The Varsitarian P.Y. 2016-2017 Issue 05

Volume LXXXVIII, No. 5 • December 14, 2016 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF SANTO TOMAS Manila, Philippines

Tuition PAGE 5

Faculty Union PAGE 11

2 News

Editor: Alhex Adrea M. Peralta

DECEMBER 14, 2016

New head of Filipino Dominicans named

FILIPINO Dominicans have a new prior provincial or superior – Fr. Napoleon Sipalay, Jr., O.P., who by virtue of the position is now also the Vice Chancellor of the Pontifical University.

Sipalay’s appointment took effect on Oct. 21 following his election. He became chairman of the UST Board of Trustees on Nov. 10.

He succeeded Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner III, O.P., who served for four years during which he was named to the Vatican’s International Theological Commission.

Sipalay vowed to strengthen UST’s educational brand by enhancing Thomasians’ critical thinking, guided by truth and the Catholic faith.

“The most important element in this educational process is the student and we have to help the students to be critical to be able to decide on [their] own,” he said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

“We are only here not only to harness our reason but it should be reason enlightened by faith and in [accord] with the virtues that we have in our Catholic faith,” Sipalay added.

Sipalay hopes Thomasians will deepen their “faith relationship” with the Lord through the education they are getting from their professors, to change society and uphold the truth.

The new provincial said he would also focus on the academic integration of Dominican educational institutions led by Timoner, and UST’s expansion to Santa Rosa, Laguna and General Santos City.

“The direction of UST [is set] for its development.

The role of the vice chancellor is to give full support to the direction. To work is not only to work for Thomasians, but also for the society,” he said.

Dominicans PAGE 10

SALUBONG. Bar examinees celebrate during the annual ‘Salubong’ on the last day of the Bar Exams last Nov. 27.

ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN

Campus ‘almost Benavides Library opens gadget corner, leisure reading area drug-free,’ says Health Service DESPITE the supposed prevalence of illegal drug users in the country according to government claims, UST is “almost drug-free,” the head of the University health service has said.

Dr. Rhodora de Leon, director of the UST Health Service, said only one person had tested positive for drug use in mandatory drug tests conducted among freshmen since 2014.

De Leon boasted that the Health Service had been conducting mandatory drug tests on freshmen and random testing on students in higher year levels even before the Commission on High Education (Ched) ordered it.

“If anyone tests positive, we will have to report it to the dean of the college, the guidance counsellor, and of course the parents, then they Health Service PAGE 5

University ranks 2nd in ‘employability’ THE UNIVERSITY ranked second in the Philippines in terms of the “employability” of its graduates, based on a ranking by London’s Quacquarelli-Symonds (QS) released last Nov. 23.

In the second edition of the QS Graduate Employability Rankings, UST placed in the 201+ bracket, along with Ateneo de Manila and University of the Philippines.

This was lower compared with last year’s rankings, in which UST was declared the top Philippine university with a score of 34.4 percent.

In the Graduate Employment Rate category, UST and UP ranked 24th worldwide with 81 points, while Ateneo remained at 19th place with 82.7 points.

Again, UST was the only institution in the country that ranked in the Employers Presence on Campus category, ranking 33rd with 90.2 points. UST ranked 17th in the previous edition.

Stanford University continued to lead the world rankings with 95.9 points, followed by another American institution, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with 95.8 points. China’s Tsinghua University led Employability PAGE 14

THE MIGUEL de Benavides Library opened a gadget corner and leisure reading area last Nov. 8, providing better access to electronic resources for Thomasian readers.

“Ang purpose naman kasi ay para doon sa mga estudyante na walang tablet. Mafi-feel din nila paano gumamit at saka nga since nag-acquire na din tayo ng maraming e-books kailangan na rin natin ng facility para mabasa sila,” Cecilia Lobos, assistant chief librarian, said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

The library and CE Logic, an affiliate of the C&E Publishing Corp., signed an agreement last June to provide the reading area with 10 tablets, headsets and security features.

Library coordinators selected 250 out of 1,000 e-book titles covering topics

on health, science, accountancy, engineering and the social sciences, among others.

Lobos said the leisure reading area, located at the lobby, would serve as a “comfort zone” for students. The gadget corner can be found in the lobby adjacent to the Circulation Section.

“Para sa estudyante talaga `yang dalawang bagong facility. `Yung leisure reading area you can do anything you want, kahit magbasa ka dun nang nakaupo o nakahiga, kumbaga meron kayong relaxing area,” Lobos said.

The gadget corner and leisure reading area were proposed by Lobos, the Prefect of Libraries Fr. Angel Aparicio O.P. and Chief Librarian Estrella Majuelo.

Each student is given an hour for the use of gadgets in the tablet LEISURE RREADING. Students spend their free time at the newly opened leisure reading are at the Miguel de Benavides library last Nov. 8.

D.S.D. corner. MIA ARRA C. CAMACHO

Ex-deans, professors join Artlets’ 120th anniversary “SUPERSTARS” of the Faculty of Arts and Letters returned to UST on Tuesday to mark the 120th anniversary of the “big little college.”

Artlets’ longest-serving dean, philosophy professor Magdalena Villaba, former dean Belen Tangco and ex-professors Reynaldo “Bong” Lopez, Ramon “Bong” Osorio, Jose David Lapuz, Irene Lising and others joined the celebration at the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Alumni Center.

Regent Fr. Rodel Aligan, O.P. boasted of Artlets as the

college that gives UST its “pomp and pageantry.”

“It’s an honor to have rubbed elbows with the likes of poet Ophelia Alcantara-Dimalanta … journalists like Lito Zulueta,” Aligan said in an inspirational message, referring to the late former dean and Philippine Daily Inquirer editor, respectively.

Fr. Aligan said alumni of the faculty should be thankful to their professors for opening their eyes and making them understand the world from the perspective of the arts and humanities.

Artlets invited former

administrators and faculty members to the 120th foundation anniversary celebration, which began with a Mass led by Fr. Aligan.

Prof.

Joyce Arriola, literature department head, presented a paper on the history of the faculty in the American colonial period.

Arlets Dean Michael Anthony Vasco cited the faculty’s achievements like accreditation from the government and Artlets PAGE 14

UST has most number of accredited programs

THE UNIVERSITY was cited for having the most number of accredited programs in the Philippines, as it bagged eight awards in the 27th awarding ceremonies of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (Pacucoa).

The physical therapy and occupational therapy programs of UST were the first to have been granted the Level IV reaccredited status in the National Capital Region (NCR) and in the country.

UST was awarded for having the highest number of Level IV accredited programs in the Philippines and for having the highest number of accredited programs in the NCR and in the country.

The University was also recognized for acquiring the autonomous status from the Commission on Higher

Education and for producing graduates who have obtained the highest scores in the 2016 librarian and architecture licensure examinations.

Thomasian Karl Emmanuel Ruiz emerged as the topnotcher in the librarian board exams with a score of 89.90 percent while Jeff McDaniel Yu of the College of Architecture topped the board exams for architects with an 84-percent rate grade.

UST has a total of 34 programs accredited by Pacucoa. Twenty programs have Level IV status, the highest rank that can be obtained by an educational institution from Pacucoa. Five programs have Level III accreditation.

The awarding ceremonies were held at Novotel in Araneta Center, Quezon City last Dec. 2.

UST tops boards for elementary teachers THE UNIVERSITY emerged as the top-performing school for the elementary level in the November 2016 licensure examinations for teachers (LET), with two Thomasians landing on the top 10.

UST obtained a 97.79-percent passing rate, after 133 out of its 136 examinees passed, results from the Professional Regulation Commission showed. This was higher than last year’s 96.21-percent passing rate in which 127 out of 132 examinees passed.

Lenore Hailey Keh led the new batch of Thomasian elementary teachers, securing the second spot with a score of 88 percent. She was tied with Raymund Gerard Vibar of Divine Word College of Legazpi, Ludelyn Palma of University of Rizal SystemAntipolo and Cacharelle Mae Rapirap of Southville International School and Colleges.

Thomasian Rikki Lauren LET PAGE 5

Filipino 3

IKA-14 NG DISYEMBRE, 2016

Ang Ika-labindalawang Sulyap Aguinaldo TANAW ni Cesar hanggang sa kabilang dulo ng kantina ang mapuputi at pantay na ngipin ni Beth sa nakabibighaning pagngiti nito.

Pinagmasdan din niya ang mahinhin at kahali-halinang pagtawa nito na mistulang sa patalastas sa telebisyon lamang makikita. Kabisado na yata niya pati ang hulma mukha nito; ilong na tama lamang ang pagkatangos, mapupungay na mga matang naniningkit sa tuwing humahalakhak, nangangamatis na mga pisngi at itim na itim na buhok na hanggang leeg ang haba.

Pilit na ihinahaba ni Cesar ang kaniyang leeg at ibinabaling ang katawan pa-kanan at pa-kaliwa upang lumagpas ang tingin sa nakaharang na mga estudyante na kumakain sa sampung mesa na pumapagitan sa kanilang dalawa.

Ilang sandali pa, tumayo na si Beth at ang kaibigan nitong si Alexander at naglakad pabalik sa kanilang silid-aralan.

Nanatiling nakaupo si Cesar— hinihintay na madaanan din siya nito at masulyapan nang kaunti.

Hinugot niya ang aklat niya sa Pisika, binuklat sa gitna nitong pahina at yumuko habang iniaangat ang mga mata upang masilip ang dilag sa gitna ng ibang mag-aaral.

Unti-unting lumalakas ang tunog ng mga takong at matitinis na halakhak nina Beth habang papalapit kina Cesar.

“Uy! Masarap ‘yong binigay mong Hershey’s na cookies and cream kahapon,” sabi ni Beth na agad nagpasalamat.

“Ah… eh… salamat at

Usapang Uste

nagustuhan mo rin,” sagot ni Cesar habang hinahawi pataas ang kaniyang buhok.

Napansin ni Cesar ang biglaang pagtahimik ni Alexander na nakahawak sa braso ni Beth.

May kaunting concealer ang pisngi, hinahawi niya ang tabas nitong buhok na tila nagsasampay ng mahahabang hibla sa magkabilang tainga.

Habang nasa klase, sumulyap si Cesar sa bintana upang abangan ang pagdaan ni Beth kung sakaling magtungo siya sa palikuran. Nagiisip siya ng paraan kung paano mailalapag sa mesa ni Beth ang huli niyang regalo mamayang tanghalian nang hindi nito makikita.

Pagbalik ng mga mata ni Cesar sa puting pisara, limang slides ng mga tala tungkol sa Christian Living ang nakaligtaan niya sa powerpoint presentation. Kokopya sana siya sa kaniyang katabi subalit matagal at mahimbing na pala ang pagkakatulog nito.

Inilapag niya ang kaniyang panulat sa saradong kuwaderno at sumandal sa upuan.

Sa loob-loob ni Cesar, kailangan na niyang ipagtapat ang matagal na niyang nararamdaman para kay Beth, ang kapitbahay at kababata niyang nakalalaro lamang niya dati ng patintero, tagu-taguan at tumbang preso.

Sa paglipas ng panahon at sabay nilang pagtanda, batid niyang nagkahiyaan na silang dalawa. Tila mabigat na ang kanilang katawan para makipaghabulan.

Inaasahan niyang nagustuhan naman ni Beth ang araw-araw na

pagbibigay niya ng mga regalo noong nakaraang labing-isang araw. Malaki-laki na rin ang naikaltas niya sa kaniyang arawaraw na ipon para sa mga bulaklak, pabango, liham at mga imported na tsokolate.

Noong isang araw lamang, sa pagdaan niya sa pasilyo ng kanilang gusali, napansin niya ang pagbubulungan ng mga mag-aaral habang pasimpleng tumitingin sa kaniya. Halata rin ang biglang pagtahimik ng mga kamag-aral ni Beth nang pumasok siya sa silid.

Tuloy pa rin siya sa paglalakad nang mga oras na iyon, mailapag lamang ang mga regalo.

Nagsitayuan na ang mga kamag-aral ni Cesar sa kanilang upuan. Nakatulala pa rin siya sa kuwadernong hindi na niya ginalaw.

Sinilip ni Cesar ang silidaralan na pinapasukan ni Beth— tahimik at wala pang nakababalik na mga mag-aaral. Bitbit niya ang isang dosenang rosas at pumunta sa tapat ng mesang kaamoy ng pabango ni Beth na nalalanghap niya sa tuwing nagkakasalubong sila.

Pagkalapag ni Cesar ng bungkos ng mga rosas, narinig niyang sumara ang pinto. Hindi siya lumingon sapagkat pilit niyang kinakabisado ang kimikimkim na kumpisal sa dalaga.

Lalong lumakas ang amoy ng pabango sa bawat mabibigat na yabag na narinig niya.

“Gusto mo ba talaga ako?” ani ng isang malambot at malumanay na boses ng isang lalaki. JOLAU V.

Sinubukan kong bilangin ang puting buhok ni Mama na mas dumami pa ngayon kumpara noong nakaraang Pasko.

Ganoon siya palagi: maraming tanong, maraming sagot.

(Kadalasan higit pa sa sagot na hinihingi ko.)

Tumatandang madaldal at laging nakangiti.

Tuwang-tuwa raw siya na makita akong hindi naka-uniporme at hindi nagmamadali.

Sumigla ang mga mata niya habang ipinagyayabang sa akin ang mga inilutong handa— spaghetti na umaapaw sa sauce, fruit salad na hitik sa keso, crispy pata na bawal sa kaniya.

