The Varsitarian P.Y. 2016-2017 Issue 08

Volume LXXXVIIII, No. 8 • March 29, 2017 THE OFFICI AL STUDENT PUBLIC ATION OF THE UNIV ER SIT Y OF SA NTO TOM AS Manila, Philippines

ASH WEDNESDAY. Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy leads the Eucharistic celebration for Ash Wednesday at the Plaza Mayor last March 1.

UST PROPOSES 10% TUITION HIKE

“

We don’t want to hire professors who are not qualified.

The students will suffer.

”

UST Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P.

In numbers The increase amounts to P138 per unit for firstto fourth year students.

By CHRISTIAN DE LANO M. DEIPARINE and MARIA CRISANTA M. PALOMA THE UNIVERSITY has no choice but to hike tuition next academic year in addition to using savings to keep its faculty and maintain school facilities amid the disruption caused by K to 12, UST Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. has said.

Dagohoy said the proposed hike would go to salary increases for faculty members and University personnel. “[T]here will be a new round of salary increases for the faculty. Basically, 70 percent should go to faculty members,” Dagohoy said in a chance interview with the Varsitarian last March 7.

Dagohoy also cited fixed costs such as electricity, janitorial services and others.

“We have a lot of fixed expenses that we

really have to maintain otherwise there will be complaints. We have to dig into whatever savings we had in the past … until we return to [normalization in] 2021,” he said.

Dagohoy was referring to the normalization of the number of college enrollees in 2021 after the transition period of the K to 12 curriculum, which added two more years to the country’s basic education system.

The proposed 10-percent tuition increase for the next academic year amounts to P138 per unit for first- to fourth-year students, P135 per unit for fifth-year students, P232 per unit for Civil Law students, P206 per unit for Graduate School students taking up master’s programs, and P252 per unit for those taking up doctorate programs.

Tuition PAGE 5

Peralta, Fr. Villarroel honored in Gawad Ustetika PIONEERING anthropologist Jesus Peralta, who is also a former director of the National Museum, was given the Parangal Hagbong for lifetime achievements in letters during the Gawad Ustetika Awards of the Varsitarian at the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, OP Building last March 9.

Peralta is the first playwright elevated to the Hall of Fame of the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature in 1995. He won at least five first prizes in the prestigious annual literary derby.

Also given posthumously the Parangal Hagbong was Spanish Dominican friar Fr. Fidel Villarroel for his important writings in Philippine historiography.

Fr. Villarroel, who died at the age of 87 last Oct. 23, is an applauded historian of the Catholic Church not only in the Philippines, but also in Asia.

Associate Professor Maria Eloisa De Castro, who teaches history in the Faculty of Arts and Letters, received the award in behalf of Fr. Villarroel.

Parangal Hagbong, which comes from an old Tagalog word in Quezon province meaning “laurel crown,” has been given by the Varsitarian since 1997 to UST alumni for lifetime achievement in letters.

The first Parangal Gawad Ustetika PAGE 8

Peralta

ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN

‘Ched has no mandate to suspend field trips’

By MA. ANGELA CHRISTA COLOMA AN EDUCATION lawyer has criticized the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) for abusing its authority when it ordered a moratorium on offcampus activities after a bus crash in Rizal that claimed more than a dozen lives.

Joseph Noel Estrada, UST alumnus and legal counsel of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, said such decision is reserved to the courts. “[The moratorium] is beyond the power of Ched because it is not explicitly provided in the Ched law.

[The issuance of a] hold order, suspension order [or] freeze order is in the nature of judicial or quasi-judicial power,” Estrada told the Varsitarian in an interview.

Section 8 of Republic Act (RA) No. 7722 or the Higher Education Act of 1994 states that Ched is tasked to “formulate and recommend development plans, policies, priorities and programs on higher education and research.”

Estrada said the suspension of educational trips Ched PAGE 5

CSC No. 2 running unopposed for presidency ELECTION season began in UST with only one student filing his certificate of candidacy for the highest position in the Central Student Council (CSC).

Medical technology junior and CSC Vice President Steven Grecia of Lakas Tomasino Coalition (LTC) is the only candidate who filed a certificate of candidacy for presidency last. March 21.

A total of 13 candidates are vying for CSC Executive Board seats this year, down from last year’s 18 candidates.

Competing for the vice presidency are former College of Fine Arts and Design Student Council president and industrial design junior student Renz Santiago (Lakasdiwa) and speech and language pathology sophomore Gabriela Angela Sepulchre (LTC), former treasurer at the College of Rehabilitation Sciences Student Council.

Hotel and restaurant management junior Alexandra Guevarra (LTC), travel management CSC Polls PAGE 3

2 News

Editor: Alhex Adrea M. Peralta

MARCH 29, 2017

Purge negative emotions — Fr. Dagohoy ASH WEDNESDAY is a reminder of our mortality and belonging to the Lord.

This was the message of UST Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. as he opened the Lenten season in the University with a concelebrated Mass at Plaza Mayor last March 1.

“Ash Wednesday is not a just a day that reminds us of our mortality. After all we are human beings. It is also a day when we reveal our belongingness, and that is the reason we are smeared with ashes,” Dagohoy said in his homily.

Dagohoy described Lent as a reminder to the people that they belong to God. “Ash Wednesday reminds us that though our bodies are vessels of clay, these bodies are also vessels of grace. Through the sign of the cross on our foreheads, we say to world that we belong to God,” he said.

Dagohoy encouraged Thomasians to purge themselves of negative emotions.

“Give up despair and take up hope.

Give up indifference and take up love. ‘Wag ninyong hayaang dumating ang Easter nang wala kayong dala-dala,” he said.

Suffering with Jesus In his homily during Ash Wednesday Mass at the Arzobispado de Manila Chapel in Intramuros, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle described Lenten season as sharing in the suffering of Jesus Christ.

“Apatnapung araw ang ibinibigay sa atin upang tayo ay makapaghanda na sumabay kay Hesus, maglakbay patungo sa kanyang kamatayan dala ng pag-ibig sa atin,” Tagle said.

“Sa apatnapung araw ng Kuwaresma, tayo ay inaanyayahan na alalahanin si Hesus na hindi nang-iwan sa atin, upang tayo ay huwag ding mang-iwan sa kanya,” he said.

He called on the faithful to devote themselves in prayer, listening and reading the Holy Scriptures during the 40-day preparation for Holy Week.

“Sana po sa apatnapung araw na ito ng Kuwaresma, maging marubdob ang ating pakikinig, pagbabasa, pagdarasal ng Salita ng Diyos,” Tagle said.

Ash Wednesday opens the Lenten season during which Christians are called to prayer, fasting and alms-giving in preparation for Holy Week. KATHLEEN THERESE A. PALAPAR

UST still out of world subject rankings THE UNIVERSITY failed to land a spot in the Quacquarelli-Symonds (QS) worldwide subject rankings for the sixth consecutive year, left behind by the University of the Philippines (UP), Ateneo de Manila and De La Salle University.

UP ranked in seven subjects globally compared with last year’s four subjects.

The state university ranked 101st in the bracket for Archeology and Agriculture, 151st to 200th in both English Language and Literature and the Modern Languages, and 201st in Sociology.

La Salle placed 151st and 201st to 300th in Linguistics and English Language and Literature, respectively.

Ateneo ranked 201st in English Language and Literature and 251st in Sociology.

UST figured in the top 200 of the subject rankings in 2011, when it entered the 101150 bracket for English and Literature.

The latest QS ranking by subject is the world’s largest subject ranking, covering 42 disciplines. According to the official QS website, the annual World University Rankings by Subject aims to “help prospective students identify the world’s leading schools in their chosen field.”

UST still ranks fourth overall in the Philippines in terms of the QS Asian University Rankings. The University also tied with UP and DLSU in the Graduate Employability Ranking last year, with an 81-percent Graduate Employment Rate.

The Philippines is one of 60 countries worldwide with universities recognized by QS. The rankings are based on academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact.

In the QS world university rankings last year, UST kept its place in the 701+ bracket.

UP, Ateneo and La Salle placed 374th, 501st to 550th, and 701+, respectively. MARIA CRISANTA M. PALOMA

VENERABLE MASTER. UST Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. confers the ‘Professor Emeritus’ title on Philosophy Prof. Alfredo Co last March 9 at the Medicine Auditorium.

DEEJAE S. DUMLAO

Prof. Emeritus Alfredo Co: ‘Humanities under attack; UST must pursue true knowledge’ PROFESSOR Emeritus Alfredo Co of the Faculty of Arts and Letters urged Thomasians to yearn for true knowledge, as he lamented society’s focus on impersonal digital technology at the expense of humanities and philosophy.

“I am disturbed that man is gradually abandoning the idea for the search of true knowledge, the good of human, and the beauty in human,” Co said as he accepted the rare Professor Emeritus title bestowed on him by the University on Thursday, March 9 at the Medicine Auditorium.

“I am disturbed that we are more preoccupied mostly of the here and now, the present, the tangible, pragmatic, convenient and experienced and lately, even in the virtual world brought by the age of new media.”

Despite this, Co said he believes mankind is still keen on learning through the liberal

arts.

“I refuse to accept that mankind is tragically to stay in the darkness of the mind’s reason, eclipsed by the wrong values and indifferent with the pursuit of things that are true,” Co said.

Even in the age of artificial intelligence, technology and science, people will always find true solace in the learning provided by philosophy, he added.

“I still believe that only one day, mankind will bow before the order of the good and the beauty, and God will descend to bless these men for he is the personification of all that is known. He is the truth, the good and the beautiful all in one,” Co said.

Not the end of philosophy Co, fondly called the “Venerable Master” by his students, expressed gratitude

upon receiving the title and said he hoped it would not signal the end of philosophical studies in UST. The recognition is also a tribute to UST philosophy professors of centuries past.

“I realized the award is a form of recognition and perhaps, a secret wish or maybe a profound dream of the Pontifical University that holds on the great tradition of pioneers, founding fathers that brought the eastern and European traditions for a great respect for humanistic philosophical learners,” Co said.

Co admitted he was perplexed at being the first philosophy professor to be conferred the title Professor Emeritus.

“Why this first award to a most beleaguered discipline for over 406 years of the University? I am not the first

one to walk in the philosophical corridors of this university.

There are several great minds that graced this venerable institution,” he said.

Mentor of ‘novice’ philosophers Artlets Dean Michael Anthony Vasco said Co’s way of teaching philosophy paved the way for philosophy students and teachers to engage in a dialogue between philosophical and cultural traditions.

“He avoids philosophical triumphalism.

Instead, his critiques and interpretations may open further philosophical inquiries if not a philosophical revolution. These are the trademarks of Dr. Co’s brand of scholarship,” he said.

Vasco also praised Co’s loyalty that influenced other Professor Emeritus PAGE 3

Ex-Tarlac governor hits Aquino for mishandling Mamasapano encounter THOMASIAN and former Tarlac governor Margarita “Tingting Cojuangco” has called out former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III for “avoiding responsibility” on the Mamasapano encounter, which killed 44 members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (SAF).

“It was utter ignorance that he allowed a little number of troopers to enter a territory of 1,026 hostiles just because they believed it was only 15 to 20 people,” Cojuangco said in her talk during the St. Antoninus of Florence Professorial Lecture at the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex Aquino PAGE 11

MAMASAPANO. Former Tarlac governor Margarita “Tingting” Cojuangco delivers a lecture at the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex last March 11.

MIA ARRA C. CAMACHO

News 3

MARCH 29, 2017

Rector calls for judicial reforms instead of death penalty

Alumni hit UST’s silence on Edsa anniversary

By HANNAH RHOCELHYNNIA H. CRUZ and ROY ABRAHMN D.R. NARRA ALUMNI have criticized the UST administration and campus community for not showing up during the 31st anniversary celebration of the Edsa People Power Revolt last Feb. 25 and their alleged silence over such issues as the thousands of drug-related killings under the new administration of President Duterte, the burial of Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, the revival of capital punishment, and even the return of mandatory Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC), whose abolition UST had played an active part in 15 years ago.

They pointed out that the lack of UST participation in the Edsa celebration and other assemblies raising concern that the country might be sliding back to dictatorship contrasted sharply with the active roles played by other major universities opposing the tendency.

“Hearing nothing from my beloved University amid a cacophony of public statements and opinions about a very important event is really disappointing,” said Philippine Star senior deskman Melchor Elona.

