The Varsitarian P.Y. 2018-2019 Issue 02

Volume XC, No. 2 • October 3, 2018 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF SANTO TOMAS Manila, Philippines

Thomasians join the mass protest on Sept. 21 at the Rizal Park to commemorate the 46th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law. PHOTO BY DEEJAE S. DUMLAO

UST hits AFP’s ‘red-tagging’

By KEVIN A. ALABASO and SHERWIN DANE ZAURO C. HARO

THOMASIANS denounced on Oct. 3 the inclusion of the University in the list of schools deemed as recruitment grounds of communists in a plot to oust President Rodrigo Duterte.

UST Secretary General Fr. Jesus Miranda, O.P. said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) must prove its allegations first before dragging the University in its claims of a supposed “Red October” plot to unseat Duterte.

“Baka naman stereotyping lang nila ‘yan or because we are a Catholic university and there is a perception that we are against the present government. Is that why we are being tagged?” Miranda told the Varsitarian.

UST Simbahayan (extension office) Director Mark Anthony Abenir said the “redtagging” must have been the result of recent activities of the University addressing the issues of the rights of marginalized sectors and the participation in protests against strongman rule.

“All student mobilizations undergo proper screening and approval. We do not work with CPP-NPA for that matter, nor have we discussed any concerns with the government,” Abenir told the Varsitarian.

The CPP-NPA refers to the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army.

Martial Law horrors remembered THE UST community joined the nation in marking the 46th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law, vowing never to forget the atrocities of dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ one-man rule.

Dominican Prior Provincial Fr. Napoleon Sipalay, Jr., O.P. urged Thomasians to be aware of the “horrors of Martial Law” amid attempts to revise history.

Sipalay, the UST vice chancellor, led the Eucharistic celebration at San Agustin Church in Intramuros to commemorate the Martial Law anniversary last Sept. 21.

“We remember history to learn from history, we remember those who suffered and those who [survived] and we would like not to repeat it again,” Sipalay told the Varsitarian in a chance interview after the Mass.

He said the youth should remember Martial Law as the darkest phase in the country’s history in terms of human rights violations.

“Totoong naghirap ang bayan.

Hanggang ngayon, may epekto pa

sa bayan [ang Martial Law] in terms of cultural, political and economic aspects,” Sipalay said.

The Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP), in a statement, denounced the atrocities of Martial Law and human rights violations under the Duterte administration.

“Our faith beseeches us to firmly stand for and uphold the dignity of life.

We cannot remain silent in the midst of exploitation, oppression, where majority are left to suffer in despair and poverty and, worst, killed brazenly with impunity,” the statement read.

The AMRSP is led by Sr. Regina Kuizon, a UST journalism alumna and former assistant publications adviser of the Varsitarian, and Fr. Cielito Almazan, minister provincial of the Franciscan Province of San Pedro Bautista.

The Sangguniang Laiko ng ng Pilipinas, Promotion of Church People’s Response and the Religious Discernment Group also signed the statement.

The religious groups then marched

Aegis Juris fratmen arrive at the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 20 as the trial on the hazing death of Atio continues. PHOTO BY JOSE MIGUEL J. SUNGLAO

THIS YEAR’S feast of the Santisimo Rosario brought back old traditions such as the blessing of roses and besamanto, or the kissing of the image of the Blessed Mother.

Last Sept. 27, a traditional blessing of roses was led by Santisimo Rosario parish priest Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P. after the Mass for the enthronement of the image of the Virgin Mary, ahead of the month of the Holy Rosary.

According to Dominican tradition, roses are blessed and kept in homes for divine protection. Roses symbolize the rosary and its mysteries.

“Ibinibigay ang mga roses na ito sa may sakit o sa bahay and ang main propagator ng Rosary ay mga Dominicans at ‘yong blessing ng roses, ‘yon ang prayer natin, we are praying for divine protection,” Coronel said.

The image of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary was brought from the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church to the Main Building in a procession, as “a sign of handing over Mary to the University.”

The besamanto or the kissing of the

Martial Law PAGE 5

‘Red-tagging’ PAGE 5

WHAT’S INSIDE

Old traditions back in Santisimo Rosario’s 76th anniversary

UNIVERSITY

Secretary General Fr. Jesus Miranda Jr., O.P. called for healing a year after Horacio “Atio” Castillo III died from hazing, but questions still hound the parents of the slain Civil Law freshman.

PAGE 3

EDITORIAL

President Duterte threads in the footsteps of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos as the rule of law is disregarded and the spate of extrajudicial killings continue. PAGE 4

FRAT SUSPENSION

The suspension of the Office for Student Affairs of fraternities’ operations will certainly not curb the violence in fraternity hazing culture. PAGE 5

OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION

More than four years after its implementation, outcome-based education sacrificed the quality of learning and teaching activities and endangered the real essence of education in the University. PAGE 5

FEDERALISM

Old traditions PAGE 12

FACULTY UNION

The negotiators for the next collective bargaining agreement seek to improve the working conditions of faculty members in UST.

A state-commissioned study has revealed that the country’s regions are still not prepared for a shift towards a federal type of government.

PAGE 8

39TH MIBF

GROWLING TIGERS

PAGE 9

PAGE 16

PAGE 7

Thomasian writers gathered at this year’s Manila International Book Fair in Pasay.

The Ateneo Blue Eagles handed the Growling Tigers their secondstrsight loss, 85-53, in the UAAP.

2 News

Editor: Julia Claire L. Medina

OCTOBER 3, 2018

‘Time stopped’ for Atio’s parents after hazing tragedy A YEAR after the hazing death of UST Law freshman Horacio “Atio” Castillo III, parents of Atio said time has stopped for them, while Aegis Juris Fraternity founders said their brotherhood would “move forward” from the tragedy.

Carmina, mother of Atio, said it seemed as if time did not move for their family from the moment they found the lifeless body of their son.

“We remember every hour, every minute we felt scared he was missing… It was so fresh. I could remember every step. It was as if we stopped there… it is almost a year [but] it doesn’t seem like a year,” Carmina told the Varsitarian in an interview.

Atio’s death sparked public outrage and clamor to end the hazing culture among fraternities and sororities, moving lawmakers to enact the Anti-Hazing Law of 2018 or the Atio Castillo Law, which bans all forms of hazing.

The Aegis Juris Fraternity’s co-founder Edwin Uy said they plan to continue its programs while “adhering to the laws of the land,” especially with the new provisions set on the Atio Castillo Law. “Aegis Juris never ceases. We have plans. We may have to lay low a bit but the fire in us as founding members has always been there,” Uy, a former congressional representative of Isabela, told the Varsitarian in an interview.

Atio was fooled, deceived Carmina said she had warned her son about joining fraternities when Atio showed interest in joining Aegis Juris.

“Kahit na bawalan mo, he is an adult. Do not blame him… he said they (Aegis Juris)

Bomb scare a hoax –UST security chief

THE SUPPOSED bomb scare in the University on Sept. 19 was declared a hoax after the UST Security Office and the Manila Police District confirmed that no explosives were planted in the campus.

UST Security Office Chief Joseph Badinas said the bomb threat was received through a text message by a medical technology student, who reported the threat to the dean’s office of the Faculty of Pharmacy.

The report was then relayed to the Secretary General’s office and the Security Office.

The text message that circulated on Wednesday claimed there would be an explosion inside the campus by noon.

At the same time, the University was hosting a forum on peace efforts and the Lumad communities in Mindanao.

Badinas told the Varsitarian that the Philippine National Police was investigating the source of the text message.

In April, the St. Raymund de Peñafort Building housing the College of Commerce and the Faculty of Arts and Letters was the subject of a bomb threat, which police declared a hoax.

KEVIN A. ALABASO

Senior High students join consultation, guidance fair THE UST Office for Admissions (OFAd) drew thousands of students in the 28th Career Consultation and Guidance Fair (CCGF) at the World Trade Center in Pasay.

More than 10,000 graduating senior high students attended the event launched by the International Education Student Exchange Program with its partner academic institutions last Sept. 4 and 5.

UAAP standouts including Sisi Rondina, Salinggawi Dance Troupe and Galvanize-UST were also present to help promote UST. Steeve Moore Jr., OFAd assistant for marketing, said the University has always been one of the event’s crowd drawers.

“We want to not just attract these kids but to make them see as early as now how we train and develop our students [in UST],” Moore told the Varsitarian in the sidelines of the event.

OFAd Assistant Director Eric Dimar cited the importance of career consultations to avoid scenarios in which students take up a college program only to realize that it is not the right path for them.

“Career counseling is important because it helps young people identify a program fit for them and what school offers that program for them,” Dimar said.

A total of 52 colleges, universities and institutions participated in the consultation fair.

KEVIN A. ALABASO and SHERWIN DANE ZAURO C. HARO

Horacio Jr. and Carmina Castillo, parents of the slain law freshman, speak to reporters at the sidelines of the hearing on their son’s hazing death. PHOTO BY ENRICO MIGUEL S. SILVERIO

would not do anything that would embarrass the dean (Nilo Divina). In fact, they are lawyers… he believed it, he trusted them,” she added. Carmina affirmed her stand that the fratmen did not inform Atio that their initiation rites would involve hazing.

Henry Pablo Jr., a former “grand praefectus” or leader of Aegis Juris, said there were doubts as to whether Atio indeed died from hazing.

“Nalungkot [ako] kasi I was thinking, napasobra ba? I was asking myself bakit

namatay [si Atio]. May mga brods kaming nagsasabi na ‘di naman daw [from hazing].

Medyo talagang mahina raw si Atio,” he said. The parents of the slain Civil Law freshman have long refuted claims their son died of heart disease and not because of the hazing rites.

Horacio Castillo Jr. said his son was healthy upon entering the University, contrary to claims of lead suspect John Paul Solano that Atio died because of a preexisting heart disease called hypertrophic

cardiomyopathy, or the thickening of the walls of the heart due to enlarged heart muscle cells.

“Before [Atio] went to UST, the school requires a medical certificate. He was given a clean bill of health by the school. How could you say he has [a heart condition]?” he told reporters last Oct. 24.

Uy said he advised the leadership of the Aegis Juris to form a crisis committee to handle the situation and to reach out to the Castillo family. “[M]y mindset at that time is that if we will not be able to reach out to the family of the concerned person, this will be a very noisy incident, which happened,” He said the Aegis Juris made efforts to coordinate with Atio’s parents but it was “very difficult for us to establish a connection because of the situation.”

Pablo and Uy were among those tagged in the leaked Facebook group chat of Aegis Juris alumni-lawyers in October last year, formed after the news of Atio’s hazing death broke out.

They, along with 21 other alumnilawyers of Aegis Juris, were accused of involvement in a coverup. The Department of Justice dismissed the cases on March 6 due to “insufficiency of evidence.”

Test of brotherhood The two recalled that the Aegis Juris thrived not only with support but also from the intimidation and threats from other fraternities.

Uy said he considered the Atio case a “test of how strong our bond as fraternity members of the Aegis Juris is.”

Time PAGE 5

Librarians buck 24/7 service during exam week THE UST Miguel de Benavides Library is not in favor of opening the central library for 24 hours during examination weeks, urging Thomasians to instead maximize its online resources and databases.

The library administration does not see

the need for a round-the-clock physical library, noting that various resources and databases are always available on the library website, Chief Librarian Ma. Cecilia Lobo said. “[We do not] discard the possibility.

Let’s take a look and study it. If the students think the library hours are not enough, they can write us and request a dialogue. It would be better if we have the numbers,” Lobo told the Varsitarian in an interview.

Lobo pointed out that book borrowing statistics have declined, but online use has “tremendously increased” to no less than 10 million log-ins per year.

Lobo said demand from the students, sufficiency of human resources and material resources in the library should be considered in deciding on the extension of library hours.

The central library, a six-story building opened in 1989, operates from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. It has 59 staff members, composed of three library administrators, 30 professional librarians and 26 support staff. There are also 80 San Lorenzo Ruiz scholars or student assistants working for four hours in three shifts.

Asst. Chief Librarian Diana Padilla

urged Thomasians to maximize the electronic resources of the library, which could be accessed from home.

She reminded students that they paid for subscription to e-books and online databases upon enrollment.

‘Project Extended’ UST Central Student Council Public Relations Officer Nicole Naval presented in June a proposal for an all-night in-campus study area.

The council has identified two areas for the purpose – the canteen inside the Benavides (UST Junior High School) Building, which can accommodate 500 people, and the lobby of the Tan Yan Kee Student Center.

“We are proposing a study area, but not in library. In the Junior High School, the proposed study hours are from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. during preliminary and final examinations. Two weeks for prelims and two weeks for finals,” she said in an earlier interview with the Varsitarian.

The council is willing to shoulder the expenses of the project, which is still pending approval of the UST administration, she said. MAREM A. DE JEMEL

‘Honesty’ kiosks losing money due to dishonesty “HONESTY kiosks” selling sweets and snacks in the University for charity have recorded heavy losses, ironically because of dishonesty among Thomasians.

The “Bonded University Towards Imbued Learning” (Butil) Honesty Kiosks, proceeds of which go to Butil scholars at public schools in UST’s partner communities, recorded a P4,000 deficit, or discrepancy between actual and expected sales, on its first week this Academic Year.

Coleen Fernandez, project head of the Butil Honesty Kiosk from Becarios de Santo Tomas, said sales were at “breakeven,” affecting Butil projects.

The unmanned stores bank on the honesty of customers, who are expected to place their payments in a coin bank as they dip their hands in the kiosks’ containers to get their goodies.

“We are getting proceeds which are only enough to cover the cost. The profits are small, if there are profits,” Fernandez told the Varsitarian.

Butil stopped operations in October last year when expected profits slipped to 6 percent and eventually zero, from the expected 25 percent. “We literally earned nothing for around four weeks,” said Nicole Pascua, project head of Butil Honesty Kiosk last year.

“Sometimes, after we have restocked, people get goodies without paying the exact amount, or don’t pay at all,” Pascua said.

She said the dishonesty was likely rooted in Thomasians’ lack of awareness of the project’s

advocacy.

Partnerships with different colleges helped the Butil Honesty Kiosk during its phases of financial struggles, Pascua said.

The beneficiaries of the project are the reason the store remains open despite “uncertainty on people’s honesty.”

“If there are people who are not honest in the honesty kiosk, there are honest people who keep the honesty kiosk alive, especially those

colleges who want to open their own stores to help our advocacy,” Pascua said.