Nanghihinayang, sumenyas ng halik si Mama bago ibinaba ang mahigit isang oras din na video call.

OCAMPO

Boses ng Tomasino laban sa rehiyonalismo

SA KASAGSAGAN ng pagtatalo tungkol sa Constitutional Convention, ipinahayag sa isyu ng Varsitarian noong Oktubre 1971 ang mungkahing alisin ang damdaming rehiyonalistiko sa pagkatha ng bagong saligang-batas.

Ginamit na bansag ang “rehiyonalismo” na nangangahulugan ng pagtingin sa isang partikular na rehiyon bilang nakatataas na pangkat kumpara sa iba.

Pagdidiin sa artikulo, nararapat lamang na isulat ang bagong saligangbatas sa wikang Filipino (na ‘Pilipino’ pa ang baybay noon), at hindi sa Ingles, upang mas mailapit sa karaniwang tao ang mga pamantayan na dapat nilang alamin at sundin.

Sapagkat malawak ang naaabot, nararapat din daw na ibatay sa wikang Tagalog ang pagsasa-Filipino ng bagong batas. Ngunit hindi raw ibig sabihin na nakatataas ang Tagalog kumpara sa ibang mga lengguwahe sa bansa. Hindi rin daw nangangahulugang lamang ang mga Tagalog na rehiyon kung ihahambing sa iba.

Ayon kay Alberto de Guzman, ang sumulat ng artikulo, isa itong maling pagtanaw at hindi ito hakbang upang tapakan ang mga wikang likas sa ibang mga rehiyon. Hindi rin nito layunin na pataasin ang kulturang Tagalog habang hinahayaang hindi mapansin ang sa iba.

Kasabay ng pagsulong ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa federalismo bilang bagong uri ng pamahalaan sa Filipinas, hindi malayong magising ang konsepto ng rehiyonalismo sa pagitan ng iba’t ibang pangkat. Maaari itong umusbong sa kaanyuan ng wika, kultura, pananamit at iba pang mga pagkakaiba na may kakayahang makaapekto sa pakikitungo ng mga pangkat sa bawat isa.

Sa gayon, nararapat na magkita ang mga Filipino sa iisang tagpuan, kung saan komportable nilang maipahahayag at maiintindihan ang kani-kaniyang

WINONA S. SADIA

identidad hindi man sila kabilang sa magkalapit o iisang rehiyon.

Makatutulong ang paggamit ng Filipino na ibinatay sa Tagalog sa pagtatagpo ng iba’t ibang pangkat sa iisang kaisipan. Para kay De Guzman, mabisang gamitin ang Tagalog sa mahahalagang sulatin tulad ng saligangbatas sapagkat bahagi na noon pa man ang ilang mga salitang Tagalog sa wikang Filipino. Ibig sabihin, higit nitong mapatataas ang kamalayan ng mga Filipino sa mga paparating na batas, isang resultang maaaring hindi kayang makamit kung pananatilihin ang saligang-batas na nakaukit sa dayuhang wika.

Tomasino siya Tanyag na noon pa man si Arnold Molina Azurin sa larangan ng panitikan bago siya nakilala bilang dalubhasa sa kasaysayan at usaping kultural.

Taong 1697 nang magtapos siya ng pilosopiya sa Unibersidad. Kumuha siya kalaunan ng masterado sa kasaysayan at antropolohiya sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas sa Diliman habang patuloy na nagsusulat para sa ilang mga publikasiyon at magazine.

Noong 1991, tumanggap siya ng parangal mula sa Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards para sa kaniyang mga akdang “Dogodog and Other Poems Bypassed by the Northerlies” at “Unraveling the Knots of Ethnicities,” isang sanaysay. Kapuwa nagkamit ng unang gantimpala ang mga ito.

Bukod pa rito, itinanghal niya sa Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) ang “Beddeng, Exploring the IlocanoIgorot Confluence,” isang eksibisiyon na nagpakita ng kultura ng mga pangkatetniko sa mga rehiyon sa hilaga.

Naging patnugot din siya ng Ani (Cordillera issue), isang pampanitikang koleksiyon na pinamumunuan ng CCP, noong 1991.

Sapagkat tubong Vigan sa Ilocos Sur,

iminulat na noon pa man ng kaniyang mga magulang si Azurin tungkol sa kasaysayan at mga pagsubok na kinahaharap ng mga katutubo sa kanilang lugar. Naging dahilan ito sa madalas na paglangkap niya ng naturang paksa sa kaniyang mga sanaysay at tula.

Itinuturing niyang inspirasyon ang rehiyon na kinagisnan upang magpatuloy sa pagsusulat ng mga akdang bumubuhay sa kasaysayan nito.

Ilan pa sa kaniyang mga likha ang Roots Upon Ruins, 1973; Just Vexations, 1990; Upwind, Downstream: Poems on Ilocos and the Cordilleras, 1991; Adios Columbus, 1992; at Reinventing the Filipino, 1993.

Patuloy na kinikilala si Azurin hindi lamang bilang manunulat kundi pati intelektuwal at historyador na nagpapalaganap ng bahagi ng bansang hindi naaabot ng karamihan. WINONA S. SADIA

Tomasalitaan: Tibobos (pang-uri) – puro, lubos, dalisay.

Hal.: Nakatutuwang pagmasdan ang mga natutulog na bata, kitangkita sa kanila ang tibobos at hindi pa nababahirang pagkatao.

Mga Sanggunian: CCP Encyclopedia Vol. 9 The Varsitarian: Tomo XLIII Blg. 13, Oktubre 1, 1971; 1971-1975, p.6

Pagbabago ng wika, nakaaapekto sa pagpapaunlad ng diksiyonaryo LABIS na nakaaapekto ang mabilis na pagbabago at pagdaragdag ng kahulugan sa mga salita sa pagpapaunlad ng mga diksiyonaryong Filipino.

Ito ang sentro ng talakayan na dinaluhan ng ilang mga guro, leksikograpo at mga akademiko sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas noong ika-23 ng Nobyembre.

“Kailanman ay hindi maaaring palitan ang partisipasiyon ng tao sa mga editoryal na gawain sa pagbabahagi ng mga diwa ng mga salitang polysemous (maraming kahulugan),” ani Arthur Casanova, isang Tomasinong leksikograpo o dalubhasa sa linguwistika at paggawa ng diksiyonaryo, sa nabanggit na pagtitipon.

Dagdag pa niya, maiging instrumento ang diksiyonaryo sa pagpapanatili ng kamalayan sa tamang pagbigkas, tamang pagsulat at pangkabuuang diwa ng mga salitang nadaragdagan ng kahulugan sa kalaunan.

Dahil dito, sinusubok ang mga dalubhasa sa pagpapalaganap ng mga bagong kahulugan sa mga dati nang ginagamit na mga salita.

Ayon naman kay Evelyn Lanuza, propesor ng Leyte Normal University, may mga pagkakataong nakalilito ang paiba-ibang gamit ng mga kataga batay sa lugar na kanilang pinagmulan.

Idiniin niyang ang kahalagahan ng pagdaan ng mga diksiyonaryo sa maingat na pagsusuri bago mailimbag at maipamahagi ang mga ito.

Ginanap ang pagtitipon sa pamumuno ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino. JOLAU V. OCAMPO AT WINONA S. SADIA

4 Opinion

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Editorial

Thou shalt not kill WHATEVER happened to the proverbial Christmas spirit? Where has it gone? Before, the blatant commercialism of the holidays could at least mask its absence—materialist dissipation hiding the Yuletide’s dissolution. But nowadays even the merry ringing of cash registers in the vapid shopping malls of the Ayala’s, Sy’s and Gokongwei’s and the insipid gambling cathedrals of the Tan’s, Razon’s and Ho’s cannot conceal the deepening enervation of the spirit.

Instead of a merry Christmas, a murderous malaise has set upon us.

Everyday we are treated to the stark news of people killed allegedly for their drug activities and the appalling sight of their brutalized bodies in the dark alleys and byways of urban and rural ghettoes.

Reportedly shot down by motorcycle-riding assassins who style themselves as anti-crime vigilantes, the victims and their families have not been given justice, much less their cases given a proper official inquiry by the Philippine National Police (PNP). A Senate inquiry into such killings have turned the tables on its probers.

Meanwhile the PNP officialdom has not arrested a single assassin. Nor has it disciplined officers and men who have figured in cases that amount to summary executions of drug suspects.

The fact that vigilante killings have taken place under the very noses of the PNP amount to PNP incompetence or corruption, take your pick. But the PNP is not alarmed by such killings; in fact it seems to take a certain satisfaction in them. At least the vigilantes are doing what the PNP has failed to do, either again because of its notorious incompetence or corruption or both, factors that have worsened the drug menace in the first place.

Shielded by Duterte And the PNP couldn’t care less because it is shielded by President Duterte who has practically given it blanket authority to shoot down everyone remotely connected with illegal drugs. He has allowed a doublestandard of justice by merely warning police officers involved in drug protection or trade while practically ordering that civilians and non-PNP drug suspects be shot down pronto. To date, no police officer reportedly involved in illegal drugs has been killed, much less charged. Meanwhile critics of the anti-drug campaign are regularly haranged and insulted by the President in his daily afternoon addresses that are exercises in bullyrhetoric and character assassination. On social media, his trolls have been tormenting his critics.

It was Duterte who stole the 2016 election by hedging his candidacy up to the last minute so as to avoid being grilled about his dubious political and personal record, and his shady political, financial backing. Promising “change” during the campaign to an electorate fed up with the children of elite political families and business oligarchies messing up Editorial PAGE 5

FOUNDED JAN. 16, 1928 KATHRYN JEDI V. BAYLON Editor in Chief BERNADETTE A. PAMINTUAN Managing Editor DARYL ANGELO P. BAYBADO Associate Editor ALHEX ADREA M. PERALTA News Editor PAUL XAVIER JAEHWA C. BERNARDO Online Editor DELFIN RAY M. DIOQUINO Sports Editor LEA MAT P. VICENCIO Special Reports Editor MARIA CORAZON A. INAY Features Editor JOHN GABRIEL M. AGCAOILI Witness Editor AMIERIELLE ANNE A. BULAN Circle Editor KIRSTEN M. JAMILLA Art Director ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN Chief Photographer News Mia Arra C. Camacho, Hannah Rhocellhynnia H. Cruz, Christian de Lano M. Deiparine, Roy Abrahmn D.R. Narra, Theodore Jason Patrick K. Ortiz, Maria Crisanta M. Paloma Sports Jan Carlo Anolin, Carlo A. Casingcasing, Philip Martin L. Matel, Ivan Ruiz L. Suing, Ralph Edwin U. Villanueva Special Reports Ma. Angela Christa Coloma, John Paul P. Corpuz, Ma. Consuelo D.P. Marquez, Neil Jayson N. Servallos Features Daniella T. Cobarde, Ma. Czarina A. Fernandez, Alyssa Carmina A. Gonzales Literary Nikko Miguel M. Garcia, Cedric Allen P. Sta. Cruz Filipino Jolau V. Ocampo, Winona S. Sadia Witness Joel Sebastian D. Cristobal, Sigrid B. Garcia, Kathleen Therese A. Palapar Science and Technology Karl Ben L. Arlegui, Dan Albert D. Besinal, Edris Dominic C. Pua, Julius Roman M. Tolop Circle Klimier Nicole B. Adriano, Audrie Julienne D. Bernas, Chelsey Mei Nadine B. Brazal Art Chinny Mae F. Basinang, Shaina Mae L. Santander, Seldon May T. Tagao Photography Deejae S. Dumlao, Miah Terrenz Provido, Maria Charisse Ann G. Refuerzo, Ma. Alyssa Adrienne T. Samonte, Basilio H. Sepe, Jamillah N. Sta. Rosa FELIPE F. SALVOSA II Assistant Publications Adviser JOSELITO B. ZULUETA Publications Adviser Letters/comments/suggestions/contributions are welcome in the Varsitarian. Only letters with signatures and corresponding contact details will be entertained. Original manuscript contributions must be typewritten, double-spaced, on regular bond paper, and should include a signed certification bearing the author’s name, address, year, and college. The identity of a writer may be withheld upon request. The editors will not be responsible for the loss of materials. Contributions must be sent to THE VARSITARIAN office, Rm. 105, Tan Yan Kee Student Center, University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila.

Patingkarin ang kulay ng ating mga katutubong wika SA NAKABIBINGING mga hiyawan at nakauumay na patutsadahan ng mga makapangyarihang kampo sa bansa hindi maitatatuwang maraming pagkakaiba ang ang naghihiwalay sa mga Filipino sa kasalukuyan.

Gayunpaman, hindi lamang ideolohiya, pangalan ng angkan o malalim na kasaysayan ang nagbubunsod nito kundi maging ang mga wikang sinasalita ng bawat rehiyon.

Sa paglalathala ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) ng makulay na atlas ng mga wika ng Filipinas, nakamamangha ang pagkakatuklas sa humigit-kumulang 130 katutubong langguwahe.

Sa Luzon matatagpuan ang 75 sa mga ito habang 16 naman sa Visayas at 34 sa Mindanao.

Ayon sa panimula na isinulat ni Purificacion Delima, komisyoner sa programa at proyekto ng KWF, ang patuloy na pagkakadiskubre ng iba’t ibang pangkat-etniko na

Bilang mga Filipino, higit sa kulay kayumanggi na kinaiingitan ng Kanluran o sa iba’t ibang kulay ng pagkakaisang politikal, marapat natin patingkarin maging ang mga kulay ng ating wika. nilalakipan ng mithiing ipalaganap ang kanikanilang wikain ang isa sa mga pagsubok ng mga dalubhasang nangangahas tipunin ang mga wika sa bansa.

