THE VARSITARIAN P.Y. 2023-2024 ISSUE 13

LARGEST UST CAMPUS OPENS IN GENSAN

By Logan Kal-El M. Zapanta

GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Filipino Dominicans inaugurated the largest of the UST campuses in General Santos City on April 11, bringing “Thomasian quality of education” to southern Philippines.

In its maiden academic year, the Mindanao branch campus will offer five programs under three pioneering schools: the School of Health Sciences, School of Business and Accountancy, and School of Engineering and Information Technology.

UST Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P., in his speech

at the inauguration, emphasized the importance of the expansion to UST as the Mindanao branch is the first campus outside Manila and Luzon.

“We stand in the majesty of a structure that not only represents bricks and mortars but embodies UST’s rich history, values, and aspirations,” Ang said.

“This structure is a symbol of faith in God, a beacon of hope for the region and the country, and unity and cooperation amid plurality,” he added. “This is a place for interreligious and interfaith dialogue.”

Ang concelebrated the Mass at the start of the ceremonies alongside Bishop Cerilo Casicas of the Diocese of Marbel, Prior Provincial Fr. Filemon de la Cruz, O.P., and other Dominican priests.

They also blessed the UST GenSan Main Building, the only completed school building on the 82.2-hectare campus to date. This building was modeled after the similarly named structure designed by Fr. Roque Ruaño, O.P. in 1927 at UST Manila.

The seven-story Main Building of GenSan can accommodate up to 5,000 students and features 24 classrooms, 23 laboratories, a chapel, library, clinic, auditorium, cafeteria, organization rooms, and function halls.

Other areas of the branch campus have also been developed for future structures. These include

UST enters THE Asia University Rankings for 1st time in 11 years

By John Ezekiel J. Hirro

For the first time in 11 years, UST has secured a ranking in the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings, placing third among Philippine schools.

In the 12th edition of the rankings, released locally on Wednesday, UST landed within the 601+ bracket with an overall score of 14.7-24, sharing the third spot with Mapúa University.

Ateneo de Manila University retained its position as the top-

ranked school in the country, although it dropped to the 401500 range from 84th overall in the 2023 edition.

The University of the Philippines and De La Salle University,

Tiongco assumes UST rectorship temporarily as Ang concludes 1st term

By Ernest Martin G. Tuazon

UST Vice Rector Fr. Isaias Tiongco, O.P. is set to take charge as acting rector of the University beginning May 1, marking the start of a transitional phase as Fr. Richard Ang, O.P., completes his first term as UST Rector. Due to his appointment coinciding with Labor Day, which is a regular holiday in the country, Tiongco will commence his duties as acting rector on May 2. Tiongco previously took on the responsibilities of the rector when Ang went on medical

► UST General Santos boasts of

Fr. Isaias Tiongco, O.P. and Fr. Richard Ang, O.P.

UST student leaders struggle for real autonomy

By Chalssea Kate C. Echegoyen, Ernest Martin G. Tuazon and Ralent M. Penilla

CANDIDATES in this year’s Central Student Council (CSC) elections made a bold statement by boycotting the exercise to protest what they call a “system resistant to reform.”

The move came on the heels of the Office for Student Affairs’ (OSA) move to censor online media organization TomasinoWeb over a rather innocuous photo, which was ridiculed on social media.

This episode was seen as reflective of an atmosphere that appears to frown on genuine CSC autonomy.

Outgoing CSC president Ierathel Tabuno said that OSA’s treatment of the student body hindered genuine student representation.

“The CSC, for it to achieve its purposes, what it’s supposed to be doing as the voice of the students, it has to be able to stand independent,” she told the Varsitarian. “Hindi ‘yon maa-achieve kung bago kami makapagsalita, kailangan i-revise pa namin ‘yong sasabihin namin.”

Student leaders voiced concerns over the directorship of Asst. Prof. Ma. Cecilia Tio Cuison, who took the

helm of OSA in 2021. Tio Cuison, a former dean of the College of Tourism and Hospitality Management, went on medical leave on March 16, over a month after the TomasinoWeb issue exploded.

For instance, Tio Cuison has reprimanded the current crop of CSC for expressing opinions on various political issues, tagging them as “sporadic” because they were not originally part of the student body’s general plan of action (GPOA).

“Umabot talaga sa point na nagagalit na sa amin, that’s why na-reinforce ‘yong bago kami mag-post or bago kami makagamit ng sarili naming logo, may approval,” Tabuno said. “It has come to a point where even our statements as EB (executive board), [w] e couldn’t post it on our CSC Facebook page. [W]e cannot do what a council should be doing in the first place.”

OSA-caused roadblocks

When Tabuno’s predecessor, Nathan Agustin, floated the idea of revising the 2003 CSC charter, OSA supposedly gave his administration false hopes.

“Whenever we brought the prospect of revising the CSC constitution, OSA would often say that this is alright,” Agustin told the Varsitarian “But once we started the plans and act-

ed on it, [OSA] would suddenly have a lot to say. It is as if we do not have any control over a process that we should actually have control of if we were to follow the CSC constitution.”

Agustin, who served as CSC president in Academic Year 2022 to 2023, was determined to overcome roadblocks in updating the charter, but as he experienced, such roadblocks proved insurmountable.

“I had a lot of plans, such as revising the constitution during my term, but many did not fully materialize because we had to change this and that, submit this and that, and wait for feedback for prolonged periods of time,” he said.

“And when we tried to do things on our initiative, our actions would always be questioned no matter how compliant we were with the CSC constitution and internal rules.”

The OSA only cooperated with the CSC when it organized events the higher-ups liked, Agustin said.

“It was a hot and cold working relationship,” he said. “We’ve always tried to do what we can to make things work and build good relations, especially with the staff.”

“However, when it came to matters beyond regular projects

EXPLAINER: What happens next to the CSC?

By Hannah Joyce V. Andaya

THE STUDENT council elections in UST encountered a significant and unprecedented challenge this year when all Central Student Council (CSC) Executive Board candidates withdrew in March.

However, the UST Central Commission on Elections (Comelec) proceeded with the local student council (LSC) elections, and the winners were announced during the Proklamasyon at the Tan Yan Kee Student Center on April 27.

According to Central Comelec chairperson Noelle Isungga, these LSC leaders, now comprising the new Central Board, will assume the responsibility of overseeing campus-wide politics. They are set to take on the roles and duties of the Executive Board until a regular election is conducted at the beginning of the next academic year.

“The Central Board shall take over and assume the functions of the Executive Board only until the members of the executive board have been elected and qualified,” Isungga said.

“After the members of the executive board have been elected and qualified, they will now assume their office and function as the CSC Executive Board,” she added.

The Central Board members will take on the responsibilities of the Executive Board for the remainder of the current academic year, the upcoming special term, and the beginning of the next academic year.

They will perform the functions of the Executive Board until a regular election is conducted at the start of Academic Year 2024 to 2025, or until the final list of voters is confirmed after enrollment.

Isungga told the Varsitarian that due to the absence of provisions in the existing UST Student Elections Code for a scenario where all positions lacked candidates, the Central Comelec had to consult the CSC Constitution to address the vacancies.

“It’s more on the CSC Constitution na kasi. Ang gino-govern lang naman ng (UST Student Elections Code) ay ‘yung election itself–paano mag-elections, paano ma-conduct ‘yung elections,” Isungga said.

The Central Board is composed of the following

of LSCs:

“Pero ’yung series of anong gagawin ‘pag walang tumakbo or nag-withdraw lahat, it’s all under the CSC Constitution,” she added.

Based on the CSC Constitution, the Central Board shall assume the roles and responsibilities of the Executive Board if all positions are declared vacant.

“In case of vacancy in all the positions in the executive board, the Central Board shall take over and assume the functions of the executive and the central board until the members of the executive board shall have been elected and qualified,” Article 12, Section 6 of the CSC Constitution read.

The Central Comelec conducted the elections for LSC posts from April 22 to 27.

Duterte 2? VP Sara is runaway favorite for 2028 presidential elections

WITH THE NEXT presidential elections four years away, results of a survey showed that Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte who won the 2022 vice-presidential elections by a landslide, is the top pick of Filipinos to be the next president.

Duterte-Carpio, who also serves as education secretary, garnered 42-percent support in Oculum Research and Analytics’ 2024 firstquarter opinion poll, ranking first among eight potential candidates for the next presidential elections.

Her rating was more than double that of Sen. Raffy Tulfo, who received 17 percent, the second highest in the survey.

“This percentage indicates a substantial lead over other candidates and suggests a strong support base,” Oculum chief statistician Joseph Mercado said.

Fourteen percent of the respondents expressed being undecided.

For the 2025 senatorial race, the Duterte patriarch, former Senate president Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, and ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo are the leading candidates with 33 percent each.

Pinoys trust US over China in WPS dispute

In a separate Oculum survey, 43 percent of Filipinos said the country should align itself with the US amid the ongoing dispute between the Philippines and China over the West

Other politicians preferred by respondents to be the next Philippine president included former vice president Leni Robredo (10 percent), former Manila mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso (4 percent), Sen. Imee Marcos (4 percent), boxer-turned-senator Manny Pacquiao (4 percent), Sen. Robin Padilla (2 percent), and House Speaker Martin Romualdez (0.4 percent).

Philippine Sea (WPS).

Only 3 percent of the 3,000 respondents preferred the Philippines aligning with China, which has faced criticism over its threats and intimidation tactics in claiming territory in the WPS.

China received the lowest level of trust among Filipino respondents at 17 percent and the highest level of distrust at 38 percent.

In contrast, the US garnered the highest trust rating at 75 percent and the lowest distrust value at 2 percent.

“The low level of trust in China and a relatively high level of distrust could be attributed to geopolitical tensions, economic competition, territorial disputes, or concerns over political and human rights issues,” Oculum’s report read.

Oculum also noted that Filipinos’ high level of trust in the US was “possibly a reflection of its global influence and perception as a key ally

of the Philippines.”

Washington in March reiterated its “ironclad defense commitment” to protecting the Philippines should China launch an armed attack against Filipino coast guards stationed at the WPS.