Becarios de Santo Tomas, an association Thomasian scholars, in partnership with the Office for Student Affairs, the Central Student Council, Students Organizations Coordinating Council, Simbahayan Community Development Office and college student councils launched the Butil Honesty Kiosk in 2014. MAREM A. DE JEMEL

Honesty kiosks in the University have suffered heavy losses since last year from dishonesty among Thomasians. PHOTO BY MICHAEL ANGELO M. REYES

OCTOBER 3, 2018

News 3

UST welcomes Lumad to ‘Bakwit’ program

Representatives from the cultural minority group and Save our Schools Network march along the University during their Unity Walk with Thomasians. KUHA NI ENRICO S. SILVERIO

Thomasians ace September licensure exams THE UNIVERSITY aced the September 2018 licensure examinations for electrical engineers, librarians and medical technologists.

UST kept its spot as the top-performing school in the licensure examinations for electrical engineers after posting a 100-percent passing rate.

All 73 Thomasian examinees passed the test. UST shared the crown with the University of Saint Louis in Tuguegarao whose 52 examinees passed the test.

Last year, 74 passed out of 75 Thomasian examinees, or a 98.67-percent passing rate.

Niño Boy Dacer of Bicol University in Legazpi in Albay led the country’s new batch of electrical engineers, with a score of 93.05 percent.

The national passing rate slipped to 66.74 percent, or 3,135 out of 4,697 examinees, from last year’s 68.40 percent, or 2,643 out of 3,864 examinees.

In the licensure examinations for librarians, the University posted a 97.37-percent passing rate, or 37 out of 38 examinees.

This was higher than last year’s 90 percent, or 27 out of 30 examinees.

Ma. Eunicia Flora Sagun led the new batch of Thomasian librarians, securing the fourth spot with a score of 88.35 percent.

Thomasian John Paul Combalicer clinched the seventh place, with a score of 87.70 percent.

Lyandra Grace Capuyan of Saint Louis University of Baguio topped this year’s exams,

with a score of 88.60 percent.

The national passing rate for librarians dropped to 49 percent or 466 out of 951 examinees, from last year’s 60.29 percent or 545 out of 904 examinees.

In the medical technologists exams, four Thomasians barged into the top 10. Thomasian Lorenz Barro led the new batch of medical technologists with a score of 92.10 percent.

Rolter Lorenz Lee, also of UST, placed second with a score of 91.80 percent.

Thomasians Harissa Katrina de Lara and Jericho Balauro scored 89.90 percent and 89.70 percent, securing the eighth and 10th spots, respectively.

Former Varsitarian Science and Technology editor Edris Pua was among those who passed the exam.

UST was named the fifth top-performing school with its 96.49-percent passing rate, after 220 out of 228 Thomasian examinees passed the exams.

The University of San Agustin, Cebu Doctors University, Velez College-Cebu, Saint Louis College-La Union and Trinity University of Asia-Quezon City were named this year’s topperforming schools.

The national passing rate slipped to 77.73 percent, or 4,718 out of 6,070 examinees, from last year’s 85.16 percent, or 4,821 out of 5,661 examinees. KEVIN A. ALABASO and SHERWIN DANE ZAURO C. HARO

“STOP Lumad killings!” was the cry of over 70 Lumad representatives as they passed through the Arch of the Centuries to commence the second year of the “Bakwit School” or evacuee school program in the University.

Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. said the University welcomed anew the Lumad for Thomasians to develop a sense of shared humanity as they help in educating the minority group.

“We are here to respond as an educational institution. Our capacity to influence may be limited, but not in terms of helping the minds of these young Lumad.

Freeing their minds from ignorance is our mission,” Dagohoy said.

Dagohoy urged Thomasians to listen to the narratives of the Lumad during their weeklong stay in the University to understand issues the minority group faces back in Mindanao.

“Maraming paraan ng pagtulong at [pakikiisa]. Kailangan lang talaga nating marinig ang kwento ng mga taong ito, to listen to their struggles…kasi kapag nakipag-kapwa ka, ang kasunod ay pagkilos,” Dagohoy said.

Vice Rector for Religious Affairs Fr. Pablo Tiong, O.P. welcomed the Lumad community to the University during the “Salubungan.”

“Binubuksan namin ang UST sa inyo upang kahit papaano, kami ay makikiisa sa inyong pakikibaka. Nakikiisa kami sa inyo upang maabot na ninyo ang inyong minimithing sapat na edukasiyon,” Tiong said in his welcome remarks.

UST Simbahayan Director Mark Anthony Abenir said this year’s Bakwit School activities included “enhancement classes” and “interactive sessions” led by volunteer students and faculty members.

Manilyn Gantangan, a Grade 10 student from the Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanugon Community Learning Center, stood alongside her classmates in a call for freedom in Mindanao before launching into a cultural solidarity dance where Lumad and Thomasians joined in.

Also present in the Salubungan were Elen Belardo from the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines and Fr. Oliver Castor from the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, who expressed gratitude to the University for welcoming the Lumad.

Thomasians also joined the Lumad in their Grand Solidarity Night were they held a memorial tribute for martyrs who died for the cause of the cultural minority.

The University’s Central Seminary Gymnasium housed 70 Lumad representatives from Sept. 10 to 17. M.A. DE JEMEL and S.D.C.HARO

Outstanding Thomasian doctors honored UST PAID tribute to 147 exceptional graduates of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery on Sept. 28 in line with the faculty’s celebration of its 150th year.

Dr. Ma. Lourdes Maglinao, Medicine dean, said Thomasian history rebuilds itself in every Thomasian doctor as they bring glory to the University’s legacy in medical practice.

“You are your alma mater’s contribution to the present-day history.

You are itself, history, unfolding,” Maglinao said.

Doctors in research, medical society, education, public and private health,

and government service were given recognition.

Dr. Consuelo Suarez, chief program officer of the UST Research Center for Health Sciences; Dr. Raymond Rosales, chief editor of UST Journal of Medicine and Dr. Sandra Teresa Navarra, a member of the editorial board of Lupus Science and Medicine, were honored for their significant contributions in the field of research.

Among the 27 recipients of the recognition in the medical society Doctors PAGE 5

Community dev’t Atio’s death anniversary: certificate course launched THE PARENTS of slain Civil Law freshman Horacio “Atio” Castillo III said the letter they

Letter to Vatican meant to ‘protect, not destroy, UST’

THE UNIVERSITY will offer a free one-month certificate course in Community Engagement and Organizing this academic year.

The UST Simbahayan and the UST Graduate School Center for Continuing Professional Education (CCPED) will run the course from October to November this year and from March to April 2019.

Mark Abenir, director of the UST Simbahayan, said the course will enhance the skills and knowledge of the participants in managing community development projects.

“In Higher Education Institutions (HEI), we have a three-fold task: instruction, research and extension or the community development services. In big universities like UST, there is a devoted mechanism or structure for that, but not all HEIs have it,” Abenir told the Varsitarian in an interview.

The certificate course will be open to HEI faculty members or support staff working under their respective institutions, community development services.

Only 30 students per batch will be accommodated this academic year.

“The board of Community Development Society of the Philippines will be screening the applicants and will recommend to the UST Graduate School CCPED who shall be accepted,” Abenir said.

The course will cover four modules: Principles and Foundations of Community Engagement, Analyzing Social Structures in Communities, Tools and Procedure in Strengthening Community Cohesiveness and Designing a Community Engagement Model.

A fee amounting to P30,000 and miscellaneous expenses of this year’s pioneer batch will be covered by the Commission on Higher Education. SAMANTHA-WEE LIPANA

had sent to Vatican was meant to “protect, not to destroy” the University.

The Castillos sent a letter to the Vatican in July, requesting for an investigation on how UST handled the hazing case involving their son.

The family marked the first death anniversary of Atio on Sept. 17.

“We have a long line of graduates from UST in the family. My son graduated in UST. We would not want to wreck the school, hindi kami ganoong tao. We want to protect [the youth and the school],” Horacio Castillo Jr., Atio’s father, said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Carmina, mother of Atio, said the content of the letter is confidential. It went through “proper protocols and channels,” she said.

The couple defended their communication with the Vatican, saying UST is a pontifical institution.

UST was made a pontifical university

by Pope Leo XIII in 1902, which means it is allowed to grant ecclesiastical or Vaticanapproved degrees in philosophy, theology and canon law.

Atio’s parents first expressed their interest in filing a complaint against the University before the Vatican in February, amid UST’s supposed silence on the issue.

The University refuted claims of indifference in a statement last October 2017, saying it had formed a committee to conduct an internal investigation.

In a statement last Feb. 18, UST announced the expulsion of eight law students involved in the hazing case after the committee found them guilty of violating the University’s Code of Conduct and Discipline.

Time for justice and healing A year after the hazing tragedy, it’s about time for justice to be served and for healing

The UST community gather at the Santisimo Rosario Parish to commemorate the first death anniversary of Horacio “Atio” Castillo III on Sept. 17. PHOTO BY ENRICO S. SILVERIO to begin.

This was the message of UST Secretary General Fr. Jesus Miranda, Jr., O.P. during the Mass for the first death anniversary of Civil Law freshman Horacio “Atio” Castillo III. “After that year of the sad event, after all the hatred, bumawi naman tayo.

Instead of highlighting the difference of one another, let us show that we care for one another,” said Miranda in his homily.

Miranda also urged Thomasians to invoke Jesus as their source of forgiveness and strength in times of tragedies.

“I think its time to go back to who we really are. Check again the core of

our being as true Thomasians and people following the teachings,” he said.

Miranda was joined by UST Vice Rector for Religious Affairs Fr. Pablo Tiong, O.P. and Faculty of Civil Law Regent Fr. Isidro Abaño, O.P. in celebrating the Mass.

Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina, who joined the memorial service, expressed his relief on the recent events surrounding the Castillo case.

“The wheels of justice are taking their course for the [Castillo] family.

I continue to pray for discernment and for peace. [W]e hope and pray that we can leave this behind us,” Divina said.

KEVIN A. ALABASO and MAREM A. DE JEMEL

4 Opinion

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Editorial

Duterte will meet Marcos’ fate NEARING the fifth decade since the declaration of Martial Law, the nation finds itself reeling from the thousands of human rights abuses from the 21-year rule of Ferdinand Marcos.

The scars of the past have not been settled and yet President Duterte, with clearance from a sycophantic Supreme Court, had ordered the burial of the late dictator at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Duterte has shaken the pillars of democracy and has compromised the rule of law; he has basically made the legislative and judicial branches of government a rubber stamp of his own Marcosian despotism.

Adding salt to injury, Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos has had the audacity to urge the country to move on from her father’s Martial Law. She said millennials had moved on, But perhaps it would be good for Imee to rethink her statement–for today the youth is in the front line of protests, and they are in schools and on social media as well, educating themselves and others of the true situation of the country during Martial Law. We have not moved on, we have not forgotten, and we will never forget.

Worse, Duterte has defended the Marcos children as saying they do not have blood on their hands as they were just children at the time of their father’s regime.

But the facts have it that in 1986, the year Ferdinand was overthrown from power, Bongbong Marcos Jr. was approaching his thirties, and Imee was 31. While it is true that the sins of their father are not necessarily theirs, the blame passes onto them when they repeatedly deny that the atrocities during Martial Law weren’t true, or that their father is not to blame for it.

The sins of the parents are visited on the sons and daughters.

Martial law in Mindanao And what has happened to Duterte’s martial law in Mindanao? It has obviously failed, as bombing incidents continue despite the increase of military presence in the region and innocent lives are lost.

Just this September, the University once again welcomed the displaced members of the Lumads, cultural minorities that have been displaced due to the continuous militarization of their ancestral lands.

For a week, Thomasians were able to interact with them and hear their stories of struggle, with Duterte’s martial law worsening the situation in Editorial PAGE 14

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 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 Kevin A. Alabaso, Marem A. De Jemel, Sherwin Dane Zauro C. Haro, Samantha-Wee Lipana Sports Ivan Ruiz L. Suing, Theresa Clare K. Tañas, Justin Robert Valencia Special Reports Lady Cherbette Agot, Job Anthony R. Manahan Features Alyssa Carmina A. Gonzales Literary Karl Ben L. Arlegui, Hailord N. Lavarias Filipino Francis Agapitus E. Braganza, Joselle Czarina S. de la Cruz, Chris V. Gamoso Witness Eugene Dominic V. Aboy, O.P., Pearl Anne Gumapos Science and Technology Miguel Alejandro IV A. Herrera, Beatriz Avegayle S. Timbang Circle Katrina Isabel C. Gonzales Art Nikko A. Arbilo, Marie Kloi Ledesma, Nathaniel Jonas 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.

Wages of economic ignorance

THE DUTERTE administration is nearing the first half of its term and it seems committed to rolling out anti-poor policies and worse, putting the blame on others for the “uncontrollable” rise in the country’s inflation rate.

The Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law claims to make the country’s tax system “simpler, fairer and more efficient” by helping the working class, especially the minimum wage earners take home a larger disposable income. But is it really living up to its purpose or is it making the poor even poorer?

The law exempts Filipinos who earn an annual income of P250,000 and below from paying income tax. Other inclusion of this law is often forgotten such as the increase of the price of oil, which results in a higher transportation fee and increase in excise tax.

This exemption does not help the poor as while they are exempt from paying the income tax, the excise and fuel taxes going up will badly affect them as well.

Train Law also poses a negative impact on other workers such as the country’s farmers. It lowers their income by 10 percent due to higher

It is the poorest of the poor which takes the hardest hit and suffers the most for the blunder of this government’s failures. fuel prices that result in an increase in production cost.

If the current administration wants to help the Filipinos especially the poor, then the suspension of Train law would be a step forward in accomplishing it.

It would be best for the government to exhaust its energies in improving social services like affordable medical facilities, better health care, food subsidies and subsidized housing.

The past few months have seen a record-breaking inflation rate, with the highest reaching 6.4 percent in August, similar to what the country had in 2009.

It is true that the Train Law promotes consumption, but it is not completely to blame for the increase in prices.

Rather, it is the government’s mishandling of its priorities that has gotten us into this mess–with the President seemingly interested only in solving the country’s drug problem that has resulted in the death of thousands, politicizing the Congress and Supreme Court, and jailing those who express dissent for the policies of his administration.

If only our government officials listened to the needs of our people, and as well as to their professors in college during their basic economic lectures, this would not have happened.

Rice crisis It is ironic that the Philippines was once one of the largest producers and exporters of rice in the

world. The International Rice Research Institute is even housed in Laguna.

But recently, we have been hit by rice shortage mainly due to the shortage of stocks that the National Food Authority (NFA) is supposed to keep in its inventory.

And as a stunt to disprove this, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol had to eat “bukbok” rice on live national television to prove a point, which he tried doing so in a humiliating way.

The NFA’s negligence has clearly contributed to the rising inflation that the country is experiencing which results to higher prices of commercial rice.

The administration should take it as a signal that there is an anomaly going on and implement reforms in the institution.

But what sense of accountability can we expect from this government?

Maybe if they had only paid more attention to the economic situation of our country instead of politicking, we would not be in this situation.

