The Varsitarian P.Y. 2018-2019 Issue 05

Volume XC, No. 5 • December 15, 2018 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF SANTO TOMAS Manila, Philippines

2 News

Acting Editor: Kevin A. Alabaso

DECEMBER 15, 2018

Compromise on keeping Filipino subjects eyed THE HEAD of the Filipino department said the University was keen on keeping Filipino subjects in the curriculum despite the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision in November to remove Filipino from core college courses.

Alvin Ringgo Reyes said he was confident that the Academic Senate would eventually retain Filipino subjects in the college curriculum. “[The Academic Senate] assured me that they, of course, are very well knowledgeable of the importance of Filipino, in terms of the practical value of being able to use it in different professions,” Reyes told the Varsitarian.

In a ruling on Nov. 9, the Supreme Court (SC) affirmed the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHEd) 2013 memorandum that removed Filipino, Panitikan and Constitution as core subjects in college.

Several proposals are being considered to preserve Filipino subjects in the curriculum.

“One proposal would be that instead of the usual six units [of Filipino] for non-humanities programs, there might just be three units,” said Reyes.

“And, instead of Filipino being part of the core general education curriculum, it might be taken up only as an elective,” he added.

The Faculty of Arts and Letters

Thomasians soar in teachers’ exam; improve in eng’g THE UNIVERSITY aced this year’s licensure examinations for teachers (LET) in both elementary and secondary levels and improved in the certification exams for industrial engineers.

UST recorded an 86.78-percent passing rate, or 105 out of 121 examinees, in the elementary LET, lower than last year’s 93.81 percent or 106 out of 113 examinees.

Rhea Joy Genson of the University of Southeastern Philippines-Davao City and Mariel Saladaga of the University of Southeastern Philippines-Tagum shared the top spot with an 89.80-percent mark.

In the secondary LET, Institute of Information and Computing Sciences Asst. Prof. Cecil Jose Delfinado clinched the 10th spot after registering a 91-percent score.

The University’s passing rate slipped to 91.94 percent, or 194 out of 211 examinees, from last year’s 94.74 percent, or 162 out of 171. UST dropped to fourth place on the list of top-performing schools, from last year’s second spot.

The University of the PhilippinesDiliman was this year’s top-performing school in the secondary LET, after posting a 94.19-percent passing rate.

Francis Dave Cabanting of the University of Southeastern PhilippinesDavao City and Samuel John Parreño of the University of Mindanao-Digos College topped this year’s LET for the secondary level with a 92.80-percent score.

The national passing rate in the licensure exam for elementary teachers dropped to 20.29 percent, or 18,409 out of 90,750 examinees, from than last year’s 26.3 percent, or 21,198 out of 80,509 examinees.

In the secondary level, the national passing rate rose to 48.03 percent, or 60,803 out of 126,582 examinees. This was higher than last year’s 46.37 percent, or 49,626 out of 107,020 examinees.

Eng’g board exams The University posted an 88.37-percent passing rate, or 36 out of 43 Thomasian examinees, in the November 2018 industrial engineering certification exam. This was higher than last year’s 86.84 percent, or 66 passers out of 76 examinees.

The national passing rate rose to 58.82 percent, or 540 out of 918 examinees, from last year’s 56.89 percent, or 512 out of 900 takers A. V. ORTEGA

has taken the lead by retaining six units of Filipino as core general education courses.

Changes in the curriculum will likely take effect at the beginning of Academic Year 2019 to 2020, said Reyes.

More than a labor issue Reyes said the SC ruling affects not only teachers but also the students in an “insurmountable” level.

“The succeeding generations of professionals will be incapable of effectively translating the technicalities of their profession to a level that anyone would understand,” he said.

He said the removal of Filipino subjects was more than a labor issue. “[The sense of nationalism] will be significantly eroded [when] the course that safeguards your identity as a Filipino is removed,” said Reyes.

Teachers will not yet be affected by the change in curriculum because a significant number of students are still expected to take up Filipino courses as part of the old curriculum.

UST’s Filipino and Literature departments have called on the administration to retain Filipino and Panitikan subjects in the curriuculum.

“Ang usaping ito ay nangangahulugan din ng pagtanggal sa kakayahang umunawa at magpakatao dulot ng pagaaral ng komplikasiyon ng ating wika-at

kung paano ginagamit at umiiral itoat pag-aaral sa teksto at konteksto ng panitikan sa mga sasailalim sana sa higit na mataas na pag-aaral,” the literature department said in a statement on Nov. 15.

National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario, chairman of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, said the SC should look beyond legality and uphold the Constitution’s mandate to protect and develop the national language.

“Iyon ang kanilang ginawa ay laban sa n a t i o n a l language.

Para sa kanila hindi ‘yun laban sa national language pero ang mismong epekto [ay] laban sa l e n g g w a h e ,” A l m a r i o told the Varsitarian in an interview. A . K . H .

CAYONGCAT

Central Seminary marks 90th year with concert THE UST Central Seminary on Dec. 3 held a thanksgiving concert titled, “Himig Pasasalamat,” in celebration of its 90th anniversary as the official interdiocesan seminary of the Philippines at the UST Central Seminary Chapel.

Its official choir, Psalterion, conducted

by Michael Bernardino, kicked off the concert with a rendition of Newsboys’ “Stay With Me,” followed by “Veni Creator.”

The 31-member Psalterion went on to sing “Sana Maulit Muli” by Gary Valenciano, “Bonse Aba,” a traditional Zambian Christian song and “Mahal Kita.

The choir also sang Christmas songs such as “Diwa ng Pasko,” “Himig ng Pasko” and “Munting Sanggol.”

Katherine Loria, an international singer, serenaded the crowd with her rendition of “Never Enough” from the movie “Greatest Showman,” “Starting Over Again” by Natalie Cole, and “Pasko na Sinta Ko.” The concert was capped by Psalterion’s performance of its original song, “All for You.” The funds raised from the concert were donated to the UST Central Seminary.

Fr. Quirico Pedregosa Jr., O.P., rector of the UST Central Seminary, said the concert

Central Seminary Rector Fr. Quirico Pedregosa, O.P. joins the seminarians during the thanksgiving concert for the seminary’s 90th year.

DEEJAE S. DUMLAO

was dedicated to those who support the Philippine Church in forming and training future priests.

“We will call it solidarity fund so that we can turn to this fund for any financial needs we have or emergency needs, because many of our seminarians come

from very poor dioceses,” Quirico told the Varsitarian.

The Interdiocesan Seminary of the Philippines was established in Intramuros on Nov. 27, 1928 by Pope Pius XI. It was transferred to the University’s Sampaloc campus in 1933. P.A.M. GUMAPOS

UST bags 10 awards in Pacucoa assembly

The University received the awards and citation for having the most number of accredited programs in the country.

HAZEL GRACE S. POSADAS

THE UNIVERSITY was cited anew for having the most number of accredited programs in the country, as it bagged 10 awards in the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation’s (Pacucoa) 29th general assembly.

UST has a total of 41 accredited programs, 26 of which have the Level 4 status, the highest rank that can be obtained by an educational institution from Pacucoa.

Nine programs have Level 3 accreditation.

“The University puts premium on quality assurance that sustains our tradition of excellence,” Prof. Cheryl Peralta, vice rector for academic affairs, told the Varsitarian in an online interview.

“We value feedback from peers, accrediting agencies and regulatory bodies, and use this to bridge gaps towards continuous UST PAGE 5

DECEMBER 15, 2018

News 3

Nursing scores 100 for 4th straight year; Thomasian tops board exam

UST remains country’s top nursing school

Fireworks display and a Disney-inspired lighting and decorations welcomed Thomasians at the start of the Paskuhan festivities on Dec. 3.

MICHAEL ANGELO M. REYES

THE DEAN of the College of Nursing has attributed the success of the college in the licensure exams for four consecutive years to its dedicated faculty members.

UST remained the top nursing school in the Philippines after it scored a 100-percent passing rate in the December 2018 licensure examination for nurses, the fourth time in a row. Thomasian Jennifer Quirante topped the exam with a score of 87.80 percent.

Dean Susan Maravilla said faculty members of the College of Nursing “teach our students the best that we could so that we maintain our excellence.”

“Even though we are 100 percent, we still try to do better next time. And we let our students know that we have given them four years of quality education, so that when they take the board exam, they don’t have to be afraid because they are prepared,” she told the Varsitarian in an interview.

Quirante, who graduated with Latin honors last academic year, said she owes her success to the holistic formation of the college. “[Other than] the rigorous training, I believe that perseverance and faith were key attributes, too,” she told the Varsitarian.

“Our professors supplied us with the knowledge while our clinical instructors taught us how to treat patients with respect and compassion,” the nursing topnotcher added.

All 337 Thomasian examinees passed Nursing PAGE 5

Campus mounts Disney-inspired Paskuhan LEB merges Ll.B, THE UNIVERSITY campus mounted a Disney-inspired lighting and design for this year’s Paskuhan festivities.

UST Vice Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. opened the Christmas season in the University last Dec.3, telling Thomasians to prepare as the “Prince of Peace” is coming.

“Isaiah prophesized that this ‘Prince’ will establish a kingdom. For unto us a child is born and a government will be upon His shoulders and His name will be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [and] Prince of Peace,” Ang said in his homily during the Paskuhan Mass at the Plaza Mayor.

Likening struggles to dragons in fairy tales, Ang said the “Prince of Peace” will defeat the “dragons” not with a sword but with the power of love and sacrifice.

The coming of God as the “Prince” was a reference to the Disney character, Prince Philip, from the animated movie “Sleeping Beauty,” where he saved the kingdom from the “dragon.”

Ang also explained that the words “light from Light” from this year’s theme, “light from Light, Prince of Peace,” is a metaphor that the “light” of Christmas is merely a reminder of the “Light” of Christ.

“Sinisindihan natin ang mga parol

bilang paggunita sa liwanag na binibigay ni Hesus sa ating mga buhay,” said Ang. A Christmas concert by students and professors from the Conservatory of Music followed the Mass, with the final performance leading to the lighting of the Christmas tree and campus decor.

An Agape for the Thomasian community was held after the Holy Mass and the lighting ceremony.

The UST Christmas Concert, titled “A Community in Song for The Prince of Peace”, was held the next day.

The Paskuhan concert proper will be on Dec. 21. A.K.H. CAYONGCAT

Online journals State U papers dominate website launched 4th nat’l campus journ awards THE UNIVERSITY launched an online platform for independent UST academic journals at the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. building last Dec. 6.

UST Secretary General Fr. Jesus Miranda Jr., O.P., said the portal is freely accessible to everyone as part of the University’s mission to disseminate scholarly wisdom.

“The journals included in the portal existed beforehand. We are intensifying their online presence to disseminate knowledge about them globally,” Miranda told the Varsitarian in an interview.