Tensions in the contested waters have remained high following several incidents where Chinese coast guard and militia ships initiated attacks and blockades against Philippine resupply ships.

Assoc. Prof. Dennis Coronacion, Oculum’s chief political analyst and UST political science department chair, pointed out that Filipinos do not necessarily see the WPS dispute as an issue directly linked to elections, as reflected in Duterte-Carpio’s topping of the preference survey despite her silence on the WPS issue.

“Filipinos feel strongly about the West Philippine Sea issue, particularly it has something to do with

national sovereignty. Pero as an election issue, hindi siya gano’n kalakas,” Coronacion said.

“The voters think that there are other issues out there that need to be addressed by the candidates, most of which are economic issues and corruption issues.”

Randomly selected respondents aged 18 and above across the Philippines were interviewed from February 21 to 29 for Oculum’s first-quarter national survey.

Oculum Research and Analytics is a polling and research organization conducting quarterly public opinion polls covering sociopolitical issues, trust in institutions, job satisfaction of top public officials, and voter preferences.

Oculum has UST journalism faculty members Asst. Prof Felipe Salvosa II and Manny Mogato as members of its oversight board. MABEL ANNE B. CARDINEZ WITH REPORTS FROM JANA FRANCESCA D.

Research

bldg named after Century

Tuna founder to rise in GenSan by 2026

By Hannah Joyce V. Andaya

THE DR. Ricardo S. Po Sr. Integrated Innovation and Research Laboratories, the second major structure at UST General Santos (GenSan), is set to break ground on April 25, commencing a two-year construction project eyed to be completed in 2026.

The building is named after the late UST alumnus and Century Pacific Food Inc. founder, whose family donated the structure to UST.

Set to rise in front of the newly opened Main Building, the research laboratories will occupy 3,450 square meters of the 82.2-hectare Mindanao campus, said Facilities Management Office (FMO) Director Fr. Dexter Austria, O.P.

“[It] is intended to be used mainly as research laboratories for the School of Health Sciences,” Austria told the Varsitarian. “The building is mainly an extension of the laboratories located [on] the 6th floor of the Main Building.”

Multiple research laboratories will be housed in the two floors of the building, with each room capable of accommodating 35 to 45 students.

Aidea Philippines, Inc., the company behind the planning of UST GenSan, will design and build the Ricardo Po Research Lab.

“It is built neo-classical design similar to the Main Building. Design elements such as color and Mindanaoan patterns will also be seen in the buildings,” Austria said.

Po was an industrial chemistry student at the UST College of Science, then the College of Liberal Arts. He studied at the University from 1952 to 1954 but had to stop because of financial problems.

He was granted a master’s degree in business administration in 2006 by the UST Graduate School through the Commission on Higher Education’s Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency Accreditation Program.

In March 2022, UST conferred Po a posthumous doctorate in science, honoris causa.

UST GenSan, the largest UST campus to date, now has six computer laboratories and 17 wet laboratories in its Main Building.

The Mindanao campus is set to open its doors in Academic Year 2024 to 2025 and expects to accommodate 500 students in its first year under five programs: BS Accounting Information System, BS Entrepreneurship, BS Industrial Engineering, BS Medical Technology, and BS Pharmacy. Admission exams for the pioneering batch of UST GenSan students will be on May 25.

Trees, bokashi balls mark Earth Day 2024 at UST

By Mabel Anne B. Cardinez

UST marked Earth Day this year by planting more trees at the Santa Rosa campus and educating students in Manila about the ability of “bokashi balls” to clean polluted waters.

The second phase of the tree-planting activity at Santa Rosa on Monday, April 22, was meant to mitigate the scorching heat that, according to the state weather bureau, had reached “danger” level.

“Greenery can really help lessen the heat index, so that’s our plan as early as now,” Jared Gunting, the environmental health, safety and crisis engineer of the UST Facilities Management Office (FMO), told the Varsitarian in an interview.

University officials, student organization representatives and alumni planted 40 native Malabulak seedlings.

Malabulak, the common name for Bombax ceiba, earned the moniker “silent doctor” be-

cause each part contains properties used to treat diseases including cholera, hypertension, and kidney and bladder disorders. The University selected this native tree because its red flowers are attractive and celebratory.

“It provides shade, attracts wildlife, and moderates, produces a micro-climate in our campus,”

Asst. Prof. Melanie Arbias of the UST Department of Biological Sciences told the Varsitarian. “It

also cools concrete pavements so it helps produce a conducive climate for students to learn.”

The seedlings will take five to 10 years to grow.

Filipinos are suffering from excoriating heat because of the lingering effects of the El Niño phenomenon, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical

UST firms up disease surveillance to prevent pertussis outbreak

By Jenna Mariel A. Gonzales

THERE are no cases of pertussis or whooping cough yet in the University, but the UST Health Service advised Thomasians to be on alert as cases continue to skyrocket.

The Department of Health (DOH) has recorded a 3,000-percent increase in cases of pertussis than last year, with the majority of the patients being children aged five years old and below. Officials admitted that vaccine supply may face a shortage in May.

Dr. Sheryl Dionisio, director of the UST Health Service, said the office will “strengthen disease surveillance” and encourage inoculation to avoid an outbreak of pertussis.

“The UST Health Service will implement measures to effectively control possible infection by strongly encouraging TdaP (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) booster and catch-up vaccination,” she told the Varsitarian

“We will also strengthen disease surveillance, monitoring and reporting of cases, providing informational videos to increase awareness about pertussis, which are available on the ThOMedSS (Thomasian Online Medical Services and Support) website.”

Pertussis is a respiratory ailment caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, releasing toxins that induce damage and swelling in the airways that may lead to difficulties in breathing, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Typical symptoms include mild cough, runny nose, and low-grade fever, resembling a common cold. However, unlike the common cold, the symptoms can persist for weeks and months.

Pertussis is treated by intaking antibiotics and prevented by taking the TdaP vaccine.

MiMaRoPa recorded 187 cases of pertussis to date, the highest of any region in the country, according to the DOH, followed by the National Capital Region (158), Central Luzon (132), Central Visayas (121) and Western Visayas (72).

Among the reported cases, 79 percent are children under five years old, with 66 percent of them either unvaccinated or with unknown vaccination history. Adults aged 20 and older rep-

The lack of candidates for the CSC Executive Board was due to the withdrawal of Timothy John Santiago (president), Matthew Enriquez (vice president), Hannah Calara (secretary), Hanah de Leon (treasurer), Josh Viray (auditor), and Francine Tuazon (public relations officer) on March 20, followed by Stephan Aseron (auditor) two days later.

Most of them cited campus media censorship, red-tagging, suppression of democratic rights and student welfare, and the entrenched bureaucratic system as factors influencing their decision to withdraw.

leave early in his term.

While Ang remains eligible for reelection to a second term, a multistage process will be initiated to select the next rector. The chosen candidate must be a Filipino member of the Dominican Order who holds a civil or ecclesiastical doctorate degree.

This process begins with UST Dominican friars convening to nominate three candidates or the terna, which is akin to the selection of diocesan bishops. This is done through a secret ballot by Dominicans living in the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas in UST and Dominicans assigned to teach at the University in the current academic year.

This list will then be

forwarded to the UST vice chancellor, Fr. Filemon de la Cruz, O.P., for approval. The Academic Senate, the body composed of the vice rectors and academic unit heads, will receive the list and evaluate and rank the candidates.

The ranked list of candidates will be forwarded to the Board of Trustees, composed of University vice rectors, the secretary general, and other Dominican friars. It will subsequently submitted to the Master of the Order and UST chancellor, Fr. Gerard Timoner III, O.P., who will endorse the ranked list to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education.

After final evaluation by the dicastery, the Holy See shall issue the declaration “nihil obstat,” Latin for “nothing obstructs”

or “there is no obstacle,” and gives the name of the top nominee back to the Master of the Order, who announces the official appointment.

UST rectors are granted four-year terms and are allowed to assume the post for two straight terms. Ang took over from Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. in 2020.

However, his installation as Rector was delayed until May 2021 due to medical reasons.

Prior to his appointment as Rector, Ang concurrently served as UST vice rector and Faculty of Philosophy dean from 2012 to 2020.

Tiongco, who will assume the rectorship temporarily, previously served as the dean

of the Faculty of Canon Law and regent of UST-Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy.

Tiongco obtained his bachelor’s degree in commerce, majoring in accountancy, from the University of the Assumption in 1978. He also holds a doctorate in canon law from the Universidad de Navarra in Spain.

He specializes in sources of canon law, the temporal goods of the Church, and sanctions in the Church, according to his profile on the Ecclesiastical Faculties website.

The Office of the Rector and the Office of the Vice Rector are currently in a transition period following Tiongco’s appointment as acting rector. WITH REPORTS FROM KARIS M. TSANG

► UST, through the Facilities Management Office, marks Earth Day with a tree-planting activity on Monday, April 22, at the perimeter of the UST Santa Rosa campus in Laguna.—PHOTO BY JOSH NIKKOLAI S. BRAVO

► UST students and officials participate in the Bokashi Technology Awareness activities at the Quadricentennial Pavilion Practice Gym on Earth Day, April 22.—PHOTO BY PATRICE JERICA A. BELTRAN

Thomasian is No. 5 in April 2024 civil eng’g board exams

By Mabel Anne B. Cardinez

THE UNIVERSITY produced 33 new civil engineers, including one topnotcher, in the April 2024 licensure examinations for civil engineers, in which it logged a 47.14-percent passing rate.

The number came from a pool of 70 examinees.

UST’s latest passing rate was a steep drop from the 75.19 percent (197 passers out of 262 examinees)

recorded in the November 2023 exams, wherein it obtained the highest passing rate out of all schools with more than 100 examinees.

Jonas Abad led the batch of newly minted Thomasian civil engineers after placing fifth nationwide with a 92.95-percent score. He shared the spot with Jonash Juntong of Cebu Technological University Main.