Because in all of this, it is the poorest of the poor which takes the hardest hit and suffers the most for the blunder of this government’s failures.

OSA suspension penalizes frats in good standing A YEAR has passed since the tragic hazing death of UST law freshman Horacio “Atio” Castillo III in the hands of the Aegis Juris Fraternity.

His death prompted lawmakers to amend the existing Anti-Hazing Law and completely ban all forms of hazing.

UST that has vowed to “leave no stone unturned” for its part, has made progress in living up to its commitment of bringing justice to the slain law freshman.

Eight months after the incident, it kicked out eight students from the Faculty of Civil Law who were tagged in Atio’s hazing death.

But there were two things that should have been addressed with the administration’s decision: His parents had to learn of the expulsion through the Varsitarian when it broke the news and it did not even name–even at least only to them–the names of those who were expelled.

The expulsion is only the beginning–the bigger picture that should be addressed as well is the hazing culture among fraternities and sororities in the University.

But alas, it seems to be barking

Because UST failed to keep an eye on the activities of the Aegis Juris which resulted in Atio’s death, why should other fraternities be banned as well? at the wrong tree.

At present, the accreditation and operations of fraternities in UST are suspended by virtue of an order of the Office for Student Affairs (OSA).

Failure This move was not only a failure to trail the good steps of the University in its search for truth, but also towards addressing the real issue of violence in the campus.

Violence in all forms has no place in a Catholic university, much less in any institution who has moved on from its primitive ways and culture. But certainly, that is not what all fraternities and sororities in the University do.

Brotherhoods and sisterhoods from the Faculty

of Medicine and Surgery were known to be deeply involved in charitable work such as medical missions on their partner communities. Now, their community development programs are put on hold because of the ban.

Because UST failed to keep an eye and regulate the activities of the Aegis Juris which resulted in Atio’s death, why should other fraternities be banned as well?

Clearly, this is the fallacy of dramatic instance, and even of non sequitur when it imposed a ban on all fraternities due to a single fraternity upholding their barbaric belief in violence as a requirement for neophytes.

One may think that OSA

is only washing their hands off so as not to be held responsible for any tragic case which may happen again. An institution’s failure or misgiving is not a reason to abandon responsibility.

More so, is it doing something to enforce this ban on fraternities who may be resorting to continuing recruiting neophytes underground?

Banning fraternities and sororities will not curb violence.

Banning organizations that has existed in the University for years will only make them go underground–unguided and unmonitored.

It is a shame to call those whom Atio put his trust into as Thomasians. The issue of hazing or violence in any form should not be allowed to slowly fade into the background and the clamor should not only be present when another death from a barbaric ritual comes.

A year later, the nation took its step towards solving not only the problem, but the root of it most importantly. Perhaps it’s high time too for UST to rethink of its decision and live up to the prime belief that it espouses: Veritas in Caritate.

Truth in charity.

Opinion 5

OCTOBER 3, 2018

OBE a bane on academic freedom

SIGMUND Freud has warned against super egos, the internalized ideals that mechanisms of the society use to “control” us. When the super ego is too strong, the self becomes alienated, stuck in a routinary life.

Interestingly, Freud posited that the school is one of the super egos in the society – a cage where one’s desires are suppressed and tamed.

Today, Freud’s assumptions remain relevant especially in the educational system in the country. In 2012, the Commission on Higher Education ordered the implementation of Outcomebased Education (OBE) in Philippine universities and colleges which ushered the revision toward “studentcentered” course syllabi. Soon after, UST shifted to OBE curriculum in Academic Year 2013 to 2014.

But more than four years after OBE has been implemented in the University, it seems as if education has become a manifestation of a super ego that commodified the minds of students. OBE disregarded quality over quantity and has been time-consuming for both students and professors.

OBE lays down a set of well-defined processes and results that students should be able to deliver by the end of

Time

FROM PAGE 2

“What we are saying is what happened was unfortunate. We didn’t want that to happen at all. We sympathize with the family,” he said.

The former lawmaker, however, said the 10 accused Aegis Juris fratmen facing charges for violations of the Anti-Hazing Law, might also become “victims of injustice.”

“I’m also concerned with our student members because we don’t also seek justice for them. They may also be on the other hand victims of injustice ‘di ba?

Because as I’ve said earlier there are two sides of the

Since the implementation of the OBE in the University, it seems as if education has become a manifestation of a super ego that commodifies the minds of students. the program. This approach to education becomes problematic when the system becomes obsessed with the quantity of outputs, ignoring the substance and content of the actual work done. Clearly, the number of outputs does not guarantee the efficiency of the teaching method nor the competence of students. Being able to produce an output does not mean that students actually learned something.

As to the student-centered activities themselves, OBE encourages group works so students would learn how to deal with other people, which they say is one of the traits employers look for. However, group works do not always meet the desired outcome because, for instance, of freeloaders in a group. Some professors in

the University also argued that having more activities gave them more outputs to grade which is time-consuming, when in fact, outputs should not be the only basis for assessing the efficiency of the teaching strategy.

coin. If it is proven that the victim died of hazing, then that’s another story but if the victim died of natural causes then let’s give justice to the accused,” he added.

Martial Law

Hanging questions The trial of 10 Aegis Juris fratmen for violations of the Anti-Hazing Law is underway.

In February of 2018, UST imposed the “supreme penalty of expulsion” on eight Aegis Juris fratmen tagged in Atio’s death. They were not named.

Carmina said her family wanted to know the reason behind the fratmen’s expulsion, adding that the University had yet to reach out to them. KEVIN A. ALABASO, MAREM A. DE JEMEL and JOB ANTHONY R. MANAHAN

Signature pedagogy Because of OBE, strategies of teaching are now constrained in a so called “signature pedagogy,” which mandates the use of traditional and online approach in teaching. But then: Is UST even ready to be a “cloud campus,” and how would a cloud campus assure that students will learn more efficiently?

Pedagogy defines the process of teaching, which, in the higher education setting, should be relative to the specialization and course of professors.

Unfortunately,

FROM PAGE 1

from Intramuros to Rizal Park to join 15,000 protesters against the Martial Law and attempts to rewrite its history, and President Rodrigo Duterte’s creeping authoritarianism.

Some 200 Thomasians joined the protest.

UST Simbahayan Director Mark Anthony Abenir said the University upholds the Church’s beliefs in protecting people’s dignity and human rights.

“Tumutugon tayo sa tawag ng Simbahan na igunita ang pandaigdigang selebrasiyon ng kapayapaan at igunita ang

with OBE, the pedagogy became overstructured and overly-defined. This type of curriculum is not applicable for higher education institutions since programs vary in specializations.

And with specialization, not all can be measured according to one criteria. As these processes become overly defined, the academic freedom of professors have also become limited.

Research activities as outputs are a good example of implementing OBE but others fear that blended learning would be similar to performance tasks of high school students, where activities have the tendency have minimal substance in content. This has also been proven in the research paper of Department of Philosophy Chairman Paolo Bolaños which stated that the OBE curriculum lacked the “qualitative” character of learning.

Furthermore, OBE may be useful for subjects that are measurable. In this approach, students are achieving a specified a well-defined outcome. This means that there is a process that should be followed. For instance, this will be difficult to pursue in humanities and liberal arts colleges where the subject

matters are speculative or Gird your loins PAGE 14

malagim na kasaysayan ng Martial Law para hindi na siya mangyari muli,” Abenir said.

Former Commission on Human Rights chairwoman Etta Rosales urged Thomasians to be aware of their rights to know what they should fight for.

“Ang mahalaga [ay] mamulat tayo at magkaisa tayo, upang sa ganoon, mabigyan natin ng proteksiyon ang ating mga katutubo, ang ating mga estudiyante, ang ating mga mamamayan at ang ating bayan,” Rosales said in a Martial Law forum at the University last Sept. 17.

KEVIN A. ALABASO and SAMANTHA-WEE LIPANA with reports FROM LADY CHERBETTE N. AGOT

F. Sionil Jose raises relevant questions RECENTLY a letter by National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose to Ramon del Rosario Jr., chairman of the National Museum, made the rounds in social media when he asked del Rosario to withdraw the permanent display of the works of 20th century Filipino impressionist painters and writers Emilio Aguilar Cruz and Andres Cristobal Cruz.

The letter drew negative remarks from netizens who seemed to have been offended by the writer’s sharp tongue, as Jose called both artists as “non-entities,” either as painters or writers. He also remarked that such works did not deserve to be displayed at the National Museum, the country’s “repository of our cultural heritage.”

Though his remark may be bold, it is definitely not

It is about time we question that which is happening around us.

Learning to ask the right questions is far more rewarding than having all the answers. an unintelligent one. On the contrary, it is his critical view on the subject of what should and should not be in our National Museum that must be understood.

It must first be established that Jose’s letter was private and confidential, and as he clarified in a second letter addressed to his critics, it was posted without his prior knowledge or consent. It might also be interesting to note that the person who posted the letter was Therese Cruz, the daughter of the painter.

And while the reaction is understandable (in the letter she attacks his grammar rather than the content of the letter), one can only speculate as to how she got hold of the private letter.

The fact is that this was not addressed to the Cruzes but to the administration of the National Museum, and so the leaking of the letter puts into question the integrity of the one who posted it; in this case, the artist’s daughter.

The posting of this letter was not to call out Jose’s harsh judgment but to discredit him.

So how did Cruz’s paintings get there, anyway?

The whole Gallery XV, located on the third floor of the National Museum of Fine Arts, is dedicated to Cruz.

Inaugurated in 2015, the exhibit was made to celebrate the centenary birth anniversary of the painter and his life’s works. Included in the exhibit is a detailed write-up of Cruz’s life.

Cruz’s family donated some 50 of his portraits, sketches and landscapes, largely of oil paint and watercolour, along with their personal collection of works by other prominent painters.

To my inexperienced eye, Cruz’s works seem rather monotonous – lackluster, not meeting up to the claim of “standard bearer of Philippine impressionism,” as is written in the exhibit notes. Save for some sketches and a portrait on Vicente Manansala, his lifetime worth of works does not seem to tackle any event or contain any hint of historical or cultural significance.

Bard PAGE 14

UST hits AFP’s ‘red-tagging’ FROM PAGE 1

Simbahayan recently hosted the Lumad Bakwit School in UST which addressed the issue of displacement of the Lumad in their localities due to the militarization in Mindanao.

Abenir said the University was firm on its beliefs in democracy, rule of law and good governance.

The Simbahayan also led the Thomasian community in joining the national protest to commemorate the 46th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law in the country.

Central Student Council (CSC) President Francis Santos said the AFP must ensure the veracity of its information as it had placed the security of the

Doctors FROM PAGE 3

category were Dr. Ida Marie Lim and Dr. Roy Cuison, heads of the faculty’s department of clinical epidemiology and integrative medicine unit, respectively.

Chairmen of different departments of Medicine dominated the 31 awardees for excellence in the field of education.

students and the University at risk.

“I call on the students of the University to stay vigilant and report to University authorities any suspicious or unusual acts that may or may not be related to this incident,” Santos said.

CSC Secretary Robert Dominic Gonzales said: “From this viewpoint, falsely accusing several groups and red-baiting them seems to be a movement of a government that is trying to provoke widespread bloodshed.”

League of Filipino StudentsUST Chairman Dindo Roxas said the AFP’s statement was an attack to the safety of the students particularly those who openly criticize the current

administration.

“Ang ginagawa ng gobyerno ay pananakot lamang sa publiko…nasa delikadong sitwasiyon ngayon ang mga kabataan dahil lahat tayo ay puwedeng maging subject ng karahasan,” Roxas said, Brig. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., AFP assistant deputy chief of staff for operations, revealed on Wednesday 18 schools in Manila allegedly tapped by the CPP to join the alleged “Red October” plot against the Duterte administration.

Palarde claimed some school officials were unaware that their students were being recruited to join the communist campaign.

Recognition for their contribution in the private health sector was bestowed upon 52 Thomasian doctors.

Doctors Edwin Rodriguez, Eliseo Banaynal, Jr., Godfrey Robeniol, Emmanuel Surposa and Noel Rosas were honored for their outstanding in medical practice.

In the public health sector, 21 Thomasian physicians were recognized, including Dr. Robert So, director of clinical services

of the Ospital ng Makati; Dr. Ray Sarmiento, department chairman of surgery of the Rizal Medical Center; and Dr. Leilani Chavez-Coloma, chairwoman of the department of obstetrics and gynecology of Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center.

Former senator Dr. Luisa Ejercito was also recognized, along with seven other Thomasian doctors for their exemplary government service.

MAREM A. DE JEMEL

6

Editor: Arianne Aine D. Suarez

SPECIAL

HERCULEAN TASK THE PROVISIONS of the proposed collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for 2016 to 2021 are up for a “major overhaul” as the elected negotiators of the 1,900-strong UST Faculty Union (USTFU) aim for an “inclusive” CBA in the following academic years.

Five faculty negotiators said “no one will be left behind” in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the UST administration, vowing to be transparent to faculty union members.

“The idea is to improve the proposal. It has always been our philosophy, we want each faculty to be informed. We want transparency in this new CBA [negotiations],” Michelle Desierto, secretary of the union’s negotiating panel, told the Varsitarian in an interview.

The panel of faculty negotiators for the CBA is led by lawyer Jose Ngo Jr., with Rebecca Adri, Dr. Edilberto Gonzaga, Emerito Gonzales and Desierto as panel members.

Article 13, Section 1 of the charter of the UST Faculty Union (USTFU) states that “collective bargaining for and in behalf of the general membership shall be undertaken by the Board of Officers through a negotiating panel, the members of which shall be duly elected by the general membership.”

The CBA is a contract executed between the employer and a labor union which lays down the terms and conditions of the employees regarding pay, working hours and benefits.

Members of the panel for the University administration have yet to be named.

The negotiations are long overdue. The last CBA was ratified by the faculty in 2014, covering the years 2011 to 2016.

Faculty, admin priorities The first consolidated CBA draft, which was distributed to USTFU members for review in September, proposed a reduction of the faculty members’ academic loads, new hospitalization benefits, representation in the Academic Senate and implementation of the “long overdue” daycare center for the faculty members’ children, among others.

The panel also wants to cut the number of students per laboratory and lecture classes to conform with the standards of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations University Quality Network, which recommends no more than 30 students per class.

Emerito Gonzales

Michelle Desierto

Jose Ngo Jr.

