The Varsitarian P.Y. 2017-2018 Issue 09

Volume XC, No. 9 • May 4, 2018 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF SANTO TOMAS Manila, Philippines

GOLDEN SHOVELS. University and General Santos City officials lead the groundbreaking ceremonies for UST Mindanao last April 20. From left: Fr. Dexter Austria, OP, Vice Mayor Shirlyn Banas-Nograles, Mayor Ronnel Rivera, UST Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, OP, Vice Chancellor Fr. Napoleon Sipalay, Jr., OP and Vice Rector for Finance Fr. Rolando Castro OP. MICHAEL ANGELO M. REYES

UST Mindanao campus begins construction

UNIVERSITY Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. led the groundbreaking rites of UST’s satellite campus in General Santos City in Mindanao on April 20.

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

Dagohoy said the new satellite campus would offer affordable education, following standard educational fees in Mindanao.

“We could not actually make education very expensive in this part of the country.

Precisely our mission is to provide affordable education in Mindanao,” Dagohoy told reporters during the event.

The new UST campus is expected to rise by 2020 and the academic year will officially open in 2021.

Dagohoy added that the Mindanao campus will initially offer programs in business and accountancy, arts and humanities, engineering and technology, and pharmaceutical sciences.

General Santos City is the “best” place to attain Mindanao’s vision in terms of development, he said.

“We have actually read and studied the development program of Mindanao. [The city] is not developed [unlike] other cities in Mindanao. I think the possibilities, the opportunities are broader here in GenSan,” he said.

General Santos City Mayor Ronnel Rivera said the presence of UST would turn the city into an educational hub and place it on the “radar” of potential investors.

“UST’s presence here [is] a manifestation

na papunta tayo sa dream natin, sa vision natin na maging university hub ang ating city. Pag sinabing university hub more development will come, more investors [too],” Rivera told the Varsitarian in an interview.

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

The city council under Rivera approved the re-zoning of the property to institutional from agricultural on Oct. 8, 2013 through City Ordinance 15 series of 2013.

The Department of Agrarian Reform first approved the conversion of the land in 2003.

The University’s integration plan with other Dominican schools in the country and GenSan PAGE 5

Former ‘V’ editor in chief is 6th in 2017 Bar exams; UST’s 5-year Top 10 drought ends

By JOB ANTHONY R. MANAHAN and JULIA CLAIRE L. MEDINA FORMER Varsitarian editor in chief Lorenzo Luigi Gayya and two others led the new batch of Thomasian lawyers, ending UST’s five-year drought in the Top 10 of the Bar examinations.

Gayya, a journalism alumnus, placed sixth in the 2017 Bar examinations with a score of 89.10 percent. Fellow UST law graduates Klinton Torralba and Emma Ruby Aguilar clinched the ninth and 10th spots with scores of 88.65 percent and 88.40 percent, respectively.

The last UST graduate to enter the top 10 was Christian Louie Gonzales, who placed fifth in 2011 with a score of 84.09 percent.

UST’s passing rate for first-time takers stood at 89.89 percent with 89 Thomasians passing the test out of 99 first-time examinees. Last year’s passing rate was 96.25 percent or 77 out of 80 first-time Thomasian examinees.

UST was named the 2nd top-performing school with an 89.90-percent overall passing rate or 96 passers out of 118 examinees.

Mark John Simondo of the University of St. La Salle topped this year’s examinations with a score of 91.05 percent.

Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina said they broke the “glass ceiling” in producing Bar topnotchers from the University, which had been elusive for the past years.

“For years, we languished behind the traditional leading law schools in terms of bar passing rate and number of topnotchers… Until now. With five graduates in the top 20, the glass ceiling has definitely been broken,” Divina said in an email interview. “[W]e did not give up. Our resolve [remained] unwavering. I know in my heart it is only a matter of time. With a historic [five Thomasians in] the top 20.

UST is one of the best, if not the bestperforming law school in the country in

2017. How sweet it is,” he added.

Divina said they tried to recruit the majority of the best college graduates to enroll in UST Law, as well as recruited the “best law professors” in the country.

“We offered [the students] scholarships, housing subsidy and book allowance and awarded the dean’s lister and best-performing students every semester with various incentives,” Divina said.

“We kept the competent faculty and recruited other best law professors in the country. We organized an academic group I called ‘Dean’s circle’ composed of residents and alumni to prepare digests of cases, including recent jurisprudence and updates, and made them conveniently available to all our students,” Divina added.

Luigi Gayya

Klinton Torralba

Topping the Bar Exams Gayya said topping the Bar Exams felt like a “dream.”

Bar exams PAGE 3

Emma Ruby Aguilar

OSA suspends accreditation of new student orgs

By JULIA CLAIRE L. MEDINA THE OFFICE for Student Affairs (OSA) has suspended the accreditation of new student organizations in the University for the next academic year.

A source from OSA told the Varsitarian the reason for the suspension was to implement stricter policies on the recruitment of fraternities and organizations following the death of UST law freshman Horacio “Atio” Castillo III from hazing rites by the unrecognized Aegis Juris law fraternity.

Student affairs PAGE 3

CSC candidates criticized for lack of social awareness THOMASIANS welcomed a complete executive board of the Central Student Council (CSC) after the release of election results last April 21, but some expressed dismay over candidates’ lack of experience and awareness on social issues.

The next set of officers should take negative reactions from some Thomasians on social media as a challenge, said outgoing CSC secretary Therese Gorospe, the council’s acting president.

Candidates PAGE 2

Strengthen family laws instead of allowing divorce – Rector UST Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. has spoken out against proposals to legalize divorce in the country, urging lawmakers to strengthen family laws instead of “providing an easy way out.”

“I think we have to strengthen more and revisit laws that we have in the Philippines like the Civil Code and the Family Code and see what we can actually do in order to strengthen the family rather than to [provide] an easy way out to resolve problems,” Dagohoy told the Varsitarian at Divorce PAGE 2

2 News

Editor: Maria Crisanta M. Paloma

MAY 4, 2018

CSC has full slate next academic year

By SAMANTHA-WEE LIPANA and JOB ANTHONY R. MANAHAN

A COMPLETE Central Student Council (CSC) Executive Board will lead the Thomasian student body next academic year, turning the page from massive abstentions last year.

Political science junior Francis Gabriel “Kiko” Santos was elected president with 13,351 votes, beating Civil Law sophomore Karizza Kamille Cruz who obtained 9,414 votes. A total of 3,383 Thomasians opted to leave their ballots unanswered for the post.

Lone vice-presidential bet Victor Amores, a biochemistry junior, is the new CSC vice president, getting 15,241 votes. A total of 10,907 ballots were left unanswered.

Medicine freshman Robert Dominic Gonzales was proclaimed secretary with 9,818 votes, beating journalism junior Carol Anne Balita who garnered 9,156 votes. A total of 7,174 ballots were left unanswered.

Sole candidate for treasurer Alek Pierce Joell Santa Ana, a marketing management junior, won with 14,759 votes. A total of 11,389 ballots were left unanswered.

Adrian Lee Fernando, a medical technology junior, was proclaimed auditor with 14,587 votes while 11,561 ballots were left unanswered.

Jeanne Nicole Naval was elected public relations officer (PRO), garnering 7,649 votes. She bested political science juniors Jan Krianne Pineda and Jeremiah Pasion who got 6,645 and 6,273 votes, respectively. A total of 5,581 ballots were left CSC PAGE 5

Divorce FROM PAGE 1

the sidelines of the groundbreaking rites for the new UST campus in General Santos City last April 20.

Dagohoy said enacting laws such as divorce would not solve marital problems.

“Definitely our side is to follow the teachings of the Church in family and the problems of married couples would not be easily resolved by enacting a law,” he said.

Presidential bets in this year’s Central Student Council Executive Board elections, Francis Gabriel Santos and Karizza Kamille Cruz, expressed support the legalization of divorce in the Philippines during their mandatory debate last April 3.

Sought for comment, Dagohoy said he respected the opinions of the candidates.

“I respect their opinion on the matter.

We are in a university and I think that is their personal stand. It does not reflect the position of the University [and] that’s their personal take on the matter. [G]enerally, I know that they still reflect the values of the Thomasians,” he said.

In a pastoral statement last March 13, Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said troubled marriages may be saved by “dialogues or the intervention of family, friends, pastors, and counselors.”

“Even couples in seemingly successful marriages would often look back and recall the countless challenges that had almost brought their relationship to a breaking point if they had not learned to transcend personal hurts through understanding and forgiveness, or sometimes through the intervention of a dialogue facilitator such as a marriage counselor,” Valles said.

The House of Representatives approved the bill titled “The Act of Absolute Divorce and Dissolution of Marriage” on third and final reading last March 19.

The grounds for divorce in the bill include: reasons stated for legal separation and annulment under the Family Code of the Philippines, psychological incapacity, gender reassignment surgery, irreconcilable differences and separation for at least five years.

The bill also aims to make divorce proceedings affordable by waiving filing and lawyers’ fees and ordering courts to provide psychiatric and psychological services. JOB ANTHONY R. MANAHAN and LEXANNE O. GARCIA

ELECTED. Francis Gabriel Santos (right), the council’s former public relations officer, will lead the Thomasian student body next year as president.

VLADLYNN NONA MARYSE L. TADEO

Usapang Uste

Ang kontrobersyal na ‘Narvasa memo’

NAGBUNGA ng protesta sa Unibersidad ang pagpapanukala ng ‘Narvasa Memo’ na naglatag ng mga patakaran sa halalan at kuwalipikasiyon ng mga kandidato noong 1970.

Pinirmahan ito ni Andres Narvasa, vice rector for student affairs, na inaprubahan ng rector magnificus ng taong iyon na si Padre Jesus Diaz, O.P. ayon sa ulat ng Varsitarian sa isyu nito noong ika-5 ng Agosto 1970.

Inilatag dito ang pagkakaroon ng academic requirement sa mga kandidato na hindi dapat bababa sa 80 porsiyento ang kanilang average gayon din na limitado lamang para sa mga class officers ang pagtakbo sa konseho.

Umalma ang mga mag-aaral at nagboycott sa kani-kanilang klase. Iginiit nila na “whatever affair the studentry has, it must be managed and handled by the students alone.”

Ayon naman kay Padre Fausto Gomez, O.P., secretary general, sa kaniyang panayam sa Varsitarian na inilathala noong ika-12 ng Agosto 1970, “what we are trying to do is protect the students from any circumstance which would place them in a dangerous

Candidates FROM PAGE 1

“I do hope that the incoming executive board will show their utmost commitment and render their hard work to the electorate… they should consider this as a challenge to serve [Thomasians] better,” Gorospe told the Varsitarian.

Jonathan Santos, outgoing president of the Faculty of Civil Law Student Council and Central Board of Students speaker, said discourse on social media helped raise awareness of Thomasians on the platforms of candidates.

“Retweets with comments greatly helped in the discourse. Lurkers had a glimpse, too, of the candidates’ progressive platforms. Not all of them though have progressive platforms but there is always room for improvement,” Santos said.

Raymond John Naguit, former vice chairman of the Central Commission on Elections (Comelec), said the removal of “abstain” played an important factor in the results.

The option would have forced political parties to invest more on the quality of their candidates, he said.

“Given the legal basis to back up, I feel that the inclusion of abstain would be a good stimulus for political parties to invest more

predicament with respect to their studies.”

Sinang-ayunan ito ni Narvasa na nagsabing, “Students should elect candidates who could excel in academics and extracurricular activities at the same time.”

Gayon pa man, binigyan ng Academic Senate ang dekano ng bawat kolehiyo ng kapangyarihan na magpasya kung lilimitahan lang ba sa mga class officers ang maaaring tumakbo sa kani-kaniyang konseho.

Sa kasalukuyan, nakasaad sa Artikulo VIII ng 2011 Central Student Council Constitution and By-Laws, ang mga kuwalipikasyon ng mga kandidatong tatakbo sa konseho.

Isinaad dito na kinakailangang nakaenroll ang sinomang tatakbo ng hindi bababa sa 15 units sa kabuuan ng kaniyang pinapasukang programa, mayroong general weighted average na hindi bababa sa 2.50 o 2.75 naman para sa Fakultad ng Civil Law at Medicine and Surgery.

Kasama rin ang hindi pagkakaroon ng mababang marka o nakapag-drop ng anomang asignatura maliban sa P.E. at NSTP gayon din ang tuloy-tuloy na pag-aaral sa Unibersidad na hindi bababa sa pitong taon.

Usapang Uste PAHINA 5 on the quality of the candidates that they field and not be complacent during the campaign.

After all, the worth and performance of a student council does not rely solely on having a complete set of officers,” Naguit said.

Nicolo Bongolan, a political science senior, said he had reservations on most of the candidates who won the elections.

“I’m satisfied with some of them. You cannot blame anyone…people voted for those who got elected. [But knowing] that the CSC is complete, I [am hoping] to see…the ideals of the students come full circle,” Bongolan said.

