanity,” Kine said in a statement.

He said the majority of the estimated 12,000 victims of drug-related killings are urban poor dwellers.

Whatever the estimates of the casualties of the drug wars, it is logical to believe that with the return of the PNP in the forefront of the drug wars, the estimates would increase. The countdown would extend far beyond Christmas and even the new year. In short, it’s going to be a grim Christmas. Now we know the identity of the Grinch who stole Christmas.

DECEMBER 18, 2017

Banawe at ang banta ng modernidad ILANG henerasiyon ang dumaan sa loob ng dalawang milenyo?

Higit pa rito ang ginugol ng mga mamamayan ng Ifugao bago idineklara bilang World Heritage Site ng United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) ang Banaue Rice Terraces noong taong 1995. Anim na taon lamang ang kinailangan upang maisama ito sa Unesco List of World Heritage in Danger at patuloy pa rin itong lumulubha hanggang ngayon.

Ayon sa aklat na pinamagatang “Orphans of the Pacific: The Philippines,” tila mga inhinyero, forester at agriculturist ang mga mamamayan ng Ifugao.

Binuo nila ang bawat hagdan sa pamamagitan ng mga batong binubuhat pa mula sa ilog na makikita sa bandang ibaba. Namangha maging ang mga siyentipiko sa kaalaman ng mga magsasaka ukol sa irigasiyon dito.

Mahalaga ang bawat punong nakatayo at malaking kasalanan para sa kanila ang pagputol ng kahit isa sa mga ito. Isang tradisiyon dito ang pagsakripisiyo ng isang terrace upang matubigan ang iba pang terraces at hindi sila matuyo. Taong 1941 pa nang

Anastasis FROM PAGE 4 still closed because of land mines.

Government said it needs P10 billion to rebuild Marawi. The question here is why government isn’t moving despite the P5 billion already approved and why it is demanding more. When the budget was approved, government still cannot proceed with its “plans” in rebuilding because apparently, officials still have to discuss their “comprehensive projects.” It is already December yet we still

Sa pagpapahalaga at pagpapanatili ng kalinisan, kaunlaran, at kahalagahan ng mga yaman ng ating bansa, hindi na bago ang kakulangan natin sa mga ito. nailimbag ang aklat na ito, ilang dekada bago nakita ng UNESCO ang kagandahan ng palayan.

Marami ang mga sanhi ng pagkasira ng palayan.

Una, malaking bahagi ng palayan ang gumuho noong 2011 dahil sa mga dumaang bagyo. Pangalawa, may mga ulat na marami nang naninirahan na mga uod, suso, at iba pang peste sa palayan.

Pangatlo, maraming establishments ang itinayo rito para sa mga turista na dagdag sa papasanin ng bundok.

Pangapat, limitado na ang irigasiyon sa palayan dahilan sa pagkakatuyo ng lupa. Panlima, iniiwan ng mga magsasaka ang palayan at humahanap ng ibang trabaho sa lungsod.

Panganim, limitado rin ang pera upang mapanatili ang kaayusan nito. Kasunod lack concrete and feasible plans for Marawi. We cannot prolong the agony. Displaced residents cramped in evacuation centers are dying. Maranao children live in fear, probably traumatized; they fear going back to school after witnessing bombs drop nearby their classrooms. There are reported instances on food blockade, continuous threats and land-grabbing.

Again, we cannot prolong our countrymen’s agony.

And extending the martial law in their area only worsens the situation. The declaration is not a question of whether the Mindanaoans are in favor of martial law but rather a question of whether it is even

ang paglaho ng tradisiyonal at kultural na hitsura ng mga bahay sa Ifugao dahil pinapalitan ng mga modernisadong kagamitan.

At panghuli, walang interes ang mga kabataan sa Ifugao sa pagtatanim at pagsasaka dahil sa internet at telebisiyon (ayon ito sa isang ulat ng Philippine Daily Inquirer, kung sakaling hindi kapanipaniwala).

Sa pagpapahalaga at pagpapanatili ng kalinisan, kaunlaran, at kahalagahan ng mga yaman ng ating bansa, hindi na bago ang kakulangan natin sa mga ito. Hindi na luminis ang Manila Bay at Ilog Pasig.

Marumi na sa mga isla ng Boracay. Patuloy pa rin ang pagtayo ng ‘photobomb’ sa likod ng monumento ni Dr. Jose Rizal. At bahagi lang ng isang mahabang listahan

ng mga nasisirang yaman ang aking mga nabanggit.

Ayon sa ulat ng Agence France-Presse noong taong 2015, “relentless forces of modernity” at “unregulated development” ang sanhi ng pagkasira sa hagdan-hagdang palayan.

Tinutulungan dapat ng modernisasiyon ang pagangat ng ating kultura at hindi ang pagguho nito.

Hindi modernisasiyon ang paglikas at paglimot ng mga mamamayan ng Ifugao sa kanilang mga minanang sakahan at pumunta sa Maynila upang makahanap ng ‘mas maayos’ na trabaho.

Hindi modernisasiyon ang kawalan ng interes ng kabataan sa pagsasaka dahil mas madaling gawin ito sa FarmVille. Hindi modernisasiyon kung mababa ang tingin ng mga magsasaka sa kanilang sarili dahil wala sila sa lungsod.

Ang iba’t ibang kulturang nakapaloob sa Filipinas, ang ating mga yamang lupa at yamang tubig, ang tunay na yaman ng ating bansa. At hindi natin sila maipagmamalaki sa mga dayuhan at sa mga susunod na henerasiyon kung nasira na sila ng pagkalimot.

allowed by law.

The 1987 Philippine Constitution requires an act of invasion or rebellion before allowing the government to put an area of the nation under martial law.

Malacañang said it needed to extend martial law in order to “quell the continuing rebellion in Mindanao” and “eradicate local or foreign terrorist groups.” Is the Malacañang admitting that the military cannot do its job without putting the whole area under martial law?

I do not see any significance of the decision.

We can deploy the military to take charge in protecting

the stricken land even without martial law. We can rebuild Marawi and reach out to our countrymen even without martial law. Not much can really be done by the unconstitutional declaration.

Instead of tinkering with martial law, government should rebuild Marawi. Martial-law declarations are clearly the product of self-inflated egos and base personal agendas.

Like what happened to the Yolanda victims, government is merely aggravating the tragedy of Marawi by extending martial law and dilly-dallying with rehabilitation.

Editorial FROM PAGE 4

hapless taxpayers. They may decry “epal” politicians--or politicians who trumpet at public expense their achievements--but Aquino and Duterte are both suckers for populism and selfglorification.

For the Aquino regime, it is dubious for one that the Dengvaxia program was hastily cobbled up in December 2015 and launched before the 2016 national and local elections.

Despite the vaccine’s untested effectiveness (and side effects), Aquino himself met with Sanofi officials and approved a budget of P3.5 billion for its implementation.

His health secretary, former Rep. Janette Garin of Iloilo, who worked to ram the passage of the Reproductive Health law in 2012, and a provincemate of Aquino’s choice to succeed him, Mar Roxas,ignored all protocols (medical experts had advised that the DOH wait for the completion of several studies and tests) and jettisoned good sense to rush the mass vaccination program. Even the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the vaccine with uncommon haste. Paulyn

Opinion 5

PCGG abolition and Marcos revisionism WHEN she became president in 1986, Corazon Aquino’s first executive order was the creation of the Philippine Commission for Good Government (PCGG), to check corruption in government and recover the Marcoses’ illgotten wealth. Since then, PCGG has gotten back some P30 to P40 billion of the Marcos pillage.