Edilberto Gonzaga

Rebecca Adri

•Research head of negotiating panel

•Secretary of the negotiating panel

•Chairman of the negotiating panel

•Vice chairman of the negotiating panel

•Logistics head of the negotiating panel

•Member of USTFU Board of Directors

•Member of USTFU Board of Directors •Teaches at the Faculty of Arts and Letters

•USTFU external and internal vice president

•USTFU Sergeant at Arms

•Teaches at the Faculty of Arts and Letters

•USTFU vice president for grievance and complaints

•Member of the negotiating panel for the 2006 to 2011 CBA

•Former legal counsel at the Office for Student Affairs

Promotion, reclassification policy first Former USTFU vice president Rene Luis Tadle said the promotion and the reclassification of the faculty members should be prioritized in the new CBA. He said there should be different tools of evaluation for the teaching, non-teaching staff and faculty researchers.

“There is a need to change the evaluation tool. Kasi there’s only one evaluation tool for all these ranks, when in reality, the expectations from these ranks [are] different,” Tadle said in a phone interview.

Clarita Carillo, who led the UST panel during the CBA negotiations in 2014, said the administration’s priority was to make sure that the provisions of the CBA would serve the best interest of the Thomasian community and not just one party. “[The administration] views [these] provisions based on how these could affect the University in terms of [the] quality of teaching, quality of research, quality of teaching staff, classroom policies, general academic policies, and the delivery

•Teaches at the College of Science

•Member of USTFU Board of Directors from 2010 to 2015 •Teaches at the Institute of Physical Education and Athletics

of its various services,” Carillo said in an email.

Bigger share of tuition hikes Gonzaga, vice chairman of the union’s negotiating panel, said the negotiation proper could last from a semester up to an entire academic year.

But Desierto said the length of the negotiation would still depend on how fast the administration could provide the documents needed, including the audited financial statements of the University and the utilization of tuition increases.

Gonzales said the panel would push for a share in the tuition increase “above what it is according to law.” “[H]indi kami puwede mag-stay doon sa 70 percent [tuition fee increase na sinabi ng batas sa amin]. Otherwise, bakit pa kami nakipag-negotiate? If [it is] mandated by law, why negotiate? Kung sinabi ng batas na 70 percent lang sa amin, we are going to [push for] kahit one or two percent higher, we are

going to negotiate something higher than what is mandated for us,” he added.

Under the law, 70 percent of tuition increases must go to salaries, wages, allowances and other benefits of teaching and non-teaching personnel; while 20 percent must go to the improvement or modernization of buildings, equipment, libraries, laboratories and similar facilities, and payment for other operational costs.

The remaining 10 percent must go to return of investments for higher educational institutions if they are stock corporations.

Otherwise, it must be used for operations.

Deadlock Carillo said one of the challenges the administration faced in previous negotiations was studying how each provision would affect the faculty, the students and the quality of education delivered by the University.

She said the management panel had to view the provisions from a “holistic” perspective.

“The management panel…is expected to review [the proposals] very carefully, thoroughly, and wisely… Whether or not they agree on matters that will be proposed and discussed in the negotiating table can have a lasting impact on the University,” she said.

She also lamented the misinformation that could spread during the negotiations, which sometimes cause “unnecessary agitation and tension.”

“The CBA affects not only the parties represented by their unions; it can also affect the overall conditions by which the University will be run or managed,” she said.

In 2014, the University reached a deadlock in the negotiations with USTFU. A deadlock is declared when the management and employee panels fail to agree on certain proposals during CBA negotiations.

The CBA negotiations however continued because of the “back-channel talks” between USTFU President Dr. George Lim and University Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. JOB ANTHONY R. MANAHAN

Duterte economic team hit for ‘slow’ response to rice problem

Lopez

A THOMASIAN economist hit the economic managers of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte for its ‘slow’ response to the country’s rice problem.

Emmanuel Lopez, dean of the Colegio de San Juan de Letran’s graduate school, said the government should have foreseen the possibility of a rice shortage in the country and immediately imported “thousands of metric tons” of rice when the problem came.

“The problem is that ‘yong mga economic managers ni Duterte mabagal kumilos... [They] have to be quick and responsive to the needs of the economy. [T]hat’s the reality of what is happening around us. These things could not be blamed alone on the president. This is a culmination of many factors,” he said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Last Sept. 24, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, who has taken over the National Food Authority Council, announced the entry of one million metric tons of rice in

the country next year, to control the surging prices of the staple commodity in the market.

However, Piñol said he was against rice importation in principle, as local farmers produce “enough rice.”

In a press briefing last Sept. 8, presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. downplayed the nine-year high 6.4 percent inflation recorded in August, saying it was due to the material imports for President Duterte’s infrastructure programs. He claimed the record-high inflation was “under control.”

Lopez, formerly chairman of the UST Department of Social Sciences, said the government should do a large-scale importation of rice to solve the country’s soaring inflation.

“In order to solve the problem, you have to flood the market with imported rice para bumaba iyong demand, para ma-supplement `yung demand. Therefore, bababa `yung presyo ng commodity,” he said in a forum last Sept. 26.

The Philippine peso also further weakened, closing at a 12year low of P54.31 against the US dollar on Sept. 25.

Lopez, who spoke in the forum titled “Philippine Economy in the 21st Century, said the country’s rice production was insufficient, which he blamed on declining agricultural land and conversion by property developers.

The country lags behind other Southeast Asian nations in terms of farming technology, he said.

“Development is another cause of the problem [relative] to innovation and agricultural production [since our technology] has not been... developed,” he said.

The forum was organized by the Political Science Forum. JOB ANTHONY R. MANAHAN

REPORTS 7 Only 5 regions ready for federalism: study OCTOBER 3, 2018

By JOB ANTHONY R. MANAHAN

AN UNPUBLISHED research funded by the government found that the Philippines is not ready to transition to a federal form of government as only a minority of the proposed federal regions are prepared both economically and socio-politically.

Dennis Coronacion, chairman of UST’s Department of Political Science, together with Froilan Calilung, were among those tapped by the government to conduct research on the readiness of the country for a federal system.

Calilung said only five out of the

proposed 18 regions were ready for the shift to a federal system of government, including Metro Manila and Calabarzon.

“Only five regions are ready based on the parameters we have tested on… kasi ang readiness index mayroon siyang inclusive parameter para masabi na ready… ang lumalabas, lima lang ‘yong ready,” he said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

The study screened the regions using three qualifiers: fiscal readiness, which measured the resources earned

and fiscal transfers in a region; good governance, which assessed the local government’s performance as well as the people’s participation and transparency compliance with government procedures; and competitive index, which measured the level of competitiveness of local government units.

The study, however, was not published

by Malacañang. Calilung and Coronacion said they plan to publish it separately.

Economist Jan Carlo Punongbayan said the spike of economic activity due to charter change would be dangerous for the country as an upsurge in the government budget might harm the country’s international credit ratings.

“That’s dangerous kasi… [the current] economic growth is already floundering... federalism could actually add to this,” Punongbayan said in a phone interview.

Under the draft federal constitution submitted by a Consultative Committee (Con-Com) to President Duterte last July, sovereign powers would be shared between a central government and local units or regions. The proposed federal republic will have 16 “indissoluble” regions, the Bangsamoro and the Federated Region of the Cordillera.

the present setup, they always have a ready excuse... Regional governments can no longer blame Malacañang. There would be transparency and accountability,” he said.

Political analyst Ramon Casiple said a federal form of government would empower regional development and governance as it would dissolve the power concentration in the “national center.”

“It would give the regions a share of national policy-making, enable their effective governance over their own affairs, and bring government closer to the people...The regions and its people will have the necessary governmental powers to address the welfare and situation of their constituent... and enable them to utilize their own resources for development,” he said in an interview.

But for Calilung, a federal system of government would only empower political dynasties and the national government.

This can be solved by modifying the proposed federal charter, he said. “[To ensure] accountability, strengthen the institutions that will [provide mechanisms of] checks and balances… so dynastic politics [will] not permeate,” he said.

Subsidize regions Despite the results of the study, Coronacion said the country could still shift to federalism if the national government would subsidize the regions deemed not ready.

“Itong findings namin, may mga policy implications ‘yan, what should be done?

One solution [floated] was…the subsidy for [poor regions] so they can catch up with the development of other regions,” he said.

Punongbayan added the administration should cut the budget for other programs before pushing through with a federal system of government.

“If you really want federalism, the government should hold back the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program by 70 percent, [they] might have to cut their spending by as much as P500 billion,” he added.

He said the study could have included additional determinants to make it “more holistic and comprehensive.”

‘Do not rush federalism’ For Punongbayan, the government’s shift to federalism should be studied carefully and should not be rushed.

“This would affect all of us, not just in a month or year but for decades to come. This is something that needs to be carefully studied...but the government is inexplicably rushing this for all the wrong reasons,” he said.

Casiple said one of the main challenges of the government was to help Filipinos understand the “true nature” of federalism. “[The shift is] a question of choice between perpetuating the status quo or opting for change... it is a question of enabling meaningful participation in our democracy and in democratic governance or letting the present elite take charge of government and maintaining the meaningless democracy for the people,” he said.

Coronacion said politicians should stop meddling with the federalism campaign to avoid dampening the people’s interest.

“These controversies and self-serving actions of politicians and government officials, if they figure in, they take away the interest of the people –people shun from federalism,” he said.

Regional governments more accountable Coronacion said that under a federal setup, regional governments could no longer blame their incompetence on the national government.

“It would make local officials accountable to their constituents. Under

Info drive sought amid doubts over federal shift EXPERTS are calling on the government to continue the information campaign on federalism even if the shift to a federal type of government faces uncertainty.

Cleve Arguelles, chairman of the political science program at the University of the Philippines, said the information drive should not depend on the likelihood of success of the proposed constitution.

“Whether the likelihood is high or low, an info drive would be beneficial for all citizens in the long-run. It’s a form of political education: the debates, the discussion groups and other similar initiatives,” he told the Varsitarian.

For Consultative Committee (Con-com) spokesman Ding Generoso, the people have the right to be informed and educated about the different aspects of the proposed federal constitution.

“Why would such an information drive be unnecessary when the very nature of democracy requires that the people are made aware and properly educated of any proposals that affect them and the country so that that

can make an informed decision?” he said.

“The citizens themselves are the ones who will pass judgment on any proposal to revise the constitution. So why shouldn’t they be informed?” Generoso added.

In August, critics such as former ACT Teachers representative Antonio Tinio, and Senators Loren Legarda and Francis Escudero, questioned the allotment of P100 million for the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) federalism campaign, as there was no guarantee that the proposed constitution would be passed.

Jonathan Malaya, executive director of the Partido Demokratiko PilipinoLakas ng Bayan Federalism Institute, said the information campaign would involve Filipinos in the process of the changing the charter.

Malaya, who is also the DILG spokesman, said citizen involvement was important in the campaign for a working democracy.

“People need to know what exactly is being pushed by the administration for them to make an informed opinion about the

matter,” he said.

“To really gauge the true support of the people, we need to inform the people first of what federalism is so that they can make that decision for themselves,” he added.

The Social Weather Stations survey for the first quarter of 2018 showed that only 25 percent of Filipino adults were aware of the federal system, while 75 percent learned what it was upon answering the survey.

The survey prompted the DILG and the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) to mount an information campaign on federalism.

‘No personalities should be involved’ For Dennis Coronacion, UST Political Science department chairman, the federalism information drive could be a medium for political awareness, but no personalities should be involved in the campaign.

Coronacion said it was important to educate the citizens about federalism to improve the quality of political discourse in the country as well as increase their political

awareness.

“I noticed that the Filipinos tend to assess various political issues based on the personalities involved,” he said.

Days after Margaux “Mocha” Uson, assistant secretary of the PCOO, was tapped by the Con-Com to campaign for federalism, a video of Uson with blogger Drew Olivar emerged, purporting to support the federalism campaign. In the video, Olivar sang and danced to a jingle with the lyrics: “I-pepe, i-pepe, i-dede, i-dede, i-pepe-pepepepederalismo.”

“A good number of [Filipinos] have shunned federalism because they associate it with Mocha Uson and President Duterte and not based on its merits,” Coronacion said.

For Arguelles, the critics of the information drive should scrutinize the means or forms of the campaign instead of the amount of the budget to be used.

“How well would the types of info drive activities proposed include marginalized and silenced voices? Would these activities Drive PAGE 14

8 Literary

Editor: Elmer B. Coldora

OCTOBER 3, 2018

39th Manila International Book Fair:

Celebrating the joy of reading with Thomasian writers

By ELMER B. COLDORA believes in that,” he said.

IN ITS five-day run, the 39th edition of Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) gathered 120,000 visitors from all ages. From Sept. 12 to 17, it became a venue for the exchange of ideas of writers, readers, and publishers.

This year, the book fair expanded to two floors of the SMX Convention Center, compared with just three halls of SM Megamall Megatrade Hall in its previous years.

Aside from different seminars, workshops and book signings, MIBF also hosted events particularly the 12th Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards (CSCBA) and the Gintong Aklat Awards.

Thomasian writers and artists were also featured in the book fair as they engaged in different events, presenting and discussing their books and illustrations. UST Publishing House (USTPH), which has been present for MIBF’s almost four decades, participated with its booth that showcased titles in special discounted prices.

Research emphasized Thomasian historian Jose Victor Torres emphasized the importance of research in counteracting fake news during the fourth day of MIBF. “You dig [and] research. Never accept anything on the Internet as correct. You have to double check your facts,” Journalism alumnus Torres said during the launching of his newest title “El Periodismo Filipino, 1811-1910: The First Century of Philippine Journalism.”

El Periodismo Filipino was written by Spanish scholar Wenceslao Retana and originally published in 1992. It is a scholarly book that presents a collection of periodicals, bibliographical notes, biographical information and insights in the first century of Philippine journalism.

Torres and Filipino-Spanish historian Jaime Marco translated and annotated El Periodismo Filipino, published by Vibal Group this year.

Torres said research would help Filipinos to “have sharp observant eyes” in discerning what is fake news or not.

Children’s books Journalism alumna Iza Maria Reyes stressed that children’s books now tackle social issues.

“I am happy that themes such as gender, broken families, and (homosexuality) are now discussed in children’s books,” Reyes told the Varsitarian during the launching of her children’s book, “Ang Aking Agent Nanay.”

Reyes said the trend helps raise early awareness on social issues in the Filipino youth.

Other launched children’s books discussing social issues were “Ang Kahon ng Pabaon” by Eugene Evasco and “Magic Balikbayan Box”

by Liwliwa Malabed, which are about the Philippines diaspora, and “Maliit na ang Palda ni Isay” by Teresa Gumap-as Dumadag which tackles problems on Filipino educational system.

Reyes’s book is about a child’s mother who is working as a call center agent. It is inspired by the life stories of Reyes’s friends in the business process outsourcing industry, one of the fastest growing sectors in the Philippines.

(From left to right) Thomasian authors Ralph Galan, Chuckberry Pascual and Joselito de los Reyes hold book signing on the last day of the Manila International Book Fair.

“Right now, there are so much information that young minds today are having a hard time differentiating what is true, what is semi-true, what is false, or what could be a total invention,” he said. “In order to counteract it, you have to research.”