“Whether you are a professor or a student, these websites from different disciplines and research centers are available,” he added.

Miranda, chairman of the UST Journal Affairs Committee, was tasked

by UST Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. to come up with a project that would “level up the online presence” of the journals.

The journals in the platform include Acta Manilana of the Research Center for the Natural Sciences, Antoninus Journal of the Graduate School, Asian Journal of English Language Studies of the English Department, Hasaan of the Filipino Department, Journal of Medicine University of Santo Tomas of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Journal of Social Health of Research Center for Social Sciences and Education, Kritike: An Online Journal of Philosophy of the Philosophy Department, Philipiniana Sacra of the Ecclesiastical Faculties, Journals PAGE 5

JD law programs

THE LEGAL Education Board (LEB) has directed law schools to “rename” their Bachelor of Laws (LI.B.) programs to Juris Doctor (J.D.) to avoid the misconception that the LI.B. degree is “inferior” to the J.D. degree.

In a memorandum last Dec. 2, the LEB explained that the J.D. and the Ll. B. are both graduate degrees since only graduates of a four-year undergraduate degree may take these programs.

“The use of these two academic degree titles (Ll.B. and J.D.) for the graduates of basic law course can mislead the general public to the wrong impression that lawyers who graduated with (an Ll. B.) degree are inferior those who gradated with (a J.D. degree),” the LEB stated in the memorandum signed by LEB Chairman Emerson Aquende.

The resolution will take effect this second semester of the Academic Year 2018 to 2019. Law schools with thesis requirements for their programs will be using “J.D. Thesis program.” Previous Ll. B. programs will now be named “J.D. NonThesis program.”

In addition, law schools, with the LEB’s permission, may reissue diplomas and transcript of records to their alumni, changing the granted degrees from Ll. B. to Law PAGE 5

CCP launches 2nd edition of Philippine Art encyclopedia THE CULTURAL Center of the Philippines (CCP) launched the second edition of Encyclopedia of Philippine Art with 12 volumes and a digital edition last Nov. 29 at Jose Martin Singh from the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s Rebel Kulê receives his trophy for the CCP Main Theatre Lobby in Pasay. the Best Special Report category of the 4TH UST National Campus Journalism Awards.

The 12 volumes cover indigenous

DEEJAE S. DUMLAO peoples of the Philippines, Architecture, Visual Arts, Film, Music, Dance, Theater, CAMPUS publications from state-run during the 46th anniversary of Martial Law. Broadcast Arts and Literature. Regalado universities dominated the 4th UST National “Kapatiran o Kamatayan?” by The Trota Jose, UST archivist and a commissioner Campus Journalism Awards with entries Benildean of De La Salle College of Saint tackling national controversies. for the National Commission for Culture Benilde was named Best Editorial. It Rebel Kulê of University of the criticized the hazing culture of fraternities and the Arts, took part in the editing of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman earned the Best in the country. first edition and stressed the importance In-Depth Story Award for its entry “Lumad Rebel Kulê’s “Up the Revolution” and of the architecture volume in the future of Intensify Calls Against Martial Law.” The Benildean’s “What Will Be Left When Philippine art.

The story focused on the suffering There Are No Rights?” were finalists in the “Having this encyclopedia will help of the Lumad in Mindanao due to the best editorial category. young architects know what authentic implementation of extended martial law.

The finalists for the best in-depth story Filipino architecture is and what we should The UP College of Mass were “Bloody Kill: Tracking the Deadliest strive for,” Jose said in an interview with the Communication’s Tinig ng Plaridel bagged Murderer in the Animal Kingdom” Varsitarian. the Best Feature Award for its story by Bulacan State University’s The Nicanor Tiongson, the editor in chief “Strangers: Scenes from the September 21 Communiqué and “Stories from Ground Mobilization,” which narrated how three CCP PAGE 5 UNCJA PAGE 5 different activists came together to protest

4 Opinion

DECEMBER 15, 2018

Editorial

Martial law extension is Duterte’s Christmas gift Congress has approved President Duterte’s request to extend martial law in Mindanao.

Duterte and Congress cited the alleged overwhelming support of the people of Mindanao for the extension, which basically betrays their insecurity in a regime where the president is one of their own and who, despite loud calls for law and order, cannot seem to impose it in his own region without extraordinary—and very expensive—measures.

To be sure, it is not only the people of Mindanao who will pay for martial law but the entire country. All because of the insecurity fostered by their security-conscious “kababayan.”

Ironically, the President has contradicted himself when he claimed that rebellion has persisted in the region while citing a report on the neutralization of members of terrorist and communist groups, the dismantling of guerrilla fronts and the surrender of loose firearms.

It is fallacious for Duterte to attribute the improvement of the region’s economy and the reduction of crimes to his military rule, as these “achievements” should be made by competent and honest public administration that is, through civilian rule, and not through martial law. They should be made through ordinary rule. After all, Filipinos pay taxes exactly for that and not to be lorded over by the military.

The Constitution says the President has the power to place the country or parts of it under martial law when he deems it necessary, but with the concurrence of Congress. But the state of martial law is not something normal for any civilized country, and it is worrisome when Duterte’s Mindanao supporters feel that they can have martial law to assuage their insecurity when they know that such an emergency costs millions to be shouldered by the entire nation.

Martial law is an overkill solution that does not solve the problem; it merely provides a false assurance that everything would be all right. And martial law in the country’s case may be a mask that obscures the incompetence of its leadership.

We should remember that martial law was imposed on Mindanao as a result of the Marawi siege by Islamic State (IS) and Maute radicals, whose presence had been warned before by American intelligence but which was ignored

by Duterte and the AFP even if the Maute fundamentalist group had already been cited in Bohol island.

Editorial PAGE 5

FOUNDED JANUARY 16, 1928 CHRISTIAN DE LANO M. DEIPARINE Editor in Chief KLIMIER NICOLE B. ADRIANO Managing Editor LEXANNE O. GARCIA Associate Editor JULIA CLAIRE L. MEDINA News Editor KEVIN A. ALABASO Acting Assistant News Editor MA. ANGELICA D. GARCIA Sports Editor ARIANNE AINE D. SUAREZ Special Reports LOUISE CLAIRE H. CRUZ Features Editor ELMER B. COLDORA Literary Editor LYON RICARDO III M. LOPEZ Circle Editor MICHAEL ANGELO M. REYES Chief Photographer News Ahmed Khan H. Cayongcat, Sherwin Dane Zauro C. Haro, Marem A. de Jemel, Angelika V. Ortega, Janeilee Paula V. Saguyod, Neil Joshua N. Servallos Sports John Ezekiel J. Hirro, Faith Yuen Wei N. Ragasa, Ivan Ruiz L. Suing, Theresa Clare K. Tañas, Justin Robert Valencia Special Reports Lady Cherbette Agot, Job Anthony R. Manahan, Klyra V. Orbien Features Alyssa Carmina A. Gonzales, John Christian W. Uy Literary Karl Ben L. Arlegui, Jessica Joy C. Buenafe, Briana Michaela C. Diche, Matthew Dominic D. Dimapawi, Hailord N. Lavarias, Therese Marie F. Ungson Filipino Vivienne Audrey P. Angeles, Malic U. Cotongan, Joselle Czarina S. de la Cruz, Francis Agapitus E. Braganza, Chris V. Gamoso Witness EEugene Dominic V. Aboy, O.P., Niña Rica M. Gole, Pearl Anne M. Gumapos, Mariel Celine L. Serquiña Science and Technology Florydayne M. Capio, Miguel Alejandro IV A. Herrera, Roland Adrian D.L. Ignacio, Beatriz Avegayle S. Timbang Circle Jiselle Anne C. Casucian, Nolene Cruicillo, Katrina Isabel C. Gonzales Art Nikko A. Arbilo, Mariane Jane A. Cadiz, Alisa Joy T. del Mundo, Mari Kloie D. Ledesma, Nathanael Jonas S.J. Rodrigo, Jury P. Salaya, Rica Mae V. Soriente Photography Deejae S. Dumlao, Hazel Grace S. Posadas, Enrico Miguel S. Silverio, Jose Miguel J. Sunglao, Mark Darius M. Sulit, Genielyn Rosario M. Soriano, Mary Jazmin D. Tabuena Editorial Assistant Jose Miguel S. del Rosario FELIPE F. SALVOSA II Assistant Publications Adviser JOSELITO B. ZULUETA Publications Adviser Letters/comments/suggestions 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 the writer may be withheld upon request. The editors will not be responsible for the loss of materials. Contributions must be sent to THE VARSITARIAN, Rm. 105, Tan Yan Kee Student Center, University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila.

Social media and campus hysteria RUMORS circulating in social media platforms about kidnapping, homicide and robbery around UST recently fanned campus hysteria and exposed how Thomasians and other Filipinos are very prone to fake information all because of what we could call as “media illiteracy.”

The rumor started when an Artlets student was “stabbed to death” near Espana and allegedly there was an “active shooter” roaming around Lacson Street.

In addition, there was allegedly hold-up in Padre Noval Street and snatching in Dapitan Street. The alleged crime incidents spread like wildfire in Facebook and Twitter, so much so that even ABSCBN made an online report of them.

But the Manila Police District debunked the news reports, there were no such incidents.

We are all guilty of the act of disseminating unprocessed controversial

The battle to reclaim the truth and to form an informed public is long and tough. The first step to checking fake news is healthy skepticism.

information, especially crime incidents, without checking their authenticity.

It is understandable that we want our loved ones to be wary of the alleged incidents but by absentmindedly clicking retweet or share button, we’re in line of joining the soldiers of yellow propaganda. We are turning our backs to the truth.

While we bash Mocha Uson for spreading fake news, aren’t we of the same wavelength if we share an information without verifying the content?

It’s laughable that

the cause of the frenzy on social media was only a misinterpreted information caused by a “concerned” citizen who failed to cross-check the facts. Imagine your time for studying, resting and creating your plates were occupied by just superfluously retweeting and fuming about the incidents that weren’t true. Although we can’t fully blame the source, it can be likened with pointing one finger at him and pointing four at ourselves. Let’s save each other our time and end the

stigma of fake news when it reaches us.

Social media has been an avenue for spreading fake news because it is the perfect place to search for confirmation of our view points. The common mistake that people do is share news whose import appeals to his bias and dismiss news that does not.

Let’s not be like other people who support misinformation and share it just because their family and friends share the same sentiment.

The battle to reclaim the truth and to form an informed public is long and tough. The first step to checking fake news is healthy skepticism – we should always check the source of the news. We should avoid reposting unverified information.

Headlines can also be deceiving; we should always be reading beyond the eyecatching headlines before sharing the news. Lastly, we should check if the author is credible.