Clinching the No. 1 spot were Ryan Chan and Cedric Donguines of De La Salle University (DLSU) Ma-

nila, who both scored 94.30 percent. DLSU Manila emerged as the sole top-performing school after 84 out of its 93 examinees made the cut, good for a 90.32-percent passing rate.

The national passing rate for civil engineers rose to 39.27 percent (6,680 of 17,010) from 33.26 percent (6,180 of 18,582) in November 2023.

The April 2024 licensure exams for civil engineers were held from April 20 to 21.

UST is No. 2 in April 2024 physician board exams; 3 Thomasians in top

By Mabel Anne B. Cardinez

UST emerged as the No. 2 top-performing school in the April 2024 licensure examinations for physicians, with three Thomasians making it to the top 10.

Fifty-six out of 66 Thomasian examinees made the cut, good for an 84.45-percent passing rate.

This was a decline from the 91.43-percent passing rate (384 of 420) in October 2023.

UST snags

By Mikhail S. Orozco

10

Leading the batch of new Thomasian doctors was Edison Ong, who placed second nationwide with an 89.08-percent score.

Joining Ong in the top 10 was Vergel Enriquez, who ranked sixth nationwide with an 87.67-percent score, and Eryll Alea, who ranked eighth with an 87.08-percent score. Christopher Mendoza of Matias H. Aznar Memorial College of Medicine, Inc. topped the exam cycle after scoring 89.25 percent.

The University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center was named the top-performing school in the exams after logging an 89.23-percent passing rate (58 of 65).

The national passing rate dipped to 55.50 percent (1,906 of 3,434) from 63.24 percent (4,083 of 6,456) in October 2023.

The April 2024 licensure exams for physicians were held from April 7 to 8 and April 14 to 15.

No. 3 spot in April 2024 pharmacy board exams

THE UNIVERSITY was named the third top-performing school in the April 2024 licensure examinations for pharmacists, in which 54 out of 62 Thomasians made the cut.

UST maintained its position among the top schools in the board exams despite its passing rate slid-

ing to 87.10 percent from 95.05 percent (288 passers out of 303 examinees) in November 2023.

Rhedz-Wei Hadjula of Universidad de Zamboanga led the batch of new pharmacists after scoring 92.85 percent, the highest nationwide.

Mariano Marcos State University Batac emerged as the top-performing school with a passing rate

of 96.88 percent (62 passers out of 64 examinees)

The national passing rate dropped to 55.19 percent (1,185 of 2,147) in the latest cycle from 73.65 percent (2,974 of 4,038) in the previous one.

The April 2024 licensure exams for pharmacists were conducted from April 16 to 17.

UST produces 29 new electronics engineers, 17 electronics technicians

By Hannah Joyce V. Andaya

THE UNIVERSITY produced 29 new electronics engineers and 17 new electronics technicians in the April 2024 licensure examinations.

This number came from a pool of 64 Thomasian examinees in the board exams for electronics engineers and 21 in the electronics technicians exams.

UST slightly improved its passing rate in the electronics engineering exams to 45.31 percent from 42.75

both in the 501-600 range, tied for second place.

UST, which only earned a “reporter” status in the 2023 rankings, was the top Philippine university in the international outlook indicator with a score of 67.

It secured the third position in industry (20.7) and teaching (23.4), and the fifth spot in both research environment (11.5) and the newly introduced research quality (21.3) indices.

Ateneo achieved the highest scores in research quality, industry,

percent (56 of 131) in October 2023.

Niele Bañas of the Technological University of the Philippines Visayas topped the licensure examinations for electronics engineers with a score of 91.80 percent.

The University of the Philippines Diliman, which posted a 90.91-percent passing rate (50 of 55), grabbed the spot for the sole top-performing school.

The national passing rate in the electronics engineering board exams went up to 42.49 percent (1,330

of 3,130) in the latest cycle from 33.36 percent (842 of 2,524) in the previous one.

Meanwhile, the University’s passing rate in the electronics technician licensure exams slid to 80.95 percent from 93.88 percent (92 of 98) in the previous cycle.

Dexter Astorga of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Sto. Tomas led the batch of new electronics technicians with a score of 95 percent, the highest nationwide. Technological University of the

Philippines-Visayas was named the top-performing school in the exams, logging a 93.06-percent passing rate (67 of 72).

The national passing rate for the electronics technician exams dipped to 71.67 percent (1,819 of 2,538) in the latest cycle from 73.52 percent (1,366 of 1,858) in the previous edition.

The April 2024 licensure exams for electronics engineers were held from April 11 to 22, while the licensure exams for electronics technicians were conducted on April 13.

Earth Day

FROM PAGE 3 ►

Services Administration (Pagasa).

The state weather bureau warned that the heat index, which measures the temperature that the human body feels when relative humidity is mixed with air temperature, could reach 52°C at the tail end of the dry season.

Arbias underscored the need to plant more native trees at the UST Manila campus, citing a 2019 tree inventory in which, out of 2,166 trees planted, 37 were native species and 53 were exotic ones.

“We want to enrich the green space in the Manila campus because, in reality, our campus is one of the biggest green spaces that help moderate the weather in Manila,” the faculty member said.

Bokashi technology

In Manila, students were invited to take part in the making of “bokashi balls” at the Quadricentennial Pavilion Practice Gym.

The Japanese technology, also called “mabuhay balls,” aims to reinvigorate contaminated bodies of water. The fist-sized balls consist of organic materials, such as garden soil, molasses and rice hull, that consume bad toxins and revive dead waters to allow aquatic life to flourish again.

Why introduce Thomasians to Bokashi balls? “Ang plan kasi namin is to eventually partner with communities around Metro Manila para makatulong sa pag-clean ng mga estero using these bokashi balls,” said Gunting.

Government officials recently dumped 1,400 bokashi balls at waters along Bayanan Baywalk in Muntinlupa, 5,000 at Meycauayan River in Bulacan, and 8,000 at Ibayo River in Bataan.

Gunting said the balls were being used to clean UST’s drainage system.

“It can help lessen the smell in our drainage system and control the sludge,” the UST engineer said.

The world first celebrated Earth Day on April 22, 1970. This year, the celebration put the spotlight on the global problem of plastic pollution.

Pertussis

FROM PAGE 3 ►

resent only four percent of the cases.

The Quezon City government officially declared a pertussis outbreak on March 21 as infections reached 23 and fatalities four, predominantly affecting infants aged 22 to 60 days.

Dionisio offered tips to protect oneself from pertussis.

“Follow good hygiene practices like handwashing and surface disinfection, cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and wear a mask for protection against respiratory droplets,” she stressed.

and teaching, while UP ranked highest in research environment.

For the 2024 rankings, the THE did away with the citations indicator and replaced it with research quality.

According to THE’s lead data scientist Billy Wong, the introduction of new research quality metrics in the THE rankings has helped highlight “research strength that was previously not completely recognized in the ranking.”

“Now that we’re also looking at research that is cited above average and

is cited by other influential research, we can really see which regions are producing world-changing research,” Wong said.

THE’s methodology has also been updated to include a metric that tracks the frequency of a university’s research citations in patents, which is part of the industry pillar.

“[The new metric] allow[ed] us to measure the level of knowledge transfer from academia to industry in a much more direct way. This [gave] us new insights into the positive impacts

of universities on wider society,” David Watkins, THE’s managing director of data science, said.

The new research quality indicator held the highest weight in the rankings at 30 percent, followed by research environment at 28 percent, teaching at 24.5 percent, industry at 10 percent, and international outlook at 7.5 percent.

Tsinghua University and Peking University of China secured the top positions in the rankings, scoring 88.2 and 87.8 overall, respectively. The Na-

tional University of Singapore was third overall with an 87.2 score.

In the 2024 THE World University Rankings, published in September 2023, UST also ranked for the first time, tying for third place among Philippine schools with De La Salle University.

Two Philippine universities were declared reporter institutions in the 2024 Asian rankings: the University of Eastern Philippines and the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines.

RIP, CSC

IN WHAT appeared to be a coordinated act of protest, all aspirants for positions in the Central Student Council (CSC) withdrew their candidacies for this year’s University-wide elections.

Six of the seven CSC candidates filed their withdrawal notices with the Central Commission on Elections (Comelec) within a span of five minutes on March 20. The seventh candidate followed suit two days later.

The mass withdrawal is a death knell on campus politics in UST, an institution that has produced the likes of Ronald Llamas and Reynaldo “Bong” Lopez, who kept student leadership alive at the height of the Marcos dictatorship.

Yet the demise of campus politics at the University level was not entirely unexpected. It became evident since student leaders were relegated to, as a CSC officer who resigned in 2023 put it, mere “organizers of events,” instead of being treated as legitimate representatives of the student body.

The Office for Student Affairs (OSA), which has grown into a bureaucratic regulator of University-wide student organizations despite its lack of personnel and resources, exacerbated

the situation with a self-inflicted PR disaster in the TomasinoWeb issue.

The censorship of the digital media organization highlighted the OSA’s heavy-handed treatment of student-initiated efforts and expression, which was not lost on the former CSC aspirants.

the feasibility of our collective goals and the efficacy of our approach,” they wrote.

“It is now evident that we are vying for positions where we are prevented from fulfilling our duty of representing our fellow students and providing the Thomasian community with the service that they deserve.”

The mass withdrawal of the CSC bets should prompt a review, if not an overhaul, of the oppressive system that controls the activities of student organizations in UST.

In a statement, they said the censorship incident opened the “Pandora’s box of the pervasive culture of suppression and repression” in UST.

“We find ourselves compelled to take a principled stand against participating in a system resistant to reform. In the face of these challenges, we have been forced to reassess

For years, the CSC elections have been plagued by the lack of candidates and a dearth of accredited political parties, forcing students to choose from a shallow pool of student leaders.

This is the direct result of the over-regulation of student organizations, whose officers are often bogged down by the massive paper-

work required to mount activities or renew their accreditation.

The frustration among student leaders is easy to understand. Over-regulation begins with the ridiculous restrictions on online campaigning, as if a Facebook post gave any candidate an undue advantage, and as if anyone from OSA or the Central Comelec had the time or capacity to police an entire social network.