Torres said fake news could be checked by factual data.

“If that kind of belief causes major changes or difficulties, it has to be addressed by giving data that explains. Show the data that is true, explain carefully [and] try at least to know why he or she

Book signings On the last day of MIBF, Thomasian and USTPH writers held book signings at the USTPH booth.

Books signed included: Joselito de los Reyes’s “Paubaya” and newest title “Finding Teo”; Ralph Semino Galán’s “From the Major Arcana,” “Discernments,” and his newest title “Sa Pagitan ng Buhay (At iba pang Pagtutulay)”; Chuckberry Pascual’s “Kumpisal” and his newest book “Ang Tagalabas sa Panitikan”; Vijae Alquisola’s “Sa Mga Pansamantala” and Em Mendez’s “Anagnorisis.”

12th CSCB and Gintong Aklat Awards Five Thomasian alumni were named finalists in the 12th Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards, 39th MIBF PAGE 11

Varsitarian alumnus is Poet of the Year in Nick Joaquin Literary Awards

USTPH author Sarge Lacuesta discusses the importance of courage in writing during the fiction writing workshop last Sept. 23 at the Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street, Taguig. PHOTO BY HAZEL GRACE S. POSADAS

(From left to right) Philippines Graphic editor Joel Salud, La Jeunesse President Naicee Lee Salamagos, Poet of the Year Ramil Gulle, Philippines Graphic publisher Anton Kabangon and Pilipino Mirror publisher Edgard Cabangon during the awarding ceremony of the Nick Joaquin Literary Awards. PHOTO BY HAZEL GRACE S. POSADAS

A THOMASIAN bagged the Poet of the Year award during the Nick Joaquin Literary Awards (NJLA) last Sept. 25 at Resorts World Manila.

Ramil Gulle, UST psychology alumnus, said being awarded the literary prize, named after the late National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin, was a great honor for any Filipino writer.

“Nick Joaquin is arguably the best Filipino writer. To be honored through this award is really one of the top literary honors that a Filipino can get. It is also good that we have this, so we can continue encouraging new writers to strive for excellence,” Gulle said.

Gulle, managing editor at the New You magazine, stressed the importance of choosing the right words when writing.

“One thing that we need to improve on is what we call diction or the choice of words. Even you have the right grammar, if you have bad diction, it means you’re not choosing the right words or the most

beautiful words,” he said. Gulle, a former Varsitarian associate editor, encouraged young writers to continue developing their literary abilities through writing.

“The most important thing for young writers to do, ironically, is to keep writing. As Cirilo (Bautista) said, success in writing is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Can you sustain yourself over the distance? If you only write for a year, you won’t reach your potential,” he said.

The Poet of the Year was selected by the Philippine Graphic’s literary editor Alma Anonas-Carpio together with a panel of judges.

NJLA, organized by the Philippines Graphic, recognizes outstanding short stories submitted to the magazine over the past publication year.

It is held in honor of Joaquin, the magazine’s former editor in chief, who received an associate in arts degree from UST. HAILORD N. LAVARIAS

Courage in writing, more important than ‘finding a voice’ — USTPH writer AN AUTHOR from the UST Publishing House (USTPH) urged Filipino writers to have the courage to write a stor y instead of focusing on “f inding a voice” or one’s writing style.

“It takes courage to really write a stor y. Instead of saying, ‘I want to be a writer,’ lear n to say, ‘I want to write this stor y.’ That’s the toughest decision,” said Angelo Sarge Lacuesta during a f iction writing workshop last Sept. 23 at the Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street, Taguig.

Lacuesta, editor at large of Esquire Philippines, said writing with courage is about winning the “war against cliché” or the things one cannot say. “[W]e write stories because there’s something in us that we couldn’t explain to ourselves. [I]t is also why it’s scar y when you write

because you unlock a lot of things about yourself that you can’t say, but that’s par t of it when we revealed to ourselves the diff icult tr uth,” he said.

Lacuesta also urged aspiring writers to aim for the image of the stor y instead of its str ucture.

“Don’t think too much about the str ucture. Follow your hear t, literally, follow your hear tbeat because this is the way we see things.

This is the way we feel things, and the stor y develops this way,” he said.

Lacuesta is the author of “Coral Cove and Other Stories,” published

by USTPH and “A Waiting Room Companion,” published by Bughaw of the Ateneo de Manila University Press.

The event was organized by Write Things, a creative writing center for kids, teens and adults.

JOSELLE CZ ARINA S. DE L A CRUZ

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Filipino 9

Tagalabas sa panitikan: Mga sikreto ng pagsusulat Ni FR ANCIS AGA PITUS A . BR AGANZA

SA KANIYANG libro ng kritisismo na “Ang Tagalabas sa Panitikan,” tinalakay ni Chuckberry Pascual ang impluwensiya ng mga suliraning pangkasarian at kahirapan sa kaniyang mga panulat.

Sino ang “tagalabas” sa paksang pampanitikan? Para kay Pascual, ang “tagalabas” ay ang mga taong salat sa yaman ngunit nagpupursiging umukit ng sariling identidad na kinikilala ng lipunan. Sa akdang ito, nais bigyan ng boses ni Pascual ang mga “tagalabas.”

Nahahati ang libro sa apat na kabanata: “Mga Batis at Impluwensiya: Pagmimito,” “Madonna and Me: Pagmimito,” “Ang Tagalabas sa Panitikan” at “Pangwakas: Kumpisal tungkol sa Pangungumpisal.”

Nangibabaw ang isyu sa kababaihan sa unang kabanata ng aklat. Gamit ang tulang “Pagpaslang” ni Joi Barrios, isang makata, idiniin ni Pascual na nananatiling nasa “laylayan” ang mga kababaihan, pati na rin ang mga homoseksuwal, dahil sa hindi pantay na trato sa kanila ng patriyarkal na lipunan.

“Dahil ang babae ay kinakailangang magtrabaho sa lahat ng oras, kinakailangan ng tauhan na tumalilis sa sistemang sumisikil sa

kaniya,” paliwanag niya.

Ang tulang “Ang Abay” ni Alwynn Javier ang naging punto de vista sa pag-uungkat ni Pascual sa isyu sa homoseksuwalidad. Tinalakay dito kung paano “hindi umiiral ang anumang batas para kilalanin ang gayong [uri] ng samahan.”

Gamit naman ang maikling kuwentong “Ang Lungsod ay Isang Dagat” ni Efren Abueg, ipinakita ng Pascual na nagdudulot ang kapitalismo ng opresiyon at kahirapan. Sinasalamin ito ng mga tauhang sina Carina na nagbebenta ng “aliw” at Cesario na pinasok ang ibaibang trabaho—mula sa pagpipiyon, pagiging kargador at tagalinis ng sasakyan. Bagaman ilang trabaho na ang kanilang pinasok, bigo pa rin silang makaahon sa kahirapan.

Giit ni Pascual: “Isa itong pagsasakdal sa lipunan na walang ibinibigay na pagkakataon sa mga indibidwal kung di ang tanggapin ang kanilang pagkaaba at pagkatiwalag.”

Bagaman isa itong aklat ng saliksik at kritisismo, hindi pa rin maikakaila kung saan magaling si Pascual—sa pagkukuwento.

Namumukod-tangi ang pagtatahi ni Pascual sa mga impormasiyon. Para

itong sapin-sapin na bagaman ibaiba ang paksa ng apat na kabanata, iisa pa rin ang nais nitong ipatikim sa mga mambabasa: ang katotohanan na tahasan ang pang-aalipin ng patriyarkal na lipunan sa mga mahihirap.

Panghihikayat ni Pascual, panahon na upang umaksiyon ang mga “tagalabas” dahil magkakaiba man ang estado sa buhay, ang lahat ay bahagi ng lipunan.

Si Chuckberry Pascual ay kawaning dalubguro at resident fellow ng UST Graduate School at UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies. Nagsisilbi siya bilang coordinator ng bagong tatag na programa na Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing sa Fakultad ng Sining at Panitik.

Bahagi ng kaniyang disertasiyon sa Malikhaing Pagsulat sa UP Diliman ang kaniyang aklat na inilimbag naman ng UST Publishing House ngayong taon.

Awtor din siya ng Kumpisal: mga kwento (UST Publishing House, 2015), Ang Sinehan sa Panitikan at Pag-aaral ng Piliping Sinehan sa Recto (UP Press, 2016) at Ang Nawawala (Vispring Inc., 2017).

‘Pananaliksik, pinakamabigat na pamantayan sa pagtuturo’

Usapang Uste

Mga kawani ng UST, ginawaran ng Papal award Ni JOSELLE CZA RINA S. DELA CRUZ

Ayon sa ulat ng Varsitarian noong 1987, ginawaran ang siyam na akademikong opisyales ng Unibersidad ng parangal na Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice dahil sa angking kahusayan nila sa kani-kanilang larangan.

Iginawad ang prestihiyosong parangal kina Felix Estrada, Gregorio Moral, Jr., Homero Gonzalez, Mariano Pangan, Carolina Garcia, Karmen Canapi, Magdalena Alonso-Villaba, Melita Zaratan Nable at Eduardo Ignacio noong ika-29 ng Hunyo 1987 sa simbahan ng Santisimo Rosario.

Sa kanyang sermon sa Misa, sinabi ng dating arsobispo ng Maynila Jaime Cardinal Sin na tanda ang parangal na Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice sa pagpapatuloy ng tradisiyon ng Unibersidad na magpamalas ng kahusayan bilang isang akademikong institusiyon sa bansa.

Para kay Garcia, kinatawan ng mga binigyan ng parangal, ipagpapatuloy nila ang kanilang obligasyon sa ngalan ng hustisya at katotohanan. Dagdag pa niya, iaalay nila ang kanilang buhay sa pagbibigay serbisyo sa Simbahang Katolika, sa bansa at sa Unibersidad.

Dating dekano ng Fakultad ng

Medisina si Estrada. Itinanghal siya bilang Outstanding Pediatrician ng Philippine Pediatric Society. Nagsilbi rin siyang executive administrative officer at medical director ng noo’y Santo Tomas University Hospital (STUH). Nagtapos siyang cum laude meritissimus noong 1938 sa Unibersidad.

Dating tagapag-ulat ng Varsitarian si Moral. Nagsilbi siya bilang medical director ng STUH at pinuno ng Committee on Postgraduate Medical Education noong 1987. Ginawaran siya ng UST Centennial Service Award noong 1971 at ng Distinguished Teacher Award noong 1987 dahil sa kaniyang kontribusyon sa pagpapayabong ng Philippine College of Physicians.

Si Gonzalez ay dating kalihim ng Catholic Physicians Guild of the Philippines at UST Medical Alumni Association. Naging propesor siya sa Fakultad ng Medisina at executive officer ng Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology ng Unibersidad.

Dating dekano ng Fakultad ng Inhenyeriya at Kolehiyo ng Agham si Pangan. Naging miyembro rin siya ng United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization National Study Group in Chemistry Teaching at National Research Council of the Philippines.

Kasama rin sa ginawaran si Garcia na dating pinuno sa Department of English at recipient ng Thomas Aquinas Professorial Chair in the Humanities ng Unibersidad.

Taong 1982 nang ginawaran si Kanapi ng Kyung Hee University Medal of Honor for Peace and Welfare Through Education. Dati rin siyang dekano ng Kolehiyo ng Agham at Graduate School ng UST. Dati naming miyembrong provincial council ng Tertiary of the Order of Preachers si Villaba at naging kinatawan ng grupo para sa

inter-religious conference sa Hong Kong. Siya ang dating dekano ng Fakultad ng Sining at Panitik at Graduate School ng Unibersidad.

Nakapaglimbag din siya ng mga akda sa edukasyon at pilosopiya.

Dating assistant dean ng noo’y Fakultad ng Parmasya si Nable. Nagtapos siyang cum laude sa Unibersidad at ginawaran ng Presidential Award ng Pharmacy Alumni Association noong 1975.

Pang-siyam sa mga ginawaran ng parangal ang dating direktor ng UST Alumni Association na si Ignacio. Dati rin siyang pinuno ng Division of Chemical Engineering ng Unibersidad.

Unang iginawad ang Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice sa mga nagbigay ng serbisyo sa pag-aayos ng Vatican exposition. Kinalaunan, iginawad na rin ito sa mga indibidwal na nagpamalas ng debosyon sa Simbahang Katolika at sa Santo Papa.

Noong ika-17 ng Hulyo 1888 nagsimula ang parangal na ito na pinasinayaan ni Pope Leo XIII upang gunitain ang kaniyang golden sacerdotal jubilee.

Tomasino Siya Kinilala si Erlinda Uy-Koe bilang natatanging Tomasino dahil sa kaniyang dedikasiyon sa pagbibigay ng tulong sa mga taong mayroong autism, isang panghabang-buhay na kapansanan na nakaaapekto sa paglaki at nagdudulot ng pagkasensitibo sa pagdama ng tao.

Nagtapos si Koe ng communication arts sa UST noong 1977 at ng kaniyang masteral degree sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas noong 1980. Siya ang kauna-unahang chairman emeritus ng Autism Tomasalitaan PAGE 11

HINIKAYAT ng tagapangulo ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino ang mga guro na gamitin ang pananaliksik sa pagpapalaganap ng wikang pambansa at kultura, sa ginanap na Gawad Ulirang Guro sa Filipino 2018 noong ika-1 ng Oktubre sa gusaling Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Ayon kay Virgilio Almario, Pambansang Alagad ng Sining sa Panitikan, pananaliksik ang isa sa pinakamabigat na pamantayan upang maging “Ulirang Guro.”

“Ngayon kasi, ginawa naming emphasis [ang] saliksik…kaya mayroong mas mataas na weight ang may mga ginawang original research sa kanilang language and culture,” ani Almario sa isang panayam sa Varsitarian.

Wika naman ni Pilar Romero, dekana ng College of Education, makatutulong ang gawad upang maging inspirasiyon sa ibang mga guro na paghusayan sa kani-kanilang larangan.

“Kung mas maraming mas makakaalam sa kanilang katangian, sila ay tutularan at magiging pamantayan ng mga batang guro na nagsisimula pa lamang upang manatili sila sa propesyon na kanilang napili,” ani Romero.

Ginawaran ng parangal sina Christine Joy Aguila (Philippine Science High School), Jayfel Balingasa (Makati Science High School), Demetrio Bautista (Alangilan Senior High School ), Janette Calimag (Kalinga State University), Reggie Cruz (Angeles City Senior High School), Emmanuel Gonzales (Far Eastern University), Shandra Gonsang (University of Southern Mindanao), Maria Fe Hicana (Technological University of the Philippines – Taguig), Julie Gay Quidato (West Visayas State University ) at Ma. Jesusa Unciano (University of Northern Philippines).

