The Varsitarian P.Y. 2016-2017 Issue 09

Volume LXXXIX, No. 9 • May 4, 2017 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF SANTO TOMAS Manila, Philippines

Bioethicist warns against growing ‘contraceptive mentality’ A BIOETHICIST has warned about the harmful effects of a “contraceptive mentality” on human health and society, amid Western pressure on developing countries to allow widespread use of birth control to stem population growth.

“For me, using contraceptives as a way to restrict population can instill a contraceptive mentality and may actually be detrimental for

the country in the long term,” said Dr. Patrick Moral, head of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery Bioethics Department, in an interview with the Varsitarian.

“Once we view having a big family as a problem, we now develop a contraceptive mentality. The concept now is that if you have more kids, you have more mouths to feed,” he

added.

In countries like Japan and Korea, the problem has manifested in the social phenomenon called “Double Income, No Children” or DINC. DINC is a coined term used to describe a group of professional couples who have higher disposable incomes but do not have

children. The solution of the Korean and Japanese governments was to give incentives to couples to have children. But the efforts were unsuccessful.

In 2002, 1,156,000 babies were born in Japan, 15,000 fewer than in 2001, when the Contraceptives PAGE 9

TOP STUDENT COUNCIL BETS JUNKED Abstain votes blamed on poor debate performance DISSATISFACTION with the quality of candidates, especially with their answers to debate questions on issues such as tuition hikes and martial law, forced Thomasians to abstain from voting in four out of six posts in the Central Student Council (CSC), election observers said.

Dennis Coronacion, chairman of the UST political science department, said Thomasians did not know the candidates very well and most voted based on the controversial statements of the candidates.

“I guess the voters did not know well their candidates. The voters didn’t choose any candidate because they don’t have any good knowledge about the latter. The students only got to know them when the debate became controversial because of the martial law question,” Coronacion told the Varsitarian.

The official proclamation of the new CSC Executive Board officers at the Tan Yan Kee lobby revealed that majority of students voted for “abstain” in the positions of president, vice president, treasurer and auditor.

Only independent candidates Therese Ann Gorospe and Francis Santos won, as secretary and public relations officer (PRO), respectively.

Ysa Marasigan, outgoing president of the Faculty of Arts and Letters Student Council, echoed Coronacion: “A big factor was also the response of the candidates regarding national issues like martial law.”

Vice-presidential bets Gabriela Sepulchre (Lakas Tomasino Coalition or LTC) and Renz Santiago (Lakas ng Diwang Tomasino) came under fire on social media after their poor responses to a debate question about martial law.

LTC standard-bearer Steven Grecia drew flak after expressing his support for a “justifiable” tuition hike.

For Faye de Leon, an English language studies sophomore, the candidates failed to provide concrete UNEXPECTED. Lone presidential bet Steven Grecia of Lakas Tomasino Coalition in tears after the proclamation of results of the Central Student Council elections last April 22. DEEJAE S. DUMLAO

‘Tokhang, dapat na ring talakayin sa panitikan’ MAK ABULUHAN ang ambag ng panitikan sa pagpapalawak at pagpapalalim ng talakayan hinggil sa mga mga kaso ng pagpatay sa ilalim ng administrasyon ng Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte, bukod sa pagbabalita ng mga ito sa midya.

Ito ang mensahe ng ilang mga kilalang manunulat sa isang talakayang pinamagatang, “Ang Panitikan sa Panahon ng Tokhang,” na idinaos noong ika-29 ng Abril sa Ateneo de Manila sa pamumuno ng Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas.

Binigyang-diin ng mga tagapagsalita ang kakayahan ng panitikan na mas maipaunawa sa mga

mambabasa ang “Oplan Tokhang” sa pamamagitan ng pagsuri nito mula sa iba’t ibang punto de vista.

“Sa mga bangkay, minsan [ay] mas maraming sinasabi ang mga bagay na huli nilang hinawakan nang mamatay o bago mamatay.

[Halimbawa], isang supot ng pandesal, kalahating order ng ulam [o kaya naman ay] kanin,” wika ng mamamahayag na si Lourd de Veyra.

Paliwanag niya, bagaman may mas malalalim na mga kuwento sa likod ng mga nasawi sa operasyon, bihira ang mga itong maisama sa paguulat ng midya at ng mga mamamahayag sapagkat

nalilimitahan sila ng mga pamantayan sa kanilang propesyon.

Sinang-ayunan ito ni Joel Pablo Salud, isang Tomasinong peryodista at kuwentista.

Inilahad ni Salud ang mga pagkakaiba ng mga platapormang balita at panitikan sa pagtatalakay ng mga kaso ng pagpatay sa bansa.

“Kaya ako tumungo sa panitikan kasi ayaw kong mamanhid. Gusto ko [na] nararamdaman ko palagi iyong sinusulat ko,” ani Salud.

Bilang manunulat ng katha, ayon kay Salud, nakapagsusulat siya ng mga akda na may kakayahang

CSC Elections PAGE 5

UST hotel follows Asean standards

pumukaw sa damdamin ng mga mambabasa, mayroon man o walang kaanak na nabiktima ng Oplan Tokhang.

“As a journalist, [however], limited ka to tackle certain issues,” wika niya.

Dagdag pa Salud, nalilimitahan ang mga peryodista ng ilang mga pamantayan tulad ng pagiingat sa mga detalye at sa pagsunod sa nakatakda nilang oras ng pagkalap at pagpapalaganap ng balita. “’Pag ang issue [ay] pumutok sa harap mo, diyan mo rin siya dapat labanan.

Diyan mo rin siya dapat sagutin [at] diyan mo rin siya

A FULLY operational hotel-laboratory inside the University is now open to campus visitors.

Hotel 1611, at the 5th floor of Buenaventura G. Paredes O.P. Alumni Center Building, had a soft opening during the Dominican retreat last October 2015 and has been fully operational since January 2016.

The hotel, funded by UST and under the management of the Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) Department, is open to guests who are required to secure a year-long advanced reservation due to high demand, HRM Department Chairwoman Evangeline Timbang told the Varsitarian.

“It’s not open to walk-in. Hindi pwedeng kahit sino ay pupunta [bigla]

Tokhang PAHINA 5

‘Hotel 1611’ PAGE 11

2 News

Editor: Alhex Adrea M. Peralta

MAY 4, 2017

Students abstain in 4 of 6 CSC posts IN AN unprecedented development, Thomasians roundly rejected candidates in four out of six positions in the Central Student Council (CSC) Executive Board including the presidency, while two independents won the positions of secretary and public relations officer.

The official proclamation of the new CSC Executive Board officers held April 22 at the Tan Yan Kee lobby revealed that majority of students chose to abstain rather than vote for the candidates for president, vice president, treasurer and auditor.

The Lakas Tomasino Coalition (LTC) standard-bearer, third-year medical technology student Steven Grecia, got a total of 12,596 votes, but 15,803 students opted to abstain.

Speech-language pathology sophomore Gabriela Sepulchre (LTC) and industrial design junior Renz Santiago (Lakasdiwa), who both ran for vice president, obtained 10,130 votes and 5,051 votes, respectively. A total of 13,169 voters abstained.

Independent candidate Therese Gorospe was elected secretary with a total of 11,319 votes, defeating hotel and restaurant management junior Alexandra Guevarra (LTC) and travel management sophomore Josephine Beatrice Domingo (Lakasdiwa). Guevarra garnered 5,262 votes while Domingo obtained 3,031 votes. A total of 8,806 students abstained.

Candidates for treasurer lost to over 13,088 abstentions. Marketing management sophomore Daveson Nieto (LTC) got 9,446 votes while journalism junior Christopher Reyes (Lakasdiwa) garnered 5,867 votes.

CSC Elections PAGE 5

UST hosts first nationwide law aptitude exam MORE than 4,700 students from schools across Metro Manila trooped to UST last April 16 for the first nationwide law school aptitude test.

The University was designated as a testing site for the Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhiLSAT) by the Legal Education Board (LEB) last March 1.

LEB Chairman Emerson Aquende said UST was chosen by the board as one of PhiLSAT’s testing sites because of its convenient location and adequate facilities.

“UST has enough facilities available and secondly, the campus of UST is strategically located,” Aquende said in a chance interview with the Varsitarian.

UST was also selected because of PhilSat PAGE 10

Travel course gets highest Pacucoa accreditation THE UNIVERSITY’s travel management program has been granted Level IV accreditation by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities – Commission on Accreditation (Pacucoa), effective until 2022.

The highest quality seal given to a program, Level IV accreditation grants full autonomy for five years, according to the Pacucoa website.

It also enables school administrators to offer new graduate programs and open learning or distance education and extension classes, without prior approval of the Commission on Higher Education (Ched).

Under the accreditation process of Pacucoa, a private accrediting agency, schools are assessed based on purpose and objectives, faculty, instruction, library, laboratory, physical plant and facilities, student personnel services, social orientation and community involvement and administration and organization.

In 2013, the tourism program obtained Level III status while the hotel and restaurant management program received Level II accreditation.

The travel management program, under the College of Tourism and Hospitality Management, was recognized as a Center for Excellence by Ched.

ELECTION SEASON. UST Central Commission on Elections Chairman Arvin Bersonda (right) proclaims the winners in this year’s student polls last April 22.

DEEJAE S. DUMLAO

New CSC officials promise ‘more efficient’ council NEWLY elected officers of the Central Student Council (CSC) Executive Board vowed to make the incoming council more efficient, despite feeling “a bit paralyzed” after Thomasians rejected candidates in four of six posts in the recently concluded student polls.

Independent candidates Therese Gorospe and Francis Santos, CSC secretary-elect and public relations officerelect, respectively, said work in council would be difficult with only two officials.

“Sobrang hirap! Pero kung kinaya namin ni Kiko lumaban mag-isa, paano pa kapag magkasama na kami?”

Gorospe said in an online interview.

Santos said they would work with the Central Board, the CSC legislative arm composed of presidents of the student councils of the faculties and colleges. “[W]ith only the two CSC officials PAGE 11

Therese Gorospe (left) and Francis “Kiko” Santos (right) were elected secretary and public relations officer, respectively, in the recent Central Student Council elections. Four other posts including the presidency are vacant after Thomasians opted to abstain.

University opens new Graduate School of Law

By MARIA CRISANTA M. PALOMA and ROY ABRAHMN D.R. NARRA THE UNIVERSITY’S Master of Laws and Doctor of Civil Law programs are set to be transferred to the newly established UST Graduate School of Law. Maria Liza Lopez-Rosario, inaugural dean of the Graduate School of Law, said the establishment of the school was a requirement by the Legal Education Board (LEB), which wanted UST’s master ’s and doctorate of law programs to be separated from the UST Graduate School.

“Right now, the LEB is very strict when it comes to the Graduate School of Law. They want [the programs] to be separated from the Graduate School as a whole,” Rosario said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina explained that law programs have been placed under the LEB’s supervision.

The UST Graduate School is under the Commission on Higher Education.

Other law schools like San Beda College and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Manila have already established graduate schools for law studies, while Ateneo de Manila’s master ’s of law is vertically articulated with the institution’s law school.

Divina said the Graduate School of Law would specialize on commercial law, also known as business law.

Divina also said he would require his faculty members who do not have master ’s degrees in law to enroll in the new graduate school.

Thirty students have expressed interest to enroll, Rosario said.

Connected curriculum Rosario said the curriculum of the Graduate School of Law would be connected with that of the Faculty of Civil Law. “But since I obtained my degree

in Spain, I also want to go back to [the curriculum of] Spain, if there is a possibility of connecting the Graduate School [in UST to] the Graduate School in my university in Spain,” Rosario said.

Rosario obtained her bachelor ’s degree in philosophy and bachelor of laws from UST in 1984 and 1988, respectively. She obtained her doctorate in civil law in 1997 from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain.