Pablo Foronda Tanglao, former chief of staff of the Senior High School Student Council, lamented that some candidates seemed “oblivious” toward social issues. “[Some candidates who won] underperformed in the debates, have a slim track record of public service, and were oblivious towards social issues. [It is embarrassing] that these people became our officers,” he said.

Tanglao also took a swipe on candidates who claimed to have ran as independents but had the backing of political parties.

“There were still a plethora of candidates that claimed to be independent but were, and still are, operatives of traditional political parties,” he added.

Dennis Coronacion, chairman of UST’s political science department, said a complete council was a welcome development, and the removal of the option to “abstain” would serve

the wider interest of the electorate.

“From the vantage point of the students, it is a welcome development since there will be more student leaders that can serve them. [T]he removal of the abstain option from the ballot, although misconstrued by many as a violation of their right of suffrage, actually serves the wider interest of the Thomasian electorate, as seen in the positive result of this election,” he said in an online interview with the Varsitarian.

Coronacion said the return of the electronic voting system and the simplification of the ballots were some of the strengths of the recent polls.

“Part of the strengths of the recently concluded elections is the re-introduction of technology during the voting process. The student voters were spared from what would have been a prolonged process of voting and waiting for the results if Comelec opted for the manual voting and counting,” he said.

Lawyer Enrique de la Cruz, an election law expert, attributed the increase in voter turnout to “more awareness, political maturity and effectiveness of the campaign.”

This year, 26,148 out of a population of 37,658 students, or 69.44 percent, participated in the University-wide student elections, an increase from last year’s voter turnout of 28,858 out of 43,762 students or 66 percent.

JOB ANTHONY R. MANAHAN with reports from SAMANTHA-WEE LIPANA and JULIA CLAIRE L. MEDINA

Assistant Editor: Hannah Rhocellhynnia H. Cruz

News 3

MAY 4, 2018

Pabasa sa Semana Santa, pambungad ng 2018 Buwan ng Panitikang Filipino

MALOLOS, BULACAN– KAILANGANG payabungin ang tradisiyonal na uri ng panitikan upang makintal sa mga kabataan ang paggunita sa buhay ni Hesukristo tuwing Semana Santa, ayon sa Pambansang Alagad ng Sining na si Virgilio Almario, sa pabasang ginanap sa simbahan ng Barasoain, ika-28 ng Marso.

Itinampok ang mga pabasa mula sa lalawigan ng Iloilo, Bicol, Marinduque, Pampanga at Bulacan bilang bahagi ng Buwan ng Panitikan sa simbahan ng Barasoain sa Malolos. “‘Yong pasiyon kasi ay bahagi ng ating tradisiyon na Kristiyano [at] napakahalaga [nito] sa buong buhay [natin] kaya gusto namin na sa pamamagitan ng pabasa [ay] maibalik ang paggunita, [lalong-lalo] na ng present generation, sa ganitong traditional form,” paliwanag ni Almario, tagapangulo ng Komisyon para sa Kultura at mga Sining (NCCA), sa isang panayam sa Varsitarian.

Sinang-ayunan ito ni Armando Sta. Ana, kinatawan ng Arts, Culture, Tourism and Sports Division ng Malolos, na nagsabing layunin ng pabasa sa Barasoain na muling buhayin at balikan ang sinaunang panitikang Filipino.

“Dito sa Bulacan, buhay na buhay ang pagalaala ng pasyon ni Hesukristo. Dito makikita ang mga kaugalian at tradisiyon [kagaya ng] pabasa [at] senakulo,” sabi ni Sta. Ana. Dala ng mga mananakop na Kastila noong ika-16 hanggang ika-17 siglo ang pabasa na isang awiting relihiyosong kadalasan sinasaliwan din ng gitara at naging tradisiyon na tuwing Semana Santa.

Mga pagbabago sa iba’t ibang lalawigan Ibinahagi naman ng mga kinatawan ng iba’t ibang lalawigan ang kanilang pamamaraan ng pabasa sa kanilang lugar at ang mga pagbabago sa mga ito.

Kuwento ni Charito Remon, mambabasa ng pasyon mula sa Bicol, “Maraming tahanan sa amin noon na nagpapabasa mula Lunes Santo hanggang Biyernes Santo ngunit ngayon ay nagsisimula na lamang ng Miyerkules Santo, siguro nagtitipid sa budget.”

Binigyang-diin din niya ang kawalangkaalaman ng mga kabataan tungkol sa pagbasa ng pasiyon lalo na ang tono nito na itinuturing na awtentiko.

Sang-ayon dito si Pascuelita Midaig, Pabasa PAHINA 10

Pagbasa ng pasyon na ginanap sa Malolos, Bulacan.

MAREM A. DE JEMEL

Veteran Thomasian journalist Nestor Mata; 92 UST scores 100 percent in electronic technician, master electricians board exams

By JULIA CLAIRE L. MEDINA

VETERAN newsman and columnist Nestor Mata died on April 12 at the Cardinal Santos Memorial Medical Center. He was 92 years old.

Mata obtained his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1958 at the University and later on his master’s degree in foreign affairs.

He taught political science and journalism subjects in the University in late 1960s.

He was the lone survivor of the plane crash that killed President Ramon Magsaysay and 26 others on March 17, 1957. He was covering the president as a reporter for the Philippines Herald.

Mata wrote for the Philippines Daily Express until 1986, and became a columnist for the Manila Standard beginning in 1987.

His columns began to appear in Malaya Business Insight in 1999.

Jan Mata, Mata’s son and a UST political science alumnus, said his father did not simply teach and write but inspired Filipinos with his writings.

“We are so proud of our father. His works and opinions were read and admired by many. He was not only a mentor, but an inspiration,” Jan told the Varsitarian in a phone interview.

Former Faculty of Arts and Letters dean Belen Tangco said she remembered Mata as a very dedicated professor.

“He was very faithful to his teaching career even if he was very busy as a journalist. In all the careers that he had, he was respected,” Tangco said.

Student affairs FROM PAGE 1 Student Affairs Director Ma. Soccorro Guan Hing, however, said the specific details on the suspension would soon be issued.

OSA has also required organizations that were not accredited and were seeking recognition for Academic Year 2018 to 2019 to submit a letter explaining why they should be accredited.

In October of last year, a month after Civil Law freshman Atio died, the OSA conducted a University-wide seminar for organization advisers and student leaders on the Antihazing Law. It recommended a comprehensive review of the Student Handbook and the accreditation process for organizations.

Nestor Mata PHOTO COURTESY OF MATA’S FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

In a Facebook post, Nestor Cuartero, Manila Bulletin-Tempo editor, said Mata was a supportive mentor to young journalists.

“The one great lesson Mr. Mata passed on to me is to be helpful to young journalists, artists, painters, musicians,” Cuartero said.

Mata’s remains were interred on April 17 at Himlayang Pilipino in Quezon City.

Student Organizations Coordinating Council President Alrenee Rostata said the council aimed to provide an avenue for organizations to voice out their advocacies and their vision, however they will not file an appeal to OSA that would address the said suspension as the office was already accommodating their queries regarding the issue.

“We are now strengthening the policies as well as improving the system for the recognition of organizations together with OSA. We are also in contact with them to settle the matter at hand,” Rostata told the Varsitarian in an online interview.

Central Student Council (CSC) President-elect Francis Santos said the suspension of accreditation of new student organizations was in contrast with the students’ right to association or formation of organizations as provided by the CSC Constitution.

“This decision of OSA all

the more demands that the Students’ Code be passed so that our rights as students – to assemble, association, and creation of organizations will be protected to the full extent of the law,” Santos said in an online interview.

Article 3, Section 6 of the CSC Constitution mandates the right of students to legally organize for “physical, intellectual, moral, cultural, civic, spiritual and political interests” that would conform with the mission of the University and for purposes not contrary to law.

According to the University Student Handbook, student organizations may be formed upon application for recognition with the OSA, which may be renewed every year upon compliance with renewal of requirements.

THE UNIVERSITY kept a 100-percent passing rate in the April 2018 electronics technician licensure examinations, with all four Thomasian examinees passing the test.

Mark Jefferson Arellano of Cagayan State University – Tuguegarao topped this year’s electronic technician board exams after scoring 89 percent.

Mapua Institute of TechnologyManila remained the top-performing school with all of its 69 examinees passing the test.

The national passing rate declined to 76.93 percent, with 1,141 takers making the cut out of 1,483 examinees, from last year’s 80.13 percent or 1,020 out of 1,273 examinees.

UST meanwhile posted a higher passing rate in the electronics engineering board exams.

The passing rate improved to 66.67 percent, with 14 Thomasians passing the test out of 21 examinees, from last year’s 57.50 percent passing rate, or 23 out of 40 examinees.

Mark Eullysis Alzaga of Far Eastern University – Institute of Technology led the country’s new batch of electronic engineers with a score of 93.30 percent.

University of the Philippines-Diliman emerged as the top-performing school, scoring a 100-percent passing rate with all 27 examinees making the cut.

The national passing rate improved to 45.36 percent, or 1,208 out of 2,663 examinees, from last year’s 41.27 percent or 1,033 out of 2,503 examinees.

Master electricians, electrical eng’g UST recorded a perfect score in the April 2018 master electrician licensure examinations, with all two Thomasian examinees passing the test. Jayson Bonajos of Bohol Island State University topped the board exams with a score of 93 percent.

De La Salle University-Lipa was hailed as the year’s top-performing school in the master electrician board exams, posting a 98.55-percent passing rate, or 68 out of 69 examinees.

The national passing rate fell to 50.08 percent, with 1,831 making the cut out of 3,656 examinees, from last year’s 58.05-percent, or 1,817 out of 3,130 examinees.

UST meanwhile recorded an 80-percent passing rate in the electrical engineering board exams, with four out of five examinees making the cut.

Last year, the University clinched a perfect passing rate with all of its seven examinees passing the test.

Kevin Relleve of University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños led the country’s fresh batch of electrical engineers with a score of 92.75 percent.

UP Los Baños was named this year’s top-performing school after registering a 100-percent passing rate, with all 53 examinees hurdling the test.

The national passing rate rose to 52.12 percent, with 1,315 making the cut out of 2,523 examinees, from last year’s 44.92 percent, or 994 making the cut out of 2,213 examinees. KEVIN A. ALABASO

Bar exams

reviewing the coverage of the bar exam.

[M]y prayers always include: ‘fill my inadequacies.’ In our language, ipinagpasaDiyos ko na,” Torralba said.

Former Varsitarian associate editor Denise Pauline Purugganan also passed the exams.

The national passing rate dropped to 25.55 percent or 1,724 successful examinees out of 6,750 exam takers. Last year’s passing rate was 59.06 percent or 3,747 out of 6,344 examinees.

More than 7,200 examinees from all over the country flocked to the University as it hosted the Bar exams in November.

Held on all four Sundays of November last year, the exams covered various areas including civil law, political law, labor law, taxation, criminal law, remedial law, legal and judicial ethics.

According to Bar exam rules, an examinee is deemed to have passed if he or she obtained a general average of 75 percent.

The chairman of this year’s Bar exams was Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin, former faculty member of Civil Law.

FROM PAGE 1 “I couldn’t believe it until I saw the official list... I think that every Bar reviewee probably dreams of topping the Bar. But once you actually take [it], you’ll lower your expectations and pray to God that you’ll pass. That’s what happened to me [because] I felt like I made too many careless errors during the [exams,]” Gayya told the Varsitarian in an online interview.

Aguilar said she prepared early for the Bar exams, dedicating all her hardwork and success to her family.

“I instilled in my mind that I am in law school not to waste money. I must be serious in it. I must dedicate my time and effort wholeheartedly in everything that I will do,” Aguilar said in an online interview.

Torralba dedicated the results to the Lord and his family members.

“I spent... months reviewing and as always, I overestimated my pace in studying. That said, I failed to finish

4 Opinion

MAY 4, 2018

Editorial

CSC election debate an exercise in vacuity DEBATES should be a platform for formal and intelligent exchange, especially at the University level. But in the recent “mandatory debate” for the Central Student Council (CSC) elections, candidates made vacuous remarks and unintelligible statements that put the University’s intellectual reputation to shame.

Perhaps the vacuousnes of the whole exercise started with the Comelec itself that called it a “mandatory debate”? Why should the debate be mandated at all? The election should afford an exchange of ideas between the candidates themselves and between them and the electorate, so why should the Comelec “authorize” or “mandate” them to debate? Couldn’t they have debated without “authorization”?

Anyway, rather than using the platform for rational discussions on issues that actually concerned the University, the candidates couldn’t seem to resist making rehearsed speeches and beauty contest-like answers, abandoning substance and intelligence in the process.

Although the election results were far different from the dominance of “abstain” votes of last year’s, most of this year’s candidates seemed to learn nothing from the flak the candidates last year reaped from students, faculty and alumni, who complained majority of the candidates lacked at least the minimum knowledge of social issues and current events.

Debating issues on tuition increase, on-campus protests and the passing of the Students’ Code, the candidates were glaringly inconsistent with their stands. Their claims were ambiguous that even media had a hard time interpreting their positions.

For instance, presidential bets Francis Santos and Karizza Kamille Cruz, who were running as independents, could not clearly explain why they backed the divorce bill.