Ang Ulirang Guro sa Filipino ay taunang gawad na ibinibigay sa mga natatanging guro na nagpamalas ng husay at pangununa sa pagpapalaganap ng wikang Filipino sa kani-kanilang komunidad.

FRANCIS AGAPITUS E. BRAGANZA

10 Features

Editor: Louise Claire H. Cruz

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Asserting rights to ancestral lands through education EDUCATION is the Lumads’ “weapon” in their plight for their rights to their ancestral lands.

This was the message of representatives from the indigenous people’s group as UST once again opened its doors for the annual Lumad Bakwit School program which was held from Sept. 14 to 17.

Datu Tunging MansumuyAt, a Lumad leader from Davao del Norte, said education is important to prevent being tricked by construction companies to sell their lands, as cases of alleged “paramilitary attacks” and human rights violations continue to displace them from their homes in Mindanao. “’Yung mga estudyante namin pinapatay nila dahil ayaw [nilang makapag-aral] ‘yung mga [tao.] Ayaw nilang matuto kami para makapasok yung mga malalaking kumpanya,” he said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Rius Valle, a spokeswoman for Save our Schools NetworkMindanao, emphasized that basic education helped members of the Lumad community to understand private property ownership.

“Noon, kayang kunin yung isang ektaryang lupain gamit ang isang lata ng sardinas at isang rolyo ng tobacco, [but going to school has been an] expression of their resistance, an expression of their [fight for] their ancestral lands,” he said.

Aside from defending its ancestral homes, the Lumad community is also fighting for the protection of their environment which is the “source of life” for the people in Mindanao, said Valle.

Datu Tunging Mansumuy-At

This includes watersheds, virgin forests and Mindanao’s natural biodiversity.

He said Lumad ancestral homes are considered “last frontier” as their natural resources are still in pristine condition.

At least 70 Lumad representatives camped out at the UST Central Seminary during their stay in UST. On their last night in the University, a grand solidarity night was held between Thomasians and the Lumads to culminate the Bakwit School program.

Not backing down Fabio Indao, a Lumad teacher, said being away from Mindanao does not mean the fight for their lands is over.

“Itong pagbabakwit (evacuation school) namin ay hindi [nangangahulugang] tumigil na kami sa aming panawagan. Isa itong malaking pakikibaka para [malaman ng] pamahalaan na hindi kami sangayon sa kanilang ginagawa,” he said.

President Duterte’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao following the Marawi siege in 2017 has also “worsened” the situation in the island, Indao said.

Datu Tunging also lamented how they have been evacuating for five years but the circumstances have not improved.

“Patuloy [kaming hinaharass kaya] sana i-pull out yung militar sa aming lugar at i-dismantle ‘yung army. Sana irespeto rin ‘yung mga pagkatao namin at bigyan kami ng pansin para [makapag-aral] kami,” he said.

UST in solidarity Welcoming the Lumad in the University is not just a form of a “symbolic expression of solidarity,” but also a fulfillment of the call of Pope Francis “to be one with internal refugees,” Fr. Pablo Tiong, O.P., vice rector for religious affairs, told the Varsitarian.

“By staying in UST, they will benefit in our facilities and education modules. The students and faculty would [also] have the chance to be with them,” he said. UST Central Seminary Rector Fr. Quirico Pedregosa, O.P. urged Thomasians to be more involved by volunteering to help the Lumad. He said that Thomasians should remain committed even after helping them.

Valle urged Thomasians to know more about the situation in Mindanao and listen to the plight of the Lumad community.

“More than [what UST is giving] ang gusto ng Lumad is ‘yung tengang nakikinig at handang makinig sa kanilang [kwento] ng walang judgment at bias... hamon iyon na makinig at sana ipalaganap ‘yung mga storya ng mga Lumad,” he said.

Indao said the Lumad representatives need more support.

“Makipagsalamuha sana [ang mga Thomasians] para lalong maintindihan ‘yung sitwasiyon namin. Nanghihingi kami ng malaki at buong suporta sa mga panawagan namin dahil hindi kami mananaig kapag walang suporta galing sa mga tao,” he said. JOB ANTHONY R. MANAHAN with reports from MAREM A. DE JEMEL AND SHERWIN DANE ZAURO C. HARO

Representatives of the Lumads, the cultural minority group stage a presentation during their welcome rites in the University on Sept. 14. PHOTOS BY GENIELYN ROSARIO M. SORIANO and MICHAEL ANGELO M. REYES

Tomasalitaan Society of the Philippines (ASP) at nagsilbi dito mula 2004 hanggang 2009.

Isa sa mga nangungunang samahan sa Filipinas ang ASP na naglalayong mabigyan ng magandang kinabukasan ang mga taong mayroong autism.

Ayon sa ulat ng Varsitarian noong 2009, napunta siya sa larangang ito dahil sa kaniyang unang anak na mayroong autism.

Naipamalas niya rin ang kaniyang napagaralan sa communication arts sa pamamagitan ng pagpapayabong ng paggamit ng organisasyon sa social media.

Pinangunahan niya rin ang Early Detection and Early Intervention Program, sa tulong ng Autism Society sa Norway, na nagbigay ngapagsasanay sa mga barangay health centers sa bansa upang mabigyan sila ng

39th Manila International Book Fair kaalaman sa paggabay sa mga taong may autism.

Ginawaran siya ng The Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Award noong 2009 sa kategorya na Humanitarian Service.

Tomasalitaan: alamís pangngalan. pahiwatig, talinghagà, tayutáy Takpan mo man ang kalungkutan sa pamamagitan ng ngiting matamis, kitang-kita ko ang pighati ng puso mo sa iyong alamis.

Sanggunian: The Varsitarian, Tomo LIX, Blg. 1, July 1987, 19881994, p. 3 The Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Awards 2009 Diksyunaryong Jose Villa Panganiban

in the 12th Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards, a recognition for Filipino authors and publishers promoting “total human development, Gospel values and Filipino culture.

Fr. Fausto Gomez’s “Mercy, Love and Holiness: A Pilgrim’s Notes,” published by USTPH was a finalist in the Spirituality category.

Religious Studies alumnus Jose Mario Maximiano’s “The Church Can Handle the Truth: Mercy Healing of Historical Wounds” was nominated in the Theology category.

Actress Rita Avila, Hotel and Restaurant Management alumna, was nominated in the Children’s category for “Ang Kuwento nina Popi Puti at Mimim Makutim.”

Fine arts alumna Christina Castro-Gelano’s “God is Happening: The Art of Paying Attention to Love” was finalist for the Inspirational category. Another Fine Arts alumna, Cheri Roberto, was nominated in the Family Life category for “From Mourning to Morning: Your Partner in Grief

and Hope.”

In the Gintong Aklat Awards, three USTPH titles were named finalists.

Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta’s “Hush Harbor” was nominated for Literature in English while Vijae Alquisola’s “Sa Mga Pansamantala” and Rody Vera’s “Tatlong Dula: Adaptasyon” were nominated for Literature in Filipino.

Graphic literature At Komikon, the annual confab of graphic literati and artists, freelance book illustrator Francis Martelino, who studied fine arts at UST, urged aspiring comic artists to tackle Filipino life experiences on Sept. 16.

“Filipino content and experiences can be automatically considered as unique,” he said.

“That is our culture, and definitely, you don’t have to borrow other experiences or culture when creating comics.”

Martelino said the Filipino artists should use Filipino names

for their characters, for instance in comics, instead of borrowing the names of other nation.

Martelino is the creator of the comics series “The Hotdog Prince,” a finalist for the Reader’s Choice Award in the 4th Komikon, an annual convention of comic book enthusiasts in the country.

Rico Rival said the youth must never stop honing their craft.

“If you’re not devoted to being an artist, you will not be an artist,” he added.

Rival, fine arts alumnus, said being an artist is not just about being inspired but also “having the guts to continuously practice the art.”

“Your generation is lucky because right at your nose, you have the materials that you can use to develop yourselves. You just have to strive and be patient,” Rival said.

Rival worked as an artist for Marvel Comics who illustrated the graphic novel, “Kingdom on the Island of the Apes.” with reports from KARL BEN. L ARLEGUI

Editor: Michael Angelo M. Reyes

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Lenspeak 11

12 Witness

OCTOBER 3, 2018

The image of Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario is enthroned at the blue-themed retablo at the Santisimo Rosario Parish last Sept. 27. PHOTO BY MARY JAZMIN D. TABUENA

Old traditions back in Santisimo Rosario’s 76th anniversary FROM PAGE 1

image was also held as a way of being closer to Mary, Coronel said.

Coronel however reminded the faithful that ceremonies and decorations were not substitutes to grace from God. “Kung ‘yong buhay pala natin ay ipauubaya natin sa Diyos, lahat pala ‘yon magiging luwalhati. ‘Yong buhay parang rosaryo, isang bahagi lang ang sorrowful, mas matitinding bahagi ‘yong ibang mga bagay,” he added.

Coronel said the parish was being challenged by secularization and poverty, which distract people from their faith and

devotion. “Nagiging secularized na ‘yong ating pananaw, nawawala na ‘yong focus natin sa Diyos,” he told the Varsitarian.

‘Emulate the Blessed Mother amid differences’ Parishioners were urged to emulate the Blessed Mother’s obedience to God by following the commandment of the Lord to value one another despite differences.

“In other words, by imitating her and giving her not diamonds or gold but our hearts. It is that which Mary desires most of his children that they may be one, that

is what Jesus desires of His brothers and sisters,” said Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani during the enthronement Mass.

The other commandment is to pray the Rosary as heard from Our Lady of Fatima, Bacani added.

The enthronement marked the end of the Diamond Jubilee Year and the beginning of the 76th anniversary of the Santísimo Rosario Parish.

In 2017, the Holy See granted a plenary indulgence to pilgrims who took part in the festivities of the Santisimo Rosario Parish’s

Diamond Jubilee.

The special grant offered grace and forgiveness to the faithful, which strengthened their faith, Coronel said.

“Ang grace kasi hindi mo puwedeng i-quantify pero you can feel it in your life at saka ‘yong kaniyang pagpapatawad na nakuha natin,” he added.

Novena Masses were set on Sept. 28 to Oct. 6, with fiesta Masses on Oct. 7 led by Caceres Archbishop Rolando Tirona in the morning and Bishop Emeritus Florentino Cinense of Tarlac in the evening. JOSELLE CZARINA S. DE LA CRUZ

‘Taglish’ New Testament brings Bible closer to youth – UST scholars THOMASIAN scholars lauded the “Pinoy version” of the New Testament launched by the Philippine Bible Society last Sept. 13 at the 39th Manila International Book Fair, saying it would be an effective tool to encourage the youth to read the Bible.

The New Testament, which has the imprimatur of Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes, was translated in contemporary Filipino or “Taglish,” the linguistic phenomenon of codeswitching English and Filipino words. It was the first Filipino bible to use a meaning-based translation, which gave more emphasis to the message of the text than the formal translation which strictly follows the original Hebrew or Greek language.

For instance, the version translates Galatians 1:16 to: “Sobrang nashock ako sa inyo… [I]magine, sobrang bait niya at pinadala niya si Christ sa atin.

Ang Diyos mismo ang pumili sa inyo, tapos ngayon, ine-entertain niyo ang ibang gospel?”

Fr. Efren Rivera, O.P., professor of sacred scriptures at the Faculty of Sacred Theology, stressed that the Pinoy version was only fulfilling the Church’s call “to provide easy access of sacred scriptures for the Christian faithful.”

Rivera noted that the new translation was not intended for liturgical functions that require “a more

dignified language.”

Earlier translations of the Bible like “Magandang Balita Biblia” in 2005 “avoided using vulgar and informal language,” so the translation could be used for liturgical functions in the Church.

There have been at least 12 translations of the Bible in Filipino since 1905, where most were translated by protestants.

Rivera stressed that translation could only be good for 20 years due to development in language.

“Bible reading has to be for everybody, not just for professional people, or those people who know the classical languages, but also teenagers.

And the language of the young people of today is what we call ‘Pinoy,’” Rivera added.

Echoing Rivera, Leo Ocampo, a theology professor, said the new translation’s use of heterogenous language was a way to gradually introduce the Bible to the youth.

“Sa panahon ngayon kung gusto mong mabasa, kailangan mabenta.

Kung mapabili man lang o mapabasa yung mga bata, then I think its effective enough; it has served his purpose,” Ocampo told the Varsitarian.

Fr. Clarence Marquez, O.P., rector of Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manila, explained that translations have

always been part of the Bible and do not affect the sanctity of the Word of God. “The act of translating has been with the bible from the beginning. So we should not shoot down any effort to translate. [U]ntouchable naman ang salita ng Diyos,” he said.

Marquez, who has a licentiate in sacred scriptures, said the Taglish version was a sincere effort to make scripture more understandable.

Alvin Ringgo Reyes, Filipino professor and chairman of the University’s Department of Teacher Education, said the Pinoy version would give an opportunity for people not fluent in Filipino to understand the Bible.

“Hindi ako tumututol, bilang isang eksperto sa wika, na hayaan ang ganyang bersyon dahil nagpapakita ‘yan ng variability ng potential ng wika; na ang wika pala ay pwedeng marinig sa anyo kung paano magsalita ang karaniwang kabataan,” Reyes said.

The Philippine Bible Society launched the Pinoy Version project in 2007 to translate books of the Bible in the language of the youth, with a team of translators from various faiths.

The Pinoy version sells for only P85 per copy, as a result of tax perks from the National Book Development Board for imported paper. EUGENE DOMINIC V. ABOY, O.P.

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Witness 13

Church seeks to fill pews with youth by praise and worship CHARISMATIC movements are on the rise among Catholic clergy and laity, to address the youth’s need for companionship amid a decline in Church attendance.

Juan Carlos Libiran, a lay preacher at The Feast in Manila, said “engaging and fun” encounter is key to reaching out to the youth in search for a sense of belonging.

He emphasized the Church’s need to exert more effort in connecting with young

people by creating meaningful relationships instead of parish-based activities like competitions and youth camps.

“We want it to connect and appeal to the next generation so they can see and feel that our Church is alive and constantly finding ways in doing new evangelization,” he said in an email interview.

Libiran added that giving the youth the

trust and time they need encourages them to share their talents and become more mature and responsible members of the Church.

The Feast is a charismatic movement founded by lay preacher and televangelist Eugenio Isabelo “Bo” Sanchez, Jr., and has an average of 3,500 weekly participants at their branch in the PICC Feast Bay Area.

Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian, chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Youth, said the Church welcomes Charismatic movements like The Feast which addresses the needs of the youth who get bored of rituals.

“In reaching out to the youth, the Church must be able to think according to what the youth have in mind. They should speak the language that [the youth] will understand,” the bishop of Bangued said.