Divina said Rosario was chosen among law faculty members because she was the most qualified.

The Thomas Aquinas Research Complex, the building of the UST Graduate School, will house the Graduate School of Law The UST Faculty of Civil Law, the oldest law school in the Philippines, was the first to offer the Master of Laws and Doctor of Civil Law programs in the country.

Filipino 3

IKA-4 NG MAYO, 2017

Mga kabataan, hinimok na makilahok sa pagpapaunlad ng panitikan ng Filipinas ORION, BATAAN — LAYUNIN ng Buwan ng Panitikan ngayong taon na makatuklas ng mga makabagong anyo at kaisipan mula sa mga batang manunulat na higit pang makapagpapasigla sa panitikan ng Filipinas.

Sa temang Banyuhay o “bagong anyo ng buhay,” idiniin ni Virgilio Almario, Pambansang Alagad ng Sining para sa Panitikan at pinuno ng Pambansang Komisyon para sa Kultura at mga Sining, na nakatuon ang pagdiriwang sa paghikayat sa mga kabataan na makiisa sa pagpapayabong ng pambansang panitikan.

“Kaya ‘banyuhay,’ ang ibig sabihin noon [ay] nais nating mag-emphasize sa paghahanap ng bagong literary forms at sa pagencourage din ng new writers lalo na ‘yong [mga] kabataang manunulat,” wika ni Almario sa isang panayam sa Varsitarian.

Sa pamamagitan ng paglangkap ng makabagong panlasa sa mga lokal na akda, maaaring lumakas pa ang pagtangkilik sa mga ito, dagdag pa niya.

Binigyang-diin din ni Almario ang pagnanais na makilala ang mga lumang manunulat na hindi naging tanyag sa kanilang mga panahon ngunit may mga akdang maaaring makapag-ambag sa pagpapaunlad ng panitikan ng Filipinas sa kasalukuyan.

Kabilang dito ang mga rehiyonal na manunulat na hindi nabigyan ng pagkakataon na maipaabot ang kanilang mga kalidad na sulatin sa labas ng kani-

ang kanilang mga paniniwala at pananaw sa pangkabuuang kalagayan ng bansa noon.

Sa kasalukuyan, nananatiling nakalangkap sa kurikulum ng mataas na paaralan ang pagbabasa ng mga klasikong akdang isinulat nila gaya ng Florante at Laura, El Filibusterismo at Noli Me Tangere.

Mga kabataang manunulat na dumalo sa pagbubukas ng Buwan ng Panitikan ng Filipinas sa Orion Elementary School sa Bataan noong ika-2 ng Abril.

kanilang mga lalawigan.

Kasabay naman ng pagpapayabong sa makabagong panitikang Filipino, wika ni Almario, kinakailangang ipagpatuloy ang pagtangkilik sa mga itinuturing na klasiko at katutubong akda. Sa ganitong paraan, aniya, mapagtatagpi-tagpi

nang maigi ng mga mambabasa ang mga mahahalagang pangyayari sa kasaysayan ng Filipinas.

“Patuloy pa rin [dapat] ‘yong ating pag-patronize sa ating traditional literatures.

Dapat ‘yong new literature is anchored on traditional [literature] para mayroong ‘continuity in history,’”

wika ni Almario.

Ibinigay niyang halimbawa ang mga akda nina Jose Rizal at Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar na kapuwa nagkaroon ng makabuluhang ambag sa panitikang Filipino sa kanilang panahon. Kapuwa nilang ginamit ang pagsusulat upang ipahayag

Pagkilala kay Balagtas Sa bisa ng Proklamasiyon Bilang 968 na nilagdaan ng Pangulong Benigno Aquino III noong 2015, alinsunod sa Konstitusyon, ginugunita ang Abril bilang Buwan ng Panitikan ng Filipinas. Itinapat ito sa buwan ng kapanganakan ni Balagtas na itinuturing na mahalagang pangyayari sa kasaysayan ng panitikan.

Pinili rin ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, isa sa mga namumuno sa malawakang pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng Panitikan, na ganapin ang pormal na pagbubukas nito sa Bataan sapagkat sa lalawigang ito sinasabing sumapi si Baltazar sa isang lihim na pangkat na lumaban para sa kalayaan noong panahon ng mga Kastila. Bagaman isang Bulakeño, sa Bataan umano isinulat ni Balagtas ang marami sa kaniyang mga kilalang akda.

“Sa ating panahon na lubhang pinaghaharian ng mga politiko at ng mga negosyante, isang dakilang

Panitikan PAHINA 11

Usapang Uste

Ang pagpapakilala ng Unibersidad sa Europa Ni WINONA S. SADIA BAGAMAN marami nang napatunayan bilang pinakamatandang pamantasan sa Asya, hindi pa gaanong kilala ang Unibersidad sa ilang bahagi ng mundo noong dekada ‘30.

Sa isang panayam sa Varsitarian noong 1933, ipinahayag ni Padre Roque Ruaño, rehente noon ng Fakultad ng Inhinyeriya, ang pagnanais niyang maipakilala ang Unibersidad sa labas ng Asya, partikular sa mga bansa sa Europa. Nabatid niya ito matapos magtungo sa London para sa isang pagtitipon ng mga inhinyero mula sa iba’t ibang mga bansa noong 1932.

Isinalaysay ni Ruaño kung paanong namangha ang mga kapuwa niya delegado nang ibahagi niya ang tungkol sa pag-iral ng Unibersidad. Nagkaroon din aniya ng ilang mga katanungan ang mga ito hinggil sa mga pangyayari sa loob ng institusiyon.

Ikinagalak naman niya ito kung kaya’t iminungkahi niya ang pagpapadala ng kopya ng kurikulum ng Unibersidad sa ilang mga pamantasan sa Europa.

Makatutulong din daw ang pamimigay sa mga ito ng mga kopya ng Varsitarian upang mapalawak ang kaalaman ng mga dayuhan hinggil sa mga pangyayari sa loob ng Unibersidad.

Tomasino siya Sa tulong ng kaniyang kalinangan sa larangan ng medisina at makataong adbokasiya, nakalikha si Raul Destura ng mga lunas sa mga malulubhang sakit para sa mga mahihirap na pamilyang Filipino.

Taong 1992 nang magtapos siya ng kursong microbiology sa Unibersidad.

Nagtapos naman siya ng medisina sa De La Salle University (DLSU) noong 1996 kung saan kumuha rin siya kalaunan ng internal medicine residency.

Upang mas mapalawak ang kaniyang nalalaman, nagtungo si Destura sa University of Virginia sa Estados Unidos noong 2003 para sa

pagsasanay at pananaliksik hinggil sa emerging infectious diseases noong panahong iyon.

Ginamit niya ang kaniyang mga natutuhan sa paglikha ng mga lunas sa mga malulubhang sakit.

Ibinenta sa mas murang halaga ang mga ito kung ihahambing sa mga naunang bersiyon upang matugunan ang mga pangangailang pangkalusugan ng mga mahihirap na pamilya sa bansa.

Isa sa mga kilalang ambag ni Destura sa kaniyang larangan ang Biotek-M, isang test kit na may kakayahang matuklasan nang maaga ang mga sintomas ng dengue.

Bukod pa rito, ilang mga parangal ang kaniyang natanggap para sa kaniyang mga nagawa.

Iginawad sa kaniya ang titulong Outstanding Young Scientist of the Philippines noong 2008.

Tumanggap din siya ng University of the Philippines Research Productivity Award at Dr. Jose Rizal Memorial Award, isang prestihiyosong parangal, noong 2015.

Sa parehong taon, kinilala siya bilang isa sa Outstanding Alumni ng Microbiology sa Unibersidad at Outstanding Alumni naman ng kursong medisina sa DLSU. Isa rin siya sa mga pinarangalan sa The Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Awards noong nakaraang taon.

Tomasalitaan: hinab (pangngalan)– pang-ibabaw na kulay.

Hal.: Sa kabila ng matingkad na hinab ng iyong mga mata, batid kong may itinatago kang pangamba.

Mga Sanggunian: The Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Awards 2016 The Varsitarian Tomo VI Blg. II, July 1, 1993 p. 9, 1933-1940

Pagtatalumpati ni Virgilio Almario, Pambansang Alagad ng Sining sa Panitikan, sa pagbubukas ng Buwan ng Pantikan sa Orion, Bataan noong ika-2 ng Abril.

Almario: Alay sa kabataan ang Buwan ng Panitikan ng Filipinas ORION, BATAAN — ITINATANGI ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining na si Virgilio Almario ang mga kabataang manunulat bilang sentro ng pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng Panitikan ng Filipinas ngayong Abril.

Wika ni Almario, nakatuon ang temang “Banyuhay” o “bagong anyo ng buhay” sa makabagong anyo ng panitikang Filipino at sa paghihikayat sa mga kabataan na maging bahagi nito.

“Sa pamamagitan ng mga literature tools ay makaka-discover [tayo] ng mga bagong cultural activities [at ng mga] bago o lumang writers na ‘di nakikilala,” ani Almario sa isang panayam sa Varsitarian.

Dagdag pa niya, kinakailangang panatilihin ang pagtangkilik sa mga tradisiyonal na akda kasabay ng pagsulong ng mga makabagong sulatin.

Sa ganitong paraan, magkakaroon ng “continuity in history” sa konsepto ng panitikang Filipino.

Nagsilbi namang inspirasiyon kay Paul Castillo, instruktor ng National Service and Training Program sa Unibersidad, ang mga kabataan sa kaniyang pagsulat ng nagwaging tulang pinamagatang “Rebisyon.”

Nauna nang naiulat na ginawaran ang tula ng ikatlong gantimpala sa Talaang Ginto 2017.

Tampok sa panimula ng kaniyang tula ang yumaong historyador at Dominiko na si Padre Fidel Villarroel, O.P. “Ginamit kong panimula at persona si Fr. Villarroel bilang representasiyon ng ibang tagapagtala ng kasaysayan natin para mapalitaw ang higit na pangangailangang manindigan ang mga mamamayan sa nakasulat na at tinanggap na nating kasaysayan,” wika ni Castillo sa isang panayam.

Dagdag pa ni Castillo, may kakayahan ang mga historyador tulad ni Villarroel na pag-ugnayin ang dalawang

Kasaysayan para sa mga kabataang manunulat

Kabataan PAHINA 5

4 Opinion

MAY 4, 2017

Editorial

‘Abstain’ vote sends powerful message THE RESULTS of the recent Central Student Council elections can be likened to a doubleedged blade.

With majority of Thomasians voting to abstain, it appears that students have raised their standards for student leaders. In an unexpected turn of events, students rejected all candidates in four out of six positions in the Central Student Council (CSC) Executive Board, including the presidency. The remaining positions were won by independent candidates.

Moreover, Thomasians are not at all apathetic, contrary to popular notion. In fact, 66 percent of the University’s 43,762 students voted, a significantly higher turnout compared with other universities like UP, Ateneo and De La Salle.

The results also indicate that political parties are no longer influential, as parties and student leaders lack firm ideological roots. Political parties in UST have become more like personality development programs, not a group of likeminded students fighting for a cause.

Candidates sound and look like they’re in a beauty contest. They lack fire in their bellies.

They lack inspiration and thus do not inspire others.

As a result, these so-called parties do not know their positions in the political spectrum, and do not exhibit a consistent stance on issues. Party leaders and their bets think they can win the votes of Thomasians by simply coming up with catchy slogans during their room-to-room and social media campaigns.

With the lack of honest-to-goodness political parties and candidates, the mandatory debates were a disaster to say the least; an utter embarrassment to the University’s intellectual reputation.

Debate videos posted on social media betrayed the candidates’ lack of even the minimum knowledge of current events and social awareness, leaving many students, faculty members and alumni cringing.

Vice-presidential bets Gabriela Sepulchre (Lakas Tomasino Coalition or LTC) and Renz Santiago (Lakas ng Diwang Tomasino) for instance drew flak for their controversial answers to a question on martial law.