Revilla acquittal a boon to corruption THE DECISION of the Sandiganbayan to acquit former senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. of plunder is a dreadful Christmas gift to the public as it has boosted his shameless confidence to run again for public office.

Revilla still has to stand trial for 16 graft cases related to the plunder charge of which he was exonerated, but he wants to run again for the Senate to face what he calls his “false accusers.”

In fact, even before the promulgation, Revilla had filed his certificate of candidacy with the Commission on Elections while still detained at Camp Crame.

It doesn’t faze Revilla one bit that his own staffer, Richard Cambe, had been convicted along with pork barrel mastermind Janet Lim Napoles of plunder.

The court said it failed to trace the involvement of Revilla in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) transactions since his signatures in the endorsement letters to the fake non-government

Filipinos should be more critical in choosing those who will have a hand in running the country.

Filipinos, now more than ever, should know better. organizations organized

by Napoles had been forged.

The verdict upheld the possibility that the money received by Cambe was kept by him and was not given to Revilla and that the former senator was unaware of Cambe and Napoles’s transactions.

But the amount involved, P224 million, should indicate that, if indeed Cambe had pocketed the money, his boss the senator was complicit for incompetence and gross negligence.

How could he have been unaware that such a big amount from his

PDAF had been stolen?

Moreover, it should be noted that Revilla, as a public official, has an overwhelming unexplained wealth.

In 2010, the former senator’s bank account accumulated P170, 981 280 but he only declared P81,164,851 in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth on the same year.

How could anyone believe that the pocketing of PDAF to the boss’s own wallet by a staff was done outside the boss’s watch?

One could not turn a blind eye to an illegal transaction involving millions of pesos of public

funds as this could only be possible if it is supported by someone of power who would also benefit from the corruption.

Lawyer Cambe and businesswoman Napoles are not Revilla’s good samaritans to just voluntarily funnel millions on Revilla’s bank accounts without getting any help in return from the senator.

But despite being dragged to one of the country’s biggest corruption issues, Revilla, along with Juan Ponce Enrile and Jinggoy Estrada, still has the face to run for a seat in the Senate.

Why are we allowing this?

Elections are avenues for the public to hope for a change, but if the people would just keep on voting for corrupt politicians and known plunderers, the cycle of corruption will just continue to flourish.

Filipinos should be more critical in choosing those who will have a hand in running the country.

Filipinos, now more than ever, should know better.

DECEMBER 15, 2018

Grab, LTFRB add insult to fatal injury THE INSURANCE policy imposed by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on transport network groups only serves the interest of big companies and not ordinary passengers.

In light of the recent Grab-car accident involving the death of a Thomasian engineering senior, Marko de Guzman, the public has started to notice the lapses on the insurance program of the company.

De Guzman was aboard a Grab car last Oct. 26 on Taft Avenue when it crashed into the post of the Light Railway System. The driver had later admitted he was sleepy.

De Guzman suffered brain damage. He was rushed to the Manila Doctors Hospital where he died a month later, on Nov. 27.

By that time, the bills had accumulated to P3 million.

But Grab said based on the LTFRB policy, the maximum amount of assistance it could give was only P200,000. Observers noted that the LTFRB and Grab policy had all along

The death of Marko should be a wake-up call for LTFRB to step up and improve its policies in policing big companies like Grab. been vaguely defined and there was lack of transparency.

“We need justice here…

I’ve been receiving messages from strangers saying they lost their child sa Grab accidents pero wala raw [tulong] na binigay kahit financial help,” Luz told the Varsitarian.

Little did passengers know, Grab’s insurance system was only anchored on the insurance policy drafted by the LTFRB, which looks like the real culprit in this case.

LTFRB Memorandum Circular 2015-028 states that passengers are entitled monetary reimbursement

ranging from P3,000 up to P200,000, for accidental inuries and even death.

But the P200,000 monetary reimbursement is not enough, specifically on cases like the death of Marko.

While it is true that money could never replace a life that was lost from the accident, this would not erase the fact that Grab should be liable to what happened to the victim.

The LTFRB should rethink and update its policies as P200,000 would not be enough to, at least, support the medical expenses of the family following a month-long confinement of the victim.

Luz de Guzman, mother

of Marko, told the Varsitarian that they tried to reach out to Grab, invoking their insurance policy as grounds for the ride-hailing company to financially assist them.

The public was again the victim of lax enforcement and business-oriented policies.

LTFRB failed to strictly enforce a safe transport service and allowed Grab to flood the streets knowing that its drivers and passengers’ insurance has a limit.

Grab, claiming to be the Messiah of the problematic public transportation system in the country, should stick to its promises that it would financially aid those involved in the accident without imposing a vague insurance policy that misleads the public into thinking they are well-compensated when they incur an accident.

The death of Marko should be a wake-up call for LTFRB to step up and improve its policies in policing big companies like Grab.

LTFRB’s reimbursement cap should be updated from time to time so as to compliment inflation rates.

Editorial

Law

FROM PAGE 4

FROM PAGE 3

In fact, Duterte was in Moscow dancing with his idol despot Vladimir Putin when the Isis and Maute laid siege on Marawi. True to form, he tried to hid his incompetence and that of the military by imposing martial law on Mindanao, Putin— and Marcos-style!

Duterte may say that he needs martial law in Mindanao to contain the communist threat, but he was the one who dug the communists from the grave and revived them by reuniting

with his Lyceum mentor, communist boss Jose Maria Sison. Weren’t Duterte and Alan Peter Cayetano the beneficiaries of the leftist-led farmers’ raid on Mindanao rice warehouses during the 2016 campaign?

Mindanao people should confront the irony of their situation. Because of the incompetence of Duterte and the AFP, Isis and Maute extemists laid Marawi to waste. Because Duterte reunited with his socialist mentor, he revived the

fortunes of the communists and New People’s Army.

Now, to control the insurgencies, Duterte has called on the AFP to lord it over Mindanao--the AFP which hasn’t won one single war--not the the war against secessionists, not the war against the communists, and certainly not the war against external threats, like China, which has successfully penetrated a Trojan horse in the Philippines who goes by the name of “Rodrigo Duterte.”

to excellence to ensure that the University remains timeless yet timely in its academic offerings,” Peralta said.

Pacucoa also named UST as the top-performing school in the country in the certified management accountant certification examination, the first-ever award given to a higher education institution by the Institute of Management Accountants.

The awarding ceremonies were held at Novotel in Araneta Center, Quezon City last Dec. 4. A.V. ORTEGA and J.P. SAGUYOD

UST Faculty of Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina lauded the LEB’s decision as there should be a uniform academic title and recognition for graduates of law in the country.

“Whether Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor, law, after all, is still a fouryear course which requires the same requisite level of knowledge, demands the same dedication and involves similar training,” Divina told the Varsitarian in an interview.

Divina noted that the LEB’s decision will have no impact on the University’s undergraduate law programs as UST’s curriculum mirrors the current model curriculum of the LEB. “Presently, we are not inclined to include thesis preparation and writing in our curriculum and would rather let our graduating students devote more time to prepare for the Bar exams,” said Divina.

LI.B. and J.D. are the only two basic law degrees in the Philippines. Only holders of either degree are allowed to take the Philippine bar examinations.

SHERWIN DANE ZAURO C. HARO

UNCJA

CCP

Zero” by Ateneo de Mnila University’s The Guidon.

“Bakit Madalas MagIngles ang Mga Pilipino?

Hinggil sa wika at lipunan”

by Outcrop of UP Baguio and “Dayo: Sulyap sa mekanismo ng sahurang pang-aalipin” by The Heraldo Filipino of De La Salle University-Dasmariñas were the finalists for best feature story.

The panel of judges for this year were ABS-CBN News Channel anchor Christian Esguerra, Philippine Daily Inquirer Associate Editor John Nery and Philippine Star reporter Alexis Romero.

The awarding ceremony coincided with the last day of the 20th Inkblots, the Varsitarian’s annual campus journalism fellowship.

J.P. SAGUYOD and N.J. SERVALLOS

of the encyclopedia stressed that an encyclopedia is never truly finished but is a work in progress, comparing it to artists who are honing their craft and researchers continuing to expand their bodies of work.

“With this being in the works for five years, this edition being digital gives us access to edit and input information annually,” Tiongson said in his speech.

The digital edition features a variety of images and audiovisual clips, tools designed for assisting readers in navigating through volumes, and offline and online versions with organized content for classroom use. KATRINA ISABEL C. GONZALES

UST bags 10 awards in Pacucoa assembly FROM PAGE 2

quality improvement of our processes and programs,” she added.

The University has maintained the most number of accredited programs in the country since 2010.

UST was also recognized for producing graduates who topped the 2018 licensure exams for architects, medical technologists and certified public accountants.

Thomasian March Henrich Go grabbed the top spot in the January 2018 board exams for architects, with an 85.40-percent score.

Journals FROM PAGE 3

Philippine Journal of Allied Health Sciences of the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Tomas of the Creative Writing Center and Unitas of the Literature Department.

The chief editors of the journals were Prof.

Emeritus Fortunato Sevilla, Prof. Rey Donne Papa, Asst. Prof. Veronico Tarrayo, Prof.

Imelda de Castro, Assoc. Prof.

Zendel Rosario Taruc, Prof. Raymond Rosales, Asst. Prof. Maria Carinnes Alejandria-Gonzales, Prof.

Paolo Bolaños, Ivan Neil Gomez, Assoc. Prof. Ralph Galan and Prof. Maria Luisa Torres Reyes. A.V. ORTEGA

Lorenz Barro topped the September 2018 medical technologist board exam after posting a 92.10-percent score, while Lahaira Amy Reyes secured the top spot in the October 2018 licensure exams for accountants with a 91.83-percent mark.

Peralta said the commitment to excellence is a collective effort between the administrators, faculty members, support staff, students, partners and collaborators in the University.

“We will find ways to strengthen this commitment

Nursing FROM PAGE 3 10.

graduates landing in the top

Benedict Jerome Calano secured the fifth spot after posting an 85.80-percent mark.

Levana Ann Philline Rapadas and Christine Andrea Ricarte shared the sixth spot with an 85.60-percent score.

Isaias Hurtado and Jenna Eunice Sy landed on the seventh spot with an 85.40-percent score.

Abegail Arellano notched the eighth place with a score of 85.20 percent. Jhovan Caplis Pascual grabbed the ninth spot with an 85 percent score.

Jean Danielle Carpio and Rachel Antonette Tamayo clinched the 10th spot with an 84.80-percent mark.

The national passing rate dropped to 39.98 percent, or 4,811 out of 12,033 examinees, from last year’s 45.65 percent, or 5,875 out of 12,869. A.K.H. CAYONGCAT

J.D.