Jaucian stressed the importance of young people in inviting their fellow youth to the Church, by sharing their personal experience and making them feel welcome in the community.

He added that Christian communities must strive to create an atmosphere where an authentic spiritual encounter may occur.

“Kasi kung minsan, we just end in activities… [I] hope the Church will bring the youth to places where they are able to have a personal encounter with Christ,” he said.

Sense of belonging sought by youth Miguel Aquino, fourth-year marketing student and a former Catholic, said seeking a community where a sense of belonging is present led to his conversion to the Victory church.

“In my experience, in terms of community in the Catholic Church, it’s

very impersonal. People just go in and out.

You don’t even know [who’s] the person beside you,” he said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Aquino said religious practices become routine if people forget the heart of worship and serving God. “If we want to increase church attendance, let’s not bank on the nakasanayan or tradition. Let’s look at what the Bible says… [W]e have to [create] a healthy community of love, fun faith and family,” he said.

Reginald Zamora, O.P., pioneer of the Dominican-Studentate band The Joyful Friars, said the Church needs to revisit its traditional and cleric-centered approach if it is to improve youth attendance.

“We have our shortcomings, that’s why they’re transferring. I often attend Victory services in the past and I observed that they are very much people centered. People feel that they are the owners of the church there,” he said.

The Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey reported a 24-point decline in church weekly attendance from 1991 to 2017.

It added that among major religions in the country, the Catholic Church’s weekly attendance has been the lowest at 41 percent.

Echoing Jaucian, Zamora said Catholic charismatic groups like The Feast are an effective means of reaching out to the youth.

“We’re looking for solutions, and the concrete [solution] is to support The Feast.

What is lacking in the Catholic Church is being provided by The Feast. I hope the Church becomes more open to these kinds of Church PAGE 14

Be involved, fight against social injustice, Dominicans urged

Fr. Roger Quirao, O.P., delivers the homily during his installation as the new prior of the Santo Domingo Convent in Quezon City. PHOTO BY MARK DARIUS M. SULIT

Dagat-dagatan priest is new Santo Domingo convent prior FR. ROGER Quirao, O.P. was installed on Sept. 12 as the new prior of the Santo Domingo Convent in Quezon City.

Quirao replaced Fr. Roland Mactal, O.P. as the prior of the convent and rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of La Naval in Santo Domingo Church, the mother church of Filipino Dominicans.

Quirao said he would work to intensify the devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary of La Naval by increasing the visits of the La Naval image to different schools and offices.

“Since 1998, we have been arranging visits of the image of the Blessed Mother. [W]e maintain that practice and we seek to increase it,” he told the Varsitarian.

Recalling his experience as parish priest, Quirao said administering sacraments is an effective way to evangelize the marginalized.

“Why are there many killings nowadays? Let us go back to the roots.

There are no people catechizing them, [that’s why] they are no longer praying.

We have to reach out to them while they

are still starting [with their faith],” he said in Filipino.

In his homily, he urged La Naval devotees to be instruments of God’s blessings to others.

“We pray the nine-day novena and after that, what’s next? We cry inside the church but the moment you step out, do you strive to be kind to others? That’s the challenge. When you are having a hard time, the burden lightens when you have others,” he said in Filipino.

Quirao will serve as prior for three years. He signed his appointment last Sept. 12.

He was the parish priest of San Lorenzo Ruiz and Companion Martyrs Parish in Dagat-dagatan, Navotas from 2017 to 2018.

From 2011 to 2017, Quirao served as prior of St. Albert the Great Convent and vice rector for finance of Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Calamba, Laguna.

Quirao finished his degree in sacred theology in UST on March 1996.

EUGENE DOMINIC ABOY, O.P.

Australian nun Sr. Patricia Fox urges Dominicans to immerse with the poor during the Fr. Pedro Salgado, O.P. Conference held at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Intramuros, Manila. PHOTO BY HAZEL GRACE S. POSADAS AUSTRALIAN nun Sr. Patricia Fox urged Dominicans to be vocal amid cases of human rights violations in the country during the Fr. Pedro Salgado, O.P. Conference at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Intramuros, Manila on Sept. 22.

Despite her missionary activities being tagged as “anti-government,” Fox stressed that immersing with the poor should be seen as propeople and pro-Gospel.

“Our missionary task is to struggle with those who are victims; to eliminate the structural causes of poverty and to promote integral development, guided by the Gospel of mercy and the love of humankind,” Fox said.

“When people ask me why am I not tired, I say that if there is not yet justice, we cannot be tired,” she added.

Fox said fighting social injustice was rooted in the Church’s mission to be in solidarity with the poor.

“We will never know [the] hopes, dreams and anxieties [of the poor] if we don’t join them,” Fox said in Filipino.

The primary role of the Church is to spread the Good News to people regardless of social status as well, she said.

“The Good News for workers is to have a regular job. The Good News for farmers is to have their own land. The Good News for the urban poor is to have a decent house,” Fox said.

Last July, the Bureau of Immigration ordered Fox’s deportation for allegedly violating the terms of her missionary visa by participating in political rallies and protests with causeoriented groups.

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

Immersing with the poor Fr. Napoleon Sipalay, Jr., O.P., head of the Filipino Dominicans, said working for justice and peace was vital to the Dominican Order.

Sipalay called on his fellow Dominicans to emulate the late Fr. Salgado’s example of immersing with the poor. “[Some] say that Dominicans don’t get involved so much in peace and justice because of our philosophy. [F]r. Salgado shows us [that] our relevance in our study should be seen in the actions that we take into the pastoral ministry wherever we go,” he said.

Salgado’s life is a challenge for Dominicans to be involved instead of “just sitting down in the classroom,” Sipalay added.

Fr. Victor Calvo, O.P., promoter of the Commission on Justice, Peace and Care for Creation of the Filipino Dominicans, described Salgado’s work as “a Dominican brand of doing justice and peace.”

Calvo said members of the Dominican Family should incorporate justice in their respective ministries “There’s no single way of doing justice and peace. Whatever your passion is, ‘add’ justice and peace,” he said in Filipino.

Organized by the Commission on Justice, Peace and Care for Creation of the Dominican Province in the Philippines, the annual conference was named after the late Fr. Salgado, O.P. who was a social ethicist. E.D.V. ABOY, O.P.

`14 Limelight

OCTOBER 3, 2018

TOMAS U. SANTOS BY NATHANAEL JONAS SJ. RODRIGO

ADVENTURES WITH TIMMY B BY RICA MAE V. SORIENTE

CACA BY JURY P. SALAYA

Editorial: Duterte will meet Marcos’ fate Bard

FROM PAGE 5

FROM PAGE 4

Communications Operations Office.

A recent film that tackled our predilection for idolizing heroes, “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral,” questioned that which is already written in history: why was Gregorio “Goyo” del Pilar raised to the image of hero? He was President Emilio Aguinaldo’s hatchet man; a young, dashing and naive playboy who was just starting to find out the meaning of love in a time when the country was trying to find the meaning of nationhood.

In today’s time, often we are scared, nay, offended, when we are questioned. It is about time we question that which is happening around us. Learning to ask the right questions is far more rewarding than having all the answers.

Further, the National Museum, as Jose, a former editor in chief of the Varsitarian, pointed out, is not a private gallery. “There is no room [in the National Museum] for freedom to mount exhibits based on personal

choice or influence,” he wrote in his second letter.

The museum is ran by government and essentially, by the people. If what is inside does not feed the sense of history and nationhood of the people, then that would defeat the purpose of having a national museum.

But this is not to say that Cruz’s works are not worth being permanently displayed in private galleries (as they already are). It is that prominent adjective “national in “National Museum” which bugs me.

Jose may have been trying to scratch that itch.

Clearly, Jose was just exercising his right as a citizen and a national artist. The 93-year-old knows whom the museum should serve and wasted no time in fighting for it.

If nothing else, the incident only proved his worth as a national artist.

In times such as these, it is important to remain sceptical and aim to be critical.

Drive

For a week, Thomasians were able to interact with them and hear their stories of struggle, with Duterte’s martial law worsening the situation in Mindanao as they said.

Duterte is all talk and he flinches at the slightest sign of dissent which may gain popularity –as is the case of putting Sen. Leila de Lima in jail, impeaching former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and revoking Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV’s amnesty.

The president’s actions, though seemingly strong, have failed to produce results and prevent the lives of Filipinos to be put in danger. Worse, his actions have resulted to thousands of lives

–of men, women and children – all lost in his bloody war against drugs.

Truly, the president is following in the footsteps of the man he idolizes –he has jailed his critics, he has ignored the rule of law and he has ordered the killing of thousands, all for the sake of putting to reality his vision of a drug and criminality-free nation, his own version of Marcos’ “New Society.”

But alas, he may soon meet the same fate that Marcos has suffered: ousted in power, shamed for his actions, and remembered not for the good that he has done, but for the blood in his hands at the time of his regime.

Church

Spikers

Gird your loins

FROM PAGE 9

FROM PAGE 15

FROM PAGE 4

FROM PAGE 6

subjective.

allow free authentic education and discussion?” he said.

movements,’ he said.

Eucharist and music Fr. Giuseppe Pietro Arsciwals, O.P., founder of an all-priest band called Inggô 1587, said music provides an easier means in preaching the hard truths of the Gospel to young people.

“Most people, particularly the youth abhor preaching that is ‘preachy.’ They do not want to be “preached at.” [T]hrough our songs, both originals and covers, we try to transmit the message in a way that is easy to absorb and understand,” he said.

Acknowledging the youth’s desire for companionship, Arsciwals said their music ministry allows people to feel that priests are also approachable and available in accompanying the youth.

Zamora, who is taking his licentiate in preaching, acknolwedged that Catholic liturgy is irreplaceable, and music is only employed to catch the attention of the youth and promote vocations to the priesthood.

“It’s only in the Church that we are really able to receive the Eucharist which is the true body and blood of Christ. In other churches, it’s just a symbol, so they’re missing a lot,” he said.

Inggô 1587 and The Joyful Friars will be having a joint concert on November 17 in Quezon City.

EUGENE DOMINIC ABOY, O.P.

different playing field.

The 18-year-old will be playing a big role for the Tiger Spikers in their quest to bring the title back.

“Ang goal namin ngayon ay mabalik ‘yong championship sa UST kasi kailangan naming makabawi. May pressure dahil rookie pa lang ako at kailangan kong ipantay ‘yong level ko sa senior (Arbasto) pero confident ako na magiging maganda naman ang chemistry namin,” he said.

Born in Bulacan, Requinton was a perennial Palaro competitor during his high school days at Sacred Heart Academy. He was discovered by Doloiras in the Palaro 2016.

Despite offers from other UAAP schools, the sports and wellness management freshman chose the University due to its academic and sports program.

Since starting his career with UST in 2017, Requinton has bagged several awards including the Season 80 boys’ Best Outside Hitter, Best Middle Blocker and Season 79 boys’ Best Middle Blocker.

In Season 80, he led the Junior Tiger Spikers to their first UAAP title after averaging 12 ppg, enough for him to earn the Finals MVP award.

If anything, Sionil Jose raised quite a few significant questions, at least in my mind: How does one’s work get into the National Museum?

What criteria must a piece of work meet in order to merit a place in a permanent display of an entire people’s museum?

Could we not possibly be railroading a person to the level of National Artist without first knowing what exactly it was that he stood for?

The highway to fame (not to mention, infamy) is not foreign to Filipinos, apparently, as in the case of several possible senatorial candidates in next year’s midterm polls such as Bong Go, Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa and Mocha Uson, a known purveyor of fake news and still surprisingly, an assistant secretary at the Presidential

But despite a decorated high school career, Requinton believes he is still a work in progress.

Although both rookies, Barbon and Requinton are banking on their experience in the BVR King and Queen of the Sand where they bagged gold last July 22.

“Malaking tulong ‘yong BVR stint namin kasi na-boost nito ‘yong kompiyansa namin sa sarili at dito namin na-realize na kaya naming maki-level sa mga veteran players,” Requinton said.

With Barbon and Requinton’s impressive showing in the preseason stints, Doloiras hopes to reach the Final Four.

“Papasok kami sa UAAP na mataas ang kompiyansa.

Nakikitaan ko ng potential ‘yong dalawa kaya tatrabahuhin pa namin at tiwala akong makakabalik kami ng Final Four, ‘yon muna ang target namin,” the UST tactician said.

The Lady Spikers are the winningest team in the women’s division with five championships, while the Tiger Spikers are the second-winningest squad in the men’s with three titles, next to the National University and the Far Eastern University. IVAN RUIZ L. SUING AND THERESA CLARE K. TAÑAS

Market slaves Thomasians entered the University with high hopes that their talents, skills and potentials would be honed. But in reality, students have become livestock, butchered and processed over years until they are ready to be sold to the market. OBE has reduced students to marketable employees.

Education should not be a butcher of geniuses. It is definitely not a business. There is more to education than following a system that steals the luster of students’ potentials. Do not need to butcher the artist in them.

Innovation in education should never be discouraged but Universities must be careful on the system they try to implement. These systems should not diminish the real essence of education because universities are not mere factories of diplomas.

Knowledge, studying and learning should still be sought for its own sake, for the students to explore their potentials through their respective specializations. UST should be reminded that it is the embodiment of the Dominican pillar of study. We contemplate and study, not for money, but for the good of the society. It should not turn to be Freud’s superego or the cage that produces students with lackluster and butchered potentials.

‘Involve students, youth’ Malaya said DILG would partner with the Commission on Higher Education in initiating a series of activities for college students.

Coronacion said the government should exert an earnest effort in convincing the youth who have shown little to no support to the idea of federalism.

“Among the sectors of our society, the youth have shown an intense aversion to the idea of shifting to a federal form of government. Given this, the government should exert an earnest effort to convince them,” he said.

In May, the DILG announced that the information drive would involve the youth in the campaign to pique the interest of young people.

“Our own information drive in private capacity includes going to campuses and encouraging students and school officials to hold forums to discuss the proposed federalism shift,” Generoso said.

LADY CHERBETTE N. AGOT with reports from JOB ANTHONY R. MANAHAN

Editor: Ma. Angelica D. Garcia

Sports 15

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Tiger Spikers settle for silver in PVL AN ERROR-PLAGUED UST Tiger Spikers settled for second place in the Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference after dropping Game 2 of the finals against the National University Bulldogs, 21-25, 18-25, 14-25, at the Arena in San Juan last Sept. 12.

The Tiger Spikers committed 22 errors compared to the Bulldogs’ 13.

NU finished off UST in the third set with a 14-6 run, sealed by Bryan Bagunas’ back row attack.

“Sayang lang kasi may opportunity na kami pero hindi nila na-grab, but we have achieved our goals. Tina-try ko pa rin na i-instill sa players ko na pwedeng mag-overachieve,” Tiger Spikers head coach Odjie Mamon said.

