The Varsitarian P.Y. 2015-2016 Issue 07

Volume LXXXVII, No. 7 • February 29, 2016 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF SANTO TOMAS Manila, Philippines

No job cuts despite K to 12—Rector Plant DNA Pontifical University to lead Dominican database to schools under integration plan be launched

By MARITZ L. LUBO and MIA ROSIENNA P. MALLARI A GROUNDBREAKING work on the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) barcoding of local medicinal plants by a Thomasian professor is on its final stage and is set to be launched in the second quarter of the year.

Grecebio Alejandro, director of the Office of Graduate Research and a pioneer of plant molecular phylogenetics in the country, spearheaded the formation of a database that sought to identify local medicinal plants on a molecular level through DNA barcoding.

“DNA Barcoding for Authentication of Philippine Medical Plants” is a four-year project that began in 2012. It aims to utilize DNA barcoding among plants to create an online database and a medicinal guidebook for endemic flora.

Alejandro said the database, to be hosted by the server of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Center for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD), is set to be ready between March and May of 2016. Although open for public viewing, the DNA sequences available are still very limited as data from several species are still being uploaded.

Sequences, or unique segments of a species’ DNA, are the foci of DNA barcoding and are the primary tools in separating species of plants from each other.

These DNA markers are akin to product barcodes.

The development of this barcoding database has earned the University the title of “Center for DNA Barcoding and Conservation” in the country.

Alejandro is aided by the Thomasian Angiosperm Phylogeny Barcoding Group as well as other institutions such as the Far Eastern University, the University of the East, the University of the PhilippinesManila and the Philippine Plant PAGE 9

ONE RECTOR for all campuses.

UST will soon oversee other schools run by the Dominican Order in the Philippines under an integration plan to be crafted this year.

Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. said University officials were working on the final arrangements to merge with other Dominican schools and build satellite campuses, to extend Thomasian education beyond the Sampaloc campus.

Fr. Dagohoy said the proposed integration “would mean there would be only one rector but different boards of trustees.”

“For example, in Angelicum College (Quezon City), there will be a separate board of trustees. The majority of those who will be sitting on the board will come from the University of Santo Tomas. That is where we have the control,” he told the Varsitarian.

But in terms of resources and management, each Dominican institution will be “independent, so to speak, from each other,” said the Rector.

According to UST’s General Statutes, the Board of Trustees is the highest policy and decisionmaking body of the University, composed of friars of the Order of Preachers. The trustees are elected by members of the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas, the community of Dominicans in UST. Asked if the integration would be similar to that of the De La Salle network of the Brothers of Christian Schools, Fr. Dagohoy said the Dominican schools would have their own structure.

The De La Salle network has been known as De La Salle Philippines, Inc. since 2006. All 16 schools under the De La Salle network follow a single “Lasallian Mission” and promote “the spirit of faith, zeal for service and communion in mission.”

Santa Rosa and General Santos campuses Fr. Dagohoy also bared that work on the Santa Rosa, Laguna campus had begun, particularly the architectural design and engineering details.

The UST integration plan and the start of construction at the Santa Rosa campus was announced during the Rector’s Report last Oct. 16, 2015.

In his tri-annual report, Fr. Dagohoy said that “with the proposed integration of Dominican schools, we might find UST not only [in] General Santos and Santa Rosa, but also in Legazpi, Iloilo and Quezon City.”

“While UST GenSan might take time to materialize, the UST Santa Rosa campus might happen sooner. The University [has] awarded the site development project to [architects] and the project is scheduled to take off early next year in 2016,” he added.

The Varsitarian earlier reported snags in the General Santos campus construction as the government had yet to approve the site’s conversion from agricultural status. JEROME P.

Faculty PAGE 5

UST eyes ‘vertically articulated’ undergrad, grad programs, in shift to global practice

VILLANUEVA

BILANG tugon sa mabilis na pagsulong ng teknolohiya, nakatakdang maglunsad ang Faculty of Engineering ng elective subject na tumatalakay sa “robotic integration” para sa Akademikong Taon 2016-2017.

Ayon kay Asst. Prof.

Nelson Pasamonte, katuwang na dekano ng fakultad, matagal na itong balak ipatupad dahil isa ang robotics sa mga pangangailangan ng industriya ng inhinyeriya ngayon. “[Kailangan nating] magkaroon ng competitive edge,” ani Pasamonte.

Mga mag-aaral na nasa ika-apat at ika-limang taon

mula sa departamento ng electronics and communication engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering at industrial engineering ang unang sasabak sa bagong asignaturang ito.

Magiging bahagi ang robotics ng bagong curriculum ng mga piling departamento ng fakultad sa 2018. Sa kasalukuyan, plano munang gawin itong elective subject habang pinag-uusapan ang ilang pagbabago sa curriculum ng fakultad.

Tig-isang guro mula sa mga departamento ng mechanical, electrical at electronics and communication ang sasailalim sa pagsasanay

na pangungunahan ng mga tauhan mula sa Adhesives and Paints Application Systems, Inc., isang kumpanyang naghahatid ng kagamitan sa iba’t- ibang industriya gaya ng pharmaceuticals, automotive at appliances.

Ayon kay Pasamonte, ang kanilang susunod na hakbang ay gawing “advanced” ang mga kagamitan ng fakultad upang makatulong sa pag-aaral ng robotics.

“Pauna lang ito sa robotic integration… sa susunod na taon [magkaroon] na naman ng isang additional na equipment na robotic din. Parang ito muna ‘yung pinaka-basic educational package and then ‘yung mga

UNLIKE other schools that have begun retrenching regular staff, UST will retain nearly 1,200 tenured faculty despite the full implementation of the K to 12 basic education reform that will cut college enrollment next academic year, Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. said.

“As far as the tenured faculty of the University, we will have no displacement at all. According to Dr. [Pilar] Romero (Senior High School principal), we are now in the hiring mode, meaning to say, we need more faculty,” Fr. Dagohoy said in a chance interview.

The impact will be on non-tenured faculty, which should not really be an issue because they don’t have regular employment status in UST and may even be employed regularly elsewhere, University officials said.

Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets) Dean Michael Anthony Vasco said non-tenured faculty members, such as those working part-time or with fixed two-year contracts, had been briefed by department chairs on the possibility that they won’t be able to teach next academic year.

“Kahit naman sino gusto pang magturo. Kaya lang you have to face reality here. The reality is ang uunahin nating prayoridad ay ‘yung 1,185 na tenured.

Sila muna ang kailangang gawan ng paraan,” Vasco said in an interview.

Romero also said it was uncertain whether nontenured faculty members would be able to teach in the University next term.

“We have obligations towards the tenured faculty members. We cannot be sacrificing our tenured faculty just so we can accommodate the nontenured,” she said in a separate interview.

Letter of intent required To prevent layoffs, the administration is in the process of transferring tenured college faculty to the soon-to-be-opened UST Senior High School (SHS), which will offer Grades 11 and 12, the two additional

Asignaturang robotics, ilulunsad sa Engineering Ni KATHRYN JEDI V. BAYLON

By JEROME P. VILLANUEVA

advanced package naman,” dagdag ni Pasamonte.

UST IS studying a shift to a “vertical articulation” system that will place undergraduate, master’s and doctorate programs in the same field under the different colleges and faculties instead of the Graduate School, officials said.

Vertical articulation—the norm in other top universities like UP, Ateneo de Manila and De La Salle as well as overseas—will likely begin with programs declared as Centers of Excellence (COE) or Centers of Development (COD) by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd).

But the new scheme will not lead to the abolition of the 78-year-old Graduate School, Dean Marilu Madrunio told the Varsitarian.

“We are still studying vertical articulation because it is not easy to implement. It will still be evaluated by the departments,” Madrunio said in an interview. “With vertical articulation, you’re not removing the Graduate School but you’re moving [programs] to certain colleges.”

Vertical articulation allows the continuity of programs in terms of content, curriculum, instruction and evaluation, allowing the same set of faculty members to focus on the progress of a student.

But not all programs offered by UST are prepared for such a scheme. In terms of preparedness, the CHEd COEs and CODs are the likely candidates.

“Those prepared programs are [the only ones] ought to [be] included in vertical articulation,” Madrunio said.

College of Science Dean John Donnie Ramos said he had been asked by the Office of Practice PAGE 5

2 News

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

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Universities hit for doubling profits A YOUTH partylist group seeking reelection in the May polls has hit UST and five other private universities for “almost doubling” their profits and tuition collections over the past five years of tuition increases.

In a forum on tuition and other school fees convened by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Higher and Technical Education last Feb. 3, outgoing Kabataan Partylist Rep. Terry Ridon and first nominee Sarah Elago presented a report on the finances of six universities using data from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Data presented in the House forum however showed that not all of the universities doubled their tuition collections and net profits or net revenues.

Ridon said three universities that are stock corporations hiked their net profits as follows: Far Eastern University, 81 percent growth, to P1.08 billion in 2015 from P713 million in 2010; Lyceum of the Philippines, more than 140 percent growth, to P657.6 million in 2015 from P272.6 million in 2010; and University of the East, 30 percent growth, to P463.5 million in 2015 from P352.3 million in 2010.

Two non-stock, nonprofit universities also saw higher net revenues or total collections less operating expenses, he said: De La Salle University, 62 percent growth in net revenue, to P734 million in 2015 from P381.9 million in 2010; and the University of Santo Tomas, 38 percent growth, to P1.3 billion in 2015 from P941 million in 2010.

The Varsitarian tried but failed to get comments from the UST Office for Student Affairs and the UST Central Student Council.

For this academic year, UST cut its tuition hike to Profit PAGE 10

NO TO HIKES. Youth activist groups protests against yearly increase in school fees as they stage a silent protest in UST on Feb. 12.

BASILIO H. SEPE

With social sciences Researchers cited for published works from 2012 to 2014 lagging, research center UST RESEARCHERS got awards Ramos, Ma. Alicia Aguinaldo*, Belinda de Castro* is From the Faculty of Pharmacy for publications covering the Gina Dedeles*, Grecebio the sole awardee hailing from winners include Mafel Ysrael, years 2012 to 2014 in the annual Alejandro*, Thomas de la the College of Commerce Librado Santiago* (Gold Series) to be split into two Research Recognition Awards last Cruz*, Maribel Nonato, Allan and Business Administration. and Aristea Bayquen (International

THE UST Research Center on Culture, Education and Social Issues (RCCESI) may soon be split into two centers, reversing a rationalization scheme that abolished various research centers in the previous decade.

The two centers will be: the Research Center on Culture, Arts, and the Humanities, which will cover Philosophy, Literary and Cultural Studies, Communication, and Architectural Studies; and the Research Center on Social Sciences and Education, which will focus on Economics, Business and Finance, Language, Education and Leadership, Psychology, and Contemporary Social Issues Studies.

RCCESI Director Clarence Batan said the move was urgent, as the entire country had been lagging behind in terms of research development.

“There [was] a time when we were the knowledge hub of Asia, [but not anymore]. The world has shifted and we [have] not,” Batan said in an interview.

In the latest Quacquarelli Symonds Stars ratings report, UST received only two out of five stars in the research category, which was

Feb. 19, at the Fr. Buenaventura G. Paredes, O.P., Building.

The ceremony closed the University’s 2016 Research Fortnight. A total of 30 Gold Series awards, 18 Silver Series awards, and 41 International Publication awards were bestowed upon faculty members.

The awardees were (names marked with * were also given International Publication Awards): From the Faculty of Arts and Letters: Jove Jim Aguas, Joyce Arriola and Marciana Ponsaran (Gold Series); Fleurdeliz AltezAlbela, Clarence Batan, Paolo Bolaños and Jeremaiah Opiniano (Silver Series).

From the College of Science: Professor Emeritus Fortunato Sevilla III*, Dean John Donnie

Usapang Uste

Center PAGE 11

18 master’s programs get Level IV accreditation EIGHTEEN master’s programs of the UST Graduate School have officially been granted the highest level of recognition by an accreditation body for private higher educational institutions.

The Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (Pacucoa) gave Level IV accreditation to 13 Master of Arts (MA) programs and five Masters of Science (MS) programs, UST said on its Facebook page on Feb. 8.

The Level IV MA programs are Development Studies, Economics, Education, Educational Management and Leadership, English Language Studies, Guidance and Counseling, History, Hospital Administration, Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology and Public Administration.

The following MS programs were also accredited at Level IV: Biology, Biology Education, Chemistry, Microbiology and Pharmacy.

MS Mathematics Education was on the list of Level IV accredited programs released by UST last November but was replaced by MA Educational Management and Leadership. No explanation was given regarding the change.

According to Pacucoa, academic programs granted the prestigious Level IV status have full autonomy from government regulators. The duration of the Level IV status for the 18 UST master’s programs is until 2019.

Established in 1932, the UST Graduate School has a total of 62 graduate programs. DAYANARA T. CUDAL

TAONG 1948 nang unang ipatupad ang pagsusuot ng mga bagong disenyong uniporme ng mga magaaral sa Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at Conservatory of Music.

Kasunod ng ihinaing panuntunan ng Unibersidad ukol sa pagsusuot ng mga uniporme upang magsilbing pagkakakilanlan ng bawat fakultad at kolehiyo, pinasinayaan ng konserbatoryo, sa pangunguna ng Conservatory of Music Student Council ang unang pagsusuot ng mga uniporme at pin noong ika-siyam ng Agosto ng nasabing taon.

Inumpisahan ng mga kababaihan sa konserbatoryo ang pagsusuot ng dalawang kulay ng pin bilang pagsimbolo sa kanilang kolehiyo.

Samantala, noong ika-15 ng kaparehong buwan, opisyal namang sinimulan ng mga kalalakihan sa Medisina ang pagsusuot ng simpleng puting polo na mayroong tatlong bulsa sa harapan at malapad na paha sa may baywang.

Pinagsuot naman ang mga intern ng mga unipormeng may mga burda at tahing kaiba sa naunang pangkat ng mga magaaral sa Medisina.

Sinasabing sinasalamin ng uniporme ng isang institusiyon ang natatanging kasaysayan at

Macabeo*, Beth Maningas*, Rey Donne Papa*, Karen Santiago*, Mario Tan* and Bernard Tongol (Gold Series); Lucila Bance, Jose Bergatin, Christina Binag*, Susana Baldia, Ryan Francis Cayubit, Mae Lowe Diesmos* and Donna May Papa* (Silver Series); and Cecila Banag (International Publication Award).