FROM PAGE 3

FROM PAGE 3

Opinion 5

Art in a time of despotism TIME and time again, creativity has proven to be one of man’s greatest weapons against the evil in himself.

On Dec. 8, several artists gathered at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) for the signing of a manifesto against the abuse on human rights. “AHRT” (Artists for Human Rights), as the event was called, had several of our prominent artists holding an open forum on human rights violations.

The Commission on Human Rights Philippines, one of the co-organizers of AHRT, held other activities and fora on Dec. 10, closing the lineup of events with an evening concert reuniting folk singer Noel Cabangon and his former bandmates from Buklod, a group known

Let us not forget what our parents and grandparents struggled for not too long ago, what we as a nation have been robbed of. for its protest songs in the ‘80s. Joining them were a new crop of singers, young and eager to experiment with musical forms and genres.

In other areas of Manila, people painted caricatures of the President and other government officials in misshapen forms and paraded them in rallies.

These were only a few of the activities happening around the metro held in celebration of the 70th year of the International Human Rights Day, proclaimed by the United Nations on Dec. 10, 1948.

In this connection, the Nobel Peace Prize and the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights, are also awarded on Dec. 10.

As President Duterte’s anti-drug campaign rages on, leaving more corpses littering the streets every day, the call to stand for human rights has never been timelier.

Even the Catholic church and its leaders have a clearer, more vocal stand on the issue Yet even with all these large institutions backing the fight for life, our country and communities continue to struggle with greed and corruption that feed the flames of abuse so close to home. We take a fancy for tyrants and bullies – those whose duties it is to preserve human rights but who often are found on the other side--the oppressors and the victimizers.

How, then, do the people strike back?

The Marcos dictatorship, by far the record-holder (but now strongly contended by this government) of the most number of human rights abuse in the history of the country, triggered a wave of artists calling for change.

On every front of the arts, individuals took up the pen, the brush, the camera or the song to strike at the tyranny seated in Malacañang.

Social realism became the brand of Philippine cinema, and directors such as the likes Lino Brocka, Mike de Leon, Ishmael Bernal and Behn Cervantes came into prominence, directly and indirectly discussing Martial Law, bringing into the light the abuses and violence of the military.

In theater, the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), used theater not only to educate but to give a voice to the mounting radical sentiment of the times. Either through classics, Shakespearian and original material, they started fitting in to their scripts underlying messages of change and revolution. The company performed in all sorts of venues, taking to the streets when they had to (and for the accessibility of the people), which eventually became a popular thing.

Literature and its writers could neither be silenced; they became among of the greatest threats to the ruling dictatorship. National artists Virgilio Almario, Nick Joaquin and F. Sionil Jose were at the forefront of progressive writers who tackled the socio-political issues of the day head-on.

Constancio de Guzman’s revolutionary song “Bayan Ko,” originally part of Severino Reyes’ romantic zarzuela, “Walang Sugat,” a seditious play against the American occupation, later became the cry for freedom during the Marcos era after a folksy rendition by Freddie Aguilar drew the song nearer to the heart of the masses.

The arts, at any given time, has always played a part in the shaping of humanity.

The reaction to Marcos’ action against the rights of the people resulted in his end, a creative, popular and passionate sentiment that would go down in history as the EDSA revolution.

It’s funny that the former first lady, Imelda Marcos, even tried to frame herself as the patroness of the arts and culture, only to find that art would be a key tool in ousting the Marcoses from the throne they’d held onto so tightly.

And now, we find ourselves facing a new yet oddly familiar threat. Today as a new breed of dictators stares us in the face, let the artist in every Filipino awaken the hope in our time. Let us not forget what our parents and grandparents struggled for not too long ago, what we as a nation have been robbed of. In the face of adversity, let us learn to be creative with our next move.

6 Witness

DECEMBER 15, 2018

Clergy: Balangiga bells belong to the Church

CATHOLIC officials and lay experts stressed that the Balangiga bells symbolize Filipino faith, and that its proper place is in the Church.

After 117 years, the three historic church bells of Balangiga were returned to the Philippines on Dec. 11.

On September 2017, a 1998 United States law prohibiting the return of war spoils expired, which hastened the return of the bells.

US soldiers took the bells from the parish of St. Lawrence in Eastern Samar as war booty during the Philippine-American war in 1901.

Last Dec. 6, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri filed a resolution to place the bells in the National Museum of the Philippines to “promote nationalism and awareness about its history.”

However, Borongan Bishop Crispin Varquez strongly opposed the proposal to display the Balanggiga bells in public, emphasizing its sanctity as an artifact for prayer and worship, “Any effort aimed at such a transfer is a disrespectful mangling of history and the right of the Catholic faithful of Balangiga to their private property. [T]hey belong in the Church, not in a museum. Senate Resolution 965 does violence to history and the sacred character and purpose of the Balangiga Bells. It must be rejected,” Varquez wrote in a statement.

Echoing Varquez, Church history expert Fr. Hilario Sicat, O.P. said Church bells were crucial for the daily lives of the Filipinos as it was used to notify them of the time for prayer and other religious activities.

The Balanginga bells serve as a reminder of the only battle won by Filipinos during the Philippine-American War, Sicat said.

Sicat added that the bells were used to signal the Filipinos’ attack against the Company C of the US 9th Infantry in the morning of Sept. 28, 1901.

Filipino revolutionaries entered the town of Balangiga dressed as women, with bolos hidden under their skirts.

They also carried with them a coffin, pretending it was a funeral procession.

In 1957, Fr. Horacio de la Costa, S.J. wrote the commander of the 13th Air Force in San Francisco, California, “to return the Balangiga bells because these belonged to the Franciscan community who ran the parish.”

His efforts were continued by Dr. Rolando Borrinaga of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and Subic-based British filmmaker Bob Couttie as they led the effort to get back the bells during the Ramos administration.

UST archivist Regalado Jose said the bells are part of The historic bells of the Balangiga Church are put on public display at the Villamor Airbase museum after its arrival from the United States. Filipino identity, and war treasures should be returned to MARK DARIUS M. SULIT their rightful owners.

Jose said the Balangiga bells were made in the Philippines, as shown by the year and name of the parish priest inscribed on the bells. The cross and saint on the bell were also designs indigenous to the country.

Jose pointed out to several bells missing in Samar alone. A list of other missing bells from the Philippines compiled by the Philippine bishops after the PhilippineTHOMASIANS were called to emulate “She never hesitated to say ‘Behold, hymns that we sing, and the very rituals American War was written in Jose’s book “ Of War and the Blessed Mother’s courage to accept I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done and sacraments we celebrate during this Peace.”

God’s plan in her life in a Mass for the to me according to your Word’ and that is time of preparation,” he added.

“Hindi maibabalik ang bells kung walang matinding Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception why there would be no Christmas without The Mass was also offered for the pag-aaral [nito],” he said.

UST historian Augusto de Viana said Filipinos would of the Blessed Mother at the Santisimo the Immaculate Conception,” he said.

19th anniversary of the reconsecration of continue to be resilient whether or not the Balangiga bells Rosario Parish Church on Dec. 8.

Aligan said the first step in the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church and had found their way back home.

“There would be no Christmas preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ the 47th foundation anniversary of the “[‘P]ag kinuha mo yung old bells namin [and] I without Immaculate Conception. For us is to be grateful for God’s presence in Dominican Province in the Philippines. replace it with a better bell, it’s [s]ymbolic. We Filipinos Christians, be open to receive what Mary one’s life.

The feast of the Immaculate have the capability to regenerate and rise up from our misfortunes. So you [do] not need to harp around about has received,” said Fr. Rodel Aligan, “As Christians, we are called to share Conception is a holy day of obligation events that happened 100 years ago,” de Viana told O.P., prior of the UST Priory of St. in the power of his coming through our which celebrates the conception of the the Varsitarian. DOMINIC EUGENE V. ABOY, O.P., Thomas Aquinas, in his homily. own faith. And we proclaim this faith Blessed Virgin Mary without original N.R.GOLE, PEARL ANNE M. GUMAPOS and M.C.L. Echoing St. John Paul II, Aligan said in the prayers that we express, in the sin. LEXANNE O. GARCIA and M.C.L. SERQUIÑA

‘Imitate Blessed Mother’s trust in God’

Mary was the memory of the Church.

scriptures that we read, the songs and

SERQUIÑA

On 47th year of PH Dominican province

Friars urged to stand up for marginalized FILIPINO Dominicans were urged to be the “voice of God” for the marginalized in their respective ministries during the celebration of the 47th anniversary of the Dominican Province in the Philippines (DPP) on Dec. 8.

Fr. Napoleon Sipalay, Jr., O.P., head of the Filipino Dominican province, emphasized the need to tackle difficult questions in society today.

“The saddest thing would be when people are silent. They don’t want to speak out because maybe it may put them in difficult situations. But we are Dominicans. We have to make difficult choices… [t]hat leads us to liberation and salvation,” he said during the thanksgiving Mass at the USTAngelicum College in Quezon City.

Calling on Dominicans to “build bridges instead of walls,” he stressed that communities must promote reconciliation.

“When we see walls among us, probably our first reaction is to move away. But I think the challenge for us is always to build bridges; that our words, our deeds are hopefully consistent,” he said.

Sipalay also called on his fellow Dominicans to engage in conversations, which are vital for the growth of communities.

“As we involve more in our

different ministries, [may] we always remember that this is our primary identity as preachers; as people who would be the voice of God in our time,” he said.

University Archivist Regalado Trota Jose recalled the Dominicans’ efforts to translate documents to evangelize Filipinos.

“The Dominicans, when they [went] to mission areas, they had to master the language. They provided grammars and dictionaries… [They] were interested in the manner and courteous life [of the natives],” he said in his talk titled “Introduction of the Forest of Dominican Roots that is the UST Archives.”

This year’s celebration, with the theme “Rediscovering our Roots,” is part of the three-year preparation for DPP’s golden jubilee in 2021.

The Dominican Province in the Philippines was established on Dec. 8, 1971, by the former master of the Order of Preachers, Fr. Aniceto Fernandez, O.P. Today, Filipino Dominicans administer schools and universities in the country, including mission areas in Camiguin and Calayan in the Babuyanes Islands, as well as in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. EUGENE DOMINIC V. ABOY, Dominican Prior Provincial Fr. Napoleon Sipalay Jr., O.P. leads the Mass for the 47th anniversary of the Dominican Province O.P. in the Philippines.

EUGENE DOMINIC V. ABOY, O.P.

Editor: Elmer B. Coldora

DECEMBER 15, 2018

Literary 7

Literature should denounce ‘patriarchal ideology’—Thomasian scholar THOMASIAN scholar Ferdinand Lopez said writers should use literature to “service” or empower oppressed women and gays.