With the mandate of sequestering all business enterprises and entities owned or controlled by the Marcoses and their cronies, PCGG has, warts and all, contributed to cultivating clean and transparent government and making everyone who run afoul of this accountable.

But last July, Malacanag certified a bill authored in the Senate by Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri that seeks to abolish the PCGG. The proposed act seeks to “rightsize” the government, and then palace spokesman Ernest Abella said the proposed abolition was “driven by the need to streamline government.”

The bill has apparently a House version since Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokna had been asked about it and the proposed abolition of the PCGG in a hearing in the House of Representatives last July. Diokno cited the same reason for the abolition as Abella’s although he himself, Cory Aquino’s budget undersecretary, must have realized that “streamlining,” “downsizing,” and “rightsizing,” are hardly terms of good management when it comes to the bureaucracy,

The PCGG is being abolished not for any consideration of good and fiscally prudent public administration. It is being done so to revise history and prettify the grossly ugly record of the Marcos dictatorship and kleptocracy. since government, by and large, operates by vendetta and populism and other negative self-serving values.

To be sure, President Duterte seems imnpervious to any consideration about “rightsizing” or “rationalizing” when he declared free tuition for all students of state colleges and universities, a populist move that would entail headache for Diokno, who would have to source the P100 billion needed to implement it next year, and of course, batten the bureaucracy and increase its size to leviathan proportions (in the first place, bureaucrats would have to implement the program and along the way, reward themselves with fat commissions and Godard PAGE 14

Ubial, assistant secretary of health at that time and who succeeded Garin at the start of the Duterte administration, was reported to have noticed the haste of her predecessor. For her, the timing of the launch was “unethical” since it coincided with the election campaign and was aimed at promoting certain candidates. Garin, however, called the criticism an act of “personal vendetta.” But did she subject herself to vaccination of the dubious formula along with the hapless children? We doubt it.

But enough of petty fights.

All efforts should now focus on arresting or checking the vaccine’s effects on the students. But of course, this should be done with the caveat that the authorities that would do this would be themselves the culprits of inefficiency, mismanagement and corruption-the DOH, FDA, and the overall bureaucracy.

For example, physicians and health experts said the vaccination programs seem to operate based on misinformation and lack of parental consent, Dr. Anthony Leachon, former president of the Philippine College of Physicians, said local governments had failed to educate parents of students to be immunized of the vaccine’s complications. They had failed to inform parents and guardians that

vaccines are not a cure.

Contraceptive side-effects On a related note, the Dengvaxia controversy should raise concern about the incompetence and/or corruption of the FDA and how the same vices could have affected its decision in approving 51 contraceptives that pro-life physicians and medical experts said had abortifacient, among other negative, effects, contrary to the Supreme Court decision on the RH Law. As the Science & Technology article on dangerous contraceptive side-effects on page 12 of this issue of the Varsitarian shows, birth-control pills and other contraceptives have side-effects that may put one’s life in danger.

But the Duterte administration is bent on implementing the RH Law despite the medical risks of contraceptives if only because the budget for its implementation runs in the billions, like the Dengvaxia program.

In short, more deadly than the epidemic of dengue and alleged “overpopulation” is the epidemic of greed and populism and social engineering in the Philippine government.

6 Filipino

IKA-18 NG DISYEMBRE, 2017

Ang bisita sa Pasko ni Kulas Nina ERMA R. EDERA at JOLAU V. OCAMPO

MALAMIG ang tubig-gripong bumubuhos sa dalawang maliliit na kamay ni Kulas.

Binabanlawan ang mga sinabunan niyang mga makikintab na kubyertos. Abala namang hinahalo ng kaniyang ina na si Aling Nenet ang paborito nilang pasta para sa spaghetti na kakainin nila mamaya kasama ang hamon, inihaw na isang buong manok, sinaing na kanin, at pampatulak na serbesa. Maya’t maya ang pagbaling ng ulo ni Kulas sa kaniyang malaking pulang medyas na may mukha ni Santa, habang dinuduyan ito ng hangin na pumapasok sa bintanang pinagsasabitan nito.

“Makikita rin kita, makikita na kita,” bulong ng bata sa kaniyang sarili habang tinitingnan ang medyas sa kanilang sala.

Isang araw matapos ang unang Misa de Gallo nang magsimula ang kuwentuhan nina Kulas at ng kaniyang mga kaklase tungkol sa mga nakukuha nilang regalo sa kani-kaniyang malalaking medyas. May mga nakatatanggap ng kamiseta, jacket, laruang Iron Man, at iba pa. Mayroon ding nakatanggap ng mga regalong higit na malaki sa sinabit nilang medyas: bola ng basketball, bike, at iPad. Bagaman nakuha na ni Kulas ang ibang mga hiling niya sa kaniyang mahabang wish list, hindi siya sumasali sa usapan dahil hindi niya pa nakukuha ang pinakauna sa kaniyang mga kahilingan.

Tumigil sa paghahanap si Kulas sa kaniyang listahan isang araw pagkatapos nitong mawala sa kaniyang mesa nang may nakuha siyang earphones sa loob ng kaniyang medyas. Dumaan pa ang ilang mga araw at natutupad ang mga kahilingan

niya sa listahan, isang regalo bawat araw.

Alam ni Kulas na nagsimula sa ibaba ng kaniyang listahan ang nahuhugot niyang regalo sa medyas. Napansin niya rin na mas nauna niyang nakuha ang Rubik’s Cube bago ang hiling niyang robot, at may mga araw ding lumilipas bago ulit magkaroon ng laman ang medyas.

“Maging mabait ka lang palagi, anak,” sabi ni Aling Nenet kay Kulas matapos nitong umiyak dahil natagalan sa pagdating ang susunod na regalo.

“Nakikita ni Santa ang mga kilos mo araw-araw.” Ito palagi ang sambit ni Aling Nenet sa kaniyang anak malayo pa man ang Pasko kaya naaasahan niya ito na gumising nang maaga upang hindi na siya hintayin ng school bus, at tulungan siya sa mga gawaing-bahay kaya hindi na sila kumuha ng kasambahay. Wika niya, silang dalawa raw ang palaging nagbabantay kay Kulas.

At kapag maiiwan siyang mag-isa sa bahay, si Santa raw ang titingin sa bata.

“Ano po ba ang hitsura ni Santa?” tanong ni Kulas sa nanay habang dinadala ang sinalang pasta sa mesa. “Totoo po ba yung nakikita nating mga picture niya sa telebisiyon?”

Umiling ang ina na may kasamang ngisi. “Moreno tulad mo, si Santa,” sabi ni Aling Nenet. “Kulot ang buhok niya, oo, pero itim ang kulay nito, at higit sa lahat, makisig!”

Biglang napatigil ang bata sa kakaayos ng mesa. Hindi makapaniwala. Kasalungat ng mga sinabi ng kaniyang ina ang nakikita at napapanood niya sa telebisiyon o Facebook. Iba rin ito sa mga sinasabi ng kaniyang mga kamag-aral, maging ang kaniyang mga guro. Hindi rin naman iyon ang hitsura ng Santa na nakapatong

sa sinabit niyang medyas.