Maliban sa kagalakan ng pagkakaroon (makalipas ang maraming taon) ng opisyal na heograpiyang pangwika sa pamamagitan ng isang atlas, mahalagang alamin kung ano pang mga batas ang kailangang pagtuunan ng pansin at paunlarin ng kasalukuyang lehislatura.

Nakasaad sa Artikulo 15, Seksyon 7 ng Saligang Batas

na dapat ituring na auxiliary official languages ang mga katutubong wika ng bansa.

Samakatwid, kailangang gamitin ang mga nasabing diyalekto sa mga lugar kung saan sila sinasalita ng karamihan. Naging mainam naman ang tugon dito ng bagong programa ng K to 12 na naglalayong pagibayuhin ang kasanayan ng mga mag-aaral na nasa labas ng Kamaynilaan sa kanikanilang katutubong wika.

Sa paglulunsad ng Mother Tongue-Based Multiligual Education (MTB-MLE), patuloy na sinusubok hasain

ang mga estudyante sa kanilang kinagisnang wika bago isabak sa Filipino at Ingles pagdating sa mas mataas na antas. Simula kindergarten hanggang ikatlong baitang, gagamitin ang mother tongue bilang wikang panturo.

Sa kasalukuyan, Aklanon, Bikol, Cebuano, Chabacano, Hiligaynon, Iloko, Ivatan, Kapampangan, Kinaray-a, Maguindanaoan, Meranao, Pangasinense, Sambal, Surigaonon Tagalog, Tausug, Waray, Yakan at Ybanag ang mga katutubong wikang itinuturo sa ganitong reporma.

Masasabing malaki at hindi maikakaila ang naibigay na tulong ng ganitong panibagong sistema sa adhikain ng mga dalubwika sa bansa subalit marami pang dapat paunlarin sa mga ito.

Una, hindi dapat huminto sa ikatlong baitang sa elementarya Dagitab PAGE 14

The bane of political correctness NOT EVERYONE will agree with what you say, however you say it. That is natural.

However, not everyone will read properly what you write.

There are two types of critical readers—those who will criticize your side of the issue and those who will slam you just for the words you used in your opinion. The latter group is bothersome as they like to take everything out of context.

For instance, when you describe a fanatical group as “unfit to be compared to retardates,” this group will raise a fit and pick you apart for using the word “retardate.”

These people tend to make fuss over things that are really irrelevant and have no bearing at all on important issues. They feel the need to bring it up, either because they’re simply reactionaries or they have personal, or political agendas.

They have the cancer of this era – political correctness, which basically hampers social development and blurs out distinctions and undermines truthful discourse.

Political correctness is

I hope the day does not come to the Philippines when greeting “Merry Christmas,” and the sight of public sets of the Nativity scene offend others because they are politically incorrect perceived by most of people as a good way to indirectly state something sensitive, and to avoid backlash or hostile responses. But in today’s case, it is the other way around. It is used often to pompously gloss over an issue.

In his Manila Standard column, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino, dean of the San Beda Graduate School of Law and an alumnus of the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters, wrote that political correctness is “just a concealment of ugly truths.”

Father Ranhilio linked political correctness to circumlocution, a misconstruction intending to appease but not to clarify or elucidate.

And it is true. Political correctness does not solve

anything. It just sweeps everything under the rag but the rag is can hardly cover everything up.

The Tuguegarao native also described political correctness as a cheap substitute for true solidarity and due respect. “One can be obsessed with using politically correct terms and then rest in the foolishly comforting thought that one has been just and compassionate,” he said.

No statement of political correctitude can ever make complete sense. But people can be fooled to believe that a person speaking in a politically correct manner is sincere and means business.

As an AB Journalism student, I know it is absolutely pressing to be politically

correct. I know that I should not offend. But the truth is sometimes blunt and cannot be glossed over or expressed nicely and circumlocutory.

Campus journalists should not be over-cautious in the name of politically correctness. The truth should never be muffled with fancy words.

Writers should not make a big deal out of political correctness in daily conversation and work because at the end of the day, what matters is truthtelling and honest exchange of opinion. The business of writing is intellectual exchange, not political correctness.

It is Christmas season and I’d like to greet you “Merry Christmas” in honor of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. I will not apologize for that as I am a Catholic and a conservative, in that order.

I hope the day does not come to the Philippines when greeting “Merry Christmas” and the sight of public sets of the Nativity scene offend others because they are politically incorrect. What would that say about our cultural—and Christian— heritage?

Opinion 5

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Thankless job for winning UST athletes IT IS undeniable that the Thomasian community feels disappointed with the sloppy performance of the UST men’s basketball team.

Following their three finals appearances in four years, the Tigers have slowly established their identity as a powerhouse team.

But this year, when UST is hosting the UAAP, they looked hapless, even surrendering a 43-point blowout loss along the season en route to last place.

Bad timing. Bad luck.

The Tigers may have been a complete embarrassment, but the other UST teams—unheralded and unappreciated—have made UST proud.

The Tiger and Lady Spikers, Tiger Jins, Male Paddlers, Male and Lady Judokas, teams with little fanfare, were responsible for the University’s six gold medals in the first semester, sparking hopes that UST would recover the grand championship from La Salle this year.

Women’s table tennis, women’s taekwondo and

LET FROM PAGE 2 Aquino ranked fifth with an 87.20-percent score.

She shared the spot with Sitti Airah Abdulhalim of the Philippine Muslim Teachers’ College, Rothsen Mae Love Diamole of Surigao State College of Technology, Evangeline Dupale of Pangasinan State University-Asingan, Alyana Mariel Enriquez of Miriam College and Algie Juridico of Centro Escolar University-Malolos.

In the secondary level, UST dropped to fourth place after posting an 87.29-percent passing rate.

Out of 181 examinees from UST, 158 passed the test.

Last year, UST was top-performing school in

Editorial

Unheralded UST teams have won gold and silver medals in the UAAP, yet no ‘Yellow Day’ celebration has been declared for them poomsae teams have also contributed to UST’s bid to recover the overall championship agging silver medals.

But sadly, the efforts of these low-key athletes have gone unnoticed, because Thomasians, like most Filipinos, hardly care for any sport except basketball or volleyball.

I have noticed that the University of the Philippines is the lone university that cheered for all of its sporting teams. When the Tigers lost nine of their last 10 games this season, UST’s famous “sea of yellow” was nowhere to be found. However, the decrease of supporters was

understandable because who would want to watch their team get humiliated by other competing squads?

The case of UP supporters, however, is baffling but admirable. The Fighting Maroons have won only 10 games in the last three seasons, which is under the 11-win total of UST last year, but UP students and alumni are always present to cheer for their team in defeat and in loss.

Also, there have been times when UP supporters voluntarily chipped in money to help other teams in their expenses and food.

The lack of interest for sports aside from basketball,

the secondary level with a 94.92-percent passing rate.

Out of 177 examinees last year, 168 made the cut.

Thomasian Agripino Luiz Mendoza placed 10th with an 88-percent score, sharing the spot with 15 others.

Former Varsitarian Features writer Mary Grace Esmaya was among those who passed the secondary level licensure exam.

The national passing rate in the elementary LET dropped to 30.18-percent.

Out of 77,466 examinees, 23,378 passed.

The passing rate last year was 31.37-percent.

For the secondary level, the national passing rate dipped to 33.78-percent. A total of 31,334 passed out of 92,754 examinees. Last year’s passing rate was 41.75 percent. CHRISTIAN DE

Health service

LANO M. DEIPARINE

new lease in life. In hindsight they are natural allies: Duterte with his fascist police and the FROM PAGE 4 communists with their “people’s army” that they call “new.”

There’s nothing new however governance, Duterte, himself in all of these. The Nazis were coming from a political dynasty, socialists—they were National stoked middle-class fears about Socialists. Right or left, both the worsening drug menace and forces rely on the force of arms, deteriorating peace and order. not on force of reason. If Duterte A one-platform person, has his vigilantes, Joma and the Duterte cannot look beyond— communists have their Sparrow and into—the drug problem as units. Both are fascists, statists, a symptom of a larger malaise and terrorists. in society. To make up for Not surprisingly Duterte the crudeness of his vision, has pushed for the burial of he has mined the memory of the deposed dictator Ferdinand his college days in Manila Marcos in the national when he was the student of cemetery meant for former Communist leader Jose Ma. presidents, patriots and war Sison and obscured his basic heroes. Claiming to have political illiteracy by quoting been molested as a kid by a from Joma’s imaginary red (or Jesuit father in Davao, he has should it be cherry or fuschia?) evinced psychological trauma book. A largely moribund by conducting himself as a movement, the communists misogynist, chauvinist, and and their so-called national even warmonger, taking after democratic front have gained a the example not only of Marcos new vitality in recent months, but of populist strongmen such much like bankrupt companies as Putin of Russia, Edogan suddenly resurrecting as a of Turkey, and even the result of a fresh infusion of communist bosses of totalitarian funds by money launderers. Communist China. If Marcos’ While the Communists’ initial salvo during martial law national democrats last election was the execution of alleged supported Grace Poe, who drug baron Lim Seng, Duterte ironically faced citizenship and has fashioned his demagoguery naturalization issues, the victory as to give complete authority of Duterte has given them a to the state police to shoot

FROM PAGE 2 will go in depth and see how the student is. Unless the student needs some psychiatric help, the [first step is] counselling,” de Leon said.

“If the college sees that there is a need to screen all their students, then we can conform with that,” she added.

Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 requires all secondary and tertiary schools to conduct random drug tests.

The Health Service offers counselling services to Thomasians to prevent drug addiction. It also holds lectures to raise awareness on the ills of drug use in the University. down even drug neophytes.

Meanwhile like Marcos before declaring martial law, Duterte has talked about emergency powers and suspending the writ of habeas corpus.

No to punitive justice Popularity surveys show that Duterte’s tactics are supported by a wide segment of the population. We don’t know if the surveys have been conditioned by the sycophancy of his media partisans, trolls, and leftist supporters. But we are not impressed. Defnitely the Varsitarian is not cowed.

As Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas and the episcopal conference has said, Filipinos should not be intimidated. Therefore the Varsitarian: - Condemns the burial of Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani for being an act of treason against the 1987 Constitution and an act of mockery against the 1986 People Power Revolt - Opposes extra-judicial killings of drug suspects. The drug problem is a symptom of a deeper malaise in society that should be addressed by rehabilitative, not punitive, means.

- Condemns President Duterte for his demagoguery that rationalizes the killing of

indoor volleyball and cheerdance competition is a problem not just in UAAP schools but in the nation as well.

Filipinos have always shown support for Gilas Pilipinas, a team that has barely carved a niche in international basketball, but displayed little to no interest for other Filipino athletes even if they bring home medals from major international competitions.

Last year, the University administration scheduled a “Yellow Day” to show support for the Tigers who were playing in the UAAP finals at that time.

This year, UST has already won six gold medals and three silvers but nothing has been done to celebrate that success.

Just like the Tigers, UST’s other sporting teams have shed blood, sweat and tears to put the University’s name at the top of the UAAP pedestal.

It is just rightful for the Thomasian community to show that they are appreciated and recognized.

“There really is [a] need to curb and put a stop to drugs, but somehow you have to help [the drug victims].

You cannot be killing them and apprehending them without offering help and treating them,” de Leon said.

De Leon praised the government for its action toward the country’s drug problem, but said there was no emphasis on rehabilitation.

“Sa amin sa medical field, ang aming unang thrust is rehab; treating them, not killing them,” she said.

“It’s a matter of giving them a chance to be rehabilitated, to be brought back to the normal, the mainstream, and their families. Our aim is to make them better citizens and individuals. Prevention is the first step,” she added.

THEODORE JASON PATRICK K. ORTIZ

drug suspects. The Varsitarian urges Filipinos to wake up from their lethargy and false sense of comfort that the killings would result in peace and order.

Especially for Christians, the issue here is fundamental: “You shall not kill” [Exodus 20:13]; “Vengeance is (not man’s, but God’s)” [Deuteronomy 52:35].

- Opposes the restoration of the death penalty and opposes all forms of cruel and inhumane punishment.

- And since the right to life is fundamental, the Varsitiarian urges the Supreme Court to maintain its restraining order against the health department’s procurement, selling, distributing, dispensing, administering and promoting of contraceptive implants.

Implants can cause abortion and are therefore covered by the Supreme Court decision removing certain provisions of the Reproductive Health Act that compromise Philippine penal provisions against abortion.

Culture of life and mercy It is lamentable that the state-backed anti-drug violence that has brutally killed some 4,000 persons so far should take place on the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy as proclaimed by Pope Francis.

Nevertheless the blessings and

Duterte, Mocha, and trolling LESS than four decades after press freedom was restored by the Edsa People Power Revolt and the 1987 Constitutions, trolls have come to destabilize its foundation and establish not only a platform of hate but also a vicious arena of misconception and misinformation.

Journalists and other media experts have been steadily harassed by spiteful fake accounts barking incomprehensible accusations of revisionism and alteration of news.

Many of these social media accounts fanatically defend President Duterte whose arrogance and brashness seem to have rubbed off on his online and print champions.

Over all, the President and his fanatics’ hate speech have contributed to a new level of negativity in the online world. Trolls eager to defend Duterte attack other users with ad hominem and other hurtful remarks.

Online assaults range from personal attacks to misogyny, racism, and sexism.