Cruz brought up the importance of safety, especially in abusive marriages. However, she said Thomasians should uphold the “sanctity of marriage” because they were in a Catholic University—an argument that canceled or at least contradicted her earlier premise. Likewise, Santos highlighted that families should be protected, unless they were “not working.” What was he saying?

Sole vice-presidential bet Victor Amores Jr. said Editorial PAGE 5

FOUNDED JAN. 16, 1928 AMIERIELLE ANNE A. BULAN Editor in Chief BERNADETTE A. PAMINTUAN Managing Editor ALHEX ADREA M. PERALTA Associate Editor MARIA CRISANTA M. PALOMA News Editor HANNAH RHOCELLHYNNIA H. CRUZ Assistant News Editor CHRISTIAN DE LANO M. DEIPARINE, THEODORE JASON PATRICK K. ORTIZ Online Editors RANDELL ANGELO B. RITUMALTA Sports Editor NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS Special Reports Editor CHELSEY MEI NADINE B. BRAZAL Features Editor NIKKO MIGUEL M. GARCIA Literary Editor JOLAU V. OCAMPO Patnugot ng Filipino EDRIS DOMINIC C. PUA Science and Technology Editor AUDRIE JULIENNE D. BERNAS Circle Editor SHAINA MAE L. SANTANDER Art Director DEEJAE S. DUMLAO Acting Chief Photographer News Kevin A. Alabaso, Samantha-Wee Lipana, Job Anthony R. Manahan, Julia Claire L. Medina, Jacob Marvin D. Urmenita Sports Jan Carlo Anolin, Mia Arra C. Camacho, Ma. Angela Christa Coloma, Ma. Angelica D. Garcia, Ivan Ruiz L. Suing, Justin Robert Valencia Special Reports Ma. Consuelo D.P. Marquez, Arianne Aine D. Suarez Features Louise Claire H. Cruz, Daphne Yann P. Galvez, Julia Camille B. Ocaya Literary Elmer B. Coldora, Hailord N. Lavarias Filipino Erma R. Edera, Chris V. Gamoso Witness Marem A. De Jemel, Lady Cherbette N. Agot, Lexanne O. Garcia, Pearl Anne M. Gumapos Science and Technology Miguel Alejandro IV A. Herrera, Beatriz Avegayle S. Timbang Circle Klimier Nicole B. Adriano, Kathleen Therese A. Palapar, Lyon Ricardo III M. Lopez Art Mariyella Alyssa A. Abulad, Blessie Angelie B. Andres, Rocher Faye R. Dulatre, Joelle Alison Mae P. Eusebio, Mari Kloie D. Ledesma, Nathanael Jonas S.J. Rodrigo Photography Ann Margaret De Nys, Miah Terrenz Provido, Maria Charisse Ann G. Refuerzo, Michael Angelo M. Reyes, Rhenwil James G. Santos, Vladlynn Nona Maryse L. Tadeo, Pauline Faye V. Tria FELIPE F. SALVOSA II Assistant Publications Adviser JOSELITO B. ZULUETA Publications Adviser

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

CSC, Pope Francis abetting divorce in the Philippines WITH Congress apparently railroading the passage of the divorce bill, the Catholic Church is left alone in the fight to protect the sanctity of marriage.

At present, divorce is just a step away from being approved in the House of Representatives.

And with Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez co-authoring the bill, it is most likely that it will soon make its way up to the Senate.

Not to mention that Alvarez is the secretary general of PDPLaban, the administration party which controls a ‘supermajority’ in the lower house.

The country’s bishops have been very vocal against divorce, branding it as “anti-family.”

They urged lawmakers to enact laws that would strengthen the family instead of providing an easy way out when marriages become difficult.

It is saddening, however, that as they seem to be alone in this fight, confusion and ambiguity surround the stand of their own shepherd of the flock, that is the Pope, on the issue of divorce. This is through his exhortation Amoris Laetitia, which gives local bishops the ability to decide whether divorced or remarried Catholics in their respective dioceses can

It is saddening, however, that as the Church seems to be alone in this fight, confusion and ambiguity surround the stand of their own shepherd of the flock. take the Holy Communion.

St. John Paul II reaffirmed in his exhortation Familiaris Consortio that the divorced and remarried cannot receive communion as “their state and condition of life objectively contradict that union of love between Christ and the Church which is signified and effected by the Eucharist.”

He added that for the Church to allow them to be admitted to the Eucharist would lead the faithful to error and confusion on her teaching on the indissolubility of marriage.

Pope Francis in contrast is not this clear on his stand.

His aim, he has often said, is to extend the Church’s mercy even to the divorced and remarried.

This can be viewed, however, as a softening on the part of her teachings and of providing

a leeway, which has drawn questions as to whether the magisterium of the Church has changed.

Despite calls for the Pope to “dispel all ambiguity” in Amoris Laetitia, particularly by cardinals of the Church, he has paid no response to the points raised for clarification and this choice has left bishops and parish priests all over the world with their own interpretations on how to carry out this new teaching.

German bishops, for example, have joined the bishops of Malta and Buenos Aires, the archdiocese where the Jesuit Pope came from, in paving the way for the divorced and remarried to communion.

In contrast, US bishops like Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia have issued

guidelines that “welcome” remarried Catholics and divorcees to parishes but forbid them from receiving communion unless they’re abstinent or living as brother and sister.

In the Philippines, no bishop has vigorously defended Amoris Laetitia. Most maintain a polite silence when asked about the papal document.

Unless the Holy Father opens dialogue and set things straight by a clear definition of his stand, this confusion might prolong and eventually, weaken the Church’s stance on divorce.

All this cloud of confusion does not help at all in the present situation in the country, where the last stronghold against divorce in Asia and in the world is at the brink of legalizing it.

In the University setting, our bishops have also failed in finding an ally in the presidential bets of the Central Student Council Executive Board elections, who both backed divorce during their mandatory debate last April 3.

In a roundtable discussion with the Varsitarian, these hopefuls said their support for divorce is their personal belief, In the Light PAGE 5

Facebook data mining: Use and misuse of social media THE USE of social media has always been double-edged.

On the one hand, people use social media mainly for communication. It is, by far, the easiest platform to connect with other people.

However, its massive success may also be manipulated for personal or business agenda, similar to the ongoing brouhaha over the data exploitation of Facebook.

Based on the 10 principles of social science concerned with the efficient use of scarce and resources, the cost of something is what you give up to get it as people face trade-offs. This is almost the same argument as Mark Zuckerberg’s, the founder of Facebook.

Christopher Wylie, who once worked in Cambridge Analytica, recently blew the whistle on Facebook for “harvest(ing) millions of people’s profiles.”

Cambridge Analytica (CA) is a British political consulting firm that combines data mining, data brokerage and

It is obvious that Facebook did not take a broad view of their responsibilities and that was a big mistake.

data analysis with strategic communication for the electoral process. “[The application] built models to exploit what we knew about them and target their inner demons,” Wylie told The Guardian. “That was the basis the entire company was built on,” Wylie said the application was the work of Cambridge University professor Aleksandr Kogan, who had approached CA that obtained permission

by Facebook to harvest data from its users. The test showed that the application would go into the user’s network and pull out all of

their friends’ data and status updates, likes and in some cases, private messages.

Facebook confirmed that as many as 87 million profiles were involved in thr data mining.

Wylie claimed CA used the data in behavioral sciences to help the companies connect with them on a “personal level.”

This means Facebook sold the date to businesses to aid their marketing strategies.

People had no idea that their data were being taken but Kogan affirmed that everything he did was legal and Facebook granted him permission for his app.

Zuckerberg said they tried to prevent these tools from being used for harm in the form of fake news, foreign interferences in election and hate speech as well as developers and data privacy.

But now that the damage has been done, it is obvious that Facebook did not take a broad view of their responsibilities and that was a big mistake.

Wylie said CA itself was founded using Facebook data. This means that Facebook’s security measure were not that tight as third parties could always manipulate and exploit our accounts. Included in these third parties are the software, website and applications we signed up for.

The Internet is a very powerful tool that could control our whole life, especially now that we are living in an environment where we create digital data Mad’ouk PAGE 5

MAY 4, 2018

CSC FROM PAGE 2 unanswered.

Santos, who served as CSC PRO, said the full-slate CSC Executive Board would be a “game-changer,” after last year’s two-man council. “[Having complete CSC officers] would be a gamechanger kasi nasanay ako na ang dami kong ginagampanang tungkulin, pero this time ‘di naman mababago yun kasi [I] had the opportunity to work with different people sa loob ng CSC [and] from different groups or organizations here in UST,” Santos told the Varsitarian in an interview.

All candidates for this year’s CSC elections ran independently, as Lakas Tomasino Coalition was suspended for one year and Lakas ng Diwang Tomasino, the sole student political party to be accredited, did not field any candidates.

GenSan FROM PAGE 1 the construction of satellite campuses in Santa Rosa and General Santos City in Mindanao were first unveiled

by Dagohoy in his 2015 Rector’s Report.

The University moved forward with its expansion in 2017, integrating with Angelicum College and Aquinas University of Legazpi, now UST Angelicum and UST Legazpi, respectively.

Dagohoy led the groundbreaking rites of UST Santa Rosa in Laguna in September last year, the first satellite campus of the University outside Metro Manila. JOB ANTHONY R. MANAHAN

Comelec Chairman Arvin Carlo Bersonda said the election process was smooth this year.

“What we could do now is to improve the election process.

At least we have seen how the system works and it [gave] me a proud moment since it is a system made by Thomasians…

We’re looking forward to [using] it next elections,” Bersonda said.

The newly elected presidents of the different faculties and colleges of the University will become members of the next CSC Central Board, the student body’s legislative arm.

They are Jealar Lazaga (Accountancy), Rafael Arellano (Arts and Letters), Maria Dascha Uy (Architecture), Nikki Mei Ko (Civil Law), Carl Joseph Reyes (Commerce), Maricris Chuang (Education), Kristienne Mary Magsanoc (Education High School), Catherine Rose Sta. Romana (Engineering), Marianne Therese Lacap (Information and

In the Light FROM PAGE 4

which does not reflect the stance of the whole council and of the University as a Catholic and pontifical institution.

While it is true that one man is not the whole council, how would one fulfill the mandate of the council’s constitution to that is to “uphold the Christian ideals and objectives of the University” when their belief –which they said they are willing to release a statement in favor of –is something which the council is supposed to go against those of a Catholic university?

Most people would raise

Computing Sciences), Jheanna Delleopac (Junior High School), Lance Estenar (Medicine and Surgery), Carlo Miguel Sarrosa (Pharmacy), John Alfred Rabena (Philosophy), Bryan Joshua Casao (Physical Education and Athletics), Bro. Sandy Alerta, O.P. (Sacred Theology), Vashwin Amarnani (Science), Ma. Taña Sanchez (Senior High School), Mikaela Janelle Mallorca (Nursing) and John Louis Torres (Tourism and Hospitality Management) The College of Fine Arts and Design (CFAD), College of Rehabilitation Sciences and the Faculty of Canon Law will conduct their elections from April 23 to 27. Winners of their respective local student councils will be proclaimed on April 27.

Ivan Pulanco, Comelec secretary to the adjudicatory, said the local Comelec units of CFAD, Rehabilitation Sciences, and Canon Law would release resolutions regarding their local elections.

“They’re currently working

it out but we need to wait for the resolution of the individual units in order to get a full picture of who was proclaimed or if special elections are necessary.

We expect resolutions to be published within five days from the different units around the university,” Pulanco told the Varsitarian.

The schedule for the elections of the Conservatory of Music has yet to be announced, after candidates were disqualified.

Comelec announced on March 8 the removal of the “abstain” option in the online ballots, in compliance with the order of the Central Judiciary Board. Voters were left with the option to leave positions unanswered.

This year, 26,148 out of a population of 37,658 students, or 69.44 percent, participated in the University-wide student elections, an increase from last year’s voter turnout of 28,858 out of 43,762 students or 66 percent.

their eyebrows as to why our leaders being in favor of divorce have to be such an issue. For what it’s worth, it has to be, because the loyalty of leaders does not only belong to their people; it belongs as well to the identity of the institution that they represent.

And to say that leaders are supposed to only represent the stand of their constituents is both vague and lacking. For they should have the moral compass and ascendency to determine what is right and wrong, to embody what is right and to lead their people into it.

In his visit to UST in 1995, St. John Paul II urged the Filipino academic community to “reflect on the priority of the ethical over the technical, of

the primacy of the person over things, of the superiority of the spirit over matter.”

He too, called on the Filipino youth to be men and women who are “capable of self-discipline, of committing themselves to the highest ideals, ready to change radically the false values which have enslaved so many young people and adults.”

For this, it is hoped that the newly elected student council will stand up and speak on this matter, for as representatives of Thomasians, it must not veer away from the teachings of the Church and abandon it in its fight against divorce—for our Thomasian identity is mainly rooted in UST’s Catholic identity.

Mad’ouk FROM PAGE 4

in everything we do. The controversy is a wake-up call that people’ privacy must be protected in the digital age.