The stringent requirements on political parties are in reality a veiled mechanism to discourage students from organizing politically, impinging upon their civil rights which still exist within the context of a Catholic university.

Ultimately, this mechanism is intended to control the activities of the student council, reducing them, in the words of ex-CSC auditor Dave Marollano, “mere organizers” of meaningless events.

The mass withdrawal of the CSC bets should prompt a review, if not an overhaul, of the oppressive system that controls the activities of student organizations in UST.

This suffocating system doesn’t speak well of the level of maturity of a centuries-old university that aspires to be among the world’s best.

EDITORIAL

UST GenSan Inauguration

UST officials and Dominican priests formally inaugurate the UST General Santos (GenSan) campus on Thursday, April 11.

Present at the blessing and inauguration ceremonies were GenSan Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao, Dominican Prior Provincial Fr. Filemon de la Cruz, O.P., CHEd regional director Nelia Alibin, and academic and administrative officials of UST Manila, among others.

PHOTOS BY VALERE JANE R. CALLORENA AND RAINIEL ANGELYN B. FIGUEROA

Engineering bags individual, team championships in 44th Pautakan

By Chalssea Kate C. Echegoyen

THE FACULTY of Engineering made a triumphant return in the 44th Pautakan, bagging the championship in both the individual and team categories of the quiz bee held on April 15 at the Medicine Auditorium.

Engineering, which also dominated both categories in the previous in-person Pautakan in 2019, secured its win in the team category’s final round with a score of 145 points, extending its record number of Pautakan championships to 13.

Led by chemical engineering junior Mayumi Calpotura, the team was composed of freshmen Kathryn Cruz and Kurt Pumicpic, and sophomores Mark Añasco, Kevin Escalante, Sophia Suarez, and James Abris.

Abris represented Engineering in the individual category, securing the championship with 100 points.

“Honestly, we had no expectations,” Calpotura said. “Given that the last time the event was held was five years ago, none of us really knew what to expect so we just focused on doing our best and having fun.”

The Faculty of Medicine and Surgery claimed silver in the team category with 140 points, while the UST-Alfredo M. Velayo (AMV) College of Accountancy secured bronze with 100 points.

“Pinapatunayan lang [nito] na mataba talaga utak [namin],” Abris quipped. “Hindi kami puro aral lang,

► ENGINEERING CLAIMS PAUTAKAN TROPHIES: The Faculty of Engineering wins both individual and team categories of Pautakan 2024, replicating the feat it achieved during the last in-person edition of the competition in 2019.

hindi puro solve ng calculus, pero may buhay kami outside–the fact na nakuha namin ito proves that.”

“We may have won this year’s competition, but I think we still have more things to prove and definitely improve from. We will make sure that we will defend this year’s title in the next edition of the Pautakan.”

Augustine Abat of Medicine took home silver in the individual category with 90 points. Claiming bronze was Faculty of Pharmacy’s Vinci Henson,

who logged 80 points.

Engineering topped the individual elimination round with 125 points. Behind were the Faculty of Pharmacy with 110 points, Medicine with 105 points, the College of Information and Computing Sciences with 95 points, and the College of Nursing with 90 points.

In the team elimination round, Engineering placed second with 110 points, trailing behind the College of Education, which scored 120 points. The other finalists were the College of

Science with 105 points, Medicine with 100 points, and the College of Accountancy, which broke a tie with the Faculty of Pharmacy in the clincher round, with 91 points.

This year’s Pautakan marked the return of The Varsitarian’s intercollegiate quiz contest, the longest-running in the country, to its in-person format.

Fifteen teams participated in the team category of Pautakan 2024, with 14 of them fielding a representative in the individual category.

They were quizzed on six categories with questions of varying levels of difficulty: easy, average, and difficult. Each difficulty category had 12 questions, with topics ranging from UST history, history, general information and current events, humanities, science and technology, and mathematics.

UST Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P. delivered the opening remarks at the competition, where he highlighted the significance of intellectual competitions such as Pautakan.

“Beyond being a mere competition, Pautakan represents a celebration of humanity’s innate capacity for learning and understanding,” Coronel said. “In an era characterized by rapid information dissemination and fleeting attention spans, events like Pautakan serve as poignant reminders of the enduring allure of learning.”

Resource persons for the 44th Pautakan were Jose Victor Torres (UST History), Emmanuel Jeric Albela (History), Jose Ramon Lorenzo (General Information and Current Events), Ralph Semino Galan substituting for J. Neil Garcia (Humanities), Carl Rogel Inocentes (Science and Technology), and Mark Jason Celiz (Mathematics).

Serving as quizmasters were educational content creator Lyqa Maravilla, Thomasian doctor and former Central Student Council president Robert Gonzales, TikTok influencer Lester “Buji” Babiera, and Varsitarian Circle writer and student jock Alyanna Tamaray. WITH REPORTS FROM SOFIAH SHELIMAE ALDOVINO

CIRCLE

Conservatory of Music’s

‘Sampung Mga Daliri’ concert returns after 5 years

By Angeli Ruth R. Acosta and Diana May B. Cabalo

AFTER being shelved for five years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the UST Conservatory of Music staged the grand comeback of its annual concert, “Sampung mga Daliri,” on April 13 at the Quadricentennial Pavilion.

This year’s concert marked the 34th edition of the annual performance and featured a variety of compositions ranging from classical music to folk music, Original Pinoy Music, and tracks from video games, films, and theatrical plays.

Conservatory of Music Dean Antonio Africa, who spearheaded the comeback of the concert, said he was overjoyed that Sampung mga Daliri was able to return to the stage despite being marred with delays and disruptions.

“The pandemic affected us very much…In 2020, we were already preparing for the next one, but in March, we had the pandemic,” he recounted. “We had a very short preparation [but] I'm very happy–this is the restart of Sampung mga Daliri.”

More modern compositions were featured during the concert, a departure from the mostly traditional and classic ones played during its earlier editions.

Africa said the theme “Pastiche Patisserie: A Symphony of Sounds in Delectable Rhythmic Flavors” represented this evolution.

“Every [time], we try to come up with a different repertoire, and this year, we [presented] numbers from Giacomo Puccini to rap numbers,” he told the Varsitarian. “It’s a mix of all the music…before, we focused on classical piano [but] this year, we’re wide-ranging.”

Apart from the variety of genres and composition, the concert also featured diverse ensembles composed of talents from the Conservatory: the Conservato-

ry’s Piano and Keyboard Department, Vocal Performance Faculty, Music Theater Department, Music Technology Department, Composition Department, UST Symphony Orchestra, UST Wind Orchestra, UST Jazz Band, UST Guitar Ensemble, Coro Tomasino, and Liturgikon Vocal Ensemble.

UST student and alumni pianists opened the concert with the piece “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” by Wolfgang Mozart and arranged by faculty member John Luke Jose to fit the performance.

The Conservatory treated gamers in the audience with a medley of tracks from the popular video game “Final Fantasy,” composed by Japanese composer Nobuo Uematsu and arranged by Department of Guitar Coordinator Asst. Prof. Alberto Mesa.

Showcasing modern sound and technology, Music Technology students, together with Conservatory instructor Marius Uy, performed an original piece titled “Error Code 505,” which involved the audience participating in the performance through their mobile devices.

Thomasian pianists then brought the audience to the world of Studio Ghibli with tracks from the Japanese animation studio’s iconic films.

Songs from the hit musical “Phan-

tom of the Opera” were also performed.

Other pieces part of the setlist were “Aja” by Steely Dan; “VST and Company” by Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, Charo Unite, and Ernie Dela Peña; “Musi-Kalye” by Conservatory instructor Manolito Manalang Jr.; ”Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint Saëns; and “The Sleeping Beauty Waltz” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Faculty members of the Conservatory capped the concert with “Il Trionfo di Puccini,” a medley of arias taken from the operas of Giacomo Puccini, arranged by Asst. Prof. Leo Mangussad.

Despite disruptions faced by the production this year, Africa said that Thomasians are in for a grander Sampung mga Daliri in 2025 when the Conservatory celebrates its 80th founding anniversary.

“This is a big concert; there are 400 participants, plus the transferring of pianos, mobilizing our orchestra, and our alumni,” Africa said. “But we've been doing this since 33 years ago so, more or less, we had an idea. We knew that it was difficult, but we just had to believe that we could.”

“Expect a bigger ‘Sampu’ next year as we celebrate our 80th year of existence,” he added.

Pizza boxes, paper napkins featured in Thomasian artist’s solo exhibit

By Sofiah Shelimae J. Aldovino

A THOMASIAN artist used pizza boxes and table napkins from fastfood chains as his canvases in his latest solo exhibition at the Crucible Gallery in Mandaluyong.

Advertising Arts alumnus Rodolfo Samonte drew inspiration from his visits to fast food chain McDonald’s and chance encounters with discarded pizza boxes in his latest exhibit titled “Abstract McSketches and Pizza Boxes.”

“For 10 years I was going to McDonald's and I was drawing nudes based on memory,” Samonte told the Varsitarian. “I would go have breakfast and coffee at McDonald's, and I would start sketching. And then finally, I decided to make it into a collage painting like this.”

Samonte, who graduat ed from the defunct College of Architecture and Fine Arts in 1964, put on display a total of 12 “McSketch Abstracts,” which he made using Indian ink wash, paper napkins from McDonald's, acrylic paint, ballpoint pen, and black markers.

36x24x1.5-in. piece that used four interconnected pizza boxes to form an inverted L-shape, all painted with bright, abstract colors.

The mixed-media works featured vibrant colors fused with dimmed elements and the artist’s scribbles, like “Orange McSketch Abstract” and “Yellow McSketch Abstract.”

Apart from paper napkins, Samonte also used discarded pizza boxes in making the artworks for the exhibit, which he assembled using duct tape and painted with a spectrum of acrylic and spray paint.

“I picked them up and I said, ‘Hey, if I can put some paint on it, it will come out as my art,’” he said.

“So that became my art.”