From the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery: Alejandro Baroque II*, Reynaldo Javate*, Leilani Mercado-Asis*, Sandra Navarra*, Raymond Rosales and Jose Sollano (Gold Series); Ma. Minerva Calimag and Arnelfa Paliza (Silver Series); Maria Piedad Natividad, Teresa Sy-Ortin, Jocelyn Que and Jose Sollano Jr. (International Publication Award).

Meanwhile, awardees from the College of Education are Dean Allan de Guzman* (Gold Series); Imelda de Castro and Ma. Belinda Mandigma (Silver Series); Nenita Caralipio (retired), Eleonor Sibug and Zenaida Velasco (International Publication Award).

For the Faculty of Engineering, Ma. Natalia Dimaano (Gold Series) is the only awardee while College of Rehabilitation Sciences has Consuelo Gonzalez-Suarez and Janine Dizon* (Gold Series); Johnny Lokin* (Silver Series); and Reil Vinard Espino, Consuelo Gonzales-Suarez, Josephine Joy Reyes and Karen Leslie Pineda (International Publication Award).

Publication Award).

Manuel Maximo del CastilloNoche (Silver Series) is the sole awardee from the College of Architecture while Les Paul Valdez, Rowena Escolar-Chua and Pia Marie Albano from the College of Nursing were given the International Publication Award.

Gold and Silver Series awards are given to researchers based on their research publications, ongoing research involvement and tenure in the University.

International Publication awardees are professors distinguished for their research productivity, as indicated by the publication of their work in refereed international journals.

CLARENCE I. HORMACHUELOS and ROY ABRAHMN D.R. NARRA

Ebolusyon ng uniporme sa Med, Conservatory kultura nito. Sa ganitong kaisipan din itinindig ng bawat fakultad at kolehiyo ng Unibersidad ang disenyo ng kani-kanilang kasuotan hanggang sa kasalukuyan.

Para sa Music, tanda ng pagkahalina ng mga manonood ang kulay rosas na kanila ring piniling kulay ng uniporme.

Sa isang panayam ng Varsitarian noong 2006 sa dating dekano ng Music si Erlinda Fule ukol sa pagpapanatili ng orihinal na kulay ng kanilang uniporme hanggang sa kasalukuyan, sinabi niyang maganda sa paningin ng manonood ang kulay rosas.

“We chose this color to create a pleasant mood for the audience when students play their instruments,” aniya.

Inihahanda naman ang mga mag-aaral ng Medicine sa kanilang mga trabaho sa hinaharap sa pamamagitan ng mga puting unipormeng repleksiyon ng kanilang serbisyo. Ilang dekada na rin ang lumipas nang nabago ang disenyo ng blusa at polo ng mga mag-aaral subalit nananatili itong puti na kalaunang dinagdagan ng dilaw at luntiang nameplate alinsunod sa kulay at pamantayan ng Unibersidad at ng kanilang fakultad.

Tomasino Siya

Alam ba ninyo na isang Tomasino ang classical pianist na nagkamit ng pagkilala at reputasiyon sa buong, at siya ring tinaguriang gifted piano teacher?

Nagtapos si Emilio del Rosario ng Bachelor of Music bilang magna cum laude noong 1953 sa Unibersidad. Bukod dito, Master of Music at Artist’s diploma holder rin si del Rosario.

Taong 1965 nang nagsimulang magturo si del Rosario sa Music Institute of Chicago (MIC) sa Winnetka matapos anyayahan ng mismong presidente ng nasabing paaralan.

Sa humigit 40 taon sa serbisyo, ibinahagi ni del Rosario, o mas kilala sa tawag na “Mr. D,” ang kaniyang passion para sa piano at malasakit na hubugin ang daan-daang kabataan na maging matagumpay na concert pinanists.

Ilan sa mga highlight ng kaniyang karera ang mga solo recitals sa Carnegie Recital Hall, Steinway Hall at United Nations sa New York City, at National Gallery sa Washington, D.C. Naging

soloist rin si Del Rosario sa Manila Symphony Ochestra, Cultural Center Symphony, at Peabody Conservatory Orchestra.

Bukod sa pagtugtog sa mga recitals, tumanggap rin ng maraming gantimpala at mga scholarship si Del Rosario.

Kabilang dito ang Steinway Prize, Concert Artists’ Guild Recital Award sa New York City, Paul Thomas Prize sa Peabody Conservatory of Music at Outstanding Artist Award sa Filipinas.

Noong 1986 at 1992, tinaggap Usapang Uste PAHINA 3

Patnugot: Maria Koreena M. Eslava

Filipino 3

IKA-29 NG PEBRERO, 2016

Identidad—pangunahing suliranin sa pagsusulong ng wikang Filipino Ni JASPER EMMANUEL Y. ARCALAS HINDI ko malilimutan ang hagikgikan ng mga propesor, estudyante at manunulat na dumalo sa isang seminar ukol sa paggamit ng wikang Filipino sa pagtuturo ng mga teknikal na asignatura tulad ng agham at matematika.

Ang rason? Kawalan ng tuwirang salin para sa mga terminolohiya sa mga nasabing asignatura.

Ano sa Filipino ang mathematics? Sipnayan.

Ang square root? Ikalawang ugat. Eh, ang chemistry? Kimika. Ilan lamang ito sa mga salin na kinahagikgik ng mahigit limampung katao sa loob ng isang awditoryum sa unibersidad.

Kung titignan sa kasaysayan, naging bahagi ng pag-usbong ng wikang pambansa ang mga salitang sipnayan, kimika at iba pang teknikal na termonolohiyang isinalin sa Tagalog.

Ngunit sa panahong ito ng social media at pagmamadali, sino pa kaya sa kabataan ang may oras upang alamin at aralin nang matiwasay ang wikang Filipino? Lingid sa kaalaman ng iba, nakaugat din sa isang mahabang pakikibaka para sa Wikang Pambansa ang pagkakaiba lamang sa titik ng “daw” at “raw.”

Sa manwal na inilimbag ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) na “Pagpaplanong Wika at Filipino,” isinalaysay ang madugong kasaysayan kung paano humantong ang wikang Filipino sa wikang pambansa at ang kinabukasan ng ating wika. Sa unang bahagi ng manwal pinagtuunan ng pansin ng may-akdang si Virgilio Alamario, tagapangulo ng KWF at Pambansang Alagad ng Sining para sa Panitikan, ang rason kung “Bakit Filipino ang ‘Filipino’?’”

“Nakakatawa ngunit totoo, ang pangunahing problema ng wikang ‘Filipino’ ay identidad,” panimula niya sa paglalahad ng suliranin ng wikang Filipino.

Noong Kumbensiyong Konstitusyonal 1934, napagpasiyahan na magkakaroon ng isang katutubong wika na pagbabatayan ng wikang pambansa. Naging mainit ang pagtatalo sa pagitan ng mga Tagalog, Sebwano at Ilokano. Ngunit nanaig, dahil sa higit na bilang ng mga delegado, ang wikang Tagalog.

Mula noon, nabahiran na ng politika at mga pansariling interes ang pag-usbong ng ating wikang pambansa.

Halimbawa na lamang ang mga kontra-wikang pambansa na sina Geruncio Lacuesta, Leopoldo Yabes at Ernesto Constantino na nagtulak na magkaroon ng pagsasanib ng mga wikang katutubo para sa wikang pambansa. Nariyan din naman ang grupong tulad ng Defenders of Indigenous Languages of the Archipelago na bumatikos sa Filipino dahil para sa kanila, Tagalog pa rin at “binago lamang ang ispeling ng Pilipino upang ikubli ang pagiging Tagalog nito” noong 1972 nang mapagpasiyahang gawing “Filipino” ang tawag sa

wikang pambansa.

Ayon kay Almario, nang magkaroon ng 20 titik ang alpabeto noong 1972, hindi na masasabing Tagalog pa rin ang Filipino sapagkat 17 lamang ang titik ng alpabetong Tagalog na nakabatay sa Baybayin.

Alinsunod sa kapasiyahan noong 1972 Konstitusyon, iniluwal ang “Filipino” bilang wikang pambansa sa nabuong 1987 Konstitusyon. Sinasaad sa Seksiyon VI ng Artikulo XIV: “Ang wikang pambansa ng Filipinas ay Filipino. Samantalang nililinang, ito ay dapat payabungin at pagyamanin pa salig sa umiiral na wika sa Filipinas.”

Sa nasabing kasaysayan ng wikang pambansa—mula sa Tagalog hanggang sa pagbabatikos ng pagbabansot ng wikang pambansa sa mga katutubong wika—mababatid ang kawalan ng matinong identidad ng wikang “Filipino.”

(Tagalog na nakabatay sa Baybayin) na naging 20 alpabeto noong 1972 at naging 28 titik noong 1987 hanggang sa ngayon.

Ang walong titik (C,F,J,Ñ,Q,V,X,Z) na idinagdag noong 1987 ang “kumakatawan sa mga tunog na wala noon sa abakada ngunit nasa mga wika ng nasa Filipinas,” ayon kay Almario.

Ilang halimbawa rito na binigay ni Almario ang mga sumusunod: ang “alifuffug” o ipuipo sa Itawit, “falendag” na isang uri ng plawta sa Teduray, at “zigattu” o silangan ng Ibanag.

Dahil sa mga karagdagang titik sa alpabetong Filipino, pinagtitibay nito ang

Pag-unawa sa kasaysayan Sa pamamagitan ng pagunawa at pagbatid sa mahabang kasaysayan ng wikang pambansa, mas matatangkilik natin ang ating sariling wika, lalo na ang ating identidad.

Matiwasay nating maiintindihan na hindi lamang binubuo ng wikang Tagalog mismo ang ating wikang pambansa. Sumasalamin sa ating kultura at pagka-Filipino ang wikang Filipino dahil pinagyaman ito ng iba’t ibang wika sa ating bansa.

Halimbawa na lamang ang salitang “katarungan” na tinuturing na salin sa wikang Filipino ng Ingles na salitang justice. Ngunit lingid sa kaalaman ng marami, hindi ito mula sa Tagalog. Mula sa Sebwano ang salitang katarungan na may salitang-ugat na “tarong,” na siyang pinagbasehan ni Lope K. Santos sa paglikha sa salitang “katarungan.”

Para sa ating mag-aaral na tinuruan ng abakada nang nasa elementarya, marahil simpleng a-ba-ka-da lamang ang tingin natin sa ating alpabeto. Ngunit, ayon sa kasaysayan nito, napakayaman sa ideya ng pagka-Filipino ang kasalukuyang alpabeto.

Nagsimula ang alpabeto sa 17 titik

identidad ng ating wikang pambansa sapagkat makakatawanan na ang bigkas sa mga katutubong salita sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng ating bansa.

Marahil, marami sa kabataan ngayon ang nagnanais matuto o maging bihasa sa banyagang wika. Wala namang masama roon. Ngunit mas mahalaga sigurong bigyang-pansin muna ang kakayahan at pagmamahal sa ating wikang pambansa.

Sa mahabang kasaysayan ng ating wikang pambansa, masasabing ngayon pa lamang ito tumutungo sa tamang daang dapat tahakin nito: nasyonalisasyon at modernisasyon.

Ayon kay Almario, isinaad sa Seksiyon 6 ng Artikulo XIV ng Konstitusyon ang nasyonalisasyon at modernisasyon ng wikang Filipino.

“Ang nasyonalisasyon ay magaganap sa pamamagitan ng pagpapayaman sa Filipino sa pamamagitan ng mga wika ng Filipinas. Ang modernisasyon ay mapapabilis sa pamamagitan ng iba’t ibang pandaigdigang wikang sinasangguni at hinihiram ng edukasyong Filipino,” ani Almario sa manwal.

Kung tutuusin, sumasabay na rin ang mga tagasuporta ng wika sa makabagong panahon. Nariyan ang WIKApedia, isang pahina sa Facebook, na nagpapaskil ng samo’t saring kaalaman sa wikang Filipino—mula sa kasaysayan ng mga salita hanggang sa mga salitang hindi batid ng nakararami.

Nang mapadaan ako sa kanilang pahina, may isang nakatutuwang komento akong nabasa ayon sa kanilang post tungkol sa wastong gamit ng ‘ng’ at ‘nang.’

“Kapag mali ang grammar sa Ingles pinagtatawanan. Pero ‘pag sa Filipino, okay lang?” sabi ng post.

Oo nga naman.

Mas alam pa ng nakararami ang wika ng mga hokage, breezy at hashtags kaysa sa sarili nilang wika.

Ikaw, alam mo ba kung bakit Filipino ang wika mo?

‘Babae, sa Balumbalonan ni Hakob’ ni Mayette Bayuga

Sa mundo ng hiwaga at limot nang kuwentong bayan Ni BERNADETTE A. PAMINTUAN SA PAMAMAGITAN ng malikhaing pagkatha, inilapit ni Mayette Bayuga ang urbanidad sa malumanay na alon ng dalampasigan, sa mga mahihiwagang kuweba, sa tuktok ng bulubundukin, sa pusod ng kagubatan, sa mga liblib na bayanbayanan at sa mundong hindi pa nasisilayan ng sangkatauhan.

Sa bagong limbag na koleksiyon ng mga dagli at maikling kuwentong pinamagatang “Babae, sa Balumbalonan ni Hakob at iba pang mga Kuwento” (UST Publishing House, 2015), ibinalik ni Bayuga ang mga mambabasa sa panahon kung kailan tanging ang impluwensiya lamang ng kalikasan ang namamayani sa damdamin at paniniwala ng mga Filipino.

Napapanahon ang mga kathang tulad ng “Luli” at “Kambal” na marahang pinag-isa ang modernong ideolohiya at mapamahiing paglalahad ng sinaunang taumbayan ukol sa mga kapre, duwende, tikbalang at mga mitong nakalimutan na.

Binuhay muli ni Bayuga ang mga kuwentong-bayang matagal nang yumao sa tinig ng mga nanay habang ipinaghehele ang kanilang mga anak.

Naungkat din maging ang Alamat ng Kawayan at ang mga hiwagang nagaganap sa ilalim ng bilog na buwan.