This episode is a blot on the record of Facebook.

Breached data could be deleted, replaced or fixed, but the damage and trust of people could not be repaired.

At the end of the day, it will fall upon us on how we choose and use social media. We need to be responsible citizens on- and and off-line because everything we post and put online will be taken against us.

Usapang Uste FROM PAGE 2 Tomasino Siya Natatangi ang naiambag ni Jose Ma. Hubilla hindi lamang sa larangan ng pagdidisenyo kundi pati na rin sa larangan ng pagtuturo.

Nagtapos siya ng kursong Interior Design noong 1965 sa Unibersidad. Bago niya itatag ang Johnny Hubilla Atelier for Interior Design services, nagsimula siyang magturo sa Philippine School of Interior Design noong 1960.

Isinulong niya ang paggamit ng mga materyales na matatagpuan sa Filipinas sa paggawa at pagdidibuho ng iba’t ibang kasangkapan, muwebles at mga palamuti.

Pinangunahan din ni Hubilla ang pagdidisenyo ng Philippine Expositions and Pavilions sa

Opinion 5

Editorial FROM PAGE 4

it was important to make a stand on social issues.

However, when questioned on his stand on national issues such as the jeepney phaseout, he said he was “too focused” on his studies and his work at the Faculty of Pharmacy Student Council that he had no time to engage with, or at least be knowledgeable of, current issues.

Part of the problem was that the candidates were not made to debate in English. Allowed to use Filipino, they did not really speak Filipino but a chaotic pidgin (or is it patois?) of Filipino and English, or what used to be called “Taglish.” UST students are much like most students in Metro Manila who are unable to speak fluently in English or in Filipino, much less write in passable English or Filipino (precisely why law graduates from the provinces, especially the Visayas, have been topping the bar exams, which are in English, for some years now). Because they almost always lapsed back to creole speech, the candidates weren’t really able to articulate their thoughts, much less articulate them logically. It is here why the Comelec, which made the debate “mandatory,” should be held culpable for poor organization and management of the debate. If the debate were in Singapore, for example, the candidates would be “authorized” or “mandated” to speak in English; those who would speak in “Singlish,” as the English-based patois of the Straits island-state is known, would be penalized or even eliminated.

“Marami tayong data na magpapakita na maraming babae na nagkakaroon ng unhealthy relationships to the point na nawawala na yung sanctity of marriage,” Santos said in the debate on their stands on divorce. “Para sa akin mahalgang protektahan ang pamilya, pero ano pang po-protektahan natin kung wala naman na talagang nagwo-work? So para sa akin, I’m for divorce.”

His opponent just echoed his vague statement.

“I am in favor of divorce. Una sa lahat, dapat natin balansehin ang paniniwala natin bilang andito tayo sa Catholic university,” Cruz said. Does that make sense?

Some candidates tried to tackle social issues, such as the privatization of state hospitals, but lost the audience when they went into technical details in which they tried obviously to show their mastery of the subject matter. But that’s all right, since they attempted to provide intelligent discussion. But in the case of the three candidates for public relations officers, they were clearly overkilling it when they went into such topics as communist insurgency and constitutional reforms, topics that would otherwise be remotely in the list of duties and obligations of the public office they were running for. But at least they tried intelligent discussion, despite their incomprehensible patois.

A complete set of student council officers was declared after 26,148 out of a population of 37,658 students, or 69.44 percent, participated in the student elections. But these figures hardly indicate the triumph of democracy on campus. The Comelec had earlier ruled out abstentions to avoid last year’s disastrous results. This was said to be to obey the Central Judiciary Board that excluded “abstain” from the ballot. How such a board could disqualify abstention which is the right of any voter anywhere and in any situation should indicate how the student governance and suffrage in UST are a matter of “mandatory” and authoritarian arrogance and not of democratic grace.

But as the lamebrained CSC debate should show, the elections are the triumph not so much of democracy, but of vacuity and unintelligibility.

mga pagtitipon na idinaos sa bansang Estados Unidos, Canada, Germany at Thailand.

Naging kasapi siya ng Interior Design of Specialty Board of the Professional Regulation Commission noong 1987 hanggang 1989.

Nanilbihan siya bilang bise presidente ng National Commission on Culture and the Arts’ of the Committee on Architecture and Allied Arts noong taong 2001. Naupo rin si Hubilla noong 2012 bilang chancellor ng College of Fellows of the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers.

Isa rin si Hubilla sa nagpanukala upang maipasa ang Republic Act 8534 at House Bill 1267 na naglalayong protektahan ang mga lisensyadong Interior Designers at kanilang mga kliyente.

Bukod sa epektibong pamumuno sa ilang mga organisasiyon, malaki rin ang kaniyang naimbag sa

mga tanyag na pahayagan tulad ng Reader’s Digest, Asia Magazine, CCP encyclopedia in Architecture and Allied Arts, Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer at Real Living.

Ginawaran si Hubilla ng The Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Award noong 2004.

Tomasalitaan panguling (png) – pagsira sa pangako, pagtataksil sa sumpaan Hal: Sa kaniyang paglisan, hindi tiyak ang patutunguhan ng mga panguling na sa kanila’y namagitan.

Mga sanggunian The Varsitarian TOTAL Awards 2014 ERMA R. EDERA at CHRIS V. GAMOSO

6 Features

Editor: Chelsey Mei Nadine B. Brazal

MAY 4, 2018

UST education grad has a heart for special kids ELEANOR Hessari went as far as New York in the US looking for more progressive approaches to teaching children with special needs.

Hessari, an alumna of the UST College of Education, brought home these lessons hoping to clarify misconceptions about them.

“I often tell my students to not underestimate the abilities of their special needs students,” she said in an email. “Children can surprise you in more ways than one [so] allow them to do things on their own.”

A common impression is that children with special needs are “in capable of learning, working and living independently,” said Hessari, who is now a supervising teacher at the College of Education.

Hessari, 35, initially found her advocacy for education when she took up the religious education and school guidance program in UST. A year after graduation, she pursued a teaching job in the University while taking up a master’s degree program in special education at De La Salle University.

In 2009, Hessari flew to New York to further study courses on early childhood general and special education at the Bank Street Graduate School of Education.

“I stepped out of my comfort zone with the over-arching purpose of coming back home and give back to the country where a lot of work has to be done for children and their families particularly those with special needs,” she said.

In New York, Hessari learned the “Developmental-Interaction Approach to teaching children with special needs. The approach, also known as the “Bank Street Approach,” combines social interaction, facilitated learning and the use of materials such us sand, water, blocks and play-dough. For Hessari, this is a more “holistic and progressive approach” because it widens the children’s imagination and creativity independently.

She is now a New York State-certified general and special education teacher, a status she earned after accomplishing a series of exams that took a year to complete.

When she returned to the Philippines in 2013, she became a faculty consultant for the Summit School in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. There she introduced the “Developmental-Interaction Approach” but initially faced difficulty.

“Moving back here, [it was a challenge] trying to contextualize everything I learned and trying to bring [that approach] into thisculture and the beliefs of educators and families here,” she said.

“I understand it’s hard for parents because they want their kids to learn a certain way so it’s really making [them] understand that your kid will get there. You just have to wait, you just have to give what they need at the moment, and then they will get there.”

She was one of the researchers behind UST’s inclusive education project called “Pre-referral Intervention Manuals.” The project is a guide for public school teachers on catering the needs of students who exhibit developmental delays.

Hessari is also the adviser of the Guild of Thomasian Speducators, an organization that advocates for people with disabilities and special education.

“Teaching through modeling is always the most effective strategy,” she said.

Hessari also does one-on-one sessions with children with special needs.

For aspiring special education teachers, she advised not to make their students become dependent on them.

She recommended that they should treat them with the genuine kindness naturally extended towards typically developing individuals.

“At the end of the day, ask yourself, who is typical anyway? We are all atypical – we all like different things, we all express ourselves differently.

It is our differences that make us beautiful and stand out,” she said. JULIA CAMILLE B. OCAYA

Eleanor Hessari

Pope’s United Nations SHS student is street envoy is a Thomasian

singer at night

EVERY night at 6, Kristopherson Madrigal settles in front of a convenient store on P. Noval Street, belting out tunes with his guitar.

It’s something Madrigal, a UST senior high school student, loves to do, and needs as well.

“Ginagawa ko ito para at least man lang may pangbaon o ipon na ako for the future kasi ilang taon pa ako mag-aaral,” says Madrigal, whose performance has gone viral on social media.

“Ginagapang talaga ng mother ko para makapag-aral ako rito sa UST.” The family has been struggling to make ends meet since Madrigal’s father passed away in 2011.

His mother works as a caretaker of apartments, while occasionally joining singing competitions.

Music is something that runs in the family, Madrigal’s late father being a musical arranger and vocal coach.

“I can see his father in him, especially when it comes tomusic,” his mother Jo Ann said.

Father and son used to compete in local and international singing competitions.

They joined the second season of Pilipinas Got Talent and the World Championship of Performing Arts in Los Angeles, California.

Madrigal serves in the music ministry of their church. His fellow member, Nesta Ip, commends Madrigal’s “bravery.”

“I’m very proud to see that he fights his fears or insecurities to make it through life. You see, it’s not easy to go and sing in the streets. This is a big adjustment for him,” he said.

For his street performances, Madrigal usually plays a combination of pop and worship songs.

His covers of “When We Were Young” by Adele Adkins and “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz got the most attention.

Aside from performing, Madrigal also conducts house-to-house voice lessons in Cubao twice a week.

Although shy at first, Madrigal found confidence and company among the street vendors on P. Noval Street who would offer him food and water.

“Kung hindi nila ginawa ‘yong tumulong, lagi akong mai-ilang. Isa sila sa mga nagiging drive ‘ko para patuloy pa rin akong kumanta,” Madrigal said.

A Grade 12 student, Madrigal expressed interest in pursuing a degree in the University’s Conservatory of Music. LOUISE CLAIRE H. CRUZ and DAPHNE YANN P. GALVEZ Kristopherson Madrigal

THE VATICAN’S representative to the United Nations (UN) in New York believes that one’s specific calling in the Church takes a long to come.

B i s h o p Bernardito Auza, ordained priest in the Diocese of Tagbilaran in 1985, was appointed permanent observer of the Holy See to Archbishop Bernardito Auza the UN in 2014 when as a seminarian. he was still serving as apostolic nuncio Auza said he and his classmates to Haiti. would go to a statue of St. Catherine His full title is Titular Archbishop of Alexandria, which stood very of Suacia, Apostolic Nuncio, Permanent close to the walls of the Central Observer of the Holy See to the United Seminary, to celebrate birthdays Nations and to the Organization of and satisfy what they craved.

American States.

“So, besides being our Before becoming the Vatican’s Patroness of Philosophy, she was top diplomat, Auza admitted that he very helpful in other ways. We did not know much about diplomacy, cannot thank Saint Catherine citing that one of the Vatican’s roles enough!” Auza quipped. that has not always been made public is “If the statue is still there, I’m its mediation of international conflicts. afraid I am giving a terrible idea to “I was not aware of the existence the seminarians at the UST Central of the Holy See’s diplomatic service, Seminary!” he added. and if I were, I would never have pursued it on my own will because I Hardships away from home would consider my character unsuited The prelate’s most difficult for a diplomat,” Auza said in an e-mail missions were when he was interview. assigned to Bulgaria to help the Auza, who studied philosophy Catholic churches retrieve all of and theology in the University, said he their properties confiscated by the initially felt hesitant when he was given communist government and in the opportunity to serve as a prelate- Haiti during the monstrous 2010 diplomat, having been a “rowdy” earthquake. seminarian.

Born and raised in Bohol, Auza “In brief, I did not desire to pursue said he merely went along with this road. I started to take it, pursue it what potential his superiors saw in and stay on it primarily for obedience, him. then I have come to believe it could be “In the service of the Church, my “most likely” specific calling in the you don’t choose what you want Church,” Auza said. to do or what specific ministry you want to pursue and do. [I] was ‘Thankful to Catherine of chosen because of my previous Alexandria’ experiences in multilateral affairs,” Auza recalled long nights coupled he said. “I can only hope that with semestral exams and sneaking Pope Francis has not regretted past his formator-priests to climb over his decision!” PEARL ANNE the walls in pursuit of the “balut” GUMAPOS vendor, when he was in the University

MAY 4, 2018

Witness 7

‘Online hookups, sex-saturated cyber world abetting family breakdowns’ the user only needs to “swipe right” on the Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick screen.

Pabillo, echoed the Theology professor “These apps encourage a kind of and said Filipino society has embraced dating that encourages intimacy without devalued sexual intercourse, maintaining commitments e.g., hookups, one-night that it should always be directed to stands,” Maneja told the Varsitarian in an procreation and family. e-mail.

This culture, Pabillo said, has The nationwide survey by the weakened marriages dramatically.

Demographic Research and Development “Hindi nabibigyang halaga ang kasal.