LTC presidential candidate Steven Grecia’s support for a “justifiable” tuition hike because of his “love” for his teachers, and his careless dropping of the loaded term “neoliberalism,” probably cost him the election.

Editorial PAGE 5

Juvenile delinquents need help, not jail time “WHERE are the youth who will generously pour out their blood to wash away so much shame, so much crime, so much abomination?” These are the words of Padre Florentino, the patriotic priest in Jose Rizal’s El Filibusterismo.

Sadly, today’s youth are now regarded as one of the causes of national shame, crime and abomination by a bunch of legislators who would rather put children as young as nine years old behind bars than protect and rehabilitate them.

Congress is debating to amend the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 to lower the age of criminal liability to nine years old from 15 years old.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro filed last year House Bill 2 or the Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility Act, a bill that calls for the arrest of minors forced by drug syndicates to engage in criminal behavior.

Castro in his

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, Daphne Yann P. Galvez, Alyssa Carmina A. Gonzales Literary Elmer B. Coldora, 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, Rocher Faye R. Dulatre, Shaina Mae L. Santander, Juan Miguel M. Soriano, Seldon May T. Tagao Photography Deejae S. Dumlao, Katrina Mae H. Marcos, 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.

THE CENTRAL Student Council (CSC) Executive Board elections has been exceptional and controversial.

After the UST Central Commission on Elections canvassed the 28,873 votes cast by the Thomasians through manual voting, it was revealed that majority of the student body opted to abstain in four out of six posts in the CSC Executive Board.

The University was heralded as “abstain nation” as no contenders for the positions of president, vice president, treasurer and auditor won the elections.

Only preschool education junior Therese Gorospe, who won 11,319 votes, and political science sophomore Francis Santos, who got with 9,877, secured the positions of secretary and public relations officer, respectively. What’s interesting was the fact that Gorospe and Santos were independent candidates, or not affiliated to political parties.

This development in student politics has taken Thomasians by surprise.

Is this the consequence of dissatisfaction and distrust of the students toward the governing body? Or is this apathy on the part of the majority that did not exert

Lawmakers should address the ineffectiveness of institutions in guiding young delinquents to the right path. explanatory note, said the measure was in line with the administration’s war on drugs, as it would supposedly prevent children from being conscripted by drug lords to commit crimes. Under the existing law, they cannot be prosecuted because they are minors.

Isn’t their claim ignorant and misplaced?

Pushing for this amendment only shows the incompetence of law enforcers in implementing the law.

Our lawmakers should not put the blame on children forced into delinquency by

criminal masterminds. They should focus on catching the drug lords or the adults who coerce these innocent children into a life of crime.

Ironically, the syndicates often escape criminal charges, while the children are the ones tagged as offenders.

Although I have witnessed some violent acts by children on the streets, putting them in prison is not the solution to the problem.

Lawmakers should instead address the ineffectiveness of institutions, such as the Department of Justice and the Department of Social

UST voters not apathetic Let’s do away with traditional politics. Thomasians care less about the projects and credentials of a leader.

enough effort to know the candidates and their platforms?

Because the Thomasian community took its right to vote lightly, it faces the prospect of a non-functioning student government. How can a government work if in the first place, there are no leaders to represent them? The processes of interest aggregation and articulation of concerns will not take place if there is no government in charge.

Those who have not experienced leading a political body will most likely just complain that the craft of politics is tedious and “dirty.”

But the turnout of this year’s elections clearly does not indicate apathy. In fact, Thomasians are not politically and socially apathetic.

What kind of micropolitics is there in a university

Welfare and Development, in guiding young delinquents to the right path.

Unfortunately, the problem is being addressed only through written statements and vague proposals.

Prior to proposing this bill, did these lawmakers even stand for the rights of children who face injustices and violence, or those suffering in filthy bars or detention places?

To solve juvenile delinquency, proper implementation of the Juvenile Delinquency Act is needed, not the proposal to lower the minimum age of criminal liability that is purely anti-poor and antichildren.

How can the youth wash away the blood brought by the shame, crime and abomination of this nation if the government locks them up permanently bloodstained, while the callous criminal masterminds are out there, protected and untouched?

Bayani, the CSC’s infamous statement of granting the Marcoses pardon for their atrocities during Martial Law and Grecia’s expression of support for a tuition hike (so long as it is justifiable).

Candidates for vice president Gabriela Angela Sepluchre (LTC) and Renz Santiago (Lakas ng Diwang Tomasino) also came under fire on social media after their poor responses to a debate where there is only one question about Martial Law. Maybe what is candidate for the highest position in the student body, dysfunctional in the political yet failed to win because setup in UST are the political most voters opted to abstain? parties. Do LTC, Lakasdiwa The overwhelming 15,803 and other local political abstentions against the sole parties, really advocate a presidential candidate Steven political ideology, or are Grecia of Lakas Tomasino they just like the political Coalition (LTC) prove that parties in national politics, Thomasians are aware of a microscopic duplicate of what’s happening around political affiliation, more them. The students are finally faithful to convenience and learning to put a stop to apathy, allies rather than to principles? because after all, everybody Gorospe and Santos were the should be involved in the only winning candidates, yet they did not run under any affairs of the University.

The dissatisfaction of the political banner or color.

Let’s do away with students on the candidates’ politics. capabilities may be traced traditional from the issues faced by the Thomasians care less about previous council headed by the projects and credentials Janela Love Nartates: the of a leader. What they need is CSC’s silence during the burial a pro-active and democratic of the late President Ferdinand council that truly represents Marcos in the Libingan ng mga them.

Opinion 5

MAY 4, 2017

Pautakan 2017: Who will reign supreme?

Faculty of Engineering Champions: 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 Back-to-back champion Faculty of Engineering is looking to grab its third straight Pautakan crown by brushing up in the humanities category, its major weakness last year.

Engineering team captain Wrenzie Regozon said the team aims to maintain its strength in mathematics, including problem solving, while making humanities lesser of a problem by “gathering as much research materials as they can.”

“We know that other colleges will be very hungry and will be strong this year but as long as we prepare ourselves and continue to stay hungry for the fourth wooden trophy, I think we have a good shot to win it again,” Regozon said.

College of Architecture Champions: None After missing last year’s Pautakan, the College of Architecture promises to double its efforts in “showing the Thomasians what the architecture students got.”

Team captain Regime Bastilda said the challenge posed by strong contenders pushed the Architecture team to deliberate on the strengths and weaknesses of each member.

“The first thing we did was find out the strengths and weaknesses of each member.

Then, we strategized on how we will divide the categories among the members,” Bastilda

told the Varsitarian. “We also consulted our old teachers for reference materials that we could study regarding the categories of this year’s Pautakan.”

Faculty of Pharmacy Champions: 1994 Last year’s second runnerup, the Faculty of Pharmacy, seeks to replicate its previous performances or even steal the championship it last held 23 years ago by letting each member focus on a specific topic.

Pharmacy team captain Hajime Nakaegawa however said the preparations need not strain the members as they are not aiming for the championship.

“The team loves learning some new facts every day.

We just had to assign specific topics depending on the field of interest, but I see to it that we can simulate each topic when we meet. The plan for training is to build up new knowledge every day on our assigned topics,” Nakaegawa said.

College of Education Champions: 1991 While they lost to a spot in the final round to Pharmacy last year, the College of Education will try to crawl its way up to the final category through the “extensive mastery” of topics assigned to each team member.

“There’s no magic strategy in winning Pautakan because you’ll never know what’s going to happen. All we can do is prepare our minds and our hearts,” team captain

John Galt Emberga told the Varsitarian.

College of Tourism and Hospitality Management Champions: None Composed of both seasoned and novice players, the College of Tourism and Hospitality Management (CTHM) claims to have devised a “concrete and feasible” plan for the team to achieve at least a spot in the finals.

While the team’s handicaps include minimal experience and lack of training, members are conducting weekly training sessions on different subject areas, team captain Mitchel Ang said.

“Our aim is simple: to not finish at the bottom three for both group and individual categories. But this does not mean we’ll not put up a good fight. We wish to have fun and prove CTHM’s wits in the spirit of camaraderie and fair competition,” Ang said.

UST-AMV College of Accountancy Champions: 2010, 2014 The UST-Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy, the 2014 Pautakan champion and last year’s runner-up, will try to reclaim the championship from the Faculty of Engineering by focusing on its general weaknesses.

“We’re having the usual training, and we’ll focus on the topics that became our waterloo in the previous years,” Hannah Guzman told the Varsitarian. “Of course we aim for the championship for

both categories and in order to win, everyone in the team is expected to deliver during the competition.”

Faculty of Arts and Letters Champions: 1979, 1989, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009 The Faculty of Arts and Letters needs to recover lost ground after failing to secure at least third place in last year’s Pautakan. In doing so, Artlets will focus on mathematics, as it was a major setback for the team last year.

“Gusto namin maibalik ‘yung kumpiyansa namin sa sarili namin na AB remains to be a strong contender, and of course a little math. Rest assured this year lalaban kami sa math, paghihirapan namin bawat computation,” team captain Imee Camille Advincula said in an interview.

Despite the tough competition, Artlets is proud of the team’s chemistry and teamwork.

Faculty of Medicine and Surgery Champions: 1980, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1993, 2007 The Faculty of Medicine and Surgery is gearing for a tight competition after missing the previous Pautakan. Team head Pamm Tangcueki said the team had consulted with its facilitators on study techniques.

“Each of our members are doing our best in academics, absorbing as much information as we can. We’re doing extra Pautakan PAGE 10

Challenge of a silent God

By FR. RAMIL MARCOS Continuation THE SILENCE of God is not the sole experience of people today. This was the lot too, of Jesus of Nazareth as he hung on the cross, desperately crying out to a Father who seemed to be present everywhere except on his Son’s Calvary. Thus, from the lips of Jesus, borrowed from his mastery of the Psalms (22), he cries out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” – the verse of abandonment!

After a life of successful ministry in powerful words and wondrous deeds, the Son of God turns for consolation to his Father who refuses to say anything. What about just one more word, like that on the banks of the Jordan or on top of Mount Tabor, an assuring word that he truly was the “beloved?”

The night before the crucifixion, at the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus wrestled with this same void. Filled with dread at his coming betrayal, arrest and passion, he pleaded to his Father for dear life, that the cup would pass from him. It will not pass, and nobody will help him; not his disciples, not his Father. But Jesus’ prayer is not without effect. Fighting his sorrow and his fear, he is back on his feet resolute to welcome the hour that approaches. He was ready to face his betrayer, to meet his oppressors, to embrace his cross.

The cry from the lips of Jesus crucified was not a cry of despair; he was still calling God “my God.” At the last moment, he did not turn his back on the Father, for he knew that he was there, silent and hidden, but receiving his sacrifice and accompanying him. Jesus was teaching us that in the

The Letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus experienced the complete human condition of suffering, that he was like us in all things but sin. Jesus did not fall into the sin of letting go of God. moment of greatest difficulty, when God is silent or hidden (Deus absconditus), our response must be a more ardent faith, a more trusting hope, and a more abundant love. The Letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus experienced the complete human condition of suffering, that he was like us in all things but sin. Jesus did not fall into the sin of letting go of God. Given the silent treatment from God, did the missionary or the nuns plunge into a despair of faith? In the Scorsese film the priest Rodriguez seemed to have lost all vestiges of faith, at least in the eyes of his captors’ watchful guard; except that in truth he secretly held on to a tiny symbol of God’s love for him until his final day on earth. In the convent, where a dark veil cast gloom on the faces of the nuns, daily life is lived with a peaceful mien and a beaming smile that is well worth captured on a photograph. The silence of God on the cross is prelude to the silence of the empty tomb. *** Fr. Ramil Marcos is a student of Silliman University currently enrolled in the PhD program for English Literature.