But Sister Regina Kuizon, RGS, cochair of the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP), ELECTION SEASON. Medical technology junior and Central Student Council (CSC) Vice President Steven Grecia of Lakas Tomasino Coalition files his certificate of candidacy for the CSC presidency last March 21. Grecia is running unopposed. (See story on Page 1) MA. ALYSSA ADRIENNE T. SAMONTE

Foreign scientists named UST honorary professors THE UNIVERSITY named three foreign scientists “honorary professors” for their contribution to the field of science last Feb. 27.

American chemist Geoffrey Cordell, Australian physicist John Holdsworth and Japanese biomedical expert Takashi Okamoto were given the title during conferment ceremonies led by Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. Cordell has authored 600 research publications, book chapters, comprehensive reviews and professional publications, and has received 19,520 citations.

Cordell once contributed to Acta

w Usapang Uste

Manilana, the official journal of the UST Research Center for the Natural Sciences, and played a role in UST’s professional development program in the field of natural products chemistry from 1992 to 2010.

In his lecture on climate change, Cordell urged UST students to seek new information.

“To the students, don’t get stuck with what you know. Get stuck with what you don’t, so you can do something new!

In this world, you need to change constantly, embrace what is there, then improve it,” he said.

Honarary profs PAGE 10

From right to left: College of Science Dean John Donnie Ramos, Vice Rector for Research and Innovation Maribel Nonato, UST Rector Rev. Fr. Herminio Dagohoy O.P., Japanese biomedical expert Takashi Okamoto and Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Clarita Carillo.

Kung paanong napagkamalang kapilya ang Santissimo Rosario noong dekada ‘30 Ni WINONA S. SADIA

SAPAGKAT nagsimula bilang isang maliit na institusiyon, madalas na napagkakamalang kapilya ang simbahan ng Unibersidad sa Intramuros noong dekada ’30.

Sa isyu ng Varsitarian noong 1933, nilinaw ni Padre Francisco del Rio, kura paroko noon ng simbahan ng Unibersidad, na hindi ito dapat tawaging kapilya sapagkat nagtataglay ito ng mga katangiang pansimbahan. Malawak ito at kayang patuluyin ang lahat ng Tomasino noon sa isang pagtitipon, dagdag pa niya.

Ayon sa ilang mag-aaral, tinawag nilang kapilya ang simbahan sapagkat bahagi lamang ito ng seminaryo.

Tila maliit din daw ang nasasakupan nito kung titingnan mula sa labas.

Noong pormal na itong pinasinayaan noong 1933, ikinagulat ng karamihan na may kalawakan nga ito at

hindi katulad ng mga kapilya na limitado lamang ang espasyo.

Upang tuldukan ang nasabing pagkalito sa pagitan ng mga mag-aaral, isinangguni ni Del Rio sa Varsitarian ang paglilinaw, na natutuhan naman kalaunan ng mga Tomasino noon.

Sa kasalukuyan, tinatawag nang Parokya ng Santissimo Rosario ang dating simbahan ng Unibersidad na itinatag bilang parokya noong

1942 sa pangunguna ni Msgr.

Miguel O’Doherty, arsobispo ng Maynila noon.

Tomasino siya Patunay si Carmela Centeno na kayang makipagsabayan ng mga kababaihan sa larangan ng inhinyeriya.

Taong 1992 nang magtapos siya ng kursong chemical engineering sa Unibersidad.

Kalaunan,

nagtamo siya ng masterado sa environmental engineering sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas sa Diliman at doktorado naman ng chemical engineering sa De La Salle University.

Nagsilbi rin siyang dalubguro sa Fakultad ng Inhinyeriya sa Unibersidad.

Isa si Centeno sa mga pinarangalan sa The Outstanding Thomasian Usapang Uste PAHINA 7

Alumni hit UST PAGE 10

CSC polls FROM PAGE 1 sophomore Josephine Beatrice Domingo (Lakasdiwa) and preschool education junior Therese Gorospe (independent) are gunning for the position of secretary.

Journalism junior Christopher Daniel Reyes (Lakasdiwa) will compete against sophomore marketing management student Daveson Nieto (LTC) for the position of treasurer.

Industrial engineering junior Aston Estorpe (Lakasdiwa) and accountancy student Richard Javier (LTC) are vying for the position of auditor.

Eyeing the public relations officer post are literature junior Lance Laurence Santiago (LTC), nursing junior John Rhorick Legaspi (Lakasdiwa) and political science sophomore Francis Gabriel Santos (independent).

Lakasdiwa Legal Affairs Officer Gino Monsod said the the party had no “competent and willing” member for the highest position.

The campaign period will be until April 8 and April 18 to 19, except weekends. The proclamation of the new CSC officers will be on April 23.

Professor Emeritus FROM PAGE 2 philosophy teachers to stay in UST. “Despite attractive offers from other prestigious universities here and abroad that have lured some faculty members in the past, he stayed in UST and guarded the fortress of philosophy,” he said. “Such heroic acts inspired generations of philosophy teachers to stay and remain loyal to the Pontifical institution,” he said.

Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P., Secretary General Jesus Miranda, O.P., Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Clarita Carillo and Artlets Regent Fr. Rodel Aligan, O.P., were present during the solemn investiture.

The 67-year-old professor, who taught in the University for 40 years, served as chairman of the UST Department of Philosophy from 2010 to 2011 and the Department of Social Sciences from 2000 to 2001.

He finished his doctorate in philosophy in UST in 1976. He obtained his post-doctorate degrees in classical Chinese philosophy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and comparative philosophy at the Université de Paris III and Université de Paris IV. In 2010, Co was awarded the sevenvolume “festschrift” by UST as a testament to his scholarship and passion for the study of philosophy.

Co joins the roster of UST Professor Emeriti, which includes scientist Fortunato Sevilla III and the late literature professor Milagros Tanlayco. ROY ABRAHMN D.R. NARRA

4 Opinion

MARCH 29, 2017

Editorial

Ched overkill AFTER the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) did a lousy job in handling the K to 12 education reform transition, it has committed yet again another horrific job by providing a kneejerk reaction to an appalling tragedy.

We are talking about the Feb. 20 road mishap of a bus carrying college students on an educational tour in Tanay, Rizal that killed more than a dozen and left 40 others injured. The gruesome incident prompted Ched to impose a moratorium on off-campus activities in all higher education institutions (HEIs).

While it was just appropriate for the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to impose an indefinite suspension on all four franchises of the Panda Coach Tours and Transport Inc., the order of Ched to ban out-ofschool trips is questionable.

Here comes the inability of the commission to stick to its job and not overreach its mandate.

Ched, established in 1992 to be “part of a broad agenda of reforms on the country’s education system,” should not have meddled in the issue in such a ham-fisted way. To be sure it does not have the mandate to intervene directly. Its mandate is to promote relevant and quality higher education, and it is dubious how its unilateral order to freeze all educational tours nationwide could be an exercise of its mandate.

Joseph Noel Estrada, UST alumnus who specializes in education law, said Republic Act No. 7722 or the Higher Education Act of 1994 does not empower the Ched to issue suspension orders in the nature of the recent directive as claimed in the directive itself by the commission.

He added that it would be up to the administration of the HEIs how they would view the directive. “[HEIs should also exercise] discretion and academic freedom. I think it’s the decision of the institution whether or not the planned educational tour or field trip should push through,” Estrada told the Varsitarian.

Although the moratorium enjoins all private and public institutions to halt out-of-campus activities, UST as an autonomous institution should take better advantage of its authority, weighing out options before following the orders of Ched in an instant.

Maybe, it won’t hurt a little or cost too much if Ched would comprehensively review the guidelines regarding educational field trips.

Through its suspension order, Ched is depriving the students of their right to cultivate their knowledge. Quality education also entails outof-school activities for the sake of practical learning.

Editorial PAGE 5

FOUNDED JAN. 16, 1928 KATHRYN JEDI V. BAYLON Editor in Chief BERNADETTE A. PAMINTUAN Managing 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 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, Randell Angelo B. Ritumalta, 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 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.

Komersiyalisayson ng yamang-lupa, itigil MARAHIL sa hiraya na lamang maisasakatuparan ng mga kababayan nating magsasaka ang inaasam nilang magandang kinabukasang hatid ng makatarungang sistemang pangagrikultura.

Nakababahala ang untiunting pagkawala ng mga lupang pansaka bunsod ng patuloy na industriyalisasiyon. Wala na ring humpay ang pagkakalbo ng mga kagubatan at pagpatag sa mga kabundukan kaalinsabay ng malawakang komersyalisasiyon.

Masamang pambungad ng buwan ng Marso ang balitang biktima na rin ng ganitong kawalang-pagpapahalaga sa mga yamang-lupa ang isla ng Sicogon sa Iloilo. Nasa hilagang bahagi ito ng lalawigan na sinasabing mayaman sa magagandang tanawin mula sa malasutlang buhangin ng dalampasigan hanggang sa dagat na animo tanso sa paglubog ng araw.

Bukod pa rito, lingid sa kaalaman ng nakararami, nagtataglay ang pook na ito ng humigit-kumulang 335 ektaryang lupang sakahan na tinitirhan ng 216 na benepisyaryo ng Kagawaran ng Repormang Pansakahan (DAR).

Sa bansang agrikultural tulad ng Filipinas, hindi dapat hinahayaang nasa ibaba ng tatsulok ang mga magsasaka.

Sinasabing isang kasunduan sa pagitan ng mga magsasaka at ng Ayala Land Inc. at Sicogon Development Corp. noong 2014 ang nagbunsod ng komersyalisasiyon ng nayon.

Naging hudyat ito ng pagtatayo ng mga hotel, mall, subdibisyon at isang kilometro at kalahating airstrip. Tinatayang maliit na bahagi lamang ito ng “converted land” sa bansa kung ihahambing sa kabuuang 97,593 ektaryang lupang sakahan na tuluyan nang natayuan ng mga kabahayan at panturismong imprastraktura.

Maikakatwirang dulot ng matuling urbanisasiyon at paglaki ng populasyon ang pagpapatuloy ng ganitong gawain subalit hindi maikakailang nagbubunga ito

ng panganib sa pangunahing industriya ng pagkain at kinabukasan ng mga magsasaka.

Hindi rin masasabing legal ang lahat ng ito sapagkat maraming lokal na pamahalaan ang diumano nangangamkam ng mga lupain sa mga baryo.

Ninais matugunan ng DAR ang suliraning ito nang magpanukala sila ng dalawang taong ban sa aplikasiyon ng mga land conversion noong nakaraang Setyembre. Kung sakaling naaprubahan, sisiyasatin ng kagawaran ang mga naisagawang komersyalisasiyon ng mga lupang pansakahan mula noong Hunyo 1988 (kung kalian naisabatas ang Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law) hanggang

Hunyo ng nakaraang taon.

Paglilinaw ni Kalihim Rafael Mariano ng DAR, isasagawa ang naturang ban para sa ebaluwasiyon ng kasalukuyang estado ng mga converted land.

Ipinapahiwatig ng estadistika na ang pagiging “overcrowded” ng mga kalunsuran sa bansa ang pangunahing ugat ng lumalaking pangangailangan sa mga pabahay na sanhi naman ng pangangamkam ng mga malalaking korporasyon sa mga lupang sakahan.

Hindi na lamang sa Luzon talamak ang ganitong uri ng pananamantala kundi pati na rin sa Visayas at Mindanao na tanyag sa mga produkto gaya ng mga prutas, tubo at niyog.

Ayon sa DAR, kasama ang Negros Occidental at Misamis Oriental sa mga lalawigang may pinakamataas na kaso ng land conversion.

Gayunpaman, gaano man anila kalaki ang pangangailangan ng mga Filipino sa tirahan, masasabing isang Dagitab PAHINA 5

Conscience(less) vote and the death penalty WITH 54 against and one abstention, House Bill 4727 was passed on third and final reading, reinstating the death penalty for drug-related misdemeanors.

Although the original bill included 21 misdemeanors punishable by death, it was trimmed down to four (plunder, treason, rape and drugs), and after the second reading, just to drug-related misconduct.

Capital punishment was abolished by the 1987 Constitution, but restored in 1993 by President Fidel Ramos as a crime-control measure.