Foundation and the University of the [A]ng kultura ngayon ay masyadong Philippines Population Institute noted the sex-oriented so hindi nakikita na [ito] ay shift of young people’s preference from pagbibigay ng buhay,” Pabillo said. traditional to new media, which was also Pabillo added that Filipinos now tend evident in their sexual behaviors. to separate sex and marriage, which in Twenty-five percent or one in every Church teachings are treated as one. four Filipino youth have sent or received sex “Ang kultura ngayon ay masyadong videos through cellphones or the Internet, sex-oriented kaya ang mga tao ay while one in every 100 Filipino youth has hinihiwalay `yung sex sa kasal. Kaya recorded his or her own sex video. nagse-sex na sila, wala pang kasal so hindi Maneja, Thousands a marriage counselor, said pagse-sex ayLife.” pagbibigay STRENGTH IN NUMBERS. of Filipino Catholics flockednakikita to Lunetana forang the 2018 “Walk for this trend was an indication that Christian ng buhay,” he said. maturity was no longer important in dating.

The Philippine Statistics Authority has

EXPERTS are lamenting the decline of marriages and public regard for family and life, a trend they linked to the prevalence of a growing “culture of sex” in the country.

Stressing the importance of Christian maturity in dating, Warren Maneja, a Theology professor from the UST Institute of Religion, said the youth have absorbed a “misunderstanding” of the value of sexuality and family through the climate of intimacy that technology has brought.

Different forms of online dating encourage intimacy without commitment, he said, citing popular applications like “Tinder.”

Tinder is a dating application that shows the user a profile picture with a small description of the person of interest. To “like” the person and to set up a meeting,

reported a 30 percent fall in the number of registered marriages for the past 12 years. Between 2010 and 2015, Catholic marriages dropped 11 percent while those officiated by judges or mayors declined 16 percent.

Co-habitation, counselling Co-habitation, an arrangement where an unmarried couple lives together, presents a big challenge to marriage since it forgoes the sense of Christian responsibility in raising a family, said Maneja.

“Because there would always be the proverbial backdoor where you can get out in cohabitation when things aren’t going your way,” he said.

In 2014 studies of the Philippine Statistics Authority and consultancy firm ICF covering the past two decades, it was found that the proportion of cohabiting Filipino women of reproductive age almost trebled, from 5.2 percent in 1993 to 14 percent.

“Cohabitation has a much higher dissolution rate than formal marriage, the rise in cohabitation will likely lead to an increase in the proportion of Filipinos who are separated,” the study said.

Fr. Winniefred Naboya, judicial vicar of the Diocese of Malolos, said the decline of Catholic marriages may be due to the fear of some couples of lifetime commitment, so they opt to stay as live-in partners.

“Some do not believe in marriage itself, afraid of a lifetime commitment which is one of the demands of the sacramental marriage… So if troubles come, they can easily separate without going through any process to nullify marriage,” he said.

Pabillo said most Filipinos opt not to marry before the Church, as strict requirements for a Catholic marriage were often feared by couples who had conceived children out of wedlock.

Family PAGE 10

‘Truth uplifts dignity of the person’: Shorter theology curriculum Thomasian nun marks silver jubilee to be offered next academic year

A THOMASIAN nun said truth uplifts the dignity of the human person as she celebrated her 25th jubilee anniversary as a Good Shepherd sister last April 22.

Sr. Regina Kuizon, RGS, a journalism alumna of UST and former Varsitarian assistantpublications adviser, said the truth is based on God’s righteousness and not on people’s interests. “[I]t was the pursuit of truth that guided me in every article that I wrote. [T]he truth that is based on God’s righteousness and not our selfish interests. They must uplift the dignity of the person. If the person has committed wrong especially if a public official, that wrong must be denounced, but that person ought to be challenged to reform, to change his or her ways, and return to righteousness,” Kuizon told the Varsitarian in an interview.

Sr. Regina Kuizon, RGS

She added: “The challenge to all of us is continue to be prophetic at this time: to proclaim the truth and to denounce what is evil.”

Kuizon reminded how the Catholic vocation is present in everyone, mirroring Pope Francis’ statement on how God continually comes to encounter his people.

“The Christian vocation has always been prophetic in nature [a]nd in recent days, our prophetic role has been put to the test,” Kuizon said.

The provincial superior of the Religious of the Good Shepherd, Kuizon expressed support for Sr. Patricia Fox, the Australian missionary nun who was recently detained due to her alleged participation in rallies against government policies.

“We have concerns that a fellow religious was being harassed. We stand with Sr. Patricia Fox of the Our Lady of Sion and all human rights defenders,” she said.

Fox is the co-founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion and has been doing missionary work in the Philippines for 27 years.

Kuizon was formerly based in Rome, Italy and worked as director of Communications of the Religious of the Good Shepherd from 2003 to 2009 before she became the provincial superior. Today, she is also the co-chairwoman of the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines.

She served as the Varsitarian’s Special Reports editor from 1982 to 1983 and assistant publications adviser from 1985 to 1990.

The Religious of the Good Shepherd, formally known as the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, has almost 4,000 sisters in 70 countries. PEARL ANNE F. GUMAPOS

THE UST Institute of Religion is set to implement a streamlined theology curriculum in Academic Year 2018 to 2019.

The Institute of Religion moved two subjects that weigh three units each to the UST Senior High School (SHS) and added a new three-unit course to the college curriculum.

From 15 units or five subjects, the curriculum for college students will be trimmed to 12 units or four subjects.

The “Salvation History” and “Church and Sacraments” courses that were originally taught in college will now be taught in SHS. The two courses will replace the course taken

by SHS students titled “Fundamentals of Faith.”

The new curriculum for college students consists of “Christian Vision of the Human Person,” formerly known as Christian Ethics; “Christian Vision of Marriage and the Family,” formerly known as Marriage and Family; “Christian Vision of the Church and Society,” formerly known as Social Teachings of the Church; and the new course titled “Living the Christian Vision in the Contemporary World,” which will tackle the dialogue with culture, faith, nature and other religions.

Allan Basas, a professor from the Institute of Religion and one of those who designed the new curriculum, clarified that despite the changes, relevant themes from the old courses

in college would still be taught in the new curriculum. “ T h e themes that are pertinent to Salvation History and Church and Sacraments, they will still be tackled in the Theology courses that we have,” Basas told the Varsitarian.

Basas said all the courses carry “Christian Vision” in the titles as everything on the curriculum and teaching methods would be Christian-centered.

The new curriculum will make Thomasians respond better to new teaching methods to be applied by UST Theology professors, he said.

“What we envisioned here is the integrating faith and context in the light of the gospel,” he added,” Basas said.

Outcomes-based education model The revised curriculum will adapt an outcomes-based education (OBE) model, which is a system of organizing curricula and evaluating students based on measurable outputs produced.

Theology professor Ser Allan Bodoraya said today’s changing times Theology PAGE 10

8 Filipino

Patnugot: Jolau V. Ocampo

IKA-4 NG MAYO, 2018

Kasaysayan, hugpungan ng kaalaman sa pagsusulat ng mga kuwentong pambata HINIKAYAT ng isang dalubguro ang paglalangkap ng kasaysayan ng Filipinas sa pagsusulat ng mga kuwentong pambata sa idinaos na (AUTHOR)ities: The 9th Philippine International Literary Festival noong ika-19 ng Abril sa Cultural Center of the Philippines.

“Bawat kuwentong pambata ay isang pagsulyap sa kalagayan at karapatan ng mga bata noong mga nasabing panahon at paglingon sa makulay na kasaysayan ng ating bansa. Higit sa lahat, ang mga aral at halagang ibinabahagi sa mga kuwentong ito ay inaasahang makatutulong upang mahubog ang mga batang mambabasa sa kanilang bayan at kasaysayan,” wika ni Nelson Joseph Fabre, dalubguro sa Armed Forces of the Philippines at dating guro sa asignaturang Filipino sa Xavier School.

“Nakitang epektibong pamamaraan sa pagtuturo hindi lamang sa kasaysayan ngunit gayundin sa panitikan upang ipaabot sa mga mambabasa at mag-aaral ang hangarin at layunin ng kuwentong pambata,” dagdag pa niya.

Natukoy din ni Fabre na nahihirapan ang mga edukador na ilapit ang kasaysayan lalo na sa mga batang mag-aaral dahil nauunahan sila sa maling paniniwala na kailangan lang nila memoryahin ang mga detalye tulad ng petsa, lugar, pangyayari at batas na nangyari sa mahahabang salaysay.

“Maganda siyang [kasaysayan] maging device para mailapit ito sa mga bata na hindi

sila natatakot. Aminin na natin, hindi tayo mahilig magkabisado pero dahil ito ay parehong kasaysayan at panitikan nagiging mas enticing sa atin,” pagdidiin niya.

Ibinahagi at ginawang halimbawa ni Fabre ang seryeng Batang Historyador na binubuo ng limang kuwentong pambata na pinamagatang “Si Diwayen Noong Bago Dumating ang mga Espanyol,” “Si Segunda Noong Panahon ng mga Espanyol,” “Si Juanito Noong Panahon ng mga Amerikano,” “Si Pitong Noong Panahon ng mga Hapon” at ”Si Jhun-jhun Noong bago Ideklara ang Batas Militar.”

Inilathala ang serye ng Adarna House sa pakikipagtulungan ng United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) na kilalang nagtataguyod ng mga karapatang pambata sa iba’t ibang bansa.

Napahalagahan sa serye ang gampanin ng mga bata na hindi lamang sila laging naglalaro o tagasunod sa mga itinatagubilin ng mga nakatatanda ngunit maaari rin silang sundan at sundin ng iba. Mayroon din silang kanikanilang dalahin at ideolohiya sa mga kuwento na sumasalamin sa lipunan na kanilang ginagalawan sa iba’t ibang panahon.

Bukod sa kasaysayan, nailangkap din sa serye ang kalagayan at karapatan ng batang Filipino.

“Mahalaga ring gamitin ang mga elemento

ng kuwento upang suriin at bigyang-lalim ang mga kuwentong nakaangkla sa kasaysayan ng Filipinas. Bukod pa rito, mahalaga na maipakita na ‘yong kontekstong panlipunan ang nagpapagana sa mismong kuwento dahil kung wala ito ay maaring kulang ang kabuuan ng kuwento,” wika ni Fabre.

Ibinahagi rin ni Fabre na mahalaga ang pormula ng masayang pagtatapos sa mga kuwentong pambata.

“Ang kuwentong pambata ay hindi lamang para sa mga bata dahil nag-iiba rin ang epekto ng kuwentong pambata sa atin. Hindi na lamang basta ito nagbibigay ng masayang pakiramdam kundi mas nabibigyan tayo ng mas bagong pagtanaw sa kasaysayan,” sabi ni Fabre.

“Bilang kritikal na mga mambabasa, ‘yan ang magiging hamon sa atin ng panitikan: maipakita natin sa ibang tao, sa iba pang mambabasa na tingnan natin sa ibang lente o pananaw ang mga nabasa natin nang sa gayon hindi lamang tayo nakakahon sa kahulugan ng panitikan,” wika niya.

Ayon pa kay Fabre, isang naratibo ang kuwentong pambata na maaring nasa anyong realismo, pantasya, o kombinasyon ng dalawa upang maging higit na kaaya-aya sa mga bata.

Karaniwang nag-iiwan ito ng kakintalan sa mga mambabasa.

Ilang halimbawa ng mga kuwentong pambata ang mga alamat, pabula at kuwentong

bayan na may kapanapanabik na paglalarawan at paglalahad ng kilos.

Bisa ng mga kuwentong pambata sa kasalukuyan Iginiit ni Fabre na mahalaga ang pagtatanim ng impormasiyon sa murang isipan ng mga bata.

“Makatutulong ang mga kuwentong pambata sa pagpapaliwanag sa mga bata sa mahalagang pangyayari sa kasaysayan nang hindi sila nalilito. Kapag kinuwento natin sa kanila ‘yong mga pangyayari sa kasaysayan sa paraang nauunawaan nila mas nakatutulong iyon para mahubog sila na maging mabuting mamamayan,” dagdag pa niya.

Naniniwala rin si Fabre na mahalagang katangian ng kuwentong pambata ang pananaw nito sa kultura ng batang mambabasa.

“May kultura sa bawat panahon which can also create social awareness dahil nalalaman ng bata kung ano ang nangyayari sa mga bata noon na maari nilang makita sa future na ganoon pa rin ang buhay noon na maari pa rin nating makita ngayon that’s why may impact pa rin ang mga kuwentong ‘yan,” sabi ni Fabre.

Bahagi ang pagtitipon na ito sa pagdiriwang ng Pambansang Buwan ng Panitikang Filipino na pinangunahan ng Pambansang Komisyon para sa Kultura at mga Sining sa pakikipagtulungan ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino at National Book Development Board. ERMA R. EDERA

Panukalang batas sa pagbisita sa mga makasaysayang lugar, isinulong

ISINULONG sa Kongreso ang panukalangbatas ukol sa pagbisita ng mga mag-aaral sa mga pampubliko at pribadong paaralan sa iba’t ibang makasaysayang lugar, bantayog at museo sa Filipinas.

Pinangunahan ni Lito Atienza, dating alkalde ng Maynila at isa sa mga tumatayong kinatawan ng BUHAY partylist, ang pagpapanukala ng Resolusyon Blg. 1757 na inaprubahan ng Kongreso noong ika-3 ng Abril.

Sinang-ayunan naman ito ng punongguro ng UST Education High School (EHS) na si Leonila Wilhelmina Baltazar at nagwikang tulay ang mga gawaing kagaya ng lakbay-aral sa paghubog ng pagiging makabayan ng mga mag-aaral.

“At EHS, we recognize the importance of inculcating a sense of nationalism among students through exposure trip activites. In fact, a visit to historical sites and museums has always been part of the itinerary in our annual fieldtrips,” wika ni Baltazar sa isang panayam sa Varsitarian.

Dagdag pa niya, “The educational trips conducted serve to deepen the students’ understanding and appreciation of particular topics discussed in the classroom across subject areas, being one of their many learning experiences.”

Sinang-ayunan din ni Baltazar ang nakasaad sa resolusiyon na magsisilbing lunsaran ang gawaing ito upang mas

maipakilala ang kabuluhan ng mga bantayog at lugar na sinubok ng panahon at kalamidad.

Pagmulat ng mga kabataan Nakasaad sa resolusiyon ang kahalagahan ng mga kabataang matutuhan, maranasan at makilahok sa likas na kasaysayan ng bansa at maipahinuha sa kanila ang pagmamalaki at responsibilidad ng paggunita at pag-alaga ng sariling kultura.

Naniniwala si Katrina Tugas, dating mag-aaral ng EHS, na nakatutulong ang mga lakbay-aral sa pagbuo ng identidad bilang Filipino.

“During my last year in high school, from resorts, [the school] opted for different museums... those bits of information will help a person know his/her national roots/ history that could contribute to building a sense of national identity and instill a sense of patriotism among them too,” kuwento ni Tugas.

Dagdag pa niya, hindi kasiyahan ang pangunahing layunin ng mga gawaing ito bagkus kung may nakuha o natutuhan ba ang mga mag-aaral.

Sang-ayon dito si Kristienne Magsanoc, ang pangulo ng konseho ng EHS sa susunod na panuruang taon, na nagsabing mas lalawak at lalalim ang kaalaman ng mga mag-aaral tungkol sa kultura, heritage, at tradisiyon ng Filipinas.

Paliwanag pa ni Magsanoc,

“Nagpapabugso ito sa ating damdaming pagka-Filipino at mas maiintindihan natin kung ano ang humubog sa ating kasalukuyan…It’s also a way of preserving, promoting and appreciating our history at saka ‘yong mga matututuhan pong aral dito ay puwedeng ma-i-apply ngayon at sa future.”

Para naman kay Christine Francisco, dating mag-aaral ng JHS, kapakipakinabang ang lakbay-aral dahil mas napahahalagahan nito ang pag-aaralan sa loob ng silid-aralan.

“I think, it’s worth it considering na hindi na lang ito yung nababasa ko sa books. It’s actually here and I got to see it on my own…you get to appreciate what you’re learning outside of the classroom,” paglalahad ni Francisco.

“As a Filipino student you appreciate those things kasi you realize how rich your culture is and it goes beyond yung malaman mo lang ‘yong facts. Later you’ll realize why things happen in certain ways sa society and by knowing history you have answers,” dagdag pa niya.

Ibinatay din ang resolusiyon sa Artikulo XIV, Seksiyon 18 (2) ng Konstitusyon kung saan hinihikayat ang paghimok at pagsuporta sa mga pananaliksik at pag-aaral na may kaugnayan sa sining at kultura. ERMA R. EDERA at CHRIS V. GAMOSO

Editor: Neil Jayson N. Servallos

MAY 4, 2018

Special Reports 9

UST to offer 6-year medicine program THE FACULTY of Medicine and Surgery will offer a six-year medicine program beginning Academic Year 2019 to 2020, to prevent a drastic decline in enrollment as a result of the K to 12 basic education reform.

In September, senior high school graduates may apply for the “Innovative Doctor of Medicine” program, which will allow them to take up medicine proper after two years of general courses. Unlike in the existing scheme, applicants of the new doctor of medicine program would not be required to have a bachelor’s degree.

The new program was approved on April 11 by the Academic Senate composed of college deans and other top University officials. A group of doctors prepared the curriculum.

Dr. Anita Sangalang, one of the curriculum designers, said “basic sciences” taught in senior high school would be enough to train students during the medicine proper.

The program will provide a “more concentrated and rigid” preparation for medical students, she said.

“When focused only on the topics needed to become a medical student, their preparation becomes more concentrated and rigid compared to the ones in the regular four years,” she told the Varsitarian.

The regular medicine program will run parallel to the six-year program during its trial year, Sangalang said.

Both will continue to accept applicants starting next application season.

“If it’s going to work out, we can scrap the regular four-year course. But we will see since it depends on what happens,” she said.

Trial period Only 90 senior high school graduates will be admitted to the program’s initial implementation period.

Rey Donne Papa, chairman of

the UST Department of Biology, said applicants must be screened exhaustively for the program to succeed.

“I [hope they] become very selective in choosing the best and the most prepared students to undergo the program since the stress and challenge of medical school may be a factor in attrition rates in this program” he said.

“I believe this is not for everyone, still.”

Sangalang said the selection process for the program’s trial period would be strict.

“Sala naman sila kasi you’re like getting the top 80 only from the particular strand of your K to 12, pero siyempre in the long run hindi mo talaga maiiwasan na there are students who will change their mind,” she said.

A significant decrease in the number of students enrolled in premedicine courses is expected when the program is implemented. “[T]here may be decrease in applicants since in our demographics, a significant fraction of attendance use pharmacy, medical technology and biochemistry as their pre-med course,” Pharmacy professor Peter Quilala said in an interview.

For College of Science Dean John Donnie Ramos, enrollment in pre-medicine programs will not be affected if the program admits a limited number of students.

“It might affect a bit the quality of students we are taking but quantity should not be a major concern since we have more than enough freshmen who want to enter our more popular pre-med programs in the College each year,” he said.

Risks Compressing the academic load of students may cause a “stressful academic life,” Ramos said.

Dr. Anthony Leachon, Medicine

alumnus and PhilHealth independent director, said UST must guarantee that students under the trial period of the curriculum would be monitored.

“UST has to ensure that we provide guidance, mentoring, coaching for these young students, essentially teenagers, and even extend these safety nets to students in the regular program,” he said.

Ramos also urged the University to be careful in removing the existing medicine track because it would “affect the viability” of traditional pre-medicine programs. “[As] long as CHEd is silent on how medicine program should be taught in the Philippines, we should give students the option to choose between the traditional and the shortened tracks because both have their own pros and cons,” he said.

Quilala said that if the premedicine program requirement is removed, there should be a mechanism to accept students who have finished pre-medicine courses.

“Those with an undergraduate degree may be at an advantage in maturity and will acquire a second bachelor’s degree from the six-year medicine program,” he said.

Leachon said the new program should not affect pre-medicine courses significantly as shown by the experience of other universities that have adopted it.

“In fact, it has encouraged healthy competition among graduates of pre-medicine to best their directentry counterparts,” he said.

The University of the Philippines-Manila, through its Intarmed program, implements a seven-year medicine program while De La Salle University offers six years of medicine education with its Human Biology program. ARIANNE AINE D. SUAREZ

Church-run schools to close if taxed, CEAP warns SECTARIAN schools may shut down if the income tax is imposed on religious institutions and schools, because it will increase the cost of education, Catholic education leaders have warned.

On April 10, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez bared a proposal to lift the 1987 Constitution’s tax exemption for religious institutions and church-run schools as part of constitutional amendments.

When Congress amends the Charter to shift to a federal system government, lawmakers could look into amending Article 6, Section 28 (3) which mandates that churches and charitable institutions be exempted from taxation.

Fr. Joel Tabora, S.J., president of Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), said imposing taxes on church-run schools would weaken educational operations and services of private and parochial mission schools.

This could force schools to close, Tabora added.

“The schools which contribute education to Filipinos at no major cost to the State, since they operate on private money, are forced to close or are hampered in their desire to improve the quality of their education,” Tabora told the Varsitarian in an e-mail.

There are 351 schools affiliated with religious groups, according to

the latest data from the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd).

Lawyer Joseph Noel Estrada, legal counsel of CEAP, said the move would also prompt school fee increases, and the closure of private schools would force the government to build more schools.

“A lot of schools will close and government will be forced to take on responsibility. It will cause the government to put up more schools and to hire more people to operate educational institutions,” Estrada told the Varsitarian.

Article 6, Section 28 in the Constitution states that “Charitable institutions, churches and parsonages, or convents appurtenant thereto, mosques, nonprofit cemeteries, and all lands, buildings and improvements, actually, directly and exclusively used for religious, charitable or educational purposes shall be exempt from taxation.”

Section 4 states that all income and assets of non-stock, non-profit educational institutions used for educational purposes shall be also exempted from taxes and duties.

Edmundo Garcia, one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, said the tax exemption of sectarian schools was placed in the charter to recognize the academic service that the government could not offer to the youth.

“Schools run by religious as well as non-profit, non-stock entities do public service addressing national needs not readily responded to by the inability of the State given competing demands on its finite resources,” he told the Varsitarian.

Garcia added that religious institutions have provided indispensable and “altruistic” opportunities in forming the youth to meet the demands of the country’s growing population.

‘Schools struggle enough’ Estrada, who had worked closely with numerous sectarian schools, said Catholic schools struggle in maintaining the quality of education and facilities.

“It is really a struggle to sustain the operations and much more to maintain a certain quality but quality entails cost. If you don’t have enough resources then you cannot also sustain a certain standard of quality,” he said.

In March 2017, Alvarez took a swipe at church-run schools for tuition hikes. “`Yung mga ibang private schools mababa `yung tuition pero bakit pinagbabayad natin sila ng tax doon sa income nila sa eskwelahan. Pero bakit itong mga run by religious institutions ang mamahal nung mga tuition fees

TomSpeak Professors weigh in on compressed med program THE VARSITARIAN asked professors for their take on the proposed six-year medicine program and how it could affect pre-medicine programs.

“I do not agree with it not because I’m doubtful of the capacity of the program to produce competent doctors…I think it will be a competition to premed programs and for those with small populations, the six-year program may kill [them] in the process.” -Charlie Cruz, pharmacy instructor “Given the difficulty of med school, it would be interesting to see if these two-year pre-med takers actually survive med at all.” - Jonathan Carlo Briones, biology instructor “[It] will not really affect pre-medicine courses because you’re only getting a few students. Ilang sections lang `yan… sala naman sila kasi you’re like getting the top 80 only from the particular strand of your K to 12.” Anita Sangalang, pharmacology professor “Students still have difficulty taking medical sources even if they already took pre-medical courses, what more if we do away with it? The pre-medicine course will be greatly affected since students who would like to go to medicine will not anymore enroll in pre-med programs.”

- Jaycee Paguirigan, biology professor “Being a graduate of a pre-med course will give students an edge in med school as they were already exposed to the ‘basics.’” - Sharmaine de la Cruz, pharmacy instructor “The four-year baccalaureate degree may prolong the amount of time to study medicine, but it makes the students better prepared for the rigors of medicine, and will also ensure that the students have a ‘fall back’ baccalaureate degree if they do not finish medicine.” Rey Donne Papa, biology department chairman and professor “It is a new avenue for the University to attract and mold students into great doctors. However, this new program must be able to provide rigorous screening to ensure that the program will be successful.” - Martin Raemond Mallabo, pharmacy instructor “It will not have too much effect on the pre-med courses except that the crème de la crème of students who are potential board topnotchers in the licensure exams will now go directly to medicine.” - Jun Guevarra, medical technology professor “This will increase the number of [doctors] hoping they would really serve the rural areas as where their expertise is needed.” - Agnes Castillo, pharmacy instructor compiled by ARIANNE AINE D. SUAREZ

(sic) tapos libre `yung income tax,” he said in a report on the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Tabora clarified that while church-run schools were successful in generating revenues, the excess of revenues over expenses were limited and spent to enhance education services.

Estrada said guidelines imposed by CHEd and the Department of Education (DepEd) on tuition increases must allot 70 percent to salaries of teachers and support staff and 20 percent to the improvement or modernization of equipment and facilities.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) also aggressively monitors and regulates revenues of schools nationwide, Estrada added.

Revenue Memorandum Circular 64-2016 of the BIR mandates non-stock and non-profit educational institutions to pay internal revenue taxes for income

not related to their educational functions.

“If [sectarian schools’ revenues] don’t plow back [to school operations] then it will be taxed. For example, operation of canteens, from its leasing properties, if you cannot prove that it is used for education purposes, it will be taxed,” he added.

A 2014 Pew Research Center report showed countries such as Denmark, Iceland, Spain, San Marino, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Sweden, Finland and Germany tax their religious institutions.