CSC Elections FROM PAGE 1 For the position of auditor, accountancy sophomore Richard Javier (LTC) got 10,212 votes while industrial engineering sophomore Aston Estorpe earned 4,881 votes.

Both lost after 13,329 students abstained.

Political science sophomore Francis Santos won the post of public relations officer with 9,877 votes, defeating literature junior Lance Santiago (LTC) who earned 6,948 votes, and nursing junior John Rhorick Legaspi who obtained 3,393 votes. A total of 8,806 students chose to abstain.

LTC, which dominated last year’s elections with victories in five out of six positions, was not able to secure any position this year.

The UST Central Commission on Elections (Comelec) decided to revert to manual voting this year after technical glitches plagued last year’s elections.

According to Article 11, Section 4 of the CSC Constitution, the secretary shall act as president in case of vacancy in the office of the president and the vice

president.

Section 5 of Article 11 adds that each member of the CSC shall nominate any local council executive board officer in case of vacancy in any other position in the CSC Executive Board.

“From among the nominees, three shall be chosen by the CSC through secret ballot to become candidates for the position.

The winner shall become the officer and shall be deemed ipso facto resigned as local council executive board officer. The proceedings shall be presided by the President of the CSC,” the section read.

According to Section 7 of the same article, the Comelec shall immediately call special elections two months after the regular polls.

The newly elected presidents of the different faculties and colleges of the University will become members of the next CSC Central Board, the student body’s legislative arm.

They are Mark Israel Marasigan (Accountancy), Reymark Simbulan (Arts and Letters), Rafael Rodrigo Zaldivar (Architecture), Jonathan Santos (Civil Law), Brian Roy Mercado (Commerce and Business Administration), Jose Antonio

De Guzman (Science), Stephen Kyle Farinas (IICS), Maria Daniella Pabellano (Education), Shane Domingo (Education High School), Vincent Arado (Sacred Theology), Rocelle de Mesa (Junior High School), Yna Marie Jubas (Engineering), Covie Glen Ungos (Fine Arts and Design), Tetsuya Jumi Makino (Medicine and Surgery), Frinz Charles Casas (Music), Anne Lorraine Fernando (Pharmacy), Louie Marie Opina (Philosophy), Angela Betina Tiamzon (Physical Education and Athletics), Thad Nuel Natividad (Rehabilitation Sciences), and Denn Gerald Alberto (Tourism and Hospitality Management).

The College of Nursing rescheduled its local elections to May 8 to 11 because majority of the candidates were not able to to submit their Certificates of Academic Performance on time.

This year, 28,858 out of 43,762 students or 66 percent voted in the CSC elections, a decrease from last year’s turnout of 30,645 voters out of 44,791 students or 68 percent.

Elections were held from April 18 to 21. With reports from CHELSEY MEI NADINE B. BRAZAL and CHRISTIAN DE LANO M. DEIPARINE

Tokhang

Kabataan

MULA SA PAHINA 1

MULA SA PAHINA 3

dapat i-expound,” aniya.

Sa kasalukuyan, simula nang umupo si Rodrigo Duterte bilang pangulo ng Filipinas, umabot na sa mahigit 7,000 ang bilang ng mga nabiktima ng madugong pagtugis sa mga sangkot sa ipinagbabawal na gamot sa bansa.

Bahagi ng ika- 43 Pambansang Kongreso ng mga Manunulat ang pagtitipon kasabay ng pagsasara ng Buwan ng Panitikan ng Filipinas ngayong Abril. WINONA S.

mahahalagang pangyayari sa kasaysayan bagaman sa magkaibang panahon ang mga ito nangyari.

Patungkol ang tula sa Batas Militar at sa kaugnayan nito sa mga pangyayari sa kasalukuyang administrasiyon.

“Makabuluhan [ang mga usapin na] ito at dapat itong malaman ng mga kabataan na sa tingin ko ay mga tagatanggap ng binagong kasaysayan,” paliwanag ni Castillo.

Giit pa niya, kailangang magbasa ang

WINONA SADIA

Editorial

There are a lot of places for reforms to begin, but for starters, the UST Central Commission on Elections should impose more reasonable accreditation rules to allow more political parties, and therefore more candidates, to participate in student council elections.

Election officials should stop their annual practice of disqualifying parties and candidates on the slightest of technicalities, and allow a more diverse set of candidates to run for office.

Limiting the field to a few so-called parties is a great disservice to Thomasian voters. Elections are about choices; without a real set of choices, elections become a farce.

Faced with that situation, Thomasians have realized that abstaining is a real alternative that sends a message powerful enough to sacrifice student representation for a year.

That message should be loud and clear enough for everyone concerned to hear.

SADIA

FROM PAGE 5 The victory of “abstain,” however, will deprive students of a voice in University decision-making, given the likelihood of unelected officers taking over the vacant seats in the CSC Executive Board.

This situation is unacceptable and cannot be repeated next year.

mga kabataan ng kapuwa luma at bagong mga akda tungkol sa kasaysayan ng Filipinas upang maunawaan kung paanong nababago o narerebisa ang mga detalye nito sa paglipas ng panahon.

Taunang iginagawad ng KWF ang Talaang Ginto: Makata ng Taon para sa mga natatanging kalahok mula sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa.

Bahagi ng pagbubukas ng Buwan ng Panitikan ng Filipinas ang paggawad na ginanap sa Orion Elementary School sa Bataan mula ika-31 ng Marso hanggang ika-2 ng Abril. JOL AU OCAMPO at

6 Circle

Editor: Amierielle Anne A. Bulan

MAY 4, 2017

New Music dean eyes int'l linkages

By CHELSEY MEI NADINE B. BRAZAL A FOR MER substitute teacher for a two-unit keyboard class is the new dean of the Conser vator y of Music.

Composer Antonio Africa vows to take the Conser vator y’s 70-year-old tradition of musical excellence to a global audience.

Africa, who ear ned the degree bachelor of music in composition at UST in 1986, replaced Raul Sunico, who had ser ved as dean since 2002.

In an inter view, Africa said his vision is to “go beyond the frontiers of what has already been established by the Conser vator y” and be more recognized inter nationally.

“We are looking into inter nationalization and eventually making the Conser vator y one of the best in Asia, if not, the world,” he said.

The new dean also aims to improve the Conser vator y’s inter nal relations.

“We are now focusing on providing better facilities, equipment and musical instr uments for both faculty and students,” Africa said.

As a musician, Africa said the biggest challenge he faced was avoiding comparisons with others.

“You have to keep up with yourself and be at par with ever ybody because there are many others out there who could be better than you,” he said. “Although music is not an economically viable profession, it is the passion that makes the difference.

Passion fuels the improvement and personal satisfaction of the musician.”

Africa has always been inclined toward a career in music. He was par t of the San Beda College Glee Club in high school and took up piano lessons at the Centro Escolar University Conser vator y of Music.

Prior to his appointment, Africa taught theor y and musical literature, composition, conducting and music technology at the Conser vator y.

He trained under renowned Thomasian pianist Fr. Manuel Maramba, OSB and San Beda College music teacher Aurora Car reon.

Africa f inished his master of ar ts in music at UST in 2007 and his master’s in ethnomusicology at Philippine Women’s University (PWU) in 2011. In 2015, he f inished his doctor of philosophy in music at PWU.

Easter egg designs hatched by alumni artists

Africa

Black Nazarene devotion rendered in old school tatoo style “Tatalikuran ang Hinahanap na Tiwala” by Fontanilla

Several Thomasian artists participate in an Easter Sunday exhibit last April 16 to 30 at Manila Hotel to showcase their personal interpretations of the Easter holiday.

ALVIN JOSEPH KASIBAN

EASTER eggs made of fiberglass were showcased by 23 visual artists, including seven Thomasians, in “Hatch,” an Easter Sunday exhibit last April 16 to 30 at Manila Hotel.

Veteran and emerging artists illustrated their personal interpretations of the Easter holiday on 18-inch fiberglass eggs.

“Each participating artist of this group show had an individual discerning style ranging from different artistic genres and generations to different perspectives for the theme,” painting alumnus CJ Tañedo told the Varsitarian.

His piece, titled “Hatch,” showed a dull, two-faced human skull wearing pink bunny ears. Polka dots provided accent to the coffee brown background.

“The distorted twin skull is a generalized representation of the way I wanted to express the negative part of the Lenten season,” Tañedo said.

In contrast to Tañedo’s perspective, Jovito Andres, also a Fine Arts alumnus, painted Koi fish swimming in blue-green water in “Koi Fish.”

“It’s very different from my usual subjects,” Andres said. “For Easter, I believe that we should portray a positive picture because painting nature’s beauty is one way of thanking Him.” Andres said he intended to render a simple theme to let the viewers “slow down and relax.”

Former Varsitarian artist Mario de Rivera’s “Circle of Time” is a mixed media work of digital and embossed designs.

Embellished on the Easter egg are root-like patterns that weave images of a woman, a golden sculpture, bare lovers and a saint.

Thomas Daquioag’s “Ang Tao” feature infants on a floral background accented by purple butterflies. Encircling the lower part of the egg is an olive-colored snake.

Salvador Ching, also a painting alumnus, gave light to the image of Filipino women during the Spanish colonial era in his piece “Barkada,” which depicted coffeelike stains on illustrated images of women wearing the traditional baro’t saya.

Ching said his work, which was also a reference to his “Malolos” series of paintings, was meant to “recognize and reminisce the country’s women in the early times.”

Acclaimed Thomasian artist Raul Isidro used dynamic shades in his abstract painting titled “A Seed of a Cultural Revolution.” Isidro said he wanted to represent the “rich culture of the Philippines that developed through colonization” through colors.

Master printmaker Fil Delacruz injected the style of his “Diwata” series, which started in the 1980s, in his egg design titled “Blessing in Disguise.”

With black as the dominant color of the egg, Delacruz used light-colored paint to illustrate masks, leaves, hands and intersecting patterns around the egg.

Edgar Doctor’s “Marshland” portrayed the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem, highlighting the dominance of sea creatures on the upper part of the egg. KLIMIER

THE POPULAR Filipino devotion to the Black Nazarene is expressed anew by Thomasian artist Auggie Fontanilla in Kristo y Kristos, an exhibit of paintings and a polyptych at the Pasilyo Victorio Edades of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) from March 22 to April 30.

Fontanilla showcased 38 paintings of the dark-skinned image of Jesus Christ melded with his signature style of injecting American and graffiti tattoo aesthetics to religious imagery.

Before mounting the exhibit, Fontanilla interviewed Black Nazarene devotees who are also vendors of religious merchandise outside the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, to find out their perceptions on their devotion.

“Their thoughts regarding their devotion to the icon seemed to only lead to one path. Their faith and intentions are just simply pure and true,” Fontanilla told

MARIA CHARISSE ANN G. REFUERZO

the Varsitarian.

Fontanilla clarified that his works on Kristo y Kristos were not a tirade against Catholicism despite his unconventional depictions of the centuries-old religious image.

“That’s just my personal take. It’s a matter of subjective and objective perspectives on how you want to see it,” he said.

Uncontroversial Fontanilla differentiated his work from Mideo Cruz’s art installation in “Kulo,” an exhibit that drew controversy five years ago.

“There are no similarities to past controversial exhibits with the same subjects. It’s been happening in different industries and other art scenes,” he said.

NICOLE B. ADRIANO

“Nakabalot ang Kasalanan” and “Pananalig Namin” by Fontanilla

Black Nazarene PAGE 11

Editor: John Gabriel M. Agcaoili

Witness 7

MAY 4, 2017

The National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Marulas, Valenzuela, center of Fatima apostolate in the Philippines.

Devotees celebrate 100th year of Fatima apparitions

By SIGRID B. GARCIA and KATHLEEN THERESE A. PALAPAR ONE HUNDRED years since the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal, its message for man’s spiritual conversion and daily recitation of the Holy Rosary remains significant, the prior from the Santo Domingo Convent said.