President Gloria MacapagalArroyo abolished it again in 2006.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has removed from key positions all those who said no to the reimposition, including Arroyo, whose post as deputy speaker for Luzon was declared vacant right after the third reading.

Although one may speculate why Arroyo and other political bosses (such as former first lady Imelda Marcos, now a Visayas representative) stuck to their guns and said no to the death penalty, even party-list representatives said Alvarez should have allowed members of the House to vote according to their conscience, with no political pressure.

Arguments for capital punishment are mainly based on emotionalism or in the case of Senator Pacquiao, Biblical literalism.

But Alvarez of course has delighted in cracking the whip and making everyone toe the line in order to show he’s the Duterte administration’s top honcho in the chamber. He also has to do it to keep his job because there are no if’s and but’s under Duterte, who often shoots his mouth and thereby betrays he has ordered that anyone remotely involved in illegal drugs be shot down. Like the police and vigilante groups shooting down drug suspects at Duterte’s bidding, Alvarez is doing the job of a “Berdugo” or hangman for the Davao madman, albeit in the political killing fields.

Going by the example of Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman, the “transgender” representative who voted for the return of the death penalty despite his/ her “liberal” espousal of antidiscrimination, the call for

respect of conscience vote is valid. There could be no more liberal cause than the abolition of the death penalty, which is anti-poor and anti-life, but Roman, coming from an old political family (read: “trapo”) would rather serve political selfinterest rather than be liberal.

In a university forum later, she said she voted against her conscience because politics is a compromise and she represented the interests of her constituents.

Presumably, that “constituency” is as conscienceless and morally willy-nilly as their representative.

Arguments for capital punishment are mainly based on emotionalism or in the case of Senator Pacquiao, Biblical literalism.

The purported deterrent effects of death penalty have been repetitively debunked.

Ivan Simonovic, United Nations

assistant secretary-general for human rights, said there’s no evidence of deterrence of any crime. Phelim Kine, Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director, said the failure of death penalty to dissuade crimes is globally recognized.

Moreover, the Philippine justice system is problematic. It is corrupt, incompetent and errorprone. Such a system should not be empowered to decide who hangs and who don’t.

Likewise the restoration of the death penalty is redundant.

Since President Duterte assumed office, there have been 7,000 drug-related killings. Human Rights Watch claimed in a report that cops had planted evidence in the crime scenes to frame their suspects. Duterte also vowed to execute five or six criminals daily in December or a minimum of 150 convicts per month.

Many of those killed were poor: they were meted the capital punishment, Davaogangland-style, even when the fate of its reimposition was hanging in Congress. So why should there be a need for capital punishment to be restored when the President’s own assassins from the PNP and his own secret militia are gunning down just about everyone who gets within the purview of a mad dictator’s paranoia?

MARCH 29, 2017

Pacquiao—Senate laughingstock MANNY Pacquiao claims to have the best interest of the Filipino people, but he fits best as a boxer and not a member of the Senate.

Backed with the popularity he got from his storied boxing career, Pacquiao easily became one of the most powerful men in the country as he led the ouster of Liberal Party senators from their positions in the majority recently.

However, bragging that he still had mercy for what he did was unbecoming of a senator like Pacquiao.

The eight-time world champion, who is expected to read more of the Constitution since it is his duty to make laws, seems to reference more the Bible to win secular arguments.

After all, who can win against someone who says that God allows the government to use capital punishment and who claims to be the “authority on spiritual renewal”?

Tuition FROM PAGE 1 A student taking 21 units will pay an additional P2,898 per semester or P580 per month.

The University did not apply for an increase in tuition and other fees last year after decades of hikes, amid tight competition for enrollees among universities on the first year of the K to 12 transition. “[W]e don’t want to increase the fees as much as possible [but] it’s necessary. We would like UST education to [maintain its] quality,” Dagohoy said.

Failure to implement an increase could prompt some UST professors to transfer to high-paying universities, Dagohoy said.

“We don’t want to hire

Editorial FROM PAGE 4 The Senate recently began its hearing that seeks stricter regulation of offcampus trips.

Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public services, led the hearing acknowledging the need for educational trips as one of the means to gain knowledge.

“We should not take the easy route and simply deter schools from allowing its students to engage in practical learning,” Poe said in her opening statement.

Ched FROM PAGE 1 should be left to the discretion of higher educational institutions (HEIs).

“Bahala na ‘yung mga institutions on how they will view [Ched’s order]. HEIs should exercise well discretion and academic freedom. Of course if it involved money and obligations, kailangan din nila i-balanse whether they should go ahead with the scheduled field trip or kaya bang i-reschedule ‘yan,” Estrada said.

The suspension covers activities under Ched Memorandum Order No. 17, which contains policies and

If we look closely, Pacquiao is being used by the administration as a puppet to execute what President Duterte wants done in the Senate – oust foremost administration critic Leila de Lima and opposition Senators Franklin Drilon, Francis Pangilinan, Bam Aquino and Risa Hontiveros.

However, it is not shocking for Pacquiao to exhibit this kind of behavior.

He changed political parties several times that should show he’s an opportunist.

Just recently, the former

pound-for-pound king was given impromptu instruction on legislation and protocol

by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon when the two senators met to debate Pacquiao’s proposed boxing commission.

At one point, when Pacquiao knew he could not convince the veteran senator to agree with him, he wanted to close the interpellation only to be told by Drilon that a “closure rule” did not exist.

If not for Pacquiao’s legislative staff who could be heard coaching him, he would

have looked and sounded a lot worse than he did.

Pacquiao clearly has little idea about the simple principles that govern the legislation process.

When he became a singer and an actor, it was understandable; when he played for the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), it was both a sight to see and not to see.

But his inclusion in the Senate could be considered as Pacquiao’s lowest of lows.

If he really wanted to help people, then he should just have done what he is good at, which is boxing.

But what happened is he used his fame as a ticket to every endeavor he wants to pursue.

As a result, the opportunist Pacquiao became a lousy singer and actor, looked like someone who did not belong in the PBA, and now, the laughingstock of the Senate.

professors who are not qualified.

The students will suffer,” he said.

Central Student Council (CSC) President Janela Nartates said she was opposed to the proposed hike, claiming the allocation of fees was unclear.

“The breakdown of fees and the reasons why the increase is needed were not clear. The fact that the population of the Senior High School will increase next year, I think that’s enough to compensate for what is needed,” Nartates said in an online interview.

Student leaders will appeal to the administration to cut the proposed tuition hike, Central Board of Students Speaker Ferdinand Nykko Bautista bared.

“Nag-usap-usap kaming mga presidents ng [iba’t-ibang] colleges para malaman ‘yung ibang side ng mga students, kung pro or anti sila sa tuition hike,”

Bautista said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

The Central Board was set to sign an official appeal to the administration and submit it to the Rector on March 9, Thursday, he said.

Bautista said they raised concerns regarding professors who seldom attended classes during tuition consultations with administrators last Feb. 14.

“We already addressed the [concerns to] Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Dr. Clarita Carillo. If what we get is worth the money we pay, meaning quality education, we don’t have a problem with it. [B]ut then there are professors who don’t go to class,” Bautista claimed, without going into specifics.

Civil Law Student Council President James Christian Ballecer noted that UST is a non-stock, non-profit institution.

“So if it’s non-stock [or] non-profit, I’m not really sure

if they really have savings to that effect,” Ballecer said in an interview.

Dagohoy responded by saying that UST does not distribute dividends and all excess funds go to the general fund of the University at the end of each year.

“The savings of non-stock, non-profit institutions go back to the general fund and general savings, so it’s practically a procedure, unlike the private [or] for-profit universities, at the end of the year, they declare dividends,” Dagohoy said.

Ballecer lamented that student leaders were “left with no choice” as administrators presented and justified the tuition increase during consultations last Feb. 14. “[But the] brighter side of the story is that we were given the opportunity to speak up, what views we had in mind,” Ballecer said.

“Thus, we need to ask the right questions and create a legislative measure that will prevent road accidents, whether during the course of a field trip or not, from happening again.”

One may argue that the impulsive directive from Ched would prevent similar mishaps in the future, but we beg to disagree.

This incident should pave the way for stricter implementation of road safety rules and for HEIs to review their off-campus activity guidelines; such, we may add, is the responsibility of HEIs and all sectors who care for quality education and not just of the Ched.

Dagitab

pagkain at inilalapit ang mga ito sa kontaminasiyon mula sa mga basura ng mga komersiyal na lugar.

Sa bansang agrikultural tulad ng Filipinas, hindi dapat hinahayaang nasa ibaba ng tatsulok ang mga magsasaka.

Hindi dapat sila pinababayaang ipagtabuyan ng mga malalaking kumpanya dahil lamang sa kagipitan. Minsan, bunga na rin ng mga natural na kalamidad tulad ng bagyo, napipiplitan ang mga magsasaka na ipagbili ang kanilang mga lupang sinasaka sa mga mas may kapangyarihan.

Regulasiyon, katarungan, disiplina at tamang reporma sa lupa lamang ang makapagsasalba sa kanilang kinasadlakang kahirapan.

If Pacquiao really wanted to help people, then he should just have done what he is good at, which is boxing.

guidelines on educational tours of college and graduate students.

The commission ordered HEIs to come up with replacement activities during the moratorium.

UST’s Office of the Secretary General released a memorandum last Feb. 28 ordering a temporary ban on outof-school trips such as fieldtrips, community engagements, medical or relief missions, retreats and visits to amusement parks.

The moratorium came after a tour bus crashed into an electric post along a curved road in Tanay, Rizal on Feb. 20.

The accident killed 15 people, mostly students of Bestlink College of the Philippines in Novaliches,

MULA SA PAHINA 4 kalaspastanganan sa kalikasan at sa bayan ang walang-habas na pakikipagbuno ng mga kapitalista sa mga pobreng magsasaka.

Sa aspeto ng pangangalaga sa mga natural na pinagkukunangyaman ng bansa, pinarurupok ng land conversion ang kalidad ng lupa dahil sa soil erosion.

Dahil din hindi lehitimong pangistruktural ang lupa ng mga sakahan, mas madaling sumama sa daloy ng tubig-dagat ang mga bitak at latak nito na maaaring pagmulan ng flashfloods.

Nililimitahan din nito ang distribusiyon ng mga sariwang Quezon City.

‘Exceptions invalidate Ched order’ Ched clarified that offcampus activities under the National Service Training Program (NSTP), including fieldwork and other outreach activities, are not covered by the moratorium.

In an email to the UST Simbahayan Community Development Office, Ched clarified that outreach programs under NSTP will not be affected by the suspension.

“We reiterate that the safety and welfare of the students are of utmost importance. As such, activities under the NSTP must be conducted with due diligence from the HEI, and compliant

with the guidance set in RA 9163 (NSTP Act of 2001) and its respective Implementing Rules and Regulations,” it read.

Ched said in another memorandum local and international internships, international educational trips and linkages are excluded from the suspension of all out-ofcampus activities.

Estrada said these exceptions defeat the purpose of a moratorium, adding that such activities could pose the same risks.

“If these activities are exempted from the moratorium, what reason is there to impose a moratorium on educational tours and fieldtrips? They expose students to the same risk,” Estrada said.

Opinion 5

Challenge of a silent God

By FR. RAMIL MARCOS WHERE is God when you need him most?

Two movies explore these themes with tremendous luminescence and sensitivity that it will be impossible not to feel yourself asking the same questions the characters intoned. One movie is about European priests propelled by burning fervor for missionary work in faraway Japan at the time when no outside religion was allowed to establish a foothold. The other one concerns contemplative nuns of the Benedictine Order who experienced first hand the cruel intrusion of the war and eventual occupation of their country Poland, first by the murderous Germans, and then the ruthless Russians.

Silence (2016), by renowned director Martin Scorsese, is based on Shusako Endo’s novel about the Christian persecutions in Japan and the apostasy of the Jesuit Cristóvão Ferreira.

The Japanese peasants, worn out by a life of enslavement and whimsical treatment from their country’s landlords on the one hand, and warlords on the other, find a safe haven in the captivating promise of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. They experience the mercy of God through dedicated men of the cloth, the Padres, whose missionary fervor convinced the Japanese of their sincerity and good intentions. As Christianity steadily flourished, an ominous sense of protectionism overwhelms the country and the new

Martin Scorsese’s ‘Silence’ and the European film “Innocents” tackles God’s seeming silence amid persecution and rape and injustice situation prohibits the introduction of any foreign religion that might pose as pretext for foreign invasion.