But, in the United States, churches are exempted from taxes such as all 50 states in the District of Columbia freed churches from property taxes as reported by Forbes Magazine. MA. CONSUELO D.P. MARQUEZ

10 Limelight

Art Director: Shaina Mae L. Santander

MAY 4, 2018

TOMA N’ SHAN BY MARIYELLA ALYSA A. ABULAD

KWENTO NI MATO BY JOELLE ALISON MAE P. EUSEBIO

TOMAS U. SANTOS BY NATHANAEL JONAS SJ. RODRIGO

Family FROM PAGE 7 Lawyer Jeremy Gatdula, professor at the University of Asia and the Pacific, said couples with troubled marriages who go to counseling manage to stay together and cross the 25-year-old threshold, and their relationships become more solid and permanent.

The 2010 National Marriage Project study of the University of Virginia found that religiously united couples had higher chances of staying together.

Divorce, family laws Naboya said legislating for divorce would worsen problems brought forth by broken families.

The House of Representatives approved “The Act of Absolute Divorce and Dissolution of Marriage” on third and final reading last March 19.

The grounds for divorce in the bill include reasons stated for legal separation and annulment under the Family Code of the Philippines, psychological incapacity, gender reassignment surgery, irreconcilable differences and separation for at least five years.

The bill also aims to make divorce proceedings affordable by waiving filing and lawyers’ fees.

The Philippines and Vatican are the only two countries in the world without a law on divorce.

Since the family is the smallest unit of the society, a broken marriage may lead to a broken family and society, Naboya said.

Existing laws provide options for legal separation, annulment and in the case of the Church, declaration of nullity.

Critics however claim these procedures are timeconsuming and costly.

Gatdula stressed that strict requirements of the Church for dissolving marriages preserve the permanent character of

marriages.

“Iniimbita mo `yung mga tao na since alam mo na hindi naman permanente, madali kaming maghiwalay. [T]hen, it’s also being able to withstand ups and downs of life, na hindi [dahil] convenient, `yun agad ang pupuntahan nating paraan,” Gatdula told the Varsitarian.

Long-term solutions Naboya noted the lack of participation of married couples in Church programs and organizations like Couples for Christ, Christian Family Movement and Marriage Encounter seminars.

“It is a way of spiritualizing married couples, to make God the center of their commitment in marriage. They ignore the benefits of joining these organizations which are God-centered. [S]ince they received the sacrament in the Church, which is from God, the spiritual element of such commitment must be given major consideration,” Naboya said in an interview.

Pabillo said Church marriage is a holy sacrament that gives grace, and called on Catholics to be more concerned about the sacrament than the “externalities.”

“Ang tingin kasi nila kapag kinasal sa simbahan, kailangan ng damit, kailangan pang imbitahan ang mga ninong at ninang, kailangan pang maghanda. [M]as gusto nila yung maraming props na talagang babayaran,” he said.

Early catechesis on responsibilities marriage entails, as well as marriage counseling, are keys to build stronger families, he added..

“Mula sa kabataan, turuan na ang mga tao tungkol sa kasal na `yun ay isang serious na responsibilidad. [Strengthen] our family apostolate. [’Y]an ay hamon sa atin ng Simbahan - na dapat tulungan natin ang mga pamilya, accompany them lalung-lalo na sa mga pamilyang may nga problema,” he said. LEXANNE O. GARCIA

Pabasa FROM PAGE 3

kinatawan mula sa Marinduque, na nagsabing dapat itong taglayin sa diwa ng mga kabataan upang patuloy na maisabuhay ang pananampalataya.

“Ito pong pasiyon, na kasaysayan ng ating Panginoon, ay dapat punlahin sa ating puso’t isipan dahil ngayon po ay pinaiiral ang mga makina ng mga ‘di karapat dapat,” sabi niya. ‘ P a n a l a n g i n g napapanahon’ Iginiit naman ni Padre Dars Cabral, kura-

Theology FROM PAGE 7

have shifted how students think, a trend from which the Institute of Religion drew the decision to change the old curriculum and teaching methods.

“Sa pagtuturo ko, I really need to know the student before I teach because sometimes ‘yung mga sinasabi ko di na nila [naiintindihan] so kaming mga professors kailangan din namin sumabay o makibagay para maintindihan ‘yong saloobin ng mga estudyante,” Bodoraya told the Varsitarian.

“Hindi mo naman iisipin na paano ko matuturo `to na mas madali?

Parang ang iisipin mo doon, ano `yong maituturo ko na […] would be relevant to the students,” he added.

The new curriculum, through its application of OBE, seeks to enable Theology professors to monitor if the students respond well to Church teachings.

Bodoraya said the new set of curricula for both college and SHS

paroko ng Barasoain, na “panalanging napapanahon” ang pasyon at mabisang instrumento sa kasaysayan ng pananampalataya’t paninilay na nag-ugat sa kamalayan ng pagmamahal at kaugnayan sa Diyos ng mga Pilipino.

“Sa pamamagitan ng pagawit ng mga ito, isinasangayon natin ang nangyari sa Panginoong Hesukristo kaya sa mga kabataan ng simbahan, hindi ito tradisiyon [bagkus] ito ay panalangin na laging napapanahon,” sabi ni Cabral.

Dagdag pa niya, bagaman hindi praktikal ang pabasa dahil sa haba, gastos at kawalan ng interes ng kabataan, makikitaan ito ng kahalagahan dahil naiugat nito ang pagka-Filipino sa ating pananampalataya.

Nabanggit din ni Cabral ang aral ng Heswitang manunulat na si Padre Horacio de la Costa, na “awitin at pananampalataya” ang dalawang katangian ng mga Pilipino sa pakikipag-uganayan sa Diyos.

“Ipinagpapatuloy ng pabasa ang diwang ito – sa musika, nakakadaupangpalad natin ang ating pananampalataya.

Faith becomes practical actually in the pabasa dahil mayroon tayong isinasagawang pagpapasakit dito at ipinahahayag ng tugtog ang pagpapahayag ng ating pananampalataya,” wika niya.

Mahalaga ring alalahanin ang pagpapakasakit ni Kristo sa krus upang maunawaan ang aral sa pananampalataya sa

tradisiyon ng pabasa, dagdag ni Cabral.

Pinangunahan ng NCCA, Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) at Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ang “Pabasa: Himig ng Kultura sa Semana Santa” apat na araw bago ang pagbubukas ng Buwan ng Panitikan.

Ayon kay Almario, nauna itong isinagawa sapagkat mainam na itapat ito sa Semana Santa.

Ipinagdiriwang tuwing buwan ng Abril ang Buwan ng Panitikan sa pangunguna ng KWF at iba pang sangay na nangangasiwa sa pagpapayabong ng panitikang Filipino. CHRIS V. GAMOSO may ulat mula kay LEXANNE O. GARCIA

students would be unique and would make them become “more Thomasian.”

“Nagkakaroon na siya ng Thomasian identity,” Bodoraya said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

The new Theology courses will also cover community development activities in partnership with the Center for Campus Ministry and UST-Simbahayan, during recollections in the first and second years.

The Institute of Religion started drafting the revised Theology curriculum in September 2015 following the approval of the Council of Regents of the review of the old Theology curriculum.

how do you measure `yung mga outcome `pag faith iyong tinuturo mo `di ba?” he added.

Department of Philosophy Chairman Paolo Bolaños said that while standardizing OBE in the Theology curriculum would make activities and outcomes clear, Catholic teachings cannot be measured by outputs.

“Ano ba ang specific outcome for you to become what? A good Catholic? But how can you measure that?

You cannot measure it with figures or grades,” Bolaños told the Varsitarian.

Bolaños also stressed that being a “good Catholic” is not a skill, but a value that should be upheld.

Bodoraya argued that while professors need to grade students through tests and outputs for evaluation, it would not be enough for students to merely recall lessons. The lessons should be applied.

“Now even the process of coming up with outcomes, dapat may gabay ng mga professors. Pero hindi sapat kasi ang memorized lang, dapat totoong naa-apply sa reality,” he said. LADY CHERBETTE N. AGOT

General title

‘OBE problematic’ Basas said adapting the OBE model was the challenge that the designers of the new curriculum encountered.

“We tried our best to adapt it to an OBE model.

Siyempre, hindi naman siya perfect na OBE model kasi again we have to take note that it’s a work in progress,” he said.

“Kasi sa OBE as we saw it at that time, dapat measurable, `yung mga outcomes, kaya lang kasi pag tiningnan mo sa Theology,

FROM PAGE 12

Tennisters, meanwhile, dropped to fourth place.

The Female Tracksters extended their UAAP athletics dominance after easily bagging their fourth-straight championship via a huge 434357 point margin. The awfullyundermanned Male Tracksters missed the podium and settled for fifth.

In fencing action, the Male Fencers settled for silver anew for the fifth-straight year, while their female counterparts dropped to fifth place.

The Lady Booters got narrowly defeated by La Salle in the women’s football finals and settled for silver.

UST still could not solve the Adamson University softball riddle as the Tiger Softbelles squandered the next two games after winning Game 1.

The Male and Female Woodpushers finished fourth and fifth places, respectively.

The UAAP awards 15 points for gold, 12 for silver and 10 for bronze. In the event of a co-championship, the league awards 13.5 points.

UST and Ateneo de Manila University were declared cochampions in the men’s judo tournament. MIA ARRA C. CAMACHO

Editor: Randell Angelo B. Ritumalta

Sports 11

MAY 4, 2018

Tiger Spikers settle for fourth place again THE UST Tiger Spikers settled for fourth place anew in the UAAP Season 80 men’s volleyball tournament after dropping their semifinal match against the topseeded National University (NU) Bulldogs, 13-25, 13-25, 29-31 at the Mall of Asia Arena last April 22.

Head coach Odjie Mamon said the Tiger Spikers’ complacency paired with minor lapses contributed to the defeat.

“We could have achieved more pero nakuha na kasi ‘yung immediate goal namin na makapasok sa Final Four kaya parang okay na sa kanila ‘yun, walang overachievement na naganap,” he said.

UST still could not figure out how to defeat perennial powerhouses NU, Ateneo de Manila University and Far Eastern University, as shown by their losses against the three teams in each of their six total encounters this year.

The Tiger Spikers’ defensive woes persisted throughout the season, as evidenced by them being eighth in digging and sixth in blocking. On the offensive end, UST was third in the league in terms of service and reception,

fourth in spiking and fifth in setting.

While he was disappointed with the team’s finish, Mamon said prized rookie Joshua Umandal made a difference in the team’s Season 80 campaign.

“Big part ng pagiging competitive namin this year [si] Joshua Umandal, kaso na-co-contain pa siya kasi bata pa,” Mamon told the Varsitarian.

The 19-year-old outside hitter led the Tiger Spikers in scoring with 13.9 points per game.

As their season drew to a close, Mamon said the Tiger Spikers will continue training to keep their bodies in shape.

The team will miss the services of middle blockers Jayvee Sumagaysay and Tyrone Carodan and spiker Arnold Bautista after exhausting their playing years.

For their Season 81 campaign, Mamon will get reinforcements from the juniors’ team as five Junior Tiger Spikers are expected to move up the seniors’ teamincluding Season 80 boys’ volleyball finals Most Valuable Player and best opposite hitter Jaron Requinton.

UST will see action again in the Premier Volleyball League this summer. MA. ANGELICA D. GARCIA The UST Tiger Spikers celebrate after scoring a point against De La Salle University in their game last Mar. 25

MICHAEL ANGELO M. REYES

Juniors’ baseball MVP stays with UST UAAP Season 80 juniors’ baseball Most Valuable Player (MVP) Mark Beronilla is set to take his talents to the UST Golden Sox, the winningest team in the league with 24 championships.

The 17-year-old Beronilla played a pivotal role in turning a dead-last UST Junior Golden Sox team into a championship squad that won the crown in dominant fashion.

Now on his way to playing for a bigger league with stronger opponents, Beronilla feels pressured about stepping into the collegiate division.

“Sobrang laki ng pressure lalo noong ‘yung mga seniors ko nagbibiro na ’uy MVP!’ [Pero] tine-take ko ‘yung [pressure] positively kasi umaasa sila na mas maganda ‘yung ipapakita ko sa seniors division,” Beronilla said.

Beronilla was being lured by players of seniors’ powerhouse De La Salle University, but opted to commit to the Golden Sox to fulfill his childhood dream of playing for UST. Helping the seniors’ team bounce back and win the championship it last

Mark Beronilla

Recruitment woes doom Woodpushers THE COACH of UST’s chess teams blamed them subpar performances this season on the absence of top recruits as a result of the K to 12 program.

The men’s and women’s teams finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the UAAP chess tournament that ended last April 8 at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

Woodpushers head coach Ronald Dableo said the education program pushed back recruitment, as Grade 10 players still had to wait for two more years in senior high school before actually competing in the collegiate division.

With the lack of recruits, both teams went into the tournament short-handed, with only six players each and no reserves.

“Mas maraming players, mas maganda sana. Kasi mas gaganda ang sparring, therefore mas marami ang makukuha nilang ideas sa mga ka-sparring nila,” Dableo told the Varsitarian in an interview.