“As a writer, I am challenged to produce texts such as poems or stories which are supposed to be serviceable to women and gays,” Lopez said during a discussion on gender at the Miguel de Benavides Library Conference Hall last Dec 1.

Lopez, who teaches literature in the University, said institutions follow an “oppressive patriarchal ideology” in law, culture, and religion.

Literature can be used to denounce these institutions’ domestic violence on women and gays, he said. “[I]deology manifests itself in violence. Some institutions [try] to impose and instill discipline on the subjects,” Lopez said.

The seminar, titled “Our Gender Status: Domestic Violence Intersecting the Public Sphere,” was organized by senior philosophy students to discuss contemporary trends in popular culture, philosophy, law and gender studies. M. D. D. DIMAPAWI

Thomasian scholar Ferdinand Lopez explains that writers may use literature to empower oppressed women and gay during a discussion on gender at the Miguel de Benavides Library Conference Hall last Dec 1.

M.D.D.DIMAPAWI

Filipino philosophy requires literature, discourse —Prof Emeritus Co

Giving in Rushing through the seemingly endless line of beings convincing one to concede to what the world calls giving are people who owe people a box or two of things that are made to be given, then soon, to be broken.

Not like it’s problematic to let love be wrapped, but never to go less than what one believes it is until revealed.

File photo PROFESSOR Emeritus Alfredo Co said Filipino philosophy needs literature and discourse during a discussion at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) last Nov. 29.

“Great philosophy comes with the birthing of ideas.

These ideas have to be committed to a rational discourse and [writing] to form a body of literature,” Co said.

“Without a body of literary and philosophical writings, no culture could hold solid claim to a serious philosophy,” he added.

Co emphasized that discourse and literature are the best ways to foster Filipino philosophy.

“All this intellectual engagement should constitute what we [call] Filipinos doing philosophy,” he said.

“These Filipino scholars

doing philosophy would set the first landmark philosophical posturing,” the professor emeritus added.

Co said philosophy writings “provide a clearer picture of the workings of Filipino consciousness.”

Co, a professor in philosophy, was conferred the title ‘Professor Emeritus’

by UST in 2017.

He obtained his doctorate degree from the University of Santo Tomas in 1976.

Co was the first recipient of UST’s “festschrift,” collection of writings in honor of a scholar.

The event was part of a series of lectures in commemoration of World Philosophy Day. The event, organized by PUP, Institute for Culture and Language Studies and Philosophical Association of the Philippines. M.D.D. DIMAPAWI

For when people finally fall in line, decided, doubts still come, satisfied or not?

One keeps these thoughts until it’s time to ask: did you like it?— followed by a nod, a kiss, a hug, wondering if priceless, truly.

These, these are enough to convince one, that again, it’s the season of giving, and of giving in.

HAILORD N. LAVARIAS

8

Editor: Lyon Ricardo III M. Lopez

CIRC

Rich feast of choral singing marks of UST Christmas Concert UNDER one banner, choirs from all over the University shared the stage in this year’s UST Christmas concert held at the Santissimo Rosario Parish Church on Dec. 4.

“It was the first time we did it [the collaboration] and I think it worked very well… hopefully, we can make it into a tradition,” Conservatory of Music Dean Antonio Africa said.

The flurry of choirs, which included Coro Tomasino, the Liturgikon Vocal Ensemble, UST Cantemus Chorale, UST Chorus of the Nightingales, UST One Voice Engineering Club, UST Pharmacy Glee Club, UST Accountancy Chamber Singers, UST Chorus of Arts and Letters, UST College of Science Glee Club, UST Senior High School Virtuoso and UST Junior High School Glee Club, sang an arrangement of an “all-Filipino Christmas” medley arranged by conductor Hermingildo Ranera.

The medley included well-loved tunes such as “Simbang Gabi,” “Sa Paskong Darating” and “Pasko na Naman.”

“I think the choirs really picked up a lot from this collaboration,” said Ryan Jao, a performer from UST Cantemus Chorale.

For the opening number, a stunning set was littered with dim, dancing lights of red, blue

and white as the Conservatory’s Francisco de Guzman Jr. and Cloie Daphne Sugano, tenor and soprano soloists, kicked off the night with French composer Adolphe Adam’s “O Holy Night.”

The soloists were accompanied by a massive chorus from Coro Tomasino and Liturgikon Vocal Ensemble, as well as the UST Symphony Orchestra with Ranera at the helm.

This was followed by grand orchestral renditions of classic carols by English composer John Rutter such as “Star Carol,” “Angels We Have Heard On High” and “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”

Opera veteran Irma Potenciano performed the aria “Vissi d’ arte” from Italian composer Giacomo Puccini’s opera “Tosca.”

The Christmas concert was held in the church, the usual venue, instead of Plaza Mayor where it was held last year.

“There are two reasons for bringing the Christmas concert back to the chapel: the first is the unpredictable weather and the second is the acoustics,” Africa said.

“The acoustics is also very important, it sounds much better in the chapel,” he added.

B.H. CRUCILLO and PHOTO BY MARY JAZMIN D. TABUENA

Dalena, de Guzman, artists speak up on human rights

“

I think art can be used as a weapon and a call for justice for those who are repressed from their rights.

-Archie Oclos

GENERATIONS of Thirteen Artists Awards recipients, some of them Thomasians, and human rights organizations mounted “AHRT! Artists for Human Rights,” last Dec. 8, International Human Rights Day, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

The Thirteen Artists Awards (TAA) are an annual recognition by CCP that selects 13 of the most exciting new voices in the visual arts, following Thomasian and National Artist for the Thomasian artists Jaime de Guzman and Danie Dalena grace the launching of the exhibit last Dec. 8 for the Visual Arts Victorio Edades’ celebrated International Human Rights Day. HAZEL GRACE S. POSADAS list of the Thirteen Moderns, or the first 13 Philippine modernists.

During the Dec. 8 event, artists met for “Memory Project 01: The Thirteen Artists in a Time of Dictatorship,” an open forum where three generations of TAA honorees, from batches 1970, 1990 and 2018, exchanged stories of how their art survived Martial Law by standing their ground and fighting for freedom of expression, and for the younger ones, how their art survives today’s adversities considering the numerous violations of human rights being committed.

Well-known and respected performance Dalena PAGE 14

Tiples de Santo Domingo mounts benefit concert at PICC THE TIPLES de Santo Domingo, in collaboration with UST Symphony Orchestra (USTSO), impressed the audience anew with their solemn repertoire in the concert, “Papuri: The Tiples de Santo Domingo Christmas Concert” last Dec. 7 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay.

Under the baton of Conservatory of Music professor Herminigildo Ranera, the concert opened with French composer Charles Gounod’s “Ave Maria,” a Latin prayer published in 1853.

They also performed the church cantata “To Thee Be Praise Forever” by German composer Johann Bach.

It was followed by solo piano performance of former Music dean Raul Sunico reindition of “Warsaw Concerto,” a song about World War II love story, by English composer Richard Addinsell.

Shifting the mood to a Christmas tune, awardwinning tenor Arthur Espiritu also sang “O Holy

Night” by French composer Adolphe Adam.

Popular singer Maria Teresa “Dulce” Cruzata, with Tiples de Santo Domingo, serenaded the crowd with her enchanting version of Australian composer Geoff Bullock’s “The Power of Your Love.”

USTSO and Tiples de Santo Domingo capped the concert with Filipino composer Felipe de Leon’s “Noche Buena” and Puerto Rican composer Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad.”

Fr. Roland Mactal, OP a former member of the Tiples back in the 1970s, said the concert was mounted “to bring glory back to Tiples, their last concert being in the 90s.” s Founded in 1587 by the Dominican friar Fr. Pedro Bolaños, Tiples de Santo Domingo, is generally considered the oldest boys’ choir in the country.

Proceeds of the concert will go to the improvement of the Santo Domingo Church, as well as for scholarships of the choristers. KATRINA ISABEL C. GONZALES and EUGENE DOMINIC V. ABOY O.P.

Tiples, the country’s oldest boys’ choir, serenades the crowd during their fundraising concert last Dec. 7 at the Philippine International Center Convention in Pasay.

EUGENE DOMINIC V. ABOY, O.P.

RCLE

9

DECEMBER 15, 2018

s 2018 edition

Works by Thomasian artists featured in Manila Hotel show STELLAR works by award-winning Thomasian visual artists rounded up in “The Masters,” an exhibit for outstanding artists at The Art Gallery, Manila Hotel last Nov. 22.

Salvador “Buddy” Ching, a Fine Arts alumnus, mounted a mixed-media piece titled “Harana,” which shows Filipino natives using traditional instruments in a serenade. “[This piece] is simply about giving due importance to our traditions… not just for the Filipinos, but for all people,” Ching told the Varsitarian.

Veteran artist Edgar Doctor was represented “Biyaya sa Dagat’18 #1,” an acrylic painting of a Filipino fisherman set on a blue background with bright earthy colors.

Meanwhile, Fil de la Cruz’s “Diwata: ‘Perlas” depicts a woman with a pearl right eye.

“Women are a symbol of beauty, a symbol of life, nature, and mother earth,” Dela Cruz said. “Women [can] have several meanings in imagery.”

Former Varsitarian artist Mario de Rivera presented a mixed-media piece with multiple panels titled “Between Diu and Makassar,” which reflects his “life experiences and recollections” when he was in China.

Abstractionist Raul Isidro veered away from nature sceneries with his work “The Carnival Man,” a 5 x 6 ft. yellowand black-hued acrylic painting.

“I want to make the composition about the jugglers, about the people of the carnival. I wanted more movement in the piece,” Isidro said.

“The Masters” runs until March 30, 2019. J.A.C. CASUCIAN

“It was the first time we did it [the collaboration] and I think it worked very well...hopefully, we can make it into a tradition.”

-Conservatory of Music Dean Antonio Africa

The painting “Harana” by Salvador Ching is among the works featured at the Manila Hotel exhibit.

MARK DARIUS M. SULIT

The opening of the Christmas season in UST last Dec. 3 ended with a short fireworks display, a crowd favorite from the annual Paskuhan festivities.

MARK DARIUS M. SULIT

Pyromusical display—a campus Christmas staple THE UST alumni that started it all are back again in what they promise to be a “magical” night of pyromusical display, the highlight of this year’s Paskuhan.

The company of advertising graduates Don Miguel Villarosa and John Oliver Zeng was the first from Southeast Asia to bring home Gold Jupiter Award and Best in Soundtrack at the L’International des Faux LotoQuébec in Montreal, Canada this

year.

They’ve come a long way since introducing this creative blend of fireworks display and musical at the Paskuhan in 2011.

“Preparation ‘yung madugo [dahil] dito dine-design ‘yang mga fireworks na ‘yan. Design at imbento [namin] ‘yan [at] walang ganiyan sa ibang bansa,” Villarosa told the Varsitarian in an interview.