Many of these trolls are steered by an entertainer whose Facebook account is prominent for pornographic

The war is not limited to the pro-Duterte rallies and protests; misinformation is seeping through the wires of the Internet advice, Mocha Uson. Not content with being a talentless member of the mediocre all-girl band Mocha Girls, which has made a name for itself catering to the lewd and prurient instincts of the rowdy men like Digong and his misogynistic lot, she has shifted to ranting about Philippine politics in her social media accounts and supporting Duterte no matter what.

Trolls have circulated the internet. Many have remained anonymous, but some like Mocha Uson have become celebrated as much for their zealous trolling as for their shameless stupidity.

But stupidity is so infectious so that Uson has 4.5 million followers on Facebook, whose high number of “likes” show that Netizens consider her “news” reliable and trustworthy.

It is horrendous to see people consider her as a more reliable source of information just because of the hefty number of followers she has on Facebook. But for the Philippine nation, the social-media capital of the world, stupidity is a mark of national identity, it seems.

Uson could not be readily identified as a troll in her early days as an unyielding supporter of the president as she had her personal profile even before the start of the campaign. But her troll identity became evident when random profiles started defending Uson whenever condemnatory posts about her or Duterte were put up online. A user cited them to have the same garden-cover photos and Korean actresses as their profile picture while others limited their pictures to a shot of the Philippine flag or various sceneries from around the world.

Trolls have also defended the Libingan ng mga Bayani burial for deposed President Ferdinand Marcos and invented information and accounts to paint a rosy picture of the dictatorship when the truth of history is that the Marcos era was a sordid period of naked abuse of human rights, of unmitigated plunder and corruption that bankrupted the country.

The war is not limited to the pro-Duterte rallies and protests; misinformation is seeping through the wires of the Internet. Netizens should exert more effort to check facts and follow the criteria of truth. What we need is fact-checking and truth-telling, not trolling.

lessons of the Jubilee should not be lost on everyone so the Varsitarian urges Filipinos to cultivate what the papal nuncio Msgr Giuseppe Pinto has called the “culture of mercy.”

Fostering such a culture would mean opposing Duterte’s reign of terror. We resolve to do this starting Christmas, the Catholic celebration of the Nativity of Christ, the joyous season of life and hope.

Such resolve would need a conversion of hearts, a return to basics, a reaffirmation of the essence of Christmas and

the rejection of the artifice of materialism and the shallowness of naked consumerism that has choked the celebration. It is nothing less than a resolve to uphold and foster the culture of life. Against Duterte’s culture of death, the Varsitarian urges Filipinos the culture of life— and mercy. Failing to do so would mean allowing Duterte to run away with murder.

Duterte is not only the grinch who stole Christmas; he’s the butcher who outherods Herod by a thousand and one more killings.

6 Special Reports

Editor: Lea Mat P. Vicencio

DECEMBER 14, 2016

UST history dept calls for in-depth education

By MA. ANGELA CHRISTA COLOMA and MA. CONSUELO D.P. MARQUEZ THE UST Department of History is calling for a more comprehensive education to cure Thomasians’ lack of concern on national issues, such as rejecting the evils of Martial Law. “We should change the paradigm because so many events happened after the World War, including Martial Law. If you want a more in-focus discussion on Martial Law, better create a new chapter just to discuss it,” Augusto de Viana, chairman of the history department, said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

De Viana said the absence of Philippine history subjects in some of the University’s colleges had led to students’ “half-baked” knowledge.

In the University curriculum, a course on Philippine history is optional. The College of Architecture and College of Nursing opted not to have a subject on Philippine history, while other colleges and faculties such as the UST-Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy and Faculty of Pharmacy merged the subject with Philippine Government and Constitution.

“Students are not apathetic. I would say they lack the proper knowledge. If there are any apathetic students, blame the one implementing education,” de Viana said.

Students’ discretion Dennis Coronacion, chairman of the political science department, said

perception on the Martial Law regime of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was open to debate because of the different perspectives produced by historians and scholars. He pointed to the absence of an official narrative by the government.

“If you have an official history, it would be impossible for other authors to come up with their own version. If ever they would, it would not be patronized by other people,” Coronacion said in an interview.

Coronacion said the University was taking an objective approach on the history of Martial Law by teaching students the benefits of democracy, and at the same time instilling Thomasian values and democratic values.

“Our purpose here is not to preach a political agenda. [Let] the students decide which side to take, whether the students will be pro-Marcos or anti-Marcos, it’s up to them. I think that’s the essence of liberal education – free thinking. The professor should not manipulate the decisions of the students,” he said.

Mark Abenir, chairman of the UST Simbahayan community development program, agreed with Coronacion and said there was no motivation from the administration to inspire students to think that Marcos was not a hero.

“In other universities you would see that their respective administrations are at the forefront of the protests and that inspires students. [In UST] it’s more of letting the students decide if they want to participate in these activities or not,” Abenir said in a chance interview with the Varsitarian.

Kevin Castro, spokesman of the National Union of Students in the Philippines – Manila, in a forum titled “Papunta Ka Pa Lang, Pabalik Na Ako: Isang Pagsusuri at Talakayan sa Kabataang Milenyal,” urged the youth to go beyond learning about Martial Law in classrooms and in social media. “[As high school and college students,] it is not enough to read different articles that we see on the Internet. [The youth] needs to read books that will challenge their conservative way of thinking so that it will become revolutionary and progressive,” Castro said in front of students at the Benavides Auditorium last Dec. 28.

Martial Law, it does not resonate with the factor in considering who the [students] will vote for because they don’t see the significant change in the return of democracy,” he said.

In the survey conducted by the Varsitarian from October to November 2015, Bongbong Marcos topped other candidates with 29 percent. In the February to April 2016 survey, he got 28.2 percent, a statistical tie with the election victor, Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo who got 24.9 percent.

‘Political system’ A political analyst said forgetting the atrocities of Martial Law has no relation with the late dictator’s son Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. dominating the UST vice presidential survey conducted by the Varsitarian in 2015.

“We are limited with the same political elites or political dynasties. The political system is to blame. It does not have anything to do with forgetting Martial Law. It does not have anything to do with apathy,” political science professor Edmund Tayao said.

Tayao pointed out that the 1986 EDSA revolution that led to the return of democracy brought about “no significant change.”

“Even if the [students] are educated about what happened during

Legacy FROM PAGE 7

what we wanted people to taste,” Cuan said. “One thing I never thought I would ever do is cook, [but these days, I’m getting the hang of it] with the help of one of my partners.”

STRONG OPPOSITION. Thomasians stage a protest at España Boulevard last Nov. 18 to denounce the surprise burial of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

ROY ABRAHMN D.R. NARRA

Thomasians not apathetic on Marcos burial issue

By NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS THE UNIVERSITY has yet to release its stand on the burial of the deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, even as students and alumni have joined protest actions.

Mark Abenir, chairman of the UST Simbahayan community development program, said they had yet to get a response from the administration on a letter inquiring on the University’s response to the sudden Marcos burial ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte.

“In our office, it is clear but we cannot make an official stand. We’ve already made moves, writing a letter and we’ve crafted an official statement hoping kung ano ang magiging response ng higher admin, doon kami naghihintay,” Abenir said in an interview.

He said Simbahayan wanted Thomasians to take initiative on the

mobilization against the Marcos burial, as the administration cannot force students to take a stand.

“Gusto namin nanggagaling sa mga estudyante `yung initiative especially sa mga ganitong issue because we do not want to say that the administration [forced or pushed] the students to hold such events,” he said.

Social media took note of UST’s absence in the anti-Marcos protest last Nov. 30 in EDSA, where heads of the De La Salle University system, University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University took the stage.

Abenir said support from the University’s administration was important in inspiring Thomasians, as in the case of other universities.

“You would see in other universities, their faculty, priests and [administration officials] are standing in the frontlines of the demonstration, and that inspired the students, thus the high turnout,” he added.

UST political science department head Dennis Coronacion said the University was waiting for Thomasian student bodies to articulate their stand on the issue, as such would be the “democratic and organic” process of mobilization.

“The stand should come from [the students], and from there, when a consensus is established, there is going to be a meeting of the minds of the students, faculty and the administration and that’s democracy,” Coronacion said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Coronacion said the University was not apathetic and that issuing a stand on the Marcos burial was “not a competition.”

He stressed the importance of educating students before sending them to demonstrations on the streets, saying the reason for standing up must not be “bandwagon mentality.”

“Some students, when asked what they are doing in the protest, they will

have a brave answer but sometimes the reasoning is not well thought out, not intelligent enough, so that should be the start of encouraging the students to be involved,” he said.

Compassion, charity Faculty of Arts and Letters Student Council President Ysabela Marasigan said the University’s silence on the Marcos burial was saddening. She said the administration should have taken a stronger stand considering the University is a renowned Catholic institution.

“It is a sad thought that the administration did not take a stand on such a grave national issue. I think that they stayed neutral because UST is known to be a conservative university,” Marasigan said in an interview.

“I just hope UST’s administration took a stronger stand as it is a Catholic institution that puts much emphasis on compassion and charity,” she said. with reports from M.C.D.P. MARQUEZ

A point guard on point Cuan was part of the Tigers that won the title in 2006.

A night after seeing each other for the first time in years, he and his teammates longed for a place where they could travel back in time to their victory until Cuan unexpectedly came up with the idea of a restaurant.

It was only appropriate for Cuan to start his business on the outskirts of the UST campus. “This is where my teammates and I were recognized, so why not start here?” he said.

When asked if they plan to expand and establish more branches, Cuan explained that since this is a basketballthemed restaurant founded first by Thomasians, the other branches would be brought up by other universities’ players and have their restaurants correspond to their own color-scheme, although the name would remain the same.

“For instance, here in UST, it’s ‘HomecourtUST,’whileinothers,itcould be ‘Homecourt DLSU,’ ‘Homecourt ADMU,’ or ‘Homecourt UP,’” he said.

Despite being called somewhat of a “well-kept secret” by Manansala for its out-of-sight location, the marketing department does well in calling out customers, especially with Cuan’s connections to generations of players.

Aside from athletes, the team also targets Thomasians in general, especially on occasions such as livestreaming of games or competitions and yellow-day celebrations.

The game changer Cuan’s Thomasian upbringing has paved way for him in deciding to be a part of “Hope for Hoops,” a non-profit organization where Cuan coaches aspiring basketball players from different barangays in Manila, helping them earn scholarships towards achieving their dreams.

“One thing about the Tigers basketball is the bond, the experience and the solid family,” said Cuan. “My transition from a player to a coach is proof of the saying, ‘Once a Tiger, always a Tiger,’ because everyone knows basketball and basketball connects us whether we like it or not.”ALYSSA CARMINA A. GONZALES

Editor: Maria Corazon A. Inay

Features 7

DECEMBER 14, 2016

All-Thomasian family

By MA. CZARINA A. FERNANDEZ

THE THOMASIAN core values proved to be pivotal in the excellence and service of the Lasala family who was hailed as this year’s Outstanding Thomasian Family in the 2016 Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Awards (TOTAL).

Led by Dr. Apolonio Lasala, who graduated from the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery in 1970, and his wife, Evangeline, who graduated from the College of Nursing on the same year, the allThomasian family has had a long history of their education and work experience in the University.

Dr. Lasala is a graduate of the then existing Pre-Med program before he pursued medicine. He taught under the Department of Surgery for 36 years. He is also a practicing surgeon in the UST Hospital.

Evangeline worked as a nurse at the UST Hospital until she was promoted to the Assistant Nursing Director post. She taught at the College of Nursing for 10 years and retired after working at the hospital for 32 years.

Dr. Alfred II Lasala, the residency training officer of General Surgery, narrated how the University played a major part close to their family’s hearts.

“My dad and mom worked at the UST hospital, and that is how they met. They were married at the Santissimo Rosario Parish Church.

All of us, their children, were born at the UST Hospital. My brother Apol and I still work here. UST is our home, literally,” Dr. Alfred said in an email interview with the Varsitarian.

Four of them are doctors,

The Lasala Family, this year’s Outstanding Thomasian Family in the 2016 Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Awards, receives the award from Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. MIAH TERRENZ PROVIDO

having finished their medical studies at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery. Alfred, Ma. Carolyn and Apolonio Jr. obtained their degrees in Medical Technology, with Alfred graduating cum laude, while Dorothy Marie took up Nursing as pre-med. Bernard graduated from the Faculty of Engineering with a degree in BS Civil Engineering.

The award came as a

pleasant surprise to their family.

“Upon knowing that our dad was the Humanitarian Service awardee, we were extremely proud!

I believed that he truly deserved it and it was a validation of all the good and hard work he has done throughout the years,” Lasala said.

“He has constantly offered his expertise for free to our less fortunate countrymen. He has always

Recycling, designing, and dining

A THOMASIAN alumna transformed a container van into a rustic-themed restaurant located at Padre Noval street, Manila.

Emelyn Vicencio, an architecture alumnus, designed Food Truck Manila, a three-story restaurant that offers American and Mexican food.

She was tapped by restaurant owner Joni Cabrera, who also owns Café UK in Padre Noval, to be the lead design director and concept designer of his new enterprise.

Even when she was still a student, Vicencio had designed for Pancake House in Mendiola and Dapitan, Manila and Rockband on Padre Noval.

Vicencio’s mastery of architectural programs aided her in coming up with conceptual designs for Rockband. She was later invited to also design Café UK. Conceptualizing the design for Food Truck was a big challenge for Vicencio because of her lack of experience in interior design.

