VOLUME XCI / NO. 4 · January 9, 2020 · THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS · Manila, Philippines
DAGOHOY: THE BUILDER ARTWORK BY MARIANE JAYNE CADIZ
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UST RECTOR Magnificus Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. bowed out of office in the spirit of gratitude to the Thomasian community, bidding farewell to administrators in a testimonial luncheon last Jan. 15 that marked the end of his twoterm tenure as the 96th rector of the Pontifical University. “I have said a lot in the past eight years [but] allow me to just repeat the words of St. Paul: ‘I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy,’” Dagohoy told University officials at the Dr. Robert C. Sy Grand Ballroom of the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building. “It’s an honor to serve the Asia’s oldest university. Also it’s a privilege and honor to meet wonderful people like you throughout the years… I remember, we were once told that as missionaries, we have to always remember three things: to say hello, love and say goodbye. We come, we build and leave,” he said. “Please, also pray for me and remember me with gladness,” he added. Dagohoy, 55, a certified public accountant who
found his priestly vocation in the Dominican Order, served as internal auditor and director of finance and administration of UST Hospital before being named UST Rector in June 2012. He was rector of Angelicum College in Quezon City and prior of the Convent of Santo Domingo, also in Quezon City, and the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas in UST. He was the youngest to become convent prior of Santo Domingo. Under his rectorship, UST was able to survive the difficult transition to the post-K to 12 educational system with the opening of the UST Senior High School in 2016. He oversaw the construction of three new important structures: the Central Laboratory Building, the expanded UST Hospital and the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Building on España Boulevard that now houses the Senior High School. Apart from the Senior High School, two other academic units were established: the Institute of Information and Computing Sciences (2014) and the Graduate School of Law (2017). Dagohoy broke ground on two future campuses — Santa Rosa in Laguna and General Santos City
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in Mindanao, and led the revamp of the Dominican educational system that saw the Angelicum schools in Quezon City and Iloilo and Aquinas University in Legazpi City subsumed under the UST educational tradition. It was also under Dagohoy’s rectorship when the University hosted Pope Francis’s visit in 2015. The Filipino Dominican province took over UST in 2014, after centuries under the Spanish Dominicans, under new statutes approved by the Vatican. Vice Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. assumed the post of acting rector. New programs Dagohoy’s administration also saw an academic expansion that sustained UST’s position as the top private university in the Philippines, having the most number of accredited programs. These efforts culminated in UST becoming only the second Philippine university and the eighth in the region to get an institutional certification from the Asean University Network. The Builder... PAGE 3
The Varsitarian revisits the biggest campus events of the past 10 years.
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UST gets Asean quality seal THE UNIVERSITY became the second university in the country to receive the Asean University Network (AUN) quality seal following the visit of AUN Quality Assurance (QA) assessors in 2019.
Lorna Kapunan and UST Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina.
CASTILLO FAMILY LAWYER ACQUITTED IN CASE VS DIVINA METROPOLITAN Trial Court Branch 17 acquitted lawyer Lorna Kapunan, legal counsel of the parents of slain UST law freshman Horacio “Atio” Castillo III, in an unjust vexation charge filed by UST Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina. In an order dated Jan. 2, the court said the prosecution failed to prove Kapunan’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The court also absolved Kapunan of “civil liability,” saying Divina’s camp failed to show a preponderance of evidence.. “It is unfortunate that the court saw it that way but we will exhaust
all legal remedies to set aside what we believe is an erroneous judgment,” Divina told the Varsitarian in a text message. In December 2018, the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted Kapunan for unjust vexation over her “defamatory” statements against Divina during the DOJ investigation into Atio’s hazing death in 2017. Divina also filed cyberlibel charges against Kapunan, but these were dismissed. Presiding Judge Karla Funtila-Abugan penned the ruling. AHMED KHAN H. CAYONGCAT
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UST posted a passing rate of 85.19 percent, or 92 out of 108 examinees making the cut. Austin Carl Equipaje led the newest batch of Thomasian architects at fourth place, with a score of 82.90 percent. Maria Regina Victoria Polotan landed on the ninth spot after scoring 81.80 percent. Rhicel Sapasap of Saint Louis University emerged as the topnotcher, scoring 84 percent.
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sities such as the National University of Singapore, University of Malaya and Universitas Indonesia. UST is the first associate member of AUN-QA and the eighth Asean university to gain this institutional certification. In 2017, De La Salle University became the first Philippine university to get the Asean certification. Carillo led the effort to secure the certification for UST, which she had described as the culmination of “centuries worth” of preparation by administrative and academic units of the University. “It also heightens our participation in the educational aspect of the Asean integration,” she added. According to the AUN-QA website, a university must have AUN-QA membership or associate membership and have at least three cohorts of graduates from the same program at the time of application to qualify for assessment. UST became an associate member in 2016. Twelve academic programs of the University have been assessed based on an outcomes-based framework, and received the coveted AUN-QA seal in 2017 and 2018. Camille Abiel H. Torres,
Charm Ryanne C. Magpali and Laurd Menhard Salen
College of Architecture tops January 2020 board exams THE UNIVERSITY was the top-performing school in the January 2020 licensure examinations for architects, with two Thomasians landing in the top 10.
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Former UST rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. himself broke the news during a testimonial luncheon marking the end of his rectorship last Wednesday. Dagohoy told administrators he received AUN-QA’s decision on Jan. 13, 2020. Prof. Clarita Carillo, assistant to the rector for planning and quality management, said the five-year institutional certification would further enhance the University’s reputation and standing among higher education institutions in the 10-member Asean bloc. “To be the 8th institution to have been [certified] facilitates the opening of more doors of opportunities for UST in terms of internationalization, networking, academic and research collaboration, faculty and student exchange, student internship, and many others,” Carillo told the Varsitarian. UST passed all four key areas assessed by AUN-QA last Oct. 2125, namely Strategic QA, Systemic QA, Functional QA, and Results. These categories were further divided into 25 criteria and 111 sub-criteria and assessed based on a 7-point scale. A score of at least 4 out of 7 must be attained to earn the AUN quality stamp. A self-assessment report and other supporting documents were submitted to the assessors, who came from regional univer-
The national passing rate slipped to 55.72 percent, or 1,242 out of 2,229 examinees, from last year’s 56.28 percent, or 1,120 out of 1,990 examinees. CHARM RYANNE C. MAGPALI