In the setting of persecution, the Christian religion suffers, but it also celebrates. This is the occasion to bear witness, to make martyrs, to produce enduring models that will strengthen the faithful to uphold their faith and to cling to it with all the energy they could muster.

So the wise Japanese authorities devised a novel approach against the missionaries and their Christians, the Kirishitan. Rather than kill them, they will force them to apostatize.

Two young missionaries, Fathers Rodriguez and Garrupe, set out for Japan to bring back the elderly Ferreira to the fold; he has allegedly apostatized.

But they are captured. Garrupe refuses and meets his violent end. Rodriguez undergoes “soft” martyrdom as he is slowly coaxed to apostatize, to step on the image of Christ. His is a vicarious suffering, for the Christians dear to him were subjected to terrible treatment and constant threat of death right before his eyes, while he was spared their physical asphyxiation. It is now a question of his pride against the lives of his brothers and sisters in the faith. If he proves to be stubborn in upholding what his religion teaches, the people die. If he surrenders out of love for them, they live and return home in peace. But then he loses his soul.

Witnessing a series of tortures and martyrdoms of his lowly flock, including that of his friend Fr. Garrupe, Rodriguez begins to ask a string of questions: “Why do they have to suffer so terribly? Why do the answers I give them seem so weak? Did God hear their screams? How can I explain the silence of God to these people who love him so much? Why can’t I understand it myself?” As he receives no answer, the priest wrestles with the scandalous silence of God. Women’s film While Scorsese’s film was based on a novel that was, in turn, inspired by the real history of Japan’s “hidden Christians,” “The Innocents” (2016) is loosely based on the diary of a lady doctor of the French Red Cross who became an unlikely ally of the community in their time of great trial.

The period is post-Second World War Poland, now invaded by Russia. The dreaded Russian Red Guards are known all over Europe for their unconscionable rampant raping of women and girls, believing it their right and prize for their wartime heroics. As they descend on an idyllic village, the soldiers thrice paid a visit to the secluded convent of contemplative sisters.

None is spared, from the young novices to the elderly Mother Superior. The young ones become pregnant, while the superior contracts an egregious virus.

The central character of the movie, the doctor Mathilde, breaks into the enclosure of the Sisters, to offer medical help to a young nun in labor, without her knowing the mystery the monastery tries to keep from the outside world. She survives the cold-treatment and suspicion of the superior and soon gains the trust of the nuns for her dedicated involvement in their lives.

Mathilde was raised by Communist parents and does not share the faith of the women she was Silent God PAGE 10

6 Circle

Editor: Amierielle Anne A. Bulan

MARCH 29, 2017

Surveying the vernacular architecture of Francisco Mañosa WELL-KNOWN for his vernacular approach to architecture and design, veteran architect Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa showcases the studies and photographs of his most popular works in Mañosa: Beyond Architecture, an exhibit of landmark projects that date back to the 1950’s.

The exhibit, running until May 31 at the National Museum of the Philippines, displays almost 50 of Mañosa’s architectural projects, including his notable edifices Coconut Palace in Manila, the Edsa Shrine along the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue, the Mary Immaculate Parish in Las Piñas City and the Pearl Farm Resort in Davao City.

The projects—both recent and archival—are presented through photographs, examples of indigenous materials, interior design elements, furniture, audiovisual presentations and drawings and models.

Mañosa, who graduated with a BS Architecture degree from the University in 1953, has been a practicing architect for over 60 years. He is noted for pioneering vernacular architecture, the practice of translating a local or traditional culture into architectural designs.

Exhibit curator Gerard Lico said Mañosa evolved the vernacular style to capture the Filipino psyche. “ W he n the country emerged from the American occupation, Mañosa

saw that moment as a chance to reconnect with our past to rediscover our Filipino identity as we become an independent nation,” Lico told the Varsitarian.

Mañosa eventually championed the use of indigenous materials on his projects.

“He does not use indigenous materials in their raw form,” Lico said. “Instead, he processes it using new technologies and technique to find more applications rather than mere decorative.”

The exhibit featured various swatches of indigenous materials used in Mañosa’s projects such as bamboo, sawali, abaca, rattan, coconut husk, coco lumber, shells and various Philippine hardwoods and textiles.

T h e e x h i b i t displayed studies of probably Ma ñosa’s most famous

work, the Coconut Palace (known as the Tahanang Pilipino) features the advancements he processed on bamboo, nipa, rattan, shell, coconut and adobe.

Mañosa is also noted for injecting visual and thermal qualities to conform to the country’s tropical climate.

His trademark designs such as the high ceilings, steep and sloping roofs, large windows, low eaves and angular overhangs portray the tropical profusions that are responsive to the local climate and culture.

Mañosa’s architectural firm Mañosa & Company, Inc. is known for offering modern designs based from the traditional psyche of the bahay kubo. “ B u t Mañosa is not into traditional m i m ic r y,” Lico clarified.

“He is rather into the appropr iation of the spatial

Mañosa Photo courtesy of Mañosa & Partners

concept and tropical properties of the bahay kubo as a space of Filipino social encounters.”

Born on Feb. 12, 1931 in Manila, Mañosa received critical acclaim for his work on the Amanpulo Resort in Palawan for which he received the Asia Pacific Interior Design Award and the Best Beach Resort Worldwide by United Kingdombased Gallivanter’s Awards for Excellence.

“Mañosa looked to the past to illuminate the future of Philippine architecture,” Lico said. “Everyone should emulate Mañosa, because he was able to create a unique Filipino expression based on familiar and old traditional paradigm.” AUDRIE JULIENNE D. BERNAS

JAMILLAH N. STA ROSA

Proposed design for EDSA Shrine by Mañ osa

Annual 'Tribute' concert pays homage to music of Saint-Saens

JAMILLAH N. STA ROSA

UST Symphony Orchestra

THE MUSIC of French composer Camille SaintSaens was the main feature in the annual Tribute to the Thomasian concert by the UST Symphony Orchestra at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) last March 12.

Mostly Camille: The Music of Camille SaintSaens featured a repertoire of Saint-Saens’ classics along with songs by acclaimed European composers from the 19th century. Music professor Herminigildo Ranera and oboeist Reynato Resurreccion Jr. conducted the performances.

“The concert featured the music of Camille SaintSaens to pay homage to his remarkable contributions to music as suggested by former Music dean Raul Sunico,” Ranera told the Varsitarian.

The concert opened with Resurreccion leading the UST Symphony Orchestra in Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Forza Del Destino” (The Power of Fate), an Italian opera overture based on the popular Spanish romantic drama, “Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino.”

As Ranera took hold of

the baton, Music faculty member Randy Gilongo treated the audience to soulful renditions of “Cielo e’mar,” from the 1876 opera, “La Gioconda,” by Amilcare Ponchielli, and “Le Reve” from the French opera, “Manon,” by Jules Massenet.

It was followed by a two-movement piano performance of Saint-Saens’ “Piano Concerto No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 44” by Music faculty secretary Peter Porticos. The piano concerto started with an allegro moderato (moderately quick tempo) that transitioned into an andante (moderately slow tempo) and allegro vivace (very quick and lively tempo).

Saint-Saens’ “Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 78” concluded the concert with faculty member Victor Victorino on the organ.

Saint-Saens, a musical prodigy of the Romantic era, is best-known for compositions scattered throughout almost all musical genres—from symphonies, concertos, sacred music, secular music and opera; including his widely performed

Visual artist Villaseran tackles mental illness

By KLIMIER NICOLE B. ADRIANO AFTER being diagnosed with bipolar disorder last year, Thomasian artist Rom Villaseran channeled into painting his thoughts about his illness as a form of therapy. A year later, he mounted his works in Ilaw ng Buwan, a solo exhibit at Galerie Stephanie in Quezon City.

As the title suggests, “Ilaw ng Buwan” sheds light on the darkest depths of the mind of someone with a mental illness. Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that causes unusual shifts of depressive and manic episodes in between normal moods. If left untreated, the disorder increases risk for severe depression and suicide attempts.

Villaseran, who studied architecture in UST, displayed a series of paintings dipped in a neo-surrealistic approach, a revival of surrealism mixed with pop art.

“What you will always be looking

Gilongo and Ranera

opera, “Samson and Delilah.”

“The concert is a way of honoring the Thomasian community through showcasing the many talents of the Conservatory,” Music regent Fr. Jose. Ma. B. Tikono, O.P. said in his message.

Tribute to the Thomasians was previously held in January in celebration of UST’s foundation anniversary but in 2015, after the Papal Visit and academic calendar shift, the annual concert was moved to March. It is led by the UST Symphony Orchestra in partnership with CCP. The 70-member orchestra is the official orchestra of UST and the only campus orchestra that is a resident performer at CCP. It was founded in 1927 by Dr. Manuel Casas of the College of Medicine.

CHELSEY MEI NADINE B. BRAZAL

“Sibol” and “Pusang Itim” by Villaseran

at when you view my work is the world that exists in my mind,” Villaseran told the Varsitarian. “This is me trying to connect with you. This is me constantly giving you my warmest handshake.”

Greeting exhibit-goers is Villaseran’s 5 x 4 ft painting “Sibol,” a dark-hued portrait of his wife Kara de Dios clad in a black velvet coat accented by a bright yellow-colored flower and bumblebees.

“Both of Me,” a painting of two skeletons positioned back to back with each other, focuses on dual personality.

Villaseran rendered a large human figure with ram-like horns enveloped by dark shadows in “I Am,” a painting he felt very personal to because it made him feel “a lot more naked.”

Despite his psychological condition Villaseran felt challenged to showcase his works.

“I decided to talk about myself for a change,” Villaseran said. “It has been very taxing. A considerable amount of time will have to pass before I choose to do this again.”

Villaseran took up BS Architecture until his junior year in the University. In 2014, he held his first solo exhibit titled Orchestra at Galerie Stephanie. He has been participating in numerous premiere art fairs nationwide and worldwide. He has also been featured in popular art publications including Art+ Magazine, Hi-Fructose and Art Republik.

JAMILLAH N. STA ROSA

MARCH 29, 2017

Features 7

Mocha Uson: Anatomy of a cause celebre

By DANIELLA T. COBARDE and DAPHNE YANN P. GALVEZ

IT IS PAST midnight but Cowboy Grill, a restobar along Quezon Avenue, is crowded.

The scent of alcohol and smoke hang in the air as people gather around tables filled with drinks and ashtrays. Their eyes directed towards the stage, focused on the performer with long black hair donned in a tight gray crop-top.

She is none other than Mocha Uson, widely known in the entertainment industry as the lead vocalist of Viva Record’s all-female singing and dancing group Mocha Girls.

But before she was Mocha, she was Margaux Uson, who studied medical technology in the University.

Minutes before going on stage, Uson— clad in her signature camo jacket—sat down with the Varsitarian in her dressing room and recounted her “unhappy” stay in the University. “[I was] so sad because I didn’t like my course. I was forced to take medical technology because my mom was a pediatrician and my dad was a judge,” Uson said.

Uson finished medical technology in 1998, and entered the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery in 1999.

Uson had always been inclined to music and performance. In her senior year of medical technology, she formed a band with Lord Byron Cristobal, a student from the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

Uson juggled her studies and band commitments. “Even while I was still in medicine tsaka fourth-year med-tech nagbabanda na ako so sinabay ko ‘yon,” she said.

Ultimately, Uson chose to pursue a musical career full-time and dropped out of medicine during her second year.

“Nagme-medicine siya, magbabanda siya sa gabi. So ang nangyayari, nale-late siya [sa] medicine o kaya naman unprepared siya sa band,” said Cristobal, now Uson’s manager.

“The defining moment was nagbabasa ako ng libro … tapos sabi ko what am I doing with my life? Why am I wasting my life doing

something that doesn’t make me happy?” said Uson.

In 2006, Uson and Cristobal recruited cheer dancers from Adamson University. She quickly shifted from being a band vocalist to being leader of a pop group, which earned the name Mocha Girls.

Uson rose to prominence as a social media personality and staunch supporter of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte during the 2016 national elections.

Her Facebook page, Mocha Uson Blog, a political advocacy page catering to Duterte supporters, has over 4.8 million followers as of writing.