“I like being challenged. Before, I had no idea how to [design] for a food business but my personality is that even though I don’t know how to do it at first, I will [still] accept it then along the way I will learn how to do it,” she said.

She decided to come up with a rustic and industrialized interior design, a style that focuses on the texture of the object while not

Thomasians at the newly-opened Foodtruck Manila.

completely changing the material’s appearance.

She also integrated a beach themed color palette of turquoise and a paper white color.

Vicencio applied the rustic art style particularly in the selection of the furniture and the paint of the food joint. Most of the furniture were recycled from Warehouse Burger and Wings, a food joint that closed last July and was also owned

by Cabrera. She replaced the laminations of the furniture and added a few ergonomic designs, such as the stool found by the divider table upon entry at the food joint, for the customers’ comfort.

Food Truck offers a mix of American and Mexican food and offers four kinds of food menu Tex-Mex Madness, snack menu, Patata Madness, French fries menu, and Cowbody Meals, rice meals. Their main specialty is the Tex-Mex Madness with snacks such as Hand Pulled Burger, Dinamita Jalapeno, Burrito, Nachos and Tacos, to name a few.

Vicencio is working on another project for the Food Truck which will have the same container van concept that can accommodate up to 40 concessionaires.

“We will leave the design of the container van entirely up to the concessioners but I will make a guideline [because] I will also be the one to approve their designs,” she said. DANIELLA T. COBARDE

been involved in many medicalsurgical missions to far flung areas of our country,” he added.

The medical-surgical missions were led by the UST Medical Missions Inc. and the UST Medical Alumni Association under Dr. Lasala’s watch.

Apolonio Jr. is a practicing urologist. Bernard is currently the manager of Engineering and General Services Department at the Roman

Catholic Archbishop of Manila. Ma. Carolyn and Dorothy Marie are now living in the United States and are now managing and operating a self-owned home health services company.

Alfred, Benard and Apolonio Jr. also have Thomasian spouses, namely Eden, Hazel, and Cher, respectively.

“Being competent, compassionate and committed [molded us]. Growing up, and until now, our parents have constantly reminded us to put God in the center of our lives,” he stated.

The Lasala’s all have held various positions in professional and socio-civic organizations. “[We also learned] to be grateful of what we have and pay it forward, to extend help when we can, where we can. Generosity not only in terms of material things, but more of service to the needy. And all these we plan and hopefully pass on to our own children,” he said.

According to the Office for Alumni Relations, the award is conferred upon a family whose members are all alumni of the University and who exemplify the Thomasian core values in their respective fields of expertise: competence in pioneering human endeavors, commitment to their profession and compassion for others, particularly the marginalized in society.

Twenty-seven other Thomasian alumni were also cited for their significant contributions to society and the Church in an awarding ceremony that took place at the Grand Ballroom of the Buenaventura G. Paredes, O.P. building.

Former Tiger puts up resto to celebrate growling golden legacy

Cuan “HOMECOURT” is where the heart is.

A 2008 Business Administration graduate, Japs Cuan relived the team’s greatest moments on and off court through a basketball-themed restaurant inspired by the Growling Tigers. “[My teammates and I] wanted it to be the place where we can hang out and reminisce about our times as a basketball team since we rarely see each other,” Cuan said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Located at Unit 205 R/F Building, Asturias St. Sampaloc, Manila, Homecourt opened last Nov. 8. It’s where Tigers of different generations and different playing fields came over, not just for the food, but for the good company.

Behind the theme, “Where Legacy Lives On,” is a team, not just in basketball, but in the business as well where Cuan’s partners consist of Thomasians of varying fields. This includes Anthony Espiritu and Jericho Artuz, Cuan’s fellow Business Administration graduates, and Pam Manansala and Bianca Lim from Communication Arts.

“We wanted the place to be created

by an all-Thomasian group; it was [an] all-Thomasian teamwork,” said Manansala, Cuan’s operations head.

To bring out the Thomasian spirit in the restaurant, its designers, who are alumni of the University, refurbished the over-all look of the place with black and yellow accents such as the counter, cabinets, tables and chairs. It also features dim lighting, smooth-cemented walls and hardwood floors. Aside from the normal things that people see in a restaurant, the place also has various mini-basketball games that customers can play with while waiting for their food.

Menu wise, the restaurant’s hearty meals include steaks served with rice and gravy, honey-flavored wings with a choice of blue cheese or ranch dip and beef burgers with bacon, cheese, lettuce, onions and tomatoes, all named after basketball terms like “Starting 5,” “Buzzer Beater” and “Overtime.”

“Personally, those are my type of food.

Players need protein, so we thought this is Legacy PAGE 6

8

Editor: Amierielle Anne A. Bulan

CIRC

Ryan Cayabyab prais Christmas spirit ORIGINAL Pilipino Music (OPM) composer Ryan Cayabyab performed his original Christmas tunes with Thomasian talents in the annual UST Christmas Concert last Dec. 1, marking the beginning of the University’s Christmas traditions.

Accompanied by the US T Symphony Orchestra, Cayabyab on piano led the acclaimed UST Singers, Coro Tomasino and Liturgikon Vocal Ensemble into soulful renditions of his Filipino Christmas compositions such as “Munting Sanggol” and “Isang Taong Lumipas.”

His first time to participate in the muchawaited annual concert, Cayabyab praised UST for distinguishing itself from other universities through the way it gives importance to the celebration of Christmas, citing the Christmas concert and tree lighting as examples.

“This has been institutionalized everywhere: celebrating the Christmas season is more apparent in this school,” Cayabyab told the Varsitarian.

The concert began with Herminigildo Ranera’s arrangement of Flemish composer August de Boeck’s “O Beata Mater.”

Ranera, conductor of the UST Symphony Orchestra, said he was impressed by the campus choirs who only had four days to master all the songs for the concert.

Like Cayabyab, the UST High School Glee Club under the tutelage of choral conducting graduate Emerson Hernandez was also performing for the first time in the concert. It performed the “Paskong ang Saya.”

Sopranos Ruth Brillo, Rosette Valencia and Demie Fresco belted a flawless rendition of orchestral conducting student Jedrick Itugot’s arrangement of

“My Grownup Christmas List” and “Sa Araw ng Pasko,” a classic OPM Christmas hit.

Tenors Ronan Ferrer, Eugene de los Santos and Randy Gilongo did a trio of “When Christmas Comes to Town,” an arrangement by Orlando dela Cruz.

Other campus-grown talents such as Austregelina Alfornon, Elisanta Cortes and Naomi Paz Sison harmonized to render the Catholic hymn to the Blessed Mother, “Quist Est Homo (Stabat Mater).”

Abdul Candao, an award-winning tenor based in Vienna, Austria, also graced the concert and performed Ranera’s arrangement of the classic “O Holy Night.”

“The performers were very good especially the students, faculty and alumni of the Conservatory of Music,” Cayabyab said.

The concert ended with a community singing of “God Bless Everyone” and “Hark the Herald,” as arranged by UST Symphony Orchestra’s principal bassoonist Derrick Atangan.

Concert committee chair and UST Museum Director Fr. Isidro Abaño, O.P. said the annual Christmas concert is a tribute to the friends and benefactors of UST. “Each year’s performance has ascended from one level to the next. This is an opportunity to showcase the musical talent of the Thomasians, especially the students and the professors of the Conservatoryof Music,” Abano said.

The 14th edition of the Christmas concert was dedicated to the 800th anniversary of the Dominican Order which administers the University.

The University also held the traditional lighting of Christmas displays, including the 70-ft. Christmas tree near the Grandstand on the concert’s gala night. AUDRIE JULIENNE D. BERNAS and CHELSEY MEI NADINE B. BRAZAL

Monumental legacy of Thomasian sculptor Eduardo Castrillo

Castrillo

Festive by Castrillo

Yin Yang by Castrillo

EDUARDO Castrillo, the man behind largerthan-life public sculptures such as the People Power Monument along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (Edsa) and the Andres Bonifacio tableaux near Manila City Hall, was the subject of a retrospective exhibit, Eduardo Castrillo @ 50: Moving the Legacy Forward, at the Yuchengco Museum, Makati City Oct. 13 to Nov. 24.

The retrospective to mark his 50th year as a professional artist had been planned even before Castrillo, a Fine Arts alumnus from the old College Architecture and Fine Arts, succumbed to cancer only last May 13. He was 73 years old.

Castrillo was known for his monuments that showed his patriotic zeal and religious fervor.

His patriotic monuments include the famous Rajah Soliman sculpture at Plaza Rahah Soliman in Malate, Manila, Spirit of Edsa inside RCBC Plaza, Emillio Aguinaldo monument in Trece Martires, Cavite, the Diwa Ng Batangueño monument in Capitol Hills Park, Batangas City, Sultan Kudarat monument in Cotabato City, and Golden Tribute to the History of Cebu, a 40feet metal monument in celebration of Cebu’s history.

Luneta parkgoers of course are familiar with light-and-sound tableaux of the last days of Jose Rizal.

Although the sculptures were inspired by august thoughts of patriotism, Castrillo drew inspiration from folksy, homespun things. The half-circle People Power monument on Edsa was inspired by a cockpit arena, disclosed his son and business assistant and studio manager, Nixxio Castrillo, himself a sculptor.

But Castrillo first earned public acclaim for his religious works, starting with his first major commission, “The Virgin” in La Loma, Manila, his first among his many Marian monuments here and abroad, such as Nuestra Señora de Remedios in Malate, Nuestra Señora de Guia in Ermita, not far from UST, Nuestra Señora de Loreto at the Loreto Church in Bustillos.

But perhaps his most famous religious sculpture is the Pieta and Last Supper at Loyola Memorial Park in Paranaque.

But Castrillo did not start out as a public sculptor but as a jewelry designer.

In the Yuchengco exhibit, photographs of his jewelry pieces such as brass earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces were displayed.

Perhaps the best-known Filipino modernist sculptor, Castrillo earned acclaim early on for his abstract sculptures, photos of which were shown in the exhibit.

“Diatonic Scale,” a seven-piece group of sculptures made of black iron and powdered paint ,showed thick, interweaving lines and shapes standing in an upright position.

“Light Prisms” was a plexiglass installation, with a light fixture to produce artificial multicolored lights.

According to Nixxio, Castrillo’s early days as an artist started through an exploration of his personal space and environment. Castrillo was influenced by his grandfather who was a craftsman and jeweller, Nixxio added.

“The reason why he made artworks that are really big is because he wanted those who see his works to think big and give them a sense of pride and nationalism,” Nixxio told the Varsitarian.

“He wanted to make an impact and prove that Filipinos are talented.”

“He [taught me that there are no rules in [making art] but you have to stand by what you create,” said Nixxio, himself a sculptor.

“Awareness to the world is already an inspiration.”

For Jeannie Javelosa, the exhibit’s curator, Castrillo was an avant-garde artist whose public art works constitute a solid legacy to the nation.

The exhibit was organized by the Castrillo Legacy Art Studio in partnership with Samsung Electronics Company Philippines’ Samsung Culture Connect program, which promotes culture and heritage through technology.

CHELSEY MEI NADINE B. BRAZAL

CLE

9

DECEMBER 14, 2016

ses UST’s UST Symphony Orchestra with conductor Ranera

Cayabyab on piano

UST Singers JAMILLAH N. STA. ROSA

Christmas story as told in Nativity art

By AUDRIE JULIENNE D. BERNAS AS SIGNIFICANT representation of the Christmas story, the Nativity scene as depicted in a number of dioramas from international collections was the center of this year’s Christmas exhibit hosted by the UST Museum of Arts and Sciences.

The exhibit featured various representations of the famous belen or the scene of the birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem.

Most of the Nativity sets on display came from UST Archivist Regalado Trota Jose’s collection along with other private collections.

Described by UST Museum Director Fr. Isidro Abaño, O.P. as “instructional,” the exhibit is in connection with UST’s thrust of staging Christmasthemed activities.

“The Thomasians can use it as an avenue for on-going, non-classroom education to be more equipped with regards to Christian art,” Abaño told the Varsitarian during the opening night last Nov. 28.

A six-foot Nativity scene applied with basrelief, a sculptural technique that displayed figures detached from the background, welcomed the guests of the exhibit. Its intricate details carved in ivory are shown in primary colors accented by hues of gold for the angels and the pillars that enclose the Holy Family.

“We made research about the symbols that you find in the Creche, another term for the Nativity set, so when you see different Nativity sets, you know the symbolisms of the things you see there,” Abaño said.

Abaño then referred to the distinct quality of the Neopolitan Nativity Set, a ceramic collection from Naples, Italy that represents the story embodied by the song “Carol of the Animals.” It showed the Holy Family surrounded by animals, narrating a scene that when Christ was born, the animals were given the privilege to speak for one day.

A set from Pampanga exuded a more serious aura as the figures were made from the volcanic ash collected from the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991.

The piece titled “Holy Family,” is a “Filipinized” representation of the nativity scene as it featured Jesus, Mary and Joseph in old Filipiniana clothing while holding the child Jesus.

Another Nativity set from Bacolod City has its characters clad in traditional Filipino farming clothes. Made with polychrome clay, the Mary and Joseph figures are shown sitting on the floor holding the infant Jesus.

“These Nativity sets are not historical, they’re symbolic,” Abaño said.

He added that the exhibit is tailored to cater for the Thomasians who wish to know more about the different kinds of nativity sets.

“When they see the exhibit, they learn some important information. So whenever they see Christian nativity sets, they know the story,” the museum head said.

Nativity sets are traditionally displayed in homes during the Christmas season, particularly by Christian families.