Lalong nabawasan ang paniniwala rito ni Kulas.

Sa isip niya, marahil mas mayaman ang maputing Santa o sadyang hindi naman talaga ito totoo kaya hindi pa siya mabigyan ng PlayStation 4 at ng iPad na hiniling niya noong isang taon.

Simula nang sinabit niya ang malaking medyas sa bintana ng kanilang sala, gabi-gabi siyang gumigising at pumupuslit sa kaniyang nanay na katabi niya sa kaniyang pagtulog.

Sumisilip siya mula sa siwang ng kanilang pintuan.

Nagaabang, natatakot, at nagagalak.

Ngunit palagi siyang nahuhuli at pinababalik sa kama ng kaniyang nanay kapag nararamdaman nitong maluwag ang kanilang kama.

Nakahanda na ang mga pagkain sa mesa; mas marami sa karaniwan nilang kinakaing dalawa araw-araw at kahit sa anumang handaan. Nagbihis na si Aling Nenet ng pulang blusa; katulad ng kulay ng polo ni Kulas. Sinisipat ni Aling Nenet ang bintana, hinihintay ang kanilang kasalo.

Pinakuha ni Aling Nenet ang kaniyang telepono kay Kulas sa kuwarto. Tunog nang tunog ito habang hinahalungkat niya ang bag ng kaniyang ina. Kung ano-anong papel na ang nahulog mula rito. Nabasa niya ang isang pamilyar na pangalan ng

Pagsamo

Patnugot: Jolau V. Ocampo

lalaki bago niya ito binigay sa kaniyang ina.

Bumalik si Kulas sa kuwarto at inayos ang mga kalat.

Habang sinasalansan niya ang mga papel, nakita niya ang kaniyang nawawalang wishlist. May marka na ang ilan sa mga nakasulat dito at may mga petsa sa bawat nakalista na tugma sa kung kailan niya nakuha ang bawat regalo.

Ilang sandali pa, tumunog na ang kanilang doorbell.

“Nandito na siya, Kulas!” sigaw ng kaniyang ina.

Usapang Uste

“Sa may bahay ang aming bati; Sa bahay-bahay, mayro’n kaming hatid Bago at pagkatapos ng bawat sermon ng pari— “’Merry Christmas’ na maluwalhati; Mga natutuhang bersong may kapalit na salapi.

“Ang pag-ibig, ‘pag siyang naghari, araw-araw ay magiging Pasko lagi; Maya-maya na kami ni bunso uuwi Susuyurin muna ang mga bahay na triple ang laki Sa barung-barong na iniwan bago gumabi.

“Ang sanhi po ng pagparito, hihingi po ng aginaldo Sa murang edad, hindi alintana ang hiya sa madla Tulad ng sinasambit sa awiting kinabisa: “Kung sakaling kami’y perhuwisyo “Pasensya na kayo’t kami’y namamasko!”

Wala man sa aming humahalili Para abutin ang door bell ng matatayog na haligi, Batid kong dinig nila ang bawat hampas sa tamburin.

“Namamasko po!”

Sa isang mag-aabot, sampu ang ito’ng sambit: “Patawad!”

WINONA S. SADIA

Tomasino sa Human Rights Day Ni CHRIS V. GAMOSO HINDI kailanman mawawalan ng mulat na Tomasino na handang ipaglaban ang karapatang-pantao, lalo na ng kaniyang kapuwa.

Ayon sa ulat ng Varsitarian noong 1981, lumahok ang ilang magaaral ng Unibersidad sa pagdiriwang ng ika-33 anibersaryo ng Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Kinabilangan ng mahigit 3,000 katao ang pagtitipon na idinaos noong ika-10 ng Disyembre sa Christ the King Seminary sa E. Rodriguez Avenue, Lungsod Quezon. Mula sila sa iba’t ibang sektor at ahensiya ang mga dumalo sa pagkilos.

Pinangunahan ito ng Makabayang Kilusan Para Isulong ang Katarungan (MAKIISA-KA), isang samahan ng 30 magkakaibang organisasiyon sa bansa.

Kabilang sa mga namuno ng gawain sina Jose B.L. Reyes, dating hukom ng Korte Suprema at miyembro ng komite ng Civil Liberties Union of the Philippines (CLUP); Padre Pacifico Ortiz, S.J., dating pangulo ng Ateneo de Manila at miyembro ng Church Military Liaison Committee (CMLC); Obispo Antonio Nepomuceno, O.M.L.; at kilalang abogado na si Mary Concepcion Bautista.

Paggunita ang pagtitipong iyon sa ikatlong buwan ng kampanya upang isulong ang karapatang pantao laban sa mga pang-aabuso kaugnay ng Batas Militar.

Tomasino siya Isang arkitektong Tomasino ang nangunguna sa pagtatayo ng mga gusali na environmentfriendly. Ilan sa mga naging kliyente niya ang mga malalaking kompanya tulad ng Ayala Land Corp., ABS-CBN, BayaniJuan, at Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

Nagtapos si Edgar Reformado ng kursong Architecture noong 1957 sa Unibersidad at naging matagumpay sa larang at iba’t ibang kompanya.

Itinatag niya ang Green Architecture Advocacy of the Philippines noong 2010 na naglalayong mapanatili ang pangangalaga sa kalikasan sa paggamit ng makabagong teknolohiya sa mga itinatayong mga gusali.

Siya rin ang nagtatag ng Annual Green Forum, isa sa mga pinakamatagal na green event o pagtitipon upang pag-usapan ang mga isyung pangkalikasan sa bansa.

Tumanggap din siya ng mga pagkilala, tulad ng Father Neri Satur Award for Environmental Heroism na iginagawad para sa mga nag-ambag sa pangangalaga ng kalikasan, noong 2009.

Ginawaran din siya ng United Usapang Uste PAHINA 3

Acting Editor: Deejae S. Dumlao

DECEMBER 18, 2017

Lenspeak 7

6

Editor: Audrie Julienne D. Bernas

The UST Main Building at 90 UNKNOWN to Thomasians and perhaps even to Filipino Dominicans, last Nov. 12 marked the 90th anniversary of the UST Main Building.

The day passed without fanfare or even prayerful commemoration. Although the Main Building is everyone’s image of UST, especially for outsiders and even tourists who make it a point to put it in their itinerary of must-see Manila places, sadly it seems taken for granted by campus denizens themselves—whether student, faculty, employee, alumnus, or friar.

It is a fossil for all they care; it should remain buried in memory, cast into oblivion and historical limbo.

But the UST Main Building represents the height of civilizational achievement of the Philippines. It is an architectural jewel, an engineering marvel (nothing less than the first earthquake-resistant building in Asia!), historic locus, and hallowed ground. If the Philippine state could be believed, it’s a National Cultural Treasure; in fact, it was declared so by the National Museum of the Philippines in 2010 in the run-up to UST’s 400th anniversary in 2011 as Asia’s oldest university.

Inaugurated by Fr. Serapio Tamayo, O.P. on November 12, 1927, the UST Main Building has survived

well into the new millennium.

“In spite of everything, the Main Building has retained its (reputation as the) face of UST, as a bastion of Catholic education,” history teacher Jose Victor Torres told the Varsitarian.