“When Duterte first came out, his womanizing was the first hit that his enemies threw at him. He wasn’t even campaigning yet.

That’s when we first got angry so we released the truth. That’s the first blog post Mocha did: Duterte is not a playboy,” said Cristobal.

Cristobal, who helps Uson run her eponymous Facebook page, boasted of Uson’s strong political convictions.

“What we are aiming is tunay na pagbabago. Magbago ang Pilipinas, magbago ang sistema, magbago ugali ng mga Pilipino … kahit mamatay siya, ang ipaglalaban naming is tunay na pagbabago,” he said.

Last January, Uson was appointed board member of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board.

Before Duterte, Uson advocated for breast cancer awareness after her mother was diagnosed with the disease. In 2010, she served as ambassadress for Philippine Foundation for Breast Care, Inc. As the interview drew to a close, Uson’s song began to blare through the doors of her dressing room, beckoning her to go out on stage. Uson eagerly stood up and grabbed a microphone.

Before she stepped out, she left a message for Thomasians: “Do what you want and be responsible!”

Uson

Thomasian band shines in local indie scene

By ALYSSA CARMINA A. GONZALES FORMED through friendship and a profound passion for music, a soul-fusion band from the UST Conservatory of Music is ready to take the local music scene by storm.

The six-piece band went from underdogs to superstars after bagging the most-coveted “Chosen One” title in the 2nd Jack Daniel’s On Stage Philippines Indie Music Awards in 2015.

“It’s overwhelming. Sometimes, we get shocked when people know about us,” vocalist Mic Manalo told the Varsitarian.

Aside from Manalo, the band is comprised of keyboardist Isagani Palabyab, lead guitarist Kim Hue Jin, bassist Ethan Muriel and sound engineer Leng Guerrero.

Drummer Mark Villena is the only non-Thomasian member, coming

from the University of the Philippines.

As of writing, Farewell Fair Weather has a following of more than 8,000 on Facebook.

They have performed in numerous local and international music festivals. These include Fete de la Musique, a French music festival celebrated in Manila, and Music Matters, a premier independent music festival in Singapore.

This year, the band is set to release a 16-track album but refused to disclose further details.

“There are pieces of ourselves in it. If you want to know my story, you just listen to it,” said Manalo.

“Sometimes, we record songs and keep it to ourselves first like a secret because we think it’s too personal. But in the end, we share them and realize it’s okay.”

The band’s genre, “soul-fusion,” is a mix between a variety of other genres and styles with soul at its core.

Among their influences are American music icon Bob Dylan, British jazz band Incognito and English dream pop singer Imogen Heap.

Humility, passion Amid their achievements, Manalo admitted that the band remains grounded on the values they picked up from their stay in the University.

“The most important thing we learned in our stay at UST is the sense of family as a band and the respect for those in the industry and of course, within ourselves,” said Manalo.

Manalo bared that Farewell Fair Weather, which was founded in 2012, started as a hobby among the members.

“It was our break from school” she said. “Being an independent band was nice [because] sometimes, it gets hard when people expect from you when you just really want to do what

you’re most passionate about.”

These days, the members are preoccupied with their album production and individual jobs.

Despite this, Palabyab said they make sure to find time for each other.

“Sometimes, we would call up each other and say ‘Uy, meeting tayo,’ to plan for our future projects, but then it would just end up in a jamming session,” he said.

The band aims to finish their album before Hue Jin goes back to South Korea for his mandatory enlistment in the military. In his absence, the band faces the possibility of a hiatus until Kim’s return.

“We will still be exploring sounds and continue composing and recording songs,” said Palabyab.

“But we would also be venturing individually into other things like getting into arts, video gaming and helping other acts produce their music in the industry,” said Manalo.

Usapang Uste MULA SA PAHINA 3 Alumni Awards noong nakaraang taon.

Noong 2008, napili siya ng Kagawaran ng Agham at Teknolohiya (DOST) na maging bahagi ng 50 Men and Women of Science kasabay ng pagdiriwang nito ng ika50 anibersaryo. Iginawad ng DOST ang naturang pagkilala sa mga piling dalub-agham na Filipino na may makabuluhang ambag sa kanilang departamento at sa pagpapayaman ng iba’t ibang sangay ng agham.

Bukod pa rito, pinarangalan ng DOST ang pananaliksik ni Centeno tungkol sa persistent organic pollutants bilang “Outstanding Scientific Paper in Engineering and Technology.”

Sa kasalukuyan, nagsisilbing industrial development officer si Centeno sa Stockholm Convention Unit ng United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

Tomasalitaan: Kalawilihan (pang-uri)– pagkakaroon ng pagkakaisa o pagkakasundo sa isang pangkat.

Hal.: Magiging maginhawa ang daan tungo sa kapayapaan kung magkakaroon ng kalawilihan sa pagitan ng mga pinuno ng bansa.

Farewell Fair Weather

Mga Sanggunian: The Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Awards The Varsitarian Tomo VII Blg. II, Disyembre 1, 1933 p. 142, 1933-1940

8 Literary

MARCH 29, 2017

Artlets senior wins Rector’s Literary Award; Ustetika jurors praise quality of entries

By ELMER B. COLDORA and NIKKO MIGUEL M. GARCIA FOURTH-YEAR Literature student Raymond Gold Padao from the Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets) won the much-coveted Rector’s Literary Award (RLA), but it was fellow Literature senior George Deseo who brought home the bigger cash prizes for placing first in Fiction and Tula and several minor prizes in other categories of the Varsitarian-organized 32nd Gawad Ustetika, the biggest and longest-running campus literary derby in the Philippines.

Padao had earlier won first prize for the Essay for “Trinkets, Tools, and Toys” to qualify him for the RLA, which is given to any first-prize Ustetika winner. Chosen by the incumbent rector himself (in this case Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P.), the RLA is given to the work that best reflects “the University’s Catholic vision of grace and redemption.”

Padao’s essay talks about the challenges of adolescence.

Padao had also placed second in Tula for his suite of poems, “Sirang Orasan at iba pang Tula.”

However, the biggest winner in cash terms during the awarding night held March 9 at the George Ty Hall of the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building was Padao’s fellow senior, George Deoso, who won first prize in the Fiction and Tula for “The Interrogation” and “Mga Mumunting Dagundong,” respectively; as well second prize in Katha for “Rebelyon” and third prize in Poetry for “The Voyeurs of Doom: Poems.”

Because he participated in practically every category and won prizes therefrom, Deoso brought home a whopping P37,000.

Ustetika has had a history of granting very generous prizes. At present, first prize is P10,000, second P7,000, and third P5,000. Honorable mentions or special citations also have cash components.

Ustetika juror and former Varsitarian editor in chief Victor Emmanuel Carmelo “Vim” Nadera, who spearheaded the first Ustetika in 1985, noted the high number of quality entries this year so that all prizes were awarded.

32nd Gawad Ustetika FROM PAGE 1 Hagbong awards were given posthumously—to former Varsitarian Filipino staffer and foremost fictionist Rogelio Sicat and to National Artist for Theater and Literature Rolando Tinio.

Peralta earned his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the old UST Faculty of Arts and Letters. His Master of Arts in Anthropology was obtained from the University of the Philippines, while his doctorate degree in the same field was from the University of California, Davis Campus.

Before he turned to anthropology, Peralta wrote award-winning plays such as “My Brother’s Keeper,” “Play the Judas” and “Longer than Mourning.” His early plays were noted for their explorations of Philippine ethnic themes, which prefigured his later career as an anthropologist and his eventual directorship of the National Museum.

Although retired from government, Peralta is a consultant at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization.

“I just write what I know,” he told the Varsitarian. “I don’t wave flags that I’m doing this for the Filipino. It must be knowledge that must be kept and made available to people

In previous installments, he said, some of the prizes were withheld because the jurors felt no entry deserved them.

Nadera, one of the country’s foremost poets in Filipino and the head of the Philippine High School for the Arts in Mt. Makiling, Laguna, added that there were numerous high-quality entries that in many categories, jurors had to name first, second and third honorable mentions.

“Kapansin-pansing wala masyadong hurado na nagbigay ng karangalang banggit [lang]. Ibig sabihin, nakita nila na mas karapat-dapat maging una, ikalawa, at ikatlong karangalan,” said Nadera, who was also one of the judges in the Tula category.

“Kumbaga, mas magagaling ang mga lumahok ngayon,” he said.

Nadera however suggested that the winners should still pay heed to writing workshops as essential to their craft.

“Diretso na sila (sa mga palihan) kasi nanalo na naman at hindi na nila kailangang dumaan sa proseso. Sana matupad na itong hiling ko,” he said.

Complete list of winners: Poetry: Jan Dennis Destajo (Architecture), “Consolations in Between,” first place; Irish Foja (Artlets), “Gravity is Female,” second; Deoso, “The Voyeurs of Doom: Poems,” third; Marian Karen Cabalona (Accountancy) “The Erratum Effect,” Ma. Doreen Evita Garcia (Artlets), “Undocumented” and Harvey Castillo (Artlets), “The Ghosts of Lotteries Lost,” honorable mentions.

Fiction: Deoso, “The Interrogation,” first; Leanne Claire Bellen (Artlets), “Si Magayon,” second; Marianne Freya Nono (Graduate School), “TXT,” third; Lloyd Opalec (Artlets), “When Monsters Love,” Janelle Dino (Artlets), “Hail Goretti, Full of Grace” and Castillo, “The Ugliest Drowned Man in the World,” honorable mentions.

Essay: Padao, “Trinkets, Tools, and Toys,” first; Castillo, “Cataract Clouds and Turning Tables,” second; Noreen Miano (Artlets), “A Trail Runner,” third; Bellen, “A Wooden Consolation” and Aaron Philip Dela Cruz (Artlets), “Getting Used To,” honorable mentions.

Katha: Christian Mendoza (Accountancy), “Tatlong Mga Daliri, Kamay at Paa,” first; Deoso, “Rebelyon,” second; Patrick Ernest

like intangible heritage.”

Peralta said he had always emphasized the reflection of Filipino culture in his literary works.

“What is important to me is that the culture of the Philippines is documented and made available to the people. As I said, I do not wave flags. I do not even think that I will leave a legacy to people. Everything that I write is public property,” he explained.

Peralta, who is also a poet and essayist, highlighted the importance of having selfconfidence when writing a literary work, especially in preserving the country’s culture.

“First thing I tell people when they come listen to me; ‘don’t belittle the things that they say. Think it out for yourself,’” he said.

The acclaimed playwright considered language as a significant aspect in writing about the Philippine culture.

For him, language is a “genus” for having a variety in its usage.

“What is the bearer of culture? It is language. If it is not in your language, it is not in your culture. You cannot even think beyond your language.

It is language that will define a culture and the culture will define the people,” Peralta said.

Saint-maker Fr. Villarroel was considered as one of the University’s longest-serving archivists, acclaimed for his historical research, Positio Super Introductione Causae, which paved the way to the beatification of Lorenzo Ruiz and companion martyrs in 1981.

San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila is

Fourth-year literature student Raymond Padao is the recipient of the coveted Rector’s Literary Award.

M. T. PROVIDO

Celso (Education), “Ang Hindi Matapos-tapos na Pagtatapos,” third; Samantha Manalansan (Education), “Boda de Oro,” honorable mention.

Tula: Deoso, “Mga Mumunting Dagundong,” first; Padao, “Sirang Orasan at iba pang Tula,” second; Joshua Russel Iringan (Artlets), “At Nakipanahan sa Gitna Natin: Mga Tula sa Panahong Gaya ng Amin,” third; Julius Villavieja (Artlets), “Patay Mali Siya… Patay Malisya: Isang Pahayagan,” honorable mention.

Sanaysay: Mendoza, C., “Bakit ang Cool Kapag Americans ang Nagsasabi ng ‘You’re Driving Me Nuts’,” first; Jann Kyla Mendoza (Artlets), “Biyaheng Fairview sa UV Express,” second; Deoso, “Isang Lihim Para Kay H.,” third; Marianne Joy Ligan (Artlets), “Soria, Soria, Soria,” Celso, “Ang Tunay na Calling Ko” and Patrick John Danque (Artlets), “Ang Pinag-uusapan ng mga Filipino pag Nakikita ng Ibang Filipino Abroad,” honorable mentions.