“I think we are the best in the

country to synchronize fireworks and music with emotions [and our] competitors don’t do that.”

This year’s pyromusical will be Disney-themed, he said, promising “a night where your magical dreams come true.”

Such shows began following certain themes in 2014, among them, Frozen, Rock of Ages, and Coldplay, and last year’s Game of Thrones.

“Every show, bago ‘yung

theme, maraming bagong effects [at] bagong design. Sa ibang tao, ‘pag pumutok, fireworks ‘yan, pero kami hindi kami ganoon, kailangan may bago parati, may pakulo [na] kakaiba,” Villarosa said.

As the lead designers and technicians of the fireworks company, Villarosa and Zeng have represented the country and won in various international competitions. They clinched

the top spot in the 2013 Pyronale World Fireworks Championships in Berlin, Germany.

They also brought home the gold in the 2015 Flammende Sterne International Fireworks Competition in Stuttgart, Germany and the 2017 Jury Award at the Cannes International Fireworks Competition in Cannes, France. J. C. W. UY with reports from N. R. M. GOLE

10 Features

DECEMEBR 15, 2018

Editor: Louise Claire H. Cruz

Pulitzer Prize winner: Keep bias for truth in fake news era

By THE VARSITARIAN FEATURES TEAM

JOURNALISTS are called to promote greater transparency and “stick to the facts” as critics continue to attack their credibility, said Pulitzer Prizewinning investigative reporter Manuel “Manny” Mogato.

Mogato, the Manila-based reporter of Thompson Reuters, was himself the target of vicious online attacks for his reporting on President Duterte.

He received this year’s Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, as part of the Reuters team that included Clare Baldwin and Andrew R.C. Marshall.

The team was feted for their “relentless reporting that exposed the brutal killing campaign behind Philippines President Duterte’s war on drugs.”

Mogato acknowledged that public trust on the traditional media “has gone down sharply” given greater scrutiny on their work and credibility.

“There is an urgent call for journalists to restore trust and credibility by sticking to facts, not opinions, avoid taking sides and by being transparent,” he told a gathering of some 100 campus journalists attending the 20th Inkblots press fellowship

last Dec. 4.

‘Journalists should only be biased for truth’ A significant part of the training begins in school, he said in his keynote address, because “journalism is at its purest in the campuses.”

“Journalism is practiced in the school papers without vested interests and influence,” he said.

“Please protect, preserve and promote campus journalism.”

Mogato urged aspiring journalists to think more critically “about how digital technology and social platforms are used as conduits of the information disorder.”

Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist John Nery cited the importance of verification as “the most important element of journalis.”

Verification means testing the truth,” he told campus reporters during his talk on opinion journalism, which he described as “opinion that is based on a bedrock of facts.” LOUISE CLAIRE H. CRUZ, ALYSSA CARMINA A. GONZALES, J.C.W. UY and F.E. SEÑA

Award-winning journalist Manny Mogato from Reuters addresses the fellows of the 20th Inkblots last Dec. 4 at the Benavides Auditorium. PHOTO BY MARY JAZMIN D. TABUENA

Philets alumna pioneers schooling for the deaf A SCHOOL in Project 4, Quezon City offers more than just sign language for children with hearing disabilities — it gives them a voice.

The Maria Lena Buhay Foundation was named after the late daughter of its founder, Leticia Nietes-Buhay, former chief of UST’s speech department.

Buhay believes children

levels, so for them to catch up, you have to intensify [the] exercises or activities.”

Buhay put up the foundation in 1987 in honor of her daugher, an aspiring speech therapist who died of leukemia the year before.

“I made it real for her. I opened this school for her and I’m sure she must have been smiling there in heaven,”

“I made it real for her. I opened this school for her and I’m sure she must have been smiling there in heaven.”

Leticia Nietes-Buhay with one of the foundation’s students, Sophia Bumanlag on graduation day. (PHOTO COURTESY OF JUSTINE BUMANLAG)

— Leticia Nietes-Buhay experiencing hearing problems could still learn to speak normally given the proper training.

They were cases, she said, when even those suffering from total deafness were able to talk.

School principal Emilie Paras said children with hearing impairment have varying needs.

“You need to be more patient, because [the job] requires you to repeat yourself over and over again for them to be able to really comprehend,” she said.

“They are behind several

Students of the foundation established by Leticia Nietes-Buhay perform a Christmas carol. (PHOTO COURTESY OF MARIA LENA BUHAY MEMORIAL FOUNDATION INC., FACEBOOK PAGE.)

Buhay told the Varsitarian in an interview.

After finishing her degree in philosophy at then Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, Buhay took her master ’s degree in speech therapy at the University of Illinois.

She then established and directed the foundation in 1987 and became the first president of UST’s speech department.

Buhay also served as a speech therapist at the Manila Hearing Aid Center and Apolinario Mabini Rehabilitation Center inside the UST Hospital. J. C. W. UY

Editor: Michael Angelo M. Reyes

DECEMBER 15, 2018

Lenspeak 11

12 Filipino

DECEMBER 15, 2018

Usapang Uste

Pasko kontramateryalismo PALASAK na ang komersiyalismo sa Kapaskuhan noon pa kung kayat laging pinapaala ng liderato ng Santo Tomas, hinirang ng Vaticano biling “Katolikong Pamantasan ng Pilipinas,” na hindi dapat makaligtaan na ito ang araw ng kapanganakan ni Hesus.

Ayon sa ulat ng Varsitarian noong 1973, binigyang-diin ni P. Leonardo Legaspi, O.P., dating rektor ng Unibersidad, na makikita ang tunay na kahulugan ng Pasko sa pagbibigyang-halaga kay Hesus.

“If we view Christmas as the coming of the Child who would redeem us and grant us eternal life, if we remember that the gates of His Heavenly Kingdom will be open to us all the wider if we have childlike faith, then that truth becomes clearly evident,” wika ni Legaspi sa kaniyang mensahe para sa mga Tomasino.

Wika ni Legaspi, sa paraang ito, mailalayo ang kaisipan ng mga tao sa materyalismo na hadlang sa tunay na diwa ng pagdiriwang. “[T]hey will be stripped of the veneer of materialism that has coated them, and the birth of Christ will indeed be the harbinger of great news, the news of our redemption,” sabi niya.

Dagdag pa niya, sa pag-angkop ng pananampalataya at katangian ng pagiging inosente ng isang musmos maisasakatuparan ang tunay na kahulugan ng pasko. “’Suffer the little children to come unto me,’ Christ said, ‘for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven’,” wika niya.

Jose Rizal: Dakilang ugnay ng nakaraan, kasalukuyan MAKALIPAS ang isang siglo mula nang ibuwis ni Dr. Jose Rizal ang kaniyang sariling buhay para sa Filipinas, patuloy pa rin sa kasalukuyan ang kanyang impluwensiya sa pagbuo ng nasyonalismo.

Siya ay isang magandang ehemplo para sa mamamayang Filipino dahil sa kaniyang “critical engagement” o malalim na pangunawa tungkol sa iba’t ibang paksa, ayon sa isang historyador.

“Kung nabubuhay si Dr. Rizal ngayon, unang-una siya sa mga magkokomento ukol sa mga isyu sa ating lipunan. Bago niya gawin ‘yon nakapagsaliksik na siya at inalam na niya ang kabuuan ng mga

isyung ito, kagaya ng ginawa niya noong ikalabinsiyam na siglo,” ani Eloisa de Castro, propesor mula sa Unibersidad, sa isang panayam sa Varsitarian.

Iginiit ni de Castro na makatutulong ang makabuluhang kamalayan sa pagtugon sa bawat isyu, lalo na sa pagkilates ng tama at mali.

“Kung wala kang malalim na kaalaman o pagkakaintindi ng konteksto, wala ka ring karapatan na magbigay ng opinyon, kasi nagdaragdag ka lang ng mas maraming kalituhan at hindi lang kalituhan kung hindi, you are a purveyor of fake news,” giit ni de Castro.

Tomasino Siya Kinilala si Penk Tan-Ching bilang natatanging Tomasino dahil sa kaniyang angking kahusayan sa cake decorating na binigyang-puri sa loob at labas ng Filipinas.

Nagtapos si Ching ng kursong B.S. Business Administration sa UST College of Commerce noong 1979. Taong 1984 naman nang makamit niya ang kaniyang Master of Science in management degree sa Arthur D. Little Education Institute sa Massachusetts at ang kaniyang post graduate studies in Economics sa Columbia University.

Noong 2008 Beijing Olympics, si Ching ang naatasang magdisenyo ng Beijing Olympic Bird’s Nest Cake na kinilala ng Coca-Cola China Olympic Group. Kilala rin si Ching sa pagdisenyo ng inaugural cake ni dating pangulong Benigno Aquino III noong 2010. Siya rin nagdisenyo ng 400th anniversary cake ng Unibersidad noong 2011.

Iginawad sa kaniya ang Outstanding Small & Medium Scale Entrepreneur Award mula sa Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry dahil sa pagpapakita niya ng talento ng Filipino sa cake decorating sa ibang bansa noong 2000.

Nagwagi rin si Ching sa Wedding Cake top category sa British Sugarcraft Competition sa parehong taon.

Kilala rin si Ching sa tanyag na Pastry Bin, isang pastry shop na sikat sa pagdidisenyo ng mga cake sa mga pagdiriwang ng mga kilalang personalidad sa Filipinas, tulad ng life-size piano wedding cake ni Gerard Salonga. Umabot na rin ang kanilang mga produkto sa Dubai, Hongkong at Estados Unidos.

Kinilala rin siya sa pag-aayos ng mga business reports ng mga proyekto ng United Nations Financing System for Science and Technology ng iba’t ibang bansa.

Nakapaglimbag na rin siya ng libro na pinamagatang, “Caked in Sugar,” kung saan inilathala niya ang kaniyang paglalakbay mula sa pagpasok sa mundo ng korporasyon hanggang sa makilala siya sa larang ng cake decorating.

Ginawaran siya ng The Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Award (Total) noong 2009 sa kategorya na Entrepreneurship.

JOSELLE CZARINA S. DE LA CRUZ AT V. A. P. ANGELES Tomasalitaan Karidad kawanggawa

(pangngalan)

-

Charity,

Hindi lamang sa panahon ng pasko ang pagbibigayan at pagmamalasakit bagkus dapat nating ituring ang bawat araw nang may karidad para sa kapuwa.

Mga Sanggunian: Diksyunaryo-Tesauro Pilipino-Ingles ni Jose Villa Panganiban Total Awards 2009 The Varsitarian, Tomo LXX, Blg. 8, December 4 1998, 1998-2002, p. 2

Ayon pa sa kaniya, nakapaloob din sa critical engagement ang malalim na kaalaman sa kasaysayan ng bansa.