MIAH TERRENZ PROVIDO

Classical pianists jam in jazz, Christmas concert

PIANISTS from the Conservatory of Music took a break from their usual classical repertoire and played jazz and pop Christmas carols in “Christmas at the Piano,” a duet recital last Dec. 2.

Duos of 10 pianists rendered American pianist Bruce Greer’s arrangement of Christmas carols that narrated the Nativity story, starting from the Annunciation to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.

“It is very rare for classical pianists to perform Christmas Carols and that made this concert special,” Piano Department coordinator Anthony Yu Say told the Varsitarian.

The Singing Pianists, the official chorale of Conservatory’s Piano Department, opened the concert with “Somewhere in my Memory,” by British composer John Williams. It was a tribute to Apolonia Guilang, a professor who passed away last month.

The series of piano duet performances began with “Good Christian Men, Rejoice,” an old Latin Christmas song about people’s reaction

when they found out that the son of God will be born.

Playful melody followed as the pianists performed “Go, and Tell it on the Mountain,” a staccato piece about the reactions of the villagers when they heard that Jesus is born.

The pianists played their arrangement of “What Child is this?” and “Away in Manger”

by Bob Krogstad beaming with rinforzando, a sudden increase in tempo, treating the audience with a narration of the wise men’s adventure as they find Jesus’ manger in Bethlehem.

Baroque composer George Handel’s famous “Joy to the World” capped the concert.

For Nikki Sardilla, president of Piano Department, the Handel song was the concert’s highlight.

Elisanta Cortez, an alumna of College of Conservatory Music, enchanted the crowd with her performances of National Artist for Music Felipe de Leon’s “Mapayapang Daigdig” and Robert Wells and Mel Tormé’s “The Christmas Song.”

Students of Bachelor of Music (BM) Piano Performance and BM Music Education with Emphasis on Piano participated in the concert.

KLIMIER NICOLE B. ADRIANO

10 Witness

Editor: John Gabriel M. Agcaoili

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Filipinos to aid persecuted Christians

By SIGRID B. GA RCI A A I D TO the Church in Need (ACN), a Catholic aid organization for the religiously persecuted and oppressed, opened its 23rd national office last Nov. 12 at the CBCP building in Intramuros, Manila to help in the fight.

Founded in 1947 by a Dutch priest, the international organization seeks to raise awareness to the situations that persecuted religious are facing.

“Currently there are 200 million people worldwide who are experiencing religious intolerance. So they are persecuted and because of that we have this mission to help, to extend support to projects that would help Christians who are persecuted,” ACN National Director Jonathan Lucero said.

ACN relies on over 600,000 beneficiaries all over the world as an independent organization, to extend humanitarian help, he said.

“We don’t receive money from the government or from churches. We only receive money from individual donors,” he said.

The organization also extends help in the evangelization of Christians and rehabilitation of devastated areas, he said. In 2013, ACN was among the organizations that gave help to victims of Typhoon “Yolanda.”

The organization has helped build churches, seminaries and schools in devastated areas. It also produces materials for evangelization such as bibles and religious resource materials for young people, including catechism programs such as YouCat and DoCat. “They do not only offer material and financial assistance but they also have the capacity to bring the issue of persecution in the global sphere and ask governments, whether directly or indirectly, to put a stop to

it,” he said.

In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI elevated the Catholic organization to a Pontifical foundation.

Church organizations also experience persecutions The Church and other religious groups are not excluded from experiencing different forms of persecution such as cyber-bullying and cursing, an official said.

Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Committee on Public Affairs, said multiple kinds of harassment have been inf licted on the clergy, the Church and other faith groups for their positions on moral issues and national concerns.

“Threatening, cursing or cyber-bullying our Church’s leaders are certainly forms of persecution that are clearly hindering them from exercising their pastoral duty and from teaching their f lock more effectively,” Secillano said.

“In a sense, there is this type of persecution in the country that aims to silence the Church from educating and forming people in the context of the gospel and from lending her voice in politics, culture, business and the public sphere,” he added.

Secillano urged the Catholic Church to “stand firm and be [uncompromising] in teaching and living the gospel values” amid religious persecution. “[The Church] needs to be the voice and pillar of strength to those she seeks to serve.

She should engage in dialogue with perceived ‘enemies’ of the Church with a view to asserting one’s constitutional right to practice the faith without any fear or pressure,” he said.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas

Archbishop Antoine Chbier

Church official slams critics of ad orientem, a traditional way of offering the Holy Mass

By JOEL CHRISTI AN CRISTOBAL A CHURCH off icial from the Diocese of Cubao has criticized some liturgists for asser ting that priests should always obser ve the practice of versus populum or “facing the people” while leading Eucharistic celebrations.

Fr. Jojo Zer r udo, head of the Catechetical Ministr y of the diocese, slammed “liturgical exper ts” who impose moder n preferences over ad orientem or “facing east,” the Catholic practice for millennia where the priest offers Mass facing the taber nacle.

“Why is there a dictatorship of the few so-called ‘liturgical exper ts’ who think that their way of doing the liturgy is the only legitimate way?” he said in an inter view with the Varsitarian.

Zer r udo, parish priest of the Holy Redeemer Church in Quezon City, said ad orientem is as legitimate as versus populum, which is the cur rent practice.

The UST Central Seminar y alumnus said both practices are recognized by the Church. “[It] allows both legitimate practices to stand side by side,” he said.

Ad orientem, he said, is the objective way of speaking to God. “Worship is offered by both priest and people to God and that to me is the most impor tant argument, it is to ‘center’ the worship to Him,” he explained.

He urged the clergy to be open-minded in recognizing other for ms of worship, adding that they should not impose, but accept other for ms of devotion that are legitimate and traditional.

MVP FROM PAGE 15 you,’ because she really wanted to watch me but unfortunately, she did not reach my game day,” Mercado said.

Despite his grandma’s absence, Mercado was delighted when his entire family, who are often absent during tournaments, and childhood friends attended his competition for the first time.

Two days after winning the MVP plum, Mercado went to his grandmother’s tomb to show her his awards.

“I was already happy with the gold medal but getting the MVP award was really special because the first time my family watched me play, I got the award.” RANDELL ANGELO B. RITUMALTA and IVAN RUIZ L. SUING

Head of Dominicans named FROM PAGE 2

Versus populum or “facing the people” Catholic rite

No legislative authority On July 5, Cardinal Rober t Sarah, Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, appealed to the Catholic clergy at a conference in London to celebrate Masses Ad orientem PAGE 14

Archbishop Martin Jumoad

MIAH TERRENZ PROVIDO

Ad orientem or “facing the tabernacle” Catholic rite

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW LITURGICAL MOVEMENT

Sipalay said his appointment as prior provincial came as a surprise and even scared him, saying he only wanted “to follow.”

“When I learned about it, I was afraid. I never saw myself in office. I’m more into following than leading,” he said. “All my life I was preparing to become a doctor, but the Lord had other plans.”

With his election as prior provincial, Sipalay said he would lead the Order using the four thrusts that the Provincial Chapter had set in October – missionary option to the peripheries, itinerancy, deeper fraternal life and quality formation.

“A strong UST means a strong Dominican Province,” Sipalay said.

Sipalay obtained his bachelor’s degree in philosophy at the Philippine Dominican Center of Institutional Studies in 1992 and bachelor’s degree in sacred theology from UST in 1995. He earned his licentiate in 1997.

He was assigned as a missionary in Sri Lanka from 2006 to 2015 where he taught theology of consecrated life at the National Seminary of Our Lady of Lanka in Kandy. He also worked as secretary to the Committee for Religious Formation of the Conference of Major Religious Superiors of Sri Lanka from 2009 to 2015.

Before he was elected prior provincial, he served as prior of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Manaoag, Pangasinan. KATHLEEN THERESE A. PALAPAR and ROY ABRAHMN D.R. NARRA

Literary 11

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Sliding down the chimney POLICE officer Paguio’s house was once again alive with the sound of boisterous argument and breaking saucers. His wife, Manang Hendra, was assaulting him verbally about his overused manhood and some girl he met in town that night.

I perched myself atop a beer container and decided to peek in through the window. Ka Paguio’s clothes were soaked. Whether it was rainwater, cheap beer or his own vomit I was not quite sure.

“You were probably out with that girl from town again,” his wife, Manang Hendra said as Ka Paguio waddled his way into his room, shedding off his damp police uniform and tossing it over the woman’s face.

She turned to her window for a second, calling out to me, “Nandeng!” She paused just before the wet polo shirt landed On her face. She tossed it aside before motioning me to go out back. I gave her the paper bag full of monay. She in turn gave me a crisp twenty-peso bill.

“Here you go, Nandeng,” she said, surprising me with a five-peso mark-up on my usual commission as her “bread-buyer.”

It was strange when the money would come from one’s English teacher. Inside, I heard cheery, upbeat music and children’s laughter coming from their living room. Curious, I leaned a little bit, glancing at the television playing some Christmas-themed children’s show with brief interludes of pure static.

“Would you like to come inside?” she asked. I gleefully agreed and sat on their rattan couch. On the screen, a fat man

in red and white was desperately trying to climb into a squareshaped opening on a bricked roof.

He slid down and landed in a puff of charcoal dust. Stealthily, he snuck his hefty frame around the room, avoiding toy trains and stuffed animals, before making his way to a glowing tree in the center of the room with a star on top. He reached into his bag and brought out a box decorated with colorful, metallic wrapping. He reached for the cookies on a plate and a glass of milk, taking a bite and sip before being startled by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

Hypnotized, I did not notice that almost half an hour had passed.

I slipped on my slippers, although not before Ka Paguio came bursting out of the bathroom half-naked and dripping, stumbling toward me and mumbling garbled words.

“Maybe Santa will bring your family a television set for

The Igam brothers UNCLE Angelo said turn right, At the blinking street lamp.

On and off. On and off.

Stay under the light.

We clutched our gifts close: A box of chocolates, Wrapped in gold foil, A bottle of perfume for aunt Mary, And white petal roses.

Follow the street signs, Past the chapel Where the carols play All night long.

And when you lose your way, Remember the song: “Red light, Green light Blue light, purple light: Find the one so bright On the roof tonight!

The star! The star!

Find your way, Don’t lose your way.

You’ll know exactly Where you are.”

CEDRIC ALLEN P. STA. CRUZ

Christmas,” she whispered.

Excited, I rushed outside and began my walk home. I wondered if Manang Hendra’s prediction might come true. If it was, he was going to need a chimney get into our house. (The hole that the recent typhoon ripped through it might neither too festive nor inviting).

I decided to go to local junk shop and see if I could get either scrap metal or a spare tire. I walked down the street where everyone was busy with Christmas

decorations. The Reyes family house―a two-story fortress lit by f lickering pink reindeer with Santa Claus cracking his whip― was already begging for attention.

Mrs. Reyes, a jewelry aficionado with a passion for the color teal, from her bag to her car, was giving away candy canes to the carollers.

She went inside for a moment and re-emerged with a plastic tube. Its base had been ripped off, leaving just a green cylinder. I thought it would look nice on top of our roof and it seemed like even a morbidly obese man would be able to slide through.

I approached the gate and prepared myself for her forced American accent, which she did to try to impress the women in her husband’s charity events at the church.

“I’m sorry. I’m all out,” she said, puckering and licking her lips

profusely. I did my best to match her English with what I learned from Mrs. Hendra’s classes.

“Actually, Ma’am,” I said, with a generous amount of twang for good measure. “I was wondering if I could have that green tube over there.”

“Really? You want that? What are you going to do with that?” she asked.

“I’m going to make a chimney on our roof so Santa can bring us something this year.”

She gave out a hardy, boisterous laugh. She continued to chuckle for a good minute as he threw her head back and forth and stomped her stilettos on the marble step in front of her door.

“What kind of idea is that?

Such a dirty, stupid little boy!

Don’t you know anything about quality control?”

“Your husband does,” I replied. “Isn’t that why he’s in Cagayan now with your former maid?”

She slammed the door in my face and I swore I could hear the faint sound of sobbing.

I came home to find the house empty. I seized the opportunity and used the spare ladder we had for climbing. It was not an impressive height. A cold breeze swept as I positioned the garbage can above the hole in our roof. I used the putty I borrowed from Mang Pedro to seal it into place and fasten it down. I realized that my mother would not like the breeze sweeping in. I used some spare plywood and wrote the word “Here” with my fingers using red paint I found lying around the roof. I scurried Chimney PAGE 14

Australia-based Bobis leads Thomasian winners in National Book Awards MERLINDA Bobis, an Australia-based writer who took up her master’s degree in literature at the University, led Thomasian winners in the National Book Awards (NBA) given out Nov. 26 at the National Museum of the Philippines.

Bobis won Best Novel in English for Locust Girl: A Lovesong published by Spinifex Press in Melbourne and Anvil Publishing.

Her novel, a magical fable following the life of a nine-year-old girl in a world devastated by climate change, serves as a commentary on how the world could “recover” from such.

“Our senses of borders have cut the human heart. To heal it, I dream of care that may keep safe not only ourselves but also others unlike us,” Bobis said in her acceptance speech recorded overseas.

UST Philosophy alumnus and former Varsitarian Filipino staffer Michael Coroza was given the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino Prize for Best Book in Language Studies for serving as the editor of the Ambagan 2013: Mga Salita Mula sa Iba’t Ibang Wika sa Filipinas, published by the University of the Philippines (UP) Press.

A project of the Filipinas Institute of Translation, the anthology seeks to promulgate regional languages in accordance with Article XIV, Section 6 of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, which states that, “The national language of the Philippines is Filipino. As it evolves, it shall be further developed and enriched on the basis of existing Philippine and other languages.”