One of the 11 pizza-box artworks Samonte put on display was “Pizza Box Pizzazz 1,” a

“I’m an abstractionist by art, so I thought I’d combine the pizza box with an explosion of colors,” he said.

Samonte said that this was not his first exhibit wherein he used table napkins from fast-food chains, as embracing “unconventional materials” reflects his journey in art.

“It’s about exploration, delving into colors, experimenting with diverse mediums, and embracing unconventional materials,” he said. “It’s a journey of discovery, both for myself as an artist and for those who engage with my work.”

Samonte’s “Abstract McSketches and Pizza Boxes” ran from April 2 to 21.

the site designated for the UST-Dr. Ricardo S. Po Sr. Integrated Innovation and Research Laboratories, detention ponds to mitigate floods, and a botanical garden.

The GenSan campus is twice the size of 40-hectare UST Santa Rosa, the research hub in Laguna where the first building was inaugurated last year, and four times the size of the 21-hectare main campus in Sampaloc, Manila.

James Liong, owner of AIMM Builder & Construction Supply Inc., the contractor of UST GenSan, told the Varsitarian that the total cost for land development and construction of the Main Building came in under the initial budget of P2 billion.

Despite integrating hints of Mindanaoan identity, Facilities and Management Office Director Fr. Dexter Austria, O.P. said the edifice remained in line with the Thomasian identity.

“It is a true landmark that will set the City of GenSan in the educational and cultural map of the Philippines,” Austria said.

“The galleons have ducked the anchors; the tigers have entered their

lair, and we are here to stay.”

De la Cruz said the expansion to GenSan signaled the growth of the Dominican Province of the Philippines, which took over the administration of UST from the Holy Rosary missionary province of Spain.

‘Hub of knowledge creation and research’ Apart from UST officials, local government administrators and Commission on Higher Education (CHed) regional representatives were also present at the inauguration.

GenSan Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao lauded the establishment of the branch campus in her remarks, describing it as an expansion that was mutually beneficial for UST and GenSan.

“Mapapabilang na ngayon ang UST sa mga pundasyong magpapa-unlad sa GenSan bilang tahanan ng mga kampeon,” Pacquiao said.

“Ang inyong pagdating dito sa lungsod ng GenSan ay magiging simbolo ng katuparan ng mga pangarap, pag-asa, determinasyon, na patuloy nating binubuhos para sa ating kinabukasan.”

CHEd Region 12 Director Nelia

Abilin underscored the value of establishing educational institutions capable of research in GenSan, as these could produce a skilled workforce and knowledge in regional industries.

“Higher education institutions are not only centers of learning but also catalysts for regional progress,” Abilin said. “They play a crucial role in promoting regional economic growth. Their impact extends beyond campus boundaries, shaping economies, societies, and cultures in the regions they serve.”

“We hope that the UST GenSan campus will be a hub for knowledge creation and research,” she added.

Some 500 students are eyed to be accommodated in the first year of the branch campus, who may enroll under the five pioneering progams: BS Accounting Information System; BS Entrepreneurship; BS Industrial Engineering; BS Medical Technology; and BS Pharmacy.

Former medical technology department chair Prof. Edilberto Manahan will head the School of Health Sciences, while former Commerce dean Assoc. Prof. Leonardo Canoy is

set to lead the School of Business and Accountancy.

Professor Emeritus Maribel Nonato, the assistant to the Rector for UST GenSan, said the administration wanted to “innovate the programs” offered at the Mindanao campus to distinguish them from those offered at UST Manila.

“We are going to innovate the programs that’s why in some of the programs, we’re going to need to introduce already entrepreneurship as electives,” Nonato said during an event organized by UST alumni group Tomasinong Soccsksargen on April 10.

“Our plan is for those students who are interested in putting up their own business, we partner them with our innovation center at Santa Rosa and UST Manila,” she added.

Nonato told the Varsitarian during the inauguration ceremony that the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) had given the go signal for the Mindanao campus to market and promote its program offerings.

CHEd Region 12 Director Nelia Abilin said the establishment of the University in Mindanao opened up

avenues for the development of the city’s workforce and region-focused research.

“Higher education institutions are not only centers of learning but also catalysts for regional progress,” Abilin said during her remarks at the campus inauguration. “We hope that the UST GenSan campus will be a hub for knowledge creation and research.”

Pioneer UST GenSan students will take their classes in the Main Building of the Mindanao campus, which can accommodate up to 5,000 students once fully operational.

Dominicans acquired the land on which UST GenSan stands in 1997 and began to develop it in 2018. In 2021, the GenSan Main Building was topped off.

The inauguration marked the end of UST’s activities set to drumbeat the opening, which included the blessing of the campus chapel and botanical garden site and an outreach program with a Muslim community.

COORDINATOR: ANGELI RUTH R. ACOSTA

► The UST Conservatory of Music stages the return of ‘Sampung mga Daliri,’ the annual concert of the conservatory, at the Quadricentennial Pavillion on Saturday, April 13.—PHOTO BY RAINIEL ANGELYN B. FIGUEROA

(Clockwise from top) 6x24x1.5-in. “Pizza Box Pizzazz 1”; 24.5x12.5-in.

EDITOR: FAITH NICOLE S. GELACIO

Two female pilots inject fresh blood into male-dominated aviation industry

► Angela ‘Anj’ Cajator Ko (left) has worked for Philippine Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, since 2016. Lea Angelica

Yosalina-Brito (right) went through rigorous training 27 weeks into her pregnancy and in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic to get a license from the United States Federal Aviation Administration; she now works at Delta Air Lines.—CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

By Janica Kate J. Buan and Karis M. Tsang

WHEN Lea Angelica ”LA” YosalinaBrito steps out of the airplane cockpit, many think she’s one of the typical flight attendants. Until she introduces herself to be one of the pilots, which, in the 21st century, is still a shocker.

“There are still those people who are still thinking back in the dark ages,” Brito told in an interview with the Varsitarian

“There are times you would hear a comment, ‘Is it safe to fly on that plane that there are two female pilots?’ or ‘Oh no, magdi-divert ba tayo’ or ‘Are we gonna be able to land to our destination kasi babae ‘yong pilot?’”

Brito has safely navigated the intricate mechanisms of an aircraft, landed it on the runway with ease and definitely never crashed it on the ground – just as how passengers expect of male pilots.

The 32-year-old alumna from the College of Nursing is now licensed under the United States Federal Aviation Administration, undergoing lengthy training and flight simulations 27 weeks into her pregnancy and in the middle of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.

After her maternity leave, Brito applied for a job at Delta Air Lines, where working conditions are far more “liberal” than in the Philippines.

“I feel like there’s more respect and freedom of self-expression and when you’re done with your work, you get to be who you are,” she said. “In the Philippines, there’s still the hierarchy of position and power, knowing your place.”

Brito’s love for medicine sapped just two years into her undergraduate studies. “Two years pa lang, pagod na kami,” she quipped.

Another Nursing graduate, Angela “Anj” Cajator Ko, got weary with nursing over time, telling the Varsitarian in an interview that she eventually yearned for a “chill” environment.

“Tinapos ko lang siya for the sake na matapos ko ‘yong course,” Ko told the Varsitarian, adding, “parang habang nagdu-duty ako, okay lang ‘yong trabaho, pero it felt like work with me.”

“Whereas now, iniisip ko na lang, ‘Ano kaya bibilhin ko sa Japan? Ano kaya pasalubong ko?’ Very light ‘yong atmosphere.”

The 31-year-old alumna traced her roots to her mother’s friend whom she bumped into a decade ago. That friend worked as a seasoned captain at Philippine Airlines (PAL).

“Sabi niya, ‘Try mo kaya magpiloto,’” she recalled. “Tapos napaisip ako, ‘Oo

nga, bakit hindi ko i-try?’ On the whim lang.”

After graduation, Ko entered PAL’s military-style aviation school, where she underwent rigorous training for two years. At first, some instructors were adamant about training women about the nuts and bolts of an aircraft.

“May few captains talaga na ayaw magbigay ng takeoff and landing sa amin,” she recalled. “’Yong defense ko naman, ‘Paano ako gagaling, sir, kung ‘di mo ko bibigyan ng opportunity to do so.’”

Asia got its first female commercial pilot in 1989 with Filipina Maria Aurora Carandang-Gloria, who graduated with a degree in economics at the University of the Philippines and trained and worked with PAL. Four years later, in 1993, she earned the title of first female airline captain in Southeast Asia.

Gloria, who retired in 1998, didn’t mind subjecting herself to the arduous training especially since women were empowered at the time following the installment of the first female president, Corazon Aquino.

“It was really trying to immerse myself and study it; I did enjoy the process [and] I enjoyed the camaraderie we had, and with the people I had worked with,” she stressed in an interview with News5 in March.

Blending in

Brito found residency exhaustive after hearing stories from friends, one of which forwent his dream of becoming a pilot. After making up her mind to leave hospital duties and enter aviation school, the Nursing alumna had to do a lot of convincing with his father, who was a pilot himself.

“Minention niya sa’kin casually ‘yong PAL aviation school [na] it’s hard to get in because they only get 12 students per class,” Brito said. “Eventually, after graduating college and [taking] the board exams, he was like, ‘You know what, mag-nurse ka na lang sa United States kasi parang mahirap makapasok sa aviation school.’”

“The fact that he discouraged me kasi mahirap makapasok doon, the more I wanted to make sure I could go in.”

Brito got in, where she was part of the Bravo 2012 batch that started at PAL’s aviation school in June 2012.

Describing herself as a “girly girl,” she initially expressed shock that she had to shed a part of her womanhood to avoid “extra attention.” No make-up. No eyelash extensions. No loose hair. Far from the conditions at her first work as an assistant beauty editor at a magazine.

Brito, a former football player at UST, had to exert “extra effort” to blend in a

class of 12 students where all but two were men. “I felt like I had to walk on eggshells and be more careful especially [since] hindi pa sila sanay noon with a female pilot, more so someone [na] kikay and, I would say, a more assertive person like me,” she said.