Fr. Roland Mactal, O.P., Santo Domingo prior and a professor at the Faculty of Sacred Theology, said the message of the Fatima apparitions is still relevant in the present generation.

“I think, especially with all those technological gadgets that we have, it’s good once in a while for the generation of today to go back to the idea of prayer, meditation, of rosary,” he said.

Preparations are underway for the centennial celebration of the Blessed Mother’s visitations in Portugal, regarded by the Church as the most believed Marian phenomenon Fr. Luis Supan, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines – Commission on the Doctrine and Faith, considered the Fatima apparitions as a serious reminder of God’s mercy.

“Mankind needs continuous spiritual renewal and conversion expressed in penance. The message of Fatima is a message of hope in G o d ’ s

inexhaustible mercy,” Supan said.

Tagged as the “most prophetic of modern apparitions,” the Fatima apparitions saw three “secrets” handed down by the Blessed Mother herself to Lucia Santos and Jacinta and Francisco Marto from May 13 to October 13, 1917.

The first and second parts of the secret – published in the third memoir of Sr. Lucia dated August 31, 1941 – exposed the vision of hell, the imminence of war and the pitfalls of communism, which could only be averted through consecration and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In a theological commentary in 1987, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said the two initial secrets of the Blessed Mother stressed the importance of human freedom.

“The vision speaks of dangers and how we might be saved from them. [Its] whole point is to bring freedom onto the scene and to steer freedom [to] a positive direction,” Supan said.

Written in 1944 but revealed only after 1960, the third part of the secret prophesied an assassination of a “bishop clothed in white.”

On May 13, 1981 — the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima — Turkish felon Mehmet Ali Agca tried to assassinate the late Pope John Paul II who wore his white cassock at the time.

Shortly after the incident, John Paul II asked for a copy of the third secret. He credited the Blessed Virgin Mary for his survival during the assassination attempt, and publicized the third secret of Fatima in 2000.

However, Vatican experts claimed that the third s e c r e t published was not the real

message of the Blessed Virgin.

The Marian apparitions of Fatima are most notable for the “miracle of the sun” — a phenomenon in which more than a thousand Portuguese saw the sun “dance” or spin around like a disc, appear big then small, or get near and far.

The Vatican acknowledged the miracle on Oct. 13, 1930, 13 years after its occurrence.

Attesting the validity of the miracle, the late Pope Pius XII himself admitted in 1951 that he witnessed it thrice in his lifetime.

Fr. Supan said the secrets of Fatima and the miracle of the sun served only as “external factors” to the authentication of the apparitions, as the holy lives of the observers “bore witness to the truth of their message.”

Sainthood for the Fatima seers Last March 23, Pope Francis approved a second miracle attributed to Francisco and Jacinta Marto’s intercession, paving the way for their canonization on May 13.

Fr. Mactal lsaid the Blessed Mother appeared to the three children because they were visionaries, the same characteristic displayed by Bernadette Soubirous to whom the Blessed Virgin appeared in Lourdes, and

by Juan Diego in Guadalupe.

“You can see that they’re placed at a very simple lifestyle. They come from a humble family and they can easily be innocent in the eyes of God and maybe that is the reason that they have been favored. It is a charisma; it is a gift,” he said.

Francisco and Jacinta died in 1919 and 1920, respectively due to the Spanish flu endemic in Portugal. Francisco was 10 years old and Jacinta was nine when they passed.

John Paul II beatified them during the 83rd anniversary of the first Fatima apparition, Sr. Lucia dos Santos joined the Sisters of Saint Dorothy in Spain and later lived as a recluse at the cloistered convent of the Carmelites in Portugal.

She died in 2005 at the age of 97.

A five-year waiting period to begin her beatification process was waived

by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in 2008.

Fatima seers Francisco (left) and Jacinta (right) Marto will be canonized on May 13 during the celebration of the Marian Apparitions.

Fatima Centennial To mark the 100th year since the first Fatima apparition, local and international activities have been scheduled from May to October 2017.

Fr. Mactal said the commemoration serves

as a way of remembering the apparitions and gratitude to God’s graces through the Blessed Virgin.

“We are being encouraged once more to propagate the rosary, to go back to God and at the same time, to have helped our generation of today,” Mactal said.

“Despite all these negative news or negative events that are happening in our country, there’s still hope that the Blessed Mother watches over us,” he added.

Jilson Tio, chairman of the Fatima Centennial Celebration Committee in the country, said the devotion of Filipinos to Our Lady of Fatima is evident in the block rosaries prayed by parishes and the growing membership of the World Apostolate of Fatima (WAF) in the Philippines.

“In our society today, where majority of people are lost because of the darkness of sin, the light of Fatima shines,” he said.

Tio, a cancer survivor, attributes his healing to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. He now considers it a mission to spearhead the centennial celebration.

Local preparations for the 100th year celebration such as the exposition of the image of Our Lady of Fatima in Cebu City, the Fatima centennial concert and the visits of two pilgrim images of Our Lady of Fatima to different parishes in the country kicked off in 2016.

A national shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima was inaugurated on May 13, 2016.

A Fatima centennial tree was unveiled to raise funds for the upcoming celebration and support the mission of the World Apostolate.

So far, there are 30 centenary trees.

“The launching of the Centennial Tree project in the different archdioceses and dioceses with WAF Divisions helped not only the WAF itself but also the respective parishes where the project was launched,” Reynald Andales, national president of WAF, said.

Upcoming events include the National Marian Congress on July 7 to 8, the second Fatima Centennial Conference on May 21 and a Fatima retreat for bishops on July 4 and 6.

A “national simultaneous celebration” to commemorate the apparition is also set every 13th day of the month from May to October.

This will include processions, Eucharistic celebrations and adoration in dioceses and parishes.

The Vatican recently released a decree allowing priests to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass to mark the anniversary.

The Vatican confirmed Pope Francis’ pilgrimage to Fatima in Portugal from May 12 to 13 to lead the centennial celebration of the most beloved Marian apparition.

8 Special Reports

Editor: Lea Mat P. Vicencio

MAY 4, 2017

Fewer General Education courses eyed in 2018

By MA. CONSUELO DP. MARQUEZ GENERAL Education departments of the University are set to offer fewer courses by 2018 following the mandate of the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) to revise the general education curriculum because of the K to 12 basic education reform.

In accordance with the Ched memorandum, UST will offer a minimum 36 units of general education courses.

There will be eight core courses, namely Understanding the Self; Readings in Philippine History; The Contemporary World; Mathematics in the Modern World; Purposive Communication; Art Appreciation; Science, Technology and Society; and Ethics.

The Ched order also requires nine units of elective courses in Mathematics, Science and

Technology; Social Sciences and Philosophy; and Arts and Humanities; while three units are allotted to the life and works of Jose Rizal as mandated by law.

Ched mandated that general education units be reduced to a minimum of 36 units in 2018 from 63 (for humanities and social science majors) and 51 (for science, engineering and math majors).

The courses will be transferred to senior high school.

Reduced general education subjects will also allow more professional subjects at the college level.

There is less controversy over the move in UST unlike in the University of the Philippines (UP), whose University Council voted to cut general education courses last March 20 amid protests from students, faculty and alumni. General education units in UP Diliman were cut to a minimum of 21 units from 45.

Geared toward jobs abroad College of Science Dean John Donnie Ramos said the Science, Technology and Society (STS) course would allow students to “appreciate the societal impact of developments in science and technology at the global and national level.”

“We are currently preparing the course syllabi for STS. Textbooks and other learning materials will be prepared in the coming months before the start of Academic Year 2018-2019,” Ramos told the Varsitarian.

Ched Commissioner Minella Alarcon said the revisions in the general education curriculum would enhance the qualifications of graduates especially those who want to land jobs abroad.

“These revisions are overdue, if we are to keep up with educational developments in other countries. It should help our graduates have their qualifications be synchronized

better with [graduates] from other countries and make our graduates compete better for jobs abroad,” Alarcon said.

Department of Filipino Chairwoman Zendel Taruc said the reforms meant that UST would have to reduce general education units.

“We should just think that we are under a transition [period]. It may be difficult and there may be some adjustments.

We just need to accept the [order of Ched to revise the general education curriculum],” Taruc told the Varsitarian.

In a previous report by the Varsitarian, Filipino, general psychology and basic economics will be removed from the general education curriculum, while English, literature, math, natural sciences, humanities and social sciences will be transferred to Grades 11 and 12.

‘Fragmented learning’ Gerard Lanuza, faculty

member in UP Diliman, said the mandate of Ched to reduce units in general education would cause a “fragmented and disjointed” learning environment for students.

“When [students] come together in a [university], they should share a common learning, tradition, culture, and intellectual atmosphere or reservoir of knowledge received from general education subjects such as English, humanities and science,” Lanuza said.

Lanuza argued that taking up more general education units would help boost students’ critical thinking ability.

“More general education units will have more possibilities to widen the array of subjects and knowledge that [students] could get that would be able to enrich them. If the student did not take general courses, they will have no sense of connection with the university,” Lanuza said.

Less flooding now in UST? THE UNIVERSITY plans to improve its flood control system to mitigate flooding on campus during the rainy season.

Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. said UST plans to install water pumps along the streets parallel to España Boulevard to avoid jeopardizing heritage sites inside the University.

“We’re looking at the possibility of building [a] water litigation project, whichever is more feasible…the fastest way on how we could actually drain the [floodwaters],” Dagohoy said, referring to an underground waterimpounding tank.

The University is looking at measuring the volume of flood water that flows inside the campus from streets with higher elevation. “[What we] are eyeing depends on the computation [of] how much water comes into the University. For example, we are looking at two hours to four hours of continuous

rain. The project could still hold the water and after that it could actually pump it out,” Dagohoy said.

Construction of the proposed water litigation project would likely be handled by the engineers who built the five-story underground tank of Burgos Circle at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig and the Facilities Management Office, the Rector said.

‘Heritage impact assessment’ Eric Zerrudo, director of the UST Graduate School Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics, said a “heritage impact assessment” that includes feasibility studies should be conducted before constructing projects near historical sites. “[The administration] must show to us [the impact and significance of the project] to the University,” Zerrudo added.

Mark Evidente, head of Cultural Heritage

Society, said preservation of heritage sites in UST is a “general rule” and modifications need permission from government agencies such as National Museum and National Commission for Culture and the Arts. “[These agencies will] tell you whether the proposed changes [are] respectful enough of the history and culture that embodies the area,” Evidente, an environmental lawyer, said.

He suggested digging a catch basin instead of installling water pumps in addressing the University’s perennial flood problem.

“UST should be responsible for the water that falls on its own property. It has to build a catchment basin for its own water,” Evidente said.

Dagohoy said water pumps might be used to recycle excess floodwater.

“We could actually use the excess water for the plants and recycle the whole thing. We can

throw out the excess when we install the pumps,” Dagohoy said.

Dagohoy said the University was open to studying more options to mitigate flooding.

In 2013, the government proposed to dig a massive catch basin for flood water under the Open Field, but this was rejected by the UST administration to

protect the area, which was declared a National Cultural Treasure in MA. ANGELA 2010.

CHRISTA COLOMA MA. CONSUELO MARQUEZ

and D.P.

UST prof questions legality of Legal Education Board, law admission exam A PROFESSOR from the Faculty of Civil Law has challenged the constitutionality of the Legal Education Board (LEB), and the nationwide law admission exam that it administers, before the Supreme Court.

Pimentel

In a petition filed before the high tribunal last April 7, Oscar Pimentel and 16 others claimed that Republic Act (RA) 7662, the Legal Education Reform Act, is unconstitutional.

“We argued that Congress cannot create an administrative office or board that can exercise the power vested in the Supreme Court by the Constitution,” Pimentel told the Varsitarian.