“Ang wikang Filipino ay hindi lamang Tagalog kundi lahat ng wika sa Filipinas.

Nasa mga wika ng bayan ang ating gunita at pagkatao,” Corosa said in his acceptance speech.

UST High School alumnus Ericson Acosta’s “Mula Tarima Hanggang at Iba pang Mga Tula at Awit,” published by the UP Press, won Best Book of Poetry in Filipino.

Acosta said he wrote the poetry collection during his days of imprisonment.

“Since hindi madali magsulat sa loob ng marahas na sirkumstansiya, malaking tagumpay sa akin ang makapagsulat sa loob ng kulungan na [naglalayong] ipaliwanag sa mamamayan ang pagpapalaya sa mga bilanggong politikal,” he said in his acceptance speech.

Joselito de los Reyes of the UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies bagged Best Essay in Filipino for “Titser Pangkalawakan at Iba Pang Angas sa Social Network Underworld,” a collection of Facebook status updates about his personal experiences and political insights published by Visprint Inc. Coroza said literary awards are important because they help encourage more people to write.

“Ang mga ganitong parangal ay nakapagtutulak sa kahit sino na tumanaw o gumawa dahil may inaasahang pagsasapitan ‘yong kanilang ginawa balang araw,” he said.

“Higit sa lahat, kapag nagwagi ang sinuman sa [National Book Award], ang kaniyang aklat ay siguradong maipamamahagi at maieendorso na basahin,” he added.

For De los Reyes, the book awards have become innovative by acknowledging literary work from online platforms.

“Dati graphic literature lang... ngayon ay mayroon nang mga puwang. Halimbawa na lamang, alam naman natin na nanalo ‘yong social media collection ko. Maganda ito dahil binibigyang halaga ang social media bilang platform o avenue sa paglalathala,” he explained.

NBA was originally organized by the Manila Critics’ Circle (MCC), an organization of literary critics and newspaper columnists co-founded by the late Thomasian poetess Ophelia Dimalanta. Nowadays, MCC hands out the awards partnership with the National Book Development Board. NIKKO MIGUEL M. GARCIA

Wishing Christmas lights IT IS the urchins on the streets— Domino tiles parading From left across right, Toppling one after another That which build The shape of their dreams: A marching band darting To the pound of drums, The blow of brass demanding Eyes that stare, ears that listen, But in lieu Morse codes esoteric Pitter-pattering on a coiled line— Itsy-bitsy critters that crawl Until they breach the surface Wishing to be deciphered In their faintness, Christmas lights Flickering to and fro wishing To be noticed in their emerald embers.

NIKKO MIGUEL M. GARCIA

12 Sci-Tech

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Mental Health Bill:

Promoting awareness and ending cultural stigma THE PHILIPPINES is the only Southeast Asian country without a mental health law, to think that one out of five Filipinos have mental health disorders.

According to the 2014 Global report on preventing suicide, depression is the most common cause of illness and disability for ages 10 to 19 years old while suicide is the second highest cause of death globally among adolescents. About four million attempt to commit suicide every year and hundreds of thousands actually succeeded.

Records from the new Philippine Health Information System on mental health show that the Philippines has the highest number of depressed people in Southeast Asia, with schizophrenia as the top mental health disorder.

People suffering from this disorder may have difficulty distinguishing between reality and imagination. They may be unresponsive or withdrawn and may have difficulty expressing normal emotions in social situations.

The Philippine Psychiatric Association (PPA) stated there are only five psychiatrists for every 10 million Filipinos and local health insurances do not cover mental health-related concerns.

Senate Bill No. 1190 or the Philippine Mental Health Act of 2016 aims to protect the rights of Filipinos with mental disorders and/or disabilities in able to prevent and treat mental illnesses as well as to promote the mental health of the Filipinos.

“I think the passing of the bill is a step in talking about this prominent issue and

it will help reduce the stigma regarding mental health. [The stigma] is one of the main barriers that prevent the people from accessing the mental health services,” Thomasian Raymund Naguit, who is a medical director at the PPA, said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

He and the other advocates are encouraging the youth to sign a petition campaigning for the passage of the country’s first-ever mental health act, which has been delayed for over 15 years due to the change of administrations and the lack of support from the Filipinos.

As of February, the petition has gathered nearly 6,000 signatures.

Once it reaches 200,000 signatures, the petition will be delivered to the Philippine legislators.

The bill aims to establish a national mental health policy to enhance integrated mental health services, promote and protect persons utilizing psychiatric, neurologic and psychosocial health services, as well as to appropriate funds for other purposes.

The bill includes provisions ensuring the right of the patient in choosing his health care provider and the right to confidentiality among others.

The rights of the family members of the patient to receive appropriate psychological support from the relevant government agencies are also included.

Benefits of mental health professionals, like continuous education and training, are incorporated. “The bill will promote specialized training of health care

professionals in addressing mental health and this will lessen the unemployment rate,” Naguit said.

The bill aims to strengthen information systems, evidence and research for mental health. The bill also gives importance to solving the country’s lacking manpower with regard to mental health.

Another part of the bill is the involvement of the Department of Health and Commission on Human Rights to ensure the implementation of the national mental health program.

“If this bill is not legislated, it will be dependent on the administration. If it is, it will help protect the program itself regardless of the change of administration],” Naguit explained.

Lack of manpower Half of the population of adults who went to rural health centers is found to have some form of psychological illness. However, these health centers are unequipped in providing services. It should also be noted that there are only 490 licensed psychiatrists here in the country and only two national mental health institutions, both of which are in the National Capital Region.

67 percent of people availing services of mental health are confined in the National Center for Mental Health in Mandaluyong which is inaccessible to those living outside the region.

“This bill is also mandating DOH to provide psychiatric facilities in local, regional, and even provincial level,” Naguit

said.

Awareness The large number of students in universities makes it difficult for them to form their own support networks, to fit in and to feel like they are part of a wider whole.

The prevalence of mental illness in students will likely become worse without adequate funding or support.

There is a need to have an open and inclusive dialogue on campus about mental health and where students can get support— either through formal counselling services or peer-support networks.

The University has a psychotrauma clinic and a health service to cater these needs. The psychotrauma clinic is a clinic of graduate school students that provide examinations and counseling. Those who manifest signs and symptoms of mental ailment are referred to the Guidance and Counseling Department.

“Not everyone is aware of those available services here in the university and the health service should promote them,” Naguit said, pushing the health service to also prioritize mental health.

“For now, I am talking to the Office for Student Affairs and I am suggesting a mental health advocacy here in UST. I am envisioning a tighter coordination of the student organizations in UST to promote the importance of mental health,” he added.

EDRIS DOMINIC C. PUA, DAN ALBERT D. BESINAL and JULIUS ROMAN M. TOLOP

EdTech Center partners with Google ‘Up-cycling’ mitigates climate to expand eLearning opportunities change, Thomasian prof says THE EDUCATIONAL Technology Center (EdTech) collaborated with Internet giant Google, setting up applications to expand the existing digital learning initiatives of the University through its eLearning Access Program.

The University was one of the first institutions to adapt “Google apps for Education” since its introduction in the Philippines in 2014.

Anna Cherryle Ramos, director of the EdTech Center, said the move “was on trial and testing in two colleges with techsavvy students specifically at the Institute of Information and Computing Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering.”

Google apps for Education now serve as the login credential for accessing all e-Learning course sites under the e-Learning Access Program (eLeAP).

The program aims to enhance the communication and collaboration among the Thomasian academic community and enrich teaching and learning practices from technologymediated activities.

Students and faculty

members have been certified to use a personal Google Cloud platform account via Gmail, Google’s email program. The Web-based word processing program possesses unlimited storage for Gmail accounts and all files in Google Drive.

The program also provides an easy access to hundreds of free Google Apps for Education.

Ramos said this program will allow uncomplicated submission of papers using Google generated URL via eLeAP course sites without uploading physical files into the eLearning management system.

“All enrolled students are eligible for the Google Apps for Education account issuance and enrollment to eLearning course sites. The term of its usage is based on the enrollment record from the registrar’s office. After the degree completion or term of employment, these e-mail addresses shall be functional within a period of six months to allow the user to archive the important communication history.”

Faculty members will be allowed to share collaborative

Employees from the Educational Technology Center

documents in one repository, inside the Learning Management Systems, as opposed to having their personal drives shared via an email message.

EdTech superintended the implementation of the program across the University. Phillipe Jose Hernandez, the University’s Social Media Bureau, said that EdTech coordinators have undergone a training program to be “Google Certified Educators,” a Google-sponsored accreditation for teachers who are proficient in using online tools in the classroom.

Integration For several years, EdTech has been using the eLearning Access Program (eLeAP) as the primary platform for teachers and students to be engaged in digital learning.

Ramos said the successful migration of the eLearning Access Program to a cloud-hosted virtual environment has been timely.

Right after the successful trial validation run on Google, the need for e-mail addresses became a requirement.

EdTech PAGE 14

PHOTO COURTESY OF EDTECH

EDUCATING partner communities of the Simbahayan with the ‘upcycling’ of tin cans to gas stoves and organic material waste to fuel and fertilizer is the primary solution of a Thomasian professor to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Also promoting the usage of biochar, Neil Ian Lumanlan of the College of Science said the organic material can go with any composting process and microorganisms can also help to avoid the stinking of the compost. Additionally, it can absorb moisture up to five times its weight and retain it, along with nutrients needed by plants.

Lumanlan called his invention “Tincanium Stove,” from the suggestion his friend Jock Gill as it is a stove made from tin cans. It is designed to reduce the wasted heat and reduce the wood consumption of locals in Nueva Ecija when they cook.

“I was actually surprised that the locals are using LPG. They are in the province,” Lumanlan said.

The production of LPGs burns fossil fuels that emit carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere.

Producing carbon dioxide increases the greenhouse effect of earth, while producing methane is 30 times more powerful when analyzed molecule per molecule than carbon dioxide.

Also, some locals use wood to cook, unaware that the smoke produced while cooking may be dangerous to their health.

The smoke particles can enter the human respiratory system and cause diseases. These two problems primarily caught the attention of Lumanlan as he began thinking of ways to mitigate them.

He then demonstrated the use of biological charcoal also known as biochar.

Biochar is any gasified biomass like wood, manure or leaves.

“The carbon co-product of pyrolisis of biomass, when processed and applied to soil to improve fertility is referred to as biochar,” Lumanlan explained.

Pyrolysis produce bio-oil

and heat that can displace fossil fuels to generate power while also sequestering carbon at the same time.

Pyrolysis of waste biomass can also be used to produce sustainable fuel briquettes and charcoal.

Therefore, hydrogen atoms and oxygen atoms are derived from the organic material leaving the carbon behind. The carbon left is a valuable soil conditioner and amendment if processed to absorb nutrients from other waste streams.

Lumanlan also demonstrated the procedures of making the Tincanium Stove to the local communities. “[The locals] are surprised and amazed that they can cook without smoke and use very little [amount of] wood. They do not need to cut trees to cook food,” Lumanlan said.

Giving Back to Earth Carbon emissions avoided from not using fossil fuels makes it carbon neutral but biochar fertilizers further increase plant growth, creating a positive feedback loop.

Food yields also increase as biomass residue increases to sustain energy production and removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. “[In appearance,] it is just like a charcoal but it has a greater value for food production,” Lumanlan added as he explained that biochar may also be used as a soil enhancer.

“When you put carbon back to the soil, you are reversing the cycle. The benefit [of doing so] will increase soil fertility which is needed for our food security,” Lumanlan said.

This is what they call the Carbon Negative System where carbon from biomass will not go to the atmosphere but instead return to the ground.

“If you change something archaic like flame to something sustainable, you are changing the negative impact to positive impact,” Lumanlan remarked.

Lumanlan also integrated tincanium and biochar in his lectures to develop the students’ competency to nature. KARL BEN L. ARLEGUI

Art Director: Kirsten M. Jamilla

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Limelight 13

14 Limelight

Art Director: Kirsten M. Jamilla

DECEMBER 14, 2016

BUHAY USTEDYANTE BY CHINNY MAE F. BASINANG

TOMALINO BY SHAINA MAE L. SANTANDER

EVERYDAY ESPAÑA BY IAIN RAFEL N. TYAPON

Chimney

muff led steps before becoming more rhythmic and panicked.

I heard the plywood being tossed aside, and then afterwards a loud crashing noise. I walked quietly towards its epicenter, eager to see the signature scarlet hat and stocky, almost plush frame.

Instead, a man in a torn t-shirt with blotches of dirt lay on his backside, bear-hugging a television set, in the middle of our house. I wanted to shout for my mother but I remembered she had gone out to play Mahjong with some of the local housewives.

“Santa Claus?” I inquired.

“Santisimo!” he exclaimed, hopping and nearly dropping the television out of fright. He tried to catch his breath and peeked outside, where f lashlights were darting everywhere, and the barangay

tanods were going from house to house trying asking if they have seen a man with a television come through.

“Ito. Regalo ko sa’yo,” he said nervously. The stranger motioned me to keep quiet. He approached me and dropped the television into my hands, landing the electronic box’s weight on me.

“Merry Christmas,” he said before taking a bite of the pandesal and swiping the bottle of cola. He snuck out the door, careful to avoid the search party.

I rushed outside with the television set and tried to find my mother at the sari-sari store just down the street. I was thrilled: we finally had a television of our own!

I thought Mrs. Hendra must have been some sort of fairy godmother or something.