In 1911, Dominicans received the promised donation of 200 square meters of land from Hacienda de Sulucan. On the same year, the friars’ provincial council approved the establishment of a new university in the donated land.

Fr. Roque Ruaño, OP, an alumnus of Faculty of Engineering, proposed in 1922 a building that had a 40 meter-frontage and a 27.60 meter-depth with corridors facing the interior patios. The edifice would have three floors and additional six floors above the deck roofs; the total height from the ground to the dome was 48 mm.

Knowing fully well that the Philippines lay in the earthquake-prone Pacific Ring of Fire, Ruaño went to Japan to research on the effects of earthquakes on buildings and later on applied the latest anti-seismic concepts in the Main Building.

In 1923, the city authorities approved the plan and the following year, construction began.

On July 2, 1927, the portals of the Main Building were first opened to the public with some of the faculties and

CIRC

offices in Intramuros transferred to the new building, such as the Faculties of Pharmacy, Philosophy and Letters, and Engineering.

Ruaño’s design, 90 years later, still possesses architectural excellence and follows modern building codes and regulations.

In 1940, the central hall of the building was inaugurated as the UST Museum.

Witness to history “The Main Building witnessed the growth of UST during the American occupation, the tragedies of World War II, the student unrest of the ‘60s and ‘70s, the first and second EDSA Revolution, and, of course, being one of the centers of the papal visits from the ‘70s until the recent one,” Torres said.

The main building became the central housing for the civilian prisoners of the Japanese.

The surrounding buildings of the campus were turned into prison camps meant for allied civilians, so that the camp’s official name was the Santo Tomas Internment Camp The camp was “liberated” by the returning Americans in February 1945.

The Main Building now houses the Rector’s office and other administrative offices, It is likewise the home of the Faculty of Civil Law, Faculty of Pharmacy, and College of Science. K.M.N.B. ADRIANO & L.R.M. LOPEZ

Annual Christmas concert revamped HOMEGROWN talents from the Conservatory of Music bested in the performance of classical Christmas hymns to a much wider Thomasian crowd in this year’s revamped UST Christmas Concert.

The traditional two-night event of the Christmas concert was merged into one grand event with the University’s “Pre-Paskuhan festivities” last Dec. 1, ushering in the Yuletide season with an array of Christmas repertoire ranging from Schubert, Schiller and Handel.

UST Christmas concert held at Plaza Mayor Overhauled this year, instead of two gala nights at the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church, one held for VIP’s and other UST guests and another held for the wider campus community, the 14th edition of the annual concert had only one gala night but at the UST Plaza Mayor on December 1, attracting a bigger crowd, 15,000 according to the estimate of organizers, and fostering warmer and closer campus communion.

In fact, the theme of the Christmas concert was a “united community,” according to Conservatory of Music Dean Antonio Africa. It was Father Rector Herminio Dagohoy’s wish, he told the Varsitarian.

The concert also took place along with the traditional lighting of the UST Christmas tree, which Africa said could be the practice in the next years.

“No doubt this marriage of the Christmas

lighting and the concert will be a much-awaited event at year’s end,” he said.

The UST Symphony Orchestra and resident choirs of the Conservatory opened the concert with a medley of Christmas carols—“12 Days of Christmas,” “Deck the Halls” and “’O Holy Night.”

Soprano Patricia Pacis and the UST Jazz Band then rendered the 1934 American record, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

Broadway artist Nerissa de Juan gave a soulful rendition of “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

Renowned tenors Ronan Ferrer and Randy Gilongo and choirmaster Eugene delos Santos then took the stage to perform “Sleigh Ride” and “Jingle Bells.”

A choir of visually impaired singers graced the concert as voice professor and lyric soprano Thea Perez led them in singing the Felipe Padilla De Leon classic, “Payapang Daigdig.”

The singers, who were from from the Parent’s Advocate for Visually Impaired Children, also performed Franz Schubert’s “Ave Maria” and George Frideric Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus,” from the latter’s most popular oratorio, “Messiah.”

The choir capped the concert with a heartfelt performance of Africa’s composition, “Pasko sa UST.”

CLE

7

DECEMBER 18, 2017

The UST Main Building in the 1930s. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UST CENTRAL ARCHIVES

Rev. Fr. Roque Ruano, O.P. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UST CENTRAL ARCHIVES

The UST Main Building during its construction. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UST CENTRAL ARCHIVES

MICHAEL ANGELO M. REYES

Traditional Christmas decor grace UST Museum

By KLIMIER NICOLE B. ADRIANO

Large-scale parol made by Interiori Design students Photos by MIAH TERRENZ PROVIDO

FESTOONED above the halls of the UST Museum of Arts and Sciences are dozens of large-scale Christmas ornaments or parol made by Interior Design students for their annual Christmas exhibit titled “Christmaseum.”

The 19th edition of the anual Christmas exhibit opted for a simpler and “more traditional” theme with the use of basic art materials such as bamboos, woods, ribbons, papel de japon and crepe papers in making the mostly star-shaped ornaments.

“The parol has taken on the meaning of being a Filipino symbol of Christmas,” curator and UST CFAD professor Mary Venturina-Bulanadi told the Varsitarian. “It is the closest one that identifies with the Filipino heart.”

Knotted coconut fronds used in making the Filipino bag bayong made one parol stand out from the rest because of its more traditional yet unconventional structure.

The lines of the hanging ornaments lead to a nativity scene inside a bahay kubo adorned by Christmas lights.

A collaborative work of Bulanadi and UST Museum’s director Fr. Isidro Abano, the Holy family and the Three Kings were dressed in paper mache to lessen the western symbol and to focus more on the Filipino culture.

“Be it a small and simple family parol, to the most elaborate and ostentatious display of lights in the giant parols—the meaning remains: an expression of faith, hope and the victory of light over darkness,” Bulanadi said.

The exhibit runs until Jan. 19, 2018.

Exhibit ribbon cutting ceremony with Museum director Fr. Isidro Abano O.P., Mary Venturina-Bulanadi and Regent Fr. Angel Aparicio, O.P.

The nativity scene depicted by a painting at the entrance of the museum.

10 Features

DECEMBER 18, 2017

Editor: Chelsey Mei Nadine B. Brazal

‘Good journalism’ needed vs fake news —Lingao WHAT role do campus journalists play in times of conflict and chaos?

This was the main topic in the series of lectures by the country’s top media practitioners during the 19th Inkblots, the UST National Campus Journalism Fellowship held from Dec. 9 to 11.

With the theme “the campus press in times of conflict,” this year’s Inkblots gathered more than 200 campus journalists at the Benavides Auditorium of the UST Junior High School Building.

“Now more than ever, we need good journalism to flush out fake news, to clear and clarify the issues,” broadcast journalist Ed Lingao said in his keynote address. “Do not surrender the public space to those who refuse to use their brains or their hearts.”

Lingao spoke of threats to freedoms that were not enjoyed in the time of the Martial Law, such as press freedom and human rights.

“We are the freest we have ever been in decades.

[But] human rights, the rights we have fought for so long are now being dismissed, ridiculed [and] denigrated,” he said.

Jim Gomez, Associated Press (AP) Manila chief correspondent, said journalists should have common sense and strong mind in covering war and conflict.

“If you will not use common sense, delikado.

While your coverages may earn you awards, no story is still worth dying for,” Gomez said.