The Male Woodpushers accumulated 32 points at

the end of the tournament, 0.5 short of eventual bronze medalistFar Eastern University (FEU). The Female Woodpushers had 29.5 points.

To make up for the lack of players, Dableo and Junior Woodpushers head coach Peter Lim went to the 2018 Palarong Pambansa in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur last April 15 to 20.

“Sa men’s team kasi apat ang ga-graduate. Ang kukunin na namin ay ‘yung talagang top caliber na,” Dableo said.

The Male Woodpushers will lose Heirry Manaloto, Christian Flores, Jhon Petter Ablid and Michael Manansala II, while the Female Woodpushers will go on without Michaela Concio and Cyamir Villanueva next season after exhausting their playing years.

Wasted chances Dableo said the teams could have placed higher had they closed out crucial games late in the season.

The biggest loss for the men’s team came in the last day of the tournament when UST Board 4 player Peter

Ablidyielded to Adamson’s Kristian Arellano in what seemed like a stalemate, according to Dableo.

Had Ablid managed at least a draw, the Male Woodpushers could have copped third place by effect of the quotient rule.

In women’s play, the 1-3 loss to the University of the East last Mar. 24 is what Dableo treated as the downfall of the Female Woodpushers.

“Okay na sana kahit 2-2 kasi lamang pa rin tayo sa UE kung ganon. Grabe ‘yung Board 2 lamang ng isang knight, isang pawn at lamang sa posisyon, pero natalo pa,” he said.

After the discouraging UE loss, the Female Woodpushers drew with the University of the Philippines in the next game that ruled them out of the podium.

Female Woodpushers team captain Highzzy Manaloto said playing in their home court dealt added pressure to win games.

“Dumagdag ‘yung pressure na sa UST kami naglaro.

Maraming winning games pero hindi na-ha-handle ‘yung pressure kaya natatalo pa,” Manaloto said. JUSTIN ROBERT VALENCIA

won in Season 73 will be the next task at hand for Beronilla, although familiarity will not be an issue since both the juniors’ and seniors’ teams are handled by head coach Jeffrey Santiago.

Aside from being the season MVP, Beronilla also bagged five other individual awards namely: best hitter, best slugger, best third baseman, most runs-batted-in and most home runs. “‘Yung pinaka-mindset ko lang is ‘yung maging champion kasi ‘di ko in-expect na magkaroon ng individual awards, basta ginawa ko lang ang makakaya ko para matulungan ‘yung team na tumaas ‘yung position. Previous seasons kasi last kami sa standings,” he told the Varsitarian.

Santiago said he will likely field Beronilla as a third baseman and pitcher, the same position he played in the juniors’ division.

Born in Tondo, Manila, Beronilla was introduced to the sport in the fifth grade by Emmanuelito Llave, father of Junior Sox teammate Ivan.

Beronilla was enticed by the

K to 12 FROM PAGE 12

Ronald Dableo, head coach of UST’s chess teams, also attributed the teams’ lackluster finishes with recruitment problems, since the seniors’ team only fielded six players with no reserves.

Dableo added that their burden would carry on to Season 81 since all of their reserves in the juniors’ division are incoming grade 12 students.

“Naubusan tayo ng players na na-timing sa K-to-12. Kailangan pa maghintay ng two years para makapag-recruit ulit,” he said. “Wala pang aakyat mula sa juniors’… ‘Yun, magagaling ‘yun.”

Waiting for homegrown talent With the K to 12 transition in full swing, Institute of Physical Education and Athletics

Golden Tigresses FROM PAGE 12

namin. Mas okay na nangyari ‘to kaysa nagexhibit ako sa last playing year ko na ganito pa rin. Hopefully, sa Season 81 makapasok kami,” the 5’5” hitter said.

She added that the lack of consistency became a huge loop hole in UST’s campaign, especially in terms of delivering the finishing blows.

Revamp Despite the disappointing finish, the future looks bright for the Tigresses with the entry of former UAAP girls’ Most Valuable Player Eya

benefits of UST’s sports program which prompted him to set his eyes on playing for the Junior Sox. “Sabi niya (Llave), makakapagaral ako sa UST, bibigyan ako ng scholarship.

‘Yun yung nag-motivate sa akin,” he said.

Prior to UST, Beronilla played as a pitcher under Emmanuelito for the Antonio J. Villegas Vocational High School’s baseball team. He transferred to UST upon reaching senior high school and played pitcher in Season 79 before Santiago put him as a third baseman for Season 80.

“Na-discover lang ni coach (Santiago) ngayong fielding na kaya ko mag-third base kaya nilagay niya ako roon. Sa tingin ko gagawin niya akong pitcher [sa seniors’] tapos third baseman na lang din eventually,” he said.

Other Junior Golden Sox players that committed to the seniors’ program are Llave, Israel Antonio, Jan Emmanuel Santiago and Brix Bedia. MA. ANGELA CHRISTA COLOMA and JUSTIN ROBERT VALENCIA

(IPEA) athletics moderator Rodrigo Sambuang said the University’s sports program has no choice but to wait for the SHS players to move up to the collegiate scene.

“We are just waiting for our SHS athletes to graduate and compete in the collegiate levels because other universities have already imprinted on blue-chip players,” Sambuang told the Varsitarian.

Aside from giving tryouts, UST coaches scout for potential players in inter-regional tourneys such as the Palarong Pambansa before grooming them for the UAAP juniors’ competitions.

While the two-year SHS program stagnates the development of the players in terms of skills, Calipes said the upside of the program is that players have more matured physical attributes upon entering college.

“Hindi na sila ma-aagrabyado against the seniors. ‘Yung equivalent ng Grade 12 ay supposedly second year college, so ‘yung physical hustle nila, average na.” MA. ANGELA CHRISTA COLOMA Laure and former Best Setter MajiMangulabnan.

Both had committed to join the team before.

EJ is also expected to return to the pool next year, an offensive boost the team greatly missed in this year’s campaign.

Reyes said the coaches will use a different approach in determining the final lineup for Season 81.

Other homegrown talents from the juniors’ division andrecruits from different schools will also make up the pool. “[H]indi na pagalingan lang, talagang makikipagbunongbraso sila [at] dapat nakikipagpatayan sila sa slot nila. They all got the skills pero mas maraming papasok na mga bata.

Kailangan mong i-defend [‘yung] territory kasi back to zero,” the three-year tactician said. JAN CARLO ANOLIN

Sports

MAY 4, 2018

Golden Tigresses post worst record in 24 years; land 7th out of 8 teams

Golden Tigress Alina Bicar vents her frustration after UST failed to receive an FEU attack in their game last Mar. 14.

RHENWIL JAMES G. SANTOS

THE UST Golden Tigresses crashed to seventh place in the UAAP volleyball tournament, their worst performance since the Final 4 format was introduced, despite a strong showing from Cherry Ann Rondina.

Rondina carried the scoring load throughout the season, which was beset by injuries.

UST’s 6-25, 23-25, 23-25 loss to the Adamson University Lady Falcons last Apr. 14 capped off a lackluster season which saw the Tigresses win four out of 14 games.

Before bagging bronze last season, UST had consistently been clinging to fifth and sixth-place finishes from Seasons 75 to 78.

Head coach Emilio “Kung Fu” Reyes Jr. said in a post-game interview that the loss of their veteran players took a heavy toll on their performance this year. “‘Yung outcome ng laro, heto na ‘yung pinakasagot diyan. Lahat ng struggles, ‘yung injuries, frustrations and everything. Heto na ‘yung outcome. ‘Yung lack of experience din [kasi] UAAP is a different game,” he said.

To start off, UST played without main skipper EJ Laure, who was ruled out of the season after a chronic shoulder injury.

Libero Rica Jane Rivera and

Fil-Italian rookie Milena Alessandrini went down with a right knee injury and partial shoulder tear, respectively, three games into the season against the Ateneo de Manila University last Feb. 13.

Both players missed four games before returning to action against the University of the East last Mar. 7.

Reyes also pointed out the inability of the team to close out sets in crucial games.

“Didikit kami, lalamang kami pero wala kaming panapos. ‘Yung last two points lagi hindi namin makuhakuha,” he said.

UST’s five-set losses to Ateneo de Manila University late in the season and De La Salle University in the first round proved pivotal in its campaign for a slot in the Final Four.

The Ateneo loss reduced the Tigresses’ chances to a playoff for the fourth spot at most.

But if there was an upside in the Tigresses’ season, it was Rondina.

After tallying 21.1 points per game en route to being the league’s leading scorer in the elimination round, she said the season has been a learning experience for the team.

“Alam ko na ‘yung dapat gawin at ano ‘yung mas ta-trabahuhin Golden Tigresses PAGE 11

K-12 transition impedes athlete recruitment THE COUNTRY’s transition to the K to 12 program, and the lowering of the UAAP age limit in the juniors’ division, are taking their toll on some UST teams, coaches said.

The K to 12, which pioneered the senior high school (SHS) program in 2016, forced UST’s homegrown high school players to extend their UAAP juniors’ careers when they move up to Grades 11 and 12.

The UAAP board lowered the age limit in the juniors’ division from 20 to 19 years old beginning Season 79.

While junior athletes are allowed up to six playing years, they shall be ruled ineligible to play if they turn 19 years old or have birthdays prior to July 1, 1999 before the end of the season.

UST Tracksters head coach Emmanuel Calipes slammed the new age limit, saying the ruling greatly affected the number of recruits from

the juniors’ squad coming into Season 80.

“Ang problema, ‘yung continuity ng pagiging athlete nagiging stagnant. Paano ‘yung iba naming prospect? Hindi rito nag-aaral. After one year ng pagrecruit namin sa ibang Grade 11 na students, iba na itsura nila kasi hindi na sila nag-te-

silver behind powerhouse Far Eastern University in Season 79, crashed to fifth place this y e a r

while fielding just 10 out of the usual 20 players. It was the first time UST crashed out of the podium since 2010.

T h e women’s squad was hardly affected with only three players less than the usual pool.

The Female Tracksters also brought home the

training,” he said.

The M a l e Tracksters, who placed

championship for the fourth-straight year.

The Lady Fencers were left with a young team and crashed to last place this Season 80.

While the Lady Fencers may have their wounds patched up by Season 81, their male counterparts will have to welcome a young group of players from SHS as most of their veterans will be wiped out by Season 80.

The Lady Shuttlers suffered the same fate and became this year’s cellar-dwellers in UAAP badminton, a feat head coach RJ Ormilla expected due to the lack of recruits and “lack of determination” among his remaining female wards.

Ormilla, in a previous interview, said his outgoing Grade 12 players from the junior pool would replace the sacked Lady Shuttlers team that competed this season.

K to 12 PAGE 11

UST bags 42nd general title UP edges out UST for UAAP football crown FOLLOWING the Golden Booters’ runner-up finish in the men’s football finals last May 3, the UST Growling Tigers concluded UAAP Season 80 with their 42nd general championship.

It was a double nickel for the Booters when they notched their first finals since Season 74 last Apr. 26 which effectively retained UST the overall crown.

UST finished with 281.5 points while perennial contender De La Salle University had 269 after nailing the crown in the women’s volleyball tournament.

The Golden Tigresses finished the women’s volleyball tournament

at seventh place while the La Salle Green Booters wound up the season at fourth place.

“We are very happy na maganda ‘yung performance ng teams, especially ‘yung first semester events. Itong nasa second semester na mga teams, medyo kumakapit pa,” Rodrigo Sambuang, Institute of Physical Education and Athletics moderator, said.

“Obviously, we have to improve and make another strategy, so they can reach the highest possible points and secure the championship.”

After notching four gold, three silver and three bronze medals in the first semester, UST’s second-semester sports were lackluster with two golds and four silvers.

The Female Tennisters capped off their undefeated Season 80 campaign with their first championship since 2012. The injury-plagued Male General title PAGE 10

MOST Valuable Player Ian Clarino scored the lone goal for the University of the Philippines as the Fighting Maroons nosed out the UST Golden Booters, 1-0, to bag the UAAP football finals at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on May 3.

It was déjà vu for UST as they also lost to the Maroons in their last finals matchup in 2012 with a similar score.

UST never recovered as Clarino broke the ice in the 21st minute with a soft flick via JB Borlongan’s free kick as UP claimed its 18th title.

The Maroons finished the season undefeated with an overall win-draw-loss record of 12-4-0.

“Noong naka-goal ang UP, hindi na kami nakasabay sa kanila sa first half. Congratulations Javier Bonoan and Gino Clarino

pa rin sa mga bata kasi ginawa nila lahat,” Golden Booters head coach Marjo Allado said.

Golden Booter Dexter Benecio could have extended the game into extra time in the 81st minute but his header was saved by UP keeper Anton Yared.

UST’s Zaldy Abraham Jr. w o n the Best Goalkeeper award.

The Booters will undergo a minor rebuild with eight players graduating this year namely: cocaptain Jopridale Molino, AJ Pasion, Marvin Bricenio, Gino Clarino, Kenneth Tuzon, Efren Menaes, and Darwin and Dionisio Busmion.

IVAN RUIZ L. SUING