“Kung mababaw ang pagkakakilanlan mo sa iyong sarili, mababaw ang kaalaman mo sa kasaysayan. Pinag-iiwanan tayo ng kasaysayan dahilan sa hindi natin siya pinapansin,” wika ni de Castro.

Wika ni de Castro, kung nabubuhay si Rizal ngayon, siguradong may opinyon siya mga napapanahong isyu sa bansa tulad ng extrajudicial killings, isyu sa South China Sea, estado ng politika at sa mga taong ginagawang biro ang kasaysayan.

Pinuna rin ni De Castro ang mga taong ginagamit si Rizal sa mga uri ng pagbibiro sa social media.

“Ang ginagawa nila ay paglapastangan even if it is in modern day context.

Kalapastangan pa rin ‘yon para sa akin. Ang taong ginagamit nila ay isang tao na excellent at napakagandang halimbawa bilang isang tao at Filipino,” giit niya.

Nilinaw ni de Castro na nagampanan ni Rizal ang kaniyang mga tungkulin para sa bayan noon na dapat mabigyang ng pansin ng sambayanang Filipino.

“Hindi mo masasabing nagpabaya si Dr. Jose Rizal sa responsibilidad niya bilang isang Filipino noong ika-labinsiyam na siglo.

Sa katunayan, ano ba ang irereklamo mo sa buhay niya, ibinigay niya ang kaisa-isa niyang buhay para sa sambayanang Filipino,” wika niya.

Ipagdiriwang ang ika-122 na anibersaryo ng pagkamatay ng pambansang bayani ng bansa na si Jose Rizal sa ika-30 ng Disyembre.

Si Rizal ang may akda sa likod ng mga nobelang Noli Me Tangere at El Filibusterismo na kumakatawan sa kaniyang critical engagement noong panahon ng pananakop ng mga Espanyol. Gamit ang panulat, patuloy siyang tinitingala dahil sa kaniyang taglay na tapang at talinong sumasalamin sa isang intelihenteng Filipino. JOSELLE CZARINA S. DE LA CRUZ AT M.V. COTONGAN

Itim raw ang kulay ng Pasko Kumukutikutitap, bumubusibusilak, ganiyan ang indak ng mga bumbilya, Ganoon na lamang ang pananabik ko nang marinig ito sa aming radyo. Iba talaga kapag panahon ng kapaskuhan, palaging nasa isip ko ang dating mga matatamis na tsokolate, malalambot na unan, pabango at ‘di umano’y bagong labas na modelo ng headset na iniregalo sa akin nina inay at itay noong nakaraang taon.

Hindi na rin ako makapaghintay sa mga kuwento ng aking mga pinsan sa kung gaano kahigante at kaganda ang mga parol na pinalilibutan ng mga Christmas lights sa kanilang probinsiya.

“Nay! Ano ba ang kulay ng mga parol sa kanila? Katulad din ba ito ng sa atin,” tanong ko kay inay na nasa kusina. Dinig na dinig ang pagsisiritsit at amoy na amoy ang nakatatakam na ginisang kaniyang niluluto.

“Oo. Itim din daw ang Christmas lights sa kanila katulad sa atin,” sagot niya sabay tanong ko ulit kung anong pagkakaiba nito.

Ipinaliwanag naman niya sa akin na walang espesyal sa mga pailaw nila. Ang itim daw kasi ay kumbinasyon lang ng napakaraming kulay tulad ng natutuhan ko sa asignaturang Arts.

Ngumisi na lang ako. Nakapagtataka lang talaga kung bakit kailangang taon-taon pang ipinagyayabang ng mga pinsan ko ang mga parol nila kung singkulay at singganda rin lang naman ‘yon ng sa amin?

Kinabukasan, sobrang natutuwa akong pumasok at ibalita sa mga kaklase ko na kaparehas lang ng aming Christmas lights ang mga nasa probinsiya. Ikinuwento ko ito kagaya ng paglalarawan sa akin ng mga pinsan ko. Malaki at madalas kinukuhaan ng litrato ng mga tao rito. Manghang-mangha ang mga kaibigan ko, gusto rin nilang makita ang mga ito tulad ko.

Ngunit, sumingit ang isa kong kaklase: “Hindi naman ‘yan totoo eh! Narinig ko ang tatay ko na ipinapasama ang itim niyang polo shirt sa kaniyang bagahe upang gamitin sa pagburol ng kaniyang namatay na kaibigan, pangmalungkot naman na kulay ‘yan!”

“Oo, nasabi nga rin sa akin ng lola ko na ‘yan daw ang pinakanakakatakot na kulay. Madalas daw kasing iugnay ito sa mga masasamang elemento.” sabi pa ng isa na ikinatakot naming lahat.

“Hindi, mali kayo.

Itim ang pinakamagandang kulay. Kumbinasyon daw ito ng lahat ng kulay sabi ng inay ko.” sagot ko

naman.

Ibinahagi naman ng pinakamatalino naming kaklase, “Kuwento ng nanay ko, kawalan daw ang ibig sabihin ng itim.

Blangko, parang mundo noong unang-una.”

Natigil lamang ang diskusyon nang dumating na ang aming guro. Tumatak sa isipan ko ang mga pinagsasabi ng aking mga kaklase. Paano kung totoo ‘yon? Wala akong ibang inintindi hanggang pag-uwi kundi ang mga iyon lamang. Hanggang sa nakarating ako ng bahay at kating-kating tanungin sa aking inay ang totoo.

“Alam mo anak, tama naman lahat ng mga kaklase mo. Ang iba sa sinabi nila ay mga pamahiin na nakaugalian na nating sundin.

Ang iba naman ay representasyon lamang ng mga kathang-isip na bagay-bagay,” sagot ng aking inay.

Totoo rin daw na kawalan ang ibig sabihin ng itim. Nariyan ang kawalan upang tayo ay makalikha. Tinutulungan tayo mismo ng kawalan na umisip ng paraan, paganahin ang ating imahinasyon, at patingkarin ang ating mga ninanais sa buhay upang ito ay magkalaman.

“Kagaya rin ng sinabi ko sa’yo noon, ang itim ay kumbinasyon ng napakaraming kulay.

Hindi mo lang ito nakikita.” dagdag ng aking inay.

Natigil lamang ang kaniyang pagpapaliwanag nang tumunog ang telepono.

Halos mangiyak-iyak ang tono ng boses ni inay sabay yakap sa akin.

“Sa wakas, hindi mo na ngayon kailangang mangarap upang mamangha. Makakakita ka na anak,” ang sabi niya. CHRIS V. GAMOSO

DECEMBER 15, 2018

Limelight 13

14 Limelight

DECEMBER 15, 2018

ADVENTURES WITH TIMMY B BY RICA MAE V. SORIENTE

BUHAY NI SABRAY BY M.J.A. CADIZ

MIMA-TOLOGY BY A.J.C. DEL MUNDO

Vaping: What difference does it make?

THE SMELL of burning tobacco still wafts in Antonio near the corner of Dapitan Street, but this time it is combined with an aromatic scent.

While cigarettes continue to be the choice for most students who smoke, some of them have switched to electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), more commonly known as vapes.

“You will notice the difference when you switch from cigarettes to vapes,” Lia Herrera, an Advertising Arts major from the College of Fine Arts and Design told the Varsitarian.

“When I smoke cigarettes nowadays, all I get are chapped lips.

That’s also a reason why I stopped smoking. Plus, it’s easier for me to breathe.”

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a vape typically has three main components, the e-liquid, a heating element, and a power source. The e-liquid or “juice” is the mixture used in a vape and it contains nicotine, the psychoactive compound also found in tobacco.

Nicotine is mixed with propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, which when vaporized gives the e-liquid its distinct cloudlike appearance.

Flavorings are then added to provide varying scents and tastes.

The atomizer holds and vaporizes the e-liquid. Inside the atomizer is a heating element made

out of high-resistance wire formed into a coil.

Between the coil is a wick, typically cotton, which is soaked in e-liquid. When the coil is heated using electricity, the wick is also heated, vaporizing the liquid.

To provide power to heat the coil, a battery is connected to the atomizer. These batteries are housed in “mods”, a term coined from early e-cigarettes made out of modified high-power flashlights. Some mods can be as simple as connecting the battery directly to the atomizer, while some have complex circuitry to deliver variable voltage, wattage, or more recently, variable temperature controls.

Compared to tobacco-based products, vapes might not cause as much side effects to the body.

“I am an avid basketball player.

When I started smoking cigarettes, I noticed that I get exhausted easily, so I weaned off it. But then I switched to vapes, and that’s when I started to last longer on the court,” Paul, a Grade 11 student, said.

However, vapes are not an end to the smoking problem.

As e-liquids also contain nicotine, it can also cause dependence and addiction. In a Varsitarian report last 2015, Dr. Maria Ronilla Santos of the UST Hospital said that while nicotine “causes pleasure, increased

awareness, increased wakefulness and increased cognitive activity, more will be needed to satisfy the craving.”

In a statement last August, the Department of Health said there was a “lack of conclusive data regarding the long-term effects of using e-cigarettes,” and while researches are still being conducted, the “health risks [of e-cigarettes] cannot be ignored.”

But some vape users remain unfazed. They see vaping as a

stress reliever and for socializing.

“For me, [vaping] is a stress reliever, most especially now, because I’m working on my thesis,” Herrera said. “I can vape inside my room without having to smell like cigarette smoke.”

“I see it as more of a hobby than an addiction. It’s nice to hang around vape shops and meet new people,” Paul added. R.A.DC. IGNACIO and BEATRIZ AVEGAYLE S. TIMBANG

Dalena, de Guzman, artists speak up on human rights FROM PAGE 8

artist Brenda Fajardo and visual artists Jaime de Guzman and Danilo Dalena, she a TAA 1990 recipient, and the last two from the first TAA batch of 1970, encouraged artists not to be afraid of expressing themselves and fighting for what they believed in.

Dalena said he saw how the people were suffering and were in poverty while those in power loved deceiving the people and that was what he was trying to draw in his political cartoons.

Dalena, an alumnus of the old College of Fine Arts and Architecture, told of an instance when he was approached by an underground group asking him to make an editorial cartoon without his name or his style, to which he refused.

“My work is already effective, why would I change or hide, I’m not afraid or nervous because they

[the government] already know me and the work that I do,” he said.

Dalena and De Guzman are both Thomasians, having graduated from the old UST College of Fine Arts and Design. Dalena was also art editor of the Varsitarian.

From the 2018 TAA batch were Cian Dayrit, Carlo Gabuco, Archie Oclos, and Eisa Jocson.

Dayrit was recognized for his counter-cartography workshop “Beyond the God’s Eye,” workshop that countered the traditional use of making maps for political and military purposes.