Manila-based photographer Aaron Favila shared Gomez’s sentiments, urging photojournalists to always have an exit plan when covering conflictstricken areas.

“You should get a vantage point when you go to conflict areas,” Favila said.

‘Do not make conflict worse’ Al Jazeera reporter Jamela Alindogan, who covered the five-month-long Marawi siege among other conflicts globally, said reporters should be careful not to glorify war when reporting conflict.

“Conflict reporting does not glorify war, there is nothing glorious about war. It is gut-wrenching, it destroys lives. Your responsibility is to give voice to the voiceless,” Alindogan said.

Philippine Star reporter Alexis Romero said the existence of a controversial and unconventional

leader flock information and content providers.

“There are attempts to discredit and taint the image of media as not credible, biased and not fair,” Romero said. “Your role as journalists is not to make the conflict worse.”

As an institution independent from any network, Catholic journalism should always consider the “values of Christ” in its news reports, said Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, director of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Media Office.

“In Catholic [journalism], truth is not defined by the owners of the network and news values but will have to be defined by the values of Christ,” Quitorio said.

‘Kill campus journalism’ UST journalism coordinator Felipe Salvosa II, who is also the managing editor of The Manila Times, urged journalists to go beyond the reportage on campus.

“I think we should kill campus journalism. We should no longer confine or limit ourselves in the campus mindset in which we chase after campus stories because we are only campus media,” he said.

Campus journalists should strive to compete with the mainstream media in publishing first the stories within their communities, he added.

“I think there’s no better time to compete with the mainstream than now. Compete with the mainstream within your locality,” Salvosa said.

Former Philippine Daily Inquirer art and design director Lynett Villariba discussed the evolution of newspaper layouts through the years, especially during “turbulent times.”

“News is dynamic. You don’t know that you are going to get the same news tomorrow…when you lay it out well, verify its authenticity and give it the context it deserves,” Villariba said.

Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Rina Jimenez-David, who tackled opinion writing, advised campus journalists to be careful and mindful of how their opinions on subject matters affect the behavior and welfare of a larger public.

“You take a stand and you believe in it but don’t Inkblots PAGE 14

Ed Lingao

Jim Gomez

Jamela Alindogan

Rina Jimenez-David

Nestor Cuartero

Architecture alumna debuts on Fashion Week in LA, Phoenix THIS architecture alumna chose to design jewelry instead of structures. She has made a name for herself since.

After graduating from the College of Architecture in 2004, Farah Abu turned against her family’s wishes and skipped the architecture board exams to pursue her hobby as her career. She started her own accessory line and gained almost a 100 clients a day.

Abu, 35, recently debuted a new jewelry collection at two international fashion events: Phoenix Fashion Week and Los Angeles Fashion Week last October.

For her latest accessory line,

Abu incorporated features of the ocean reefs with her corsets, shoulder pieces, headdresses and other body jewelries. These are made with semi-precious stones, pearls, glass beads woven on wires to represent the colors and forms of the ocean.

Abu and her team took months to complete the collection, which she considers “a learning process in each accessory.”

“I love [making] oneof-a-kind pieces. Each piece is an opportunity to develop my craft,” Abu said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Abu began selling accessories in 2003 while still a student in UST. She quickly sold out handmade bracelets at her family’s gas station in her hometown, Iligan City.

“It took a couple of years, a lot of reinvention to kick off what we have today and up till now we continue to work on improving our techniques and our designs,” she said. Abu began her Hollywood fashion stint as a designer at For The Stars Fashion House, whose clients include Hollywood A-listers Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

The fashion house founder, Jacob Meir, discovered Abu’s wedding corset by chance during a show at the 37th ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry Meeting.

Abu donned her own corset design of jewels on the top of her wedding gown in 2015.

“I wore my masterpiece down the aisle on my wedding day at the beach. It was the piece that kicked off my collection,” she said. JULIA CAMILLE B. OCAYA

Editor: Nikko Miguel M. Garcia

DECEMBER 18, 2017

Literary 11

36th National Book Awards: a celebration of reading THE 36TH National Book Awards were a celebration not only of authors but also of readers, as winning authors emphasized passion for reading as determinant of their writing success.

“Reading not only gives us information, but also the sharing of information that could benefit both the reader and the writer,” said Jose Victor Torres, a history teacher and AB Journalism and Graduate School alumnus of the University.

Torres received the Best Book of Historical Essays for “To the People Sitting in Darkness…and Other Footnotes of Our Past,” published by the UST Publishing House (USTPH).

Torres noted that good writing presupposed wide reading.

“Young writers have all the access to technology and all the information through that technology,” he said. “The only thing they have to do is read it right, read widely, and of course learn how to discern what is good to read.”

It was Torres’ second time to win the the NBA. He first won in 2006 for Best Travel Book, for his “Ciudad Murada: A Walk Through Historic Intramuros,” published by the Intramuros Administration and Vibal Publishing House, Inc. Torres was a former senior historical researcher at the Intramuros Administration.

Jose Wendell Capili, also a Journalism alumnus of UST, won Best Literary Criticism for “Migrations and Mediations: The Emergence of Southeast Asian Diaspora Writers in Australia, 1972-2007,” published by

Joselito de los Reyes

The 36th National Book Awards winners

the University of the Philippines (UP) Press.

In his winning book, Capili, a former Varsitarian staff member, discusses the works of Philippine and other Southeast Asian writers in Australia and how they “translated” their “Australian” experiences to a broader worldview.

“Write not so much because you want to win awards,” he said. “But more than winning awards, you write because you have something interesting to say, and writing is a beautiful,

critical, and creative experience.”

Joy Lumawig-Buensalido, who taught public relations in UST, won Best Book for Leisure for “Pinoy Manners: A Modern Guide to Delicadeza for All Generations,” published by Christine Jocelyn Buensalido.

Buensalido, the mother of UST Architecture alumnus and board topnotcher Jason Buensalido, told the Varsitarian that she wished to revive a sense of “delicadeza” (sensitivity or respect for

others’ feelings) among Filipinos, which according to her is now dying.

“I was observing in the course of my work that a lot of people have already forgotten that people need to be respected and you know, shown kindness,” she said.

Buensalido, a public relations specialist, told aspiring writers to show originality in communications.

“Always be alert and remember how to communicate message in your own unique way,” she said.

“Mariposa Gang and Other Stories,” a title under USTPH, was named Best Short Fiction in English.

It was written by UP alumna Catherine Torres. Most of the stories deal with the struggles of Filipino overseas workers.

Ruel De Vera, a member of the National Book Development Board (NBDB), which organizes the NBA with the Manila Critics Circle, pointed out the innate inclination of Filipinos in reading books.

“Filipinos love books,” he said.

“Since childhood, growing up, books are not only a symbol of being intellectual but also a symbol of being open to the world.”

De Vera challenged young writers to write books worthy of the NBA. “All of you just need to write and publish to share all that you have with the world,” he said. “And we’ll be ready and waiting to read these books.” he added.

This year’s NBA were held at the National Museum of the Fine Arts of the Philippines last Dec. 2. H.N. LAVARIAS

Santa Claus, out; St. Nicholas of Bari, in By: ELMER B. COLDORA

“SANTA Claus” may be a Western stereotype and a cultural anachronism in Asia, but Filipinos believe in him. The figure of the white-bearded man in a red suit seems to displace the figure of the infant Christ in the manger as the icon of Christmas.