“Dapat Supreme Court ang masusunod. [The] law [is] unconstitutional [because] it goes against the power of the Supreme Court,” he said.

Article 8, Section 5 of the 1987 Constitution states that the Supreme Court shall have the power over “admission to the practice of law, the integrated bar, and legal assistance to the underprivileged.”

The LEB conducted last April 16 the Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhiLSAT), a nationwide law school aptitude exam.

RA 7662 mandated the “creation and composition” of the LEB, which will be “attached solely for budgetary purposes and administrative support to the Department of Education, Culture and Sports.”

“Those powers and functions are given to an entity that is not linked to the Supreme Court itself…How will you be able to regulate the LEB when it is not connected to your office?” Pimentel asked.

Restrain implementation Pimentel, who teaches criminal and remedial law, said his petition primarily seeks to stop the PhilSAT because of the burden it brings upon students. “[`Y]ung isang mali pa diyan [ay] `yung pagbibigay nila ng power to promulgate rules and regulations such as the giving of entrance examinations… [A]ng gusto talaga namin [ay] `yung i-stop

`yung Philsat kasi nakikita namin [na] burden sa mga estudyante,” he said.

Pimentel is a retired Makati Regional Trial Court judge. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws and Associate in Arts degrees from UST. He also teaches at the Ateneo University School of Law and Arellano University School of Law. Other petitioners against the LEB were Errol Comafay, Rene Gorospe, Edwin Sandoval, Elgin Michael Perez, Arnold Cacho, Irene Tolentino and former Varsitarian staff member Kristine Jane Liu. Last April 19, the Supreme Court gave the LEB 10 days to respond to the petition.

Law dean supports LEB Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina expressed support for the LEB, saying the office provided a more efficient admissions examination for aspiring law students. “[UST has] been very

supportive of the LEB. In fact, the University agreed to host the PhilSAT last April 16. It may pose some inconvenience because you need to pay an additional fee and go to testing centers [but] we see the objective as quite noble,” he said.

“Not all law schools conduct their own admission test so that’s the idea itself. It’s the nationwide examination to determine who are fit to law schools,” Divina said.

Last Dec. 29, the LEB issued Memorandum Order No. 7, series of 2016 calling for a “nationwide uniform law school test in all law schools in the country.”

UST was designated as a testing for the first-ever PhilSAT last April 16, hosting 4,022 examinees in Manila. A total of 8,120 examinees took the test in 10 testing sites in the Philippines. MA. CONSUELO

D.P. MARQUEZ and MARIA CRISANTA M. PALOMA

Sci-Tech 9

MAY 4, 2017

‘Misreporting on suicide may cause another suicide case’ MISGUIDED information about suicide may be a trigger for another suicide case.

For Renz Argao, a clinical psychologist in the University who specializes in psychological trauma, media’s role in reporting about suicide is crucial as misreporting could lead to a dangerous “Werther effect.”

This psychosocial phenomenon is defined as a sudden rise of suicide cases triggered by a widely publicized suicide. It is also known as “copycat suicide,” taken from the novel The Sorrows of Young

Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Published in 1774, it tells the story of lovelorn Werther who was surprised by the sudden death of his friend, and took his own life.

The novel was banned in Leipzig, Denmark and Italy because it allegedly caused copycat suicides.

“People hear that there is a way (suicide) that they can use, especially if they relate to the problem. If they have thoughts of ending their life, they will think that maybe it is a sign,” Argao said.

He discouraged the media from reporting suicide cases because of the sensitivity of the topic, arguing that without proper guidance, reporting could be detrimental. Suicide can be contagious, and the idea of suicide itself is dangerous, he said.

Instead, reports should tackle suicide prevention, ways to identify people who have suicidal behavior, and what can be done to help them.

The Billie Holiday song “Gloomy Sunday,” for instance, is not a song that causes suicide, but the idea that it triggers suicide could lead people to commit the act, Argao explained.

Marc Reyes, a professor from the College of Science and a clinical psychologist, also stressed the importance of the need to talk about suicidal behavior.

“We have to first establish that suicide is not a disorder, suicide behavior is technically a symptom or a consequence of a kind of problem,” he said.

The causes of suicide are complex and cannot easily be pinpointed, he added.

“It requires suicide autopsy to figure out the main reason why the individual ended his or her own life,” he said.

In 2008, a Thomasian architecture student allegedly killed himself because of his thesis. The following month, it was clarified by his parents that the thesis was not the cause of the suicide, but a lot of other things.

The Student Suicide Prevention Act of 2005, a law authored by the late senator Miriam Defensor, requires schools to offer suicide awareness and prevention programs.

Although the University is already offering lectures and seminars, for Argao and Reyes, they are still not enough.

“It will help of course, but we need to do more regarding informing people because students don’t take it seriously,” Argao said.

Red flags of suicide The first thing to do in order to help people with suicidal behavior is to realize that they need help.

Reyes and Argao shared some of the “red flags” of suicide.

“A person who have thoughts of suicide will usually talk about it.

It may be through social media or through jokes, to lessen the weight they are carrying. It is not true that people who crack jokes about ending their own life will not really do it.

There is a big chance that they will,” Reyes said.

A sudden change of mood and giving away precious gifts that are sentimental to the individual are also symptoms of suicide behavior. The individual will try to “tie loose ends,” asking forgiveness from people they had quarreled or argued with.

“A sad or depressed victim will suddenly be bright and happy from just prior to the accident, because of the idea that they had found a solution to their problem,” Argao said.

The most obvious sign of a suicidal individual is visible selfharm, not only by cutting or slashing, but also by too much alcohol or drug intake. Some experience insomnia.

Others feel aloof most of the time.

Self-harm There is a special case common among the youth, called NonSuicidal Self Injury (NSSI) wherein the act self-harm is present but the idea of ending one’s life is not, Reyes said. As a matter of fact, they cut or hurt themselves to “feel alive.”

“NSSI does not belong to the same category of suicide behavior. In fact, we are still studying it but both of them must be addressed properly,” Reyes said.

Argao and Reyes agree that the first thing to do with individuals

showing red flags is to talk to them.

Simply informing them that someone is willing to listen is already a huge help.

“A suicide first aid responder must ask if the individual has made concrete plans already. And lahat ng mga nasa plans niya ilayo na sa kaniya,” Reyes said.

It is also important to never make the individual feel guilty. An example is telling the individual to think of his or her parents. It will give the individual an idea that he or she is selfish and will add to the weight of the problem, thus, another reason to go forward with the plan.

Family and friends of the individual should also be alerted, except when they are the source of the problem. If the family or friends are the cause, it’s better to go to the school’s guidance office.

Both psychologists also said it would be better to refer the person to a professional. The UST Graduate School Psychotrauma Clinic offers free psychological services to anyone.

Reyes said suicidal individuals are often not sure of what they are doing. Even if they do have a concrete plan, there is still doubt inside their minds.

“When you are talking to a person who is suicidal you think of that ambivalence because that means there is still hope. You could anchor on that uncertainty and make them change their mind,” he said. KARL BEN L. ARLEGUI

Science, Applied Physics Society collaborate for a ‘night full of stars’ NURTURING interest in astronomy can be accomplished through full-dome planetarium projectors and bringing planetarium activities to schools.

The College of Science Student Council and the UST Applied Physics Society (APSoc) collaborated last March 2 for the Astronomy Night, a joint project with the astronomical societies of the University of the Philippines Diliman and Rizal Technological University.

Organizers let students use different type of telescopes: the Newtonian reflecting telescope, the Alt-azimuth, and the equatorial refracting telescope.

“It is one of the goals of the college week, to promote science to Thomasians by putting up these telescopes and let them experience astronomy,” council president Patricia Hidalgo said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

John Adams Villamoran, ApSoc president, said: “UST is the only university among the ‘Big 4’ that has no astronomy society and it is our advocacy to put up an organization specializing in the field.”

Contraceptives FROM PAGE 1 fertility rate per woman fell to a record low of 1.33, according to official figures. Given its birth rate, Japan’s population will decline from a peak of 127.8 million in 2006 to 105 million in 2050, and will decrease by half at the beginning of the next century.

Meanwhile, according to the US Census Bureau, in 2014, 47.6 percent of American women ages 15 to 44 have no kids.

In China, the number of DINCs rose from 600,000 in 2006 to 750,000 in 2016.

“At the moment, the Philippines will still thrive until 2050 wherein there will still be many young people. However, if the country is to develop a contraceptive mentality, this will cause serious consequences to the economy,” Moral said.

Increased life expectancy combined with declining birth rates have caused many people to worry about the impact of an aging population.

“The driver of the economy is the younger generation. That means for every person who retires, younger generations in the workforce will have to pay for their pension,” Moral added.

The impact of contraceptives on the country, therefore, may leave an imbalance between the aging and the young population.

Contraceptives and abortifacients

In a related development, the Planetarium at Rizal Park unveiled on March 24 a unique hybrid projector—a composite of the 1975 GM-15 Goto analog projector and a new digital projector featuring “state-of-the-art” virtual reality experience.

The P30-million hybrid projector designed by a Japanese company, Goto, Inc., showcases realistic astronomical events.

Upgraded planetarium facilities also give the audience a grasp of the infinity of the universe.

The Planetarium exhibits offer three different “stories”: “A Planet for Goldilocks,” which narrates the search for a second earth-like planet that can sustain life forms; “Journey to a Billion Suns,” the exploration of the first astronomers from the star maps to the solar system; and “Hayabusa Back to the Earth,” a Japanese space quest to discover the secrets of the solar system.

Five shows run Tuesdays until Saturdays.

There are two shows every Sunday. Each show runs up to 45 minutes. Admission is free until May 31. JULIUS ROMAN M. TOLOP

The Planetarium at Rizal Park unveiled on March 24 features a unique hybrid projector—a composite of the 1975 GM-15 Goto analog projector and a new digital projector featuring “state-of-the-art” virtual reality experience.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL MUSEUM PLANETARIUM FACEBOOK PAGE

A contraceptive is an agent that prevents fertilization of an egg, inhibiting pregnancy.

A pregnancy exists once a fertilized embryo is implanted in the uterus. Prior to that implantation, there is no viable pregnancy.

“Contraception means to prevent impregnation, hence, there is nothing to abort if there is no pregnancy to begin with,” Dr. Vianca Kamille Villarica, a Thomasian alumna and an obstetrics and gynecology resident at Cardinal Santos Medical Center, said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

An abortifacient is an agent that disturbs an embryo after a pregnancy has been established.

“When these contraceptives are used after fertilization, it will irritate the environment and may cause the loss of the embryo. This is when a contraceptive can be an abortifacient,” Moral clarified.

Dr. Maria Esperanza de Guzman, another Thomasian gynecologist, said: “There are many kinds of artificial contraceptives ranging from hormonal to barrier methods. These contraceptives prevent the union of the sperm and egg. No union means no conception.”

Barrier methods like condoms, diaphragms and spermicides are designed to prevent sperm from entering the uterus.

Hormonal contraceptive like pills are different. They alter a woman’s body chemistry and physiology by manipulating the release of hormones in the body, thereby preventing the release of the egg into the uterus.

The morning-after pill, in a similar fashion, is a form of emergency contraceptive that prevents one from becoming pregnant after unprotected intercourse. It delays ovulation and irritates the lining of the uterus to inhibit implantation.

There are also surgical methods like vasectomy and tubal ligation.

Natural methods Fertility awareness or Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a method of birth control that does not use drugs or devices. F ertility awareness involves being able to identify the signs of fertility during the menstrual cycle to plan or avoid pregnancy. When practiced properly, NFP is as effective as any artificial birth control method.

“Unlike artificial contraceptives, natural family planning requires both members of the couple to be aware. The woman becomes educated about her body and the man learns to control himself. It requires a partnership,” Moral said.