Mahusay na kathang pambungad ang dagling “Siya” upang ihanda ang mambabasa sa paglalakbay sa kagilagilalas na mundo ng imortalidad. “...Minsan, naisip niyang mamatay para maayos ang kaniyang buhay. At hindi nga lang sanlibo’t isang ulit siyang namatay.

Sa dami’y ‘di na niya mabilang...”

Sa paglipat ng pahina, itinawid naman niya ang mambabasa sa “Isla Real” na nababalot ng natatanging misteryo.

Sa “Heredero ng Tribo Hubad sa Isla Real,” nakaeengganyo ang paglalahad ng may-akda sa pagtuklas ng pangunahing tauhang si Emiliano Ricafrente sa katotohanang nakakubli sa isla na para bang isinasali ang

mambabasa sa bawat eksena.

Pinagtagpo ng kuwentong ito ang malawak na agwat ng siyensya at mitolohiya sa pamamagitan ng pagbanggit ng makabagong teknolohiya na siya mismong ginamit ng mga tauhan sa pagbuwag ng hiwaga.

Ang tema ng “pagpili” ng kalikasan sa mga kakalinga rito ang kaisipang namamayani sa ilang akda ni Bayuga lalo na sa kuwento ni Divina de Villa na isang nars sa bayan ng Matilam-tilam.

Sinasalamin ng akda ang matuling pagbabago ng mukha ng Filipinas gamit ang mga metaporang inihambing sa bawat dekadang lumipas.

Nagsimula sa awit ng The Beatles, pagdeklara ng Martial Law, pagsikat ng “P.S. I Love You” ni Sharon Cuneta, pag-ulan ng dilaw na laso sa EDSA, hanggang sa pagsikat ni Madonna at

pag-usbong ng bagong karamdamang tinawag na HIV-Aids.

Si Divina ang ginamit ni Bayuga na sagisag ng ugat ng pinagmulan; ng bulong ng kalikasan. Sa panahong nagbago na ang lahat, siya lamang ang nananatili at patuloy na bumabalik sa kaniyang kahapon.

Sa “Babae, sa Balumbalonan ni Hakob” naman, kahanga-hanga ang kabalintunaang paggamit ng makabagong estilo ng pananalita sa pagsasalaysay ng mga lumang kuwento ng Bundok Kamalayan.

Dito, pinagtagni-tagni ang mga kuwentong biblikal, aral ng Simbahan, katutubong paniniwala at modernong pamumuhay. “...Sa konsepto ng Kamalayan, pag marami kang buhat, hindi ka pa handang harapin ang iyong Tagapaglikha dahil balot ka ng kamunduhan...”

Naging matagumpay na pagpapaalala ang koleksiyon ni Bayuga na sa gitna ng modernisasyon, marapat pa ring lumingon sa pamana ng ating mga ninuno.

Marikit niyang hinabi ang mga hibla ng kasaysayan sa isang marilag na pagkakatha upang panandaliang isantabi ng mambabasa ang sigaw ng materyalismo at muling pakinggan ang huni ng kalikasan.

Usapang Uste

MULA SA PAHINA 2

niya ang Distinguished Teacher Award mula sa National Foundation of the Arts.

Taong 2007 nang naghayag ang MIC ng pagtatatag ng isang Piano Chair sa kaniyang karangalan. Pagkaraan ng dalawang taon, itinatag ang Emilio del Rosario Library kasunod ng kaniyang naging donasiyon na isang malawak na koleksiyon ng mga piano sa MIC. Sa isang librong inilunsad kamakailan patungkol sa pinakamagagaling na piano pedagogues sa USA, muling napili si del Rosario bilang isa sa top 15.

Tatlong pangulo na ng Estados Unidos ang nagbigay sa kaniya ng karangalang Outstanding Pedagogue Award—sina Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan at Bill Clinton.

Yumao si del Rosario noong ika-3 ng Oktubre 2010 sa edad na 76 dahil sa kanser. JOHN GABRIEL M. AGCAOILI at BERNADETTE A. PAMINTUAN

Tomasalitaan: Paragila (png)—pagmamabuti Hal. Unahin mo ang paragila sa sarili bago mo pagsabihan ang iyong kapwa.

Mga Sanggunian: TOTAL Awards 2002 Souvenir Program The Varsitarian: Tomo XX Blg. 7, Agosto 1948

4 Opinion

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Editorial

DepEd, CHEd get failing grade WITH the implementation of the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 or the K to 12 next school year, higher education institution (HEI) workers face retrenchment and an uncertain future.

With K to 12, students will now have to undergo kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary education, four years of Junior High School and two years of Senior High School [SHS]), before qualifying for higher education.

The addition of two more years in basic education will affect higher education in the next two years, especially since colleges won’t have new freshmen because of the extended stay of students in high school.

Basic education subjects in the college level have been devolved to SHS. Due to this, a lot of college instructors who teach basic education subjects will lose their load.

According to the latest estimates of the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), 13,634 teaching staff and 11,456 non-teaching staff may be displaced come K to 12. These figures are very conservative admittedly as college teachers face the prospect of joblessness.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said it was ready to assist K to 12-affected private employees by offering some 30,000 new teaching positions and 6,000 non-teaching personnel this year, and another 30,000 teaching positions in 2017.

Meanwhile, CHEd will offer scholarships for graduate studies for retrenched school personnel who may want to pursue masters or doctoral degrees.

Moreover, DOLE also promised income support or income augmentation to teaching and non-teaching personnel—both permanent and casual—who will not be absorbed by the Department of Education for three to six months.

Together with CHEd, DOLE will also implement a five-year Adjustment Measures Program for K to 12, with a budget of P1.1 billion, in pursuance the Department Order 85 series of 2007 which aims to prevent job losses and provide assistance to displaced workers.

For 2016, CHEd will have a budget of P10.53 billion, P8.28 billion of which will be allocated for the commission’s K to 12 Transition Program. Funding for the transition program will be sourced from CHEd’s Higher Education Development Fund (P3 billion), General Appropriations Act (P2.28 billion) and other unprogrammed sources (P3 billion).

Of the P1.11-trillion allocation to social services in the 2016 National Expenditure Program, P435.9-billion will be given to the Department of Education (DepEd), an increase of 15.4 percent or P58.2 billion compared to its 2015 budget of P377.7 billion.

A bulk of these funds will be used in supporting the full implementation of K to 12, with P16.9 billion set for the hiring of 79,691 teaching and non-teaching personnel. DepEd said it will be hiring HEI teachers displaced by K to 12.

DepEd also assured the preparedness of the country for the K to 12. According to the agency, it has built additional 66,813 classrooms from 2010 to 2013 Editorial PAGE 11

Should bad memories be erased?

PSYCHOLOGISTS say the best thing the human mind can do is to forget.

Naturally, forgetting makes a person live a normal life. It gives balance to the mind by retaining only essential information and significant memories that one needs for survival.

In recent years, scientists have ventured into studying and discovering the possibility of selectively removing memories in the hope of curing potential patients suffering from psychiatric and psychological disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder, severe depression and anxiety.

Several researchers have investigated techniques such as drug-induced amnesia, selective memory suppression, neuron destruction, memory interruption and disruption of specific molecular mechanisms to help traumatized people.

Just this month, a foreign documentary, “Memory Hackers,” showcased the cutting-edge research into the nature of human memory and how it may be manipulated for the benefit of mankind.

LORD BIEN G. LELAY Editor in Chief

ARIANNE F. MEREZ Associate Editor DAYANARA T. CUDAL News Editor DANIELLE ANN F. GABRIEL Assistant News Editor DELFIN RAY M. DIOQUINO 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 AVA MARIANGELA C. VICTORIA Art Director BASILIO H. SEPE Photography Editor News Kathryn Jedi V. Baylon, Clarence I. Hormachuelos, Roy Abrahmn D.R. Narra, Alhex Adrea M. Peralta, Jerome P. Villanueva Sports Carlo A. Casingcasing, John Chester P. Fajardo, Philip Martin L. Matel, Randell Angelo B. Ritumalta, Leif Arild F. Sykioco Special Reports Paul Xavier Jaehwa C. Bernardo, John Paul P. Corpuz, Monica M. Hernandez Features Mary Grace C. Esmaya, Maria Corazon A. Inay, Vianca A. Ocampo Literary Cedric Allen P. Sta. Cruz Filipino Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas, Bernadette A. Paminutan Witness John Gabriel M. Agcaoili, 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 Chinny Mae F. Basinang, Kirsten M. Jamilla, Seldon May T. Tagao, 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, University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila.

The documentary showed how memory is not to be seen as a tape recorder that faithfully registers information and replays it intact but that which is far more malleable—always being written and rewritten.

Among the documentary’s subjects was a 12-year-old boy who was diagnosed with Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, enabling him to remember just about every single thing he has experienced since the age of eight, which makes it difficult for him to distinguish between trivial and important events from his past. The possibility of selective memory erasure might help him.

Along with patients

suffering from these severe circumstances, the idea of selective memory erasure is very enticing for many. Most people, including myself, may have thought once or twice about having the option to erase a speck of their memories— traumatic experiences, extreme failures, hurtful losses—in order to finally be free from stress and disturbance and be able to function as normal individuals.

If someday, the possibility of scientifically and artificially erasing memories will turn into reality, can forgetting a memory be an option for everyone? Is it right for us to choose, beyond the ways of nature, what to forget and what

to remember?

We all have bad and painful memories which we want to forget. However, we must realize why we have these memories in the first place.

These memories remind us that life is not perfect and that not everything in this world is good and wonderful.

Bad and painful memories expose us to the reality that we also do things that we regret, that we are capable of mistakes. And from these bad memories, we learn how to make our lives better.

We have the ability to remember unpleasant memories from our past because these will serve as our guide for future actions.

Remembering and learning from past mistakes is crucial in the emotional and mental development of a person.

If everyone can erase every memory that they choose to forget, how can they distinguish what is real from what is not?

Not all unpleasant memories are ought to be Excelsior PAGE 5

Abusive PUV drivers

FOUNDED JAN. 16, 1928

ANGELI MAE S. CANTILLANA Managing Editor

We have the ability to remember unpleasant memories from our past because these will serve as our guide for future actions.

VIDEOS of rude taxi drivers shouting and even assaulting passengers have gone viral and enraged the public, even prompting lawmakers to revive a bill defining the “rights of taxi passengers.”

One video showed a taxi driver shouting expletives at a female passenger who had refused to pay additional fare.

The driver even ran after the passenger and threatened to hit her.

I myself have encountered taxi drivers who do not want to use the meter or who demand a higher fare. I have likewise met drivers who drop you off even when you are still far from your destination due to heavy traffic.

Other drivers of public utility vehicles (PUV) are just as abusive.

There are reckless jeepney drivers and bus drivers who drop off passengers in the middle of the road.

Article 1755 of the Civil Code of the Philippines states that a “common carrier” such as taxi cabs, buses and jeepneys are “bound to carry the passengers safely as far as human care and foresight can provide, using the utmost diligence of very cautious persons, with a due regard for all

The discourtesy and abusiveness of PUV drivers may cast a pall on the international reputation of the Philippine service sector. the circumstances.”

But safety and security would be the last that one could expect from PUV drivers.

They’re not even capable of courtesy.

Bad PUV drivers are a reflection of government incompetence and even corruption.

In fact, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) are agencies that rate poorly as far as public perception of the quality and transparency of their service is concerned.

The Philippine government seeks to attract more tourists to the country—as shown in the multimillion-dollar advertising campaign, “It’s More Fun in

the Philippines”—but abusive taxi drivers and the inhospitable road and traffic management conditions in Metro Manila are turning off both domestic and international tourists.

Our PUV drivers are rude and abusive.

Obviously the LTO and LTFRB should be doing their job. But the two agencies have a history of incompetence and corruption.

As Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, a former Supreme Court associate justice, has said, “Many in government are corrupt.”

The discourtesy and abusiveness of PUV drivers may not only turn off tourists; they may likewise cast a pall on the international reputation of the

Philippine service sector.

According to the National Economic and Development Authority, almost 21 million Filipinos are employed in the service sector; this is 53.6 percent of the total employment.

The country’s service sector also has the biggest contribution to the country’s economic growth at 56.7 percent in 2014. Since the 1980s the service sector has had the lion’s share of contributions for economic growth, exceeding the industry sector.

The negative image of the public transport service sector harms the image of the highquality service of our overseas workers. If authorities continue to disregard the problem, it may not be too long until we experience a decrease of overseas demand for our service workers.

We pride ourselves for allegedly being warm and hospitable people yet our public transport sector operatives and drivers are inhospitable and abusive, even posing a risk to the life and limb of passengers and tourists.

Surely the disjunction cannot be tolerated anymore.

Remove reckless and abusive PUV operatives and drivers from the road.

Opinion 5

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

The rise of women journalists THE DEATH of Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc, the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s esteemed editor in chief, has occasioned a look-back on how the newsroom has dramatically changed since the days of the penny press at the turn of the 20th century.

From a newsroom dominated by “macho” journalists, the news scene has been radicalized and even reinvented as women journalists have joined what used to be a “man’s world.”

In some instances, women editors have been bolder and more courageous than the men. This is particularly true of Magsanoc who was executive editor of a paper founded by another woman, Thomasian journalist Eugenia Duran-Apostol.

Women have also been behind the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility.

But Magsanoc and Apostol started as “women’s section” editors and writers.

Women, who started out as editors for lifestyle magazines and campus papers, changed the landscape of Philippine press when there was little to no press freedom.

In fact, many women oldtimers in the media started as lifestyle and fashion writers and editors.

But editors such as Apostol used their training in lifestyle and features writing to topple regimes and dictators. During martial law, the Marcos administration overlooked women’s pages as “harmless” publications, and women journalists such as Apostol and Magsanoc reinvented lifestyle journalism as a vehicle for political and critical reportage.

Apostol fearlessly published a special edition

of her Mr. & Ms. magazine during the news blackout on the funeral of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. She later established the Philippine Inquirer as a weekly that provided stories regarding the Aquino trial. It was succeeded in 1985 by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, a broadsheet that countered the administration’s propaganda newspaper during the 1986 snap elections.

In the 1980’s, Ceres Doyo sent an article to Magsanoc, who was editing the Philippine Panorama, about Cordillera chieftain Mac-ling Dulag who

was killed by the military for opposing the Chico River Dam construction.