The Bulldogs pulled away for good in the second salvo with a 9-2 blitz, capped

by Tiger Spiker Hernel Corda’s service error for a commanding 2-0 set advantage.

With NU at set point in the opening canto, Manuel Medina tried to extend the set after an off-the-block kill before Madzlan Gampong ended the match with an off-speed hit, 25-21.

The Bulldogs’ solid net defense yielded 15 blocks while UST only had six.

Bagunas led all scorers with 20 points while Gampong added 11 markers for NU. Genesis Redido had 11 points for the Tiger Spikers.

UST’s Joshua Umandal, Tim Tajanlangit and Jayvee Sumagaysay bagged the Best Opposite Hitter, Best Setter and Best Middle Blocker awards, respectively.

NU’s Bagunas was hailed Finals Most Valuable Player.

In women’s play, the Adamson University Lady Falcons captured the bronze medal after clobbering the Golden Tigresses, 15-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-19, in Game 2 of their battle-for-third matchup.

The Lady Falcons tied the series at 1-1, but did not need to play in the rubber match due to a superior quotient.

Under the league’s format, the team with the higher quotient in a tied battlefor-third will take home the bronze medal in case the finals end in two games.

The Tigresses had a slim 18-17 lead PVL PAGE 15

Tiger Spiker Manuel Medina spikes the ball through two National University defenders. PHOTO BY MARK DARIUS M. SULIT

HS standouts leave indoor volleyball, join Spikers on beach TWO FORMER UAAP juniors’ indoor volleyball standouts will reinforce the UST Spikers as they gun for another beach volleyball title this Season 81.

Baby Love Barbon and Jaron Requinton will join reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) Sisi Rondina and Anthony Arbasto, respectively.

Barbon will replace Season 79 Rookie of the Year Caitlyn Viray, who opted to skip the tournament to focus on the taraflex, while Requinton will succeed Season 79 MVP Kris Roy Guzman, who completed his playing years.

“Sobrang nakaka-pressure kasi rookie pa lang ako tapos senior player ang papalitan ko at defending champions pa ang UST kaya kailangan kong magdouble time sa training para mas tumaas pa ang skill level ko,” the 19-year-old Barbon told the

Tigers

FROM PAGE 16

of the Tigers in the UAAP, Ayo cited the team’s inexperience and youth as factors of their sluggish performance this season.

“We played like rookies (in the fourth quarter), our inexperience manifested especially in the crucial stretch,” Ayo said after UST’s 71-79 loss to the Adamson University Soaring Falcons last Sept. 22.

Aside from their youth and inexperience, one of UST’s primary troubles this season is their shooting as they only made 33.24 of their shot attempts in their first five outings.

The Tigers have also been careless with the ball, averaging 18.2 turnovers per game so far.

Top-seed Adamson exploited UST’s weakness as it forced the Tigers to 27 turnovers en route to a 79-71 win.

The Tigers are also one of the worst in the league in outside-shooting, tallying 22.9 percent from three-point line.

But UST has become a better rebounding team this year, averaging 47 boards per game.

Despite the team’s slow start this season, Ayo remained positive of his wards’ development.

“Manalo o matalo, hindi ako masa-satisfy kasi when you don’t get satisfied, you will keep on improving and competing hanggang sa maabot ‘yong full potential and I know the team is competitive so we’ll just keep on playing hanggang sa lumabas ‘yon,” Ayo said.

UST will try to bounce back against the University of the East Red Warriors on Oct. 6, Saturday, 12 p.m., at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. IVAN RUIZ L. SUING AND JUSTIN ROBERT VALENCIA

Varsitarian.

The Lady Spikers are looking to bag their third-straight UAAP crown while the Tiger Spikers eye redemption after failing to defend their title last season.

Hailing from Bukidnon, Barbon started her volleyball career in 2013 as part of the Quezon National High School team. She was recruited by Junior Golden Tigresses head coach Emilio “Kung Fu” Reyes Jr. during the 2016 Palarong Pambansa in Albay where she represented Northern Mindanao.

Barbon, who averages 12.4 points per game (ppg), helped the Junior Tigresses capture the 14th Shakey’s Girls’ Volleyball League of Champions title in 2016. However, she became ineligible to play in Season 80 for going over the UAAP’s age limit.

As per the UAAP rule, a player must not be older than 17 years from January until June. Barbon turned 18 years old in April that year.

Not feeling disheartened, Barbon focused her attention in honing her skills in the sand court with the help of beach volleyball head coach Paul Jan Doloiras.

Although adjusting from indoor to outdoor volleyball became a tough challenge for the 5’4” rookie, Barbon said her chemistry with Rondina had been strengthened during the Beach Volleyball Republic (BVR) on Tour Manila Open, where they copped gold last Aug. 19.

“Maganda ang relationship namin ni Ate Sisi, nakikita ko siyang inspirasiyon and malaking tulong ‘yong BVR on Tour kasi doon ako nakapag-adjust and doon ko rin siya mas nakilala pero syempre hindi mawawala ‘yong pressure,” the Season 79 Second Best Outside Hitter said.

Like Barbon, Requinton also had a hard time adjusting to the sand court since it is a completely Spikers PAGE 14

Junior Tigresses seek redemption in Season 81 THE UST Junior Golden Tigresses seeking nothing short of redemption this season following four-straight finals losses against the Nazareth School of National University (NU) Lady Bullpups.

The Junior Golden Tigresses and the Lady Bullpups faced each other in the UAAP finals five times since 2013.

UST won their first encounter before NU grabbed the next four championships in Seasons 77, 78, 79 and 80.

But the road to another finals appearance will not be easy for the Junior Tigresses, who will be without main gunners Eya Laure and Maji Mangulabnan.

“Bagong mukha ngayon kaya lahat ng pamalit sa kanila ay inaasahan ko na nag-mature na. Sila (Hernandez) na ang matatanda diyan, sila na ang dapat maglead sa team,” UST head coach Emilio “Kung Fu” Reyes Jr. told the Varsitarian.

The Junior Tigresses will now lean on veteran players Regina Jurado, Janna Torres, Merry Rose Jauculan, Tanya Narciso, Bernadett Pepito and team captain Imee Hernandez.

The 5’9” Hernandez is confident of her new role and said pressure will not be a problem for her. “’Yong team, work in progress siya kasi habang papalapit ang UAAP, mas nag-iimprove kami and alam ko naman

na tutulungan ako ng mga teammates kasi gusto naming sabay-sabay umangat,” the Season 80 Best Middle Blocker said.

Hernandez added the team will bank on their experience in the Imus Volleyball League 1st Inter Secondary Invitational Tournament where they bagged gold last June 10.

With the Junior Tigresses’ impressive showing in the preseason tournament, Reyes hopes to reach the finals again.

“Finals naman talaga ang hinahabol namin, taon-taon naming pinaghahandaan ‘yon at ngayon, pipilitin ulit naming magawa,” Reyes told.

Although Lady Bullpups Faith Nisperos and Alyssa Solomon remain threats to the team, Reyes vowed that the Junior Tigresses would still be competitive.

He also said the team will try to capitalize on their floor coverage to counter NU’s efficient blocking.

Last season, the Junior Tigresses settled for silver after faltering against the Lady Bullpups in Game 2, 16-25, 19-25, 20-25.

The Junior Tigresses will open the volleyball season against the University of the Philippines Integrated School Junior Lady Maroons on Oct. 13, Saturday, 1:30 p.m., at the Blue Eagle Gym. THERESA CLARE K. TAÑAS AND IVAN RUIZ L. SUING

Requinton

PVL

FROM PAGE 15

in the fourth frame when Adamson ignited an 8-1 run, capped by a service ace from Bernadette Flora to finish the match.

“Pinipilit naming i-control ‘yong momentum ng Adamson pero lumamang pa rin ‘yong negative thinking ng mga bata.

May mga pagkakataon na pwede [kaming pumuntos] pero hindi namin ma-convert kasi mali ‘yong anticipation,” UST head coach Emilio “Kung Fu” Reyes Jr. said.

Adamson was at set point in the third canto when Tigresses Milena Alessandrini and Alina Bicar scored back-to-back kills before Flora ended the set with a throughthe-block hit, 25-20.

Lady Falcon Joy Dacoron’s throughthe-block kill in the second salvo equalized the game at 1-all.

The Tigresses overcame an early twopoint deficit in the opening canto after Caitlyn Viray’s crosscourt kill ended a 17-9 bomb, 25-15.

Eli Soyud chalked up 14 points for Adamson while Flora added 12 markers.

Alessandrini led all scorers with 22 points in the losing effort.

Both UST senior volleyball teams will see action again in the University Games in October. IVAN RUIZ L. SUING

Sports

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Ayo-led Tigers face rough sailing THE DE La Salle Green Archers gave their former coach a thorough beating, picking apart his new team, the UST Growling Tigers, 99-72, at the Mall of Asia Arena on Oct. 3.

With the 27-point rout of UST, La Salle improved to a 3-2 win-loss card while the Tigers slipped to a 1-4 slate with their thirdstraight loss.

Highly regarded coach Aldin Ayo had led the Green Archers to a UAAP title in 2016 before moving to UST to guide a young team.

The Green Archers never looked back after Santi Santillan’s free throw in the second frame ended a 17-6 blitz.

“I think naging factor ang youth kasi puro bata ang nasa game and hindi lumalabas ang laro nila. Kung iko-compare ko practices namin, ang layo,” Ayo said in an interview.

La Salle had a slim 4-2 lead early in the opening frame before they exploded with a 17-7 run, topped by Santillan’s put-back, 21–9.

The Green Archers converted 13 easy points off UST’s 14 turnovers. The Green Archers also crushed the Tigers in bench points, 40-29.

Justine Baltazar led all scorers with 22 points and 10 rebounds while Aljun Melecio added 19 markers.

Renzo Subido led UST with 16 points while Marvin Lee and Zach Huang added 13 markers apiece.

Steve Akomo did not suit up for the Tigers due to food poisoning.

Tigers head coach Aldin Ayo suffers his third straight loss in a game against his former team La Salle last Oct. 3. PHOTO BY MICHAEL ANGELO M. REYES

Young squad After his first five games as head coach Tigers PAGE 15

Lady Judokas gun for 5th straight UAAP crown THE UST Lady Judokas are set to open their titleretention bid, eyeing to become the first team in UAAP women’s judo history to capture five-consecutive championships.

But the team will have to do it without key players Tracy Honorio, Reinalyn Castillo and former team captain Lei Tolentino, who all exhausted their playing years.

“The team is pressured kasi ‘yong mga kalaban namin, habang tumatagal, mas nagugutom at nanggigigil sila na makuha ‘yong titulo sa amin pero syempre lahat gagawin namin para mapanatili sa amin.

Lahat kami sa team pare-pareho ng gustong mangyari and that’s to make history, that’s our target,” Lady Judokas head coach Gerard Arce told the Varsitarian.

The University of the Philippines had a chance to win their fifth-straight title in Seasons 66 and 72, but were dethroned by UST. This year, Arce said the team focused on Nagewaza (throwing techniques) and Katame-waza (grappling techniques) to have a better control over their competitors.

“’Yung proper execution ng techniques nila ang binoboost ng program namin kasi we need to see the weaknesses of their opponents,” the multi-titled coach said.

With roughly two months left before Season 81, the Lady Judokas have intensified their training regimen.

Arce listed UP, the University of the East, De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University as constant hurdles in the Lady Judokas’ title bid.

“Our preparation is vital. Kahit sino naman, wala kaming minamaliit na teams. Wala kaming iniisip na teams na malakas o mahina, ang mahalaga for us is to score best,” he said.

In her last playing year, team captain Kim Pantoja wants to instill mental toughness among her teammates to be able to perform consistently.

“Kailangan namin ma-build nang maayos ‘yong mentalidad namin and mag-enjoy at the same time para ma-handle ang pressure,” she said.

Pantoja also cited the Hajime Judo tournament held at the Blue Eagle Gym last June served as their

gauge in the upcoming UAAP tournament.

Despite the tough competition this season, Pantoja is confident of the team’s chances of a f i f t h - s t r a i g h t championship.

“Kaya naman naming i-defend ‘yong title kasi nasa peak na kami, ayaw n a naming bitawan ‘yon,” she told.

The Lady Judokas will draw from their veteran core this year composed of Pantoja, Khrizzie Pabulayan, Jamaica Ponciana and Season 80 Most Valuable Player Almira Ruiz.

Last Season 80, the Lady Judokas bagged four gold, four silver and five bronze medals.

THERESA CLARE K. TAÑAS

‘Heart is might’ for new captain of Growling Tigresses

By JUSTIN ROBERT VALENCIA

Capilit

FOR GROWING Tigresses team captain Tin Capilit, heart—not height—is might.

At 4’11,” she is among the smallest players in the UAAP this season. But her responsibilities for her team are enormous after playing only 8 minutes per game last season.

Capilit led the Tigresses in scoring in their first two outings, averaging 18 points per game (ppg), a huge improvement from her 2.3 ppg output last season.

“For Tin, heart is might, that is why she deserves to be the captain of the team, pinapakita niya lagi ‘yong fighting heart niya every game,” Growling Tigresses head coach Haydee Ong told the Varsitarian.

With the 22-year-old Capilit’s height being her disadvantage, she countered it with her agility to blow past her defenders.

“Maliit ako so ‘yon ang disadvantage ko, malaki sila so ang disadvantage nila ay

mabagal sila so dinadaan ko sila sa bilis, tinatakbuhan ko sila, nilulusutan ko sila,” Capilit said.

Aside from her agility, Capilit said she worked on her outside shooting during the offseason, as advised by Ong and assistant coach Arsenio Dysangco.

Her shooting improvement was evident in their first two outings as she had already made four treys, same as her last season’s total output.

For Capilit, defense is the key to be able to execute plays in the offensive side of the court, the reason for her four rebounds per game this season.

“Laging sinasabi ng coaches sa akin na ‘mag depensa ka, doon papasok ang opensa mo’ so every time na pumapasok ako, nag-dedepensa ako tapos totoo nga, kusang dadating ang opensa,” she said.

With a better team chemistry this Season 81, Capilit is confident that the Tigresses can make it back to the finals after placing third last year.

“Naglalaro ‘yong team namin ng best when we are together, this year ramdam na ramdam namin na kayang kaya namin kasi iba na ‘yong skill level namin pero hindi pa rin kami masyado magpapakampante,” she said.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sports and wellness management, Capilit pursued graduate studies to be able to suit up for the Tigresses for the fifth and last time.

“Nag-stay ako kasi gusto kong bigyan ‘yong UST ng championship bago ako umalis,” the Development Studies freshman said.

The Tigresses’ last finals appearance was in Season 69 where they defeated the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws in three outings.