Moral added that Natural Family Planning is a necessity to educate every couple to be responsible parents.

By reducing unintended pregnancies and abortions as well as facilitating family planning, effective family planning provides health and social benefits to mothers and their children.

An estimated 600,000 women die each year of pregnancy-related causes.

Ninety-nine percent of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries like the Philippines.

The most common causes of maternal deaths are postpartum bleeding complications from unsafe abortion, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, postpartum infections and obstructed labor.

“When a woman suffers from medical problems such as diabetes or asthma, it may lead to a high-risk pregnancy. This is when contraceptives are medically needed,” de Guzman said.

Poorly timed pregnancies also contribute to high infant mortality rates.

Family planning lets women plan their pregnancies so they can make sure the baby will get the best care before and after birth.

However, there are numerous risks in artificial contraceptive use. Common side effects include menstrual spotting, nausea, breast tenderness, headaches, weight gain, mood changes and missed periods.

“Hormonal contraceptives, like the pill, can form blood clots that are risky for some individuals because it changes the hormonal system of the body,” Moral said.

Users of the pill who smoke or have hypertension have a significantly higher risk of suffering stroke or heart attack.

Moral added that intrauterine devices or IUDs, which are barrier contraceptives, might cause infections.

“We have to discuss the reasons why we have to prevent pregnancy. It may be a societal reason, a public health concern like overpopulation, or for personal decisions on the part of a family,” he added. EDRIS B. PUA

10 Limelight

Art Director: Kirsten M. Jamilla

MAY 4, 2017

TAMMY BY ROCHER FAYE R. DULATRE

TOMALINO BY SHAINA MAE L. SANTANDER

BUHAY TOMASINO BY JUAN MIGUEL M. SORIANO

Pautakan FROM PAGE 5 readings especially on the history part,” Tangcueki said in an interview.

College of Commerce and Business Administration Champions: None Commerce will only begin training in May, a week before competitions, but believes it will achieve at least a podium finish because the team is “made up of people of the same personality.”

Less time to prepare, team members believe, will make them more efficient.

Team captain Joshua de los Reyes also aims for an upset and be the first Commerce team to bag the Pautakan crown.

Dissatisfaction FROM PAGE 1 representation for the Thomasian community on various national and University-wide issues.

“I believe that it is better to choose abstain rather than settle with candidates who may have enough credentials, but have failed to provide us concrete steps on how they’d be able to fulfill their platforms,” de Leon said.

Finance senior Gilbert Isip said he opted to abstain because he was not given enough time to get to know the candidates due to the limited campaign period.

“Para [kasing hindi] ko naramdamam yung candidates dahil sila nag-campaign nang maayos,” he said.

PhilSat FROM PAGE 2 the familiarity of LEB’s test partner, Center for Educational Measurement (CEM), with the testing location. “[O]ur testing provider also conducts the National Medical Admission Test in UST so they are familiar with the location,” he said.

College of Rehabilitation Sciences Champions: 1998, 2000 For the College of Rehabilitation Sciences (CRS) team, ending its 17-year Pautakan title drought is not much of a concern.

Rather, representing the college well and proving themselves as a multidisciplinary practice is the priority.

“We are currently working with some of the faculty members to help us review and prepare for the competition,” team captain Roxanne Subido said. “We actually have no target placing but we just want to give our best and be able to represent CRS well,” she added.

other competitors as well as the organizers,” Casao added.

spot.

“The team resolved to push through with assigning topics for each member to study, then find time to converge and discuss what each member has learned,” Javato said.

to claiming its first championship in 27 years.

Team captain Jacqueline Mallari said team members are reviewing individually. The goal is to have a decent showing in the quiz contest.

College of Nursing Champions: 2008 Weekend trainings, book assignments and a review of previous Pautakan questions are Nursing’s weapons in its quest for its first Pautakan crown in nine years.

“Of course our team is always aiming for the best. We rigorously review and prepare to be hailed as champions this year,” team captain Jonah Santos told the Varsitarian.

College of Science Champions: 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1990 Individual brilliance is Science’s primary weapon in its road

Institute of Physical Education and Athletics Champions: None For the Institute of Physical Education and Athletics (IPEA), which will make its second appearance at the Pautakan this year, the goal is to have a good performance and get experience for future competitions.

Team captain Bryan Casao said team IPEA is not expecting anything and is only focused on representing the institute well.

“We don’t mind other competitors, we are just focusing on studying and we hope to see fair competition from the

For communication arts student Miguel Aguado, none of the candidates shared his principle as a student of the University so he opted to abstain.

“Although I recognize that the candidates had the heart to serve the University and that they had the best intentions in mind for running, I just didn’t think that any of them shared the same principles I had,” he said. “[Their] platforms also need to be in line with my needs and the things that I stand for as a student,” he added.

Journalism sophomore Mari Villaflor said her decision to abstain was a call for political parties to review their principles and ideologies.

“UST politics has focused too much on impressing the electorate to the extent that they resort to irrelevant gimmicks and memorized speeches.

All these are at the expense of genuine engagement with the students, wellthought platforms and enaction of

political promises,” she said.

‘Protest vote’ Raymond John Naguit, former vice chairman of the UST Central Commission on Elections (Comelec), defended the widespread “abstention,” calling it a principled vote.

“It may serve as protest vote against a system that has failed or hardly delivered on the things that resonate most to students,” he said.

Former CSC president Ina Vergara urged political parties to scrutinize the reasons behind the election results.

“The answers we are all looking for are with the students — whether or not voter abstention was due to indifference, influence, or a principled preference they find fit for the changing times,” Vergara said.

Naguit challenged political parties to align their platforms with political ideologies, to develop firm campaigns.

The rate of abstentions drastically

increased this year compared with last year’s results.

This year, 15,803 voters opted to abstain for the position of president, three times more than the 5,578 voters who abstained last year.

The position of vice president received 13,169 abstain votes, about twice the 6,662 abstentions last year.

There were 13,088 abstain votes for treasurer this year, significantly higher than the 5,529 abstain votes last year.

For the position of auditor, 13,329 voters opted to abstain this year while only 5,367 abstained last year.

Abstain votes for secretary and PRO also increased even if winners were proclaimed for the two positions.

For the position of secretary, there were 8,806 abstain votes, double last year’s 4,302.

The position of PRO had 8,806 abstain votes this year, up from last year’s 5,551.

Respect In a text message to the Varsitarian, Lakasdiwa Chairwoman Richie Mae Abache said she respected the decision of the Thomasians.

The results, Abache added, would serve as a way for their party to improve.

LTC Chairwoman Tanya Vasquez said that “if the Thomasians believe that we lacked, there is nothing but respect.”

This year’s elections broke the LTC’s winning streak in the CSC Executive Board. Last year, the party secured five out of six positions, including the presidency.

Only 28,858 of 43,762 students (66 percent) voted in this year’s CSC elections, a decrease from last year’s 30,645 out of 44,791 students (68 percent). with reports from CHRISTIAN

A total of 8,806 examinees registered from all over the country, LEB Attorney for Policy and Enforcement Marian Chavez said in a Facebook post last April 4.

The Albertus Magnus, Roque Ruaño and Alfredo M. VelayoCollege of Accountancy buildings were designated as testing venues.

Security Chief Joseph Badinas said he deployed “minimal” security personnel.

About 300 CEM staff assisted

in the national aptitude test, Testing Coordinator Cherry Gil Sotto said.

Aquende said testing areas in Cebu and Legazpi encountered problems due to weather conditions. “[It was] because of the tropical depression. What we have done is, I gave instructions to the testing site coordinators to be flexible, to be lenient and to allow even those who are late to still take the exam,” he said.

Some examinees brought prohibited items inside the testing venues. “[S]ome students brought bags, phones, food and all other things that are prohibited, expecting that there will be a depositary area. But we were very clear in our instruction that there should be none of these things,” he said.

Other testing sites were the University of the Cordilleras (Baguio), Aquinas University

(Legazpi), University of San Agustin (Iloilo), University of San Jose-Recoletos (Davao), Jose Maria College and Xavier University (Cagayan de Oro), University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos (Bacolod), Ateneo de Zamboanga University (Zamboanga), and Dr. Vicente Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation (Tacloban).

The results will be released online on May 7. MARIA

Conservatory of Music Champions: None Team Music has been stymied by the Conservatory’s concert season, but captain Jose Javato still aims to secure its first-ever finals

Institute of Information and Computing Sciences Champions: None First-timer Institute of Information and Computing Sciences (IICS) is looking to learn the ropes while enjoying the competition, as well as absorbing the challenge brought by other teams.

The team tapped the help of faculty members in preparation for its first entry in the annual competition.

“We plan to see how the contest works and how challenging it would be. Also, we want to enjoy the moment, play fair, and see the outcome so that next time, we will be more prepared,” team captain Chris Santos told the Varsitarian in an interview. RANDELL ANGELO B. RITUMALTA AND LEA MAT P. VICENCIO

DE LANO M. DEIPARINE, THEODORE JASON PATRICK K. ORTIZ, MIA ARRA C. CAMACHO and MARIA CRISANTA M. PALOMA

CRISANTA M. PALOMA

Editor: Delfin Ray M. Dioquino

Sports 11

MAY 4, 2017

Lady Booters evolve to suprise title contenders

By RANDELL ANGELO B. RITUMALTA AFTER finishing the last two seasons at the bottom of the standings, the UST Lady Booters have completely reversed their fates as they now have a chance to enter the finals for the first time in three years.

Since its last finals appearance in 2014, UST has been at the cellar of the five-team women’s football tournament, winning only three of 16 elimination round games.

The team tapped the services of alumna and UAAP gold medallist Prescilla “Aging” Rubio last year to help turn the Lady Booters around.

This year, the Lady Booters crawled their way back to title contention as they ended the eliminations at second place behind a 4-1-3 win-draw-loss record, despite missing the services of veterans.

“The players are motivated because they used our status last year as an inspiration,” Rubio told the Varsitarian. “They play with more heart and discipline because they have understood why we need to do better not only in trainings, but also in academics.”

The team has also addressed the basic facets of the game such as dribbling, passing and ball control.

From back-to-back seasons at the bottom of the league, the Lady Booters have turned into surprise title contenders.

Black Nazarene FROM PAGE 6 Rica Estrada of the Visual Arts Division of CCP said the exhibit was an answer to the “Kulo” issue.

“Auggie’s works show the eventual Christ in a different way,” she said. “There may be opposing points of view about this but for the CCP, artists are free to use this image and are free to make their own statement about religious images.”

A polyptych, composed of 10 paintings forming the body of a

CSC officials FROM PAGE 2 of us in the council, we’re a bit paralyzed. . . But Therese and I will work with [the] Central Board to ensure that the CSC will be able to compensate for the vacant positions in the meantime and make the CSC function as it should,” Santos told the Varsitarian.

Gorospe will act as the president until a special election is conducted. Based on Article 11, Section 4 of the CSC Constitution, the secretary shall act as president in case of vacancies in the office of the president and the vice president.

“Sa totoo lang… na-pressure at natakot ako bigla. Hindi ko hiniling na maging presidente pero ito `yung binigay sakin,” Gorospe said.

‘Hotel 1611’ FROM PAGE 1 because we are protecting the interest of students and those heading the training. Maraming alumni at visitors na interesado kaya buong taon puno agad ‘yung listahan,” Timbang said.

Guests are allowed to make room reservations by writing a letter of intent to the dean and regent of the College of Tourism and Hospitality Management (CTHM).

Timbang said opening a hotel was a requirement of

crucified Christ, greeted visitors.

Orange, red and yellow hues dominated the paintings.

“Nasa Templo na Ako” was the main segment of the polyptych that depicted Christ’s head wearing a crown of thorns, with the word “TEMPLO” written above his head.