Leo Martin Angelo Ocampo, who teaches theology in the University, said the image of Santa Claus to Filipinos is too far from their social conditions and is more of a Western and middle-class concept.

Ocampo rhetorically asked how could Santa Claus enter Philippine homes where there are no chimneys.

Ocampo, a researcher from the Center of Religious Studies and Ethics, said Santa Claus for most Filipinos is merely a Christmas decor.

Ocampo said the image of Santa Claus as gift bringer is found in Filipino parents and godparents who not only give Christmas presents to the young but also teach them Christian virtues.

Despite the blatant commercialism of the bearded man in red figure and the Christmas season, Filipinos have started to raise questions about Santa Claus in the past years.

In 2013, a group of young Filipino rappers called Parañaque Rebels wrote a parody of the Christmas hit “Jingle Bells.” Titled “Santa Klaws,” their version is an apostrophe to the Christmas figure about his accessibility to adolescent Filipinos on social media.

“Santa Klaws, Santa Klaws, may Facebook ka ba? / Kung meron, anong email mo at ia-add kita / Santa Klaws, Santa Klaws, may Instagram ka ba? / Anong Twitter mo para ma-follow ka at ma-hashtag kita,” the group sang.

Parañaque Rebels also questioned Santa Claus’s characteristics which are seemingly far from reality and his Western features which are not conducive for Filipinos: “Ako’y nag-iisip at ako’y nagtataka / Kung bakit nakasakay siya sa usa / Bakit siya mataba may dalang sako / ‘Di ba siya nauubusan ng regalo / Lagi siyang nakapula, wala ba siyang damit / Mahaba ang balbas, bakit di siya mag-ahit.”

St. Nicholas But Santa Claus may still be purged of his “Western” and “commercialist” aspects if one returns to the original figure that inspired it—

St. Nicholas of Bari.

Allan Basas, faculty secretary of the UST Institute of Religion, said that while Filipinos might not know Nicholas of Bari and would still cling to the old myth of Santa Claus, it would be good that they be reminded that the potbellied bearded figure in red was drawn from real life—a saint of the Catholic Church known for his charity and humanitarianism.

In the book “The Curious Tales of Santa Claus” by Gregory and Therese Conte published in 2007 at the United Kingdom, Nicholas is reported to be a bishop and one of the early Christian fathers even ahead of St. Augustine; he was born in 280 A.D. in Patara near Myra, which is Turkey in modern day.

A Christian known for his kindness and reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to people who were in need, Nicholas was chosen bishop and became famous due to his extraordinary piety, zeal and astonishing miracles.

N i c h o l a s ’s great kindness was legendary.

He reportedly gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside to help the poor and sick.

He also reportedly saved three poor sisters from being sold into slavery or prostitution by their father, by providing them with a dowry so that they could be married.

H e

likewise helped sailors caught in a dreadful storm off the coast of Turkey, so that he’s now considered patron saint of sailors.

The name Santa Claus evolved from Nicholas’s Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas, which is a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas, or Saint Nicholas in Dutch. As his prominence emerged, Sinter Klaas was described as a “gift-giving man,” mainly to children and has been an important part of the Christmas celebration since the early 19th century.

Since then, stores began to advertise Christmas shopping through the use of his image,

while newspapers created separate sections for holiday advertisements, which often featured images of the newly-popular Santa Claus.

St. Nicholas’s feast day is on December 6, so that he has also become synonymous with Christmas.

St. Nicholas’s generosity personifies the real essence of Christmas—the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ the King, the symbol of God’s love and redeemer of mankind. As against Santa Claus which has now evolved as a representation of the pagan sybaritic ways of hedonistic Christmas, St. Nicholas of Bari should be restored as paragon of the true meaning of Christmas—of giving, generosity, sharing, and sacrifice.

12 Sci-Tech

Editor: Edris Dominic C. Pua

DECEMBER 18, 2017

The bane of contraceptive use THE USE of contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancy has been proven to have many side effects on the hormonal balance for women.

Last November, 51 contraceptive drugs have been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration and were labeled by the Department of Health as non-abortifacients.

“There are so many risks posed by the use of contraceptives. We have seen women who are using contraceptives, and [they have] become hypertensive,” Orestes Monzon, a nuclear medicine doctor from UST, told the Varsitarian.

Monzon said there was no need to widen contraceptive options in the Philippines because data from research show that the population in the country was already going down without contraception.

“There is no guarantee that the contraceptives will actually be safe, and that is the main issue. To go back to the drug information inserted in the literature of contraceptive pills,there are really side effects of using them,” he said.

Contraceptive pills contain two hormones, estrogen and progesterone, which work by

preventing ovulation or the release of an egg, or ovum, from the ovary.

“Ang pills, nagpapalapot iyan ng blood because of the estrogen content.

Most of the side effects are due to estrogen. Mas mataas ang dose ng estrogen for the contraceptive purpose.

Kung mas matagal kanggumagamit ng pills, mas mataas iyung risk mo to have possible complications,” Anita Sangalang, an OB-GYN from UST, told the Varsitarian.

Sangalang said other side effects of using contraceptive pills to some women are headache, nausea, and vomiting.

The contraceptive pills have been declared as non-abortifacients because they prevent ovulation so that no fertilization of egg will take place— but the use of them isstill problematic.

There are cases when a pill’s mechanism of action goes beyond its supposed task, Sangalangexplained.

“Aside from preventing ovulation, sometimes puwede rinniyang [pill] bagalan iyung travel ng fertilized ovule and that becomes part of abortion,” she said.

“The traditional method is better.

After you give birth, you can also do breastfeeding, which is a form of contraception,” she said.

Annually, one million women become new acceptors of modern family planning methods.

“Contraceptives are medicines that give risks; they give the body [the danger] of having fertility diseases.

Natural family planning is without any cost. You only need paper and pencil,” Monzon said.

“We have to respect the fertility of women and natural family planning respects it,” he added.

BEATRIZ AVEGAYLE S. TIMBANG and MIGUEL A. HERRERA

‘Eco-friendly’ challenge to kings of PH roads

By BEATRIZ S. TIMBANG and MIGUEL A. HERRERA ECO-FRIENDLY e-jeepneys are set to replace some 200,000 diesel-powered passenger jeepneys over 15 years old by 2020.

But the government’s public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program doesn’t come cheap.

The E-jeepney is estimate to cost between P1.2 million and P1.6 million. And because of the steep price tag, despite government subsidy, critics say some 600,000 drivers and 300,000 operators might lose their livelihood.

Thus explains the series of protest actions staged by transport groups, many of whom were also admittedly resistant to the idea of modernization. They insists aging jeepneya should be refubished instead, not phased out.

“As studied, using of electric vehicles (EVs) instead of conventional

vehicles that uses oil can reduce 2.3 tons of carbon dioxide. It has been proven already that using these EVs are environment-friendly,” Mariz Arias, an electrical engineer from the University, told the Varsitarian.

The E-jeepney is eyed to have solar panels for roofs and to be powered by Euro 4 engines. These engines have better emission standards because their fuel contains significantly low sulfur and benzene that are air pollutants.

“Using these EVs may decrease the oil consumption and reduce pollution. However, there are other factors that should be studied and analysed such as charging infrastructures, social and economic variables,” Arias added.