One-Act Play/Dulang Isang Yugto: No

the first Filipino saint.

Since then Fr. Villarroel earned the reputation as a “saint-maker,” for providing the historical spadework that resulted in the beatification of other candidates, such as Beato Buenaventura Garcia Paredes and companion Thomasian martyrs, who were killed during the Spanish persecutions in the 1930’s.

Professor De Castro noted that the Spanish Dominican priest became her mentor in the University archives. She called him a “father, mentor, and friend.”

“I had this great benefit of being trained under him and he would pass on a lot of information to me,” De Castro said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

The history professor also acknowledged the great contribution of Fr. Villarroel in her knowledge about religious history.

“He patiently answered my questions about the peculiarities in religious life, why things happened the way they did, what were the different activities that they did. He gave me good answers which helped me in my writing of religious history and Philippine history in general,” she said.

Fr. Villaroel received the Gintong Aklat Award for his two-volume masterpiece, “A History of the University of Santo Tomas: Four Centuries of Higher Education in the Philippines,” published in 2012.

He also authored 23 books and 65 articles on theology and the histories of the University, the Philippines, and the Church.

“The most important for

winner, first; Opalec, “Bulong ng Hangin,” second; Mendoza, J., “Paper Cranes,” third; Rani Mae Aberin (Artlets), “Forever Young” and John Michael Peña (Artlets), “Writer’s Block,” honorable mentions.

Complete list of jurors: Poetry: Carlomar Daoana, Mariano Kilates, and Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta Fiction: Chuckberry Pascual, Sarge Lacuesta, and Augusto Antonio Aguila Tula: Vim Nadera, Joselito Delos Reyes, and Rebecca Añonuevo Essay: John Jack Wigley, Jose Wendell Capili and Shirley Lua Katha: Edgar Samar, Eros Atalia and Jun Cruz Reyes Sanaysay: Gary Devilles, Oscar Campomanes and Beverly Siy One-Act Play/Dulang Isang Yugto: Jose Victor Torres, Jerry Gracio and Ralph Galan

me among his works aside from the [Positio Super Introductione Causae] would be the History of UST. Nothing can match the devotion and rigor of his scholarship works, which he manifested in writing and researching. It is the product of ten years of research,” De Castro said.

For De Castro, it is important for every Thomasian “to appreciate the decadelong of work Fr. Villaroel has written” about the history of the University.

“I hope Thomasians would really find time to read it in order to be able to understand why Santo Tomas remains to be a beacon of influence, hope, and of course, a great symbol of faith and Christianity in this part of the world which is Asia.”

In 2009, Fr. Villaroel’s “Alma Mater: The University of Santo Tomas as seen by its own poets” was published by the UST Publishing House.

He collected and edited the 144 poems dedicated to the University written by students and alumni.

The book includes Claro Recto’s masterpiece, “A Benavides” (To Benavides), which won first prize in Certamen Poetico—a national poetry competition—during the third centennial of the University.

Recto’s poem ends with the line: “Y en coro inmenso gritad; Gloria al Padre Benavides!

(And in immense choir shout; Glory to the father Benavides!).”

ELMER B. COLDORA and CEDRIC ALLEN P. STA. CRUZ

ASHES ASHES serve as a reminder For the laity in the form Of a cross over their foreheads Year by year by year by year— Their virtues’ color, Charred plumes of a vulture.

Their worldly existence, A forest presumed to burn soonest.

Yet the sleight of hand, Yet the twist of fate, Yet the turning of tables— Such year by year reminder Gets slowly crossed out As f locks of vultures feast On the vestiges of their faith, A forest that has burned, turned ashes.

NIKKO MIGUEL M. GARCIA

IKA-29 NG MARSO, 2017

Filipino 9

‘Saling-awit’ at ang kultura ng pagsasalin sa Filipinas Nina JOLAU V. OCAMPO at WINONA S. SADIA NANANATILING buhay ang mga tradisiyonal na tula at awitin sa pamamagitan ng pagsasalin.

Para kay Michael Coroza, tagapangulo ng Filipinas Institute of Translation, Inc., paraan ng pagpapaunawa ng kaisipan sa ibang tao ang pagsasalin, partikular na ng mga luma ngunit makabuluhang mga awitin.

“Lagi naman tayong nagsasalin. Iyong ginagawa natin araw-araw na pakikipag-usap sa ibang tao at nagsisikap tayong magpaunawa sa kanila ay isang paraan ng pagsasalin,” wika ni Coroza sa isang talakayan tungkol sa larangan ng saling-awit sa Polytechnic University of the Philippines noong ika-3 ng Marso.

Aniya, bahagi ang saling-awit sa buong disiplina ng pagsasalin. Sa katunayan, nakapailalim ito sa literary translation na isang sangay ng disiplinang ito.

“Sa konteksto ng Filipinas, literary translation ito sapagkat ang tradisiyon natin ng mga tula ay tradisiyong pakanta,” paliwanag ni Coroza. Dagdag pa niya, mula noong sinaunang panahon, kinakanta ang mga tula at hindi lamang binibigkas.

Kaugnay nito, mayroong sariling himig ang bawat anyo ng ating tulaan upang awitin.

Mayroong apat na uri ng pagsasalin ng mga kanta ayon kay Coroza. Tinatawag na saling-awit o song translation ang una kung saan naililipat mula sa simulaang lengguwahe o source language ang halos lahat ng katangiang taglay ng teksto, tulad ng pangunahing kaisipan, metapora, simbolo, at iba pa, sa tunguhang lengguwahe o target language (TL).

Sa halaw-awit naman o song adaptation, may isang deribatibong teksto na nalilikha sa TL at marami sa mga kaisipan o kahulugan at iba pang katangian ng orihinal ang hindi naililipat gayong maaari naman sana.

Mayroon namang direktang pagpapalit ng konteksto sa palit-awit o replacement text, kung saan walang anumang kinalaman sa orihinal na mensahe ng awitin ang TL ngunit nananatili ang tono nito.

Sa lapat-awit naman, nakalilikha ng musika ang tagasalin sa pamamagitan ng paglalapat ng liriko sa isang melodiya na orihinal na walang mga salita.

Kaugnay nito, binalikan ni Coroza ang mga hakbang sa paglikha ng ating pambansang awit na

dumaan sa iba’t ibang uri ng pagsasalin mula sa una nitong bersyon. Noong 1898, isinulat ito ni Julian Felipe bilang himig na pinamagatang “Marcha Nacional Filipina.”

Makalipas ang isang taon, nilapatan ito ni Jose Palma ng liriko gamit ang kaniyang tulang “Filipinas” na nakasulat sa wikang Espanyol.

Narito ang unang saknong mula sa kauna-unahang bersiyon ng Pambansang Awit na unang ginamit noong 1899: Tierra adorada Hija del sol de Oriente, Su fuego ardiente En ti latiendo está.

Nagdaan pa ito sa ilang pagsasalin patungo sa wikang Ingles at Filipino. Noong 1938, inilunsad ang bersyon nina Camilo Osías at Mary A. Lane na nakasulat sa Ingles. Pinamagatan itong “Philippine Hymn” na may unang saknong na: Land of the morning Child of the sun returning With fervor burning Thee do our souls adore.

Naging tanyag naman ang bersyon nina Julian Cruz Balmaceda, Francisco Caballo at Ildefonso Santos noong panahon ng mga Amerikano.

Tinawag itong “O Sintang Lupa” na naging opisyal na pambansang awit noong 1948: O sintang lupa, Perlas ng Silanganan; Diwang apoy kang Sa araw nagmula.

Mula sa liriko ni Felipe Padilla de León na isinulat noong dekada ’60 ang opisyal na Pambansang Awit na ginagamit sa kasalukuyan.

Itinakda ito bilang opisyal na bersyon noong 1998 sa ilalim ng Republic Act No. 8491, na nagbabawal din sa paggamit ng kapuwa Ingles at Espanyol na mga bersyon nito.

Kahalagahan ng pagsasalin Lingid sa kamalayan ng

marami,

isang

pang-araw-araw na gawain ang pagsasalin na naipahahayag ng mga Filipino sa pamamagitan ng pakikipag-usap, pagsusulat, pakikipagtalastasan at iba pa.

“Hinaharap natin araw-araw sa iba’t ibang okasiyon ang pagsasalin,” ani Virgilio Almario sa kaniyang aklat na pinamagatang, Batayang Pagsasalin: Ilang Patnubay at Babasahin para sa Baguhan.

Paliwanag niya, kailangang dalubhasa ang tagasalin sa dalawang wikang nais niyang isalin sa kahit anong pangyayari. Tinatawag na simulaang lengguwahe (SL) ang wika ng akdang isinasalin at tunguhang lengguwahe (TL) naman ang wika ng pinagsasalinang akda.

Kalakip nito ang pangunahin sa mga suliraning kinakaharap sa tuwing nagsasalin—ang angkop at wastong pagtutumbas sa mga isinasaling salita.

Ayon kay Almario, mayroong mga panuto sa pagsasalin na madalas nalilimutan ng mga nagsasagawa nito.

Una, dapat na ganap na nauunawaan ng tagasalin ang kahulugan at mensaheng nais ipahatid ng orihinal na manunulat.

Kinakailangan din na mayroon siyang ganap na kaalaman sa kapuwa SL at sa TL sapagkat sa ganitong paraan, madali niyang mailalahad ang mga kaisipang ipinababatid ng may-akda.

Bukod pa rito, binigyang-diin ni Almario sa kaniyang aklat ang kahalagahan ng paggamit ng mga salitang pamilyar sa nakararami sa TL. Dapat din daw malapatan ng tagasalin ng angkop na himig ang orihinal na himig.

Hindi lamang mga salita ang binabago sa proseso ng pagsasalin ng mga akda kundi pati ang mga kaisipang nilalaman nito.

Bagaman walang dalawang wika ang labis na magkatulad, higit na makatutulong ang pananaliksik ng tagapagsalin tungkol sa orihinal na akda at sa manunulat nito.

Patuloy na naipapasa ang mga makabuluhang mensahe na nais ipahatid ng mga sinaunang manunulat sa ganitong paraan.

Tomasinong instruktor, wagi Sinaunang panitikan, dapat ipaalala sa mga kabataang manunulat – Almario sa Talaang Ginto ng KWF ISANG Tomasinong instruktor ang pararangalan ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) para sa kaniyang tula hinggil sa “pagrerebisa” ng kasaysayan ng batas militar.

Bibigyang parangal ang “Rebisyon” ni Paul Castillo, facilitator ng National Service Training Program sa UST, sa unang araw ng Abril sa Orion Elementary School sa Bataan matapos magwagi ng ikatlong gantimpala sa Talaang Ginto: Makata ng Taon.

Tungkol ang tula sa muling pagbuhay sa usapin ng batas militar at ang aniya’y pagbabago ng impormasiyon ukol dito, tulad ng “kabutihan” umano ng diktatura.

“Isinulat ko ang akda dahil sa kabi-kabilang paglapastangan sa buhay kasabay ng muling paglapastangan sa kasaysayan,” ani Castillo.

Iniaalay ni Castillo ang tula sa “mga mag-aaral na tagatanggap ng bagong impormasiyon na napakadaling mabihag ng sinasabing pagbabago sa kasaysayan,” aniya.

Hihirangin namang “Makata ng Taon” si Aldrin Pentero para sa kaniyang koleksiyong pinamagatang “Moonlight at iba

Castillo

pang tula” habang ang ikalawang gantimpala ay igagawad sa “Balak na Maikling Dokumentaryo Tungkol sa Isang Binatilyo sa Badjao Village,” ni Michael Jude Tumamac.

Isang taunang patimpalak sa pagsusulat ng tula ang Talaang Ginto: Makata ng Taon ng KWF, na nagbibigay-pugay sa mga makata ng wikang Filipino.