There came a point where she turned into a “people-pleaser” to protect her status in the aviation school akin to a fraternity.

“The best you can do is to absorb as much as you can but also want to tie and please everyone,” Brito recalled. “We have to protect ourselves, so we want to make sure we don’t step on anyone’s toes because I feel like ‘pag hindi ka nagustuhan ng isa, magsasabi ng kwento sa isa, [and] it can make your life difficult.”

For Ko, who by then had passed the nursing licensure exams, she was immersed in the arduousness of PAL’s aviation school on the day of her enrollment in 2013.

“Magbabayad ka na nga, pagkapirma mo ng contract, bubugbugin ka na with exercise,” she recalled. “May mga physical training kami na military style – 1,000 jumping jacks, 500 sit-ups, mga 15-minute straight squats.”

Ko realized something else during her two-year grind: She felt above, not beneath, her male colleagues.

They were five women in the class, she recounted, and the men who they were with never launched threats or took swipes. “Parang nag-work pa to our advantage na babae kami kasi sinasabi nila, ‘Pagpahingahin natin sila,’” she said.

All five of them topped in their class.

Brito flew for PAL for seven years, from 2015 to 2022, before deciding to stay in the United States for good when she became pregnant. Ko has been with the country’s flag carrier for eight years now.

Ko is focused on providing a “smooth and safe flight” to passen gers, one that is not only measured when the aircraft lands smoothly on the runway. “We did our jobs as a pilot kaya ka nakapag-relax and nakarating ka sa destination mo safely,” she stressed. At the end of the day, Brito believes that surviving in the aviation industry is all about skills.

UST librarian embraces realities of being a working mom

By Janica Kate J. Buan

ARLENE Matias climbed diligently through the UST library ranks for 28 years, starting as a cataloguer and settling eventually as head librarian of the UST Miguel de Benavides Library’s social sciences section.

The journey, however, felt like “dancing to a bittersweet melody of sacrifice and compromises,” Matias said, as she struggled to attend to her children’s needs when they were growing up.

“It’s a constant battle against time, and the guilt of not being able to give my children the attention they deserve weighs heavily on my heart,” she told the Varsitarian in an email interview.

Matias struggled to give birth to her three children as she was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, in which a woman experiences high blood pressure either on the 20th week of pregnancy or after birth. As a result, her children were born prematurely.

The head librarian was already 34 when she conceived her firstborn, Arianna, now 16.

Before Matias entered her 40s, two more blessings arrived: Aaron, now 14, and Arvin, 11.

In a society that typically expects mothers to stay at home and focus on household work, Matias refused to follow the norm.

“I believe the idea that all mothers should stay home is outdated,” she said. “Every woman’s situation is different. Some find joy in being a housewife, but many, like me, thrive in careers outside the home.”

So, Matias pursued her chosen career. She first took the role of school librarian at the Philippine Cultural College in Tondo, Manila, alongside Michelle San Gabriel, now head librarian of the UST Ecclesiastical Faculties Library.

At UST, she was named assistant head librarian of the Health

circulation and reference and information sections, as well as the education high school and grade school libraries.

The battle-tested Matias now heads the social sciences section, which holds the biggest collection of printed books in the library at 63,000 volumes and the largest seating capacity at 296 people.

The test Matias did not have the usual 8-to-5 routine, so balancing career and motherhood was painstaking, especially at times when her children needed undivided attention.

“Even on weekends, when I am physically present at home, my mind is often occupied with tasks related to our family business or pending work projects, leaving me unable to engage fully with my kids,” she said.

“Parang nagulat na lang ako with the blink of an eye, they have grown up. That is why I can’t help but feel guilty for the missed milestones and the fleeting moments that slipped away unnoticed.”

But Matias learned how to embrace the challenge and endure the sacrifices if they meant better opportunities for her children.

“I’ve learned to cultivate resilience through love,” she stressed, adding, “While it’s true that I may occasionally miss out on important milestones, the memories we create in those moments serve as powerful reminders of the deep bond I share with my children.”

Matias received the Gawad Benavides Award at the Dangal ng UST Awards, presented on May 9, for rendering 25 years of service to the University.

The Thomasian librarian hopes that the institution that has fostered – and tested – her would do the same to her children who are all looking to finish their studies in UST: “My motivation lies in wanting my children to have the opportunity to be part

“Whether you’re a man or a woman, if you are qualified and skilled and have the right attitude and knowledge in your field, then you will get it,” she said. “There’s no need to be intimidated, threatened, insecure or to bash or put women down just because they are trying to do their own thing – soar and spread their wings in whatever industry that is.”

Buenaflor, and Brix Versoza, UST head coach Manu Inigo told the Varsitarian

This season’s competition format will consist of a round-robin tournament, with each team facing off against all seven rival schools.

The top four teams in the men’s, women’s, and boys’ divisions will advance to the knockout semifinals, while the top two teams in the girls’ division will

move on to the championship match.

The UST Growling Tigers will open their 3×3 campaign against the Adamson Soaring Falcons and Ateneo Blue Eagles at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay Activity Center on Thursday, May 2. Meanwhile, the UST Tiger Cubs will go against the UPIS Junior Fighting Maroons and the NUNS Bullpups on the same date and venue.

‘LA’

ART BY ALLAN CHRISTOPHER

M. SAYAT

COMICS

LOUELLE MARIE P. BUMALAY

Student leaders FROM PAGE 2 ► and coordination, such as making principled stands as a student council, we always clashed in some way. It came to the point where many student leaders grew tired of the constant deadlock when it came to progressive topics.”

The incumbent CSC officers anchored their campaigns last year on charter change, driven by the resignation of a former CSC auditor, Dale Morallano, who relinquished his post because of a “restrictive system” that has forced student leaders to be mere event organizers.

Tabuno said little progress occurred during her term due to OSA’s unresponsiveness. According to CSC treasurer Rafael Pesueña, talks regarding constitutional revision were “always pushed back.”

“[M]eetings held regarding constitutional revision [were] always pushed back kasi it’s one of the topics they don’t want necessarily to talk about with us,” Pesueña told the Varsitarian

Tabuno said cha-cha was included in the GPOA the council submitted to the OSA in April 2023.

“We can even incorporate [OSA’s] recommendations or guidance kung paano namin gagawin ‘yong [cha-cha], but because hindi nangyayari ‘yong meeting and I’m about to finish my term, the frustration and the speculation of being forced at the end of the stick is there,” Tabuno said.

e-ReSERVe

Dr. Robert Dominic Gonzales, who was elected CSC president in Academic Year 2019 to 2020, had faced two drastic transitions during his term: one emanating from the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the other from a change of leadership in the OSA.

Gonzales got a year-long term extension when classes in the Philippines shifted online because of Covid-19 restrictions. He was the CSC president when Tio Cuison became OSA chief after Assoc. Prof. Ma. Socorro Guan Hing retired in 2020 after 32 years working at the University.

Gonzales said there were “stark differences” between Guan Hing and Tio Cuison’s OSA.

“Guan Hing was more caring and gentle in approaching us, while Tio Cuison back then, noong second term ko na as president, was stricter in her approach and she was somewhat more repressive with our actions,” he told the Varsitarian

OSA’s complicated bureaucratic process, Gonzales said, hindered his administration from pushing forward with initiatives to cater to students

grappling with the virtual setup. He said raising concerns on internet connectivity and gadgets, participating in rallies, and standing up for advocacies had become laborious under Tio Cuison.

“I think there is a redundancy when it comes to paper processing kasi kumbaga, dumaan na nga sa adviser namin, dadaan pa sa OSA director,” he said. “In the first place, isang tao lang naman ‘yon.”

Despite adhering to the recommended timeframe of filing papers a month before the event, CSC’s programs were hampered by delays.

All administrative offices, student councils, and recognized organizations follow a system for event processing called the Electronic Reservation of Scheduled Events and Reservation of Venue (e-ReSERVe). Before the pandemic, documents had to be submitted in person. An updated version of the website was launched at the start of the Academic Year 2022 to 2023.

For student-run groups, UST requires organizers to submit eight primary documents: a project proposal form, program flow, cover letter, budget proposal, list of participants, list of publicity materials, bionotes of judges or speakers, and an evaluation form. Additional requirements may be imposed based on the nature of the activity.

The project proposal form and cover letter typically outline the objectives of the event. However, the form specifically asks organizers to explain how the event will align with one of UST’s strategic directional areas, the SEAL of Thomasian education, and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

The e-ReSERVe application undergoes several stages of approval, beginning with the dean’s office for local organizations, followed by the OSA, the Simbahayan Community Development Office for community projects, the Facilities Management Office for equipment, the Office of the Vice Rector for Finance for venue payment, and finally, the Office of the Secretary General.

Student councils and organizations are not allowed to promote their events without approval from the e-ReSERVe website.

Arnet Paguirigan, the CSC secretary in Academic Year 2021 to 2022, described the overhauled process initiated under Tio Cuison as a demanding task aimed at reducing bureaucracy. She said it placed a heavy burden on her, even extending to assisting other local council secretaries.

“Sobrang stressful ‘yong ganoong experience especially to the secretar-

‘‘

It should be a relationship built on trust – that OSA will trust the CSC to do its job, to perform and deliver its mandate, and to do it in such a way that would...contribute to the development of leaders, not only of CSC student leaders but in general, the Thomasian student body.

Francis Santos FORMER CSC PRESIDENT

ies,” she told the Varsitarian. “One day, malalaman mo ganto ‘yong paper process, tapos the other day or the next week, iba na naman siya, so sobrang magulo ‘yon and mahirap.”

“And ako, [when] I was a CSC secretary, iniisa-isa ko ‘yong mga secretary ng councils to check up on them […] kasi madalas, may mga paper sila na late na, na hindi napo-process ng OSA, so kahit hindi ko na siya trabaho, ako pa ‘yong nag-fo-follow up sa OSA.”

Gonzales noted that under Guan Hing’s leadership, the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) fostered a “culture of care.” However, he observed that despite this positive change, the University’s “conservative nature” still prevailed.