Fontanilla’s “Tatalikuran ang Hinahanap na Tiwala,” an acrylic and serigraph on canvas, portrayed a shirtless man whose entire back is tattooed with monochrome images of Christ in different styles and angles.

“I infused the aesthetics of Filipino imagery and manipulated

‘Right decision’ Gorospe and Santos said the “unexpected” election results reflected the Thomasians’ awareness about the student council. “[M]ulat na nga ang mga Tomasino at hindi na hinayaang mag-settle for less kaya ganon na lang na abstain ang nanalo sa ibang positions,” Gorospe said.

“I believe that the outcome of these elections is a message [that] they are tired of the traditional politics in the University,” Santos said.

The announcement of results last April 22 revealed that most students opted to abstain from voting for president, vice president, treasurer and auditor.

Gorospe, an elementary education junior, won the CSC the Commission on Higher Education for schools offering HRM, and was the University’s move to begin a “hatchery” for future Thomasian hospitality professionals.

“The on-campus laboratory hotel serves as a hatchery for future hospitality professionals where they learn the application part of the theories learned in the lecture rooms,” Timbang said.

Students using the hotellaboratory are CTHM seniors enrolled in hotel practicum and inhouse practicum, juniors enrolled in basic front office operations and sophomores enrolled in institutional housekeeping.

it with the traditional image of Christ that tattoo artists use,” he said.

After graduating with an advertising arts degree from the University in 2004, Fontanilla ventured into education, entrepreneurship, events and logistics. His art has been featured in several venues like the Lopez Museum, the National Museum and the Pablo and Post Gallery.

He was a production artist for Summit Media from 2004 to 2005 and publishing art director for Preview magazine from 2007 to 2011. AUDRIE JULIENNE D.

BERNAS

secretary post with 11,319 votes, defeating hotel and restaurant management junior Alexandra Guevarra (Lakas Tomasino Coalition or LTC) who got 5,262 votes, and travel management sophomore Josephine Beatrice Domingo (Lakasdiwa) who obtained 3,031 votes.

Santos, a political science sophomore, garnered 9,877 votes, defeating literature junior Lance Santiago (LTC) who earned 6,948 votes and nursing junior John Rhorick Legaspi who obtained 3,393 votes, for the position of public relations officer.

The elections were held from April 18 to 21.

The Central Commission on Elections has yet to announce the date for the special polls. DAPHNE

YANN P. GALVEZ and CRISANTA M. PALOMA

MARIA

CTHM students were previously trained in the Domus Mariae, the first laboratory guest residence in UST located behind the University pool.

Hotel operations, facilities, revenue Students who undergo training at Hotel 1611 follow Association of Southeast Asian Nation (Asean) service standards, meaning basic hotel operations.

These include confirming guest reservations, rooming procedures, preparation of billing statements, welcoming guests, check-ins and check-outs, meal preparations and cleaning

Woodpushers

“If we know what to do with the ball once we have the ball, we will not panic and we will be composed since we have already mastered the basics,” Rubio said.

The Lady Booters are frequent participants in tune-up games against the men’s teams of some colleges like Pharmacy and Ecclesiastical Studies. The experience has brought nothing but positive change for the squad.

Compared with their onewin campaign last season, the Lady Booters have improved on both ends of the pitch. Last year, they scored only 10 goals and allowed 24 goals from their opponents. This year, they scored 15 conversions and allowed just 18.

“We want to enter the game not just to play but to win because we really want something to happen in this team,” Rubio said.

The sophomore coach said her wards this year were easier to handle because players have learned to be responsible and disciplined on and off pitch.

“The standard of our preparation is always against La Salle because they are the best team so far. So, if Ateneo is a little weaker, beating them would be easier,” Rubio said.

Unfulfilled season Dableo however is frustrated with the results of Season 79, as his wards failed to win a medal.

The Female Woodpushers improved to fourth place this year from fifth, while the Male Woodpushers slid to fourth place this season from a silver finish.

“We had the final rounds right in our hands but for a certain factor that we did not anticipate, we failed to deliver.

We contributed to UST’s general

championship but I was frustrated with the performance of the players because they faltered when it mattered the most,” Dableo said.

The Male Woodpushers had the chance to notch bronze but absorbed a 1.5-2.5 loss to the University of the East in their battle-for-third clash.

Veteran Normel de Jesus succumbed to Red Warrior Eliseo Budoso while Heirry Manaloto, Jhon Ablid and Christian Flores all settled for draws.

“There was no one graduating from the men’s team. We could have won second or third. I was disappointed that we were only able to win fourth, but that is just how it is,” Dableo concluded.

Panitikan

Lemoran

MULA SA PAHINA 3

FROM PAGE 12

mohon si Balagtas upang ipakilala ang importanteng puwang ng panitikan at kultura sa ating lipunan,” paglalahad ni Almario sa kaniyang pambungad na talumpati sa pagdiriwang.

Pinasinayaan ang Buwan ng Panitikan sa pamamagitan ng Kampo Balagtas, isang pagtitipon ng mga kabataang manunulat mula sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng bansa upang sumailalim sa pagsasanay at lumahok sa mga maliliit na patimpalak.

Idinaos ito mula ika-31 ng Marso hanggang ikalawang araw ng Abril sa Mababang Paaralan ng Orion sa Bataan. JOLAU OCAMPO

has the killer instinct. In the whole team, she is the only one who has the guts to finish. She is always a threat whenever she holds the ball, [it is almost a sure thing for her] to score. But whenever she relaxes, [the killer instinct] disappears,” Rubio said of Lemoran who once scored a rare hat-trick against Ateneo de Manila last March 11.

Lemoran said: “I train and train a lot. [Another motivation] is coach because she pushes me even though I tell her sometimes, ‘This is all I can be.’”

“But then, she tells me that I have greater heights to go to, so she pushes me to achieve my goal.”

and making up rooms.

“Hindi siya role-play, [here, it is] actual and live. [The students] have the chance to give guest assistance and are challenged to find solutions to any operational problem that may arise,” Timbang said.

The hotel has 12 fully airconditioned guest rooms, each having its own mini refrigerator, coffee-making set, safety box, Wi-Fi, 40-inch LED smart television, DVD player, hair dryer, flat iron, iron board and emergency light.

The hotel features five “Pontifical view rooms,” which face the UST grounds; five

Tamarind Ville view rooms on the side of Sampaloc or Padre Noval Street; and two inner suite rooms.

A card door lock system and closed-circuit televisions were installed in every room to ensure the safety of hotel guests and provide a 24-hour monitoring of the hallways.

Other rooms and facilities in the hotel are the fitness area, reception counter, administration office, housekeeping room, health bar or café and a business center.

A wine room and an executive lounge will be added in the next academic year 2017 to 2018.

FROM PAGE 12

at WINONA SADIA

RALPH EDWIN U. VILLANUEVA

Sports

MAY 4, 2017

Back on top: UST bags 41st UAAP overall title

By PHILIP MARTIN L. MATEL

THE UNIVERSITY has finally reclaimed the general championship crown against defending champion De La Salle University. And for the first time in two years, it was not a tight race.

Backed by a strong secondsemester finish, UST, which hosted the UAAP wars anew after 10 years, notched its 41st overall crown with a margin of 49 points as of press time, dethroning La Salle, 292-243, which won by a mere two points last year.

Even with four events still in play, namely women’s and men’s volleyball and women’s and men’s football, UST already tallied seven gold, nine silver and two bronze medals this year. The Golden and Lady Booters both are in hunt for a finals slot.

Unlike in the past years when U S T ’ s

second semester sports t e a m s have not performed

well as its first semester sports teams, this season proved to be different.

The Golden Sox and the Male Tennisters, who both finished fifth last season, went on their separate Cinderella runs to the finals. The Golden Sox ran out of steam in a classic five-hour Game 2, while the Male Tennisters surrendered to the University of the East, winning its first men’s tennis championship.

After suffering their worst finish last year since the Final Four era began in 1993, the Tiger Spikers bounced back to fourth place from seventh, while the Golden Tigresses ended their four-year semifinals drought and landed third.

The Lady Tracksters, who won their third straight title, were the only second semester squad to notch a gold medal, while their male counterparts took home silver for the second consecutive year.

The UST women’s tennis team also took home silver, bowing down to four– time champions National University, Primed to end Adamson University’s thensix-year reign in UAAP softball, the Tiger Softbelles lost ace pitcher Anne Antolihao to a knee injury

at the beginning of the finals, falling short of the crown in back-to-back seasons.

The Tiger and Lady Fencers both clinched podium finishes, grabbing second and third places, respectively. The Tiger Fencers maintained their position and lost to perennial champions UE, while the Lady Fencers, led by a spirited team captain Maylene Pailma, sneaked in to third place.

It was a contrasting season for UST’s chess teams as the Male Woodpushers, who won silver last year, dropped to fourth while the Female Woodpushers stepped up a notch to fourth place.

“Actually, noong [katapusan ng] first semester, tinatarget ng UST na makuha ang general

championship since tayo ang hosts. Gusto talaga ng community na maibalik ang general championship,” UST athletics moderator Rodrigo Sambuang told the Varsitarian.

Backed by a strong second-semester finish, UST has dethroned defending UA AP overall champion De La Salle University.

Pint-sized Lady Booter tall order for foes DESPITE being one of the smallest Lady Booters, Charisa Lemoran compensates for her lack of height with her prolific play.

The Lady Booters, who were stuck at last place in the last two seasons, underwent a major revamp and transformed themselves into title contenders this year.

A big reason for the change is Lemoran, who scored 10 goals this Season 79.

Surprisingly, football was not the first sport for the 4-foot-11 sophomore.

Lemoran, fondly called “Bhebe” by her coaches and teammates, was introduced by her brother to basketball, but immediately had a change of heart when she first kicked a football in 2008.

“When I was playing basketball, I did not take it seriously. But in football, I told myself this is a sport that I want to pursue, and I became more disciplined [in football],” Lemoran said.

Lemoran quickly mastered the game. In 2010, the then 11-year-old became part of the Philippine youth team. However, she failed to

make the cut the following year. “[After being cut from the team], I wanted to show them that I can and want to improve more. I was frustrated at first, but I told myself that if I wanted to go play in the UAAP, I have to be dedicated to improve and train harder so I can be the Lemoran I am now,” she said.

Lemoran was invited to play for the Philippine team in the Southeast Asian Games in August and the Asian Football Confederation. She declined the latter because the AFC schedule conflicted with the UAAP season.

Lady Booters head coach Prescilla “Aging” Rubio likened her prized player to international superstar Leo Messi, another player of minute stature who plays beyond his size.

Rubio said the team did not expect Lemoran to explode this season, but her outstanding showing last year was just a preview of things to come.

“If she’s not lazy, she Lemoran PAGE 11

Woodpushers move on from disappointing finish COMPARED with other sports, chess is the antithesis of physicality. Its crowd is anything but rowdy.

Only players and coaches are allowed to watch chess matches, unlike in other UAAP sporting events such as basketball, volleyball and football where the cheers and the booming sound of drums could be heard.

For the UST Woodpushers, it has become a norm to anticipate the “intensity” of the deafening silence. The real battle happens inside their minds.

People may perceive chess matches to be boring, Woodpushers head coach Ronald Dableo told the Varsitarian, but only chess players really understand how they think and work.

“If you see two people playing chess, there is a certain feeling of dullness but if you look closely at their minds, it really is intricate and complicated,” Dableo said. “Chess is different because the battle is within the two players’ minds and that is how we play.”

Despite the absence of crowd support, Dableo said they could not ask for more since the University provides for all the players’ needs.

“Everything they need is complete especially with the Team A. We do not have the right to complain about the support system because everything is provided for the players,” Dableo said. “As long as we get the support, we can play our game and we dedicate our time and effort for the love of the game and the school.”

Female Woodpushers team captain Michella Concio said the benefits, especially the medical support given by the University, are very satisfactory.

Lemoran

Woodpushers PAGE 11