Finally, I found her and immediately I yelled out, “Ma! Ma!” It was answered almost instantly by a shrill, startled voice: “Magnanakaw! Magnanakaw!”

Before I could set the television down, two lawmen had me by each arm and another hoisted the big black box up onto his shoulder.

“Anak! Anong ginagawa mo?” she asked, shocked and confused.

Speechless, I looked around and saw the man who had entered our house earlier. He was frantically haling a tricycle by the side of the road.

I immediately pointed towards him while the two tanod local guards raced after him, tackling him and wrestling him to the ground. They escorted him to the station through a crowd of

disturbed neighbors.

I saw Mrs. Hendra coming to greet me and my mother. She looked at the television before turning to me.

“Looks like I was right. Santa did bring you a television for Christmas,” she said.

“Too bad we have to give it back,” I thought to myself, until my mother gave me a sly wink.

“Maybe tomorrow,” my mother said as we both hauled the television silently back to our house, slipping behind the crowd and using the carolers’ songs to disguise our footsteps.

“Merry Christmas, Ma. I guess Santa was skinnier than I thought,” I said to her, eager to enjoy a special pancit dinner in front our “borrowed” television set. CEDRIC ALLEN P. STA. CRUZ

ang pagtuturo ng mother tongue languages sa MTB-MLE. Kaakibat ng pagpapakilala sa mga mag-aaral ng mga bagong wika, mas mabuting ipinaaalala pa rin sa kanila ang kanilang mga katutubong diyalekto. Nararapat lamang na bigyan ang mga ito ng pantay na kahalagahan kung

ikukumpara sa Ingles. Maaari ring magdagdag ng mga bagong usapin hinggil sa mga pangkat-etniko sa syllabus ng ganitong mga asignatura sa lingguwistika.

Ikalawa, dapat nang magkaroon ng panibagong diksiyunaryo na kapapalooban ng mga bagong salitang katutubo.

Tulad ng talatinigan na likha ni Jose Villa Panganiban noong 1946, dapat nitong saklawin maging ang etimolohiya at kasaysayan ng mga salita at wikang babanggitin.

Hindi dapat ito maging limitado sa pagtanggap ng mga wikang banyagang ihinalo na sa wikang Filipino; dapat nitong isama pati na ang mga baryasiyon ng mga kataga sa iba’t ibang rehiyon.

Huli, marapat imungkahi ang patuloy na pagsusulat ng mas marami pang pananaliksik hinggil sa mga wika sa bansa lalo na ukol sa mga wikang namatay na. Sa katunayan, noong 2014, 30 ang naitalang “endangered languages” sa Filipinas na baryasiyon

karamihan ng wika ng mga katutubong Agta. Sa pagsulong ng modernong teknolohiya, hindi dapat mapag-iwanan ang pagtuklas sa wika na isa sa pinakamahahalagang bahagi ng kasaysayan.

Ayon kay Frantz Fanon, isang pilosopong post-kolonyal, kaakibat ng pagsasalita ng isang wika ang pagpapakilala ng isang kultura sa mundo. Sa ganitong paniniwala kung gayon, direktang maiuugnay ang etnisidad ng Filipinas sa mga

katutubong wika nito. Maituturing ang mga itong tulay upang mawari ng mga Filipino ang kanilang naiibang identidad. Sa panahon ng paghahalu-halo ng mga paniniwala at paglubog-paglitaw ng mga tradisyon, mahalagang malaman ang ating lugar sa mundo. Bilang mga Filipino, higit sa kulay kayumanggi na kinaiingitan ng Kanluran o sa iba’t ibang kulay ng pagkakaisang politikal, marapat natin patingkarin maging ang mga kulay ng ating wika.

Employability

Artlets

Edtech

Ad orientem

FROM PAGE 2

FROM PAGE 2

FROM PAGE 12

Asian schools in employability at third place with 95.2 points.

UST remained idle in the 701+ bracket of the World University Rankings reported last September.

The University’s highest rank in the main QS survey was in 2008 when it landed in the 401-500 bracket.

According to QS website, the rankings for the second edition of QS Graduate Employability Rankings were determined by the following criteria: employer reputation (30 percent), alumni outcomes (20 percent), employer partnerships (25 percent), employer-student connections (15 percent) and graduate employment rate (10 percent).

private accrediting agencies, and faculty members’ scholarships and appointments to different academic organizations.

Among the attendees were award-winning filmmaker Jun Robles Lana, ABS-CBN corporate affairs chief Kane Choa and bar topnotcher Arlene Maneja.

The Faculty of Arts and Letters, formerly the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters (Philets), was established in 1896, making it the oldest liberal arts college in the country.

In 1964, it was renamed the Faculty of Arts and Letters, with the merger of bachelor of arts programs into the old Philets from the defunct College of Liberal Arts.

It was the well-loved Dean Villaba who called Artlets “the big little college” for the feats of its students and alumni. R.A.D.R. NARRA

Consequently, to comply with the demand of this situation, eLeaP had made an adjustment.

From then on, the partnership of the University with Google apps for Education became fully integrated.

In addition, eLeAP has a similar “cloud base infrastructure” with Google.

Although, powered by Blackboard Learning, its partnership with the University became extremely successful.

Furthermore, EdTech conducts regular orientation to students and faculty members through the appointed eLearning specialists per college in accessing their Google for Education and eLearning Access Program Accounts.

Faculty members were given

“Access Cards” which allows them to carry a handy reference with login instructions and information about the functions of the Google Core Apps for Education.

Since the start of organizing teachers into Google for Educators Group (GEG), members of the EdTech have been invited as panel experts in the regular gathering of these GEG chapters in the Philippines.

They are scheduled to join the upcoming Convergence: GEG Educator’s Summit 2016 on November 12 with teachers from GEG Kalayaan, GEG Manila South, GEG Mandaluyong, GEG Ortigas and GEG Makati.

Aside from its Google for Education partnership, the EdTech is now being identified as a training and certification center for those teachers wanting to be recognized as Google Certified Educator and Innovator. DAN

FROM PAGE 11 down before my mother caught me climbing up the roof again.

I recalled from the show at Mrs. Hendra’s house that Santa liked to take a bite out of cookies and take a sip of milk.

I scoured around and found some leftover stale pandesal and an unopened bottle of soda. I placed it just below the opening, hoping it might be acceptable. I returned to my quarters and eagerly waited, but I dozed off a few minutes later.

Suddenly, I heard the peculiar sound of footsteps on the roof, as well as our neighbor’s. It grew into a loud stomping, and then light,

Dagitab FROM PAGE 4

ROY ABRAHMN D.R. NARRA

ALBERT D. BESINAL

FROM PAGE 10 using ad orientem on the f irst Sunday of Advent this year.

However, Fr. Fidel Pasiloc of the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center in Manila said the prefect from Papua New Guinea had no “legislative authority” over the Catholic liturgy.

“He has no [legislative] authority to initiate changes in the liturgy. Only the Holy See has that power,” he told the Varsitarian in an email.

Zer r udo agreed with the statement of Pasiloc, saying that Cardinal Sarah’s appeal should be done through a decree.

“He (Sarah) came up with the suggestion in a symposium.

But it will not descend to that unless put in an off icial document, which he never did,” he said.

Editor: Delfin Ray M. Dioquino

Sports 15

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Judokas score historic grandslam in UAAP THE UST Judokas made UAAP history after winning all four titles in both seniors’ and juniors’ division in the UAAP Season 79 judo tournament at the De La Salle Santiago Zobel gym in Alabang last Nov. 19 to 20.

UST became the first university in UAAP judo history to sweep all titles. The Judokas also bagged all championships in 2012 but the girls’ division was not introduced yet. The University had the chance to complete the feat last year but Ateneo de Manila University came to spoil the party by dethroning the Male Judokas.

The Lady Judokas scored 74 points to run away with their third straight title behind four gold, six silver and two bronze medals. “[Our three-peat now] is a much satisfying feat since we have a mixed roster. During our first three-peat, we had a lineup full of seniors, but this time, we have newbies and veterans,” said coach Gerard Arce, who stirred the Lady Judokas to five championships.

“The performance is more impressive, we have a stacked lineup, more complete, and with it, we have a wider margin in points.”

Most Valuable Player Sueko Kinjho (-52 kg), KhrizziePabulayan (-48 kg), Miam Salvador (-44 kg) and Eunice Lucero (-63 kg) all took home gold medals while Mae Bayas (-48kg), Alexis Belen (-44kg), Lorelei Tolentino (-57 kg), Ana Bernardino (-78 kg), Renielyn Castillo (+78 kg) and AislinnYap (-70 kg) pocketed silver. Tracy Jean Honorio and Jamaica

Ponciano (-78 kg) settled for bronze.

Unlike their female counterparts who were already sure of the championship after a 30-point lead in the first day, the Male Judokas had to fight toe-totoe with defending champions Ateneo to reclaim the title they won in 2014.

The Male Judokas finished Day 1 at second place behind the University of the Philippines before securing two gold, one silver and one bronze in Day 2 to come through as champions, edging Ateneo, 49-36. They had a total of four gold, one silver and three bronze medals in the two-day affair.

“Honestly, [this championship is] a bittersweet victory for us since we had players who lost in the medal matches, but rest assured everyone made their contributions from training [to the actual competitions], so for me everyone really did win,” former MVP and Male Judokas team captain Al Llamas said.

“I wouldn’t ask for any other teammates or coach to share this championship with. They are the best.”

In the past two seasons, the Male Judokas have won only two gold medals combined but this year, they already doubled that tally as MVP Daryl Mercado (-55kg), Luis San Diego (-81kg), Dither Tablan (+100kg) and Al Llamas (-66kg) nabbed four gold medals.

Russell Lorenzo (-55kg) and Renzo Cazenas (-90kg) added a silver and bronze, respectively, for the Male Judokas. PHILIP MARTIN L. MATEL and RALPH EDWIN U. VILLANUEVA

Al Llamas of the Male Judokas take down his opponent to grab the historic win for UST. DEEJAE S. DUMLAO

UST ahead of La Salle in UAAP THE UNIVERSITY kept its hold of first place in the UAAP general championship race with the first semester coming to an end.

The University collected six gold and three silver medals to garner 161 points.

Defending overall champions De La Salle University sits at second place but still has teams playing in the men’s and women’s basketball finals.

Should La Salle win both basketball championships, it would end the first semester with 154 points. The worst case scenario for La Salle is 148 points.

UST, which did not win a gold medal in the beach volleyball tournament last year, brought home twin championships in beach volleyball for its first gold medals.

The Lady Spikers bounced back from their fifth-place finish last year to win the gold at the expense of the Far Eastern University.

UST’s men’s team finally won the title after beating rivals Ateneo de

Manila University.

Recently, the UST Judokas punctuated the University’s dominant first semester run with another back-to-back titles in UAAP judo. The Lady Judokas nabbed their third straight crown while the Male Judokas dethroned Ateneo to reclaim their throne.

The Tiger Jins kept their championship streak going by securing their third consecutive title while the Male Paddlers overcame long-time tormentors La Salle for their first gold medal since 2012.

La Salle unseated UST’s poomsae team which settled for silver. The Lady Jins duplicated their second-place finish from last year while the Lady Paddlers almost stymied La Salle’s championship streak for another silver.

The UST Tigersharks and Shuttlers maintained their fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively.

Last year’s UAAP basketball finalists Growling Tigers suffered their worst season as they slipped to

last place, their worst in the Final Four era.

The University of the Philippines is at third place with a total of 123 points.

It brought home championships in women’s badminton and women’s swimming.

Men’s swimming champions Ateneo de Manila Universitycame in at fourth place.

Should the Blue Eagles pull off an upset against La Salle in the men’s basketball finale, Ateneo would end the first semester with 120 points.

Men’s badminton and women’s taekwondo titleholder National University would score a maximum of 111 pointsfor fifth place should the Lady Bullpups win their third straight women’s basketball title.

Far Eastern University, University of the East and Adamson University registered 78, 69 and 43 points for sixth, seventh and eighth place, respectively. JAN CARLO ANOLIN and CARLO A. CASINGCASING

Judokas Kinjho, Mercado take home twin MVP plums THE UST Judokas did not only win the twin championships this UAAP season. They also took home the most valuable player awards in both men’s and women’s division.

Sueko Kinjho, who helped the Lady Judokas win four championships in her five years in the UAAP, continued the long tradition of Thomasian MVP’s after adding the MVP plum to her collection of four UAAP titles and herRookie of the Year award.

“I’ll carry [those awards] forever and I know it will make me smile when I get older,” Kinjho told the Varsitarian. “Those are things that I’ll be happy about when I look back at my UAAP

Kinjho

judo career.”

Though the Lady Judokas ran away with the title without much contention, it was a tough year for Kinjho who had to balance judo trainings with her Graduate School study. With her Business Administration night classes coinciding with the women’s team practice hours, she needed to train with the men’s team to keep her body in tiptop shape for the upcoming season.

She was also the only Thomasian in her weight class after her partner was disqualified for surpassing the weight limit.

But those hardships did not matter as Kinjho went undefeated

in three matches to lead the Lady Judokas to their sixth championship in seven years, cementing their name as UAAP judo’s queens.

For Male Judoka Daryl Mercado, his MVP award isdedicated for his grandmother who passed away days before the tournament opened.

Mercado skipped training days to stay in his grandmother’s wake but missed the day of her burial to focus on the tournament.

“I said, ‘Sorry, mommy, this game is for MVP PAGE 10

Mercado

Sports

JULY 11, 2016