Francis Santos, who served as CSC president from 2018 to 2019, praised the “very cordial” working relationship with the Office of Student Affairs (OSA). He noted that Guan Hing’s “motherly vibe” had a positive impact on his administration’s work.

“We felt very safe [and], at the same time, very well taken care of,” Santos told the Varsitarian

Under Santos’s leadership, the executive board failed to adopt a new student code, and it worked with the one that had been in place since 2003. The furthest progress made was presenting the code to the Council of Regents, marking the first time a student council had done so.

“‘Yong good relationships, dialogues, conversations, it doesn’t mean na […] hindi tayo nagkakasundo, hindi tayo mag-uusap,” he said.

“I believe that we were able to do that because of […] the student leaders who soldiered to push it further, the culture that we were able to imbibe in the CSC as mandated by the student body, which by the way, sila ‘yong nagelect sa amin doon […] And, I think we would not be able to have done it with-

out the support, without the guidance during our time of the OSA. Tinulungan kami eh. That’s our collective experience at the time.”

Guan Hing gave much leeway when Santos was president: No prior permission before posting on CSC’s social media accounts. No conditions for making the GPOA. No restrictions in terms of office stay.

A turning point

“The CSC adviser must be someone who the CSC actually supports and someone who actively understands not just the surface of CSC, but every aspect of its existence – its constitution, its functions, and its constituents, among others,” he said. “And as we see it, many student leaders believe that OSA cannot do this.”

The student body, Agustin said, should have a say on who will serve as its adviser, one who will not dictate what its members should do but instead “advises the council on its plans.”

“The CSC should be respected as a body that can make its own decisions and conduct its own projects without having to submit to the will of persons who are not part of its constituents,” Agustin stressed.

Reality, however, dictates that a change at the helm of CSC needs the blessing of the UST administration, which, for Paguirigan, won’t happen anytime soon because of “the traditional classroom setup” that the University follows.

For now, the former CSC presidents appeal to OSA for a more “caring culture” now that Asst. Prof. Jaezamie Ong has temporarily taken over the office’s helm as officer in charge.

“More than blaming them, I hope the administrators see this as a challenge na they should create a more conducive and caring culture for student leadership on our campus,” Gonzales said.

Santos said the CSC could rebuild its frayed relationship with OSA if the latter would learn how to build trust with students.

“I think it should be a relationship built on trust – that OSA will trust the CSC to do its job, to perform and deliver its mandate, and to do it in such a way that would be really, really helpful and very contributing to the development of leaders, not only of CSC student leaders but in general, the Thomasian student body,” he said, adding, “You trust them to do their job and to do it very responsibly.”

It would be difficult for the student body to completely break away

from the OSA, Santos said, because that would eradicate a first line of defense.

“OSA is the home and heart of student leaders,” he argued, quoting former OSA director Evelyn Songco. Santos added: “[OSA] dapat ‘yong nag-aaruga, sila dapat ‘yong nag-hohone, sila dapat ‘yong nag-de-develop at sumusuporta. At kung meron man kaming nagawang mali noong time namin na bilang student leader, nandoon sila para tulungan kaming itama ‘yon at tulungan kaming maiwasan na ‘yon in the future.”

Ong heads a technical working group (TWG) to review student-related policies and guidelines. The TWG consists of Assoc. Prof. Gezzez Granado (College of Tourism and Hospitality Management dean), Jacqueline Lopez-Kaw (Graduate School of Law dean), Prof. Melanie Turingan (Faculty of Arts and Letters dean), and Assoc Prof. Al Faithrich Naverrete (College of Commerce and Business Administration acting dean).

Discussions with CSC officers and the local student council presidents will culminate a series of dialogues that also include recognized student organization officers, student leaders, and members of local Commission on Election (Comelec) offices.

The dialogues already began on April 15.

“This dialogue presents a valuable opportunity for you to share your insights and contribute to shaping policies that directly impact student life and engagement on campus,” Ong wrote in a memorandum dated April 3.

The outgoing CSC officers said they have yet to talk about breaking away from OSA. Tabuno, however, said being independent is the only way to properly heed the voice of the students.

“I feel like, with the structure of the CSC kasi being under the officership of the OSA, there’s a conflict kasi in the interest,” she said. “That’s why it’s one of the issues that we have in the council: Magpapa-advise pa lang kami, roadblock na.”

“I really think it’s a good opinion or at least a good choice for the CSC to explore other positions as in the structure. I believe other student councils ng ibang organizations stand alone. In other constitutions, they are really given a seat at the table ng hindi kailangan kasama si OSA for us to be at that table in the first place. Mas madali kasi for the students to express their concerns and […] mas mararamadaman ng admin natin kung saan nanggagaling ‘yong students if students mismo ‘yong kausap nila.”

BEACH ALYZZA DANIELLA B. LIPURA

BARLENE

EDITOR: JOHN PETER L. CAJAYON

Cabañero craves another taste of success in UAAP 3×3 tilt

By Ernest Martin G. Tuazon

Growling Tigers co-captain Nic Cabañero, who has not tasted UAAP gold in two years, is eager to revive UST basketball’s winning culture by proving himself in the upcoming UAAP Season 86 men’s 3×3 basketball tournament after three consecutive losing seasons in 5×5 competition.

In an interview with the Varsitarian, Cabañero said the Tigers’ lackluster performance in 5×5 play over the past three seasons has fueled their desire for success in the Season 86 3×3 tournament.

“Mas hungry kami ngayon, given ‘yong naging record namin in the past seasons,” Cabañero said.

Pastrana

Ong said the team would rely more on outside shooting in this tournament, a strategy that Ferrer indicated she would prioritize to become a more significant threat on the court.

“This time, more on sa labas talaga,” Ferrer said. “Para sa akin, adjustment ko parang kapag kinukuha ko sa ilalalim lalabas ako sa labas para tumira. More outside shooting compared sa 5×5 na second-chance points sa ilalim, perimeter.

The Tigresses anticipate stiffer competition in this 3×3 tournament. However, they intend to stick to Ong’s system, which proved successful in winning them the 5×5 tournament.

“Kung ano ‘yong game plan talaga, ‘yon lang ang gagawin namin. Tiwala kami sa kung ano ang sinasabi ng coaches sa’min,” Pastrana said. “Gagawin pa rin namin kung ano ‘yong best na laro para makuha pa rin ulit ang championship.”

This 3×3 tournament marks Tantoy Ferrer’s final campaign in the UAAP.

“Sana mag-exit pa ako nang mas maganda. Nakuha na namin ‘yong 5×5 na championship. Sana ngayong 3×3 makuha din namin,” she said. “Alam naman namin na gagawin namin ‘yonh best namin para mag-back-toback.”

UST will face Ateneo and UP to open its campaign on May 2, Thursday, at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay. Meanwhile, the Junior Growling Tigresses, composed of Grachelle Boteros, Barby Jean Dajao, Gin Kayla Relliquete, Karylle Sierba and Janna Faith Wenceslao, will battle Adamson University.

The Season 86 3×3 basketball tournament will feature a round-robin format in the elimination round, unlike last year, which used a pool format.

“Kukunin din namin itong tournament as a part of our growth as a team, lalo na sa mga kasama kong rookies din.”

He will be joined by high-flying rookie SJ Moore, big man Angelo Crisostomo, and second-stringer Kendall Valentin in the Tigers’ 3×3 roster. Rookie Mark Llemit was initially included in the lineup but was later removed after suffering a nasal fracture injury.

In his rookie season, Cabañero played a key role in helping UST win its first-ever 3×3 men’s basketball title, defeating the DLSU Green Archers in the Season 84 finals.

Now the sole senior on the roster, he emphasized the need to be a vocal leader to lead the Tigers to their second 3×3 championship in three years.

“Imo-motivate ko ‘yong team ko, and as much as possible, kailangan ko ipakita na leader ako at all times… Kailangan ko mag-step up as their senior and I need to be vocal din sa kanila,” Cabañero said.

Cabañero, who expects UAAP teams to parade their best players, also underscored the importance of being prepared against the stiff competition awaiting the Tigers in the 3×3 tilt.

“Competitive ‘yong mga teams ngayon ‘e, kasi as far as I know, lahat ng mga teams ngayon they picked their best players, so we need to be ready on that,” he said.

For their juniors counterparts, their 3×3 roster consists of JB Lim, Charles Bucsit, Carl Manding, Koji

Golden Sox fall short vs DLSU; miss podium

By Brenn Allen L. Flores

THE UST Golden Sox came up short against the top-seeded DLSU Green Batters, 6-4, in the semifinals of the UAAP Season 86 baseball tournament at the UP Diliman Baseball Field on Sunday, April 14.

The Golden Sox concluded their Season 86 campaign with a 4-6 record. They finished in fourth place.

An explosive start in the top of the fifth by Golden Sox Marvin Trillana and Mhigeil Cerda cut DLSU’s deficit to one, 4-3. However, UST’s momentum was halted after Alwyn Piñero’s flyout ended the inning, leaving the possible tying and goahead runs stranded.

An error by Jesus Cabigao in the bottom of the seventh propelled a two-run rally by Green Batters Pio Villamiel and Marco Micael.

With UST down three in the top of the ninth, 6-3, Justin Barsales reached home courtesy of a DLSU error, but a groundout and a lineout from Justin Rosales and Vargas shut the door for the Golden Sox, 6-4.

a 3-4-1 tally.

Karnea Mangrobang opened the scoring punch for UP in the 13th minute before Aurea Reaso converted in the added time to give UP a 2-0 lead at halftime.

Reaso completed her brace and sealed UP’s win via a free kick in the 83rd minute.

The Lady Booters struggled offensively throughout the season, being held scoreless in six out of their eight matches.

In their Season 86 campaign, the Lady Booters only converted four goals: one in their first-round loss against Ateneo and three in their lone win against the same in the second round.

UST also gave up a total of 16 goals in the eight-game tournament.

“Meron kasi kaming attack, the problem is yung pag-convert or pag-score,” Rubio said. “Babagsak din tayo doon sa preparations sa offense kasi nahirapan kami magtraining talaga sa field natin, pero hindi ‘yon excuse.”

Despite only logging one win in Season 86, Rubio said that the Lady Booters have learned valuable learning experiences to bring towards their Season 87 campaign.

“Masaya ako sa experience kasi natatalo ‘man kami, pero ang dami naming natututuhan sa games,” the head coach said. “Every game namin, we keep on improving, kahit natatalo kami sa kalaban.”

UST will miss the services of the graduating Bennett twins, Cindy and Carmela, next season.

The Green Batters responded in the bottom of the second inning after Ezykiel Bautista plated Joseph Alcontin and Vince Flores with a double, giving DLSU the lead, 2-1.

DLSU notched two more runs

UST started the game driving in a run courtesy of a Harry Geronimo RBI single that plated John Vargas, 1-0.

in the fourth after a couple of hits from Gelene Kajihara and Lord de Vera plated John Segui and the former, 4-1.

UST will miss the services of slugger Steven Dominguez, John Barsales, Rafael Regalado, Ceyjey Diesta, Junel Cruz, and Cerda next season.

UST’s Campos bags Rookie of the Year award in UAAP softball

By Brenn Allen L. Flores

TIGER

Softbelle Helga Campos,

who tallied the most stolen bases in Season 86, was the softball tournament’s Rookie of the Year at the UP Diliman Football Pitch on Wednesday, April 17. Campos, a women’s national baseball team member, tallied the most stolen bases with three this season.

“She has that winning ability. She’s a big asset to the team,” UST head coach Sandy Barredo told the Varsitarian Campos recorded UST’s first home run of the season in a 10-2 win against Ateneo during the first round of the eliminations.

“Hindi ko makukuha ‘yong award na ‘yon if di ako ginabayan ng mga coaches and teammates ko,” Campos said. “During trainings pa lang namin, many people expected me na makukuha ko ‘yong Rookie of

the Year awars and malaking pressure ‘yon for me.”

“So ginawa ko more on extra trainings and also my seniors advised me to just focus sa pinaka-goal ng team.”

Big shoes to fill Campos said that with her infield teammates and three other Tiger Softbelles set to depart, she and the remaining players are ready to step up next season to aim for a finals appearance.

“Masakit lang na aalis na sa team ‘yong mga seniors namin kasi sila ‘yong laging gumagabay and nag ha-handle every time na may problema,” Campos said. “Siguro ito na rin ‘yong time for us to learn, step up and make progress to grow for the next season.”

“Iyong goal namin next season is makapasok na talaga sa championship. Hindi man namin nakuha ngayon, malaking tiwala ‘yong

The Tiger Softbelles missed the finals for the second straight season and finished with bronze. They will miss the services of infielders Lyca Blanco, Charlotte Sales and Mharnie de la Cruz, as well as veterans Royevel Palma, Shyla Celis and Christine Bautista.

“Even though we lost our crown this season, we showed during the nationals that we are getting stronger to reclaim our crown,” Reyes told the Varsitarian “While not all of us entered due to the fees and scheduling conflicts, it showed us what we have to do and how much we have to grow in reclaiming our crown.”

Janry Pamor bagged bronze in the men’s extra-lightweight under-60 kg category, while his fellow Tiger Judoka Adrian Cadampog also snatched bronze in the half-middleweight under-81 kg division.

In the women’s division, reigning UAAP women’s half-heavyweight under-70 kg champion Jeniva Consigna continued to exhibit her prowess after decimating UE’s Aescie Ramos and Alyzza de la Cruz for the gold-medal finish.

Lady Judokas’ team captain Iza Azilum and sambo national team member Princess Cortez bagged bronze medals in the women’s lightweight under-57 kg and half-middleweight under-63 kg categories, respectively.

“It’s a good thing we learned and scouted our opponents this early so we have a lot of time to prepare as we are still in the process of rebuilding,” Gerard Arce, the Lady Judokas head coach, told the Varsitarian. “It’s a good start in developing a new program for the team.” Former Lady Judoka Aislinn Yap also ruled the women’s heavyweight and openweight categories, while fellow alumna Khrizzie Pabulayan snagged silver in the women’s half-lightweight under-52 kg division.

binigay ng mga seniors namin na makakaya po ng team next season.”

► The UST Golden Sox fail to secure a podium finish after succumbing to the DLSU Green Batters, 6-4, in the Final Four of the UAAP Season 86 baseball tournament at the UP Diliman Baseball Field on Sunday, April 14.—PHOTO BY PATRICE JERICE A. BELTRAN

► Nic Cabañero puts up a shot against Ateneo’s Chris Koon.—PHOTO BY JOSH

S. BRAVO

► Helga Campos—UAAP PHOTO

► PAGE 11

Cabañero craves another taste of success in UAAP 3×3 tilt

UST rules nat’l U18 volleyball tourney

By Emmanuel John B. Abris

THE UST Junior Golden Tigresses pounced the NSNU Lady Bullpups in four sets to take home the Philippine National Volleyball Federation – U18 girls’ division championship at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, April 28. Kim Rubin, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Best Outside Hitter, fueled UST with 24 points

UST’S PASTRANA SET TO MAKE UAAP 3×3 DEBUT

By Bjorn Del B. Deade

The UST Growling Tigresses, vying for back-to-back titles in the UAAP women’s 3×3 basketball tournament, will navigate the competition without reigning MVP Eka Soriano but aim for continued success with a revamped lineup featuring two newcomers, including Mythical Five member Kent Pastrana.

Pastrana has stepped in for Soriano, who is still recovering from an ankle injury she suffered during the 5×5 tournament’s Final Four. She joins last year’s core lineup of veterans Tacky Tacatac, Tantoy Ferrer, and Rocel Dionisio, along with rookie Cee-jay Maglupay.

“We want to give another championship sa University for the 3×3 tournament, so ‘yan ang lineup na prinepare namin for this season,” head coach Haydee Ong told the Varsitarian Pastrana, who led the Tigresses in scoring in the 5×5 tournament with 17.89 points per game, expressed difficulties in adjusting to the different style of play in 3×3 basketball.

“Hindi naman siya ganong kadali kasi iba ang setup ng 5×5 sa 3×3,” she told the Varsitarian. “More on mental ang ginagamit sa 3×3. Medyo mahirap siya pero nakayanan naman mag-adjust.”

Ong said the Tigresses resumed training in late January and also participated in pre-season tournaments such as the G’Ballers League and Manila Cup.

She said effective communication is crucial for success in the fast-paced 3×3 tournament.

“Sa 3×3 kasi, mabilis ‘yong transition from your offense to defense, so parang wala kang masyadong adjustment. In fact, ‘yong coaching, bawal sa 3×3,” she said.

For Ferrer, the reigning Finals MVP in 5×5 play, adapting was not as challenging due to her extensive experience as a veteran under Ong’s system.

“Alam ko lang kung kailan ako maglalaro as a 5×5 or 3×3 na player…’Yon siguro ang isang advantage kapag senior ka,” Ferrer told the Varsitarian. “Ang daling mag-adjust, ang dali mo nang ma-pick up ‘yong pinapagawa nila coach, kasi nga antagal mo na rito.”

on 18 attacks and six service aces en route to the 25-17, 17-25, 25-20, 25-23 win.

Junior Golden Tigresses Avril Bron and Lianne Penuliar clinched the Best Middle Blocker awards.

UST completed an undefeated run, sweeping its group-stage matches (5-0) before beating Canossa Academy in the quarterfinals, Kings’ Montessori School in the semifinals and NSNU in the finals.

Lady Bullpups Harlyn Serneche and Cheska Peñol captured the Best Opposite Spiker and Best Setter awards, respectively.

De La Salle Lipa’s Althea Sumague also won the Best Outside Hitter award, while Kings’ Montessori School’s Jayrelle Mesa was the Best Libero.

Twelve teams took part in the PNVF U18 girls’ volleyball tournament, which spanned from March 22 to April 28.

Lady Booters end season with worst record in 8 years

By Ernest Martin G. Tuazon

THE UST Lady Booters bowed down to the UP Fighting Maroons, 3-0, to close out their UAAP Season 86 women’s football tournament campaign at the UP Diliman Football Pitch on Saturday, April 27.

Out of five teams, UST ended the season in last place with three points built on a 1-7-0 win-lossdraw slate, while UP finished third with a 3-3-1 card.

“Hindi ako masaya sa result, pero

when it comes to the performance ng team, I’m happy because this is better than the last season,” UST head coach Aging Rubio told the Varsitarian. “The team is young, most of them are rookies and sophomores, so marami pa kami kailangan matutuhan at mag-grow pa sila.”

This marked UST’s worst finish since 2016 when the Lady Booters tallied a 1-6-1 record in Season 78. They placed fourth last season with

Tiger Judokas bag 9 medals in nat’l tilt

By Brenn Allen L. Flores

THE UST Tiger Judokas took home three gold, one silver, and five bronze medals in the 2024 Philippine Judo Federation National Judo Championships held at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex on April 28 to 29.

UAAP Season 85 MVP and sambo national team member Chino Sy claimed the gold medal in the men’s half-heavyweight under-100 kg division after outclassing Laurence Sy and Sian Guevarra.

Sy showed his dominance on the men’s openweight mat after dismantling Robert Maala in the semifinals and former Tiger Judoka Daryl Mercado in the finals to nab his second gold.

UST’s team captain Tristan Reyes and UAAP Season 86 silver medalist Rael Abujos bagged the silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the men’s heavyweight over-100 kg division.

► The UST Junior Golden Tigresses claim gold in the PNVF U18 girls’ division after clawing the NSNU Bullpups in four sets, 25-17, 17-25, 25-20, 25-23, in the finals at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, April. 28.—PHOTO BY JEREMY R. EDERA

► The UST Lady Booters succumb to the UP Fighting Maroons, 3-0, capping off their campaign in the UAAP Season 86 women's football tournament at the UP Football Pitch on Saturday, April 27.—PHOTO BY ALBERT EARL A. GOMEZ

LADY BOOTERS

Judokas

► Kent Pastrana—UAAP PHOTO