Kabilang sina Bienvenido Lumbera, Cirilo Bautista at Virgilio Almario sa ilang mga batikang makata na ginawaran ng parangal na ito noon. JOLAU V. OCAMPO

kapuwa ginamit ang ang BINIGYANG-DIIN ng pinuno na luma[ng plataporma], ng Pambansang Komisyon panitikan upang magpahayag maraming hindi makaiintinding para sa Kultura at mga Sining ng kaisipang politikal noong mga kabataan. Maraming hindi (NCCA) ang pagbabalik- kanilang panahon. makaaabot,” ani Seguerra sa tanaw sa mga lumang akda at kaniyang mensahe. manunulat upang makatulong sa Makabagong paraan Paglilinaw niya, hindi ito Iminungkahi naman ni nangangahulugan ng paglimot pagpapayabong ng makabagong Aiza Seguerra, tagapangulo sa pisikal na bersiyon ng mga panitikang Filipino. “[Ang padiriwang ng ng Pambansang Komisyon sa aklat sapagkat marami pa ring Buwan ng Panitikan] ngayong Kabataan, ang paggamit ng nagsasabing mas komportable taon ay para sa kabataan [at] e-books bilang makabagong ang mga ito sa pagbabasa. sa pagtuklas ng bagong anyo plataporma ng pagbasa at Mas mahalaga, aniya, ang ng panitikan,” ani Virgilio pamamahagi ng panitikang pagpapalawak ng kamalayan Almario, tagapangulo ng Filipino. hinggil sa lokal na panitikan sa “Kung ipagpipilitan natin anumang paraang tinatangkilik NCCA at Pambansang Alagad ng Sining sa Panitikan, ang mga ito. sa isang pagtitipon sa “Bakit hindi natin tanggapan ng ahensiya gamitin ang parehong sa Maynila noong ika-7 plataporma para ng Marso. mas marami tayong Mungkahi niya, maabot?” dagdag ni maaaring magsilbing Seguerra. pamantayan sa pagbuo Pinamunuan ng ng makabagong anyo NCCA, Komisyon sa ng panitikang Filipino Wikang Filipino at iba ang mga sinaunang pang mga institusiyon akda at mga makata at ang pagtitipon bilang kuwentista na sumulat paghahanda sa Buwan ng mga ito. ng Panitikan ng Filipinas G i n a w a n g sa Abril na may temang ng pagtitipon ang mga institusiyon kabilang ang “Banyuhay halimbawa ni Almario Nagdaraos (bagong Pambansang Komisyon para sa Kultura at mga Sining at sina Francisco Balagtas Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino bilang paghahanda sa Buwan ng anyo ng buhay).” at Emilio Jacinto Pantikan.

WINONA S. SADIA

10 Limelight

Art Director: Kirsten M. Jamilla

MARCH 29, 2017

BUHAY USTEDYANTE BY CHINNY MAE F. BASINANG

TOMALINO BY SHAINA MAE L. SANTANDER

BUHAY TOMASINO BY JUAN MIGUEL M. SORIANO

The Challenge of a silent God FROM PAGE 5 rescuing. However, her experience with the Sisters draws her to suffer emotionally with them and to admire the ingenious attempts of these helpless women to make sense of their suffering and construct their lives again from the ashes of degradation.

Through it all, Mathilde is privileged to observe closely the struggles of faith the nuns experience amidst tears, suppressed screams and gnawing questions.

The silence of God – that is a strange mystery. In many ways the experience of the idealistic priests in Silence and the pure nuns of The Innocents is shared by many people today who cling to religious faith.

What is the good God saying about the suffering brought about by life-threatening disease, the breakdown of relationships, the crisis of families, the ordeal of innocents, the fragility of human efforts? We pray and ask, cry and plead, shout and call out to heaven. God speaks no word.

To be concluded

Honorary profs FROM PAGE 3 Fact-based science Holdsworth was a recipient of 28 research grants and authored and co-authored 28 articles published in various journals worldwide.

He is also one of the key figures in the development of UST’s BS Applied Physics major in Instrumentation program.

In his conferment speech, Holdsworth stressed the importance of empirical evidence in the field of science in the age of “alternative facts.”

“We should collectively insist in supporting factual-based science over opinions. If anti-vaccines win, hospitals and graveyards would be filled,” he said.

Okamoto has published over 200 scientific journals around the country with the Science Council of Japan. He is responsible for bringing Thomasian students and faculty to Japan for internships and research collaborations.

“The impressions are strong on how I observe the tranquility and the natural ease of the UST campus. To add to my observation was the diligent attitude of the faculty and the staff as well as the enthusiasm of the students,” Okamoto said in his conferment speech.

The conferment took place at the Medicine Auditorium. ROY ABRAHMN D.R. NARRA

Alumni hit UST FROM PAGE 3 said she knew of several alumni who participated in the Edsa anniversary rites and other protest rallies.

“UST was not at all silent since some Thomasian alumni’s voices simply blend with the rest of the Filipino people,” explained Kuizon.

A member of Batch 1986 of AB Journalism of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, Elona expressed disappointment that UST had not released a single statement or joined assemblies to commemorate the popular revolt that ousted Marcos.

“It’s never been the habit of the University to issue public statements on political issues, but there are moments when it really has to take a stand and make that stand known to all and sundry,” Elona told Varsitarian in an e-mail. “I don’t expect UST to issue statements on every issue, but Feb. 25, 2017 was no time for silence.”

“I don’t know why they chose silence,” he added. It’s unfair to speculate. A university that has survived for centuries and nurtured great men and women surely has the power to influence public opinion if it wants to.”

‘Silence of universities’ Alumni pointed to the remarks of former Senate President Edgardo Angara made during the inauguration of the Academia Filipina last Feb. 24, in which he complained about the silence of “institutions … (such as) universities” over Duterte’s alleged iron-booted rule.

“Some 31 years after People Power overthrew the dictatorship, our liberties are in jeopardy once again,” said Angara. “The institutions that serve as its bulwark, such as the media and universities, are suddenly quiet. Men and women of intelligence and passion for country stand silent and remain passive.”

UST alumnus and National Artist for Literature F. Sionil José, told the Varsitarian he and Angara co-founded the Academia Filipina to gather “our National Artists and National Scientists, plus some young and old Filipinos who have distinguished themselves in their particular professions.”

“The major purpose of the Academia Filipina is to promote and protect Filipino culture as the bedrock of the Filipino nation,” he added.

Angara said there was widespread populism and demagoguery and warned against a slide to fascism and totalitarianism.

He said Philippine democracy was failing because of political turncoatism and the “lack of a true party system,” and a “largely disconnected—if not entirely indifferent—elite.”

“That’s the reason why we need

Academia Filipina—to put our minds and expertise together toward finding our own solutions to the country’s biggest challenges and arresting the decline of democracy and freedom,” Angara declared.

“Toward supporting and strengthening key institutions—media, civic organizations, the courts and universities. And toward fostering an intellectual climate conducive to reform and change.”

Former AB Student Council president Marie Jann Klaire Lazo said UST’s alleged silence on key public issues was a betrayal of its own “vision-mission.” “[The UST administration] should revisit the institution’s mission and vision – that the University is committed to the service of the Church, nation and global community, and envisions itself to produce morally formed professionals for social transformation,” said Lazon, who now teaches at the St. Joseph’s College in Quezon City.

She said the UST administration should take a more active stance toward social issues so as to encourage the Thomasians to effect social change.

“But with the absence of leadership from the administrators, how can we then challenge our students to go out and contribute to social change? How can we apply being Christian and Catholic if in those issues and with the issues at hand, we fail to become a man for others?” Lazo asked.

An AB Journalism alumna and a former media professional herself, Sister Kuizon, who’s provincial of the Religious of the Good Shepherd, said UST was heard and its voice blended with the rest of the people in response to the call to be “brave and vigilant” in fighting for human rights.

She noted the heavy UST participation in the Walk for Life prayer rally at the Luneta Park last Feb. 18.

The Institute of Religion in fact helped in the liturgical needs of the rally and mobilized participation of the campus community in the Walk for Life that was organized by the Council of the Laity of the Philippines and supported by the AMRSP and Catholic Bishops of the Philippines (CBCP) headed by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, a member of the Dominican Clerical Fraternity.

“There might not be a dominant voice from the University but there were many [UST alumni at the celebration of Edsa 31] who believe in the spirit of Edsa and hope that peace and justice will reign in our country,” Kuizon, a former Special Reports editor and later assistant adviser of the Varsitarian.

UST firm vs death penalty Fr. Rector Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. said he was not able to join the Feb. 25 protest due to his hectic schedule.

“Why not?” he said about UST participating in the celebration. “That is

an important event in the country and it is important that we don’t forget the meaning of Edsa.”

Dagohoy denied UST had been silent on important issues, citing the University’s stand against extrajudicial killings and the death penalty.

He said UST was firm in its support for the stand of the CBCP on the right to life.

“We made our stand clear with all of those [issues]. We are with the Church in regard these issues,” said Dagohoy.

“I think the government really has to explore other possible ways, because the Church looks at death penalty only as an ultimate and last resort when all other options have failed,” he said.

Dagohoy also called for reforms in the judicial system.

“That’s actually the position of the Church, [that] we to have reform our penal [and] judicial system, police and all these things so that those who are indeed guilty would be punished and those who are not would be free.”

‘Choose life’ Kuizon emphasized the significance of the support of the Dominican priests and the Thomasian community in opposing the reinstatement of the death penalty.

“To speak the truth, to stand by it, to choose life—these are values that UST as a Pontifical University can proclaim,” Kuizon said.

After the House of Representatives passed the death-penalty bill last March 9, University posted on its Facebook account a pitch-dark image of the official UST seal with the inscription, “#NoToDeathPenalty.”

The University had been previously criticized on social media for not releasing any statement about the hero’s burial for Marcos.

Dagohoy had said there was no need to make an official statement since campus students councils had already made their stand known, such as the ABSC and Central Student Council. But Elona said that the UST administration should have come up with a statement.

“They’re (by) student councils,” he said about the statements. “They represent student groups, not the University.”

Elona added UST had not even reacted to the executive order of Duterte restoring mandatory ROTC despite the killing in 2001 of UST cadet Mark Welson Chua by ROTC officers themselves many of whom remain at large.

The killing sparked student protests nationwide so that Fr. Tamerlane Lana, OP, UST rector at that time, led the University Belt Consortium in calling for the scrapping of mandatory ROTC. In 2002, President Arroyo signed the law establishing the National Service Training Program that made ROTC optional. With reports from CHRISTIAN DE LANO M. DEIPARINE

Editor: Delfin Ray M. Dioquino

Sports 11

MARCH 29, 2017

Bullied then, Dither Tablan now UAAP’s best

By RALPH EDWIN U. VILLANUEVA TOP UST judoka Dither Tablan used to be bullied because he was heavy.

But little did he know then that his weight would turn out to be his biggest asset.

Listed at 5-foot-10 and 175 kilograms, Tablan is the heaviest judoka in the country. He is the reigning champion in the +100kg division of UAAP judo “I was bullied. I was not treated well, I was laughed at or I was called names. I was lonely and I kept asking myself why my body became this big but I did not know what to do because I was still a kid. I was well-fed and I grew. What will I do?” he said.

The 18-year-old tried to engage in numerous sports—basketball, table tennis, fencing, swimming, billiards and chess—in an attempt to lose weight but to no avail.

Come his third year in high school, Tablan was approached by a member of the Claret School of Quezon City’s judo club to try out for the varsity team.

“I was asked to try judo because my weight was perfect for it. I watched judo videos online, I researched about the sport and I told myself I can excel here because the players were huge,” Tablan said. “I felt home with judo.

I told myself that this is where I truly belong.”

Ferdie Balingit, the former coach of the Claret judo team, talked to Tablan to join his team, noting that Tablan’s size would be an

advantage.

“I was shocked when I saw him in our judo club, he was quick to learn the sport and he was flexible even though he was bigger than the others,” Balingit said.

Balingit entered Tablan to just his second tournament, the Bro. Ceci Cup in 2015, where the then 15-year-old Tablan managed to win bronze.

Despite what he calls a “disappointing” finish, Philippine team coach Roland Llamas took notice of Tablan’s talent and asked if he could coach the hefty judoka.

Unexpected twist After graduating from high school, Tablan, decided to focus on being an Architecture student in the University instead of taking his judo career in a whole new level.

But with athletic scholarship offers from UST, La Salle and Ateneo, the Sports and Wellness Management student decided to pursue the judoka path with UST because of his familiarity with coach Llamas.

Male Judokas head

Dither Tablan did not let his bullies get the best of him as he transformed into one of UA AP judo’s most feared men.

coach Steve Esteban has nothing but praises for the only heavyweight to win a gold medal for UST in a decade. “[Dither] is a once in a generation [player]. As an assistant coach for a long time and now a head coach, I have never coached a player this big. His passion for judo is commendable,” Esteban said. “Judo is where he gets his pride, and where he rose to fame [in school].”