The article made waves and alerted the public on how state authoritarianism was endangering the environment and suppressing indigenous people’s rights.

These women, who started out as editors for lifestyle magazines and campus papers, changed the landscape of Philippine press when there was little to no press freedom. They proved that there is no limit for anyone in the profession, whether one is male or female.

When I applied as editor in the Varsitarian, I was asked if I thought that being a woman was a hindrance.

My answer was no. One’s sex should be no obstacle in getting the work done.

It should be noted that more than half (56 percent) of the Varsitarian’s staff are women, which should make the Varsitarian an exemplary case on how equality of sexes fosters quality journalism.

Bills on pharmacy, nursing a welcome news TWO BILLS—House Bill No. 5616 or the New Philippine Pharmacy Act and House Bill No. 6411 or the Comprehensive Nursing Law—seek to upgrade health care. The former has been approved on third and final reading while the latter will have its third reading come May 23.

In the proposed nursing law, the government is mandated to assign nurses in every barangay, workplace and school.

According to a report during the 15th Congress, the ratio of nurses in the Philippine General Hospital, the largest training hospital in the country, is an alarming one nurse for every 25 patients.

The ideal nurse-to-patient ratio is 1:4. This will enable full monitoring of patients and efficient administration of medication. An imbalance on this ratio can prejudice patients.

Scarcity of doctors and nurses in most rural areas is also a problem, considering that most health workers are found in cities.

Faculty

FROM PAGE 1

years required by K to 12.

Requiring Grades 11 and 12 will lead to a significant reduction in enrollment in college programs for the years 2016 to 2022. There will practically be no college freshmen in 2016 and 2017.

The government is preparing measures to cushion the impact of K to 12, such as temporary financial assistance for displaced college teachers.

Romero said college faculty who won’t have teaching loads next academic year were asked to submit letters of intent to teach in SHS. Transfer guidelines require faculty members to have master’s degrees. A professional teacher’s license is not required but is an “advantage.”

500 applicants for 200 slots A document obtained by the Varsitarian showed that 529 teachers submitted their letters of intent last Dec. 18, the deadline set by the SHS. Only 200 teachers are needed.

Of the total, 352 were

Surely, one way to protect consumers and improve healthcare is to upgrade the situation of health professionals.

dispensing of drugs and lack of medication counseling have affected Filipinos.

For instance, one of the most prominent cases of medication mishandling is the dispensing of antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription. Since bacteria are prone to antibiotic resistance especially if the antibiotic taken is not consulted to a licensed doctor, patients have no choice but to take higher doses of antibiotics which would cause adverse effects to their physiology.

Another concern is misconception that over-thecounter drugs are “completely safe.” These medications have toxicity at certain doses that can only be determined and explained by a registered pharmacist.

How can consumers be properly guided if there is only one pharmacist, or even none, in a drugstore?

Surely, one way to protect consumers and improve healthcare is to upgrade the situation of health professionals.

This issue of scarcity of nurses in rural public hospitals is ironic, since most nursing graduates have a hard time in getting jobs and end up practicing a different profession.

The proposed new laws will not only benefit Filipino patients but will also be an avenue to provide more job opportunities for registered nurses. An increase in salary and additional benefits will also be given to nurses. An entry level salary of P24,887 has been proposed for public health facilities, compared with the current rate of P18,657.

Meanwhile, the proposed

Pharmacy Act aims to prioritize pharmacists in dispensing medicines. It would require all drugstores dispensing medications to have registered pharmacists or pharmacy graduates as employees.

At present, leading drugstores hire employees from other professions to be pharmacy assistants, who commonly face the consumers when they purchase medication. The pharmacist has limited interaction with the patients since much of his time is devoted to managerial work.

With this, several cases of adverse effects due to wrong

tenured faculty members, while 36 were non-tenured. 77 faculty members were under fixed-term contracts while 32 were parttimers. Seven National Service Training Program instructors and 23 outsiders submitted their intent letters as well.

Among the tenured faculty, science teachers submitted the most number of intent letters with 69 applications, followed by 30 English teachers, 27 religion teachers and 17 Filipino teachers.

In a memo dated Dec. 11, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Clarita Carillo said faculty members may request to be transferred to SHS or get teaching assignments subject to availability of loads.

Faculty members who will be transferred to the SHS will maintain their affiliation with their college or faculty and will be on “borrowed” status, she said. Borrowed faculty members will maintain their respective ranks and rates.

Carillo said non-tenured faculty must coordinate closely with their department chairs to find out if they would get teaching loads in the University

during the K to 12 transition.

Otherwise, they will have to look for jobs outside UST. FROM PAGE 5 “We will offer [SHS] and we can get our faculty from our forgotten. Having the option to tertiary level. There are a lot scientifically erase memories of high schools that will open could have drastic effects on [SHS] but they don’t really have the person and on society as faculty members yet to handle well. those highly specialized subjects.

Despite the medical The non-tenured can also try innovations scientists are applying in these high schools,” pushing for, our brain’s natural Carillo said in an interview. selection of what memory to retain and what to forget should End of contract not be interrupted. After all, Non-tenured faculty under the human brain is better than fixed terms are set to end their any other work of science. contracts on May 31, 2016. There One cannot always are 160 non-tenured “fixed- choose the easy way out. termers” in the University, 56 of When people are given the them in Artlets and 16 each in the chance to artificially erase their College of Science and College memories, they lose a part of of Nursing, a document obtained thier identity. by the Varsitarian showed.

Everything that is retained Ronald Castillo, an Artlets in our minds were selected political science instructor and naturally by our brains in order fixed-term faculty member, said for us to function well and be his fate next academic year was who we really are. uncertain.

To be sure, one can argue “They all believe in my that if we make our own skills. The only thing is the memories, we must also be free impact of K to 12. There is really to erase them. However, the no place to stay. But I know they better question to answer is: if are all trying to find ways for me we create our own memories, to stay,” Castillo said. why should we forget them?

Excelsior

Lessons from the 51st Eucharistic Congress

By DR. RICARDO S.D. LEDESMA A NEWS media reporter approached me for an interview on the fifth day of the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) after the talk of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle on the subject “The Eucharistic and the Dialogue with Cultures.” I was stunned by her first question, “What had the Church done, referring to the bishops and clergy, to alleviate poverty and degradation of moral values?” Noticing my silence and feeling of inadequacy to answer her question, she simply asked me to write an article instead. Despite my limited perception on the subject, I find the topic appropriate to share.

The theme of the 51st IEC “Christ in You… Our Hope of Glory” sends us a message, that life has always a meaning and that it is always beautiful and hopeful no matter hard it appears. There is always something good in it and we should always be thankful.

I was only two-years old when the first IEC was held in the country on Feb. 7, 1937 in Luneta, Manila and certainly most of the delegates who attended the second IEC last Jan. 24 to 31 in Cebu have not been born yet.

The eight-decade gap however did not dampen the spirit of Filipinos but instead, we enthusiastically accepted to host this momentous religious undertaking in our country.

They held up their faith and bonded with delegates from 71 countries in raising up Jesus for all of Asia and the entire world.

My joining this 51st IEC was a calling from God

The eight-day event clearly answers what our faith is all about and bears an authentic evidence of the unifying power of the Eucharist. through the works of Mary and the Holy Spirit for me and my wife Ling to renew our baptismal vows, to find stronger union with God and experience solidarity with all the 15,000 delegates and 1.2 million participants from 71 countries.

This 51st IEC is a spring of graces starting with the beautiful testimonies, talks and faith sharing from prominent foreign and local Church leaders, the encounters in 14 various churches in Cebu, the “Visita Iglesia,” the 5,000 children who received their first communion officiated by Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, the overnight vigil at Plaza Independencia, the banquet called the “Table of Hope” for 1,000 children from urban families, the touching stories of a young boy born without a right leg and a rich business woman from Bangkok, Thailand who spent fourteen years of her life as a fugitive accused of serious crimes she did not commit, the “Sinulog” presentation, and the culminating mass, “Statio Orbis.”

The eight-day event, for me, is an unprecedented memory to remember. It clearly answers what our faith is all about and bears an authentic evidence of the unifying power of the Eucharist.

Christian leaders I find it not only timely but also relevant to share some thoughts and experiences I have acquired and echo them to all the faithful in relation to its significance to the forthcoming national elections.

The first thought that came to my mind is, what quality of leaders does our nation deserve? Starting Feb. 8 to May 7, 2016 candidates for national and local positions will Lessons PAGE 10

Practice

FROM PAGE 1

the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs to comment on the vertical articulation plan.

Ramos said programs with Level III and Level IV accreditation from the Philippine Association of Colleges and UniversitiesCommission on Accreditation could also be included.

Vertical articulation will be an “easier path” for students taking up master’s and doctorate degrees since these would be in line with their corresponding undergraduate programs, he said.

For administrators, it will also be easier to maintain files needed for accreditation, Ramos added.

“We have to follow the international system of vertical articulation and even CHEd is already requiring us to do that. It is challenging, but in terms of timing, we truly need it,” he said.

As for the teaching loads of Graduate School faculty members, Ramos noted that these teachers are technically non-tenured and “borrowed” from faculties, colleges and other universities. “[The] idea of having a vertically articulated system is supposed to be that majority of the faculty members teaching in the graduate program are supposed to be coming from the pool of faculty members teaching undergraduate students at the same time. If we don’t have any experts [in] a certain field, then we can borrow from another college. It’s still the same system,” he explained.

UST has actually taken the first steps to vertical articulation.

In August 2015, the administration transferred seven general education departments from Academic Affairs, namely Philosophy, Literature, English, History, Foreign Languages, Political Science and Economics to the Faculty of Arts and Letters.

6 Circle

Editor: Daryl Angelo P. Baybado

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Championing the art of printmaking PRINTMAKING may have taken a beating from both painting and digital art, but it remains a valid vehicle for the visual arts as shown in “Territories,” an exhibit of the Association of Pinoy printmakers at the Bulwagang Fernando Amorsolo and Pasilyo Victorio Edades of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

The exhibit showed various printing techniques such as woodblock, serigraph and intaglio.

Janos de la Cruz, UST Fine Arts in Advertising graduate and award-winning young illustrator and print artist, said the exhibit lets the artist “explore the boundaries” of printmaking while extending the print art on pillows, “bakya” and even as graffiti on walls.

Graphic designer Wesley Valenzuela said the exhibit showed another side of printmaking from what the public had been accustomed to.

His serigraphy work—a print made by pressing ink through a screen to create an image on paper—titled “Coordinates” shows the use of digital imaging. The artist presented silkscreened icons of people and landmarks of Manila in Google Maps, showing his residential address.

UST Graduate School associate professor Rhoda Recto used rubber cut for “Mind My Space,” a form of relief printing applying ink to a carved, protruding flat sheet rubber surface on acrylic-colored textile. Her artwork was divided into three parts: the first depicted a human head partitioned with words denoting individual’s survival abilities; the second showed the human body with linear patterns; and the third literally depicting space (the actual word is written) as a wash of pink, blue and yellow colors amid a nebular background.

Fil de la Cruz’s “The Transformation of Gunsal Malayo” was an intaglio print where the design had been etched on plate and the ink was rubbed on its incisions. It showed an engraved image of a woman from the B’laan tribe whom the artist considered his muse.

“Both my painting and

“Coordinates” by Valenzuela

“Mind My Space” by Recto

printmaking art have always been intertwined, and I wanted to use both mediums as a way to symbolize the journey that I undertook in the creation of my art,” de la Cruz said.

Janos de la Cruz, Fil’s son, showed what look like royal figures hanging from the ceiling like a chandelier in “The Despot’s Swan Song.” The work seemed a critique of authoritarianism, very timely as the nation was marking the 30th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolt that ousted the corrupt dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

The artist in fact said he was inspired by the Easter ritual burning of the effigy of Judas Iscariot and a photo of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress Petacci being hanged

by Italian partisans during the Second World War. Janos said the work was “a commentary on the ephemeral nature of government” and how new leaders start off their administration by “lambasting the previous person in charge.”

Artist-photographer Mars Bugaoan used cutouts of monotype prints on a matrix of heated plastic bags for “Wander,” to represent flexibility and tractability, the qualities of a

“Wander” by Bugaoan

“The Transformation of Gunsal Malayo” by de la Cruz

peregrine.

“I am fascinated with the flexibility of the plastic which leads me into transitioning from creating site-responsive installation works to printmaking,” Bugaoan said.

Bugaoan said print works are just as important as painted canvas.

“People tend to have misconceptions that prints are not original because they can be done in multiples or editions,” he said.

Renowned artist Raul Isidro, a UST alumnus and former president of the Philippine Association of Printmakers (PAP), said exhibits such

as “Territories” aimed to bring the print technique back into the consciousness of the Filipinos.

“It is sad that printmaking in the Philippines remains unattended and neglected,” Isidro told the Varsitarian.

“Although it is taught in fine arts programs, it is viewed only as an ordinary subject which should rather be regarded as a highly technical one.”

Printmaking is still taught in the College of Fine Arts and Design, particularly in Painting, but students no longer use the traditional printing machine, said Adrienne Zacarias, faculty secretary.

Printmaking PAGE 10

Visual dictionary is lay-friendly guide to Philippine architecture heritage AN INSTRUCTOR of the colleges of Architecture and Fine Arts has come up with a multilingual “visual dictionary” of Philippine architecture to guide students of history and cultural heritage.

Illustrations in the “Diksiyonaryong Biswal ng Arkitekturang Filipino,” published by the UST Publishing House (USTPH), have been drawn by the author himself, Rino D.A. Fernandez, along with contributions by some of his students.

The 111-page dictionary uses local terminologies of “vernacular” or native Philippine architectural styles, such as those in Bontoc and Ifugao, as well as the Spanish and English terminologies.

The book is divided into three parts: First Societies, Hispanic Period and American Period.

Fernandez said he wrote the book in order “to clarify” for Filipinos their “basic understanding” of architectural styles in the country, especially what historical periods they fall into.

He added that the book is likewise an attempt at cultural conservation since it seeks to foster “basic knowledge” of architecture history and heritage.

The visual dictionary shows the rich architectural history of the Philippines in more than 200 illustrations.

The first part shows 15 traditional houses, including the well-known “bahay kubo,” the house styles present among early communities and the means of transportation prior to the Spanish colonization.

Basic parts and plan types of churches, Filipino houses, the popular Ivatan (stone) houses and town plazas filled the pages devoted to the Hispanic period while nine different American architectural style renderings dominated the last part.

While teaching the out-of-school youth in

A contemporary artist’s crusade against cliches “Just Paint and Paint Nothing,” a mixed-media work, where a mold of hand comes out from the wall

Cover of the dictionary

2010 at the Escuela Taller de Filipinas Foundation Inc.—a school training selected students from poor sectors of society on construction skills and trades, especially to be used in the restoration of built heritage such as Spanish colonial churches where old masonry techniques must be applied—Fernandez witnessed how his students’ lack of understanding of basic architectural terminologies. This led him to the conceptualization of the reader-friendly book.

Fernandez said the visual dictionary is really to familiarize the readers with the country’s built heritage and the “local, Spanish, or American Dictionary PAGE 10

LINDSEY Lee’s new exhibit, “Cliché Untitled,” at Artery Art Space in Cubao, Quezon City, continues his critique of commodification in the art world as well as, as the title suggests, his crusade against stereotypes and hackneyed expressions in art.

Lee, who has established himself as a young abstract painter though lately veering into conceptual art and sculptural and taxidermal installations, makes use of blunt imagery in thought-provoking works so as to deliver his scathing condemnation of commoditization of creativity.

“Just Paint and Paint Nothing” and “Where Should I Hang This?” are both installations of molds of hands coming out from walls. The molds of hands seem as if they are painting on canvases suspended from the ceiling. The viewer actually gets to see first the empty back of the canvas and he has to circle the installation in order to appreciate Lee’s abstract aesthetic and his installation’s representation of the messy and unpredictable creative process.

Some of the works evoke sarcasm and satire

through either a metaphorical nudge or direct statements against the pretentiousness of artists and viewers alike.

“Spectator” consists of four framed oilon-paper paintings, bearing the words, “I don’t understand,” “What is your message?,” “This painting is too deep” and “Color matches the couch.” Lee said he was trying to portray shallow sentiments of most art audiences.

“Inside the Box, Outside the Box” consists of two boxes with oil on canvas designs on its sides and taxidermied ducklings, one duckling on the inside of one box, and the other on top of the box.

Lee has been known to practice the art of taxidermy, the art of stuffing and preserving deceased animals. He uses taxidermied animals to complement his mixed media works.

Meanwhile, “Pain Thing” makes use of a polyresin-on-canvas, intravenous-fluid bottles, acrylic paint, and water installation with variable dimensions. The installation consists of numerous IV bottles labeled “Collector,” “Spectator,” Contemporary PAGE 10

Editor: Marie Danielle L. Macalino

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Witness 7

Filipinos make Church vibrant

By KRYSTEL NICOLE A. SEVILLA and LEA MAT P. VICENCIO Left to right: Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, Yangon Archbishop Charles Maung Cardinal Bo and the Vatican’s Archbishop Piero Marini

Delegates perform actions for the official theme song.

Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle

CEBU CITY—RENOWNED Catholic speakers at the 51st International Eucharistic Congress lauded Filipinos’ religious fervor for keeping the 2,000-year-old Church vibrant.

Bishop Robert Barron, auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles, applauded the Philippine Church’s influence on the global Church.

“I do not know any Church in the world that is more vibrant than the Filipino Church. [It] is the Filipino community that makes the Church alive,” Barron said in his catechesis on the third day of the 51st IEC. The 56-year-old bishop said the Filipino faithful had taken on the role of evangelizing the rest of the Catholic world.

“I do think, in God’s often strange providence, he’ll take a particular Church, a particular people, and use them as a means to invigorate and to evangelize. I do believe you are playing that role now,” Barron said.

Marian Servaas, professor at the Catholic University of Belgium, described Filipino joy as “a gift to the world.”

“You, Filipinos, are to me, very sacramental. Your joy is related to thankfulness and humility. Please do not lose it. Do not choose artificial happiness,” Servaas said.

‘Painful realignment’ Reflecting on the theme “The Eucharist: Celebration of the Paschal Mystery,” Barron emphasized the need to partake in the sacrifice of Jesus through the Eucharist.

The Eucharist’s sacrificial nature should not be ignored because humanity came out of Jesus’ sacrifices, he said.

“There is no communion without sacrifice. Through this painful realignment, divinity and humanity are brought together,” said Barron.

In his homily during the Eucharistic celebration last Jan. 26, Manila Archbishop Emeritus Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales stressed the sacrifice and commemoration that take place during the Breaking of the Bread.

“The sacrifice and death of Christ is repeated in His own words, body, blood, bread and wine. The history of humanity encompasses all kinds of sins,” said Rosales.

Rosales, who witnessed the first Philippine hosting of the IEC as a young boy in 1937, called on pilgrims to treat the Eucharist as a “mission” and not to keep it among themselves.

“Do the Eucharist, live the Eucharist. Allow the body and blood of Jesus in you to roam the streets, offices and schools, and in homes where families engage in dialogue,” Rosales said.

A female dancer holds an image of Sto. Niño de Cebu during the “mini-Sinulog” festival at the penultimate day of IEC.

New York cardinal praises Budapest to host 52nd Eucharistic Congress Filipinos’ Marian devotion in 2020; Philippine Church prepares CEBU CITY—FILIPINO Catholics, branded historically as “pueblo amante de Maria,” the “beloved nation of Mary,” are called to strengthen their devotion to the Blessed Mother to have a deeper relationship with God. In the final catechesis of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) titled “The Eucharist and Mary,” New York Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan described

Young faithful participate in the IEC Youth Day pilgrim walk last Jan. 28 in M a n d a ue City.

Mary as a bridge of faithfulness and an “intimate part of the Eucharist.”

“You want to be closer to Jesus at the Cross? Well then, be close to Mary because She is right there next to Him,” Dolan said during the penultimate day of the IEC. The American prelate said Mary is present in all forms of the Eucharist—the Eucharist as sacrifice, meal and presence.

“Mary, the mother of our family, is always at the table with Jesus, with us, [the] Eucharist is sacrifice, with Mary there in front of the Cross,” the 65-year-old cardinal said.

Dolan echoed Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle’s call to restore “family meals.”

He started his talk by praising the warmth of Filipino Catholics here in the Philippines and in his archdiocese in the US. “When we look in admiration on you, the people of the Philippines, we are touched very much by your strong devotion to the Eucharist and by your glowing love of Mary, the Mother of Jesus,” said Dolan, who almost missed the IEC because of blizzards in the US. ‘Boundless love’ The last testimony was given by Mary Marian PAGE 11

to mark 5th centenary of the faith in 2021

By ANGELI MAE S. CANTILLANA

CEBU CITY—POPE Francis has announced that the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) will be held in Budapest, Hungary in 2020, after Cebu’s successful hosting that saw record-breaking attendance from the faithful.

The Holy Father made the announcement in a video message after the Concluding Mass of the 51st IEC, the “Statio Orbis” or the “Mass of the World,” at Cebu South Road Properties.

An estimated one million people attended the Mass led by the papal legate, Charles Cardinal Maung Bo of Myanmar.

The Archdiocese of EsztergomBudapest houses 1,254,000 Catholics or 60.1 percent of Budapest’s population.

It was in the 10th century when the Archdiocese of Esztergom was established. The see was renamed the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest in 2013.

Budapest-Esztergom Archbishop Peter Cardinal Erdo was one of the top prelates who celebrated the Eucharist during the 51st IEC. After successfully concluding the 51st IEC, the next massive Catholic celebration in the country will be the quincentenary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines in 2021.

In 2012, then Catholic Bishops’

Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma called for an era of “new evangelization” and a nine-year preparation for the 500th year of evangelization of the country.

“We remember the baptism of Rajah Humabon who was given his Christian name Carlos and his wife Amihan who was baptized Juana in 1521.

Our eyes gaze on the Santo Niño de Cebu, the oldest religious icon in the Philippines. Indeed the year 2021 will be a year of great jubilee for the Philippine Church,” Palma said in the pastoral letter released on July 9, 2012.

A nine-year “spiritual

journey” started in 2013 with the Year of Integral Faith Formation.

The Year of the Laity came next in 2014, followed by the Year of the Poor in 2015 and the Year of the Eucharist and Family this year.

Year 2017 will be the Year of the Parish as a Communion of Communities; 2018, the Year of the Clergy and Religious; 2019, the Year of the Youth; and 2020, the Year of Ecumenism and Inter-religious dialogue.

The 2021 jubilee year will be for “missio ad gentes,” or mission to the nations.

A Hungarian prelate waves the flag of Hungary, the host country of the 52nd IEC in 2020.

8 Witness

Editor: Marie Danielle L. Macalino

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Papal legate to Filipinos: ‘Re-Christianize West, send more missionaries’ Charles Maung Cardinal Bo

CEBU CITY—THE REDEFINITION and destruction of the family is also the Church’s destruction, Papal Legate Cardinal Charles Maung Bo said during the concluding Mass of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) last Jan. 31.

In his homily, Cardinal Bo said that while terrorism and poverty are major concerns, the faithful are called to protect the institution of family which is the backbone of the Catholic Church.

“The greatest danger to humanity today is the destruction of the family.

Understanding of the family is contested and

redefinition of parents have gained strong appeal in rich countries,” Cardinal Bo said at the IEC Statio Orbis Mass in Cebu City’s South Road Properties reclamation area.

Calling the Philippines as “the favorite daughter of Church in the Asia,” Cardinal Bo urged the estimated one million attendees to go and “populate” countries where Christianity is becoming a minority. “Go and multiply your missionaries. Go back in hope as a ‘bread’ to be broken with the world,” Bo said. “Go to Europe and America, they have more cats and dogs than children.”

Cebu Archbishop and 51st IEC President Jose Palma expressed his gratitude to the pilgrims before the concluding rite of the socalled Mass of the World.

“I’m grateful for the manifold blessings our good Lord has given to us. Our hearts are filled with thanksgiving for the past eight days of Congress proper. Indeed they have become days of grace, goodness and mercy,” Palma said.

In a video message, Pope Francis said Budapest in Hungary would be the venue of the 52nd IEC. “I ask all of you to join me in praying for its spiritual fruitfulness and for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all engaged in its preparation,” Pope Francis said.

Filipino faith and hospitality In the press conference on Day 4 of the IEC, Cardinal Bo called for equal distribution of food in all countries, particularly in his homeland, Myanmar. Bo previously called

Church needs ‘cultural intelligence’—Cardinal Tagle

By LEA MAT P. VICENCIO CEBU CITY—UNDERSTANDING cultural differences is key to encouraging the youth and other sectors to participate more actively in matters of the Eucharist.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle last Jan. 28 stressed the importance of having “cultural intelligence” in reaching out to the youth and various communities.

“The culture of the youth is something that I think we elders should understand. They should be consulted, they should be able to talk to us without fear about their culture,” Tagle said during the fifth press conference of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC).

Tagle also gave a catechesis titled “The Eucharist and the Dialogue with Cultures” on the same day, in which he urged members of the clergy to

observe the differences in cultures that hinder communication.

“Cultural intelligence is the capacity to engage in a dialogue with different cultures. We should be aware of what we are doing to develop cultural intelligence,” Tagle said.

Cardinal Tagle also spoke against the “culture of bribery and corruption” in light of the upcoming national elections, saying that “as Christians, it is not the culture we want to promote.”

Also warning against the “throwaway culture” previously condemned by Pope Francis, Tagle said politicians elected into office should not disregard the trust given to them by the people.

“Being in politics means you have earned the trust of the people.

When one is elected, he is given the gift of the people. Don’t throw away the trust but rather, return the gift.”

Former Dominican master denies supporting gay unions

By ANGELI MAE S. CANTILLANA CEBU CITY—THE FORMER master of the Order of Preachers has downplayed criticisms that he is contradicting the Church’s stance on same-sex marriage. “[M]y position on the same-sex marriage is the Church’s. Like Pope Francis, we must be open to welcome anybody. But I never said I believe in gay marriage,” Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., consultant to Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, told the media at the sidelines of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress.

Radcliffe called on the Catholic community to be of help and not a hindrance to homosexuals.

“Everybody is on their journey.

As Pope Francis said, ‘who am I to judge?’ I think all we do is help the people as they journey towards God,” Radcliffe said.

The Dominican friar has drawn criticism for praising same-sex unions.

In the 2013 Pilling Report of the Church of England, titled “Working group on human sexuality,” Radcliffe

for a “third world war” against poverty during the Opening Mass of the IEC at Plaza Independencia.

“All the [Burmese] generals and Yangones get 90 percent of the resources of the country while 80 or 85 percent of the [Burmese] people are poor,” Cardinal Bo told the media.

Like the Philippines, poverty in Myanmar is largely concentrated in the rural regions, where people rely on agriculture for their livelihood.

He said the Church, government and communities need to have a “system where resources and the riches are shared.”

The cardinal said the Burmese people were expecting a smooth transition of government from a military junta to a democratic one led by Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Cardinal Bo said he had a lot of things to report to Pope Francis, including Filipinos’ hospitality, good cuisine and smiles.

“This reception is the warmest welcome I have received,” Cardinal Bo said.

The Myanmar prelate, however, said the most important thing he would report to the Holy Father was the faith of the people.

“Despite all the natural disasters, the only thing that remained with the Filipinos is faith.

Faith in the Church, faith in the Eucharist and faith in God,” Cardinal Bo said.

He praised the zeal of Filipinos, particularly those working overseas, in spreading the Catholic faith all over the world. JOHN GABRIEL M. AGCAOILI, KRYSTEL NICOLE A. SEVILLA AND LEA MAT P. VICENCIO

51st International Eucharistic Congress an ‘eye opener’ amid conflict, religious persecution

By DANIELLE ANN F. GABRIEL CEBU CITY—THE 51ST International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) serves as an “eye opener” to realities concerning faith, religious persecution and the relevance of traditional liturgy and worship.

In a press conference last Jan. 25, the panel of speakers, led

by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma and Archbishop Piero Marini, president of the Vatican committee on eucharistic congresses, spoke about the Eucharist as a source of strength and unity among the faithful especially during times of harsh realities like armed conflicts, natural disasters and poverty.

Palma said the congress seeks to encourage people to not only trust in God but also act like the “Eucharistic people” expected of them.

“We hope and rely on the goodness of the Lord. But hope also challenges us that we also do what we can do,” Palma said.

Marini also called on Christians to “become signs of what they celebrate,” and turn into action what they celebrate in Mass.

Touching on the issue of

Christian persecutions, Palma said the country was blessed for being able to practice faith without the threat of persecution. However, he warned against being too complacent in practice, considering the Philippines is a Catholic majority.

The Cebu archbishop said people in other countries who celebrate the Eucharist despite the risk of religious persecution display a kind of faith that is “precious to the Lord.”

Asked on what the Church was contemplating to engage the youth and whether a newer approach in celebrating Mass was needed, Marini explained the need to adapt the liturgy to particular circumstances.

Marini said “inculturation” of the liturgy in different countries, including the Philippines, had obtained the approval of the Vatican but there were still many things to consider before implementing changes.

“It is a slow process. There is a need to return to varieties,” Marini said, referring to the varying

liturgies of the early Christians in Rome, North Africa and the Byzantine empire.

Chinese persecution In a testimony, Hong Kong Bishop Emeritus Joseph Cardinal Zen called on the IEC pilgrims to include the persecuted Christians in their prayers, especially the Chinese Christians. “[Chinese Christians] believe in Him as their redeemer, the One who died on the cross, who renews his supreme sacrifice on the Cross in the Eucharist, the one who gives the fullness of His Spirit and so introduced us into an abundant life, a life of love and of glory,” Zen said.

Cardinal Zen recalled the “big persecution” in Shanghai on Sept.

8, 1955, which led to the arrest of almost a thousand people including Bishop Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei, who kept true to his faith shouting “Long live Christ the King,” despite being taunted and accused. with reports from KRYSTEL

said homosexual unions could be NICOLE A. SEVILLA and LEA MAT “expressive of Christ’s self-gift.”

P. VICENCIO “We cannot begin with the question whether it is permitted or forbidden. We must ask what it means and how far it is Eucharistic. Certainly it can be generous, vulnerable, tender, mutual, and non-violent… [I] would think that it can be expressive of Christ’s self-gift,” he said in the report.

Radcliffe was among the speakers on the second day of the congress at the IEC Pavilion in the Cebu archdiocese’s seminary complex.

Reflecting on the theme, “The Christian Virtue of Hope,” the English friar said hope could be found in children.

“We form children to do what we cannot do and to do what we cannot imagine. Teaching the young is one of the greatest signs of hope,” he said.

Radcliffe is director of Las Casas Institute, a research center in England.

From 1992 to 2001, Radcliffe served as the master of the Dominican order, which is celebrating its 800th anniversary this year. As master, he Thousands of IEC pilgrims flock at the Plaza Independencia in Cebu City for the opening mass of the 51st International Eucharistic served as chancellor of UST. Congress last Jan. 24.

ANGELI MAE S. CANTILLANA

Sci-Tech 9

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Plant DNA database to be launched FROM PAGE 1

Zika: A global health emergency

National Herbarium.

Heavily invested in plant biodiversity, Alejandro specializes in the analysis of DNA sequences to gain more information on plant’s evolution.

“We have a very rich folkloric culture, especially when it comes to herbal medicine,” Alejandro said in a previous Varsitarian article. “Aside from prescription medicine, we also rely a lot on herbal plants.”

Protection from ‘adulteration’ Alejandro said one of the primary concerns to be addressed by the database is “medicinal adulteration,” where effective medicinal plants are substituted with similar-looking counterparts.

“Just because two plants look alike does not mean their medicinal properties are the same,” Alejandro said.

Zypher Regencia, science research specialist of the DOST-PCHRD, said the database would be helpful in validating the integrity of products infused with or made from local plants.

“The project was funded on the merit that the barcodes generated will be able to inspect for adulteration [of herbal medical products],” Regencia said in an interview.

For instance, Alejandro’s group had stumbled upon an interesting finding after collecting five different kinds of the Vitex

By MARITZ L. LUBO and ROY ABRAHMN D.R. NARRA

Thomas Aquinas Research Complex

negundo, popularly known as lagundi, for its DNA sequence.

Upon checking the authenticity of three local lagundi capsules and two herbal teas with their collected DNA sequences, only one of the five products contained lagundi.

“Manufacturers of medicinal plants should be careful, but we cannot [also] blame them because even they might not

be able to identify the supplies given to them,” Alejandro said. “[DNA] barcoding is a good tool to monitor [the] correctness of using medicinal plants.”

The database has listed a little over than 500 medicinal plants from 82 different species. Another batch of 150 plants will be added this year.

ANOTHER mosquito-borne virus is causing global panic.

The Zika virus, which spread in Brazil last August, is allegedly the reason some healthy babies were born with normal faces but no forehead—a condition called microcephaly.

Zika has since spread to 24 other countries, endangering especially mothers and their unborn children. This prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the virus a global health emergency last Feb. 1.

The Zika virus belongs to the family Flaviviradae and is commonly transmitted through the bite of the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, mosquitoes found in tropical and sub-tropical countries like Brazil and the Philippines.

“The Zika virus has been around since the 1950s and originated from macaque monkeys,” said Dr. Razel Kawano, a quality assurance Zika PAGE 11

Can ‘oily’ be a basic taste? Saving Philippine biodiversity

By JULIUS ROMAN M. TOLOP A NEW study on food science offers an explanation of exactly why lechon tastes good.

After the five basic tastes sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami (malinamnam), scientists have discovered a part of the tongue that can detect the taste of oily food.

The new taste, called “oleogustus,” from the Latin root words “oleo” and “gustus” meaning “oil” and “taste,” respectively, was proposed by Richard Mattes, director of Purdue University’s Investigative Behavior Research Center, and his team last 2015, in their study “Oleogustus: The Unique Taste of Fat.” “Fatty acids that are cleaved off the triglyceride (glycerol ester and three fatty acids) in the food or during chewing stimulate the sensation of fat,” Mattes said in an article published on the university website.

Mattes explained that small qualities of fatty acids in food add up to the appeal of oleogustus, but the taste also becomes unpleasant in high concentration, akin to how the other gustatory senses (basic tastes) work.

‘Fatty’ challenges Russell Keast of Deakin University’s Center for Advanced Sensory Science assembled a research team to support Mattes’ study and found that oleogustus still needed to meet several criteria before being classified as a major part of the palate.

One criterion covers how the fat molecule is perceived by the receptors of the taste bud cells. Keast said fat molecules do not provide chemical codes that can be identified by the brain as a basic taste.

Keast noted, however, that oleogustus may cast a gustatory response similar to umami that can subtly compliment other tastes, but is without a recognizable taste of its own.

“The taste of fat may be less well-defined than the sweetness

of sugar or the saltiness of sodium chloride,” Keast wrote in a journal review.

“The next five to 10 years should reveal, conclusively, whether oleogustus can be classified as the sixth taste, but no matter what, there appears to be a functional significance to oral chemosensing or the detection of chemical stimulus in fats.”

UST Department of Food Technology Asst. Prof. Monalisa Narvaez explained how the human tongue perceives a certain taste.

“In order for you to detect taste, the stimulus should be soluble. In [other words] the molecule that you want to taste should be wet and solubilized in liquid form,” she said in an interview.

The purpose of saliva, aside from being an enzyme for oral digestion, is to make the food wet. Once solubilized, the person eating the food can detect the taste.

“Try to blot dry your entire tongue and put a chocolate or salt on it, you won’t be able to perceive taste,” Narvaez said.

Chemical feeling factors are exhibited when an “irritating feeling,” whether pleasant (like the coolness of mint) or unpleasant (chili), in the mouth occurs.

“Flavor is a complex experience [as] it has three components: taste, aromatics and chemical feeling factors,” Narvaez said, adding that the combination of the three is what results in the overall quality of a certain food.

Contrary to popular notion, the basic tastes are not only associated with specific areas of the tongue.

“When we say the tip of the tongue is for sweet [food], it doesn’t mean that it’s only for sweet [food],” Narvaez said.

“It means, the tip of the tongue has the most number of receptors for sweetness but we can still perceive other tastes in that area.”

She also noted that similar to odor, there are certain blind spots in gustatory perception.

For Narvaez, describing oleogustus as a taste lies on enhancing the texture and flavor of certain foods containing fatty substances. “Fat varies [as] it has no fixed taste,” she said. “For example, fat in chocolate is cocoa butter, while fat in ice cream is milk.”

The main appeal of fat is its capacity to decelerate flavor release and carry other tastes, thus keeping the flavor of food in the mouth.

“Fat slows down the release of flavor in food and makes it more delicious,” she said. “In a dish of adobo, you have [ingredients bringing out] salty and sour [flavors], but the oil [makes] the taste stay long in the mouth.”

By KIMBERLY JOY V. NAPARAN IT MAY only be a matter of time before the Philippine tarsier, now officially listed as one of the world’s most endangered species, ceases to exist.

Ten other animal species had their last hurrah last year, data from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the world’s main authority on species conservation, showed.

Despite the fact that plants and animals vanishing over time is part of the natural evolutionary process, humanity may also be a cause of extinction.

This was what a documentary sponsored by Discovery Channel showed last Jan. 21. “Racing Extinction,” directed by Oscarwinning director Louie Psihoyos, revealed the rapid rate of plant and animal extinction caused by man-made activities, which, if not resolved, could affect the entire world.

Prime for extinction Reports from 1994 to 2013 showed that the Philippines consistently ranked high in environmental risk, with the country landing on the fifth spot in the longterm climate risk index of the Global Risk Index of 2015.

The Foundation for the Philippine Environment noted that deforestation is the leading cause of habitat destruction in the country.

Irresponsible farming methods such as the kaingin had driven away many species from their natural habitats.

Topping these off are several factors such as exploitation and climate change—all man-made phenomena—that significantly contribute to loss of biodiversity in the 21st century.

Critically endangered species such as the Philippine Eagle, Tamaraw, Crocodile and Spotter Deer are just some of the animals that might be completely wiped out.

However, the Philippines also has its share of actions to promote environmental conservation.

For instance, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has allocated P12.4 billion for 19 programs on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction this year. The National Greening Program, a massive forest rehabilitation project, got the lion’s share of the DENR’s expenditures at P8 billion.

The Climate Change Commission was formed in 2012 to make a stand on international negotiations to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Environmental laws such as the Presidential Decree on the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System, the Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008, and other laws on clean water, toxic substances, ecological solid waste management, and climate change also seek to minimize the catastrophic effects of environmental mismanagement.

However, the Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources, the country’s pioneer environmental group, said Philippine environmental conservation cannot rely on funding alone.

According to Laarni Jocson, communications and information officer of Haribon Foundation, many environmental laws in the Philippines will be useless unless there is effective implementation on the part of the government.

“Some of our politicians are complacent when implementing our laws. Other politicians are easily bribed by big companies, most of which abuse our environment,” she said in an interview.

Jocson explained that these companies, normally mining corporations, do not always get sanctioned despite their illegal activities.

For instance, while the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 states that only Filipino-owned corporations can engage in the mining business, it was reported last September that a Chinese businessman owned mining sites in Mindanao.

While the National Bureau of Investigation has already filed criminal charges against the businessman, progress is slow.

“Our environmental laws should be revamped every 10 years,” Jocson suggested. “There are government officials, some of which are senators, who do not prioritize these [environmental] bills, to the point that they stand against them.”

Jocson said government support was crucial in providing alternative solutions as well as environmental conservation and protection, similar to how developed countries strictly implement their environmental laws.

“These countries see the big

Poster of the documentary

picture. They plan for long-term solutions instead of a ‘quick fix’ to their problems,” she added.

Ningas-kugon Despite various environmental laws and programs, the Philippines still placed 66th among 180 countries in the Environmental Performance Index, which supplements the environmental targets of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals by ranking countries based on their performance on highpriority environmental issues such as protection of human health and preservation of ecosystems.

According to Thomasian sociologist Josephine Placido, the Philippines lacks the three key points when it comes to environmental protection: political will, selfdiscipline and proper definition of human rights.

“Filipinos are well-informed and aware of these environmental issues but we are not consistent and persistent in participating in environmental campaigns,” she said in an interview.

Placido also said ningas-kugon was manifest among public officials, adding that the government should ‘not fear’ imposing strict rules and punishing those who disobey the law.

The sociology professor also emphasized that one must accept innovations in natural sciences and technology to better protect and conserve the environment.

“If we stick to our traditional ways, we cannot move forward. We must continue finding better ways of sustaining our environment,” she said.

10 Limelight

Art Director: Ava Mariangela C. Victoria

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

BUHAY USTEDYANTE BY CHINNY MAE F. BASINANG

BEN N’ VIDES BY KIRSTEN M. JAMILLA

USTIPS BY FREYA D.L.R. TORRES

Tigresses

Fencing

Printmaking

Dictionary

Contemporary

FROM PAGE 11

FROM PAGE 12

FROM PAGE 6

FROM PAGE 6

FROM PAGE 6

A through-the-block hit from Toni Rose Basas sealed the victory for the Lady Tamaraws.

Down two sets coming to the third frame, the Tigresses showed composure by stealing the third set but ran out of steam.

It was almost the same story for UST in its second match against twotime defending champions Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles. The Golden Tigresses won only the third set and absorbed 22-25, 20-25, 25-21, 15-25 loss last Feb. 7.

In their opening match, the Tigresses could have taken the game away from the Adamson University after a 14-all deadlock in the fifth set, but a service ace from Lady Falcon Jessica Galanza prevented them to complete the comeback, 22-25, 21-25, 25-20, 30-28, 14-16 last Feb. 3.

The squad of Andrea Marie Alarcon, Cherline Anne Perez, Chloe Chacon and Precious Sapungan (girls’ sabre team) finals and Pauline Bernate, Charlize Linatud, Keziah Chua and Pia Bachmann (girls’ epee team) clinched second place after both losing to their respective finals matches against UE. In the girls’ sabre event, Andrea Alarcon and Cherline Perez won bronze apiece while the boys’ foil team of Macaraig, Villanueva, Samuel Mangarin and Joseph Amores scored a podium finish at third place.

“Parang may mali sa sequence ng team. Aayusin namin ang program para matalo na namin [ang UE] next season.

Lumalakas na ‘yung mga player ng high school, pati na mga ibang college players.

Halos lahat kasi ng members ngnational team [nasa UE],” UST epee coach Arman Bernal told the Varsitarian.

“This is the reason why I am encouraging Shell Art, Vision Petron or Metrobank Art competition to include printmaking in one of its categories,” said Isidro. “We have to develop the interest of our countrymen towards one of the most technical art processes.”

As for Fil de la Cruz, there is no hierarchy in techniques, processes and mediums in art.

“To appreciate art is a personal journey, for there will always be a particular audience for each artwork,” he said.

Printmaking was introduced in the Philippines during the early 1960s

by Manuel Rodriguez Sr. upon return from art studies in New York. He then established the PAP—the former name of A/P. Now 104 years old, Rodriguez is recognized as the Father of Philippine Printmaking.

terms” that describe or define them.

Architecture Student Council President Audrey Navia said the book helps Architecture students grasp the terms and concepts in an “easier way” as they are “visual learners in nature.”

“The book is not only limited to those in the architectural field because it also contributes to increasing cultural awareness through its teachings on architectural history,” Navia said.

Selected renderings from the dictionary are displayed at the UST Museum of Arts and Sciences until Feb. 26. A formal turnover of Fernandez’s original illustrations to the Archivo de la Universidad sa Santo Tomas was held last Jan. 19.

“Diksiyonaryong Biswal ng Arkitekturang Filipino” is available at the USTPH bookstore.

“Financer” and “Mentor.” The bottles are connected to a painting on the wall with different colors. The installation depicts the terrible pressure artists get from art buyers and financers but who also serve as lifelines to artists.

Arvin Flores of Artery said Lee’s art was a critique of the classic idea of art as beauty.

“People are still trying to be like Michelangelo, Da Vinci so why go that route once more?” Flores said.

“Lee’s work asks the questions: Why not critique that practice?, What can be painting today?”

Lee was a Painting major at the UST College of Fine Arts and Design and a student of the Art Students League of New York. His work has been exhibited locally and in Singapore and Japan. “Cliché Untitled” is on view until Feb. 27.

Profit

Management.

The University of the Philippines alone increased tuition collection to P473 million in 2014 from P355 million in 2010, the group said.

Ridon said 400 colleges and universities were planning to increase tuition for academic year 2016-2017.

Elago called for a “radical reorientation of our education policy,” claiming that tuition hikes have “eroded and snatched the youth’s fundamental right to education.”

Under Section 42 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 232 or the Education Act of 1982, “Each private school shall determine its rate of tuition and other school fees or charges… subject to rules and regulations promulgated...”

By law, 70 percent of tuition increases must go to salaries, wages, allowances, and other benefits of teaching and nonteaching personnel; and 20 percent to the improvement or modernization of buildings, equipment, libraries, laboratories, and similar facilities, and payment for other operational costs. The remaining 10 percent represents return on investments for higher education institutions if they are stock corporations.

Otherwise, it must be used for operations.

The Commission on Higher Education uses inflation—the rate of increase in prices of consumer goods and services as measured by the consumer price index—as a guide for regulating tuition hikes. Inflation averaged 4.1 percent in 2014 and 1.4 percent in 2015, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Lessons

values.

All candidates should focus their campaign to issues with significant moral dimension. They should not remain silent and complacent to the prevailing issues of culture of graft and corruption, degradation of moral values, injustices, abuse of power, selfishness, idolatry and all acts and thinking of “man-made gods” of money, earthly material possessions, pleasures and power.

Campaign messages and promises should be a call to political responsibility. The voice of truth should be read and heard in all campaign efforts, talks, billboards, TV ads, newsletter, social media and interviews instead of simply talking and being entertained by celebrities.

Responsible stewardship is the key to building a strong nation.

Finally, in designing their roadmap of good governance, candidates should properly use God-given gifts of talents, wisdom, time and resources. They must think, believe and work like a good shepherd “who seeks not be judge but to love.”

More so, they should go beyond their personal or family needs and look into the needs of others especially the poor, handicap, the hungry victims of calamities and the very unfortunates in our society and the care of our environment.

are considered the most prominent Catholics in Asia, their attendance at Sunday masses had significantly gone down to 37 percent from 60 percent in the 1990s. Asia has the smallest percentage of Christians and only 6 percent know who Christ is.

With this, I invite all Christians to live, renew and model their lives as a “celebration of the mystery of life and love of Jesus Christ” by offering their lives in sacrifice for the poor, homeless, disabled and victims of injustice.

None equals the power of prayers especially during Sunday masses. Let us remember that what human capacity, plans and acts cannot achieve, the sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist during Sunday masses could supply and complete.

God is challenging us “to do the little you can with the right spirit and God will do the rest”. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, explained the vital role of Mary in the Eucharist saying, “if you want to be close to Jesus on the Cross at the Holy Sacrifice of the mass, be closer to Mary. She’s right next to Jesus.”

FROM PAGE 2 2.5 to 5.3 percent from 5 to 8 percent after a consultation with student leaders.

Tuition collection The left-leaning Kabataan Partylist group also presented data on tuition and fee collections over a five-year period, citing SEC data: UST, more than 40 percent growth, to P4.1 billion in 2015 from P2.9 billion in 2010, or “an increase of over P27,000 in the annual matriculation rates of a UST student in just five years, with the average tuition and other school fees in the said school ballooning from P68,000 in 2010 to over P95,000 in 2015”; La Salle, 62 percent growth, to P2.9 billion in 2015 from P1.8 billion in 2010, which “raise[d] the average annual matriculation in the said university from P93,000 in 2010 to over P151,000 in 2015”; and Ateneo de Manila, 43 percent growth, to P2.7 billion in 2015 from P1.9 billion in 2010, with average annual matriculation increasing “from P187,000 in 2010 to P266,000 in 2015.”

State universities also hiked their tuition collections, the group said, noting that state universities, while enjoying taxpayer subsidies, are required by the government to be “self-sustaining.”

Tuition collections in state universities and colleges went up by 55 percent to P8.1 billion in 2015 from P5.3 billion in 2010, the group said, citing data from the Department of Budget and

FROM PAGE 5

start their campaign. What do our citizens expect or look for in our future leaders? The message of hope in the just concluded IEC brings us a resounding challenge to our future leaders.

Filipinos are known to be friendly, hospitable, industrious and prayerful. Pope Francis once said, “The Philippines has a special mission given to them by God as a gift… to bring Christ in Asia and Christ to the world.”

Pope Benedict XVI has high praise, trust and faith among us Filipinos when he announced during the last day of the 50th IEC last June 17, 2012 in Dublin, Ireland that the 51st IEC would be held in Cebu, Philippines.

Our future leaders should be the mouthpiece of Jesus in their campaign promises, strategies and platforms, to make themselves true partners journeying together for the care of our nation and be stewards of God’s creation and everything that dwells in it. Behave and act as responsible Christian leaders rather than “masters.” Lend your ears and patience to the needs of the poor, homeless, disabled and jobless. Sins of greed and pride are the prime evil of other culture of sins prevailing among most of our government officials. Politics is about issues and

Start with the family It is sad to hear that Filipinos who

Dr. Ricardo S.D. Ledesma belongs to the Class of 1960 of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, who specialized in family medicine. A church and community worker for four decades, he is a papal awardee, having received the Pro Ecclesia Pontifice from the Holy See.

Editor: Delfin Ray M. Dioquino

Sports 11

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

With NU win, Tigresses regain footing

By CARLO A. CASINGCASING

The UST Golden Tigresses edges perennial contenders National University Lady Bulldogs.

ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN

AFTER dropping their first three games, the UST Golden Tigresses stunned the National University Lady Bulldogs, 25-14, 25-18, 17-25, 19-25, 1512, to notch their second straight win in the UAAP Season 78 women’s volleyball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena last Feb. 20.

The Tigresses had also prevailed over the University of the East squad, 25-18, 25-8, 25-23, last Feb. 17 at the Arena in San Juan.

NU bungled a huge lead late in the deciding frame, 6-11, but UST sizzled for a 7-1 run to take the upper hand, 13-12.

A back-to-back block over Lady Bulldogs skipper Myla Pablo sealed the victory for the Golden Tigresses.

Captain Ennajie Laure and Cherry Ann Rondina led the Golden Tigresses with 21 markers apiece while fourth-year spiker Carmela Tunay contributed 13 points.

With the win, the Golden Tigresses are now fifth in the team standings with a 2-3 win-loss record. “‘Yung character na pinipilit namin buuin, unti-unti nagkakaron ng linaw. Hopefully magderederetso. Again, ‘yung panalo namin sa UE, morale booster. Paano pa ‘tong panalo sa NU? Siguro nare-redeem na nila [ang mga] sarili nila,” said UST coach Emilio “Kung Fu” Reyes Jr. Reyes said the win against volleyball

powerhouse NU could be the spark his team needed to finally barge into the Final Four.

“It’s everybody’s game. ‘Di kami puwede umasa sa isang team na magliligtas [sa amin].

[Kami] mismo ang magliligtas sa sarili namin,” he said.

Despite a slow start this season, a glance of Tigresses’ potential is becoming apparent as they placed second in the blocking department with an average of 2.05 blocks per set and third in the spiking and service departments with a 33.33 percent efficiency and 1.90 service aces per set, respectively.

Another bright spot can be seen on the MVPcaliber performance of beach volleyball standout Rondina who is now the leading scorer of the tournament with 98 points—76 from spikes, 8 from blocks and 14 from service aces.

Early woes UST failed to complete a comeback against last season’s fourth placers Far Eastern University, 2225, 18-25, 25-15, 23-25, despite a better defensive display of 44 digs compared to the Lady Tamaraws’ 31 last Feb. 13.

The Golden Tigresses could have extended the match into a decider after leading late in the fourth set, 21-19, but the Lady Tamaraws uncorked a quick 5-1 run to arrive at match point.

Tigresses PAGE 10

‘Yolanda’ survivor is top UAAP rookie, MVP

also described as a “low” rating.

Batan said he was hoping the split would happen next academic year to allow more focus on different areas of study. He admitted that the move was meant to give emphasis on social science research, which had “lost its track.”

“We would have to renew [our] focus on social sciences and education. Hindi na [ito] messy na [nandoon] ang culture, arts and humanities because they are different dimensions in research.

[If] you want the discipline to flourish, you have to recognize that it would be one center,” Batan said.

Maria Gonzales, an RCCESI associate researcher, said the division would lead to proper recognition and facilitation of researchers.

“For you to manage a lot of researchers who have different research agendas and orientation would be difficult if you have just one center. Now that you’re dividing it into two sectors, the directors of both centers can facilitate the needs of the researchers under them,” Gonzales said.

UST as a research university Batan said the division would accelerate the University’s progress in becoming a globally recognized research university.

He added that the move would utilize researchers of the University, especially those with doctorate degrees, for publication in a more effective manner, since they would be “vertically articulated” with their fields of expertise.

“We wanted to be a research university and as a research university, we want to be very clear about the fact that most of us, especially those who have [doctoral degrees], are researchers,” he said.

“Kung [doctorate degree holder] ka, nagre-reseach ka. Kung hindi ka nagre-reseach, what is your [doctorate degree] for?” Batan said.

In addition, the split will help students with their theses, with researchers providing directed topics of their expertise. The collaborative process will also give undergraduate students a chance to be published in research journals.

Formed in 2008, RCCESI was a merger of three research centers namely, the Center of Educational Research and Development, the Social Research Center, and the Center for Intercultural Studies.

Marian

Zika

other bodily fluids, such as urine and saliva of those who are infected.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a national public health institute in the United States, listed the countries affected by the virus as follows: Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname, Samoa, the US Virgin Islands and Venezuela.

CDC has advised all pregnant women to stay away from places affected by the virus and to destroy potential breeding areas of mosquitoes.

Center

FROM PAGE 2

FROM PAGE 7

FROM PAGE 9

Sarindhorn, a lay witness who was detained in Thailand for a crime she did not commit.

Sarindhorn said the “scar” she obtained from sufferings and tests of faith has been filled with love of God, her children, and others around her.

“It is much, much more difficult to forgive someone you love but betrayed you. However, once you are able to do so, you are free. You can walk away from the fire and breathe fresh air again,” she said.

The author of the book “Moving the Mountains” narrated how she healed herself emotionally and spiritually for six years after she was freed in 1994. It was in 1996 when Sarindhorn was baptized in the Catholic Church.

“Feeling ecstatic, I felt like I was reborn. I then channeled all my energy into serving God. Through the communion we receive, we’d feel a renewed sense of freshness instilled in our soul enabling us to serve God tirelessly and continually.”

Sarindhorn now uses her story as a Catholic speaker and evangelizer to the business, judiciary, political, and military sectors.

Her book led her to become the first Catholic to be able to talk about God on a national television program in Thailand.

manager in Medical Trends and Technology Corp., in an interview.

According to Kawano, the Zika virus is typically zoonotic and harmless to the macaque monkeys, but becomes pathogenic once transmitted to a human host. “Through the years, the transmission of the virus from human to human caused it to mutate to the point that its genetic make-up has become pathogenic to humans,” she said.

Diagnosis of the Zika virus is difficult because patients suffering from it manifest the same signs and symptoms of chikungunya, yellow fever, dengue and other Flaviviruses.

Fever, rashes, joint pains and conjunctivitis of up to a week are the common symptoms of a person infected with Zika.

“Patients who contracted the virus are given supportive care, just like those who contracted dengue,” Kawano said.

“Also, we try to avoid hemorrhage.”

Though the mortality rates for the Zika virus are low, the pressing concern are newborns with microcephaly from mothers who contracted the virus during pregnancy, according to the WHO. Zika is being linked to 4,180 cases of microcephaly in babies born in Brazil, where 51 have been reported dead due to the virus.

Reports also claimed the virus may be transmitted sexually, through blood transfusions and through contact with

By RANDELL ANGELO B. RITUMALTA THE UST Female Tracksters successfully defended their UAAP crown this year and they could not have done it without stellar performances from their prized recruits.

Blue-chip recruit Karen Janario bagged this season’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) plum after being hailed as Rookie of the Year in the recently concluded athletics competition at the Philsports Arena in Pasig last Feb.1721. She aced the short distance events and took home four gold medals in the four events she participated in.

“Siyempre sobrang happy ako kasi ‘yung mga time na gusto kong makamit talagang natupad siya so amazing talaga si God. Hindi niya ako pinabayaan,” the 16-year-old runner said.

For Janario, entering UST was a decision based on what the university could offer in terms of academics and in its sports program.

“Noong pagpasok ko sa UST, ‘yung performance ko na high, bumaba kasi nanibago ako sa training. Pag high school [kasi], morning and evening ang training pero sa college kailangan balanced ‘yung training at academics,” she said.

Janario was one of the 30 students from Leyte Sports Academy (LSA) who trained at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex for two months after the Philippine Sports Commission rescued them in the aftermath of typhoon Yolanda which devastated the Philippines last November 2013.

Despite the calamity, the rookie-MVP still managed to notch five gold medals and the MVP plum later in January in the Batang Pinoy National Championships in

A potential epidemic While the country had yet to affected by Zika, the Department of Health (DOH) is taking precautionary measures to prevent the virus from becoming an epidemic in the country.

The DOH encourages people to immediately seek medical help if they manifest symptoms of the virus.

Thermal scanners have been stationed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to detect any incoming passenger that has a fever.

DOH spokesperson Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy also advised Filipinos to make sure that their environment is clean by throwing away stagnant water that becomes a breeding place of mosquitoes.

“We just have to maintain ourselves in a good environment. If

Bacolod.

“Thankful [ako] kasi walang masamang nangyari sa amin [at] walang namatay. Talagang hindi kami pinabayaan ni God, [kahit na] nakaranas kami ng sobrang hirap, nakabangon parin,” she said.

This prized recruit has been consistently collecting medals in different running events, including two gold and two silver medals in the 2014 ASEAN School Games and four gold medals and a silver in the 2015 Palarong Pambansa held in Davao del Norte.

Janario also made a scene in the fifth edition of the Philippine National Games where she contributed four gold medals in the Tiger Tracksters’ 54-medal haul.

Tracksters head coach Manny Calipes, who had foreseen Janario’s bringing home of the RookieMVP awards, said their conditioning sessions are not only meant for the UAAP but also for national level. “Talagang pinu-push ko sila to excel,” Calipes said.

we put ourselves together, the threat becomes smaller,” he said in an interview.

According to Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland, a clinical trial for a vaccine could begin this year.

However, experts said such vaccine would take years to develop as its safety and effectiveness still needed to be examined.

Despite the absence of a vaccine against Zika, Suy said the DOH could still help pregnant women detected with the virus.

Some 1,000 diagnostic kits for the Zika virus will be shipped to the country from CDC, then stored at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City.

However, due to the scarcity of kits worldwide, these would not be used until there is a strong suspicion of the virus in a person.

“We have very limited supply [of testing kits]. We need to prioritize on who should be subjected to testing,” Suy said. “Having a fever is not enough for us to give a kit as other factors should also be noted [such as patient history, travel history and past exposure.].”

The RITM will train five hospitals in using the diagnostic kits, namely the Lung Center of the Philippines, Baguio General Hospital, San Lazaro Hospital, Southern Philippine Medical Center and Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

Karen Janario

Editorial

FROM PAGE 4

and 33,608 classrooms in 2014.

From 2010 to 2014, it has employed at total of 128,105 teachers.

DepEd said it would hire 37,000 more to teach SHS this year. New learning materials were also produced and are being produced for elementary up to SHS. 2,847 private schools were also cleared to offer SHS as of June 2015.

But all of the measures of DepEd and CHEd to control the dire effects on teachers of K to 12 may have been too late for those who have already been retrenched by overeager HEIs. In fact, a number of petitions asking the Supreme Court to stop the K to 12 have been filed by teachers who have been displaced and bore the initial brunt of the DepEd and CHEd’s callous disregard of the displacing effects on teachers of the new education program.

It is very telling for one that CHEd had to cobble up the budget for its transition program for displaced teachers from several sources, including unprogrammed expenditures. It is pretty obvious that DepEd and CHEd had not really consulted each other at the start of planning K to 12, and that the two government agencies had failed to anticipate the effects of a drastic overhaul of the education system. For failing to do their homework, DepEd and CHEd get a failing grade in our record book.

Sports Male Woodpushers end Round 1 at second, Female Woodpushers at fourth THE UST Woodpushers suffered back-to-back losses at the end of the first round of the UAAP Season 78 chess tournament at the De La Salle University Henry Sy hall last Feb. 25.

The Male and Female Woodpushers faltered against the league-leading National University and University of the Philippines, 1.5-2.5, respectively.

UST’s lone win came from Timothy So Kua, who prevailed over Federation Internationale des Echecs Master Austin Literatus in Board 2.

Woodpushers Normel De Jesus and Christian Flores both yielded to International Master Paulo Bersamino and Vince Medina, respectively, while UST’s Heirry Manaloto settled for a draw against Angelo Mansanero in Board 4.

In women’s play, Michelle Yaon secured the Female Woodpushers’ only victory after defeating Woman National Master Christy Lamiel Bernales in Board 2.

UST’s Michella Concio only afforded a draw with Arvie Lozano in Board 1. Cyamir Villanueva and Concio’s sister, Michaela, both succumbed to Lady Maroons Ynna Canape and Ruth De Guzman, respectively.

“Nagba-blunder ‘yung [players]. Kasama sa laro kasi [‘yung careless mistakes], pero so far [after the first round,] okay naman,” said Junior Woodpushers head coach Peter Lim, who also supervised the senior teams in the absence of head coach Ronald Dableo.

The Male Woodpushers are now in second place with 17.5 points behind NU while the Female Woodpushers hold the fourth spot with 16 points. RANDELL ANGELO B. RITUMALTA

Heirry Manaloto

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Female Tracksters keep crown

By JOHN CHESTER P. FAJARDO AFTER easily securing a second straight title with a young core, the UST Female Tracksters are now eyeing a dynasty.

Athletics powerhouse FEU has 48 UAAP track and field titles under its belt, including an impressive 10year reign during Seasons 67 to 76 in the women’s division, before UST dethroned them in Season 77.

This season, the Female Tracksters outscored the Tamaraws in all of the match days, except the fourth day, as they led from the get-go en route to a commanding 465 points.

FEU came behind with 371.5 points while the De La Salle University placed third with 114 points.

Manny Calipes, head coach of the Tiger Tracksters, said the Female Tracksters proved that last year’s championship was not fluke as they lead the Tamaraws by an average of 97 points in the last two seasons.

“Tiyagaan talaga. They (FEU) get the best athlete. Wala tayong mao-offer (na malaking benefit) pero kapag pumasok sa atin, I see to it na pipigain natin to excel,” he told the Varsitarian.

The Female Tracksters swept the 200-meter dash, triple jump and pole vault events, and secured first place finishes in 12 others.

“Although may mga gumraduate na multi-event medalist na gumagawa ng four golds (last year), ‘yung puso ng mga bata pinakikita talaga na palaban talaga.

Balance ‘yung [women’s] team,” Calipes said.

Their male counterparts settled for a runner-up finish, a notch higher than last year’s results, after

UAAP Rookie-MVP Karen Janario leaps and leads other UST Female Tracksters. AMPARO KLARIN J. MANGOROBAN

falling behind six-time champions Tamaraws.

The Male Tracksters were leading FEU by a slim margin in the first two days, but faltered on the third day when the Tamaraws took advantage of UST’s gold-less performance.

UST dominated on the second day and took all of the gold medals in four events, but collapsed the following day when they took only two bronze medals.

The Tamaraws outscored them 126-35 that day and led by 107.5 points in the final tally.

Calipes said his team was undermanned in some events as UST’s supposed thrower, a Unigames gold medalist, did not enroll in the second semester. National team

member Ernest John Obiena (pole vault) needed to leave early to pursue his Olympic dream.

“We have to support him (Obiena). Nagkataon na masikip ang schedule nya. Iba ‘yan, it will be a big honor sa University na magkaroon ulit ng University athlete na magrerepresent sa Olympics habang estudyante pa natin,” Calipes said.

Breaking records The whole UST track and field team hauled 21 gold, 11 silver and 10 bronze medals and broke a Philippine record and five UAAP record.

Obiena led the way after jumping 5.46 meters in the men’s pole vault event, which wa enough to break his previous Philippine record of 5.45 meters in the Philippine

Athletics Track and Field Association weekly relays last October.

In the 5,000-meter walk, Lambert Padua set a new mark of 24:07.15 while Elbren Neri’s 3:57.22 is also a new record in the 1500 meter run.

Aira Teodosio now holds the record for the women’s hammerthrow after a 40.70-m heave while Sarah Dequinan’s 4,507 points in the heptathlon event is now the highest in recent history.

Another bright spot for the Tracksters’ campaign this year is the discovery of rookie sensation Karen Janario who did a rare feat, taking home both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards after garnering four gold medals in four events.

New tactician aims UST clinch second place anew in UAAP fencing to bring back glory days of Lady Booters

By PHILIP MARTIN L. MATEL

By LEIF ARILD F. SYKIOCO LAST season cellar-dwellers, the UST Lady Booters, look to turn things around this year by bringing in a new head coach.

Former UAAP gold medalist Priscilla Rubio, or Coach Aging, will try to steer UST back to football supremacy.

After the team had disbanded en route to the opening of the head coaching position, Rubio was among those who applied for the job left vacant by coach JR Judal.

The Dumaguete native officially assumed the position in the 2015 Philippine Football Federation Women’s Cup where they finished fourth.

“Sa isip ko nandyan na talaga na gusto ko mag-coach, hindi ko lang in-expect na ganoon kabilis,” Rubio told the Varsitarian. “Siguro nakita ‘yung capability ko to lead the team.”

Adjusting with a team that was used to a different coach and a different system, Rubio admitted she had a difficult time understanding her players. “‘Yung ngayon kasi, gusto ng players sila nagdidictate ng flow ng training. Pero pagdating sakin, ini-insist ko ‘yung program so nagkaroon ng hindi pagkakaunawaan.”

Although the process was difficult, the new tactician said she made sure her players understood why they have to undergo tough training.

“Every time na maglalaro kami, kahit tune-up game lang ‘yan, we make sure na gagawin naming para manalo.

Kasi kung sa tune-up pa lang, hindi na namin na-set sa utak namin na gusto namin manalo, paano pa kaya sa actual game,” she said.

The former UST midfielder is no stranger to coaching. She is a former head coach of the Poveda High School football team and was the head coach of the UST men’s and women’s futsal teams. She was also part of the team that won UST’s first championship in women’s football in Season 71.

Coach ‘Aging’ Rubio

THE UST Tiger Fencers again finished second in the UAAP Season 78 fencing tournament held at the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagle Gym last Feb. 13.

UST finished the four-day event with a 6-7-8 gold-silver-bronze medal tally. The University of the East Red Warriors extended their championship streak in the men’s division to four straight titles and eight consecutive championships in the women’s division.

Men’s team captain Noelito Jose opened the tournament with a gold medal finish in the men’s epee category. Jose, along with Dino Aribas, Dennis Gascon and Rodolfo Duterte secured another gold in the men’s epee team event after trouncing the Red Warriors, 45-42, in the finals.

The men’s sabre team of Bonn Pascual, Matthew Domantay, Angelo Ramos and Jomar Echavez and the men’s foil team of Duterte, Alexander Macaraig, Gian Carlo Aribe and Jessie James Suarez settled for two bronze medals after taking a drubbing from their respective matches both against UE. In women’s play, team captain Maylene Pailma snatched UST’s fourth gold medal by defeating national team mainstay Alleine Cortey from UE, 15-14, in the women’s sabre event. Pailma was on the verge of losing but salvaged a victory by landing an attack squarely on her opponent’s chest.

Gisela Rey (women’s epee) settled for second after losing to Lady Warrior Keren Panganiban.

Peñaflor, Lady Racine Natividad, Kathlyn Echavez and Anna Patricia Macaraig snared a

silver against the Lady Warriors in the finale of the women’s foil team event while the women’s sabre team of Pailma, Cherie Mañago, Dyren Faith Peñaflor and Eileen de Guzman fell short against UE in a nail-biter of a finals, 42-45.

Rey Ashley Espiritu, Mariel Peralta and Maricar Dizon took home a bronze after absorbing a 34-45 defeat to De La Salle in the women’s epee team semifinals.

In the boys’ division, Junior Tiger Fencer Daniel Villanueva, who was hailed Most Valuable Player, also won gold with Anthony Macaraig, Eric

de Leon and Ricardo Fuenzalida, Jr. over the Junior Warriors.

Villanueva and Timothy Gonzales also bagged gold in the boys’ epee and sabre individual categories, respectively.

The boys’ epee team of Zedric Estavillo, Timothy Gonzales, Jazz Gocon, Dave Pascual and girls’ foil team consisting of Fatima Domantay, Henesy Odulio, Hannah Alarcon and Francheska Yadao both yielded to UE in the finals.

Fencing PAGE 10

Captain Maylene Pailma turns emotional after the team’s second-place finish.

ALVIIN JOSEPH KASIBAN

UST Male Tennisters finish 5th in UAAP tennis tourney THE UST Male Tennisters ended their forgettable UAAP Season 78 campaign with a narrow 2-3 loss to the University of the East Red Warriors in the lawn tennis tournament at the Rizal Memorial tennis courts Feb. 24.

The Male Tennisters slid down to fifth place with a 3-8 win-loss card after a runner-up finish last year.

UST’s Christian Lopez and Francis Lanzado faltered against UE’s

Charles Kinaadman and Rodolfo Barquin, respectively.

Rookie Dave Mosqueda sealed UST’s first win after sweeping Jeleardo Amazona, 7-6, 6-4.

The Joel Cabusas-Bernlou Bering pair almost gave the Tennisters a victory but could not overcome Rolly Saga and Rogelio Estano, 5-7, 7-5, 2-6.

Francis Patiño and Mart

Cabahug provided the Tennisters’ last victory of the season with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Red Warriors June Baran and Jeric Delos Santos.

“Lahat ginawa namin pero ang pinakaproblema namin is ‘yung personal issues ng mga [players].

Mayroon silang away. So nawala ‘yung teamwork namin,” Male Tennisters head coach Alexander Diego told the Varsitarian.

Diego is still confident of a better outing from the Tennisters next season despite their loss, with only Patiño leaving the team due to graduation.

“I think next year makakabalik na kami sa first or second [place] kasi sa ibang schools marami ring top player na nawala. Then sa atin, ‘yung mga rookie natin okay pa naman,” he said. RANDELL ANGELO B. RITUMALTA