An additional demand may arise due to the charging of the EVs to the power system network.

He added that the use of EVs has been encouraged and adopted in many countries primarily to increase energy security and to reduce emissions. It can also be effective for the Philippines given that a careful study and consideration on its other implications will be done.

CHEd

FROM PAGE 3

nothing anomalous with funding PCS, saying the partnership with PCS followed RA 7722 or Higher Education Act of 1994.

“The arrangement under this official partnership was undertaken pursuant to the mandate and authority of CHEd under its Charter, specifically Section 8 and Section 10 of Republic Act 7722,” the statement read.

Section 8 of RA 7722 ordered CHEd to create and recommend development programs and function necessary for improvement in higher education and research.

Licuanan’s graft case was dismissed after the Ombudsman found no probable cause to “indict the respondents,” stating Licuanan’s actions were not tainted with manifest partiality, evident bad faith, or inexcusable negligence in a joint resolution dated Feb. 11, 2016.

CHEd has also sought membership in the Washington and Seoul Accord to recognize Filipino information technology professionals and engineers in the global labor market, which PAASCU saw as a breach of government auditing.

“Membership in both Accords is expected to contribute to raising the quality of engineering and IT education so as to build a critical mass of competent professionals committed to staying in the country and developing potential niches for the Philippine economy,” CHEd said in a press statement in 2015.

CHEd denied that it received information on PAASCU’s interest to apply in the Seoul Accord and only recognized PICAB as a sole association for accreditation. “[CHEd] only learned of the Association’s intention during the 2014 Seoul Accord meeting in New Zealand where PAASCU participated for the first time as observer and where the CHED supported delegation also served as observers for the second time,” the statement read.

Paascu also accredits the

University’s academic programs such as engineering, information technology, medicine and high school program.

However, Estrada said the funds could be have been used for scholarships instead of creating new accrediting agencies.

“CHEd supported a particular entity to go against PAASCU and funded it using government funds that did not undergo bidding. […] Why would we spend P10 million? We could have used it for scholarships,” he said.

‘Integrity issues’ Rene Tadle, lead convener of the Council of Teachers and Staff of Colleges and Universities in the Philippines, asserted that the graft raps against Licuanan affect CHEd’s authority to lead colleges and universities.

“It is important that CHEd be viewed as beyond reproach such as that the office and its personnel are immune or free from corruption or else CHEd […] will lack the credibility to implement the needed reforms in higher education in the country,” Tadle said in a text message to the Varsitarian.

Estrada echoed Tadle, saying schools should not depend on CHEd’s governance and focus on quality.

“There are better ways for schools to aspire for quality.

They do not only look at [CHEd’s leadership.] Schools [should] do better in their graduates, faculty and education,” Estrada said.

But, for lawyer Teodoro Lorenzo Fernandez, a faculty member at the Faculty of Arts and Letters, people should not be quick to condemn Licuanan.

“There is a presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

This a constitutional right. We should keep in mind that this is the backbone of our criminal justice system. It is the State’s duty to prove an accused’s guilt and for the courts [to decide] if [Licuanan] indeed violated the law,” Fernandez said.

Art Director: Shaina Mae L. Santander

DECEMBER 18, 2017

Limelight 13

14 Limelight

DECEMBER 18, 2017

TOMA N’ SHAN BY MARIYELLA ALYSA A. ABULAD

TOMAS U. SANTOS BY SAMANTHA PHYLLIS C. AREVALO

KWENTO NI MATO BY JOELLE ALISON MAE P. EUSEBIO

MVP

Salinggawi

Godard

FROM PAGE 15

FROM PAGE 15

FROM PAGE 5

in the -52 kg category due to weight struggles.

“Sobrang down ko po noong mga time na ‘yun, and aaminin ko rin naman po kasalanan ko rin talaga kasi [naging complacent] ako that time,” Ruiz said.

Despite being a beginner, Arce said Ruiz’s dedication for judo helped her thrive in the sport.

Arce also bared that athletes transferring to judo from other sports is nothing new to him.

“Dahil maliit lang ang population ng judo player sa Pilipinas, tumatanggap ako ng tryouts na willing at dedicated matuto,” he said.

With one playing year left, Ruiz vows to help the Lady Judokas maintain their dynastic display in UAAP women’s judo and take home their fifth-consecutive crown.

elements ng routine ay tadtad but they were able to do it compared before na sinasabing malinis lang,” Chaiwalla said.

Apart from the injuries, team captain Gutierrez added that Salinggawi’s podium absence in Season 79 fueled their hunger to bounce back this year.

With a silver medal in his first year as head coach, Chaiwalla said the team will exceed expectations next year and will begin preparations for Season 81 in two weeks.

“Syempre lalagpasan pa namin ‘yung [napakita] ngayongtaon. I could say they can expect a stronger Salingggawi from this current team,” he said.

S a l i n g g a w i is set to join the National Cheerleading Championships on March next year.

pricey kickbacks.

But of course, the PCGG is being abolished not for any consideration of good and fiscally prudent public administration. It is being done so to revise history and prettify the grossly ugly record of the Marcos dictatorship and kleptocracy.

The revisionism started when Duterte ordered the burial of Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Along the way, too, he appears to be aiding vicepresidential loser Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr in the latter’s electoral protesting contesting the victory of VicePresident Leni Robredo.

Human rights abuses, mass killings, populism, demagoguery, hate speech, corruption. All of this characterized martial law and depict our era. Even fake news was aplenty during the Marcos era as it is now at present, when one considered that the strongman allowed only administration media to operate and sell to the public controlled news and government propaganda, We’re back to Marcos and his martial law, thanks to the foremost Marcos lapdog from Mindanao.

Inkblots

FROM PAGE 10

expect everyone to say something positive,” she said.

Nestor Cuartero, a longtime editor at the Manila Bulletin, recounted his experiences as a journalist during the Marcos era.

“Soldiers were breathing down the neck of the reporters during the late 70s, nag-flower ang alternative publications –they were women magazines and entertainment magazines,” he said.

He ended his session with a mock conference featuring award-winning director and 1972 Martial Law survivor Joel Lamangan.

Anthony Suntay also held a mock conference with Jeron and Jeric Teng for his sport journalism session.LOUISE CLAIRE H. CRUZ AND DAPHNE YANN P. GALVEZ

Awards FROM PAGE 2 “No More Running” were finalists for the best editorial award.

The finalists for the best feature were “Interview with a Political Prisoner” by Lavoxa Group of Publications of De la Salle – Lipa College and “An URSBian Soul Inflicted

by Incestuous Virus” by The Pillar Publication of University of Rizal System – Binangonan.

“Utility Workers Question AdDU, Blue Collar over ‘Unjust’ Treatment” by Atenews of Ateneo de Davao

and “Scarred, Scared and Silent: Shedding Light on Sexual Harassment” by UST Faculty of Arts and Letters’ The Flame were named finalists for best indepth story.

The panel of judges for this year was composed of ABS-CBN News Channel reporter Christian Esguerra, Philippine Daily Inquirer associate editor John Nery and columnist Rina Jimenez-David.

The awarding ceremony was held on Monday, the last day of the Varsitarian’s 19th Inkblots, the annual campus journalism fellowship.

UST GenSan

FROM PAGE 2

to be spread in GenSan,” he said.

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

The city council under GenSan City Mayor Ronnel Rivera approved the rezoning of the property to institutional from agricultural on Oct. 8, 2013 through City Ordinance 15 series of 2013.

The Department of Agrarian Reform first approved the conversion of the land

in 2003 and issued another order in 2008, extending the development period of the site until 2013.

But order expired last July 22, 2013, putting the construction of the UST Gen San campus on hold. JOB ANTHONY R. MANAHAN

Editor: Randell Angelo B. Ritumalta

DECEMBER 18, 2017

Sports 15

UST has 21-point lead in overall title race

By MA. ANGELA CHRISTA COLOMA AND MA. ANGELICA D. GARCIA WITH A 21-point advantage over De La Salle University, UST continues to lead the UAAP Season 80 general championship race.

UST grabbed four gold, three silver and three bronze medals for 153 points, lower than Season 79’s 161 markers.

Last year, the University only had a 12-point lead after the first half of the season, with perennial contender La Salle scoring 149 points.

La Salle wrapped up the first semester at second spot anew with 132 points, holding a slim lead over the University of the Philippines’ 130.

“Mababa ‘yung points pero ‘yung performances ng first semester events are very good. Most of the teams ay mataas angperformance,” Institute of Physical Education and Athlectics (IPEA) athletics director Rodrigo Sambuang told the Varsitarian.

The Lady Spikers scored back-to-back titles in women’s beach volleyball after beating the Far Eastern University (FEU) anew.The Tiger Jins reclaimed the poomsae title they lost last seasonat the expense of La Salle.

Last month, the Tiger Judokas continued their UAAP judo dominance after securing another golden double.

While the Lady Judokas took home their fourth-straight title, the Male Judokas shared the championship with rivals Ateneo De Manila University, the first of such feat since the tournament’s inception in 1995.

The National University (NU) Bulldogs dethroned the Tiger Spikers and the Male Paddlers in the men’s beach volleyball and table tennis tournament for two silvers.

The Lady Paddlers almost spoiled La Salle’s

five-peat bid in women’s table tennis but settled for another runner-up finish.

After a two-year absence, the Growling Tigresses returned to the Final Four for a bronze finish.

Season 79 taekwondo champions Tiger Jins slipped to third place while their female counterparts Lady Jins crashed to fourth from last season’s silver finish.

The Female Tigersharks improved to third this season from last year’s fourth-spot finish while the Male Tigersharks were fourthplace anew.

The Male Shuttlers punctuated their surprising Final Four appearance with a bronze finish while the Lady Shuttlers crashed to a 0-7 win-loss record, their worst showing since 1999.

The Growling Tigers suffered yet another disastrous season after slipping to a 1-13 winloss record.

“Nagpa-practice lahat ng teams sa UAAP schools, so we have to give respect din sa ginagawa nila. We are hoping and praying na makuha natin ‘yung general championship again, ‘yun naman ang aim ng athletics department natin,” Sambuang said.

Swimming champion Ateneo de Manila University came in at fourth place with 128 points.

NU is at the fifth spot with 121 points, after winning four-consecutive men’s badminton and women’s basketball championships.

FEU, University of the East and Adamson University registered 74, 68 and 42 points for sixth, seventh and eighth place, respectively.

Salinggawi bags silver in UAAP cheerdance tilt

By MIA ARRA C. CAMACHO

THE UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe returned to the podium after finishing at second place in the UAAP Season 80 cheerdance competition at the Mall of Asia Arena last Dec. 2.

The Adamson University Pep Squad won the title for the first time with its 80’s-inspired routine.

Salinggawi’s crouching tiger theme scored 638.5 points behind Adamson’s 663.5 markers.

UST led the competition in the dance category with 340.5 points. Adamson, with a near-perfect routine and only a two-point deduction, aced the stunts and pyramids category with 80.5 and 91 points, respectively.

“Parang hindi totoo. Hindi ko ine-expect na magpopodium finish kami sa last year

The Salinggawi Dance Troupe

ko. Sobrang sulit lang [itong nangyari para sa akin].

Kumapit kami,” SDT team captain Benjo Gutierrez told the Varsitarian.

Despite errors in the pyramid stunt, SDT head coach Mark Chaiwalla said the successful execution of the leveled-up routine proved the team’s improvement from the past season. Salinggawi missed the podium and finished fourthin Season 79.

The University of the East Pep Squad’s Phoenixinspired showcase landed third with 634.5 points.

Four-time defending champion National University Pep Squad slipped missed the podium and tied the FEU Cheering Squad at fourth place with

Ex-Softbelle finds niche in judo, wins MVP

By JAN CARLO ANOLIN and JUSTIN ROBERT VALENCIA AFTER a lackluster stint with the UST Tiger Softbelles in 2013, Almira Ruiz came back strong as a judoka.

Ruiz’s failed softball stint became her entry point to becoming one of the best judokas in the UAAP, winning the Most Valuable Player award this Season 80.

The 21-year-old Ruiz secured the gold in the -57 kg division after beating fellow Thomasian Devrah Devaras in the finals, eventually helping the Lady Judokas bag their fourth-straight title.

“Siguro meant talaga ako mag-judo.

Kasi mga isang taon palang akong nagjujudo, nakita ko nang may improvement ako,” Ruiz told the Varsitarian in an interview.

Ruiz first tried sports in high school to help fund her studies.

She played softball in the Northern Cebu Colleges for four years through the help of head coach and uncle, Guy Makitig.

“Sa totoo lang, ‘di rin talaga namin afford kung walang sports. Kasi walang public school sa amin, puro private,” she said.

Ruiz was recruited to UST as part of a package player deal along with current Softbelles pitcher Anne Antolihao.

But after two years with the Softbelles, Ruiz decided to quit and tried out for the women’s judo team after Season 76.

Ruiz recalled informing softball head coach Sandy Barredo via text message that she will try out for the Lady Judokas to rekindle her childhood dream of playing combat sports.

“Di naman talaga siya [Barredo] nagalit kasi lilipat ako, nagalit lang siya

kasi bastos. That time, nagte-training kasi kami sa softball tapos sinabi ko na magtatryouts ako sa judo,” she said.

Since judo is a first-semester sport, Ruiz was able to join the Lady Judokas in Season 77 as part of the Team B and played in off-season tournaments.

“Nakita ko na malakas ang braso at kamay niya at dedicated matuto. Madali naman siya turuan dahil gusto naman niya. Nilaro ko ‘yung timbang niya sa -52 at -57 kgs,” Lady Judokas head coach Gerard Arce said in an online interview.

Come Season 78, Ruiz was fielded in the lineup and won silver in the -57 kg category, succumbing to teammate Sueko Kinjho in the finals.

The following year, Ruiz faced another hurdle after being disqualified MVP PAGE 14

Almira Ruiz

610.50 points.

The returning UP Pep Squad settled at sixth place with 575.5 points while the De La Salle Animo Squad finished seventh with 567.5 markers.

The Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion was dead last anew with 558.5 points.

‘Leveled-up’ cheer elements Chaiwalla, who was keen on introducing a more dangerous routine when he took over the team last June, said injuries like sprains hurdled the team during trainings.

“In terms of technicality, mas buwis buhay ang [ginawa nila]. Malaki ang inilakas nila dahil ‘yung