“Maps are very political; lines drawn on representations of space connote territory, ownership, power, contradictions and struggles of class and privilege,” Dayrit said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

“Our collective rights are repressed every day; corruption, plunder

and impunity is systemic and historical,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, Oclos, a street artist, stressed the fight for the rights of the marginalized communities.

Oclos won for his work “Hear them Pray,” a mural located at the gate of the UP-College of Fine Arts building that pays homage to the indigenous peoples who are being forced out of their ancestral domain.

“I think art can be used as a weapon and a call for justice for those who are repressed from their rights,” said Oclos.

Jocson brought up the issue of sexuality in the field of dancing, tackling the objectification of women in a street-dance choreography.

Visual artist turned photojournalist Gabuco presented a short photodocumentary about the victims of the drug war titled “Less than

Human.”

Media personalities Raffy Lerma, Marco Morales, Paulo Villaluna and Ronnie Lazaro, as well as National Artist Ben Cab were also present to speak out.

AHRT! was in line with the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights and in observance of Republic Act No. 9210 which marks Dec. 4 to 10 as National Human Rights Consciousness Week.

Allie Escandor of Respond and Break the Silence Against the Killings, a human rights group, urged a review of Philippine history, especially of the martial law period.

“The best kind of remembering is actually reflective and discursive; engagement with the past in the creation of new types of ideas,” Escandor said. KATRINA ISABEL C. GONZALES

Tracksters FROM PAGE 15

finished with 187 points for bronze.

Calipes said the loss of the team’s veteran players took a heavy toll on the Male Trackters’ performance this year.

The men’s squad competed with a core of 17 players, three less than the 20-man pool usually paraded by the team.

The Male Tracksters played without top pole vaulter EJ Obiena and gold medalists Kevin Capangpangan and Joel Hera, who opted to skip the tournament due to personal reasons.

“I had to challenge other players kasi no choice, we have to form a team so I needed to look for second choices na kahit nasa developmental stage pa lang, pinagtiyagaan na namin,” the tactician said.

Despite the disappointing finish, Calipes believes the future is bright for the Male Tracksters with the entry of some homegrown talents from the juniors’ team.

Obiena and Capangpangan are also expected to return to the pool next year, a boost the team greatly missed in this season’s campaign.

“I’m definitely anticipating a good performance next year kasi I’ve seen these juniors train and I can say na we will give the other teams a good fight next season,” Calipes said. J.E.J. HIRRO and THERESA CLARE K. TAÑAS

Overall

FROM PAGE 15

have high expectations sa mga sports na ‘yon kasi I know they will deliver medals for UST,” Sambuang said.

Back-to-back men’s basketball champion Ateneo de Manila University sits at fourth place with 155 points.

Taekwondo champion NU is at fifth spot with 131 points, after winning five-consecutive men’s badminton and women’s basketball crowns.

University of the East, FEU and Adamson University registered 125, 105 and 76 points for sixth, seventh, and eighth spot, respectively. IVAN RUIZ L. SUING and JUSTIN ROBERT VALENCIA

Editor: Ma. Angelica D. Garcia

UST leads UAAP overall title race

UST kept its hold of the top spot in the UAAP Season 81 general championship race at the end of the first semester.

UST collected seven gold, four silver and two bronze medals for 212 points, higher than Season 80’s 153 markers.

University of the Philippines came in at second place with 188 points, while rival De La Salle University slipped to third with 178.

“The teams this first semester really did a good performance kaya malaki ang lamang ng UST. Although, mababa ang place sa ibang sports, thankful pa rin kami dahil malakas ‘yong hatak ng karamihan,” Institute of Physical Education and Athletics (IPEA) athletics moderator Rodrigo Sambuang told the Varsitarian.

The Lady Spikers made history after bagging their third-straight UAAP beach volleyball crown at the expense of La Salle. The Tiger Spikers reclaimed the title they lost

Sports 15

DECEMBER 15, 2018

last year after sweeping the Far Eastern University (FEU).

The Lady Paddlers finally ended an 11-year title drought in the women’s table tennis after beating La Salle, while the Tiger Paddlers dethroned the National University (NU) in the men’s division.

Recently, the Tiger Judokas dominated the judo tournament anew after scoring another golden double.

The Female Tracksters continued their athletics reign after securing their fifth-consecutive crown. The struggling Male Tracksters, meanwhile, missed the podium anew and sank to eighth, their worst showing in UAAP history.

La Salle unseated UST’s poomsae team which settled for silver this season. The Tiger and Lady Jins almost spoiled NU’s dominance in the taekwondo tournament but settled for twin runner-up finishes.

In fencing action, the Lady Fencers improved to second place this year from last

Mighty Judokas bag UAAP crowns anew

season’s fifth-spot finish, while the Male Fencers crashed to fifth place, a far cry from their silver-finish last year.

The Growling Tigresses faltered in the women’s basketball stepladder semifinals to salvage third place anew.

The Male Tigersharks returned to the podium this season and bagged bronze, while their female counterparts dropped to fourth.

The Male and Female Woodpushers ended their campaigns at fifth place.

In badminton action, the Male and Lady Shuttlers finished with identical 1-5 winloss records for sixth place.

The new-look Growling Tigers missed the Final Four for the third-straight year and finished at sixth place.

“Sana ma-maintain kasi ang goal naman talaga is makuha ‘yong general championship ulit. We still have remaining events next semester and I Overall PAGE 14

THE UST Tiger Judokas reigned anew in the UAAP Season 81 judo tournament, bagging the women’s, men’s and boys’ division crowns at the De La Salle University Sports Complex last Dec. 8 to 9.

The Lady Judokas notched their fifth-straight title with 36 points, including a 1-8-5 goldsilver-bronze medal haul. The University of the Philippines (UP) came in at second place with 25 markers.

With the championship, UST became the first team in UAAP judo history to win fiveconsecutive titles in the women’s division.

Season 81 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Khrizzie Pabulayan (-52 kg) bagged the Lady Judokas’ lone gold medal of the tournament.

Team captain Kimberly Pantoja (-48 kg), Season 80 MVP Almira Ruiz (-57 kg), Rhodesa Bayas (-52 kg), Miam Salvador (-44 kg), Althana Caranto (-63 kg), Bernadette Carpio (-70 kg), Jamaika Ponciano (-78 kg) and Risa de la Cruz (+78 kg) all took home silver medals.

Devrah Devaras (-57 kg), Princess Aguilar (-44 kg), Shalimar Masong (-70 kg), Krisha Rotairo (-78 kg) and April Lua (+78 kg) pocketed bronze for UST. “I told the team na tulongtulong lang sa points, lahat kaiangan mag-contribute kasi ang motto namin ay we play as a team, we fight as a team and we win as a team tsaka pressured kami dahil history ang maka-five-peat,” Lady Judokas head coach Gerard Arce told the Varsitarian.

The Lady Judokas are on track for a sixth-straight crown, but they would have to do it without key players Ruiz, Ponciano, Bayas and Pantoja.

“We are aiming for sixpeat next year but syempre hindi maiiwasang may aalis na players pero may mga new players namang papasok and expected namin ‘yong all-star cast next season dahil may mga aakyat na juniors sa seniors’ team,” Arce said.

In men’s action, the Male Judokas bagged their third-straight championship with a 5-2-4 medal tally for 45 points. Rival Ateneo de Manila University and UP settled for silver with identical 18 markers.

Season 81 MVP Dither Tablan (+100 kg), George Kim (-100 kg), Mitchel Salcedo (-90 kg), Russel Lorenzo (-60 kg), and Season 81 Rookie of the Year Ryan Benavides (-66 kg) led the charge for UST with gold medals.

Thomas Huckstep (-66 kg) and Czar Bayas (-73 kg) notched silver while team captain Niko Ong (-73 kg), Randolph Dalupiri (-90 kg), Luis San Diego (-81 kg) and Shergeon de Rosa (-55 kg) reaped bronze.

“Ito ang pinakamalakas na performance ng team. Lahat nag-contribute and they gave everything I asked for. We were more driven and motivated compared last year,” Male Judokas head coach Steve Esteban said.

Ong and San Diego will no longer see action for the Male Judokas in Season 82 after completing their playing years.

The Lady and Male Judokas remained the winningest teams in UAAP judo history with 11 and 13 championships, respectively.

In the junior’s play, the UST boys’ team emerged as champions for the fourth-straight year while the girls’ team settled for second place anew. F.Y.W.N. RAGASA and THERESA CLARE K. TAÑAS

Dither Tablan

Female Tracksters display dominance anew

Jie Anne Calis

THE UST Female Tracksters brought home the title for the fifth-straight year, while the struggling Male Tracksters crashed to eighth place in the UAAP Season 81 athletics tournament at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig last Nov. 28 to Dec. 2.

UST successfully defended its title in the women’s division with a total of 358 points behind a 10-3-5 gold-silverbronze medal tally, leaving Far Eastern University (347 points) and University of the Philippines (203 points) at second and third place, respectively.

“They showed good teamwork.

Hindi nila pinabayaan ang isa’t isa during the events, nagtulungan sila for the championship,” UST Tracksters head coach Manny Calipes told the Varsitarian.

The Female Tracksters dominated the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay, 100, 200, 400 and 800-meter dash, 15,000-meter run, hammer throw, javelin throw and long jump events.

Louielyn Pamatian was hailed Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the thirdstraight season in the women’s division after collecting gold medals in the 400 and 800-meter sprint, 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay events.

Aira Teodosio also set a new UAAP record of 46.12 meters in the hammer throw event, trouncing her last year’s record of 43.23 meters.

Impending dynasty Even with the departure of perennial gold medalists from the current roster due to graduation, Calipes remained optimistic of the team’s six-peat bid next season.

Three-time MVP Pamatian, UAAP record-holder Teodosio and veteran Michelle de Vera all completed their playing years.

“Sa lahat naman ng teams, may mga ups and downs, may mga aalis talaga pero next year, we will have new faces tapos ‘yong mga rookies this year, magma-mature na ‘yan sila next season,” Calipes said.

As their season drew to a close, Calipes said the team will resume training in January for the Ayala Philippine National Open

Invitational Athletics Championships in March. This tournament will also serve as a qualifier for the 2019 Manila South East Asian Games where Pamatian, Teodosio, team captain Alyssa Andrade, Karen Janario and Jie Anne Calis are expected to join.

8th place The Male Tracksters failed to reach the podium anew and settled for eighth place, with one silver medal for 67 points, their worst showing in UAAP history.

Jhon Lloyd Lamaclamac registered 57:15.25 in the 10,000-meter walk on the last day of the tournament for the men’s team lone medal this season.

UP took the championship in the men’s division this year with 426 points. FEU followed with 262 markers while University of the East

Jeremy de Guzman

Tracksters PAGE 14