Tablan admitted that he still feels anger for what his bullies did to him but he uses that rage to excel in everything he does, after all, he knows he has no way to go but up after being down.

“From being bullied back when I was a kid, I built myself. I am now part of the Philippine team and at the same time a varsity in UST. I am also included in IPEA’s dean’s list. For me, I am still going up and I have nothing to lose.” Tablan said.

ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN

UST tennis teams earn back-to-back silver UST TENNIS squads settled for silver medals against the University of the East (UE) and the National University (NU), respectively, in the UAAP Season 79 lawn tennis championships held at the Rizal Memorial Stadium from March 18 to 22.

UE clinched its first UAAP men’s lawn tennis title with a sweep against the Male Tennisters, 3-1, in Game 2 of their best-of-three finals series, while NU grabbed its fourth straight UAAP women’s lawn tennis crown with a 3-0 demolition of the Lady Tennisters to cap off its flawless Season 79 run.

UST’s Bernlou Bering and En-En Lopez had the chance to extend the day into a fifth match by leading 5-0 in the third set.

But Red Warriors Paulo Baran and Jeric delos Santos won the next seven games for a 7-6, 2-6, 7-5 comeback win.

Bering and Lopez needed just one game to force a do-or-die with UE but committed crucial errors en route to the colossal collapse.

“Maybe the championship really is not for us and UE deserved it,” Male Tennisters head coach Alezander Diego told the Varsitarian. “We will do

Aquino FROM PAGE 2 last March 11.

Cojuangco is the wife of Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, brother of the late Corazon Aquino, who is Noynoy’s mother and president from 1986 to 1992.

Cojuangco said Senior Police Officer 3 Christopher Lalan, the lone survivor from the 55th Special Action Company (SAC), informed her of the hardships the SAF members endured to reach the lair of Malaysian terrorist and bomb maker Zulkifli Abdhir, also known as “Marwan.”

She narrated in detail how the SAF members were left “helpless” during the encounter after the request of the 55th SAC for artillery support or rescue was not given.

“Whatever reinforcements were needed, like infantry, air support, there were no support given,” she said.

Cojuangco expressed hope President Rodrigo Duterte would fulfill his vow to reinvestigate the botched police operation.

On Jan. 25, 2015, a deadly clash

everything to get the championship next season.”

Most Valuable Player AJ Lim capped his impressive rookie season, outclassing UST’s Francis Suazo, 6-0, 6-0. The Red Warrior duo of Rogelio Estaño, Jr. and Rolly Saga upset the duo of JC Cabusas and Clarence Cabahug, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5.

Dave Mosqueda gave the Male Tennisters’ lone win of the day with a hard-ought 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 victory over Rodolfo Barquin.

In women’s play, graduating star Christine Patrimonio set the tone for the Lady Bulldogs with a 6-0, 6-3 victory against Precian Rivera before NU duo Jzash Canja and Junnalyn Polito made quick work of UST’s Shymae Gitalan and Eb-Eb Caorte, 6-2, 6-0.

Tournament Most Valuable Player Clarice Patrimonio completed NU’s four-peat following a 6-1, 6-3 win over Lady Tennister Erika Manduriao.

“In general, [I was satisfied with how our season went] but the pressure got the best of the team here in the finals. I asked them and they admitted they felt pressured because of the crowd and the feeling of playing in the finals,” Lady Tennisters coach Dennis Sta. Cruz said. RALPH EDWIN U. VILLANUEVA

UST’s tennis teams could not handle the pressure of being in the finals as they settled for back-to-back silver medals.

DEEJAE S. DUMLAO

Key cogs

between SAF commandos and rebels from various armed groups, including the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and Moro Islamic Liberation Front, FROM PAGE 12 took the lives of 44 SAF members in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

The operation called “Oplan Exodus” in her rookie year, Pacres, fondly called as Dimdim involved the capture Marwan and his aide or Boom by volleyball fans, was also removed from Basit Usman. Marwan had a $5-million the main pool after not making much noise. bounty on his head. “[When] I was with the Team B, it was actually Cojuangco obtained her master’s and more tiring doing nothing than doing something,” doctorate degrees in Philippine history in Pacres said. “I worked hard to polish my game since 1986 and 2004, respectively at the UST I knew that I am still not at my best form.”

Graduate School.

This year, Pacres made the Team A anew but She finished her master’s degree in was a non-factor early in the season as the Tigresses national security administration in 1998 lost three of their first four games. The team was at and doctorate degree in criminology in the tail end of the first round when Pacres showed 2010 at the National Defense College of why she belonged in the big leagues. the Philippines. She served as governor of The open spiker dropped 11 and 12 points in Tarlac from 1992 to 1998 and later became UST’s back-to-back victories against powerhouses undersecretary for Special Concerns of National University and Far Eastern University, the Department of the Interior and Local respectively.

Government.

The Tigresses, who were stuck at sixth place The lecture, titled “The Mamasapano early in the season, ended the first round at fourth Saga: A Trail of Lies and Truth and the place behind a three-game winning streak and are Decline of the Peace Process,” was a now a win away from barging into the Final Four for research project intended to develop the the first time since 2012. awareness of Thomasians on the depth of “I am happy with my performance since my the tragedy and discuss the international game during my high school days seems to be effort to eliminate terrorism in the returning this college,” Pacres said. JAN CARLO country. MIA ARRA C. CAMACHO ANOLIN AND PHILIP MARTIN L. MATEL

Softbelles FROM PAGE 12 the bottom of the seventh but Finals MVP Riflayca Basa, who tallied eight strikeouts, delivered three outs against UST’s first four batters.

UST head coach Sandy Barredo, who saw her wards fall short of the championship for the second straight year, had little to say about the turn of events.

“Antolihao was a big loss. We were the only team capable of defeating Adamson.

Unfortunately, Antolihao’s knees buckled in Game 1,” Barredo said in Filipino.

Despite losing Garde and Racher Secor to graduation, the Softbelles will still enjoy the services of a newly recovered Antolihao and national team mainstays Celestine Palma and CJ Roa. “Sabi ko sa kanila, hindi man tayo manalo this year, bumawi tayo next season para maging maganda ang pag-alis nila.

Masaya ako na nakaalis ako na maganda angpagtatapos ng career ko,” Garde, who was named Best Hitter this season, told the Varsitarian after the game. PHILIP MARTIN L. MATEL

Sports

MARCH 29, 2017

Golden Sox exceed expectations, nab silver

By CARLO A. CASINGCASING

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS. The UST Golden Sox avenge their fifth-place finish last year by giving Ateneo de Manila University a run for their own money in the finals.

DEEJAE S. DUMLAO

THE UST Golden Sox improved from last season and finished strong at second place in the UAAP baseball tournament.

The Golden Sox suffered 2-9 and 12-14 losses in Games 1 and 2, respectively, against the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Batters in their best-of-three finals series held at the Rizal Memorial Stadium from March 21 to 24.

With the score tied at 11-all heading into the 12th inning, fatigue caught up with the Golden Sox in a game lasted for almost five hours. The Blue Batters scored three consecutive runs from Jose Maria Tantuico, Marco Mallariand Juan Alvaro Macasaet to secure their fourth crown.

UST attempted a comeback with Marlon Gonzales’ run but Macasaet’s prolific play at the mound put the game beyond the Golden Sox’s reach.

“We were already tired. Nonetheless, it was a good showing for the team this season. They just lacked composure and committed errors,” UST head coach Jeffrey Santiago told the Varsitarian.

UST finished fifth last season.

Nothing much was expected from the Golden Sox as they lost last season’s Most Valuable Player Julius Diaz, former team captain Arcel Aligno, Christian Mercado and Kimferlee Lopez. But after losing their first two games of the season, the Golden Sox rode on a seven-game winning streak that propelled them to the finals.

“Like what I always say, this year, the squad gelled better than last season. There are no more petty fights and no more misunderstandings. Slowly, they realized the importance of maturity,” Santiago said.

The Golden Sox, who had problems scoring last season, turned into an offensive juggernaut this year. During their winning streak, they scored a total of 49 runs in three consecutive games.

UST’s defense also improved significantly.

In their 11-6 second-round win against defending champions De La Salle University, the Golden Sox did not allow the Green Batters to score from the second to six innings courtesy of rookie pitcher Ian Llave.

The following game, it was ace pitcher Lesmar Ventura who did the heroics for UST as he held the University of the Philippines to just one run throughout the game, 8-1.

Ex-Team B players become key cogs for volleyball squads

Pacres

BEFORE Jerico Jose and Mary Dominique Pacres rose to prominence as UST top volleyball players, they had to earn their spot as members of Team B. But that did not stop them from rising to the occasion.

Jose, in his sophomore year in college, was already part of the Team A during the time the Tiger Spikers were mentored by Emil Lontoc. However, with current tactician Odjie Mamon taking the coaching reins, the new coaching staff sought a

UST maintains big lead in UAAP overall title race

By RANDELL ANGELO B. RITUMALTA THE UNIVERSITY is on track to reclaim the general title with a comfortable 47-point lead over defending champion De La Salle University.

UST is ahead of La Salle, 258-211, with only six events remaining. UST will still finish with a 41-point margin, 310-269, if their remaining teams keep their current standings.

The Lady Booters (2nd place), Golden Tigresses (3rd), Male Woodpushers (3rd), Golden Booters (4th) the Tiger Spikers (4th) only need to keep their current rankings for UST to add 52 points to its overall tally.

La Salle will get an additional 58 points if its teams will manage to hold on to their respective rankings: women’s football and volleyball (1st), women’s chess (2nd), men’s chess (5th), men’s football and volleyball (5th).

In another scenario, UST will still win by 13 points even if its squads finished sixth and La Salle’s teams maintained their current rankings UST so far has seven gold medals, nine silver, and one bronze medal while La Salle has brought home three gold medals, three silver, and six bronzes.

The UAAP awards 15 points to champions, 12 points to second placers and 10 for third.

massive overhaul.

“It was my third playing year when the battle for the roster spots became tight since the beach volleyball players were also included in the selection.

A week before UAAP, I knew I was a part of the 14-man lineup, then after the announcement, I was removed,” Jose told the Varsitarian.

The following year, Jose still failed to make it to the final roster and at that point, he said it felt like a “slap in the face” that he was not able to show his wares in the UAAP despite being in his fourth

year.

As a member of the Team B, Jose served as a mentor and practice player for his younger teammates who had the same optimism he had during his early playing years.

In his fifth year in UST, Jose finally got the chance to play.

This Season 79, he is averaging 10.5 points as of press time and is one of Mamon’s go-to guys, even dropping a career-high 22 points in UST’s win against University of the Philippines last Mar. 25.

“Do not stop pushing yourself. Every year, do not

waste the chance UST gave you because once you do not give your best even in just one training, the opportunity given to you will be wasted and in the end, you will regret everything” the fourth-year marketing management student said.

Same fate Almost the same story goes for Pacres who is recentlymaking a huge impact for the Tigresses.

Once listed in the Team A Key cogs PAGE 11

Jose

Softbelles falter anew in title bid vs Adamson THIS SEASON was supposed to be the crowning moment for the UST Softbelles.

The Softbelles found the key piece in pitcher Mary Ann Antolihao, named Best Pitcher this season, to end the Lady Falcons’ historic 73-game win streak in March 2016.

UST even pushed Adamson to the limit in the finals only to lose by three points in the do-ordie Game 3 last season, 2-5.

But Antolihao’s anterior cruciate ligament injury in UST’s 2-9 Game 1 loss to Adamson jeopardized the team’s chances.

Graduating team captain and backup pitcher Mallows Garde,

who carried UST to win Game 2 of the finals last year, failed replicate her heroics in her final game as Adamson zoomed to their seventh straight championship, 3-1, in Game 2 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium last Mar. 24.

Leading 2-1 heading to the seventh inning, Adamson sealed its 16th softball title as season MVP Angelie Ursabia completed the diamond courtesy of Dely Covarrubias’ run-batted-in-single.

The Softbelles still had a chance to make a comeback at Softbelles PAGE 11

Without their best player in Ann Antolihao, the UST Tiger Softbelles fail to end Adamson University’s six-year reign in UA A P softball.

ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN