January 2015 •
1
Editor in Chief FR. WINSTON F. CABADING, O.P.
Editor ASSOC. PROF. GIOVANNA V. FONTANILLA
Associate Editors ASSOC. PROF. IMELDA A. DAKIS, M.D.
ASST. PROF. VIRGINIA A. SEMBRANO
SENIOR WRITER MR. ALEXIS AILEX C. VILLAMOR, JR.
Staff WriterS MR. JAMES CHRISTIAN S. BALLECER
MR. REINHEL ANGELO E. SICAT
LAYOUT ARTIST MR. KENNETT ROGER T. GARCIA
Circulation Managers MS. JHONA L. FREO
MS. BASILIA A. LANUZA
Photographers RED IMAGES
MR. PAUL ALLYSON QUIAMBAO, MR. MARC HENRICH GO
COORDINATOR CORRESPONDENTS
Assoc. Prof. Ma. Fylene Uy-Gardiner Academic Affairs
Asst. Prof. Emelita Samala Accountancy
Mr. Steve Michael M. Moore, Jr. Admissions Office
Archt. Marlon Cariño Architecture
Asst. Prof. Ma. Zenia M. Rodriguez Arts and Letters
Assoc. Prof. Richard C. Pazcoguin Center for Campus Ministry
Assoc. Prof. Eric B. Zerrudo Center for the Conservation of Cultural Property and
Environment in the Tropics
Assoc. Prof. Ralph S. Galan Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies
Ms. Irene Tolentino-Nicolas Chief Justice Roberto Concepcion Legal Aid Clinic
Atty. Anicia Marquez Civil Law
Ms. Sharel S. Legaspi Commerce and Business Administration
C/CPT Alecxander S. Ibrado Department of Military Science and Tactics
Mr. Joel C. Sagut Ecclesiastical Faculties
Assoc. Prof. Joel L. Adamos Education
Ms. Mena Angela M. Oliveros Education High School
Ms. Mariflor Irish C. Ibay Educational Technology Center
Asst. Prof. Virginia A. Sembrano Engineering
Ms. Jaezamie V. Ong Fine Arts and Design
Dr. Alejandro S. Bernardo Graduate School
Ms. Carol Angeline P. Macawile Guidance and Counseling Office
Mr. Charles Isaac N. Deita High School
Ms. Rowena R. Castro Human Resource Department
Address all communications
to the Office of Public Affairs,
University of Santo Tomas
España Boulevard, Manila,
1015 Philippines
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Prof. Ma. Lourdes B. Coloma, M.D. Medicine and Surgery
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For comments and suggestions, contact
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ABOUT THE COVER
Pope Francis pens his
message on the UST
guestbook as Manila
Archbishop Luis Antonio
Cardinal Tagle, UST Vice
Chancellor Rev. Fr. Gerard
Francisco Timoner III, O.P.,
and UST Rector Rev. Fr.
Herminio Dagohoy, O.P. watch
in an arm’s length.
2
• January 2015
contents
PAPAL NEWS
Pope Francis awakens,
inspires youth in an encounter at UST
For Pope Francis: An overflowing
‘Thomasian Expressions of Love’
Hernandez of Edtech tops UST song
writing contest for 2015 papal visit
PHLPost puts papal stamps
on display at UST
5
6
7
7
NEWS
UST hosts PCNE II
8
UST glows with more than
300,000 lights
10
Thomasians shine in
2014 Christmas Concert
11
UST’s Paskuhan highlights compassion;
Fireworks display caps annual festivity 12
Fr. Dagohoy, O.P. appointed to
Conseil Scientifique of École Biblique
in Jerusalem
13
Fr. Timoner, O.P. appointed to
International Theological Commission 13
AMBAG 2021: UST’s first contribution to
500th year of Christianity
in the Philippines
14
In Memoriam: Fr. Frederik S. Fermin, O.P.
UST Rector 1978-1982
16
ACUP 2015 conference centers
on serving the poor with joy
18
Mechanical eng’g students
compete for Shell Eco-marathon 2015 20
UST’s ‘Philippiniana Sacra’
gets two-year CHEd accreditation
21
UST, Arts and Letters
receive PACUCOA awards
22
EdTech wins top prize
in Biotech Shorties
Video Making Contest
22
Blackboard Asia elated by UST’s win
in Catalyst Awards
23
UST FMS LSTC receives two awards
from American Heart Association
23
UST named a Philippine Model Career
Development Center
24
UST Publishing House wins
three Gintong Aklat awards
25
Lipardo wins research award
in Hong Kong
25
Entrepreneurship prof attends
summer school in Paris
26
Arts and Letters students exchange ideas
with youth leaders
27
Junior nursing student wins
2nd place in Ramon Magsaysay
Essay Competition
27
UST Graduate School features
rare zoological species in exhibit
28
Roasa of Medicine elected chair
of As-Pac Board of AO
28
Deakin University students go on
Study Tour at UST Nursing
29
Grad School launches
‘The Antoninus Journal’
29
19 Artlets go to Japan for
Jenesys Invitational for Mass Media
30
CRS collaborates with two foreign
universities
30
January 2015 •
6
5
15
Solar Night Light is Finalist at 2014 AMY
Intellectual Property Awards
30
Grad School students
granted Japanese scholarships
31
Marketing Management Department
explores dynamics of trade in
three ASEAN nations
31
UST partners with St. Luke’s Medical Center
to conduct certificate course of
pharmacotherapy
32
Sports Science learns
from Thai university
32
Physical Therapy profs elected
to national associaton
33
Divina re-elected president of
Phil. Ass’n. of Law Schools
33
UST Simbahayan presents programs
to UN Dominican Rep
34
UST hosts IBPAP’s GCAT
plenary presentation
34
First UST symposium
on Philippine biodiversity held
35
UST Hospital, Medicine feature
patients, doctors in art events
35
IPEA presents PH korfball federation
docs to IKF
36
TESDA certifies UST High School
TLE teachers
36
Lugay of Eng’g makes it to
ASEAN Engineers Register
37
42
RESEARCH
Aguas delivers keynote lecture
in Romanian philosophy conference
37
Tongol presents paper
on nanotechnology in Thailand
38
Arroco, Olayres present papers
at Brunei Darussalam conference
38
Chua presents paper on Filipino elderly
education in Hong Kong
39
Pharma faculty, students present
paper at FAPA Congress in Malaysia 39
Mirasol presents study on
reading comprehension in Malaysia
42
CTHM’s Liba discusses study
on Halal Restaurants in Thailand
42
Med tech faculty presents scientific studies
at Biomed Lab Science congress
in Taiwan
43
Med tech faculty, students present papers
in Thailand, Taiwan
43
PolSci seniors discuss local conflict
management conference
in Thailand
44
Istambay Research Presented
in an Australian Youth Symposium
44
Dean Ramos of Science presents paper
at int’l confab on Biochem,
Molecular Bio in Taiwan
45
Science Psych profs present papers at
Taiwan, Guam confabs
45
3
contents
54
50
Pagalilauan of Science presents paper
on Spanish Dominican friars’
pacification method
CTHM students present papers
at International Conference in Thailand
Architecture research
published on NCCA journal
Asian Studies juniors present researches
on Chinese studies
UST Facilitates RUN UNITED Enervon
HP Recovery Run with Unilab Active
Health Team
UST Simbahayan, CCM hold Peace
Forum, Tulong Tomasino para sa Iraq
UST-RCCESI introduces
Shadow Education to PH researchers
Newly-formed Market Research cluster
mounts exhibit on functional foods
45
46
46
47
47
48
49
49
LECTURES&CONFERENCES
Javate lectures in Italy, India, USA;
appointed head of ASORPS course
Links for ultrasound
in medical education strengthened
Calimag of Medicine attends
APEC ethics forum in China,
med journal editors’ meeting
in Mongolia
Toribio inspires civil organizations
in Myanmar
UST participates in 14th FERCAP
Int’l Confab, 1st PHREB Nat’l Confab
Rehab Sciences participates in Philippine
congress on community-based
rehabilitation
Thomasians discuss research works in
int’l workshop on nano materials for
energy conversion
Ngo, Ong attend 10th QS-APPLE
Conference in Taiwan
54
UST counselors attend international
guidance conference; Bance facilitates
workshop
Peralta joins IPOPhil in training
new patent searchers
Architecture faculty attends three-day
convention in Chicago
Artlets join Asia-Pacific Student Forum
at University of Indonesia
Eco student attends
IDEA 2014 in Taiwan
4
50
51
51
52
52
53
53
55
55
56
56
56
Pusta speaks about media, culture
at Chinese University, Hong Kong
57
Rehab Sciences participates in
interprofessional education conference
in Japan
57
UST ITSO at the forefront of
raising IP awareness
58
Calimag presents Country Report
at assembly of med associations
of Asia & Oceania
58
UST, NCU of Taiwan co- sponsor
symposium on Math, Physics
59
Nagoya City University mentors lecture
to Bio, Microbio students
59
English Department holds
language learner autonomy workshop 60
RCNAS FBS group conducts seminarworkshop for high school students
60
9th Washington Sycip Convocation
held to mark 10 years
of AMV-Accountancy
61
UST partners with IP Office, US Embassy
to educate students on dangers of
counterfeit meds
61
Education, UST HS co-organize
Symposium for Teachers
62
HRD Learning Sessions held
63
Alipao, Victoria present poster,
paper in National Confabs on Disaster 63
ARTS&CULTURE
UST Baybayin docs declared
National Cultural Treasures;
National Archives unveils marker
64
Marian images in a Filipino-Spanish interior
showcased at UST Central Seminary 65
History Graduate School students
conduct cultural heritage mapping
in Polillo, Quezon
65
OFF THE PRESS
66
USTPH continues to reap awards,
launches new titles
67
USTingan 2014: Palanca winners,
UST Writing Center discuss
state of Philippine theater
68
Ten years of Varsitarian Creative Writing
Workshop: future Thomasian writers
meet seasoned counterparts
69
UST Writing Center launches two titles 70
CFAD prof bags photography award
in New York
70
74
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
IPEA adopts communites
in Laguna, Bulacan
71
English Department teaches language
skills in Navotas
71
Writing Center conducts outreach seminar
in Southern Luzon State University
72
Science ComDev in Bataan: Sharing how
to teach Creative Science lessons
72
ALUMNI
Lolita Savage receives ‘Pamana ng Pilipino’
award from President Aquino
Dean Maravilla speaks
at USTNAI Convention
Arki graduates win in
KLM photo contest
73
73
74
UNIVERSITY
VISITORS
Rotaract Malaysia
75
Indonesian scientist
Fo Guang Shang Taiwan
Paco Guerrero
75
76
76
BOARD TOPNOTCHERS
Physical Therapist Licensure Examination77
Architect Licensure Examination
77
Civil Engineer Licensure Examination
77
Chemical Engineer
Licensure Examination
78
Interior Designer Licensure Examination 78
Psychometrician
Licensure Examination
78
Mechanical Engineer
Licensure Examination
79
Electronics Engineer
Licensure Examination
79
Chemist Licensure Examination
79
Philippine Institute of Industrial Engineer’s
Certification Board
79
• January 2015
PAPAL NEWS
Pope Francis awakens,
inspires youth in an encounter at UST
Pope Francis embraces Jun Chura, and Glyzelle Iris Palomar, as Cardinal Tagle smilingly looks on.
campus, waving alternately on each side of
the papal mobile, smiling at the joyful, tearyeyed faces of the Filipino devout.
Rev. Fr. Herminio V.
Dagohoy, O.P. and Rev.
Fr. Gerard Francisco
P. Timoner, III, O.P.,
welcome the Pope to
the Pontifical, Royal and
Catholic University of the
Philippines.
A
t about 9:24 a.m., the trumpets
played.
The car carrying Pope Francis pulled
over in front of the Arch of the Centuries,
where UST Vice Chancellor Rev. Fr. Gerard
Francisco P. Timoner III, O.P. and UST
Rector Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P.
together with the leaders of different religions
waited to meet and greet him.
A brief encounter between the Pope and
the religious leaders ensued.
As
an
January 2015 •
experience
of
Thomasian
welcome, Rev. Fr. Timoner and Rev. Fr.
Dagohoy, with Manila Archbishop Luis
Antonio Cardinal Tagle, accompanied Pope
Francis as he marched toward the Arch of the
Centuries, akin to a ceremonial welcome rite
of passage of Thomasian freshmen at the start
of every academic year.
Pope Francis wrote in a Barong
Tagalog-designed UST guestbook: “May the
Lord bless all those studying and working for
a culture of encounter.”
The “People’s Pope” proceeded to
traverse the alleys and roads of the UST
The Pope, in his Popemobile, advanced
toward the Benavides Statue, to the Plaza
Mayor in front of the majestic Main
Building, then turned right to the UST
Health Service until the Rosarium, left to
the Quadricentennial Square, left again to
the UST Botanical Garden, and, finally, he
entered the jampacked UST field.
Cheers broke out from every corner
of the field, a Philippine National Cultural
Treasure, with people chanting, screaming
his name. Clothes of different colors formed
a harmonious mix, just like the numerous
Philippine and Vatican State flaglets waved
all together.
After turning in zigzags inside the field
to greet the Filipino youth up close, Pope
Francis climbed the Grandstand’s stairs and
appeared before a mammoth crowd wearing
a UST lanyard and university ID—the former
bearing the logos of the different faculties,
colleges, and schools of UST and the latter
showing an image of the Pope with his birth
POPE FRANCIS AWAKENS page 40
5
PAPAL NEWS
For Pope Francis:
An overflowing ‘Thomasian Expressions of Love’
The Barong Tagalog as part of the
papal souvenirs made by students
of the College of Commerce and
Business Administration.
W
The award winning beverage called
“Francesco” concocted by the
students from the College of Tourism
and Hospitality Management.
hen the official news on the visit
of Pope Francis to UST as part of
his Apostolic and state visit to the
Philippines was made public by the Philippine
central committee headed by His Eminence
Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle, Archbishop of
Manila, the University of Santo Tomas started
to make its own preparations and formed its
committees.
One of the projects under the committee
on Media and Publicity was “Thomasian
Expressions of Love for Pope Francis” better
known yet in its shortened version as “Thomasian
Expressions”. Participating Faculties and
Colleges submitted to the Office of Public Affairs,
one of the two organizing offices, the other being
the Social Media Bureau, their proposed projects
that featured activities or projects that highlight
the uniqueness of the Faculty or College. Pope
Francis was the third pope to have visited UST;
and UST is the only Catholic University in the
Philippines to have been visited by three Popes:
In 1970 by Pope Paul VI, in 1981 and 1995 by
then Pope now Saint John Paul II; and on January
18, 2015 by Pope Francis.
When the UST Museum mounted “@
UST: Lolo Kiko Brings Christ to the Youth” an
exhibition that ran from February 12 to March
28, 2015 on the visit of Pope Francis to UST,
it included some projects under “Thomasian
Expressions”. Included were scientific
discoveries by faculty members from the UST
Graduate School and the College of Science
aptly called “Thomasian Scientists’ Expressions
of Love”.
6
The Papal Jeepney featured during College of
Fine Arts and Design’s college week.
The first issue of the Antoninus Journal, a
multi-disciplinary journal of the UST Graduate
School featured Hedyotis papafranciscoi
Alejandro, sp.nov. It is a new flowering plant
species with potential medicinal properties
which may be used in the treatment of cancers,
fever, rheumatism, and malaria. It is from Mt.
Madja-as, Antique. The specific epithet was
coined in honor of Pope Francis. The researcher
was Dr. Grecebio Jonathan D. Alejandro of the
UST Graduate School, College of Science and
the Research Center for the Natural and Applied
Sciences.
The College of Science submitted research
studies on three newly characterized Philippine
organisms recently discovered by Thomasian
scientists. One is the Hedyotis papafranciscoi
by Alejandro. The two others are: Phyllostica
francisci, sp. nov., a novel fungal endophyte with
potential bio-active metabolites which may be
useful in drug discovery. The researchers are:
Thomas Edison E. Dela Cruz, Carlo Chris S.
Apurillo and Lei Cai.
The third is the vBE-popefrancis, a new
bacteriophage isolate which is a potential
alternative to conventional therapy in bacterial
infections discovered by Paola Bianca M.
Bruiser, Delia C. Ongtengco, and Donna May
D. Papa.
A concoction called “Francesco” prepared
by students from the College of Tourism and
Hospitality Management, under the supervision
of their faculty members, was a hit during
the luncheon that followed the opening of the
The video documentary of the College of
Education
exhibit. The non-alcoholic beverage, served to
exhibition guests at the Civil Law Social Hall,
was an award-winning entry in the concoction
category during the Manila Foods and Beverage
Expo (MAFBEX) 2014. The fruit juice leaves
a refreshing taste on the palate complemented
with a visually appealing playful combination of
colors that emanate from the various fruits used.
The other expressions of love were the
Street Dance by the UST High School that
consisted of dance movements inspired by
the various Filipino festivals. The high school
students performed this for the opening day of
the national conference of the Association of
Catholic Universities of the Philippines (ACUP)
on January 21 at the façade of the Blessed
Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. building to
welcome Archbishop Angelo Vincenzo Zani,
Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic
Education, Vatican, and the keynote speaker of
the national conference.
The seminarians of the UST Central
Seminary conveyed their love for the Pontiff
through paintings. The Faculty of Arts and Letters
expressed its love through a poem that was
penned by a student, the College of Commerce
and Business Administration prepared a set of
merchandise prepared by students displayed at
the college lobby, and the College of Education,
through the student council, prepared a video
documentary on the Pope.
• January 2015
PAPAL NEWS
Hernandez of EdTech tops UST song writing contest
for 2015 papal visit
E
ducational
Technology
Center
multimedia programmer Mr. Irineo
C. Hernandez III was named first
prize winner in the UST Song Writing
Contest for the Apostolic Visit of Pope
Francis to the Philippines during the
awarding ceremony held on December 8,
2014 at the Plaza Mayor.
Hernandez topped all participants with
his entry “Mercy and Compassion Toward
Unending Grace,”. It was performed during
the annual Paskuhan festivities and a prerecorded video was shown in the pre-event
program of the Pope’s visit at UST last
January 18. He received a cash prize of P20,
000.
Fr. Niño Andrade, O.P., a student at the
Ecclesiastical Faculties, placed second with
“Father’s Love”, while Center for Campus
Ministry Assistant Director Assoc. Prof.
Richard G. Pazcoguin landed on third place
with “A People of Mercy and Compassion”
in the competition, which served as UST’s
contribution to the visit of the Holy Father
to the country. Fr. Andrade and Assoc.
Prof. Pazcoguin won P15,000 and P10,000,
respectively.
From left: Fr. Coronel, O.P., Jane Frances Magpantay, (Pazcoguin’s interpreter) Hernandez with son, Shane
Dandan (Fr. Andrade’s interpreter), Fr. Andrada and Prof. Fontanilla
The Board of Judges included Rev. Fr.
Giuseppe Pietro Arsciwals, O.P., Prior of the
Sto. Domingo Convent and grand prize winner
in the International Songwriting Competition
for the Jubilee of the Order of Preachers; Mr.
Jude Edgard Balsamo, ExeCom member of
the National Commission for Culture and
PHLPost puts papal stamps
on display at UST
the Arts (Music); and Ms. Josefina Antonio,
music department chair at St. Paul University,
Manila.
The competition was organized by the
Office of Public Affairs and the Social Media
Bureau.
T
he Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) mounted
its Pope Francis Stamp Traveling Exhibit at the
Quadricentennial Pavilion lobby, University of Santo
Tomas (UST) on November 24, 2014.
The display, which ran until November 28, 2014 and
held in partnership with the UST Office of Public Affairs,
was the third leg of the exhibit held in anticipation of the
apostolic visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines last January
2015.
The stamp displays were shown at the Manila Cathedral
before being brought to UST. It was launched at the Manila
Central Post Office last November 10, 2014.
Aside from portraits of Pope Francis, the exhibit also
showcased postage stamps issued by PHLPost during the
apostolic visits of Popes Paul VI and John Paul II to the
country.
PHLPost’s papal stamp exhibit in UST.
January 2015 •
A preview of the Pope Francis Souvenir Sheet and
Coinage Stamps launched during his visit and the four
winning designs in the On-the-spot Pope Francis Stamp
Design Contest were also presented.
7
NEWS
UST hosts PCNE II
“Blessed are you…” Matthew 5:1-12
Rev. Fr. Herminio Dagohoy O.P., delivers the opening remarks.
Cardinal Tagle leads the celebration of the
“Misa ng Bayang Filipino” on the opening day
of the conference.
T
he theme of the Philippine Conference
on New Evangelization (PCNE) II
was based on “The Beatitudes” by St.
Matthew. The three-day conference was held
from January 15 to 17 at the Quadricentennial
Pavilion of the University of Santo Tomas
with more than 5,000 people in attendance
representing various groups from the
dioceses comprising of the clergy and
church organizations, and Catholic schools.
Chaired by His Eminence Luis Antonio
G. Cardinal Tagle, the organizing committee
of the second PCNE named Fr. Jason H.
Laguerta as PCNE director while Amb.
Henrietta T. de Villa was designated head of
Secretariat and Treasury.
For this year, the PCNE responded to
the challenges posed by PCNE I. PCNE II
reflected on the Beatitudes of Matthew 5 and
the radical revolution it demands to deepen
the understanding of the beatitudes in relation
to the Filipinos’ struggles with inequality
and poverty. Pope Francis selected the same
theme for the celebration of the World Youth
Days from 2014 to 2016. The Apostolic Visit
of Pope Francis to the Philippines in January
2015 centered on “Mercy and Compassion”,
8
Bro. Mike Velarde shares his thoughts on
“Pathways to Blessedness.”
while the Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines declared 2014 as the Year of Poor.
The three days had sub-themes based on
the Beatitudes. Day one was on the “Portrait
of Blessedness”, while day two was on the
“Pathways to Blessedness”, and day three
was on “Program of Blessedness”.
The conference opened on January 15
with the Misa ng Bayang Pilipino with His
Eminence Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle,
Archbishop of Manila, as Mass Presider. The
bayan or the community danced the Subli,
a Filipino ceremonial folk dance honoring
the Holy Cross associated with Alitagtag,
Batangas. The Subli dancers together with the
PCNE participants wore native buri hats and
clicked their castanets as a welcome gesture.
Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, OP,
rector of the University of Santo Tomas,
delivered the welcome message, while Fr.
Laguerta, PCNE II director, delivered the
Opening Remarks and gave the Conference
Overview.
Another regular part of the PCNE
was the “Heart to Heart with the Cardinal”
where Cardinal Tagle interviews people
representing the different sectors of society.
Featured personalities were: ABS-CBN
broadcast journalist Ted Failon, fourteen
year-old Community Children founder and
International Children’s Peace Prize winner
Cris “Kesz” Valdez, COA Commissioner
Heidi Mendoza, the mother of missing activist
Edith Burgos, showbiz superstar Nora Aunor,
and businessman Roberto Atendido.
Tuloy Foundation founder Fr. Marciano
“Rocky” G. Evangelista, S.D.B., shared on
“Encountering Jesus with the Poor”. There
were also sharing from communities such
as the San Dionisio Community of Northern
Iloilo, Indigenous Persons Community,
Zamboanga Community, HIV Community,
and the Overseas Filipino Workers
Community. Day 1 ended with the Confessio
Peccati et Laudis.
On Day 2, Sr. Niceta M. Vargas, O.S.A.,
the Superior General of the Augustinian
Sisters of Our Lady of Consolation explained
the sub-theme “Pathways to Blessedness”.
Reactors were El Shaddai Movement leader
Bro. Mike Velarde, auditors during the III
Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod
of Bishops George and Cynthia Campos ,
Social Action Director of St. Scholastica’s
• January 2015
NEWS
College Sr. Celine Saplala, O.S.B., and former Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court Hon. Hilario G. Davide, Jr.
YOUCAT Philippines presented Youth and the Beatitudes, while
two priests spoke on Beatitudes through Arts: Fr. Virgilio Hernandez
spoke on the Dance Subli and Fr. Manoling V. Francisco, S.J.,
discussed Music. The Mass Presider for the Eucharistic Celebration
was Most Rev. Rolando J. Tria-Tirona, O.C.D., D.D., chair of the
Episcopal Commission on Justice and Peace, National Secretariat for
Social Action.
The evening was capped with a Prayer Concert.
The theme for the last day of the conference was “Programme
of Blessedness (Missioning)”.
Invited to share the pastoral Project of Evangelii Gaudium
was Most Rev. Salvatore “Rino” Fisichella, D.D., president of the
Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
However, due to unexpected circumstances, he was unable to make it.
“Heart to Heart with the Cardinal” (From left) Nora Aunor, Heidi Mendoza, Ted
Failon, Cardinal Tagle, Kesz Valdez, Edith Burgos (partly hidden) and Roberto
Atendido
His Eminence Orlando B. Cardinal Quevedo, O.M.I, Archbishop
of Cotabato, discussed the “Church of the Poor for the Poor and with
the Poor”, which was responded by the religious and the laity with
“The challenge of the New Evangelization and walking hand in hand
with the poor”. The response was given by: Sr. Mary John Mananzan,
OSB, Mr. Randy Halasan, Ms. Ana Maria Perpetua Reyes and Mr.
Mario Galvez, Mr. Joseph and Mrs. Boots Asanza, and Mr. Alfred Tan
Li.
Msgr. Gerardo O. Santos facilitated the Wellsprings of Hope
“Envisioning the new chapter of evangelization”. Most Rev. Pablo
Virgilio S. David, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop of San Fernando, was the
Mass Presider for the Closing Eucharistic Celebration. Moderators for
the conference were: Ms. Estella Padilla for day 1, Fr. Jason Laguerta
and Ms. Mary Ann Cruz for day 2, and Msgr. Gerardo O. Santos for
day 3.
On Jan 18, Sunday, some PCNE participants had the chance to
attend Pope Francis’s “Encounter with the Youth” at the UST Grounds.
Archbishop Rolando J. Tria-Tirona, O.C.D., presides the mass during the second
day of the event.
Beatitudes Through Music (?)
The community dances “Subli”, a native dance from
Batangas.
January 2015 •
An interreligious leader with a group of students at
prayer
Most Rev. Pablo Virgilio S. David, D.D. talks about
“Interreligious and Ecumenical Prayer for Peace”
9
NEWS
UST glows with more than 300,000 lights
Coro Tomasino and the Conservatory of Music Brass Band entertain the
Thomasian community with Christmas carols.
T
o usher in the Christmas celebration, the University
of Santo Tomas (UST) lit up its 80-foot Christmas
tree and the more than 300,000 dazzling lights hung
around its campus in the Christmas lighting ceremony held
last November 21, 2014 at 5:50 p.m.
The annual lighting ceremony was led by Vice Rector
for Religious Affairs Fr. Filemon I. de la Cruz, Jr., O.P. at the
UST Martyrs’ Monument in front of the UST Chapel.
10
UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe perfoms at the annual lighting ceremony.
The giant tree displayed ornaments depicting a “winter
wonderland” theme, while the Main Building façade
sparkled with large Christmas adornments.
Coro Tomasino and the Conservatory of Music Brass
Band put the Thomasian community and visitors in a festive
mood through singing and playing Christmas carols shortly
after the ceremony.
• January 2015
NEWS
S
From left: Asst. Prof. de los Santos, Fr. Abaño, O.P., Rev. Fr. Dagohoy,
O.P., Prof. Ranera.
Thomasians shine in
2014 Christmas Concert
ome of the finest voices and
musicians of the University of
Santo Tomas (UST) crooned
Yuletide tunes in the annual Christmas
Concert last December 4, 2014 at the
UST Chapel.
The musical feast, which started at
7 p.m., showcased UST’s homegrown
talents like the UST Symphony
Orchestra, Coro Tomasino, and
Liturgikon Vocal Ensemble under the
baton of Prof. Herminigildo G. Ranera.
The groups performed “Raise Your
Voices” and “Hark the Herald Angels
Sing.”
The acapella band XCOR La Banda Vocal de Venezuela sings popular
Filipino song, Manila.
Opened by a brass Christmas
fanfare, the concert featured Venezuela’s
premier local a cappella band XCOR La
Banda Vocal de Venezuela, that sang a
popular Filipino song, Manila as part of
its repertoire.
Tenors Lemuel de la Cruz, Ronan
Ferrer, Eugene de los Santos, and
Raymond Muyot and sopranos Naomi
Sison, Charlene Ramos, Jade Riccio,
Jasmine Salvo, and other performers,
sang classic, religious, and celebratory
Christmas hymns like “Do You Hear
What I Hear” and “The Greatest Gift of
All.”
Also gracing the event were June
Francis Jaranilla (bass) and Frederick
Maturan and Kathleen Sunga (soloists),
and a brass choir with conductor Michael
E. Jacinto.
The UST Symphony Orchestra,
with Ranera as conductor, played “Once
Upon A Christmas,” “How Far Is It From
Bethlehem,” and a set of Italian songs.
The 2014 concert also presented
classical renditions of “God Bless Us
Everyone,” “Ave Maria,” “Pastorale
Natalizia Tu Scendi Dal le Stelle,” “In
Dulci Jubilo Nativitas,” “Once Upon
a Christmas,” “A Lullaby,” “Let the
Bright Seraphim from ‘Samson’.”
The event, chaired by UST
Museum Director Fr. Isidro C. Abaño,
O.P., concluded in a community singing
of some popular Filipino Christmas
songs.
People’s Television Network
(PTV-4), the flagship television network
owned by the Philippine government,
aired the 12-year-old Thomasian musical
spectacle on December 20, 2014 from
9:15 to 10:30 p.m., while TV 5 aired it
on the Christmas Eve from 11:15 p.m.
to 12:15 a.m.
Another government - owned
network, Intercontinental Broadcasting
Corporation (IBC13), televised the same
staging on two dates: on December 24
and December 25 from 7 p.m. to 8:30
p.m.
The members of Coro Tomasino fill the air with different classical
Christmas songs.
January 2015 •
11
NEWS
UST’s Paskuhan highlights compassion;
Fireworks display caps annual festivity
T
he University of Santo Tomas (UST) aimed to spread
the spirit of compassion this Yuletide season through
the 2014 Paskuhan festivities that also drumbeat the
apostolic visit of Pope Francis in January 2015.
With the theme, “Pagdiriwang ng Pagmamalasakit:
Tomasino Kaisa ni Papa Francisco at ng Simbahan sa
Pasko,” the annual campus-wide Christmas celebration called
on Thomasians to take inspiration from the teachings of the
Holy See.
One of the activities was the announcement of winners in
the UST Songwriting Contest held in celebration of the papal
visit in the pre-Paskuhan program at the Plaza Mayor. The
contest, which had for its theme “Mercy and Compassion,”
was a manifestation of the Thomasians’ love for the Pope
through music.
Students solemnly re-enact the “Panunuluyan.”
The “Panunuluyan,” the students’ re-enactment of
the Virgin Mary’s and St. Joseph’s search for a place for
the Blessed Mother to give birth to the Savior, opened the
nightlong revelry followed by a Eucharistic celebration led by
UST Vice Chancellor Rev. Fr. Gerard Francisco P. Timoner
III, O.P. and UST Rector Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P.
as main celebrant and homilist, respectively.
Paskuhan fair booths set up by the different local student
councils opened from 1 p.m. at the Plaza Mayor. The fair
offered a free photo booth, charging stations, carnival and
jousting booths, and some games. Thomasians were also
treated with free food through the yearly ‘Agape’ beside the
Main Building.
The Paskuhan concert featured famous bands like
the Silent Sanctuary, Paraluman, and Spongecola with DJs
Callum and Ace.
UST Vice Chancellor Rev. Fr. Timoner III, O.P. leads the Eucharistic celebration during the
Paskuhan mass together with UST Rector Rev. Fr. Dagohoy, O.P. (extreme left), and UST
Vice Rector Fr. Ang, O.P. (third from left).
The highly anticipated grand pyrotechnic display put the
night sky aglow at 9 p.m. to cap the Thomasian Christmas to
the University.
It would be remembered that due to the austere scenario
left by superty phoon Yolanda in the Visayan region in 2013,
UST opted to donate the Paskuhan budget that year to the
typhoon victims along with contributions from the different
faculties, colleges, and departments. No fireworks show was
held in 2013.
Paskuhan crowd enjoys Yael Yuzon’s music with his band Spongecola.
12
• January 2015
NEWS
Fr. Dagohoy, O.P. appointed to
Conseil Scientifique of École Biblique in Jerusalem
R
ev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P., the
96th rector of the University of Santo
Tomas, has been appointed to the
Conseil Scientifique of the École Biblique et
Archéologique Française de Jérusalem or the
Scientific Council of the French Biblical and
Archaeological School of Jerusalem.
The three-year term appointment of Fr.
Dagohoy, which took effect on November 21,
2014, was made by the Master of the Order of
Preachers, Fr. Bruno Cadore, O.P.
The Conseil is composed of at least
eight members, namely: (1) the director of the
École, (2) the socius (associate) for intellectual
life, (3) a provincial during his term of office,
(4) a regent during his term of office, (5)
the president of a Dominican institution of
higher studies, (6) a representative from the
professors of the École, and (7 and 8) at least
two biblical experts named by the Master of
the Order.
An annual meeting either in Jerusalem
or in Rome shall be made by the Conseil in
order to assist the director of the École in
everything that concerns the progress of the
École, its specific mission, the renewal of its
faculty, and various financial questions.
The École Biblique is a French academic
establishment in Jerusalem specializing in
archaeology and Biblical exegesis, founded
as L’Ecole Pratique d’Etudes Bibliques on
November 15, 1890 by Father Marie-Joseph
Lagrange, O.P.
Rev. Fr. Dagohoy, O.P.
Fr. Timoner, O.P. named member
of International Theological Commission
O
n July 26, 2014, Pope Francis
appointed Rev. Fr. Gerard Francisco
P. Timoner, III, O.P., as one of the new
members of the International Theological
Commission for the 9th Quinquennium.
Pope Francis named 30 new membertheologians of the commission coming from
different countries, who shall meet at least
once a year.
The Commission, instituted by Pope
Paul VI on 11 April 1969, is tasked to help
the Holy See and the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith in examining doctrinal
questions.
Rev. Fr. Timoner, O.P.
January 2015 •
Rev. Fr. Timoner, O.P., the Prior
Provincial of the Dominican Province of
the Philippines and Vice Chancellor of the
University of Santo Tomas, is the 4th Filipino
to join the Commission for a five-year term,
starting 2014 up to 2019, after the Jesuit
Fr. Catalino Arevalo, Don Bosco priest Fr.
Francis Gustilo, and Cardinal Luis Antonio
Tagle.
The Father Prior Provincial obtained
his Bachelor in Sacred Theology degree at
the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Santo Tomas, Manila, and his Licentiate and
Master’s Degree in Theology at the Katholieke
Universiteit Nijmegen, Netherlands.
The Commission is composed of
theologians from various schools and nations,
eminent for their scientific excellence and
fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church. The
Members – no more than thirty in number
– are appointed by the Holy Father “ad
quinquennium” upon proposal by the Cardinal
Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith and following consultation with
the Episcopal Conferences. During the course
of its history, the Commission has published
27 documents, with the approval of its
President.
13
NEWS
AMBAG 2021: UST’s first contribution
to 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines
Fr. Filemon I. dela Cruz, Jr., O.P. gives the perspective
of the retreat.
Fr. Timoner, O.P., celebrates the mass on the first day
of the retreat.
From left: Fr. Carlo del Rosario, Fr. Winston Cabading,
O.P., Archbishop Socrates Villegas, D.D. and Fr.
Carmelo Arada Jr., give their warm thanks after the
Archibishop’s conference on Ambag Simbahan.
Divina Zambales shares her experience of how she
overcomes the challenges of a blind lector.
Joyce Lubugin, a deaf dancer, interprets a dance
number.
Michael Lias speaks about his faith despite the hardships
of being a bus driver.
he University-wide retreat takes place
every two years, the first being the
preparation for the Quadricentennial
in 2010, the second was in anticipation
of the UST Neo-centennial, and the third,
was “AMBAG 2021: Simbahan, Tahanan,
Bayan”, held from November 26 to 28, 2014
at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
for Finance, and Perspective Setting given
by Fr. Filemon I. dela Cruz, Jr. O.P., Vice
Rector for Religious Affairs. A Eucharistic
Celebration capped the morning session with
Fr. Gerard Francisco P. Timoner, III, O.P.,
Prior Provincial of the Dominican Province
of the Philippines as Main Presider and with
Fr. Rodel E. Aligan, O.P., dean of the Faculty
of Sacred Theology, as concelebrants.
Galang and Atty. Bong Roque explained
Church teachings to their radio listeners.
The community Penitential Service with
Individual Confession was headed by Fr.
Quirico T. Pedregosa, Jr. O.P., Rector of the
UST Central Seminary.
T
The year 2021 is very significant to
the Philippines and the Catholic Church
in the country because it marks the 500th
year of Christianization of the Philippines.
Christianity came to the Philippines on
March 31, 1521 through a Spanish expedition
led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand
Magellan when the first Mass was celebrated
in Limasawa Island, Southern Leyte after his
troops landed on Homonhon Island, southeast
of Samar in March 1521.
With barely seven years before 2021,
UST found it appropriate to initiate the
spiritual preparation of its faculty members,
administrators and support staff to a milestone
in the history of the Philippines and the
history of Christianity in the country, as well.
The three-day retreat was divided into
Ambag Simbahan for day1, Ambag Tahanan
for day 2, and Ambag Sambayanan for day 3.
With more than a thousand members of the
Thomasian community converged, the first
day began with the Enthronement of the Cross
led by Fr. Manuel F. Roux, O.P., Vice Rector
14
The first conference on Ambag Simbahan
was delivered by Most Rev. Socrates B.
Villegas, Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan
and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
Philippines president. The first day ended
with the Veneration of the Cross with Taizé
Prayer led by Fr. Eduardo P. Africa, O.S.B.
The final mass was celebrated by Rev.
Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P., Rector,
concelebrated with Fr. Richard Ang, O.P.,
and Fr. Winston F. Cabading, O.P., Secretary
General. The concluding rites that followed
were more of a rites of commitment to change.
The inevitable photo opportunity went on to
become a happy chance to add photographs
to one’s bank of happy UST memories.
The second day started with the Lauds
led by Fr. Roberto L. Luanzon, Jr. O.P., Vice
Rector of the UST Central Seminary, and the
second conference on Ambag Tahanan was
given by Most. Rev. Teodoro C. Bacani, Jr.,
D.D., Auxiliary Bishop of Manila. The day
concluded with a Eucharistic Celebration
presided by Fr. Genaro O. Diwa one with Fr.
Jannel Abogado, O.P. and Fr. Louie Coronel,
O.P., as concelebrants.
Looking back, the Quadricentennial
retreat took place from November 3 to
5, 2010 at the SMX Convention Center
in MOA, Pasay City as the spiritual
preparation of the Thomasian community
for its Quadricentennial or the 400 years
of the University of Santo Tomas that was
celebrated through a year-long line up of
activities and events in 2011 and culminated
in the ushering in of UST’s four hundred and
first year on January 28, 2012.
On the third day of the retreat, the
conference on Ambag Sambayanan was not
the typical lecture but the radio show “Men
of Light” where its hosts - Most. Rev. Pablo
Virgilio S. David, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop
of San Fernando, Fr. Deogracias Kerr
Prior to the celebratory part of what was
called the “Neocentennial” or the new one
hundred years, leading now to UST’s 500
years, was the Neocentennial Retreat held
in December 2011 at the Quadricentennial
Pavilion.
• January 2015
NEWS
Fr. Roberto Luanzon Jr., O.P., Vice Rector of the
Seminary, starts the second day of the conference
with a morning prayer.
Bishop Bacani Jr., D.D. emphasizes a point in his talk
for Ambag Tahanan.
Atty. Eugene T. Kaw and Atty. Jacqueline Lopez-Kaw
receive a plaque of appreciation awarded by Fr.
Edgardo Alaurin, O.P.
Fr. Genaro Diwa, S. L. D., the main celebrant of the
mass, delivers his homily during the second day of
the retreat.
Bro. Alvin Barcelona, a preacher at “The Feast,”
leads the whole community in praise and worship
through music.
Fr. Quirico T. Pedregoza, Jr., O.P., Rector of the
Central Seminary, the main celebrant of the mass,
during the last day of the retreat.
Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P. (center) receives
a plaque of appreciation from Fr. Winston Cabading,
O.P. (left) and Fr. Filemon dela Cruz, Jr., O.P. (right).
From left: Fr. Carlo del Rosario, Bishop Pablo David,
D.D., Fr. Quirico Pedregosa Jr., Fr. Deo Galang and
Atty Bong Roque
Dominican priests concelebrate the mass.
The participants of Ambag 2021 at the end of the
three day retreat in a super groupie.
January 2015 •
15
NEWS
In Memoriam: Fr. Frederik S. Fermin, O.P.
UST Rector 1978-1982
B
arely two months after the Thomasian
community
bade
farewell
to
Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi,
O.P., UST’s first Filipino rector, in August,
the community had to gather once again on
October 29, 2014 at the UST Chapel, this
time to honor the second Filipino Rector of
the University of Santo Tomas, Fr. Frederik
S. Fermin, O.P., in a fitting ceremony for the
beloved departed. He was 90 years old.
Born on January 15, 1924 to a Protestant
family in the Netherlands, Fr. Fermin, O.P.
who converted to the Catholic religion,
entered the Dominican order in 1954. He
studied Scholastic Philosophy at the Studium
Generale Alberti Magni in Hong Kong from
1955 to 1958, and went to the Pontificium
Institutum Angelicum in Rome from 1958
to 1960. In 1960, he was ordained into
the priesthood in Holland and went to the
Philippines in 1962 where he studied for a
doctorate degree at the University of Santo
Tomas – his new-found home that would be
his second home in the ensuing phase of his
life. This was punctuated with his decision to
become a naturalized Filipino citizen in 1976.
In the Netherlands, Fr. Fermin, O.P.,
was a lawyer and a member of the diplomatic
corps. He was assigned to the United Nations
prior to his assignment in Hong Kong as Vice
Consul for his country. At the University of
Santo Tomas, he was given assignments that
took into consideration his academic and
professional background. He was assigned
dean of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, and
Regent of the Faculty of Civil Law before he
was named Rector of the UST from 1978 to
1982. He also served as Rector of the Central
Seminary from 1988 to 2000.
His coming back home to UST that
Wednesday morning on October 29, 2014,
all the way from Baguio City where he
decided to stay upon retirement, was met with
anticipation – especially by faculty members,
administrators, employees, alumni – whose
lives were changed through his kindness and
generosity. Even the young students from
the Faculty of Arts and Letters who certainly
did not have the opportunity to interact with
the former Rector listened attentively to the
tribute through the narratives of the four
people who had personal encounter with
Fr. Fermin. The former Rector’s cremated
remains arrived in a white marble urn at
16
Fr. Fermin, O.P.
From left: Rev. Fr. Dagohoy, O.P., Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Julio Cortes and Rev. Fr. Timoner, O.P.
11:00 o’clock in the morning. On the right
side of the UST Chapel, beneath the image
of St. Dominic, a pedestal bedecked with
white flowers and green leaves was carefully
arranged to hold the marble urn. To its left
was an easel on which a photograph of the
late Rector, in his characteristic smile, was in
full view.
Necrological Rites
By 2:00 o’clock in the afternoon, the
Necrological Services began – the first
to honor Fr. Fermin was his friend and
Dominican brother, Fr. Efren Rivera, O.P.,
whose friendship with the former began
during their student days at the Rosary Hill
in Hong Kong in the 50s, up to the time that
“his authentic Flying Dutchman” friend was
installed as UST Rector in the 70s where Fr.
Rivera, O.P. served the University as Vice
Rector.
The friendship went on until Fr. Fermin
went on retirement and stayed in the City
of Pines as overseer of the UST House in
Baguio while Fr. Rivera has remained in
Manila fulfilling his priestly duties. “He
loved to walk,” Fr. Efren, O.P. reminisced
of Fr. Fermin, O.P. and that he would do in
Baguio until age and failing health caught
up with him that the use of the wheelchair
became a necessary tool to keep him mobile.
Fr. Efren, O.P. described Fr. Fermin
O.P. as “a man of God, a prudent and caring
administrator, a steady-handed Rector”. He
said that their Dominican brothers described
Fr. Fermin as a caring and encouraging person
to his fellow administrators, faculty members,
support staff, and students. He was well loved
by all. He was specially understanding toward
capable students who were struggling for
lack of money. He gave them scholarships,
sacrificing the aid he received from Holland
as a Dutch missionary, and, more importantly,
moral support. He was a good friend to all.
Fr. Rivera, O.P. added, “Fr. Fermin’s
qualities as a Spiritual Father and a
Renaissance Man came to the fore. He
encouraged the seminarians to cultivate a
world vision not limited to passing exams and
getting to say Mass at the altar. He wanted
them to be spiritual at heart and refined in their
culture.” As parting words, Fr. Efren said this:
“Vaya con Dios, con novicio, amigo.”
• January 2015
NEWS
Former University Registrar Asst.
Prof. Rodolfo N. Clavio spoke of a
relationship that was born 47 years ago,
when he was yet a young seminarian at the
UST Central Seminary and the prelate was
his confessor. By twist of fate, Clavio did
not end up a man of the cloth, and instead,
joined UST as a faculty member. Through
the years, his personal relationship with
Fr. Fermin, O.P. grew. When Clavio was
appointed University Registrar, he saw how
Fr. Fermin, O.P. as an administrator moved
for transparency.
Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. (center), Vice Rector, blesses the urn upon
its arrival in UST with Fr. Cabading, O.P. assisting and Fr. Roland
Castro, O.P. at the background.
Fr. Rivera, O.P. shares Fr. Fermin’s excellence as a devoted
administrator.
Dr. Arcangel reminisces her memories with Fr. Fermin, O.P.
January 2015 •
Trying to hold back his emotions,
Clavio’s recollection would at times come
to a pause to wipe his tears and compose
himself, and his listeners, too, who were
moved by Fr. Fermin’s endearing ways,
had to dry their eyes. He added that it was
during the rectorship of Fr. Fermin that
computerization at the Registrar’s Office
started. The now retired administrator,
moved by the demise of a mentor and
former administrator, in tears, bade the
former Rector with a softly uttered, “Good
bye…”
Dr. Clotilde Nieva Arcangel, the dean
of the College of Education, with fondness
recalled that Fr. Fermin, O.P. was a friend
of her family, the Nievas, and the spiritual
adviser of her parents. She had known him
as a high school student, even before she
came to UST, and she lovingly recalled the
close relationship between the Dominican
friar and her family; and how she even
seriously considered his comments on her
suitors. The demise of her father in 1969
did not change the connection between
her family and Fr. Fermin, O.P. In fact,
he continued to be a close family friend
and spiritual adviser, that extended to the
third generation of Nievas. As a fitting
close to her eulogy, Dean Arcangel looked
at the portrait of Fr. Fermin, O.P. and
affectionately declared, “Dear Father, we
love you!”
Fr. Allan Morris Abuan of the
Archdiocese of Lingayen Dagupan, a
former student of Fr. Fermin described the
cleric through an acrostic that spelled out
F-E-R-M-I-N to be able to capture better
the legacy that the former Rector left them.
“F” is for firmness, he was firm but loving;
“E” is for elegant, he made us taste the finer
things in life; it also stood for elegance
and excellence; “R” is for relationship, Fr.
Fermin considered building relationships
(with his students) important – “he knew
Dr. Dakis and Fr. Rodel Aligan, O.P.
during the farewell prayers by the
Carillon together with the members of
the Thomasian community.
our stories very well,” Fr. Allan stated. “M”
is for mission – his missionary spirit and
zeal, “I” is for intensity. The former student
described his former mentor “passionate
and intense” – he taught them to organize
their parishes with intensity and to “inspect
what you expect”. “N” is for never-say-NO!
Fr. Allan shared that during the first
months of his seminary life, Fr. Fermin,
O.P. sent them to his friends to solicit.
Being a provinciano, he was not familiar
with the city, but Fr. Fermin asked them to
look for the place using a map, and to be
independent in finding places in Manila.
Fr. Allan also shared that Fr. Fermin,
O.P. taught them to be visionary, to be one
step ahead, to prepare for leadership in the
Catholic Church – and with this, they could
take up Management or Accountancy, and
start to learn to use computers.
“Who we are, what we have become
– is your legacy and it will continue in the
priests that you have formed. Thank you for
sharing your life!” ended Fr. Allan.
Funeral Mass
A funeral mass in honor of Fr. Fermin,
O.P. was held at the UST Chapel (Santisimo
Rosario Parish) led by UST Rector Rev. Fr.
Herminio Dagohoy, O.P., concelebrated by
Dumaguete Bishop Julio Cortes and UST
Vice Chancellor and Prior Provincial Rev.
Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner, III, O.P.
together with other Dominican priests.
In his homily, Rev. Fr. Dagohoy,
O.P. commended his predecessor for
an exemplary service to the University.
He said, “Fr. Fermin’s contributions in
the academic section of the University
expressed his ideals of a well-rounded
education for the Thomasians.”
UST Secretary General Fr. Winston
Cabading, O.P. led the offering of
Necrological Prayers for Fr. Fermin, O.P.
prior to the Funeral Mass. Fr. Fermin’s
cremated remains were blessed at the
Carillon area right after the Holy Eucharist,
followed by the singing of the Salve Regina.
His remains were brought to the Sanctuario
de Santo Domingo in Quezon City.
Fr. Fermin, O.P. succeeded Fr.
Leonardo Legaspi, O.P., the first Filipino
rector of UST, who went home to the
Creator on August 8, 2014, the feast day
of St. Dominic de Guzman, founder of the
Order of Preachers.
17
NEWS
ACUP 2015 conference
centers on serving the poor with joy
T
The presidents of the Catholic Universities of the Philippines with Fr. Dagohoy, O.P. (fifth from left) and Archbishop Angelo Vincenzo
Zani (center).
he third conference of the Association
of Catholic Universities of the
Philippines (ACUP) under its president
UST Rector Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy,
O.P., was held at the Bl. Buenaventura Garcia
Paredes, O.P. building, UST on January
21 and 22, 2015 with Archbishop Angelo
Vincenzo Zani, secretary of the Congregation
for Catholic Education, Vatican, as keynote
speaker.
The 2015 conference was ACUP’s
commemoration of the 50th year of the
Gravissimum Educationis and the 25th
year of Ex Corde Ecclesiae, both important
documents to the Catholic Church and
Catholic universities. Its theme was “The
Catholic Universities: Born from the Heart of
the Church, Serving the Poor with Joy”.
Archbishop Zani spoke on “Revisiting
the identity of Catholic Universities toward a
renewed passion for the Mission”. Speakers
for Day 1 were : Dominican Prior Provincial
Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner, III, O.P.,
who spoke on “The Catholic Universities:
Living Communities for an Encounter with
Jesus”; Dr. Danilo B. Largo, director of the
Office for Research and the Manager of the
Innovation and Technology Support Office of
the University of San Carlos, Cebu City who
18
talked on “Enriching community engagements
through research and innovation: A Catholic
University’s response to the call of social
justice”.
Ms. Ma. Teresa R. Santos, Assistant to
the Vice President for University and Global
Relations of the Ateneo de Manila University
(ADMU), Quezon City, together with Mr.
Glenn F. de Leon, director of the Office of
International Relations, also of ADMU,
shared their thoughts on the topic “Responding
to the Challenges of Internationalization and
Borderless Learning”.
The Eucharistic Celebration for the first
day was celebrated in the afternoon with
University of San Agustin President Rev. Fr.
Frederick C. Comendador, O.S.A., as Main
Celebrant and Homilist.
The second day opened with a Eucharistic
celebration with Saint Mary’s University
President, Rev. Fr. Renillo H. Sta. Ana,
C.I.C.M., as Main Celebrant and Homilist.
The lectures commenced with Archbishop
Bernardito Cleopas Auza’s “ Spreading the
faith to the poor and the Universal Right to
Education.” Archbishop Auza, who is the
Permanent Observer, Mission of the Holy See
to the United Nations, was introduced by his
former mentor at the UST Central Seminary
and currently Aquinas University president
Fr. Ernesto M. Arceo, O.P.
The other speakers discussed “Forming
the learners to Faith and in Faith: A Shared
Experience.” Speakers were: Camarines
Sur Representative and lawyer Hon.
Maria Leonor Gerona-Robredo, who was
represented by Ms. Keisha C. del Castillo.
St. Louis University Planning and Quality
Assurance Director Dr. Jeffrey Centeño,
University of St. La Salle president Bro.
Raymundo B. Suplido, F.S.C., Ph. D., Notre
Dame University Vice President for Identity
Prof. Sheila Algabre.
An open forum and a group discussion
on the Response of Catholic Universities
to the Messages of the Holy Father to the
Filipinos ensued.
New ACUP Officers elected
Taking place on January 21, the first
day of the conference, the ACUP General
Assembly was held where the presidents
of the 35 member-institutions or their duly
designated representatives attended the
meeting and election of officers for 20152017. Rev. Fr. Dagohoy, O.P. gave copies of
• January 2015
NEWS
Fr. Timoner, O.P. speaks about the Catholic Universities as living communities
for an encounter with Jesus.
Fr. Frederick Comendador, O.S.A. celebrates mass on Day one with Fr.
Gregorio Bañaga, Jr. C.M. as concelebrant.
Achbishop Zani delivers the keynote address during the ACUP conference.
Fr. Sta. Ana, C.I.C.M. presides over the eucharistic celebration on Day two.
the President’s Report for 2013 to 2015, and the Financial Report
was also read. Since the end of the term of office of the ACUP
officers and board members coincided with the conference, an
election took place.
Elected officers for 2015-2017 were: Adamson University
president Fr. Gregorio L. Bañaga, Jr. C.M., president; University
of San Carlos president Fr. Dionisio M. Miranda, S.V.D., vice
president; Universidad de Sta. Isabel president Sr. Lourdes S.
Albis, D.C., treasurer; and University of San Agustin president
Fr. Frederick C. Comendador, O.S.A., secretary. Named members
of the board were: UST president Rev. Fr. Dagohoy, O.P.; St.
Louis University president Fr. Jessie M. Hechanova, C.I.C.M.;
Aquinas University president Fr. Ernesto M. Arceo, O.P.; Ateneo
de Manila University president Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, Jr. S.J.;
and Notre Dame University, Cotabato president Fr. Charlie Inzon,
O.M.I.
Archbishop Auza delivers a talk on “Spreading the faith to the poor and the
Universal Right to Education”
The 42-year old association has 35 members, with the La
Salle University, Ozamiz City as its newest member having been
accepted in 2015.
The newly elected ACUP officers for
2015-2017. (From left) Fr. Rogelio
Bag-ao, S.V.D., representing Fr.
Dionisio Miranda, S.V.D., Fr. Arceo,
O.P., Dr. Centeño, representing
Fr. Hechanova, C.I.C.M., Sr. Albis,
D.C., Fr. Comendador, O.S.A., Fr.
Bañaga, C.M. and Fr. Dagohoy, O.P.
January 2015 •
19
NEWS
Mechanical eng’g students
compete for Shell Eco-marathon 2015
From left: Mr. Ron Jabal, Shell Philippines Internal Communications Manager, Ramon Del Rosario, Shell Philippines
Vice President for Communications, Assoc. Prof. Giovanna Fontanilla, UST Office of Public Affairs Director and
Bobby Kanapi, Shell Philippines former Vice President for Communications.
T
he Eco Tigers whose members are
Mechanical Engineering students
of the University of Santo Tomas
are competing for the Shell Eco-marathon
2015 on February 25 at a special racetrack
in Rizal Park, Manila. The competition was
scheduled from February 26 to March 1.
Shell Phils. is geared at making the
Filipino participants create cars that can go
farther but less on fuel. The UST Eco Tigers
composed of mechanical engineering
students of the University of Santo Tomas
stepped in the competition with entries,
“Tiger 400” and “Tiger 400 Ethanol”.
Named after the “Tiger” that has given UST
its identity at the UAAP, and “400” after
the 400 years of UST in 2011.
Eco Tigers 1 is not new in the
competition. During last year’s competition,
the team bagged the prototype champion
title in the Philippines and placed 5th in
Asia. Having Engr. Raymundo Melegrito
as their adviser, together with eight official
members and two supporting members in
the group, the team manages to cope with the
second year of the competition being held
in the Philippines. According to Juan Paolo
José, a fifth year Mechanical Engineering
(ME) student and team manager, “the car
runs on Honda 50cc motor and is operated
by gasoline.”
20
Last year, they used fiberglass shell for
their model but in order to make it lighter,
they are now using aluminum. Aside from
working with the weight of the car, they
also changed the electric gasoline hybrid
to a simpler gasoline engine. Charging
from gasoline to electric energy takes a
while and it limits the capability of the
gasoline, José reasons out. Now that the
Tiger 400 has an overwhelming record in
the Philippines, José said that they are in
a big competition against themselves. They
are trying to outdo their previous record of
172.3 kilometers per liter.
The other team, the Eco Tiger 2 with
the entry Tiger 400 Ethanol or “T400 E” is
composed of eight official members with
two supporting members including Kevin
Rivera, a fifth year ME student and team
leader of Tiger 2, Marion Valenzuela, a fifth
year ME student and the team mechanic
together with their their coach, Engr.
Rogelio O. Almira, Jr., Machine Shop
Laboratory Supervisor.
According to Rivera, it took them
eight to ten months to plan and create
their model. Since it is the first time for
the university to create an urban concept
model, he mentioned that one of the major
obstacles in creating T400 was having to
From left: Juan Paolo Jose, Kanapi, and Kevin Rivera.
start it from scratch. “We had to familiarize
ourselves with this new concept most
especially that the car uses Ethanol as its
source of energy,” Rivera recounts.
Both teams are working as a group.
They are in close collaboration to create
their first urban model. As the competition
draws closer, team leaders José and Rivera
feel nervous but excited at the same time.
Rivera is hopeful for a good outcome as he
shared that whatever prize they win in the
competition, it will not only be his teams’
but also the university’s. Right now in the
competition, the Tiger 400 is garnering an
attraction leading the total of 34 vehicles
from the Philippines, competing against the
other 142 from 20 different countries. Eli
John De Arroz, a fourth year ME student
and driver of T400, shared his hopeful
view that things will slowly improve and it
would soon be normal for us to see cars that
are eco-friendly.
The Shell Eco Marathon was first
launched in 2010 in Malaysia and was held
there until 2013. When Shell Philippines
celebrated its 100th year in 2014, the
country was chosen to host the event and
will be the host country until 2016.
• January 2015
NEWS
UST’s ‘Philippiniana Sacra’
gets two-year CHEd accreditation
ISSN 0115-9577
January-April 2015
Juan VilÁ, o.P.
Discurso 1877: Impugnacíon del Espiritisimo
PHILIPPINIANA SACRA
rodel e. aligan, o.P. • CarMen r. alViar
norberto M. Castillo, o.P. • louie r. Coronel, o.P.
ross P. Heruela, s.V.d. • Jan gresil s. KaHaMbing
Jose adriand eMManuel l. laYug • roberto l. luanZon Jr., o.P.
CYr stePHen a. Magbanua, o.P. • Jesus M. Miranda Jr., o.P.
art VinCent M. Pangan, o.P. • rudolf steVen n. seÑo, o.P.
OF
SANTO
TOMAS
Wenifredo Padilla iii, o.P.
foreWord: belen loreZCa-tangCo
On Refutation of Spiritualism
reVieWs & notiCes
UNIVERSITY
Joel sagut
norberto Castillo, o.P.
deXter austria, o.P.
augusto antonio aguila
regalado trota Jose
MANILA,
PHILIPPINES
Preserving David’s Characterization
(A Narrative Reading of 1 Sam 25)
Alasdair MacIntyre on Thomism and the
Status of Modern Moral Inquiry
The Declaration Dominus Iesus
Discovering Writing: The Ground Beneath
the Writer’s Feet
A Visual Documentation of Fil-Hispanic Churches
Part XIV: Parish Churches of La Santa Cruz,
Maribojoc and El Santo Niño, Cortes, Bohol
Vol. XLX – Number 149
PHILIPPINIANA
SACRA
Vol. XLX – Number 149
January – April 2015
Philippiniana Sacra’s front and back covers.
T
he Commission on Higher Education
(CHEd) recently accredited the
University’s Philippiniana Sacra, the
official publication of the UST Ecclesiastical
Faculties, as a Category A-2 research journal
after complying with nationally accepted
standards and practice of refereeing and peer
review.
Being classified under Category A-2,
published works in the Philippiniana Sacra
will be credited as an international level
publication for faculty members evaluated in
compliance with CHEd memorandum orders
(CMO), according to CMO No. 5, series of
2012.
Philippiniana Sacra will also be given
a CHEd journal accreditation award of
P200,000 per year during the effectivity of
the accreditation and will receive CHEd
endorsement for library subscription. It is
accredited from December 2014 to December
2016.
Established in 1966, the Philippiniana
Sacra releases three issues every year. It will
January 2015 •
celebrate its golden anniversary in 2016 with
a publication of a special issue dedicated to
the Order of Preachers, which will celebrate
its 800th year.
Current journal editor is Fr. Jesus
Miranda Jr., O.P., with Fr. Angel Aparicio,
O.P., Dr. John Jack Wigley, and Dr. Belen
Tangco, O.P. as associate editors. Mr. Joel
Sagut serves as its book review/notices
editor and Rev. Fr. Manuel Roux, O.P. as
business manager. Its editorial board is
assisted by an advisory committee composed
of Ecclesiastical Faculties deans namely,
Rev. Fr. Richard Ang, O.P., Ph.D. (Faculty
of Philosophy), Rev. Fr. Rodel Aligan O.P.,
S.Th.D. (Faculty of Sacred Theology), and
Rev. Fr. Jose Maria Tinoko, O.P., J.C.D.
(Faculty of Canon Law).
Previous editors of the journal include:
Rev. Fr. Excelso Garcia, O.P. (1966-1969),
Rev. Fr. Antonio Gonzalez, O.P. (1970-1972),
Rev. Fr. Lucio Gutierrez, O.P. (1973-1990),
Rev. Fr. Javier Gonzalez, O.P. (1991-2009),
and Rev. Fr. Norberto Castillo, O.P. (20102012).
21
NEWS
T
UST, Arts and Letters
receive PACUCOA awards
he Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities
Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA) awards
committee has conferred to the University of Santo Tomas
and the Faculty of Arts and Letters the following awards:
1. First AB in Economics program to have been granted Level IV
accredited status in the National Capital Region (NCR) and the
Philippines.
2. First AB in Legal Management program to have been granted
Level IV accredited status in NCR and the Philippines.
3. First AB in Literature program to have been granted Level IV
accredited status in NCR and the Philippines.
4. Institution with the highest number of Level III accredited
programs in the Philippines.
5. Institution with the highest number of Level III accredited
programs in NCR.
6. Institution with the highest number of accredited programs in the
Philippines.
The awards were conferred in connection with the celebration
From left: Asst. Prof. Zenia Rodriguez, Fr. Joseto Bernadas, O.P., Atty. Antonio Chua,
Prof. Paolo Bolaños, Dean Vasco, Asst. Dean Narcisa Tabirara and Prof. Belen Tangco
of the 41st founding anniversary of the PACUCOA and its 25th annual
assembly held last December 4 at the Solaire Resorts and Casino in
Pasay City.
The awards were received by Vice Rector for Academic Affairs
Prof. Clarita Carillo, Ph.D. and Arts and Letters Dean Prof. Michael
Anthony C. Vasco, Ph.D.
EdTech wins top prize
in Biotech Shorties Video Making Contest
From left: Atty. Julito D. Vitriolo, CESO III, CHED
Executive Director, Ms. Maria Monina Cecilia
A.Villena, SEARCA BIC – Special Projects Coordinator,
Asst. Prof. Ramos,Ed Tech Center Director, Dr.
Mariechel J. Navarro (ISAAA – Knowledge Center on
Crop Biotech Director), Ms. Maya and Ms. Ibay
lives” is a three-minute full animation narrative video that tackled
the contest’s theme “Biotech in everyday Life.” The story follows
a young boy as he discovers the benefits of biotechnology in his
hometown.
Capping the 10th National Biotechnology Week was the
closing ceremonies held at the Commission on Higher Education
attended by EdTech Center Director Asst. Prof. Anna Cherylle
Ramos and staff.
T
he University of Santo Tomas Educational Technology Center
(EdTech) was awarded first place winner in the “Biotech Shorties:
A Video Making Competition” organized by the International
Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) and
the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research
in Agriculture – Biotechnology Information Center (SEARCA BIC).
EdTech’s entry, “Discovering the extraordinary in our ordinary
22
The production team was comprised of Asst. Prof. Anna
Cherylle Ramos (Content Specialist), College of Science Dean John
Donnie Ramos (Molecular Biology Consultant), Ms. Rebecca Maya
(Project Officer), Mr. Kilai Rivera (Media Production Supervisor/
Director), Ms. Mariflor Irish Ibay (Scriptwriter), Mr. Eulogio
Sardaña (Illustrator), Mr. Clodualdo Beo (Animator/Multimedia
Programmer), Mr. Irineo Hernandez III (Animator/Multimedia
Designer), and Mr. Enrico Bicol (Music Scoring), while voice
talents were composed of Tomasian Cable Television volunteers.
• January 2015
NEWS
T
Blackboard Asia elated by UST’s win
in Catalyst Awards
he Blackboard Asia-Pacific Region celebrated and recognized the
achievement of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for being the
first-ever Asian University to win in the Blackboard Catalyst Awards.
The University is the sole university in Asia included in the roster
of educational institutions in the said awards. Along with nine other
international institutions, UST won the Staff Development Awards for
its entry “Rapid eLearning Course Site Development Training,” which
“empowered the entire faculty staff of the University of Santo Tomas to
integrate educational technology in their teaching and learning through
the development of course sites that supported diverse learners needs and
address more diverse learning needs, enabled a wider range of teaching
styles and augmenting teachers’ instructional style, and allowed students
“shine” in the virtual classroom.”
Educational Technology Center (ETC) Director Asst. Prof. Anna
Cherylle M. Ramos and ETC Innovative Learning and Technology Section
Head represented UST in the awarding ceremony held during the Blackboard
Teaching and Learning Asia 2014 Conference on October 10, 2014 at Ngee
Ann Polytechnic, Singapore.
Also during the forum, Ramos gave a presentation on Overcoming
Challenges with Faculty Adoption, which discussed the University’s
successful implementation of BB Learn and Mobile. She also discussed
UST’s winning entry in the Blackboard Catalyst Awards.
From left: Asst. Prof. Ramos, Blackboard International Managing Director
Matthew Small and Arne Barcelo
UST FMS LSTC receives two awards
from American Heart Association
Both awards were accepted
by Dr. Larry King, International
Training Center coordinator of
the UST training center.
Dr. King receives an award from the representative of the
American Heart Association.
T
he UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery Life
Support Training Center (UST FMS LSTC)
received two distinctions at the inaugural
American Heart Association (AHA) Awards, held
in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific International
Training Center Meeting at the University Hospital
Macau on October 23, 2014.
January 2015 •
The highest honor, “Award
of Merit,” was given for the
exemplary program initiated by
the Center to actively develop
Training Sites transitioning to
become Training Centers, and
to facilitate the development
of new International Training
Centers (ITCs) throughout the
country.
The program, started by
UST Medicine alumnus Dr.
Vicente de Lima Jr., has lavished
quality lifesaving training to
healthcare providers all over
the Philippines, allowing them
access to AHA courses and
learning materials.
This Award of Merit was given to
only two out of the 540 ITCs around the
world. This distinction is truly laudable
for a center like the UST FMS LSTC,
which considers helping in the instructor
development of other training centers as
an opportunity. The Center assisted in the
establishment of 10 of the other 15 ITCs
in the country.
The second award received was the
“Recognition Award (Silver)”, which is
given to ITCs that meet the criteria required
to deliver quality training to students
while remaining in good standing with
the AHA and the guidelines outlined in
the international Program Administration
Manual. Among the 540 ITCs around
the world, two centers received platinum,
three gold and 36 silver awards.
23
NEWS
UST named Philippine Model
Career Development Center
The UST Guidance and Counseling Department led by its director, Dr. Bance (front row seated, second from left) with George Mason University and Virginia Commonwealth
University directors Ms. Cruzvergara and Mr. Testani during their series of consultatative meetings.
U
ST was named a “Model Career
Development Center” in the
Philippines following the measures it
undertook to establish a Career Development
Center Office as prescribed by United States
Agency International Development Science,
Technology, Research, and Innovation for
Development (USAID STRIDE).
“[The center] can utilize the expertise
of our guidance counselors as human
resource since they are licensed to do career
development programs, placement, and
other interventions based on the stipulated
requirements,” Guidance and Counseling
Director Prof. Lucila O. Bance, Ph.D.
Bance added, “its office has established
linkages with industry partners like TESDA,
Department of Labor [and Employment],
Professional
Regulation
Commission,
and Career Guidance Advocates together
with RESUMÉ LINK with whom we
have formalized partnership through a
Memorandum of Agreement for possible
employment of our graduates with tracer
results. We, likewise, have our website ready
to be linked to the UST website in the next few
days. All these can help us in the successful
implementation of our Career Development
Center.”
UST, through the initiative of the
Guidance and Counseling Department, was
selected to receive technical assistance from
24
USAID STRIDE to develop a model career
center in campus.
The first phase of the program started
when US-based career center directors
came to the University and provided a
weeklong on-campus intensive training to
some administrative and academic officials,
guidance counselors, practicum coordinators,
student council officer, and alumni.
During their visit, Ms. Christine
Cruzvergara and Mr. Joseph Testani,
consultants and career directors from
George Mason University and Virginia
Commonwealth University, respectively,
conducted a series of consultative meetings
with the Guidance and Counseling
Department; Vice Rector for Academic
Affairs Prof. Clarita D. Carillo, Ph.D.; Asst.
Prof. Fides Ma. Lourdes F. Carlos, Director of
the Office for Alumni Relations; Assistant to
the Rector for Student Affairs Prof. Evelyn A.
Songco, Ph.D.; and Office for Public Affairs
Director Assoc. Prof. Giovanna V. Fontanilla.
The meetings aimed to identify UST’s
current practices in facilitating career
development of students. Information
gathered were integrated in a recommendation
for the creation of a career center in the
University, which will strengthen the services
provided by the University to students.
from the government, industry, and academe
like officials from De La Salle University, Far
Eastern University, Colegio de San Juan de
Letran, Miriam College, and University of
the Philippines, ensued.
The workshop focused on forming
effective industry engagement strategies
that would help the University improve
employment outcomes for its students and
alumni, effective approaches to building
robust, long-lasting partnerships between
academe and industry, and proposed timelines
for implementation of the program.
USAID STRIDE selected UST based
on strategic factors that include regional
considerations, current career center
infrastructure, and the level of investment
and commitment the university is willing
to provide in further developing its career
center.
USAID STRIDE is a five-year P1.3billion initiative by the USAID that spurs
inclusive economic growth by boosting
science and technology research. It works
closely with Philippine academic institutions
like UST to transform capacities in producing
research and graduates of high value to the
industry. It is the flagship program of the
USAID Partnership for Growth that promotes
inclusive economic growth.
A workshop, attended by representatives
• January 2015
NEWS
UST Publishing House wins
three ‘Gintong Aklat’ awards
T
he UST Publishing House (USTPH)
garnered the most number of awards in
the recently concluded Gintong Aklat
awards, one of which is the book by respected
historian Fr. Fidel Villarroel, O.P. A History
of the University of Santo Tomas (Volumes I
and II) for the Social Sciences category.
UST Publishing
House director
Wigley (second from
left) receives one of
the three Gintong
Aklat trophies. With
him are (from left)
Ani Rosa Almario,
2014 Gintong Aklat
Awards Chair; Lirio
P. Sandoval, BDAP
President; and Flor
Marie Sta. RomanaCruz, NBDB Chair.
The awards are handed out biennially
by the Book Development Association of
the Philippines (BDAP), in cooperation
with the National Book Development Board
(NBDB). According to Ruel S. De Vera of
the Philippine Daily Inquirer, “nine winning
books were selected based on ‘quality of
production, book design and content’ from a
field of 345 entries in ten categories.”
The winning titles were: Social Science:
A History of the University of Santo Tomas:
Four Centuries of Higher Education in
the Philippines (1611-2011) by Fr. Fidel
Villarroel, O.P.; Literature in Filipino:
Canticos: Apat na Boses by Kristian Sendon
Cordero (it tied with Ang Makina ni Mang
Turing by Ramon Guillermo, University of
the Philippines Press); Literature in English:
The Saint of Streets by Luisa B. Igloria (it tied
with Trafficking in Nostalgia: Essays from
Memory by Exie Abola, Ateneo de Manila
University Press).
Mall of Asia Complex, which followed the
opening of the 35th Manila International
Book Fair. Assoc. Prof. John Jack G. Wigley,
Ph.D., USTPH director, received the trophies
on behalf of the publisher.
The awarding ceremonies were held
on Sept. 17 at the SMX Convention Center,
Lipardo wins research award in Hong Kong
A
ssoc. Prof. Donald S. Lipardo,
MSPT won the Young Scientist
Award at the 9th Pan Pacific
Conference on Rehabilitation and the
21st Annual Congress of Gerontology
held from November 29 to 30 at the
Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Wih the theme “Rewinding the
Aging Clock,” the conference attracted
more than 300 delegates from the
Asia Pacific Region and fostered
collaborations among rehabilitations
specialists,
physical
therapists,
occupational therapists, medical doctors,
social workers, nurses, healthcare
agencies, and administrators in the field
of geriatrics to promote healthy and
energetic aging.
Lipardo presented four research papers
that include Physical Activity and History
of Falls Among Community Dwelling Older
Adults in Manila: A Mixed Psychometric
and Correlational Study, which earned him
a silver award for oral research presentation.
Led by College of Rehabilitation
Sciences Dean Cheryl R. Peralta, MHPEd,
UST sent more than 50 participants composed
of faculty members, students, and alumni
from the Physical Therapy and Occupational
Therapy departments.
UST is a supporting organization for the
9th PPCR with Dean Peralta serving as one of
its organizing committee overseas members.
Lipardo
January 2015 •
25
NEWS
Entrepreneurship prof attends
summer school in Paris
De Guzman presents a discourse on the “Reasons for
Incorporating Economy of Communion in Business
Ethics Class and EoC’s Space in Our University” in a
forum.
Mr. de Guzman (left wearing a black jacket) together with the participants from Sophia University
Institute.
E
ntrepreneurship Department faculty
member Mr. Jomar de Guzman
attended a weeklong summer school
on “Economy of Communion: A New
Economy for a Fairer World” at Citadel of
Arny Bruyères-le-Chatel France held in
Paris.
De Guzman, who is also the community
development coordinator of the College of
Commerce and Business Administration,
was granted the summer school scholarship
through Sophia University Institute
(Florence, Italy), an institute promoted by
Focolare Movement.
The 2014 summer school, hosted by
Economy of Communion (EoC) Paris, was
attended by forty young people from Europe,
Africa, Asia, and America, high-caliber
professors, and successful entrepreneurs
across the world.
The EoC is a very popular and influential
social organization that was founded in
Brazil in 1991, which attracts business
agents,
entrepreneurs,
administrators,
clients, professionals, citizens, scholars,
economists, young and adults, with utmost
dedication, at various levels, in promoting a
practice and an economic culture imprinted
on communion, gratuity, and reciprocity.
26
It advocates alternative lifestyle that is,
camaraderie among people, that despite
one’s pursuit of business and economics,
man should be at the center of every
consideration.
Luigino Bruni, professor at LUMSA
of Rome and columnist of the Italian
newspaper Avvenire, lectured on the
relationship between happiness and
the human being, while Benedetto Gui,
professor of Economics at Padua in
Italy, had an intriguing discussion on the
economic wealth of the nation and how it
costs human relationships and well-being.
Discussing the role of incentives
in the management of a company was
University of Cagliari economics professor
Vittorio Pelligra. Autonomous University
of Barcelona’s Miguel Angel Garcia
Cestona focused on teaching the young
entrepreneurs in creating a new value
rather than on the enslaving reduction of
costs.
Meanwhile, University of Nantes
professor Anouk Grevin underscored the
value of reciprocity, while Laurent Thiery,
owner of Charpente Thiery Laurent,
stressed that need to establish a familial
relationship with employees.
During a forum, De Guzman presented
a discourse on the Reasons for Incorporating
Economy of Communion in Business Ethics
Class and EoC’s Space in Our University.
Dialogue
Eight faculty members headed by Acting
Dean Asst. Prof. Mary Hildence Baluyot
were invited by the EoC Commission Manila
to take part in the dialogue titled “Happiness
and the Economy of Communion” last
October 25 at Mariapolis Center, Ligaya
Drive in Tagaytay City.
Participating faculty members included Prof.
Helena Ma. F. Cabrera, Assoc. Prof. Mary Caroline
N. Castaño, Assoc. Prof. Nancy C. Bartolome,
Asst. Prof. Emelito F. Sarmago, Ms. Nora Elena
M. Castillo, Mr. Robert U. Lao, and Mr. Jommar
de Guzman.
The dialogue sought to bring together
interested people in the world of the academe,
youth, and business, to further explore the meaning
of happiness–in economy and in the workplace.
Padova Italy’s Dr. Benedetto Gui, one of
the foremost researchers in the field of the EOC
and former department chair in the University of
Padova, Italy, served as lecturer in the event.
• January 2015
NEWS
F
Arts and Letters students exchange ideas
with youth leaders
aculty of Arts and Letters students
Viviene Grace B. Olaguer and Hazel
Maye O. Reyes attended the 5th
University Scholars Leadership Symposium
held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
With the theme Dream it. Plan it. Do
it, the international symposium encouraged
future leaders to interact and exchange ideas
and knowledge with other potential youth
leaders around the globe. It also provided
the delegates an opportunity to learn from
renowned humanitarian motivational speakers
and trainers.
Olaguer and Reyes with
other University Scholars
Leadership Sypmosium
participants
Junior nursing student wins
2nd place in Ramon Magsaysay Essay Competition
Cortez receives the plaque
of recognition during the
awarding ceremony from
Francisco Magsaysay.
M
s. Augustine Beth D. Cortez,
a junior nursing student of the
College of Nursing won second
place in the 2014 Ramon Magsaysay Youth
Essay Competition during the foundation’s
youth festival with the theme “High Five” at
the Ramon Magsaysay Hall, Roxas Boulevard
Manila.
The
Ramon
Magsaysay Award
Foundation (RMAF) launched the 2014
Ramon Magsaysay Youth Essay Competition
with the theme “My Favorite Ramon
Magsaysay Awardee: Servant Leadership
Qualities That Inspire Me”. A ten- year
old tradition, the competition is open to
all Filipinos aged 15-24 years old. As
stated in RMAF website, the essay writing
competition was “part of the foundation’s
efforts to inspire the youth with living Asian
heroes of change, and to encourage them
to demonstrate the same kind of servant
leadership manifested by President Ramon
Magsaysay and the Magsaysay laureates….
This year’s essay writing theme focused on
the personal reflections of the young writer
about a Magsaysay awardee of his/her choice,
and the specific leadership qualities reflected
in the chosen laureate’s life and work which
are most personally inspiring”.
Cortez’s essay, one of the 179 entries,
was titled “Chronic Selflessness” and inspired
by the remarkable life and works of Dr. Fe Del
Mundo, a Ramon Magsaysay awardee from
the Philippines in 1977 for Public Service.
Junior nursing page 28
January 2015 •
27
NEWS
UST Graduate School
features rare zoological species in exhibit
T
he University of Santo Tomas (UST)
Graduate School Invertebrate Systematics
and Evolution mounted a natural history
exhibit, featuring more than 100,000 zoological
species, from November 13 to 21, 2014 at the Main
Building lobby, UST campus. Opening gala was set
on November 12.
The exhibit titled “The Spineless Collections
of Fr. Castro de Elera, O.P.: Reliving the Past,”
showcased Fr. de Elera’s extensive assemblage of
zoological species of various mineral, botany, and
biology collections, most of which have never been
opened to the public since the 1800s.
Fr. de Elera was the second director of the
From August 10 to 20, 2014, the RMAF
Facebook page was open for the public voting
of the RMYEC People’s Choice Award. All
the finalists’ essays were represented by a
photo-quote excerpt and uploaded to the
social media site. The photo-quote with the
most “likes” per category won the People’s
Choice Award as well as an Instax Mini 8.
For Category B, Lord Bien Galarion Lelay, a
Thomasian, won the award with 5,960 likes.
Cortez was recipient of the Dean
Bacala Award for Academic Excellence for
two consecutive years, and was the first prize
winner in the university-wide essay writing
contest sponsored by the UST Department of
English in the celebration of English Week
last year.
28
Held under the mentorship of multi-awarded
Thomasian scientist Prof. Rey Donne S. Papa,
Ph.D., the exhibit was a culminating activity of the
Invertebrate Systematics and Evolution graduating
class organized in cooperation with the UST
Museum, which houses the specimens, and the
College of Science.
Roasa of Medicine
elected chair
of As-Pac Board of AO
Junior nursing page 27
Ms. Carmencita T. Abella, president of
RMAF, and Mr. Francisco Magsaysay were
present at the awarding ceremonies. All the
finalists in both categories were awarded the
certificates of recognition and iPod shuffles.
Winners in Category B were the following
students: Mr. Gian Carlo Infante (Ateneo
de Manila) third place; Ms. Augustine Beth
D. Cortez (UST) second place; and Ms.
Arizza Ann Nocum (UP Diliman) first place.
For each category, the grand prize winner
received a Macbook, the second place winner
received an iPhone 5S, and the third place
winner got an iPad Mini.
then UST Natural History Museum. As he headed
the museum at the close of the 19th century, Fr. de
Elera reclassified the UST Museum’s collection and
started a system of data communication with other
museums in the world. He published voluminous
work on Philippine fauna titled Catalogo Sistematico
de toda la Fauna de Filipinas in 1895, copies of
which can be found in the museum library.
AO is a medically-guided non-profit
organization with a vision of excellence
in the surgical management of trauma and
disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
The Craniomaxillofacial division, one of
AO’s four clinical groups, is composed
of multispecialty surgeons including eye
and ear-nose-throat specialists, neuroand plastic surgeons. It is the foremost
global education provider in the field
of craniomaxilllofacial trauma and
reconstruction.
D
r. Francis V. Roasa, chair
of
the
Department
of
Otorhinolatyngogy, Head and
Neck Surgery at the UST Hospital,
and faculty member of the UST
Faculty Medicine and Surgery, has
been elected chair of the Asia-Pacific
Board of the Abeitsgemeinshaft fur
Osteosynthesefragen Craniomaxillofacial
(AOCMF), a post he will serve for three
years until 2017.
As chair for Asia Pacific, Roasa
has set out as his primary goal the
improvement of craniomaxillofacial care
in the region through quality education
and research. He hopes AO can attain
this objective through more Principles
as well as Advanced courses, faculty
development and fellowship programs
to entice more young residents to go into
CMF surgery, and collaborative research.
He will seek further cooperation among
various specialties.
• January 2015
NEWS
Deakin University students
go on Study Tour at UST Nursing
A
s part of the memorandum of agreement between
the UST College of Nursing and Deakin University
Australia, 24 students of the Australian university
attended a study tour program organized and facilitated by the
College of Nursing. The one week study tour program consisted
of: a visit to the college’s immersion site in a rural community
(Rural Health Center, Apalit, Pampanga); a visit to a public
school (Cecilio Apostol Elementary School, Tayuman, Manila);
active participation in a medical mission in a depressed barangay
in Marilao, Bulacan; on-the-spot health assessment activity;
nutrition and hygiene health education among pre-school and
public elementary students; on-the-spot clinical critiquing of the
existing community/public health nursing program in one of the
city’s health centers in Manila affiliated to the college, and a
guided tour with lecture at the UST Hospital (Private Division
and Clinical Division).
The Deakin students composed of 22 females and 2 males,
are in their 2nd and 3rd year level in the program were: Isabelle
Gerardi, Gabriella McIntosh, Rachel Howard, Erin Lloyd,
Alyce Kymantis, Madeleine McCulloch, Emma Kymantis, Ella
Vernon, Jacinta Velt, Nicole Muir, Jessica Campbell, Claudine
Gallam, Charis Claeys, Diana Nguyen, Jacquelyn Penprase, Tika
Pawar, Nerve Balturk, Kristy MacEvoy, Kara Brooks, Melissa
Rush, Tarni Levick, Teagan Boland, Lachlan Nolan, and Jacob
Reed. They were accompanied by Ms. Barbara Green, Deakin
T
University International coordinator and one academic staff
member, Dr. Leah East.
The study tour program of the Deakin University, being
part of the Parallel Nursing Studies cluster in the curriculum,
provides second or third year students with the opportunity
to learn about the context of nursing from an international
perspective. The program is conducted in the form of a study tour
of a pre-determined country and is designed to provide nursing
students with the opportunity to enhance their understanding of
cross-cultural health and nursing care. Moreover, the program is
designed to link students with policy makers, health care workers,
health consumers and health agencies in the host country.
Part of the schedule of the participants was a guided tour of
UST that included the museum, central library, quadricentennial
pavilion and alumni center; and also of the city of Manila that
included the National Museum, Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral,
and the San Agustin Church and museum.
Present during the welcome and closing ceremonies were:
Dean Susan N. Maravilla, Asst. Dean Ma. Socorro GuanHing,
and College Regent, Rev. Fr. Julius Paul C. Factora, O.P., and
Asst. Prof. Elizabeth D. Cortez, chair of the External Linkages
of the college and official coordinator/guide/facilitator during
the Deakin University Study Tour Program.
Grad School launches ‘The Antoninus Journal’
he UST Graduate School launched
its multi-disciplinary publication The
Antoninus Journal (TAJ) during the 2nd
St. Antoninus Research Paper Presentation
last February 21, 2015 at the Thomas Aquinas
Research Complex Auditorium.
TAJ, which was formerly named Ad
Veritatem, was named after the Graduate
School’s patron saint, St. Antoninus of
Florence.
The first volume of TAJ features seven
articles coming from different disciplines
such as philosophy, business, communication
studies, mathematics, botany, and education.
The articles included in the maiden
issue of TAJ were examined and refereed by
Joyce L. Arriola, Ph.D., Grecebio Jonathan
January 2015 •
D. Alejandro, Dr.rer.nat, Clarence M. Batan,
Ph.D., Paolo A. Bolanos, Ph.D., Allan B.
de Guzman, Ph.D. and Janine Magarita R.
Dizon, Ph.D.
Dr. Alejandro’s research on a newly
discovered endemic plant species of
Philippine Hedyotis L. (Rubiaceae)—named
after Pope Francis—is published in the TAJ.
“The TAJ reflects the changing
environment of discourse: the limits
of positivism on the one hand and the
provisionality of interpretivism on the other,”
TAJ editor Arriola said.
The board and the Graduate School see
TAJ to be a potent venue for publication, an
undertaking that is part of the academic life of
both graduate students and faculty.
29
NEWS
N
19 Artlets go to Japan
for Jenesys Invitational
for Mass Media
ineteen students from the
Faculty of Arts and Letters
participated in this year’s
JENESYS 2.0 Invitation Program for
Mass Media in Japan from December
1 to 9.
Glenn Ang, Nadine Azul,
John Campos, Hanna Caoagdan,
Sarah Casasola, Elizabeth Cortez,
Pauline Cruz, Regine De Ocampo,
Josephine Duenas. Christell Dumali,
Keangelou Esguerra, Bianca Luna,
Ma. Jean Therese Mercado, Angeline
Nullas, Alyssa Ocampo, Nicole
Perez, Karisse Ramoso, Camille
Tapia and Marie Krystel Joy Ybanez
were among the delegates who joined
other Filipino students from other
universities and colleges nationwide.
The JENESYS 2.0 Invitation
Program for Mass Media is a
Japanese
Government-sponsored
learning visit to Japan that aims
T
The delegates had a brief
homestay with a Japanese host
family and immersed themselves
in the traditional and historical
Japanese culture by visiting regional
industries, museums and prefectures.
Among those visited were the
Imperial Palace, Yomiuri Print
Media, Co. Ltd., the Weathernews
Corporation, Advertising Museum
Tokyo, The Japanese Paper Museum,
Shinminato Clean Energy Center,
Gifu
Prefectural
Government,
Chiba Prefectural Government, Gifu
City Museum of History, Nagoya
City Museum, Josai International
University,
Wayo
Women’s
University and Ogaki Women’s
College Design Arts Faculty, and
Aichi University.
T
he UST Center for Health Research
and Movement Science of the College
of Rehabilitation Sciences hosted the
meeting of the heads of the International
Center for Allied Health Evidence of the
University of South Australia (UniSA) and
the California Baptist University (CBU) at
the UST campus from November 12 to 16.
UniSA’s Prof. Karen Grimmer and
CBU’s Dr Larry Linamen and Dr Margaret
Barth proposed collaborations with UST.
The tripartite collaboration between the
universities will focus on health and nutrition,
sports science, and information technology
and included faculty and student capacity
building and cross cultural understanding.
Solar Night Light is Finalist
at 2014 AMY Intellectual Property Awards
he Solar Night Light, an innovation by
Mr. Rikki Q. Macolor, a recent graduate
of the UST Faculty of Engineering
under the Electronics Communication
Engineering program, was adjudged one of
the ten finalists in the Ambassador Alfredo
M. Yao (AMY) Intellectual Property (IP)
Awards submitted through the Innovation
and Technology Support Office (ITSO)
under the Office for Research and Innovation
(ORI). Macolor’s low-cost solar light made
headlines when these lights, assembled by the
students of the Faculty of Engineering, were
distributed to affected families by typhoon
Yolanda in Tacloban. Aside from distributing
these solar-powered night lights, Macolor
also taught the people of these typhoonravaged places how to assemble the night
lights.
For the 2014 AMY IP Awards, 13 entries
from different universities and research
30
to promote cultural understanding
and friendly relations between the
Filipinos and the Japanese people.
CRS collaborates
with two foreign
universities
and development institutions (RDIs) were
initially screened and only ten finalists
were chosen to proceed to the final judging.
Macolor presented his project to the Board of
Judges last September 29, 2014 at the PCCI
Office, McKinley Hill, Taguig City.
In the awarding ceremonies that took
place on October 22, 2014 at the Manila
Hotel during the 40th Philippine Business
Conference and Expo, named winners were
the University of the Philippines-Manila,
first place; Polytechnic University of the
Philippines – Manila, first runner-up, and
Inventor Roman Lugtu, second runner up.
Named finalists were: Adamson University,
UST, UP-Diliman, West Visayas State
University, Technological University of
the Philippines-Taguig, and Bulacan State
University.
(A.M.Y.) Intellectual Property Awards was
launched in 2009, seeking to recognize
Filipino creativity and innovation, by the
Philippine Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (PCCI). This is in furtherance
of its advocacy to promote appreciation
and application of intellectual property
and to support the development and
commercialization of locally-developed
inventions and innovations. The award is
conferred to intellectual creations generated
by students, faculty, researchers or inventors,
working within or in collaboration with the
schools, universities and Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs) that have the most
substantial positive impact on the lives of
people in the community.
The Ambassador Alfredo M. Yao
• January 2015
NEWS
A
Grad School students
granted Japanese scholarships
24-member delegation from the UST
Graduate School flew to Japan for
an academic trip and exchange with
Yokohama National University (YNU) from
October 29, 2014 to November 5, 2014.
Led by UST Graduate School faculty
secretary Dr. Alejandro S. Bernardo and
Assoc. Prof. Tommy Tiu, the activity was the
10th anniversary of the academic exhange
with YNU, the longest between a Philippine
and Japanese university,
The partnership granted to the 24
master’s and doctoral students a Japanese
Student Services Organization and YNU
student scholarships.
The UST delegation was cmposed of:
Fr. Ferdinand Alfante, Joy Belencio, Juneva
Calisin, Catherine Callanga, Michelle
Ann Castillo, Christadene Chua, Morena
Dacumos, Ginavee Dapula, Dr. Daisy
Dulnuan, Azenith Fabian, Joyce Ann Ilagan,
Janecel Jalandoni, Glenn Lotho, Mary Grace
Mendoza, Johan Cristelle Mercado, Maria
Aiza Gazelle Metica, Al Faithrich Navarrete,
Christine Nicolas, Jose Ochave II, Rosalyn
Perkins, Maricel Salva, Jackson Tan, Danika
Dawn Tumblod, and Fr. Ivan Vas.
The delegates engaged in a YNU-UST
Joint Session, and a lecture delivered by Dr.
Daniel Heller, YNU associate professor of
Strategy and Inter-Organizational Relations
on “Management in Japan.” He dealt with
various Japanese management, quality
manufacturing, and human resource styles
and practices.
A lecture by Jackson Tan, a UST
Graduate School Ph.D. in Commerce student,
on the “Comparative Infrastructure Analysis
Between the Philippines and the Far East”
was also conducted.
Tan
tackled
the
comparative
infrastructure development stages and the
reasons behind the leads and lags between
the different countries in the Far East namely
the Philippines, Japan, India, China, and
Thailand.
Assoc. Prof. Tommy Tiu, meanwhile,
delivered talked about “ASEAN Bank
Integration,” focusing on the upcoming
economic and financial integration among
ASEAN nations. He discussed the upcoming
challenges faced by the different financial
institutions in ASEAN due to their different
sizes, competitive strategies, bank products,
capitalization
standards,
operational
processes, credit standards, financial
intermediation costs and spreads, and IT
platform standards.
Marketing Management Department
explores dynamics of trade in three ASEAN nations
S
ixty senior Marketing Management
students from the College of Commerce
and Business Administration participated
in a six-day exposure trip to Thailand, Laos, and
Cambodia from November 21 to 26.
Mr. Robert U. Lao presented his research
An Assessment of Thai Commodities’ Viability
in the Philippine Market, which corroborates
the academic partnership between UST and
UBRU.
The visit was integrated to International
Marketing, a course that aims to expose students
to the various marketing practices of three
neighboring ASEAN nations, to strengthen
linkage between UST and Ubon Ratchathani
Rajabhat University (UBRU) in Thailand, and
to establish partnership with the University of
South East Asia (USEA) in Cambodia. Faculty
members from UST presented their papers.
Students crossed the Thailand-Laos
border to observe the dynamics of border trade.
They were given access to local agricultural
products being sold along the streets of Laos, as
well as imported brands.
In Thailand, the first leg of the trip, students
witnessed different approaches to marketing,
spanning from stores located along the busy
streets of the city, to those located within
structured walls of commercial establishments.
In Cambodia, the delegates
visited USEA. The delegation
was welcomed by Prof. Yim
Chanvisal, Vice President for
International
Collaboration,
Postgraduate Programs and
Research, and Dr. Mean Sothy,
Director
for
International
Relations and Research.
Through a visit to a Buddhist temple,
students were also reminded that cultural
influence is a consideration in determining the
nature of the market existing in a particular area.
Assoc. Prof. Mary Caroline
N. Castaño, Ph.D. presented her
research ASEAN Integration:
Labor Mobility, while Mr. Eric
January 2015 •
Pasquin further substantiated the discussion
with his research Cambodia in the Midst of a
Changing Economic Landscape in South East
Asia that focuses on the implications of the
ASEAN integration on the energy consumption
in the region. The students had a first-hand
experience of the dynamism of the markets
surrounding the Angkor complex.
From left: Asst. Prof.
Robert Lao, Assoc.
Prof. Mary Caroline
Castano, Asst. Prof.
Riaz Benjamin, Asst.
Prof. Maureen Gelle,
Mr. Eric Pasquin
31
NEWS
UST partners with St. Luke’s Medical Center
to conduct certificate course on pharmacotherapy
T
he Center for Continuing Professional
Education
and
Development
(CCPED) of the UST Graduate
School in collaboration with the Faculty of
Pharmacy conducted a certificate course on
Pharmacotherapy for registered pharmacists
of the St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC)
from September 15 to November 22.
The course, which was realized after an
agreement was signed by SLMC, Pharmacy,
and CCPED, was an 80-hour certificate
program that focused on the link of advanced
pharmacological knowledge with the current
treatment guidelines or protocols.
The course mainly aimed to train the
participants by developing competence
and knowledge on the principles of
pharmacotherapy as applied in disease
states, apply the principles and practices
in implementing therapeutic plans in
collaboration with other health care
professionals, and acquire the training and
competency to practice pharmacotherapy.
The course included pharmacotherapeutic applications of drug kinetics in
disease states with emphasis on therapy of the
most common diseases in neuro-psychiatry,
A
MOA signing for the conduct of the SLMC-UST Certificate Course on Pharmacotherapy. Seated from left are:
Ms. Anna Rose M. Cumpas, Associate Director, Pharmacy Services of SLMC, Mr. Ricardo Joaquin V. Sison, VicePresident, Supply Chain Management Group of SLMC, Dean Marilu R. Madrunio of UST Graduate School,
Dean Ma. Elena J. Manansala of UST Faculty of Pharmacy and Engr. Delfin R. Jacob, former Director of UST
GS-CCPED.
cardiovascular,
endocrinology
and
metabolism, immunology, gastroenterology,
oncology, respiratory and infectious diseases
including pain management, clinical
pharmacokinetics and critical care and
pharmacotherapy of special populations
(elderly, children, liver and renal failure).
The certificate program comprises
of nine course modules on principles with
hands-on work experience on pharmacotherapeutic practices. It is competency-based,
incorporating team-based discussions and
classroom instructions with laboratory or
field experience. Classes were conducted
every Saturday for 11 weeks. Activities were
administered by session faculty lecturers and
faculty preceptors facilitating experiential
learning at the practice site.
Participants were the registered
pharmacists of SLMC—15 from SLMCQC and 15 from SLMC-Global. Upon
completion, successful participants were
certified as pharmacotherapy specialists and
were recognized by the pharmacy, medical,
allied health professions, and by society
in general as experts in the area of applied
pharmaco-therapeutics and as integral
members of the health care team.
Sports Science learns
from Thai university
faculty member and two student-interns from the College of
Rehabilitation Sciences Sports Science Department participated in
a 14-day exchange program at Mahidol University in Thailand last
November 10.
Asst. Prof. Josephine Joy B. Reyes, MPE and student-interns Jasper
Bernardez and Daniel Barrera were exposed to a wide-range of fitness,
sports and leisure facilities and had hands-on training in protocols
involving calculations and interpretations of VO2max, hear rate reserves,
breathing frequency, cardiac output, and blood lactate using cardio
pulmonary exercise testing.
Extensive interactive lecture session on sports nutrition, participative
laboratory session on sports biomechanics, and an observation of an ongoing research project on calculating skin temperature in a soldier armor
suit and right fitting of a Wacoal sports bra at the sports physiology
laboratory ended the visit in the Thai university.
32
• January 2015
NEWS
Physical Therapy profs elected
to national associaton
T
hree faculty members of the College of Rehabilitation Sciences
were elected to the Board of Officers and Board of Directors of the
Philippine Physical Therapy Association (PPTA) during its general
assembly held last September 21.
Assoc. Prof. Michael Jorge N. Peralta, MSPT was elected to the Board
of Directors of PPTA; Mr. Kenneth Adivino, MSHMS as public relations
officer; and Ms. Roxanne Fernandez, MSPT as secretary.
The assembly focused on the trending roles of physical therapists
with emphasis on continuing professional development in different fields
of practice.
Elected UST College of Rehabilitation Sciences faculty members with the other
Board of Directors of the PPTA.
Hon. Bernadette M. Reyes, member of the Board of Physical and
Occupational Therapy of the Professional Regulation Commission,
discussed the new procedures in applying continuing professional
development units.
The PPTA is a member of the World Confederation for Physical
Therapy.
L
Divina re-elected president
of Philippine Association of Law Schools
awyer and UST Faculty of Civil Law
Dean Nilo T. Divina was re-elected
president of the Philippine Association
of Law Schools (PALS) during its annual
conference in Hong Kong last December
2014.
During his first term, Divina introduced
several pioneering changes in the association’s
activities and headed reforms aimed at further
improving law school instruction among the
country’s more than one hundred law schools.
The reforms he instituted, among others,
include the first international conference
on legal education and ASEAN integration
held in Hong Kong, a centralized bar exam
aid kit made available to all law schools, a
training program which includes seminars
for law professors held in Luzon, Visayas
and Mindanao, greater and more frequent
engagement with the Supreme Court and other
government agencies whose tasks include
shepherding Philippine legal education, all of
which, Divina says, were intended to make
legal education more socially relevant and
meaningful.
On his second term, Divina intends
to continue with the plans that he had set
for PALS and get started on the new ones.
January 2015 •
His plans are classified into: (1) 2015 Bar
Examinations, (2) Legal Education and
Bar Exams reforms, (3) documentation
and publication, (4) student competitions,
and (5) professional development and
continuing education, (6) national linkages,
(7) internationalization, (8) accreditation, (9)
institution-building.
Specifically, Divina’s proposals include:
(1) conducting regular dialogue with the
chair of the Bar Examinations, (2) forming
a PALS Task Force that will conduct a
comprehensive survey and study on proposed
bar examination and legal education reforms,
(3)publishing the PALS coffee table book
to mark its 47 years, (4) sponsoring the
Philippine Rounds of the Jessup International
Law Moot Court Competition and the PALS
Legal Writing Competition, (5) sponsoring
on a bi-annual basis the Eminent Persons
Lecture Series featuring a visiting foreign
scholar and/or legal luminary, and seeking
the MCLE accreditation for PALS continuing
education initiatives, (6) entering into a
Memorandum of Understanding with the
senate and the house of Representatives, and
exploring the possibility of partnering with
legal organizations, (7) pursuing linkages,
collaborations and opportunities with the
Divina
Association of American Law Schools and
the University of Hong Kong; and embark
on an information campaign on ASEAN
integration, (8) undertaking the accreditation
survey that was initiated in 2013, and
(9) achieving a 100% membership of all
Philippine law schools into PALS, holding
regular meetings and fellowship events, and
updating its corporate and financial
divina re-elected page 35
33
NEWS
F
UST Simbahayan presents programs
to UN Dominican Order representative
r. Michael Deeb, O.P., director of the
Dominicans for Justice and Peace and
official representative of the Dominican
Order to the United Nations (UN) visited
the University of Santo Tomas Simbahayan
Community Development Office (CDO),
during his sojourn to the University.
Shown to Fr. Deeb for three days were
the programs of CDO in a presentation
dubbed as ‘Justice and Peace: A Thomasian
Response’,
Community
Development
Program of the University in the perspective
of various stakeholders – administrators,
faculty, support staff, students, alumni, and
community leaders.
Programs such as ‘Free Hearing Aid’ of
the UST Health Service and UST Faculty of
Medicine and Surgery; ‘Free LET Review’
of the UST College of Education; ‘CReEd/
CREdO (Certificate in Religious Education/
Certificate in Religious Education-Online)’
of the UST Institute of Religion; ‘CYMPLE
(Certificate on Youth Ministry, Pastoral
Leadership, and Empowerment) of the UST
Center for Campus Ministry; UST Guidance
and Counseling Department’s Psychoeducational Program; and UST Simbahayan’s
Aeta Integrative Development Program were
highlighted on the first day.
Community service involving student
organizations such as the Becarios de Santo
Tomas, Network of Electronics Engineering
Students - UST Chapter (NECES), and UST
Theological Society; CD Program of the UST
Faculty of Pharmacy; UST Simbahayan’s
Youth Program; and National Service
Training Program (NSTP) activities were
among those discussed on the second day.
Moreover, members from alumni groups in
Bicol and Marinduque, and alumni priests
from the Diocese of Urdaneta and Cabanatuan
arrived in UST on the second day and
discussed the programs they have partnered
with the University and UST Simbahayan.
Fr. Deeb also had the chance to listen to the
University’s relief and rehabilitation efforts
in response to Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)
aftermath in Eastern Visayas particularly, in
Batan, Aklan.
On the third day, the president of
the Samahang Kamanlalakbay, people’s
organization of most University partner
communities and institutions; and leaders
from other communities and institution
34
Fr. Deeb, O.P., exchanges
opinions with representatives
from UST’s partner
communities together with
UST Vice Chancellor and Prior
Provincial of the Dominican
Order Rev. Fr. Gerard
Francisco P. Timoner, III, O.P.
from Brgy. Ariendo Bongabon, Nueva Ecija;
NTA Rodriguez, Rizal; Ursuline Sister’s
VMSDFI-Fairview, Quezon City; and Aeta
Magantsi community in Bamban, Tarlac were
able to share their experiences, learning, and
reflection with regard to their journey with
the University.
For the duration of his visit to the UST
Simbahayan, Fr. Deeb had the opportunity to
listen to these stories, and was overwhelmed
by what the University has already done
and is continuously doing in partnership
with various groups and communities, as its
response and contribution in the promotion of
justice and peace.
Among the Dominican priests who
attended the presentations were Rev. Fr.
Gerard Francisco P. Timoner, III, O.P., Father
Provincial; Fr. Filemon I dela Cruz, Jr.,
O.P., Vice Rector for Religious Affairs; and
Fr. Roland M. Castro, O.P., director of the
Facilities Management Office.
UST hosts
IBPAP’s GCAT plenary presentation
T
he University of Santo Tomas
(UST), through the Office of
the Vice Rector for Academic
Affairs and in coordination with the
UST Department of English, lodged
the Information Technology–Business
Processing Association of the Philippines’
(IBPAP) plenary presentation of results of
the Global Competitiveness Assessment
Tool (GCAT) at the Bulwagang Rogge,
Benavides Building last September 24.
Under the Department of Science and
Technology Science Education Institute
(SEI) project titled “Developing Science
and Technology Career towards Global
Competitiveness, National Productivity,
and Development,” IBPAP administered
the test to a total of 12,602 students in 18
participating academic institutions in the
Philippines.
Selected students from the UST
College of Education, College of
Commerce and Business Administration,
Faculty of Arts and Letters, Faculty of
Engineering, and the College of Science
took the test, which measured the following
threshold competencies critical to the
outsourcing industries working in both
voice- and non-voice-related job roles:
total cognitive ability, English proficiency,
perceptual speed and accuracy, computer
literacy, and behavior.
Vice Rector for Academic Affairs
Prof. Clarita DL Carillo, Ph.D. opened
the event. Representatives from IBPAP
and Assessment Analytics presented
the project overview and GCAT results,
respectively.
The event, which was attended
by university heads, department heads,
deans, SEI project coordinators, and
representatives from the participating
schools, exchanged ideas on how the
program can further help bridge the gap
between the industry and the academe.
• January 2015
NEWS
First UST symposium
on Philippine biodiversity held
S
eventeen Thomasian biologists shared
their research studies on new species
and new records of plants, animals,
fungi and even microorganisms during
the First UST Symposium on Philippine
Biodiversity held on October 15, 2014 at
the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex
Auditorium. With the theme ‘The Search
for Novel Species’, symposium presenters
were faculty members of the Department of
Biological Sciences of the College of Science.
In the first session, ‘The Microbial
World’, three lectures were delivered by
biology faculty researchers: ‘The Good Virus:
A Menace in the Bacterial World’ by Asst.
Prof. Donna May Papa, M.Sc., ‘The PhilFUB
Project: Documenting Fungal Diversity in
the Philippines’ by Prof. Thomas Edison
dela Cruz, Ph.D. and ‘What is the Status of
Myxomycete Research in the Philippines?’
by Ms. Ma. Angelica D. Rea-Maminta, M.Sc.
The second session focused on flora and
fauna. Mr. Jonathan Carlo Briones provided
the participants an update on fish parasite
S
researches in the Philippines while Asst. Prof.
Rey Donne Papa, Ph.D. introduced the status
of freshwater zooplankton researches in the
country. Prof. Grecebio Jonathan Alejandro,
Ph.D. highlighted his group’s contribution
to Philippine plant biodiversity while Asst.
Prof. Mae Lowe Diesmos underscored her
group’s contribution to Philippine reptiles
and amphibians.
Two sessions were also conducted in the
afternoon. Presenters in these sessions were
Thomasian graduate students and alumni. In
the session, ‘Association between Organisms’,
two alumni of the UST Graduate School
shared their research studies. Mr. Anthony
Buaya, M.Sc., talked about microfungi and
slime molds of Zamboanga Peninsula while
Ms. Paola Bianca Buiser, M.Sc. presented her
researches on in vitro phage cocktail therapy.
Four graduate students also shared their
researches during this session. Ms. Shenly
Marie Gazo talked about the lichen Ramalina.
Mr. Dino Tordesillas drew the audience’s
attention as he discussed his research on
Philippine calonoids while Ms. Jhaydee Ann
UST Hospital, Medicine feature
patients, doctors in art events
eeking to bring out the best in those
with chronic debilitating illness, the
University of Santo Tomas (UST) Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
held “October PEARL” at the UST campus
from October 13 to 18, 2014.
The People Empowerment for Arthritis
and Lupus (PEARL) showcased talents of
rheumatic disease patients, and physicians,
through performances and exhibits. The
event was organized in partnership with the
UST Section of Rheumatology
An art exhibition, which featured exquisite cross-stitch works of Eloisa Aguinaldo
(rheumatoid arthritis), soulful oil-in-canvas
by Monique Estrella (lupus), and intricate
sketches by Edrick Ansarias (psoriatic arthritis), opened the week-long event at the fourth
floor of the Doctors’ Clinic and the second
floor bridgeway of the UST Hospital Clinical
Division in España, Manila.
January 2015 •
A variety show by outstanding talents
from the various faculties and colleges in
UST and a food fair was held on October 15
and 16, while a musicale that featured performances from patients with arthritis, psoriasis,
and lupus, together with their caregivers and
the Rheumatology Section staff, took place
on October 17.
Following the musical show and culminating the third PEARL event was the Search
for the Mr. and Ms. Thomasian Doctor held
for the benefit of the Sts. Cosmas & Damian
Indigency Fund.
Started in 2012, the PEARL represents
the life and triumphs of patients and aims to
lift awareness and renew people’s social and
environmental responsibility.
The event was organized in collaboration with the UST Medicine Student Council.
Pascual shared her researches on water fleas,
and Mr. Arvin Ramon Santos expounded on
bacteriophages.
The last session likewise highlighted
researches by two alumni and two graduate
students. Dr. Paulina Bawingan, a professor
of St. Louis University, touched on lichens
in the Philippines while another botanist, Dr.
Axel Arriola, professor from the University
of the East, pointed out new plant species
in Family Rubiaceae. The two graduate
students, Mr. Russel Evan Venturina and Ms.
Propa Joy Santor, explained their researches
on new endemic plant species.
The symposium brought to light
the enormous contribution of Thomasian
biologists in studying the Philippine
biodiversity. The one-day event was attended
by 79 students, teachers and researchers
from 19 different institutions and universities
and 251 future Thomasian biologists and
microbiologists.
divina re-elected page 33
housekeeping to ensure sustainability and
viability.
The Philippine Association of Law
Schools, having been founded in 1967, is
the pre-eminent Philippine legal education
association. Its members are deans from
the nation’s approximately 100 law
schools. Its mission includes improving
legal education, pushing the frontiers
of legal research and development, and
promoting legal aid and apprenticeship for
the benefit of the poor and marginalized
members of the society. It collaborates
with other leading law associations such
as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the
Philippine Bar Association, the Philippine
Judges Association and the leading law
student associations in various projects.
Divina has served PALS as Vice
President for Metro Manila (2010-2011),
Secretary General (2011-2012), Executive
Vice President (2012-2013) and President
(2013-2014).
35
NEWS
IPEA presents PH korfball federation docs to IKF
F
aculty members from the Institute of Physical Education and
Athletics presented the constitution and by-laws of the newly
formed Philippine Korfball Federation (PKF) to the International
Korfball Federation (IKF)-Asia in an exposure trip in Hong Kong.
IKF President Dr. Jan Fransoo of the Netherlands formally
admitted the PKF as the 61st member of the IKF following the receipt
of IKF-Asia President Dr. Inglish Huang of Taiwan of the documents
from PKF.
Among the officers of the PKF are: IPEA Athletics Moderator Asst.
Prof. Rodrigo I. Sambuang, Jr. (president), Asst. Prof. Felix Michael
C. Silbor (executive secretary), and Sports and Wellness Management
program chair Assoc. Prof. Jerome A. Porto (internal vice president).
In line with PKF’s aim to set up a Philippine National Korfball
team that will compete in international tournaments, the faculty
members attended the 9th IKF Asian-Oceanian Korfball Championship
at the Kowloon Park Sports Center to observe the quality of a korfball
match in an international setting.
From left: Dr. Jan Fransoo, President of the International Korfball Federation with
officers of the Philippine Korfball Federation, Assoc. Prof. Jerome A. Porto, Asst.
Prof. Felix Michael C. Silbor and Asst. Prof. Rodrigo I. Sambuang, Jr.
TESDA certifies UST High School TLE teachers
(Computer Hardware Servicing), Ms. Aileen
Catherine B. Hernandez (Food and Beverage
Services, and Electrical Installation and
Maintenance), Mr. Wilfredo H. Ornedo
(Computer Hardware Servicing, and
Mechatronics Servicing), Mr. Jared Christian
Z. Ramos (Computer Hardware Servicing),
Ms. Ma. Cristina P. Tungpalan (Visual
Graphics Design, and Housekeeping), and
Mr. Dominador B. Ulaye (Food and Beverage
Services). Their certification is valid from
2014 to 2019.
From left: Mr. Wilfredo Ornedo, Mr. Joel Guevarra, Mrs. Aileen Catherine Hernandez, UST High School Principal
Assoc. Prof. Marishirl Tropicales, Ms. Ma. Cristina Tungpalan, Mr. Charles Isaac Deita, Mr. Jared Christian Ramos,
Mr. Dominador Ulaye
T
he UST High School, now on its
third year of implementation of the
K to 12 Program this A.Y. 20142015, is keen on ensuring that its Technology
and Livelihood Education (TLE) teachers are
qualified to handle technology and livelihood
education courses that are being offered as
exploratory courses in Grades 7 and 8 and
specialized courses in Grades 9 and 10.
36
All of its TLE teachers have now
passed the National Certification II level
in their respective fields of specialization
administered by the Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
The following TLE teachers have recently
received their corresponding certificates: Mr.
Charles Isaac N. Deita (Computer Hardware
Servicing), Mr. Joel Bryan A. Guevarra
Currently, Grade 9 TLE courses include
animation and application development using
flash scripting and mechanical and technical
drawing drafting while software development
with robotics using C++ and systems analysis
and design using visual basic are taught in
fourth year level. These courses are offered
to meet the expected outcomes among Junior
High School students to “possess foundational
knowledge across a range of learning areas
with core competencies in communication;
scientific, critical and creative thinking; and the
use of technologies.”
When the high school students finish grade
10 by A.Y. 2015-2016 may take the national
certification (NC II) for computer hardware
servicing and food and beverage services.
• January 2015
NEWS
Lugay of Eng’g makes it to ASEAN Engineers Register
A
sst. Prof. Carlos Ignacio P. Lugay,
PIE, of the Faculty of Engineering,
has recently joined the ranks of UST
engineers who have been conferred the title
ASEAN Engineer, making him the seventh
to receive the award. He was awarded the
ASEAN Engineers Register (AER-ID 0569)
and conferred the title during the 32nd
Conference of the ASEAN Federation of
Engineering Organization (CAFEO) held in
Yangon, Myanmar from November 10 to 13,
2014.
Lugay is a full-time faculty member
of the Industrial Engineering department,
and former Engineering Faculty Secretary.
He is currently the Quality Management
representative of the Faculty. He is currently
enrolled at the UST Graduate School under
the Ph.D. program in Commerce.
Aside from Lugay, also conferred the
title ASEAN Engineer were: Engr. Nestor R.
Ong (2012), Engr. Juanito S. Chan (2013),
Asst. Prof. Dolores SD Cleofas, Ph.D.
(2013), Prof. Nancy L. Eleria, Ph.D. (2013),
Prof. Marilyn C. Mabini, Ph.D. (2013), and
Assoc. Prof. Joehanna K. Ngo (2013).
The ASEAN Engineer recognition is
given to those who have achieved operational
excellence in the field of engineering. It
involves a comprehensive evaluation of
their professional practice, educational
profile, research engagements and industry
experience. The approval of nomination
is communicated through the Philippine
Technological Council, the umbrella
council of the 13 professional engineering
organizations in the country, each representing
a specific engineering field of practice.
The AER Membership provides
complete data of practicing engineers
within ASEAN with the ultimate purpose of
facilitating their mobility within the ASEAN
ambit and to establish a framework of mutual
recognition of qualifications in order to allow
engineers who wish to practice outside their
home country to carry with them a guarantee
of ability.
Lugay
RESEARCH
Aguas delivers keynote lecture
in Romanian philosophy conference
P
rof. Jove Jim S. Aguas of the AMVCollege of Accountancy delivered a
keynote lecture at the International
Conference on Values and Identity in the
World of Today at the Alexandru Ioan Cuza
University in Iasi, Romania.
Aguas
In his keynote lecture titled “Emerging
Realities and their Impact of Cultural Values
and Identity: Preserving Cultural Values
and Identity,” Aguas discussed the impact
of emerging geopolitical realities like
globalization and integration of regional
organizations to the cultural values, identity,
and diversity of peoples and cultures. He
also proposed certain political and ethical
initiatives on how to preserve cultural values
and identity.
The International Conference gathered
January 2015 •
more than 50 scholars from across the world
to present papers on values and identity. It
was sponsored by the Council for Research
in Values and Philosophy of the Catholic
University of America in Washington, DC,
the Romanian Academy-Iasi Branch, and the
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University.
Aguas’ participation in the conference
was made possible through the travel
grant extended by the Office for Grants
Endowments and Partnership in Higher
Education headed by Fr. Rolando V. de la
Rosa, O.P.
In 2013, Aguas delivered a session paper
on philosophy and teaching and in the World
Congress on Philosophy in Athens, Greece.
He also attended an international confab in
Ioannina, Greece.
37
RESEARCH
Tongol presents paper
on nanotechnology in Thailand
(First row, extreme right) Dr.
Tongol with the participants of
Nano Thailand 2014.
“N
anotechnology
for
better
living” was theme of the Nano
Thailand 2014 where Bernard
John V. Tongol, Ph. D. a resident researcher
of the Research Center for the Natural and
Applied Sciences (RCNAS) and a faculty
member of the College of Science, presented
a paper at a conference on nanotechnology
held from November 25 to 28, 2014 at the
Thailand Science Park Convention Center,
Pathumthani, Thailand.
Nano Thailand 2014 was organized by
the Nanotechnology Association of Thailand,
Mahidol University, National Nanotechnology
M
As part of the Department of Science
and Technology (DOST) delegation to
Nano Thailand 2014 and learning through
Thailand’s nanotechnology experience,
Tongol stated that the “mission is to fasttrack the development of nanotechnology
in the Philippines and accelerate technology
transfer”. The three-day conference and
laboratory tours gave the delegates a
glimpse of the global initiative and status
of nanotechnology, particularly in the US,
and what Thailand has become in the areas
(of nanotechnology) from basic to applied
nanotechnology research to technology
transfer.
TONGOL PRESENTS page 39
Arroco, Olayres present papers
at Brunei Darussalam conference
s. Sundee Pearl Arroco and Assoc.
Prof. Maria Corazon Olayres, both
clinical instructors at the UST
College of Nursing presented papers during
the 10th International Nursing and Midwifery
Conference at the Universiti Brunei
Darussalam Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Darussalam held at the Pengiran Anak Puteri
Rashidah Sa’ adatul Bolkiah (PAPRSB)
Institute of Health Sciences Auditorium.
Arroco’s paper was titled “The
Beginning of the End: Understanding
Retirement Through the Lens of the Nurse
Educator Retirees”, while Olayres’ research
38
Center (NANOTEC), National Science and
Technology Development Agency (NSTDA).
It covered 12 nanotechnology topics, namely:
Manufacturing and Industrial, Nanomaterials,
Nanobiology,
Nanoinstrument,
Nanomedicine and Drug Delivery, Nanotechnology
in Human Health, Nano-electronics and
Nanosystems, Nanosensor, Nanoapproach for
Green Technology, Theory and Simulation
Related Nanosystems, Nanocharacterization
and Imaging, Nanotechnology for Energy and
Environment.
was “The Effect of Chili Pepper on the Blood
Pressure and Serum Cholesterol Level of the
Hypertensive Adults”.
With the theme “Advancing Education
and Practice to Global Health Challenges”,
the conference aimed to disseminate
new development in education, practice,
management and research to global health
challenges in nursing and midwifery
profession, and to expose the participants
on new emerging education paradigm and
evidence-based practices in nursing and
midwifery.
Arroco supervises junior and
senior nursing students in MedicalSurgical, Neurology, Psychiatric and
Stroke units at the UST Hospital and
handles Nursing Care Management,
Health
Education,
and
Health
Assessment Laboratory courses, while
Olayres teaches Communicable and
Infectious Diseases and Pharmacology
courses and supervises junior and
senior nursing students at San Lazaro
Hospital. Currently, she is the president
of the UST Nursing Alumni Association
Incorporated (USTNAAI).
• January 2015
RESEARCH
TONGOL PRESENTS page 38
The plenary lecture of Prof.
Mihail C. Roco, senior adviser for
Nanotechnology at the National
Science Foundation (NSF), presented
the
National
Nanotechnology
Initiative (NNI) priorities that go back
as early as 2011; (a) Nanoelectronics
for 2020 and Beyond; (b) Sustainable
Manufacturing; (c) Nanotechnology
for Solar Energy; (d) Nanotechnology
Knowledge Infrastructure; and (e)
Nanosensors. In a relatively short
period of time, nanotechnology has
made a significant economic impact
in numerous sectors including
semiconductor
manufacturing,
catalysts, medicine, agriculture, and
energy production reaching US$1
Trillion world market of nanoenabled products in 2013 with annual
increases of about 40% in the last
three years. He further emphasized
that NSF in the US currently
supports about 5,000 active awards
and 10,000 students annually on
fundamental research with increased
focus on nanoscale science and
engineering integration. The global
nanotechnology labor and markets
are estimated to double each in three
years, reaching about US$4 Trillion
market encompassing eight million
jobs by 2020.
Tongol is confident that
the Philippines can catch up
with
nanotechnology
research
especially now that the Philippine’s
Nanotechnology Roadmap is in place
and that DOST can provide adequate
funding in this research field provided
there is a sound project proposal that
will yield tangible output beneficial
for the community. The two-year UST
Fuel Cell project currently funded by
DOST that has a project cost of P15
million “is a challenge for our group
to initiate and lead nanotechnology
research for clean energy (fuel cell)
application in the country,” Tongol
stated.
January 2015 •
C
Chua presents paper
on Filipino elderly education
in Hong Kong
ollege of Nursing faculty secretary,
Assoc. Prof. Rowena L. Escolar Chua,
Ph.D., presented her research paper
titled, “Cogito Ergo Sum: A Grounded Theory
of the Filipino Elderly Transition Experiences
in Third Age Education Program” during
the 25th International Nursing Research
Congress held on July 25, 2014 at the Hong
Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The 25th International Nursing
Research Congress which presented 120
research works was organized by the Sigma
Theta Tau International Honor Society of
Nursing. Paper presenters came from the
USA, Portugal, Australia, China, Israel,
Japan, Canada, Philippines, Hong Kong,
among others.
Chua’s research paper discussed the
processes through which a select group of
Filipino elderly experienced communitybased third age learning programs. Her study
revealed four distinct and yet interrelated
stages of Holding Back, Opening Up,
Moving Forward and Empowering embedded
in the model H.O.M.E: A Pulley Model of
Elderly Participation in Third Age Education
Program. She stated that the emerged model
is a valuable compass for gerontologists
as they provide meaningful and geriatricfriendly programs, projects and activities
that address the growing needs of the elderly
but also facilitate their smooth entry to
and completion of their third age learning
participation.
Chua who is the current college secretary
of the College of Nursing teaches MedicalSurgical course and Nursing Bioethics
in the college. In addition, she chairs the
Bioethics Committee in the college which
is responsible for reviewing, evaluating and
approving research projects dealing with
critical, sensitive and ethico-moral issues.
Pharma faculty, students present
paper at FAPA Congress
in Malaysia
M
r. Jay P. Jazul , a faculty member
from the Faculty of Pharmacy, and
seven students from the Clinical
Pharmacy class,
presented their scientific
studies during the 25th Federation of Asian
Pharmaceutical Association (FAPA) Congress
at the Sutera Harbour in Kota Kinabalu,
Sabah, Malaysia from October 9 to 12, 2014.
Jazul presented the paper, ‘SelfMedication Practice Among Allied and NonAllied Health Students of the University of
Santo Tomas’, which he wrote in collaboration
with Asst. Prof. Xandro Alexi A. Nieto, M.Ed.
The congress, organized by the
Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society and
Pharmaceutical Services Division of the
Ministry of Health, Malaysia, carried the
theme ‘Expanding the Pharmacists’ Roles in
Wellness and Sustainable Health’.
The seven students from the Clinical
Pharmacy class and their corresponding
research topics were:
‘Pharmacists
Counseling Advantages on Medication
Adherence and Non-Pharmacologic
Interventions‘ by Lavinia Raymundo;
‘Applicability of a Pharmacy-Developed
Diary in Patient-Reported Monitoring
of
Compliance
to
Therapeutic
Interventions’ by Patricia Marie Sigua;
and ‘The Development of a Pharmacy
Management Hypertension Program and
Opportunities for Pharmaceutical Care’
by Alexa Michelin Ong. Also in the
group were students who observed the
proceedings: Paul Benjomin Agregado,
Luis Emmanuel Briones, Alyssa Eireen
Arcega, and Zigmund Bryan Corteza.
Asst. Prof. Carol Geraldine Pablo was
coach for the paper presentation.
39
Pope Francis enters the Arch of the Centuries.
The Pope mobile enters the campus amidst the jubilant crowd.
POPE FRANCIS AWAKENS page 5
name and the position “Administrator.”
As a Pontifical University, UST is directly
under the supervision of the Pope. In the words
of St. John Paul II during the World Youth Day
activity in 1995 at the University, “UST… has a
special right to the Pope’s attention…”
Realizing that Glyzelle could no longer
continue with her message, Pope Francis
stood from his chair, walked towards her, and
embraced her for comfort, leaving the crowd
moved and in tears.
For the Pope, Glyzelle has posed a
question to which “there is no answer.”
Pope Francis had the chance to listen to
the youth’s supplications and testimonials,
mostly questioning harsh realities that the
young undergoes today.
As if also feeling for the grief of the child,
the rain began to pour from the gray sky, adding
damp to the already weary disposition of the
attendees.
Two rescued street children Glyzelle
Palomar and Jun Chura, though now embraced
by homes for orphans, expressed the pains and
sufferings that they experienced at such an early
age.
Unmoved by the unfriendly weather, the
crowd intently listened to the second testimony,
which came from Leandro Santos II, a law
student and former president of the UST Central
Student Council.
“Why is God allowing something like this
to happen, even to innocent children? And why
are there so few who are helping us?” Glyzelle
said.
Talking about the profusion of information
in today’s society, Leandro raised the risks of
technology on the character and development
of the youth.
As the little girl’s voice cracked, hands
trembled, and eyes shed overflowing tears, the
thousands of listeners were jerked into silence.
Nothing can be heard but the sobbing child and
the flutter of greens surrounding the venue.
As a response, Pope Francis challenged
the youth to “learn how to love” and “not just
accumulate information without knowing
what to do with it” and that “through love, let
information bear fruit.”
OPE F
The Pope signs the official University guest book at the historical A
P
ENCOUNTER WI
BRIEF MEETING WITH
JANUARY 18, 2015 • UNIVE
40
• January 2015
Representatives of different religious groups welcome Pope Francis.
The Pope during the liturgical rites
The Supreme Pontiff, meanwhile, thanked
Rikki Macolor, a graduate of Engineering from
UST, whose Solar Night Light helped provide
light to Yolanda-stricken Visayas region, and
asked, “…you and your friends help others but
do you allow yourselves to receive?”
“You know how to give and have you
ever learned how to receive. You still lack one
thing. Become a beggar,” the Pope said. “This
isn’t easy to understand. To learn how to beg. To
learn how to receive with humility. To learn to
be evangelized by the poor, by those we help.”
Shaken by the emotions and pleas of
the Filipino youth, Pope Francis put aside
his prepared speech and preferred to speak
personally from the heart.
Arch of the Centuries.
FRANCIS
ITH THE YOUTH
RELIGIOUS LEADERS
Despite a language barrier—as the Holy
Father spoke in Spanish, his native tongue—
Pope Francis, with an interpreter from a member
of the papal entourage, was able to convey his
message to all.
With passion, Pope Francis ultimately
asked the people to use the three languages of
the heart, mind, and hand—to feel, to think, and
to do.
“What you think, you must feel and put
into effect. Your information comes down
to your heart and you put it into practice.
Harmoniously,” the Pope said.
Following the more than an hour-long talk
of the Holy Father was a celebration through
songs. Children singing for and holding hands
with the Pope on stage, swinging to the tune
of the visit’s official song “We are all God’s
Children.”
World Youth Day 1995 theme song “Tell
the World of His Love” concluded the event at
UST and served as Pope Francis’ recessional
song as he left the Grandstand.
People were cheering, capturing images
for the last time as Pope Francis rode the white
mobile. Spirited, the Pope untiringly waved left
and right to his flock, as if spreading words of
inspiration even without uttering a single word.
As he exited the gates of UST, one thing’s
for sure: An indelible mark was stamped on
each of the people’s heart—a mark that’s
enlivened by the Pope’s words, fortified by the
people’s faith.
ERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS
January 2015 •
41
RESEARCH
Mirasol presents study on reading comprehension
in Malaysia
R
osalyn G. Mirasol, Ph.D., an English
faculty member at the College of
Tourism and Hospitality Management,
presented a paper on The Relative Effect of
Glossing Instruction on First Year College
Students’ Reading Comprehension at the
International Conference on Language,
Literature, and Culture 2014 held from
November 26 to 28 at the Royal Bintang
Penang, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia.
The study aimed at investigating the
relative effect of glossing instruction to the
reading comprehension of college freshmen,
considering the importance of explicit
instruction of specific cognitive strategy in
promoting a reader’s active participation in
the reading process.
Using quasi-experimental research
design, one group of participants was
subjected to glossing instruction while
another group was taught using regular
instruction.
group’s reading comprehension, specifically,
in the reading comprehension test. It was
found out, however, that there is no significant
difference between the post-mean scores of
the control and experimental groups.
It can be noted that the mean gain scores
of the experimental group is higher than the
mean gain score of the control group. This
implies that glossing instruction yielded
higher gain score than the usual instructions
in terms of writing summary outputs.
Moreover, the qualitative analysis of
the students revealed that students who have
higher scores in the summary output made
used of all the categories of glossing. It could
be inferred from the analysis that glossing
instruction taught students to monitor and
self-regulate their learning with the text.
Aside from presenting her paper,
Mirasol also served as chair of a parallel
session.
Mirasol
Results revealed that glossing instruction
was effective in improving the experimental
CTHM’s Liba discusses study on Halal Restaurants
at Thailand conference
M
r. Ryan T. Liba, a faculty
member of the College of
Tourism and Hospitality
Management, presented his study on
Halal Restaurants in Metro Manila
at the Conference on Tourism and
Business held from January 12
to 14 at Salaya Pavilion Hotel,
Mahidol University-International
College (MUIC) Salaya Campus in
Bangkok, Thailand.
Liba
42
Liba gave an oral presentation
on the Issues, Challenges and
Prospects of Halal Restaurants in
Metro Manila in the conference,
which had for its theme “Sustainable
and Creative Business Models.”
The conference, which was
hosted by MUIC and Lucerne
University of Applied Sciences
and Arts in Switzerland, was an
international forum that gathered
scholars and practitioners from the
academe and business organizations.
• January 2015
RESEARCH
Med tech faculty presents scientific studies
at Biomed Lab Science congress in Taiwan
F
our research posters on
scientific
studies
were
presented by Asst. Prof.
Ron Christian G. Sison, MPH
of the Department of Medical
Technology – Faculty of Pharmacy
during the 31st World Congress of
Biomedical Laboratory Science held
from October 3 to 7, 2014 at the Taipei
International Convention Center in Taipei,
Taiwan. It was organized by the International
Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Science.
The following research topics were
presented by Sison who served as research
adviser of the 2014 batch of Medical Technology
students: (1) ‘A hematologic differentiation
between dengue fever and chikumgunya fever:
An evaluation’ authored by John Laurence
A. Bautista, Jose Mari P. Ferrer, John Patrick
T. Lizarondo, Don Gilson L. Maderazo, John
A
Med tech faculty, students present papers
in Thailand, Taiwan
sst. Prof. Gregorio L. Martin I,
MPH, of the Department of Medical
Technology - Faculty of Pharmacy,
together with medical technology students,
presented posters and research papers at two
conferences: one in Thailand and another in
Taiwan.
At the 1st International Allied Health
Sciences Conference held at the Rama
Gardens Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand
from November 4 to 6, 2014, the students
presented the study on the ‘Determination
of bacteriocin production of Lactobacillus
species isolated from pig intestine’. The
authors were Hanna Clementine Q. Tan,
Erica Paige T. Que, Federico A. Peralta IV,
Julio Bartolome M. Torres, Shelley Lauren S.
Cham, Angelo Rafael O. Mendoza, and Paolo
Gabriel F. Calapatia.
The conference, with the theme
‘Medical Innovation for Health’, was held
on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of
Thammasat University.
Moreover, three other papers were
January 2015 •
Nicholas M. Pantoja, and Ma. Patricia P. Parado;
(2) ‘The nephrotoxic effects of mercury among
coal powerplant workers in Sual, Pangasinan,
Philippines’ researched by Christian Noel D.
Fernandez, Romuald Josef D. Garcia, Simon
Ibert G. Gasapo, Kester Immer S. Guballa,
Allen Stephen B. Loreto, and Maria Jhogielyn
A. Villalobos; (3)‘Specificity evaluation of disc
diffusion test on screening extended spectrum
beta-lactamase organisms in human urine’
researched by Franz Harvin M. Aceituna, Ralf
Fiona S. Avila, Abbyline A. Bartolome, Edrick
Kester T. Co, Rhea Mii A. Cruzado, and Lance
Benedict E. Mendiola; and (4) ‘A correlation
on microalbuminuria occurrence as potential
indicator of early renal dysfunction among
arthritis patients’ authored by Ana Abigaelle
A. Arenas, Charlene Joyce A. Beato, Allen
Kristel V. Dalmacion, Darlene Abigail M. Hu,
Alexandre Nikolai R. Indanan, Patricia Anne
DR. Prestoza, and Nympha Elisa M. Sia.
presented: (1) ‘The use of the peels of three
banana cultivars for the preparation of a
bacterial column filter and a heavy metal
adsorbent’ by authors Rey Mark Agron, Lei
Ann Joy Bautista, December Blanche Benitez,
Ronacyn De Guzman, Araceli Mamaradlo,
and Arielle Thomas Reyes; (2) ‘Antimicrobial
activities of marine macro algae Sargassum
spp. and Codium cylindricum Holmes’
by authors Niño Andree Caguimbal,
Holly Grace Orlina, Mary Christine Cada,
Gregorio L. Martin I (oral presentor), and
Delia Ongtengco; (3) ‘Protein profiling of
Ascaris lumbricoides eggs: An opportunity
for diagnostic kit development (initial
phase)’ with authors Marielle S. Bombase,
Lovely Treasure G. Canlas, Roxanne Diana
V. Figuerroa, Christine D. Santos, Patricia
Monique L. Torres, and Stephanie C. Ventura.
This particular study was headed by Martin in
collaboration with Mr. Leonardo Guevarra of
the Department of Biochemistry.
In another event, Martin likewise
headed the poster and oral presentation of
the Med Tech group during the 31st World
Congress of Biomedical Laboratory Science
at the Taipei International Convention Center
in Taipei, Taiwan from October 3 to 7, 2014.
The conference theme was ‘Laboratory
Medicine in Successful Aging’.
During the conference, a poster on ‘The
effects of various distances of light source to
serum samples on bilirubin levels at different
time intervals’ was presented by medical
technology students Anne Stephanie Buan,
Angelie Therese Chua, Diana Marie Escaño,
Alfred Luigi Ramos, Maria Ann Mae Recio,
and Jeewinniza Vergara.
Meanwhile, an oral presentation on
the ‘Molecular differentiation of multiple
larval stages isolated in Lymnaea sp. found
in Barangay Cawongan, Padre Garcia,
Batangas” was made by medical technology
students Aliza S. Concepcion, Jared
Alphonse S. Cordero, Therese Danielle A.
Cordero Sy, Carlson G. David, Angel Lynn
C. Manalansang, and Janel Aira C. Mendoza
who conducted their research in collaboration
with Ms. Gladys Bathan of the Department of
Biochemistry.
43
RESEARCH
F
PolSci seniors discuss
local conflict management conference in Thailand
ive senior Political Science students present their
research paper, which tackles conflict management of
barangay dispute resolution in the Philippines, during
the 8th Asian Political and International Studies Association
Congress held from September 19 to 20, 2014 in Chiang Mai,
Thailand.
With the theme, “An Agenda for Asia: Human Security,
Conflict Management, Security Sector Reform and Local
Democratization,” hundreds of scholars attended the annual
conference to present their research works for criticism.
The students, which included Brian Doce, Jeanoel
Endaya, Francis Esteban, Gabriel Antonio Ranada, and John
Kenneth Ramores, discussed their paper, Conflict Management
anchored in Culture: Revisiting the Philippine Barangay
Justice System, is a case study on two barangays from urban
cities in Luzon.
The study searched on the number and nature of
offenses filed at the barangay office in which the gender of
both complainants and respondents were determined. It also
examined the kinds of decisions decreed by the barangay
lupon and tallied their frequency.
A
The study showed that the rate of criminal cases is significantly higher
compared to civil cases; most of the respondents were males respondent,
while complainant were mostly females; majority of the disputes filed at the
barangay office are settled.
A total of 29 panels with six research presentations each were featured.
‘Istambay’ research presented
at an Australian Youth Symposium
ssociate Professor Clarence M.
Batan, Ph.D., a sociologist of the
Faculty of Arts and Letters and the
Research Center on Culture, Education and
Social Issues (RCCESI) was invited to be
one of the keynote speakers in an invitational
symposium titled, “Youth Outside the Northern
Metropole” organized by the Newcastle Youth
Studies Group, School of Humanities and
Social Sciences, Faculty of Education and
Arts, University of Newcastle held at the
Crowne Plaza Newcastle, Australia. This was
a gathering of 15 youth sociologists mostly
from Australia, and invited speakers from the
Philippines and Scotland.
Batan, who currently leads the CHED
44
UST Senior Political Science students at the 8th Asian Political and
International Studies Association Congress in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
UST PHERNET funded project, The Social
Investigation on the Lives of Istambays in
the Philippines, was invited to share his
ethnographic research on selected Filipino
youths and his observations on youth researches
in the Global south. He delivered the paper
titled, Unravelling the Youth Question in the
Global South: The Persistence of EducationEmployment Problematic and Its Consequences.
This paper narrates and examines the growing
up experiences of selected Filipinos and fellow
youths in other countries from the Global
South such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Brazil,
Argentina, Honduras, and Nigeria using metacontent analyses aimed at unravelling what
may be considered as relevant youth questions
(both conceptually and methodologically)
in the context of growing up in the Global
South. The paper argues on the persistence of
education employment problematic as focal
points in understanding these Global South
youths directing attention to the structural and
historical consequences of growing up in the
margins, and unequal world. The symposium
has taken interest on the Istambay thesis as
proposed by Batan to possibly be taking the
form in the context of Southern theorizing that is
grounded, critical and sensitive to representing
the negotiated contexts, cultures, and voices of
young people from the Global South.
• January 2015
RESEARCH
Dean Ramos of Science presents
paper at int’l confab on Biochem,
Molecular Bio in Taiwan
F
our papers from the UST College of
Science were presented during the 15th
International Union of Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) and 24th
Federation of Asian and Ocenian Biochemists
and Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB)
International Conference at the Academia
Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan from October 21
to 26, 2014. Participants from the College
of Science and the UST Graduate School
included Dean John Donnie A. Ramos, Ph.D.
and faculty member Ms. Jennifer Maries Yap
together with Biology graduates who are now
enrolled at the UST Graduate School, Joshua
Evans Bajao and Rainier Ulrich Velasco, and
Graduate School alumna Marciar Ching.
Presented were: Asymptomatic Immunoglobulin Epsilon Sensitizations to Tropical Grass Pollen-Derived Carbohydrates by
Cabauatan CR, Lupinek C, Weiss R, FockeTejkl M, Bhalla P, van Hage M, Ramos JDA,
A
The group was a part of a 16-man
delegation from the Philippines. Ramos, one
of the country’s Outstanding Young Scientists
and a noted researcher in biochemistry, is
concurrently president of the Philippine
Society of Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology (PSBMB), a member of IUBMB and
FAOBMB.
Science Psych profs
present papers at
Taiwan, Guam confabs
sst. Prof. Joy R. Tungol, Ph.D. and
Asst. Prof. Marc Eric S. Reyes, Ph.D.,
from the UST College of Science
presented papers in two separate international
conferences. Tungol presented a paper at an
international conference on Psychology in
Taiwan, while Reyes presented a paper in
Guam.
Tungol’s paper, Development and
validation
of
a
neuropsychological
assessment test: A pre-diagnostic tool as
a soft sign of brain damage using Filipino
proverbs for abstract reasoning was lauded
for its interest and clarity. Tungol was one
among the 20 delegates to the International
Conference on Education, Psychology, and
Social Sciences (ICEPS), an international
platform that allows sharing and discussing
studies on all aspects of the social sciences,
January 2015 •
and Valenta R.; Allergenicity of selected
legumepollen extractsin a panel of Filipino
atopic individuals by Velasco RUD, Garcia
MCZ, Miranda CFL, Paas GRG, Bajao JEM,
Yap JMG, Sabit MB, and Ramos JDA; The
-2978C/G single nucleotide polymorphism of
ADAM33 gene in a selected Filipino asthmatic population by Yap JM, Ching MW, Cabanilla CQ, and Ramos JDA; and Genotype
and allele frequencies of eotaxin -384 A>G
and interleukin 5 -703 C>T SNPs in selected pediatric asthmatic population by Ching
MW, Santos KCP, Ong CM, and JDA Ramos.
education and psychology from various
perspectives. ICEPS was held from August 6
to 8, 2014 in Taipei, Taiwan.
Reyes, for his part, presented the
paper, Relationship between the HEXACO
personality traits and the happiness level
of Filipino adolescents during the First
International Conference on Technology,
Education, Assessment and Management
(TEAM) with the theme, ‘New Directions
in Technology, Education, Assessment and
Management’. The paper was co-authored
with April Fae Argarin, Mark Angelo Bayot,
Joan Dela Cruz, Sherina Anne Destajo,
Eduardo Miguel Gutierrez, and Jemelda
Carmen Santos. The conference, which was
organized by the University of Guam, was
held in Guam from October 24 to 26, 2014.
Pagalilauan
of Science
presents paper
on Spanish
Dominican friars’
pacification
method
A
sst. Prof. Abigail T. Pagalilauan
who teaches Spanish at the College
of Science under the Department
of Foreign Languages (Spanish), presented
a paper on the Spanish Dominican friars’
pacification method at the University of the
Philippines and at the Colegio de Jalisco in
Mexico. Her paper, El método de pacificación
de los dominicos a través de escrituras
lexicográficas en las provincias de Nueva
Vizcaya e Ifugao was presented during the
international congress in commemoration of
the 450 years of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi’s
voyage to the Philippines. The congress was
held on November 24 to 25, 2014 at the
Colegio de Jalisco, Mexico.
Meanwhile, The pacification method
of the Spanish Dominican friars through
lexicographical writings in the Philippines
was presented at the University of the
Philippines during the 12th PhilippineSpanish Friendship Day International
Conference held from October 7 to 8, 2014.
The conference, sponsored by the National
Historical Commission of the Philippines
(NHCP) had for its theme, ‘Explorations and
Transformations: Creating Texts, Shaping
Identities’.
Pagalilauan’s paper is considered the
initial study on the pacification method in the
field of lexicography which focuses on the
18th century which was the peak of political,
economic, and socio-cultural changes and
development in the Philippines during the
Spanish regime. The paper specifically aims
at understanding the past, changing postcolonial judgment, and reconstructing the
image of Spain in the Philippines. This was
achieved through the study of written records
in the form of books and articles about the
Spanish era in the Philippines.
45
RESEARCH
CTHM students present paper
at International Conference in Thailand
Cruz (left) stresses a
point as Bautista (right)
waits for her turn.
Architecture research
published on NCCA journal
T
he research paper of Arch. Felicisimo
Tejuco, Jr. was published with 11
other architecture and planningrelated works in the latest release of Espasyo,
a peer-reviewed journal of the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts
(NCCA) and University of the Philippines
College Architecture Foundation for the Built
Environment.
Titled Developing the Tourism Potential
of Taft Avenue (from Ayala Boulevard to Pablo
Ocampo Street) through Urban Renewal of
the City Streetscapes vis-à-vis Environmental
Conservation, the research discussed the state
of the said area with recommendations on
street improvements, ‘pedestrianization,’ and
security by design.
46
Tejuco
T
wo students from the College of Tourism and
Hospitality Management (CTHM) presented
their paper during the International Conference
on Hospitality, Leisure, Sports and Tourism held from
January 21 to 23 at The Landmark Hotel, Bangkok,
Thailand.
The senior students from the Travel Management
department, Queen Allysa Rose I. Cruz and Joymeeh
Anne I. Bautista presented their paper ‘Passenger
Preferences on Airline Check-In Method: Traditional
Counter Check- In Versus Common-Use Self-Service
Kiosks’. Their co-authors Kaye B. Lantoria and Katya
Louise Barretto, did not join them. in Thailand. Their
paper was one of the top five best thesis in their batch.
The joint conference and international,
intercultural forum aimed to provide research
collaboration and sharing of research experience
was organized by International Academy Institute
in cooperation with global partners that included
the International Business Academics Consortium
(iBAC) and National Kaohsiung University of
Hospitality and Tourism. The International Committee
comprises the University of Djelfa (Algeria),
University of Brighton (U.K.), Bowling Green State
University (USA), National Taipei University of
Nursing and Health Sciences (Taiwan), University
of Tirana (Albania), Shih Chien University (Taiwan),
University of Massachusetts Amherts (USA), Islamic
Azad University Tonekabon (Iran) and University of
Kota (Japan). It was participated in by around 300
delegates, who were mostly lawyers, medical doctors,
academics, economists, engineers, social scientists,
sports enthusiast and tourism developer from USA,
U.K., Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Qatar, the Philippines
and other Asian countries.
• January 2015
RESEARCH
A
Asian Studies juniors present researches
on Chinese studies
sian Studies juniors from the
Faculty of Arts and Letters
presented their papers in the
Ateneo de Manila University’s 1st Junior
Conference for Chinese Studies last
October 3 at Ateneo’s Ricardo Leong
Center for Chinese Studies.
With the theme “Chinese Studies
across the Disciplines,” the conference
aimed to raise interest among Filipino
undergraduate students regarding China
as an area of studies and to encourage the
understanding of interdisciplinary topics
in the field of Chinese Studies.
Ten students presented their papers in
the areas of understanding the Chinese way of
thinking, understanding China internal issues, and
looking at Chinese culture and traditions.
Ma. Aviegail Anne P. Semillano
discussed her paper titled “Sun Tzu’s Art of
War and Influence to Mao’s Protracted War
in China,” while group presenters Janielle
Aretha G. Pelonio, Patricia Belle J. Adolfo,
Nashwina A. Rasul, Edelaine Rae B. Agcaoili
and Krizza Louella V. Tadeja focused on their
research titled “Seeing the Rise and Fall of
Marcos Administration through Kung Fu
Tzu’s Dynastic Cycle”.
In the area of Chinese economy, Dennisse
Ian I. Bonsato and Kianna Katherine M. Porras
delivered their paper titled “Growth and Inequality
in China: A Phenomenon”. Under Chinese
culture and tradition, Kathleen S. de Guzman
and Lev C. de Guzman presented their paper
“Chinese Cuisine and Food Culture as a Mode of
Transnationalism in the Modern Philippines”.
Dr. Archie B. Resos, professor of
Asian Studies at Arts and Letters served as
speaker in the morning session on China’s
Political and Economic Relations with Other
Countries.
UST Facilitates RUN UNITED Enervon
HP Recovery Run with Unilab Active Health Team
T
he College of Rehabilitation Sciences
(CRS) Sports Science and Physical
Therapy departments teamed up with
Unilab Active Health Team to facilitate the
recovery village of the first-ever “RUN UNITED
Enervon HP Recovery Run” held at Bonifacio
Global City last December 14, 2014.
The recovery village was divided into three
zones, namely: the Physical Recovery Zone,
which had a crotherapy station, active isolated
stretching station, and self myofascial release
station; the Sports and Food Nutrition Zone,
where UST Sports Science Internship Supervisor
Ms. Karen Pineda lectured on recovery nutrition;
and the Mental Recovery Zone, which featured a
lecture by Ms. Karen Trinidad.
The event aimed to educate the runners
regarding the different recovery strategies as
well as to allow the participants to experience
the different levels of approach to achieve faster
recovery.
Headed by CRS Dean Assoc. Prof. Cheryl
R. Peralta, MHPEd, the CRS team included
Physical Therapy Chair Assoc. Prof. Anne Marie
Aseron, MSPT and Sports Science Chair Mr. Reil
Vinard Espino, MTAI.
The CRS team facilitated the following
in the recovery village: (1) Cryotherapy, which
January 2015 •
helped cool down the body’s core temperature
when exercising in hot weather and reduce
inflammation and promote healing in tissue
used during workout; (2) Active Isolated
Stretching, a type of athletic stretching
technique that provides not only effective and
dynamic stretching of major muscle groups but
more importantly functional and physiological
restoration of deep and superficial planes;
(3) Self Myofascial Release, which helped
improve circulation and reduce the opportunity
for inelastic collagen fibers to develop in stress
points that can limit tissue extensibility; (4)
Periodization Lecture—facilitated by Mr. Saul
Faculty members and
students of the Sports
Science and Physical
Therapy departments
Anthony Sibayan (Sports Science
faculty)—which provided for crosstraining guide and training/workout/
recovery run schedule in time for the
2015 Run United Series Races; and
(5) Sports Nutrition Lecture on prerace, race proper, and post-race diet
and nutrition strategies.
47
RESEARCH
U
UST Simbahayan, CCM hold Peace Forum,
Tulong Tomasino para sa Iraq
ST
Simbahayan
Community
Development Office, in cooperation
with the UST Center for Campus
Ministry held a Peace Forum with the theme,
“Understanding the Plight of Christians in
Iraq” at the Tanghalang Teresita Quirino,
Benavides Building on September 4, 2014.
Resource speakers were Mr. Rasti T.
Delizo, Initiatives for International Dialogue
and SANLAKAS International Affairs
and Foreign Policy Consultant, and Rev.
Fr. Emilio Platti, O.P. UST Ecclesiastical
Faculties professor.
Delizo, who grew up in Iran and had
visited Iraq on several occasions, gave the
audience a brief general background on the
several on-going wars and conflicts in West
Asia, the accurate terminology for Middle
East. He mentioned how the illegal and
illegitimate occupation of the Palestinian
homeland, aggravated by US foreign policy,
continues to underpin and undermine peace
and security all throughout the region today.
From left: Fr. dela Cruz, Jr., O.P., Fr.
Pama, O.P., Prof. Sison, Ms. Versoza, Prof.
Songco, Assoc. Prof. Quintana, , and
Assoc. Prof. Pazcoguin
He urged the Thomasian community to
involve themselves in global mass campaign
against these kinds of war.
Fr. Platti, for his part, denounced the
relentless employment of brutalities of
the Islamic State of Israel and Syria (ISIS)
toward Shi’a Muslims and non-Islamists
including Christians, in its efforts to carve a
territory in Iraq.
“It’s so extreme that it’s no longer Islam
anymore. This is my conviction,” he said.
The panel of reactors was composed
of Ms. Charlene Versoza, UST Pax Romana
president; Prof. Evelyn A. Songco Ph.D.,
assistant to the Rector for Student Affairs;
Prof. Lilian J. Sison Ph.D., director of the
UST Office for International Relations; and
Rev. Fr. Hermel O. Pama, O.P., Regent of the
UST Institute of Information and Computing
Sciences. The reactors expressed their
condemnation toward the issue.
Most Rev. Socrates B. Villegas, D.
D., Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan and
President of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference
of the Philippines (CBCP) through a video
48
Fr. dela Cruz, Jr., O.P.
delivers the closing remarks
message, expressed his appreciation to the
University for initiating the peace forum. In
his message, he said that the situation in Iraq is
far from the will of God for its use of religion
in promoting hatred and violence; “because
the purpose of all religion is peace…,” he
added. Thus, Archbishop Villegas advised
everyone to do the following responses –
prayer and examination of oneself.
Rev. Fr. Filemon I. del Cruz, Jr., O.P.
Director of UST CCM and Vice Rector for
Religious Affairs, in his closing remarks
challenged the Thomasian community and
sought support for the Tulong Tomasino para
sa Iraq program.
The fund drive was launched during
the Mass in celebration of the Feast of the
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary held
on September 8, 2014 at the UST Chapel.
With the efforts of the UST Simbahayan
Community Development Coordinators and
local student councils, the University was able
to solicit a total amount of PhP335, 872.70
with a significant amount in foreign currency.
This was offered during the Paskuhan mass
held on December 11, 2014 and was sent to
the Dominican sisters ministering to those
who suffer and are caught in the turmoil in
the Middle East.
• January 2015
RESEARCH
T
UST-RCCESI introduces
Shadow Education to PH researchers
he University of Santo Tomas
Research Center for Culture,
Education, and Social Issues
(RCCESI) has organized a research
colloquium titled “Researching Shadow
Education: Implications to Students
Performance” through the initiative
of Prof. Belinda V. de Castro, Ph.D.
(RCCESI Education cluster head) and
Prof. Allan B. de Guzman, who brought
together over a hundred educators and
academics across 30 schools in Metro
Manila, hoping to widen the study of
Shadow Education’s implications to
students’ performance.
The four-hour program was graced
by the UNESCO Chair for Comparative
Education and University of Hong Kong
Director of the Comparative Education
Research Center (CERC), Dr. Mark Bray,
who led an hour of insightful discussion
on the methodological challenges and
directions of studies on shadow education.
He also discussed the global concepts of
Comparative Education and how it has
evolved to its current state.
The world-renowned researcher
shared the findings of his works,
highlighting the perceptions, motives,
and contexts of stakeholders engaged in
shadow education. One of the common
conclusions he has drawn from these
studies is that “the current literature
of Shadow Education is weak.” Bray
encouraged researchers to execute careful
scrutiny over this before believing and
citing them.
Moreover, Bray mentioned that
the importance of Shadow Education is
gradually being recognized and so it is
a challenge for the audience to become
its advocates. “As producers of research,
you have the opportunity to be in the
forefront, and to shape the field. This
applies to the whole field of education,
and especially to Shadow Education,” the
keynote speaker stated in his speech.
Bray, who visited the University
in May 2011, has research collaboration
with the UST RCCESSI Education
Cluster on Philippine Shadow Education.
In both July 2012 and April 2014, Bray
arranged two research colloquia in Hong
Kong where he invited de Castro to
share with the foreign researchers about
the Philippine’s context of Shadow
Education. Insights presented in the
colloquia will be published in a book
titled “Researching Shadow Education:
Findings and Methodological Lessons
from Diverse Cultures,” which will
include papers from 16 international
perspectives.
Local researches in Philippine Shadow
Education
The second part of the colloquium
presented four research papers on
shadow education in the context of
Filipino stakeholders. Two of the four
papers accepted in international refereed
journals were “A Structural Equation
Model of Factors Affecting Filipino
University students’ Shadow Education
(SE) Satisfaction and Behavioral
Intentions” (by Belinda V. de Castro and
Allan B. de Guzman, Asia Pacific Journal
of Education) and “A Q Analysis on
the Impact of Shadow Education on the
Academic Life of High School Students”
(by Ryan Francis O. Cayubit, Janelle
Ysabela S. Castor, Erick John S. Divina,
Raymond Michael S. Francia, Remirr
Theodore P. Nolasco, Arnelia Jade E.
Villamiel, Anna Isabelle S. Viloria, Mark
Troy G Zarraga, Psychological Studies).
The two other papers presented but
were not yet submitted for publication
were “Effect of private tutoring on
the academic and social profile of
basic education students: A structural
education model” (by Belinda V. de
Castro, Josefina R. Torres, and Josephine
B. Alarcon) and “Social Support on
Motivation and Engagement of Students
exposed to Shadow Education” (by Lucila
O. Bance, Candice G. Madrona, Alana
Malicah M. Madangan, Trisha Marie S.
Martin, Maria Dominica Rose T. Mayo,
Kris Celine G. Ocampo, Stephanie Marie
P. Valiente, and Claudette A. Agnes).
These four researches were presented by
Prof. de Guzman, Ms. Kristine Lim (in
lieu of Prof. Bance), Asst. Prof. Cayubit,
and Asst. Prof. Alarcon, respectively.
Newly-formed Market Research cluster mounts exhibit
on functional foods
T
he newly formed Market Research
cluster headed by Prof. Chin Uy,
under the umbrella of the Research
Center for Culture, Education, and Social
Issues (RCCESI), in cooperation with
the College of Commerce and Business
Administration hosted and sponsored a
poster exhibit titled “Functional Foods
from the lens of Market Research” from
November 4 to 7, 2014, at the lobby of
the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex.
showcasing the results of the study on
functional foods by third year Marketing
Management students of Mr. Robert Lao
of the College of Commerce and Business
Administration. The exhibit aimed to
inform the audience about functional
foods and their existence in our society,
and to build an understanding on the
different attitude, image and usage of
products in the market especially on the
brands that were posted.
The exhibit consisted of 18 posters,
The opening ceremony was attended
January 2015 •
by RCCESI Director Prof. Arlen A.
Ancheta, Ph.D., College of Commerce
and Business Administration Dean
Asst. Prof. Mary Hildence M. Baluyot,
who also delivered the inspirational
message, and Vice Rector for Research
and Innovation, Prof. Maribel G. Nonato,
Ph.D., who was the special guest for the
ribbon cutting to open the poster exhibit.
This was attended by researchers, faculty
members and students, mostly from the
College of Commerce and Business
Administration.
49
LECTURES&CONFERENCES
Javate lectures in Italy, India, USA;
appointed head of ASORPS course
Javate delivers the Plenary lecture in New
Delhi.
Javate (third from left) in the APSOPRS Faculty Instructional Course during the
American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting in Chicago.
A
t the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)
Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois held from
October 18 to 21, Dr. Reynaldo Javate of the UST
Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, was appointed head of
the ASOPRS instructional course titled “Transcanalicular
Endoscopic Lacrimal Duct Recanalization (TELDR), Is
This The Future?” Javate, a respected and well-known
practitioner in the field of dacryology and dry eye, is the
current president of the International Society of Dacryology
and Dry Eye (ISD&DE).
It was during the ASOPRS 45th Fall Scientific
Symposium held in Chicago, Illinois held from October
16 to 17, 2014, when Javate’s research paper on the
pioneering technique in the management of nasolacrimal
duct obstruction was the only entry from Asia that was
chosen to be presented in this scientific symposium. The
paper, “Technique and Success rate of Transcanalicular
Endoscopic Lacrimal Duct Recanalization (TELDR)
with Silicone Intubation” was warmly received by the
symposium attendees.
Javate is the founding President and the first Asian
to become a fellow of the world-recognized prestigious
American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgery (ASOPRS), which accredits and oversees
postgraduate fellowships across the United States in the
field of oculofacial plastic surgery.
50
In India, during the Biennial meeting of Asia Pacific
Society of Ophthalmologic Plastic Reconstructive Surgery
(APSOPRS) and Oculoplastic Association of India (OPAI)
held at the New Delhi Habitat Center from September
26 to 28, 2014, Javate spoke on “Congenital PtosisFrontalis Sling Suspension, How I Do It” and “Towards
Perfection in Transcanalicular Endoscopic Lacrimal Duct
Recanalization”. He was a member of the panel in the
session regarding controversies in oculoplastics.
When the joint 11th Congress of the International
Society of Dacryology and Dry Eye (ISD&DE) and the
15th Congress of the Societa Italiana di Chirurgia OftalmoPlastica (SICOP) commenced on September 18, 2014 in
Naples, Italy, Javate, as president of ISD&DE, delivered the
opening and closing remarks of the congress.
The joint meeting gathered world experts in the field of
oculoplastic, orbital and lacrimal surgery. Javate enthused
participants on the benefits of research for their craft. His
extensive research for new ways to manage nasolacrimal
duct obstruction has led to new technology, described in
his paper “The Asian Experience: Recanalization of the
Nasolacrimal Duct, an alternative to DCR”. He also gave
a comprehensive discussion on the lacrimal puncta and
conjunctiva in the Congress, which ran until September 20.
• January 2015
LECTURES&CONFERENCES
P
Links for ultrasound
in medical education strengthened
rofessors from the Faculty
of Medicine and Surgery
represented the University
of Santo Tomas in the 3rd World
Congress on Ultrasound in Medical
Education at Portland Marriott
Downtown Waterfront, Portland,
Oregon, USA.
The UST group was composed
of Drs. Remedios Dee-Chan,
chair of the FMS Department of
Medical Education; Bee Giok TanSales, head of the FMS Ultrasound
Laboratory; William L. Olalia,
Elvis Llarena, and Peregrina L.
Gonzaga of the Department of
Anatomy; Maria Teresa De Leon of
the Department of Rehabilitation
Medicine, and Julie Christie G.
Visperas of the Department of
Physiology.
The participants attended
lectures, simulation, and handson sessions on ultrasound in the
medical curriculum, with the
different disciplines being divided
among them. They also met with
University of South Carolina
School of Medicine Dean Richard
A. Hoppmann, Dean and Director
of Ultrasound Education Dr. Victor
Rao; and University of California Irvine (UCI) School of Medicine’s
Director of Ultrasound in Medical
Education Dr. J. Christian Fox.
After the congress, the group
met with Dr. Alan L. Goldin, Senior
Associate Dean for Academic
Affairs at the University of
California- Irvine and reviewed the
Memorandum of Understanding
currently being implemented in
the two centers of learning. They
discussed the mechanics for
exchange programs at both junior
internship and faculty levels not only
for ultrasound education but also
for other basic and clinical medical
subjects. Dr. Warren Weichmann,
Associate Dean for Instructional
Technologies, showed them UCI’s
facilities for teleconferencing and
simultaneous webcasts, testing and
simulation. They were joined by
Ultrasound Program Coordinator
Nora Perez-Moreno and Research
Coordinator Julie Youmm.
The UST group also visited the
Charles Drew School of Medicine
in Los Angeles, California, USA.
College of Medicine Interim Dean
Dr. Daphne Calmes, agreed to a
medical student exchange with UST
Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
and for this a memorandum of
understanding will be drafted. Dr.
Peregrina L. Arciaga, Director of
the Clinical Skills and Simulation
Center; and Assistant Dean for
Medical Student Affairs oriented the
group on how to set up a simulation
center and how to encourage faculty
to participate in the endeavor.
Calimag of Medicine attends APEC ethics forum
in China, med journal editors’ meeting in Mongolia
P
rof. Maria Minerva P. Calimag, M.D., Ph.D., of the
UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Departments of
Pharmacology, Anesthesiology and Clinical Epidemiology,
and presently the president of the Philippine Medical Association,
represented the Philippines at the APEC Business Ethics
Forum: Promoting Ethical Business Environments in the
Biopharmaceutical and Medical Device Sectors, held at the Purple
Palace Hotel in Nanjing, China from September 1 to 3, 2014. She
represented the Health Professional Sector in this Ethics Forum
and spoke on the role of the healthcare professional in facilitating
and promoting ethical environments in the workplace.
Calimag was one of nine delegates from the Philippines
and one out of 200 attendees from 80 organizations across 20
APEC economies. The forum convened leaders from industry,
government, healthcare professional organizations, patient groups
and other organizations. During the high-level plenary session,
she contributed to the formation of the “Nanjing Declaration”
to provide strategic vision for continued advancement of ethical
January 2015 •
business practices in the Asia Pacific region’s biopharmaceutical
and medical devices sector.
Moreover, Calimag, who is a Senior Researcher of the
UST Research Center for Culture, Education and Social Issues
(RCCESI), attended the 2014 Joint Meeting of the Asia Pacific
Association of Medical Journal Editors (APAME) and the
Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM) Convention
in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. She is the editor-in-chief of the
Philippine Journal of Anesthesiology (PJA) and she represented
the Philippine Association of Medical Journal Editors (PAMJE) in
the Committee on Information Technology and Library.
As a researcher, Calimag mentors young health professionals
in the quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods genres of
research as they apply to her varied research interests in basic
pharmacology, clinical anesthesiology, pain research, health
informatics, health policy-generating and technology-based
education researches.
51
LECTURES&CONFERENCES
Toribio inspires civil organizations in Myanmar
to fight manipulation of electoral results and
shared his experiences in the Philippines. He
was noted for his exemplary performance in
the 2013 Philippine elections as chairperson
of the National Citizen’s Movement for Free
Elections-Manila Chapter.
He was invited by the National
Democratic Institute, a known international
organization that promotes worldwide
democratic rule through citizen’s watch and
participation underlining transparency and
accountability in the government.
Toribio
T
o enhance the understanding of local
civil organizations in Myanmar in
international and regional electoral
processes, Mr. Mark Lester Toribio, a
management and marketing professor at the
AMV-College of Accountancy, was invited to
serve as resource speaker on Peers Exchange
in Yangon, Myanmar last September 22.
The conference, which also aimed to
help in the promotion of legal framework
for Myanmar democratic elections in 2015,
focused on volunteer recruitment, training,
and mobilization.
Toribio inspired participants from
various local civil organizations in Yangon
Joining Toribio were Dr. Novel Kishore
Rai (Democracy and Election Watch of Nepal)
and Aiman Rasheed (Transparency Maldives)
in sharing best practices concerning local
electoral processes.
Last September 29, Toribio also spoke to
the Myanmar parliament on electoral reforms
to help the parliament find its strength as a
democratic institution of governance.
UST participates in
14th FERCAP Int’l Confab,
1st PHREB Nat’l Confab
D
elegates from the different ethics review
committees (ERCs) of the University
participated in the 14th Forum for Ethical
Review Committees in Asia and the Western
Pacific (FERCAP) International Conference &
the 1st Philippine Health Research Ethics Board
(PHREB) National Conference from November
23 to 25, 2014 at the Taal Vista Hotel, Tagaytay
City with the theme “Embedding Ethics in
National Health Research Systems”.
The objectives of the conference were: to
describe concepts, best practices, and initiatives
towards embedding ethics in national health
research systems; to identify gaps, facilitators
and barriers to good ethical infrastructures; and to
suggest options and future directions on national
ethical research systems.
52
Among those who participated were: Dr.
Eduardo Vicente Caguioa, UST Hospital Medical
Director; Dr. Julie Li-Yu, Research Coordinator of
the USTH Department of Medical Education and
Research (DMER); Dr. Wilson Tan De Guzman,
chair USTH Institutional Review Board (IRB);
Dr. Anna Lea Enriquez, Vice-Chair; Dr. Raymund
Naranjilla, Dr. Edmund Advincula, Ms. Teresita
Artuz, and Ms. Lorena Blanco, members of the
USTH IRB; Dr. Ross Vasquez and Dr. Librado
Santiago of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Graduate
School ERC; Mr. Christian Rimando and Assoc.
Prof. Michael Jorge Peralta of the CRS ERC;
Assoc. Prof. Rowena Chua and Assoc. Prof. Lily
Famadico of the College of Nursing ERC. Peralta,
also served as session chair in one of the parallel
sessions on Ethics and Social Science Research.
• January 2015
LECTURES&CONFERENCES
Rehab Sciences participates in Philippine congress
on community-based rehabilitation
F
aculty members from the College
of Rehabilitation Sciences (CRS)
attended the 2nd Philippine National
Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR)
held from September 30 to October 2 at
the Heritage Hotel in Manila.
With the theme “Key to Inclusive
Development in the Communities”, the
conference was attended by Asst. Prof.
Mark Anthony D. Abenir, DSD; Dr.
Perpetuo Gutierrez, MD, DPT; Ms. Ma.
Lorena Igna, MPH; Ms. Jordan Barbra
Nava, PTRP; and Mr. Mark Angel
Serra, PTRP together with some 350
rehabilitation practitioners, development
workers, persons with disabilities
(PWDs), and other CBR stakeholders
coming from government, civil society,
and academic institutions.
The congress aimed to promote CBR
as a practical strategy in implementing
the UN Convention on the Rights of
PWDs and the Incheon Strategy, which
consist of 10 goals to make the right real
for PWDs.
It also became an avenue for
participants to share good practices in
developing responsive community-based
programs that address the needs of PWDs
and their families, and constitute a multisectoral group that will carry forward the
development of a CBR network.
Through this congress, faculty
members of CRS were able to establish
networks with other sectors involved in
CBR, identify possible research agendas,
and acquire educational materials and
relevant information for effective teaching
and practice of CBR inside and outside the
classroom setting.
Also,
linkages
with
other
rehabilitation schools were established in
order to discuss the impact of a unified
CBR curriculum among students in another
forum to be held in December 2014. The
goal of the upcoming forum aims to have
a unified CBR curriculum, so that students
can consider CBR as a career which can
lead them to international, national, and
local opportunities.
CRS faculty participants with Acting Executive Director of the
Philippine National Council for Disability Affairs, Ms. Carmen
Reyes Zubiaga (Center). From Left: Dr. Perpetuo Gutierrez,
Ms. Ma. Lorena Igna, Asst. Prof. Mark Anthony D. Abenir, and
Mr. Mark Angel Serra
Thomasians discuss research works in int’l workshop
on nano materials for energy conversion
S
ix Thomasians joined the 2nd International Workshop
on Nano Materials for Energy Conversion (NMEC-2)
from November 17 to 19, 2014 in Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam.
Three faculty members from the College of Science and
Faculty of Pharmacy and three graduate students—Christina
Binag, Ph.D., Bernard John Tongol, Ph.D., Ms. Stephanie
Chua, Ms. Felicidad Christina Ramirez, Mr. Joshua Tan, and
Mr. Albert Perez—joined many international representatives,
including scientists from France, Denmark, the United States
of America, Japan, and Korea to discuss the advances in
materials for energy conversion and storage.
The workshop, aside from gathering researchers in the
field of electrochemistry and nanomaterials, also opened new
avenues for research collaborations.
The Philippine delegation presented the following
research papers in the workshop: Polypyrrole/Polyaniline
Composite Electrode for Supercapacitor: Preparation and
Characterization (Binag, oral); Reduced Graphene Oxide/
January 2015 •
Cobalt Nickel Layered Double Hydroxide Composites for
Supercapacitor Electrode Materials (Chua, oral); Graphenebased support materials for Palladium-Nickel (PdNi)
electrocatalyst for ethanol oxidation reaction in alkaline
conditions (Tongol and Tan, poster); and Polyaniline/
Agricultural Waste Microcellulose Electrode Material for
Supercapacitors (Perez, Ramirez, and Binag).
NMEC-2 saw 180 attendees from 17 countries and 71
presentations in the form of oral and poster presentations with
four coming from the Philippines.
The conference, sponsored by the Ministry for
Science and Technology and the International Society of
Electrochemistry, follows the success of the first NMEC held
last 2012.
The first NMEC workshop in 2012 aimed to introduce
high-impact research in the field of nanomaterials for energy
conversion and storage and also provided a venue for
networking and active information exchange among attending
researchers.
53
LECTURES&CONFERENCES
Ngo, Ong attend 10th QS-APPLE Conference
in Taiwan
W
ith the University of Santo Tomas
(UST) at its forefront to establish
and strengthen its international
presence at the QS–APPLE, Quality
Management Office (QMO) Director Assoc.
Prof. Joehanna K. Ngo, PIE, ASEAN Eng,
and QMO Asst. Director Engr. Nestor R.
Ong, PIE, ASEAN Eng, attended the 10th
QS-APPLE Conference & Exhibition at
the Taipei International Convention Center,
Taipei City, Taiwan held from November
11 to 13, 2014. The three-day conference
brought together global higher education
enthusiasts to respond, anticipate and reflect
on the emerging new trends in this important
sector in support of internationalization of
Asia-Pacific universities.
For ten years, QS-APPLE has been
working
on
improving
international
recognition and globalization of AsiaPacific universities in line with its mission
to build world-class universities for regional
communities through partnership and
collaboration. The UST was acknowledged
in a video showing the 7th QS-APPLE
Conference and Exhibition that was held for
the first time in the history of the Philippine
universities at UST, Manila, Philippines from
November 16 to 18, 2011, coinciding with the
celebration of UST’s quadricentennial.
At the opening plenary, the 10th QSAPPLE Creative Awards ceremony was held.
The QS-APPLE Creative Awards recognizes
the importance of creative and compelling
designs in effective communication and brand
building. UST was the only Philippine leading
university nominated for the following
awards categories: Most Creative Corporate
Institution Video, Best International Print
Advertisement, Best International Student
Recruitment Brochure, and Best International
Website Pages. Aside from UST, there were
also representatives from the University of
the Philippines, University of Perpetual Help
System, and Mindanao State University.
Ngo and Ong also participated in the
most sought-after feature of QS conferences
— QS Squared Debate — that engaged the
educators to discuss the topic: “Universities
should only produce graduates that employers
want”.
Ong (left) and Ngo represent the University of Santo Tomas at the QS - APPLE, Quality Management Office in
Taiwan.
the motion and 72% were opposed. By the
time the discussion had reached its end, the
second vote revealed that the overall opinion
of the academics had slightly shifted towards
supporting the motion, though the initial
standing remained strong: 38% of supporters,
and 62% for the opposition.
The conference was able to bring together
a multitude of more than 500 academics from
231 institutions in 37 countries to exchange
their valuable knowledge, learn from the
discussions and presentations, and network in
the most relaxed atmosphere. The conference
topics were classified in five Tracks: Track
1 - Internationalising the Student Body:
International Student Recruitment, Support
and Exchange, Track 2 - Internationalising the
Curriculum: Educating Employable Global
Citizens, Track 3 - Building World-Class
Universities in the Asia-Pacific: Strategies
for Institutional Capacity Building, Track 4
- Transnational Education and International
Partnerships, Track 5 - The Global Higher
Education Market: Trends, Policies and Key
Developments.
Some foreign universities have
expressed their interest to develop partnership
and collaboration with UST. One important
result of representing UST as delegates in this
conference, according to Ngo, is the valuable
assistance that QS-APPLE gives universities.
Countries represented in the conference
were: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada,
China, The Democratic Republic of Congo,
Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany,
Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq,
Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kuwait,
Lebanon, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico,
Mongolia, the Philippines, Poland, Qatar,
Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore,
South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab
Emirates, United Kingdom, United States,
and Vietnam.
The closing plenary saw even more
ceremonies: QS Scholarships Awards, QS
Stars Certification presentation, and the
announcement on future QS conferences
—the 11th QS-APPLE Conference and
Exhibition will be held in Melbourne,
Australia from November 25 to 27, 2015,
and the QS Worldwide Conference which
will be held from September 29 to 30, 2015
in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
At the start of the session, 28% supported
54
• January 2015
LECTURES&CONFERENCES
UST counselors attend international guidance
conference; Bance facilitates workshop
Chapter from October 27 to 28, 2014 at the Government
Service Insurance System (GSIS) Financial Center in Pasay
City.
Ma. Regina D. Atinaja, Ph.D., Claudine S. Chua,
Christine P. Garinganao, and Diovie C. Navarra, joined fellow
guidance counselors and life coaches from the Philippines
and other countries in the two-day international gathering
of professionals with the aim of promoting service and
excellence in the field of counseling.
The first day of the conference was highlighted by plenary
sessions with talks on the theme, “The Guidance Counselors as
Peace Advocates” followed by workshops on different topics
such as “Inner Peace, Inner Harmony;” “Integrating Peace
Education into the K-12 Curriculum;” “Effective Mediator
Communication Skills;” “Managing Family Conflicts;” and
“Empowering the Victims of Domestic Violence.”
UST counselors with Dr. Bance (fourth from left), attend the Iota Phi International
Guidance Conference
F
our guidance counselors led by UST Guidance and Counseling Director
Prof. Lucila O. Bance, Ph.D., participated in the International Guidance
Conference organized by the Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Academic
Professional Honor Society International Iota Phi Foundation, Inc. Philippines
A
Peralta joins IPOPhil in training
new patent searchers
ssoc. Prof. Michael Jorge Peralta,
Executive Assistant for Intellectual
Property & Research and ITSO Manager,
was invited by the Intellectual Property Office of
the Philippines (IPOPhil) to be one of the resource
speakers and facilitators in the seminar-workshop
on Patent Search and Documentation at the IPOPhil
Multipurpose Hall, Intellectual Property Center,
McKinley Hill, Taguig City. Together with Peralta
were Dr. Jonathan Salvacion, ITSO Manager of
Mapua Institute of Technology; and Mr. Harris
Fulo, of IPOPhil. Director General of IPOPhil, Atty.
Ricardo R. Blancaflor welcomed the participants
and emphasized that the role of the ITSO are vital
in improving the country’s innovation index.
The seminar-workshop was organized by the
IPOPhil as part of a series of training and capacity
January 2015 •
Bance facilitated the workshop on “Inner Healing
through Meridian Therapy,” a scientifically tested therapy
rooted in meditation involving whole body energy exercise
with the aim of treating psychological burden and bio-energy
imbalances causing diseases.
building for new ITSO members. Its objective
was to empower ITSO staff on performing patent
searches to establish the novelty, patentability, and
inventiveness of disclosed technologies.
At present there are 74 ITSOs housed
in universities and research and development
institutions all over the country, which signed a
memorandum of understanding with IPOPhl to
host an ITSO. They serve as patent libraries, the
source of patent information. They offer services
such as basic IP trainings, patent search, patent
drafting, and soon, technology transfer. It is highly
recommended that patent literatures be included in
the review of related literature of research projects
in the science and engineering field to ensure that
the projects are truly novel.
55
LECTURES&CONFERENCES
Architecture faculty attends three-day convention
in Chicago
A
rch. Felicisimo Tejuco,
Jr.
represented
the
University during the
National Convention of the
American Institute of Architects
(AIA) held in Chicago, Illinois
from June 26 to 28.
The three-day assembly
was packed with seminars,
product exhibits, and fellowship
events. Seminar topics, which
ran every hour in McCormick
Place, included design trends,
professional
practice,
and
mentoring.
Tejuco (extreme right, in grey suit) with other convention participants
Artlets students join
Asia-Pacific Student
Forum at University
of Indonesia
28,000 delegates, who included
architects
and
architecture
students, industry partners, and
non-architects. Tejuco, a new
member of the AIA Washington,
was joined by five local-based
architects, who are mostly UST
alumni.
Aside from the lectures,
he also toured the home studio
and works of American architect
Frank Lloyd Wright, the known
heritage and high-rise structures
of Chicago, and public spaces
like the Millennium Park.
Tejuco also met the outgoing
The
AIA
Convention AIA National President Helene
was attended by more than Combs Dreiling, FAIA.
Eco student presents paper
at IDEA 2014 in Taiwan
F
aculty of Arts and Letters
students Jeano James N.
Vipinosa, Mariedy S. Tagatac,
Ma. Nyca Lyda T. Iroy, Isias O.
Roque, Jessa Mae S. Manalo, and
Maria Robelyn Ann A. Jugo joined
other students from across the globe
in the Asia-Pacific Student Forum
held from September 25 to 28, 2015
at the University of Indonesia.
Organized by Universal Youth
Alliance, a student organization
dedicated to gather students from
all over the world to discuss
global issues on the economic,
social, political, law, and cultural
perspectives, the conference had
for its theme “Youth Innovation in
Eradicating Poverty for Sustainable
Development.”
56
Reotutar presents her paper in Taiwan.
F
aculty of Arts and Letters Economics student PrincessStephanie T. Reotutar presented a paper at the 7th Intercultural
Discovery and Exchange in Asia (IDEA) held from August 24
to 31, 2014 in Taiwan.
IDEA is an intercultural project aimed at uniting 50 young
leaders out of more than 500 applicants all over the world to raise
awareness and understanding on the culture and the social issues
present in the participating countries.
• January 2015
LECTURES&CONFERENCES
Pusta speaks about media,
culture at Chinese University, Hong Kong
F
aculty of Arts and Letters professor Marian
Gwenetha Pusta served as speaker at the
media forum of the Asian Congress for
Media and Communication held at the Chinese
University, Hong Kong last November 14.
Titled “Of Media Induced Transformations
and Imaginative Constructions,” Pusta’s
talk dovetailed on her newly released
book, Mediamorphosis: The Dynamics of
Communication and Socio-Cultural Change.
Pusta argued that imaginative constructions
and the emergent media-induced transformation
redesign culture.
“It is a call for taking culture seriously,
not only as we design and develop innovative
technologies, more importantly as we approach
technology as by-products of our cultures,”
Pusta said.
Pusta added that culture is a tour de force—
offering us a unique vision of the possibilities in
contemporary cultural studies.
Pusta delivers a talk
inspired by her book
“Mediamorphosis:
The Dynamics of
Communication
and Socio-Cultural
Change”
Taking a revolutionary stance, Pusta
refused to separate research from pedagogy,
technology form culture, or innovation
from imagination as she maps out concrete
complexities in perspectives, new platforms
of exchange and open new ways of thinking,
even teaching techno cultures in relation to
broader social and political fields.
Pusta concluded her talk by saying
that although today’s obsessions may
probably be tomorrow’s obsolescence,
people still gain assurance that scholars
will continue maintaining the sphere of
discussion open, public, and insightful—a
tough challenge she bequeaths to young
scholars of the media forum.
Rehab Sciences participates in interprofessional
education conference in Japan
F
or the first time, the
College of Rehabilitation
Sciences sent delegates to
the Interprofessional Education
Conference in Niigata, Japan
held from September 2 to 12. This
marked another milestone in the
collaboration between the College
and the Niigata University of Health
and Welfare (NUHW).
Mr. Charles Bermejo (faculty member,
Occupational Therapy), Angel Amurao and
Rufino Francisco (interns, Physical Therapy),
Edmund Shih (intern, Occupational Therapy),
Erika Gomez (intern, Speech Language
Pathology), and Eugene Cuerdo (intern,
Sports Science) had various cultural exchange
activities and exposure trips to different
physical therapy, occupational therapy,
sports, speech language pathology, orthotics
and prosthetics facilities of the NUHW.
January 2015 •
Delegates witnessed physical assessment
to hip osteoarthritis patients and engaged
in interactive activities with the students at
the Niigata City School for the Physically
Handicapped.
Collaborative meetings with the physical
therapy and occupational therapy departments
were also held to explore future faculty and
student exchange activities and research
collaborations between the partner universities.
The conference was attended by students
from different universities in Japan together
with the Philippine delegation from UST-CRS
and Angeles University Foundation as the only
foreign participants. The delegates worked into
groups to prepare and present interprofessional
intervention for assigned hypothetical cases
meeting—the objective of interprofessional care
on health related cases.
57
LECTURES&CONFERENCES
UST ITSO at the forefront of raising IP awareness
I
ntellectual Property 101 in UST
As part of the Intellectual Property
(IP) awareness campaign of the University
of Santo Tomas Innovation and Technology
Support Office (ITSO), it conducts symposia
on basic IP and the IP Policy of the University
to colleges and faculties through Assoc. Prof.
Michael Jorge Peralta, Executive Assistant
for Intellectual Property & Research and its
personnel.
For this academic year, the ITSO
conducted an IP outlook to new faculty
members during the Orientation for New
Faculty Members that was organized by
the Office of the Vice-Rector for Academic
Affairs. Held on June 27, 2014, it aimed to
increase IP awareness among the new faculty
members and the value of protecting them.
On July 31, 2014 and August 1, 2014, the
ITSO gave seminars to the 4th year Food
Technology batch to educate students on
the importance and value of establishing
novelty before embarking on a project to
prevent ‘re-inventing the wheel’. It was also
a way to encourage students to disclose their
innovation to the ITSO in order to protect
their generated IPs.
At present there are 74 ITSOs housed in
Universities and Research and Development
Institutions all over the country, which
P
Philippine University Technology
Commercialization workshop
The UST ITSO participated in
the Philippine University Technology
Commercialization workshop organized
by the Intellectual Property Office of the
Philippines (IPOPhil) in collaboration with
the International Intellectual Property Institute
(IIPI), the United States Patent and Trademark
Office (USPTO), and BioProperty Strategy
Group, held at the IPOPhil Multipurpose
Hall, Intellectual Property Center, McKinley
Hill, Taguig City from September 15 to 18,
2014. The program aimed to enable selected
ITSOs to develop a well-crafted business
model for their respective technologies with
commercialization potential. At the end of
the workshop, the ITSOs were able to create
a commercialization strategy and presented
their technology pitch to an audience of
potential investors and possible industrial
partners.
Peralta, together with Asst. Prof. Lourdes
T. Baldelomar ITSO Technical Expert of
the Faculty of Engineering, and Prof. Ma.
Alicia Aguinaldo, Ph.D., Technical Expert
of the College of Science, assisted Assoc.
Prof. Mary Beth Maningas of the College
of Science and a researcher of the Research
Center for the Natural Applied Sciences
(RCNAS) in developing her technology pitch
for her diagnostic kit project in shrimps.
National Advanced Course on Successful
Licensing Technologies
The UST ITSO represented by
Peralta and Baldelomar, participated in the
National Advanced Training on Successful
Technology Licensing organized by the
Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines
(IPOPhil) and the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO), with the support of the
Australian Funds-in-Trust, which was held in
Faber Hall, Ateneo de Manila University from
September 1 to 4, 2014. The program aimed
to equip the ITSO personnel with the skills
necessary in drafting licensing agreements,
negotiating with potential licensees, and
valuating intellectual property. The goal
of the training is to facilitate technology
transfer of research outputs of universities
and stimulate the innovation performance of
the ITSOs.
Calimag presents Country Report at assembly
of med associations of Asia & Oceania
rof. Maria Minerva P. Calimag, MD,
PhD, Professorial Lecturer on Health
Informatics at the UST Graduate
School and presently the president of the
Philippine Medical Association (PMA), gave
her Country Report and presented the status
of the Philippine eHealth Databases and the
Philippine Health Information Exchange
Program jointly sponsored by the Department
of Health and the Department of Science and
Technology. This took place during the 29th
Confederation of Medical Association of Asia
and Oceania (CMAAO) General Assembly
& 50th Council Meeting hosted by the
Philippine Medical Association. It was held
58
serve as patent libraries, the source of patent
information. One of its objectives is to
increase IP awareness in their community by
offering services such as basic IP trainings,
patent search, patent drafting, and technology
transfer.
from September 24 to 26, 2014 at the Marriot
Hotel, Newport , Pasay City, and had for its
theme: “Health Database in an Information
Technology Society”.
Dr. Margaret Mungherera, president of
the World Medical Association (WMA) and
a strong advocate for women empowerment
in healthcare, commended the Philippine
Medical Association for having a female
president and a good gender balance in its
leadership. In addition she said, “...however,
I hope to see more female doctors assume
leadership roles in your countries. I commend
the Philippine Medical Association for having
a good mix of male and female physicians
among its leaders.”
Two weeks later, from October 8 until
October 11, 2014, Calimag represented the
PMA at the World Medical Association
Convention in Durban, South Africa. During
her Valedictory Address, Mungherera once
again made special mention of the Philippines
as an active participant in the health issues
of its country and as having empowered
woman leaders. This was tweeted in social
media by the South African Medical Students
Association.
• January 2015
LECTURES&CONFERENCES
UST, NCU of Taiwan co-sponsor symposium
on Math, Physics
T
alternans by chaotic attractors” by ChiKeung Chan, and “Advances in soft-matter &
biophysics: Personal and biased experience”
by Pik Yin Lai.
To achieve the aim of promoting interest
in Physics and the breeder sciences such as
Chemistry and Mathematics, lectures were
given by faculty members from the two
universities. From NCU, lectures were: “‘Biomathematical models for cell proliferation,
differentiation & de-differentiation” by Pik
Yin Lai, “Surface Science Research in NCU”
by Mang-Fan Lou, “Suppression of cardiac
The following were the topics in
Mathematics discussed by professors of Math
and Applied Physics: “On option pricing using
fourier inversion methods” by Sheen Mclean
Cabañeros, “Multiobjective optimization
of product mix problems using fuzzy linear
programming” by Recto Rex M. Calingasan,
Ph.D., “On the use of colored hyperbolic
subgroup patterns in finding covering maps
for triply periodic minimal surfaces” by
Ma. Carlota B. Decena, Ph.D., “Estimating
the probability of default in credit cards
using survival analysis” by Mary Martin, “A
parametric survival analysis of breast cancer
patients among different age groups and
body mass index” by Josephine Bernadette
Benjamin, and “Characterization of the role
he 19th Rev. Fr. Ciriaco Pedrosa, O.P.
Memorial Lecture Series, held as one
of the activities to mark the Math and
Physics week of the College of Science held
from October 18 to 23, 2014, was attended
by 250 Math and Physics teachers of the
secondary and tertiary levels from more than
30 participating Philippine institutions. This
was held at the Thomas Research Complex
Auditorium of the University of Santo Tomas,
in partnership with the National Central
University (NCU) of Taiwan.
of fluctuations in predator-prey dynamics
driven by demographic stochasticity” by
Karlo Palenzuela.
In the field of Physics, Daniel Vicario
delivered a lecture on “Determination of
electric and magnetic field levels within the
right of way distances of 69 kV, 230 kV, and
500 kV electric power lines in selected sites
in the Philippines,” while Lucille Borlaza
talked about the “Evaluation of the efficiency
of an ultrafine titanium dioxide based paint
for removing nitrogen oxides in an outdoor
environment”, Rea Divina Mero discussed
“Electrowetting actuation of dye-doped liquid
droplets for tunable fluorescent displays”,
and Bernhard Egwolf, Ph.D. , discussed “A
proximity measure for density estimation in
entropy calculations from high-dimensional
simulation data”. The college week theme
was “Connect, Converge, Collaborate”.
Nagoya City University mentors lecture to Bio,
Microbio students
O
n December 03, 2014, the Department
of Biological Sciences of the UST
College of Science served as host
to two professors from the Nagoya City
University (NCU), Japan.
Prof. Yuji Imaizumi, Ph.D. and Prof. Naohide
Hirashima, Ph.D. Hirashima presented
a lecture on “Molecular Mechanism of
Exocytosis in Mast Cells,” while Imaizumi
introduced NCU to the participating students.
The visit was part of the collaborative
researches and faculty exchanges between
NCU and UST.
The lectures were intended to update
undergraduate and graduate students of
biology and microbiology on the latest
development and trends in the field. Other
similar lectures were also held on September
26, October 28, and November 25.
In the lecture held on September 26,
2014 at the Thomas Aquinas Research
Complex (TARC) Auditorium, Asst. Prof.
Marilyn Rimando, a Ph.D. student from the
National Yang Ming University in Taiwan
January 2015 •
expounded on the topic, “Stem Cells to Bone
Cells: Glucocortisoids as Mediators”. On
October 28, 2014, Dr. Kustiriayah Tarman
of Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia
shared her researches on marine fungi as
sources of novel drugs, while Dr. Felipe
Lorenzo of University of Utah, USA gave
a talk on the genetic mechanisms for highaltitude adaptation by Tibetans. This was held
at the Blas Hall, College of Science, Main
Building, UST.
Another lecture was delivered by Dr.
Bon-Chu Chung and Dr. Yi-Fang Tsay of
Academia Sinica, Taiwan on November 25,
2014 at the TARC Auditorium. Dr. Chung
talked about the function and regulation
of steroid hormone synthesis, while Dr.
Tsay presented her researches on the nitrate
transport and sensing in higher plants.
Aside from their lecture, they encouraged
students to apply for the Taiwan International
Graduate Program, a scholarship program
for students who wish to take their doctorate
degree in Taiwan.
59
LECTURES&CONFERENCES
English Department holds
language learner autonomy workshop
T
he UST Department of English held a two-day
workshop for English teachers on autonomous
learning for language learners at the UST
Graduate School.
Defining autonomous learning as the capacity
of the learner “to manage his/her own learning,”
facilitator Dr. Roger Barnard made sure that teachers
become fully of aware of this but at the same time
proposed that teachers be equipped with the strategies
that would help them facilitate such understanding.
According to him, teachers understand the
process of learner autonomy but they have not been
trained to facilitate this type of processing.
UST Graduate School Dean Dr. Marilu R.
Madrunio opened the workshop attended by selected
teachers from the different faculties and colleges in
the University.
Dr. Barnard is an associate professor in applied
linguistics at the University of Waikato. He acquired
an M.A. in Education (London), M.A. in Linguistics
(Surrey), and a Ph.D. (Southampton). His current
research and publication interests include classroom
interaction (Barnard & Torres-Guzman, 2009),
teacher cognition (Barnard & Burns, 2012), and
code-switching (Barnard & McLellan, 2014).
Barnard has presented papers on topics at many
international conferences and invited professorships,
and is at present leading an international project
exploring teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding
language learner autonomy in several Asian contexts
(Barnard & Li, 2015).
RCNAS FBS group conducts seminar-workshop
for high school students
S
eventy six high school students of the
Makati Science High School in Makati
City participated in a one-day lecture
and hands-on training on basic techniques in
microbiology held last September 24, 2014 at
the school premises.
Organized and conducted by graduate
students who are members of the Fungal
Biodiversity and Systematics (FBS) Group
of the Research Center for the Natural and
Applied Sciences (RCNAS), the seminarworkshop focused on two parallel activities.
In the session, ‘Discovering Microbes:
Learning Basic Techniques in Microbiology’,
participants learned how to cultivate bacteria,
identify mushrooms, and test plant extracts
for antibacterial activities. A lecture was
also delivered highlighting the diversity of
microorganisms and their varied applications.
In the session ‘Introducing Lichens: A
Hands-on Activity on Lichen Identification’,
students learned how to identify lichens.
They also learned about its applications such
as being sources of antibiotics and serving as
bioindicators of air pollution through a lecture
given by Ms. Krystle Angelique Santiago,
60
an alumna of the College of Science and
Graduate School.
Prof. Thomas Edison dela Cruz, Ph.D.,
professor of microbiology at the College of
Science and Graduate School, and group
leader of the FBS group, also delivered a
lecture on the science and art of conducting
research. Mr. Kin Israel Notarte, a M.Sc.
Microbiology student and a recent recipient
of the Novartis Biocamp Award in Basel,
Switzerland, inspired the students to pursue a
career in science when he shared his research
experiences.
A similar one-day lecture and handson training was also conducted in St. Bridget
College in Batangas City on September 29,
2014. This seminar-workshop was participated
in by 90 high school students from St. Bridget.
Facilitators and lecturers were Carlo Chris
Apurillo, Melissa Pecundo, Louise Tse Yan
Wong, Arfel Tayona, Shenly Marie Gazo,
Nur-Aisa Abdulmajid, who are students under
the M.Sc. Microbiology program; and Bryna
Thessa Leaño and Rio Frances Callores,
who are students under the M. Sc. Biological
Sciences program of the UST Graduate School.
Students of Makati Science High School learn basic
techniques in microbiology.
• January 2015
LECTURES&CONFERENCES
A
9th Washington Sycip Convocation held
to mark 10 years of AMV-Accountancy
s part of the 10th year anniversary
celebration of the AMV-College of
Accountancy, the 9th Washington
Sycip Lecture was held last November 7 at
the UST Medicine Auditorium.
Led by Mr. Christian Lauron, partner at
Sycip Gorres Velayo & Co., the lecture theme
was “The ASEAN Economic Integration:
Its Implications on Philippine Accounting
Education.”
Lauron opened his lecture by quoting
Mr. Washington Sycip, a Thomasian
accountant: “Your progress will be limited
only by your personal attitudes – how selfconfident you are, how innovative you decide
to be, and how willing you are to learn new
things and tackle new problems.”
According to him, the message of Sycip
would make a fitting response to the changes
and challenges brought by the ASEAN
Economic Integration in the Philippine
landscape in terms of accounting education
like global financial regulatory reform, Basel
Dean Empleo
(extreme left)
with the speaker
and panelists
of the 9th
Washington Sycip
Convocation
“To address this, it is best to innovate
and remain proactive,” Lauron said.
Mr. Fermin Yabut, CPA (professor of
accounting courses), and Mr. Noel Bico
(A.Y. 2013-2014 top dean’s list awardee,
AMV-College of Accountancy) responded to
Lauron’s lecture to conclude the event.
Panelists
Ms.
Estrelita Aguirre
(president, Asian Federation of Accountants),
Prof. Jove Jim Aguas (professor of
Philosophy, AMV-College of Accountancy),
The conference was attended by the
administrators, faculty members, junior and
senior students, and invited guests from various
accounting schools and firms in the country.
III/Solvency, Financial Stability
Dodd-Frank, and FATCA.
Board,
UST partners with IP Office, US Embassy
to educate students on dangers of counterfeit meds
T
o raise awareness on the issues hounding
public health and medication, the
University of Santo Tomas (UST) Office
for Research and Innovation held a half-day
educational training for medical, nursing, and
pharmacy students on the Dangers of Counterfeit
Medicines last November 6 at the Thomas
Aquinas Research Complex Auditorium, UST
campus.
UST Vice-Rector for Research and
Innovation Prof. Maribel G. Nonato, Ph.D.
opened the event, together with Intellectual
Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPhl)
Director General Atty. Ricardo R. Blancaflor
and US Embassy in Manila economic officer
Mr. Brian Breuhaus. Assoc. Prof. Michaal Jorge
Peralta, Executive Assistant for Intellectual
Property and Research of UST, served as master
of ceremonies.
IPOPhl Deputy Director General Atty.
Allan B. Gepty discussed the basics of intellectual
property, its role on economic growth, and the
effect of counterfeiting and piracy in hampering
January 2015 •
the country’s economic growth.
Food and Drug Administration Product
Vigilance Unit officer-in-charge Ms. Maria
Victoria P. Calub, meanwhile, lectured on the
impact of counterfeit medications on public
health.
Calub strongly advised students to be
vigilant and to educate their parents and families
on the dangers posed by fake medicines.
Tackling the international perspective of
the dangers of counterfeit medicine was US
Department of Homeland Security Attaché Mr.
Ransom J. Avilla.
Avila emphasized that patients and
consumers who patronize counterfeit medicines
are the primary victims of health risks.
The event, organized in cooperation
with IPOPhl and the US Embassy in Manila,
concluded with an open forum.
From left: Avilla, Calub, and Gepty answer questions
during the open forum.
61
LECTURES&CONFERENCES
Education, UST HS co-organize Symposium
for Teachers
T
he College of Education
and UST High School,
through
Dr.
Allan
B. de Guzman as program
convenor, co-organized a
symposium
for
teachers,
inviting Prof. Deborah Jan
Henderson, Ph.D., of the
School of Curriculum, Faculty
of Education, Queensland
University of Technology,
Brisbane, Australia as resource
speaker. Henderson talked
about developing critical
thinking in the curriculum and
the scholarship of teaching.
The symposium, held at the
UST High School Auditorium,
was participated in by faculty
members of the UST College
of Education and the UST
High School including preservice teachers, secondary
and tertiary faculty members
from the Philippine Normal University, University of
Makati, Sienna College, Dominican School and Letrán
College.
From left: Dr. De Guzman, High School Principal Assoc. Prof. Tropicales, Dr.
Henderson, and UST High School Regent Fr. Jannel N. Abogado, O.P.
Prof. Clarita Carillo, Ph.D. Vice Rector for
Academic Affairs, in her opening remarks, stressed that
teachers in the 21st century are challenged to equip the
learners with the skill of processing and making sense
of the huge amount of information they are confronted
with, and to put the learner at the center stage as they
take the role of being a silent mastermind.
Interestingly, Henderson for her part emphasized
that developing critical thinking in the curriculum is
highly feasible regardless of students’ background and
learning histories, through a well-prepared national
curriculum that is best implemented by quality teacher
programs characterized by a reflective practice and
genuine mentoring among faculty members hand in
hand with the creative leadership skills among school
leaders. This was concretized by a video presentation
among three different Australian schools with varying
community background and profile.
The pre-service teachers and in-service teachers
were reminded that teacher quality, which includes the
necessary professional knowledge of the standards,
professional practice and engagement such as peer
teaching, is the most single factor that affect students’
62
learning. Additionally, they were challenged
to be morally and ethically committed to
the welfare of students, earning their respect
through mastery of content knowledge and
consistent manifestation of their care for their
learners by engaging them as critical thinkers.
Dr. De Guzman, program
convenor explains a point
to Dr. Henderson, and
Vice Rector for Academic
Affairs Dr. Carillo prior to
the symposium.
• January 2015
LECTURES&CONFERENCES
I
HRD Learning Sessions held
n its aim to prepare the support staff for the eventuality
of retirement, the UST Human Resource Department
(HRD) held learning sessions on August 28 and
September 11 and 24, 2014.
secretaries participated in the learning session on ‘Stress
Management’ on September 11. It aimed to develop
among the participants the appropriate skill and attitude
to better understand their work environment.
In the ‘Twilight Pep Program’ held last August
28, employees aged 55 and above were prepared for
retirement and were given a lecture in staying healthy and
keeping a good attitude.
Guidance counselors Ms. Analene Atillo-Bala, Ms.
Maria Agnes B. Bonifacio, and Ms. Neriza G. Pineda
discussed matters on stress management
HRD collaborated with the College of Rehabilitation
Sciences to provide expertise on the topics: Falls in the
Elderly by Assoc. Prof. Donald S. Lipardo, Caring for
the Back by Ms. Jordan Barbra P. Nava, Volunteerism:
Life after Retirement by Ms. Cherry May A. Gabuyo,
Osteoarthritis in the Elderly by Mr. Donald G. Manlapaz,
and, ABCs of Wellness, by Ms. Andrea Marie H. Pera.
In partnership with the UST Guidance and
Counseling Department, 11 office assistants and 13 office
On September 24, a learning session titled
‘Effective Leadership in Supervision’ was given to 17
office supervisors. The session aimed to provide the
participants with a clearer understanding of their role
as supervisors to enable them to determine motivational
techniques that will make people do their work more
effectively.
Assoc. Prof. Maria Vida G. Caparas, Ph.D. of the
Faculty of Arts and Letters served as facilitator of the
session.
Alipao, Victoria present works in National Confabs on
Disaster
A
sst. Prof. Froilan A. Alipao,
program coordinator of the
UST Simbahayan Community
Development Office and Ms. Jasmin
A. Victoria of the same Office,
presented a poster and paper with a
title Partnership and Engagement:
A Journey of the Immaculate
Conception Parish (Batan, Aklan) and
University of Santo Tomas Towards
Disaster
Resilient
Communities
during the Third National Climate
Conference held on September 25,
2014 at the Traders Hotel Manila and
at the Philippine Sociological Society
(PSS) Conference held from October
16 to 18, 2014 at the Mindanao
State University General Santos City,
respectively.
Organized by the National
Academy of Science and Technology,
Philippines and the Department of
Science and Technology in partnership
with OML Center, the Climate
Conference was aimed at discussing,
developing, and promoting response
to climate-related risks and disasters.
January 2015 •
Moreover, it provided venue for
Filipino experts in the field of hard and
social sciences to share and discuss
their scientific results and findings.
In response to the impact of
typhoon Yolanda in the Visayan region,
Alipao and Victoria’s presentation
focused on the on-going rehabilitation
efforts of the University of Santo
Tomas through the Simbahayan
Community Development Office
in partnership with the Immaculate
Conception Parish of Batan, Aklan.
Moreover, the study emphasized the
development processes and programs
in Barangay Ipil Batan, Aklan
especially, in aspects of household
recovery, community organizing, and
livelihood.
The PSS Conference is the
annual gathering of members of the
sociological community from the
different parts of the country, as well
as from abroad. This year’s theme
centered on “Crises, Resiliency,
and Community: Sociology in the
Asst. Prof. Alipao and Ms. Victoria speak during the Philippine
Sociological Society (PSS) Conference at the Mindanao State
University in General Santos City
Age of Disasters”.
During the
conference, participants exchanged
research findings, methodological and
theoretical insights, and even probable
solutions in overcoming problems
and issues arising from disasters and
crises.
63
ARTS&CULTURE
From left: Irene Marcos Araneta, UST Archivist José, NAP Executive Director Manalo,
Rev. Fr. Dagohoy, O.P., National Commissioner on Cultural Heritage Fr. Harold
Rentoria, O.S.A., Fr. Fidel Villarroel, O.P., NCCA Chair Dr. Felipe de Leon, Jr. and
Executive Director of Union Bank Maria Gonzales Goolsby.
José (extreme left) Fr. Rentoria (seventh from left) and Manalo with the staff of the
National Archives of the Philippines.
UST Baybayin documents declared
National Cultural Treasures;
National Archives unveils marker
T
he National Archives of the
Philippines (NAP) unveiled a
marker declaring two baybayin
documents at the University of Santo
Tomas (UST) Archives as National
Cultural Treasures at the UST Miguel
de Benavides Library on November
13, 2014, affirming the University’s
relevant role in the history and culture
of the Philippines.
It was the first time that the NAP
declared a National Cultural Treasure as
well as the first for a paper document.
NAP Executive Director Victorino
Mapa Manalo and National Artist for
Literature Virgilio Almario joined
UST Rector Rev. Fr. Herminio V.
Dagohoy, O.P. and UST Archivist Prof.
Regalado Trota José in showing the
historical marker to the public. National
Commission for Culture and the Arts
Chair Felipe de Leon, Jr. also graced the
event.
UST’s
baybayin
documents,
which are two deeds of sale of land,
64
give a glimpse of life and commerce in
the 17th-century Manila.
The documents are the fifth objects
found in the UST campus to be declared
National Cultural Treasures; the four
others are the Main Building, Arch
of the Centuries, Central Seminary
building, and UST’s open spaces. UST
is the lone school in the country to have
National Cultural Treasures.
From left: Manalo, de Leon, Fr. Dagohoy, O.P., and José at the
unveiling of the marker
A National Cultural Treasure “is a
unique object found locally, possessing
outstanding historical, cultural, artistic,
and/or scientific value which is
significant and important to this country
and nation.” It is the highest recognition
given to a Philippine object or artifact.
Due to their fragility, the documents
are stored at the UST Archives and
are unavailable for public viewing.
Replicas, however, may be viewed at
the Archives’ office on the fifth floor of
the UST Miguel de Benavides Library.
From left: UST Prefect of Libraries Fr. Angel Aparicio, O.P., former
UST Archivist Fr. Fidel Villaroel, O.P., Fr. Rentoria, OSA
• January 2015
ARTS&CULTURE
Marian images in Filipino-Spanish interior showcased
at UST Central Seminary
I
n line with the Year of the Laity, where Mary is the Lay
Faithful par excellence, the UST Theological Society
mounted an exhibit, showcasing 15 Marian images with
acclaimed traditional devotion in the Philippines, from October
27 to 29, 2014 at the Rector’s Hall of the UST Central Seminary.
Titled “Inang Maria: Ilaw ng Tahanan,” the exhibit was
also an enthusiastic response to the Synod of the Family held at
the Vatican City wherein the Blessed Mother served as model in
the “pastoral challenges of the family.”
The Marian images, some of which are made of ivory,
provide a mild catechesis as a way of evangelization in the postmodern time.
“We want to put back, to re-emphasize, to re-evangelize the
time when each of the Filipino Family home had a tradition of
prayer,” UST Theological President Sem. Christian Dale Dakila
said.
Most Rev. Teodoro Bacani, D.D., Bishop Emeritus of
Novaliches, and UST Seminary Vice Rector Fr. Roberto
Luanzon, Jr. O.P. opened the exhibit, which was attended by
priests, seminarians, faculty members, and members of the
Marian Movement for Priests.
One of the distinguished guests was Mrs. Anna Maria
Most. Rev Bacani, D.D., and Fr. Luanzon, Jr. O.P. lead the opening of the exhibit. They
are assisted by Sem. Dakila and Sem. Justy
“Bambi” Harper, founder of the Heritage Conservation Society of the
Philippines and the former president of the Museum Foundation of the
Philippines. She talked about the challenges of the Filipino family and the
Marian devotion in the 21st century.
A solemn Mass concluded the activity at the UST chapel with Bishop
Bacani as presider and preacher.
History Graduate School students
conduct cultural heritage mapping in Polillo, Quezon
A
group of six history students from the UST Graduate School led by Department of History Chair
Assoc. Prof. Augusto V. de Viana, Ph.D. conducted a cultural mapping seminar-workshop in
the municipality of Polillo, Quezon Province from November 29 to December 1, 2014.
The seminar-workshop which had the theme “Useful History: Local and Oral History Through
Heritage Conservation” was held in cooperation with the local government of Polillo and the UST
Department of History. Its aim was to assist the local government in identifying material and nonmaterial cultural heritage items and the promotion of historical and cultural awareness in the locality.
The activity was the first step to the formulation of a cultural and tourism plan in Polillo.
De Viana delivers his keynote speech.
During the three-day seminar workshop De Viana gave a keynote address and conducted
a lecture on conducting local history and updating historical research, followed by discussions
by graduate students. Mr. Dexter John Ramos, talked on “Teaching Cultural History Subjects in
Philippine Schools”; Ms. Delillah R. Labajom discussed the process of cultural mapping; Mr. Antonio
H. Salumbides, spoke on the history of Polillo based on Spanish documents; Prof. Aldrine Guevarra,
discussed a local industry centering on the origin and development of the Baliwag buntal hat; and
Prof. Salvador M. Evardone, gave a lecture on “Mooring of the Aetas in Sitio Gala, Zambales: A
Structuration Analysis.
Meanwhile, De Viana was invited to serve as guest of honor and speaker on the commemorative
program honoring the life and times of Katipunan Supremo Andres Bonifacio. He delivered a talk on
the theme “Pambayang Kasaysayan at Kabayanihan tungo sa Kaunlaran.”
January 2015 •
65
ARTS&CULTURE
OFF THE PRESS
Home of the Ashfall
John Jack G. Wigley
S
taying true to its reputation as the National Book and Development Board and the Manila
Critics Circle’s 2012 Publisher of the Year, the UST Publishing House, also known as the
academic press of choice of the country’s scholars and literary writers, releases its new
offerings on various genres — poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and literary criticism — for
the last quarter of 2014:
From the Major Arcana
Ralph Semino Galán
Home of the Ashfall is another delightful
and engaging read from John Jack Wigley,
who gave us Falling into the Manhole. In
her introduction to the book, prizewinning
writer Marjorie Evasco says of this recent
collection of humorous stories: “[Home
of the Ashfall] does not only continue the
author’s exploration of memory’s hidden
layers, but also moves deeper down, almost
touching bedrock. However, more than the
deftly rendered humor in his narratives, Jack
Wigley’s insights—drawn from his keen
empirical observation of himself and others
in given situations—go deep into the human
core in all of us, our exasperating, endearing
imperfections. As Wigley’s stories exemplify
and evoke, we could rekindle the embers that
light up the maze of memory. And we could
track our way back to the core inhabited by
the hopeful aspect of the persons we are: not
perfect, but totally vulnerable to its human
possibility.”
A veritable treat of the visual and the verbal arts
welcomes the reader of Ralph Semino Galán’s newest
poetry collection, From the Major Arcana, with
illustrations by renowned painter Wilfredo Offemaria,
Jr., Galán uses each of the twenty-two cards of the Major
Arcana of the tarot as springboard for a specific theme
in mind, things like the dirty politics of the country, the
complications of homosexual love, the ugly faces of
injustice, among others.
HIWATIG: Pagsipat sa mga Tekstong
Poetiko at Popular
Romulo P. Baquiran, Jr.
Like A Shadow That Only Fits A Figure Of Which It Is
Not The Shadow
Cesar Ruiz Aquino
Poet and translator Romulo P. Baquiran, Jr.,
is considered one of the prolific writers of
his generation, and acclaimed for engaging
in various literary genres. In his most
recent collection of essays, Baquiran is a
literary critic who covers topics and issues
in the arts, humanities, and popular culture.
He uses as objects of study popular TV
advertisements, radio commercials, films,
and poetry dating from two decades back
until the present.
Fellow critic Rolando Tolentino commends
Baquiran’s contribution to popular culture:
“Mahalagang kontribusyon ang mga
kritikal na sanaysay dahil may pagtataya
sa substansasyon ng panitikang pambansa
na dinamiko, pasulong at mapagpalaya, at
sa kulturang popular na mga panibagong
arena ang tinutumbok ng susing pansinóads
ng radyo at print, kabataang pelikula. At
tulad ng mabuting kritiko’t historyador,
buhay at binubuhay ni Baquiran ang
naunang mga texto para susing mailatag
ang predikamento ng kasalukuyan, nang sa
gayon ay mas may linaw ang tanglaw sa
kolektibong hinaharap.”
66
The reader’s pleasure of the poems will of course be
incomplete in this case without Offemaria’s beguiling
illustrations, which leave the work doubly enriched in a
surfeit of talents. Offemaria completely reimagines the
Major Arcana by giving it a Filipino interpretation, with
the Fool as Juan Tamad, the Hierophant looking like
the typical Filipino archbishop, the priestess, a native
babaylan, among others. Care has been observed so that
the Offemaria’s drawings will not unfairly suffer from
technical issues due to being placed side to side with
Galán’s verses.
Known for his word plays and “frisky, unfettered
experimentation of the literary art,” Nick Joaquin
Literary Awards Poet of the Year Cesar Ruiz Aquino
offers, after Caesuras, another collection of some oneline verses, haikus, non-traditional sonnets, and free
verse poems. Aquino’s experimental approach to poetry
lies mainly in his appropriation of daily expressions—
sometimes slang—and whimsical enjambments.
We Who Cannot Be Daughters
Clarissa V. Militante
Long-listed in the 2009 Man Asia Literary Prize, Clarissa
Militante’s first novel tells the story of Elena Tacio who
was supposed to have started her family’s curse: The
mothers would not be real mothers and the daughters
cannot be daughters, as the mother dies upon giving
birth to a daughter. The story spans several generations,
and uses as backdrop the Spanish occupation then later
the Japanese occupation. The characters’ destinies are
revealed to them in dreams, and their transgressions are
committed because they choose to submit themselves to
what their dreams reveal to them. And since they never
meet, their understanding of their past is doomed to be
fragmented.
• January 2015
LECTURES&CONFERENCES
ARTS&CULTURE
USTPH continues to reap awards,
launches new titles
T
he University of Santo Tomas
Publishing House (USTPH)—whose
titles have won three Gintong Aklat
Awards and three National Book Awards in
2014—continues to release notable works
through recent individual book launches.
A double book launch was held during
the 2014 MANILArt Fair at SM AuraTaguig on October 18, 2014 to release Kritik/
Critique, a seminal anthology on literary and
arts criticism edited by Oscar V. Campomanes
of the UST Graduate School, and From the
Major Arcana, the second poetry collection
of Ralph Semino Galán, who teaches at the
Faculty of Arts and Letters. Kritik/Critique
is composed of contributions by fellows of
the The J. Elizalde Navarro workshop, which
is annually organized by The Varsitarian.
Meanwhile, the poems in From the Major
Arcana are visually rendered in beautiful
black-and-white illustrations of renowned
Thomasian artist Wilfredo Offemaria, Jr.
Paubaya by Joselito Delos Reyes
Award-winning poet Joselito D.
Delos Reyes, a faculty member at the UST
Faculty of Engineering, launched his first
poetry collection, Paubaya, on November
5, 2014 at the Tanghalang Teresita Quirino,
Benavides Bldg., UST, during the forum
titled “Talinhaga at Siste,” co-organized by
the UST Center for Creative Writing and
Literary Studies (CCWLS).
In this collection, the conflict in
expressions cannot be translated in the
analogy of the exact poetic images. Analogies
were accomplished by the recorded
experiences, sometimes with the limited
use of metaphor, obviously to show their
January 2015 •
real form and expression in crisis on a daily
basis, and the common, may well be the truth.
Readers were also granted the right to decide
what is the truth based on circumstances
presented by the poet.
of a grant from the National Commission
for Culture and the Arts that chronicled
the development of interior design in the
Philippines and its unique role in building the
Filipino culture.
Delos Reyes’ strength as a writer lies in
his ability to make the most obtuse concepts
relatable, and more so in his ability to fuse
poetic meditations with social commentary
that is interjected with humor. His comedic
timing is rightly called a gift; hence, he
was named 2013 Makata ng Taon by the
Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino.
Group book launch
More books were also launched during
the National Book Store 2014 Literary
Festival on October 23, 2014 at the Raffles
Hotel in Makati, which included Jose Marte
A. Abueg’s Hidden Codex: Fictive Scriptures,
Carlomar Arcangel Daoana’s Loose Tongue,
Andrea Pasion-Flores’ For Love and Kisses,
Clarissa Villasin Militante’s We Who Cannot
Be Daughters, and Jing Montealegre’s The
Coconut Republic. Titles were sold during
the event, and the authors signed copies after
talking a little bit about their works.
Cuaresma by Anril Pineda Tiatco
Playwright and Theatre Studies scholar
Sir Anril P. Tiatco launched his Cuaresma:
Isang Dulang Ganap ang Haba on October
15, 2014 at the Tanghalang Teresita Quirino,
Benavides Building, UST, during the roundtable discussion on the state of contemporary
Philippine theater titled “Ang Teatro sa
Pilipinas sa Bagong Milenyo,” co-organized
by the UST Center for Creative Writing and
Literary Studies. The work is a full-length
play based on Jose Rizal’s unfinished novel
Makamisa, and was first performed at the
Thomas Aquinas Research Center as part of
UST’s Quadricentennial festivities. Here,
Tiatco successfully reinvents the characters
from the novel into his own vision of what
Philippine society was and remains to be, thus,
evoking an empowering conversation among
writers, directors, cast and the audience.
Interior Design in the Philippines
Raquel Baltazar-Florendo, a respected
practitioner in the field of interior design,
launched a seminal reference on the subject,
Interior Design in the Philippines: A
Retrospect of Spaces and Culture, on October
14, 2014 at Powerbooks, Greenbelt 4, Ayala
Center, Makati, in honor of her co-author’s
first death anniversary, the esteemed Ms.
Edith Oliveros, who founded the Philippine
School of Interior Design. The book, crafted
to become a supplementary material for
students of interior design, is the result
Lucid Lightning by Jose Victor Peñaranda
Jose Victor Peñaranda launched his
latest collection of poetry and prose, Lucid
Lightning, as part of the 57th Philippine
PEN National Conference on December 2,
2014 at the Henry Sy, Sr. Hall, De La Salle
University, Manila.
The collection was the product of
Peñaranda’s spiritual explorations in Bhutan
when he lived there for four years, working
for its government’s Planning Commission
and the then Ministry of Agriculture.
He narrates that, among others, the
role of the Bhutanese government is to
create the conditions for the enlightenment
of the individual, and his first attempt at
understanding this is to look at the Bhutanese
culture through the prism of Buddhism.
Peñaranda’s pieces halt its readers’
instinctive impulse of filling such “empty”
moments. Instead, they are taught to enjoy
the absence of things, to marvel at the “the
sacrament of the moment.”
67
ARTS&CULTURE
USTingan 2014: Palanca winners, UST Writing Center
discuss state of Philippine theater
From left: Wigley, Pichay, Tiatco,
Vera, Magtoto, Hidalgo, Pascual,
Galan, and Alvarez.
T
he UST Center for Creative Writing
and Literary Studies, in cooperation
with the UST Publishing House, held
an “USTingan” on the state of contemporary
Philippine theater on October 15, 2014 at
the Tanghalang Teresita Quirino, Benavides
Building, UST.
“USTingan” is a regular informal
gathering of writers, teachers, students, and
lovers of literature, who discuss topics of
contemporary interest—writing, publishing,
and popular—in a roundtable discussion.
Titled “Ang Teatro sa Pilipinas sa
Milenyo,” the gathering focused on the state
of Philippine theater in this new millennium
plagued with all sorts of catastrophes and
cataclysms with featured playwrights theater
practitioners Rody Vera, Nicolas B. Pichay,
Liza Magtoto, and Sir Anril Tiatco as guests.
Vera is a playwright, actor, theater
director, and screenwriter, who has written
nearly fifty plays, both original and adaptations
for the Philippine stage. He won a number of
awards, notably, the Palanca Hall of Fame and
accolades from international film festivals.
He currently heads the Writer’s Bloc and one
of the key founders of the Virgin Labfest, an
annual theater festival of new works for the
stage.
Meanwhile, Pichay is a lawyer by
profession who gained a number of awards and
68
recognition as a playwright, poet, screenwriter
and translator. He was inducted into the
Palanca Hall of Fame after winning his fifth
first prize for his full-length play “Tres Ataques
de Corazon” in 2007.
Pichay
A playwright and freelance scriptwriter,
an active senior member and artist-teacher of
the Philippine Educational Theater Association
(PETA), and a member of The Writer’s Bloc,
Magtoto is a Palanca honoree for her play
Despedida de Soltera, Agnoia, and Paigan.
Her recent works include “Rak of Aegis,”
“Rated PG,” “Care Divas,” the TV comedy
series “Camera Café,” and the films “Sta.
Nina,” and “David F.”
Tiatco, teaches at the UP Department
of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts,
and is currently the Director of UP Diliman
Information Office. He earned his Ph.D. in
Theatre Studies from the National University
of Singapore and is the author of the Palancaprize winning full-length play “Miss Dulce
Extranjera o ang Paghahanap kay Miss B,”
“Entablado: Theatres and Performances in the
Philippines,” and the forthcoming “Performing
Catholicism: Faith and Ambivalence in a
Philippine Province.”
Following roundtable discussion was
the launch of Tiatco’s Palanca prize-winning
play “Cuaresma,” the stage adaptation of Jose
Rizal’s third and unfinished novel “Makamisa,”
by the UST Publishing House.
Tiatco
Vera
• January 2015
ARTS&CULTURE
“K
Future Thomasian writers meet seasoned
counterparts in Varsitarian’s
10th Creative Writing Workshop
NOWLEDGE of certain conventions are important
before venturing creative freedom in writing”,
premier poets and fictionists reminded the fellows
of The Varsitarian’s 10th Creative Writing Workshop held on
Sept. 13 and 14, 2014 at the Tan Yan Kee building.
In a round-table discussion, Palanca-winning poets Allan
Pastrana, Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta and Carlomar Daoana
emphasized the unwritten rules of poetry that need to be
followed even in free writing.
“Writing poetry also has restraints. By writing it, you are
trying to restrain yourself,” said Katigbak.
Daoana echoed Katigbak and warned the writers against
wordy contexts. “Beware of excesses. Too many metaphors,
even literal images, tend to reiterate what has already been
said,” he said.
Añonueva (left) and Nadera (right) discuss Tula, the last session of the workshop.
Rebecca Añonuevo,Ph.D., Vim Nadera,Ph.D., and Filipino
fictionist Beverly Siy, panelists for the Tula category, stressed
the importance of simplicity and the basic understanding of
writing.
“Mahalaga sa tula ang timbang ng salita,” said Nadera,
an award-winning writer and founder of Gawad Ustetika.
Acclaimed Filipino poet Rebecca Añonuevo said the
length of a literary work is important in determining its quality.
“Ang isang tinitingnan natin sa tula ay ang haba o ikli
[nito,]” Añonuevo. “Ang tula ay may katangiang maging
masinop—hindi ka puwedeng mag-aksaya, dapat siksik ang
[bawat] salita,” she said.
On the first day of the workshop, UP professor Francezca
Kwe, Philippines Free Press editor Angelo “Sarge” Lacuesta
and UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies
resident John Jack Wigley shared their expertise in writing
fiction.
According to Lacuesta, it is necessary that writers create
characters that are “alive” and not distant, for readers to clearly
understand the messages they wish to convey.
“Story-telling should ‘show and not tell,’” stressed multiawarded fictionist Jun Cruz Reyes, who, along with Palanca
awardee Eros Atalia and 2013 Makata ng Taon awardee Joselito
Delos Reyes mentored the fellows in Katha, one of the four
categories of the Workshop.
“It is important that the characters are known to the core
by their creator so that when it is read by people, they would be
as authentic and real as they are, instead of being just creatures
out of words,” said Reyes.
January 2015 •
Fellows seated around the panelists for Fiction, (from left) Palanca winners Allan Pastrana, Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta, and Carlomar Daoana.
Delos Reyes added that in molding firm characters, writers
should not be confined to a convention.
“They should explore as many possibilities and tendencies
they could think of in creating them; they should at the end,
however, settle for what they really want and ultimately enrich its
identity,” he said.
The Creative Writing Workshop, formerly called the Fiction
Workshop, is held annually to hone young Thomasian writers and
prepare them for the Gawad Ustetika, the University’s annual
literary derby, also organized by The Varsitarian.
This year’s fellows were UST students Erika Mariz Cunanan,
Brenda Grifon, Monica Leira Sasi, Marianne Nono, Paulo Miguel
Gabuat, George Deoso, Genefrans De Jesus, John Louise Sahagun,
Maria Crisanta Paloma, Jan Reitchelle Atanacio, Aimee Cando,
and Jan Dennis Destajo. The 12 fellows were chosen by the
panelists based on an estimate of 135 literary pieces submitted for
the following categories: Fiction, Katha, Poetry and Tula.
69
ARTS&CULTURE
T
UST Writing Center launches two titles
he UST Center for Creative Writing
and Literary Studies, in cooperation
with the UST Publishing House and the
National Book Development Board (NBDB)
launched two books authored by its resident
fellows Assoc. Prof. Ralph Semino Galán
and Mr. Joselito de los Reyes in an event
billed as “Talinghaga sa Siste” on November
5, 2014 at the Tanghalang Teresita Quirino,
Benavides Building, UST.
From the Major Arcana contains
Galan’s poetic contemplations and reflections
on Tarot cards, which one writer described
as “inter-semiotic translations” of the cards.
These poems are accompanied by pen-andink drawings by Thomasian artist Wilfredo
Offemaria, Jr.
Dumaguete-based Poet Cesar Ruiz
Aquino described the book as “an inspired
collection that moves from the dream (the
tarot’s) to dream (the poet’s) to dream (the
reader’s).”
Dr. Gémino H. Abad, UP University
Professor Emeritus, also wrote: “From poem
to poem where a symbolic figure From the
Major Arcana bears the oracle, Ralph Semino
Galán speaks in simple diction rooted in our
contemporary scene of the hidden poetry
unraveling in word and in deed everywhere.”
Paubaya is the latest book by De los
Reyes, winner of the Makata ng Taon from
the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) and
UST’s Gawad Albertus Magnus.
Multi-awarded
poet
and
KWF
Commissioner Jerry B. Gracio said it is
humor that triumphs in the collection, “ang
From left: De la Rosa, Galan, de los Reyes, Hidalgo and Wigley.
masayang pagtingin sa mga bagay, relasyon,
at pangyayari gaano man ito kaselan.” He
adds that the reader is enjoined to laugh at
himself, while enduring present conditions,
“kung kailan kailangan. Dahil iyon ang
kailangan.”
Writing Center Director Prof. Emeritus
Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, Ph.D. announced
that the event marked the beginning of the
center’s new program designed to foreground
the publication of new works by its resident
fellows and associates.
According to Hidalgo, the center’s
publication of works will help raise awareness
of the University’s rich literary resources
among students and the rest of the Thomasian
community.
CFAD prof bags
photography award
in New York
C
ollege of Fine Arts and Design photography
professor Mr. Ruston Banal received an award in
the prestigious International Photography Awards
held at the Carnegie Hall in New York last November 2,
2014.
Mr. Banal’s entry “Kuraldal”, depicts Kapampangan
70
“This afternoon we celebrate our own,”
Hidalgo said.
In the same event, the two authors held
a short lecture: Galán on “Metaphor and
Mystery: Poetry and the Tarot and De los
Reyes’ on “Anatomiya ng Siste.”
The program concluded with a message
from NBDB Deputy Executive Director De
la Rosa. The NBDB has been supporting the
Center’s initiatives and collaborating with it
in several projects.
Last
year,
NBDB’s
Philippine
International Literary Festival billed as
“Text and the City,” opened in the UST
campus. religious and cultural practice, landed on
first place and got an honorable mention
for the overall category in the IPA.
The IPA, which drew 20,000 entries
from various countries, is considered as
the “Oscars” in the world of photography.
While in New York, Mr. Banal
received an invitation to the Moscow
International Foto Awards (MIFA), a
leg of IPA in Russia. His “Kuraldal”
and “Malasimbo” will be included in an
exhibition in 2015.
Banal
• January 2015
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
IPEA adopts communites in Laguna, Bulacan
T
he Institute of Physical Education and Athletics (IPEA)
adopted Barangay Buenavista in Nagcarlan, Laguna as its first
partner community in pursuit of its community development
program.
The barangay, which comprises 88 homes that shelter 104
families, was affected by typhoon Glenda in 2014. The Thomasian
community donated 104 packs of assorted goods that were turned
over to the barangay captain Anelyn A. Autho.
learning materials for SBES pupils; and “Slippers Project,” Mr.
Timmy Chiong, manager of the men’s basketball donated 308
slippers for SBES pupils.
Mr. Teodoro de la Peña and Asst. Prof. Apolonia supervised
the projects.
Community development coordinator Asst. Professor Marcelita
Apolonia led the project.
Meanwhile, by virtue of a Memorandum of Understanding
signed between IPEA Director Fr. Ermito de Sagon, O.P., and Mr.
Celestino Villafuerte, community extension activities in Sitio Buga
Elementary School (SBES) in Hagonoy, Bulacan, were implemented
by IPEA.
SBES, which is composed of 308 pupils, 10 teachers, a
barangay health worker, benefited from the following projects:
“Piso Mo Pang Register Ko,” where IPEA faculty members and
students were able to raise P3,200 for the membership fee of Star
Scout and Kab Scout of SBES pupils; “Libro Mo Kaalaman Ko,”
where IPEA gathered hundreds of second-hand books as additional
Prior to distribution 308 slippers are arranged to form the letters “UST.”
English Department
teaches language skills in Navotas
T
he UST Department of English conducted an outreach program in
Navotas from August 24 to October 26, 2014.
The outreach program, led by Department Chair Dr. Camilla J.
Vizconde and Assoc. Prof. Ma. Rosario R. Aranda as assigned head,
had for its mission the following: To teach Kapitbahayan Elementary
School teachers macro skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing, and
researching in English; to teach Korean sister missionaries how to listen,
speak, read, and write in English and Filipino; and to train lectors and
commentators of the San Lorenzo Church on how to articulate properly.
The project was effected through coordinations with Rev. Fr. Larry
Singian, O.P., parish priest of the San Lorenzo Parisg in Navotas.
Two faculty members from the University volunteered in the
program.
January 2015 •
71
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
Writing Center conducts outreach seminar
in Southern Luzon State University
T
he UST Center for Creative Writing
and Literary Studies conducted a oneday teaching and writing seminar on
November 23, 2014 at the Southern Luzon
State University (SLSU) in Lucban, Quezon
Province.
Dubbed “Keys to Teaching Writing
Creatively: A Vehicle to a Wider Writing
Competency,” the seminar featured the
Writing Center’s director and five of its
resident fellows, who talked about various
aspects related to teaching pedagogy and
creative writing.
Writing Center Director Prof. Emeritus
Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, Ph.D., opened the
series of lecture with the topic “Creative
Writing as a Lifelong Career.” It was followed
by a lecture from Assoc. Prof. Ralph Semino
Galán, the Center’s senior resident fellow and
deputy director, on teaching and writing lyric
poetry, and a talk by UST Publishing House
Director Assoc. Prof. John Jack G. Wigley,
Ph.D., , also a resident fellow, about creative
nonfiction.
In the afternoon session, resident fellow
and executive secretary to the UST Rector
Assoc. Prof. Augusto Antonio A. Aguila,
Ph.D., tackled teaching and writing short
stories, while resident fellow Mr. Chuckberry
Pascual discussed the conventions of the
drama both as a reading course and a creative
writing course. Asst. Prof. Joselito B. Zulueta,
the Center’s resident and publications adviser
of UST’s official student paper the Varsitarian,
focused on campus paper advising.
The event, which served secondary and
tertiary teachers and education majors of the
Lucban-Tayabas nexus, was organized by
resident fellow and Lucban resident de los
Reyes, and was incorporated into the annual
Planning and Teambuilding Seminar of the
UST CCWLS. Able assistance was provided
by SLSU’s Language Society and UST
Theology faculty member Mr. Bernard June
R. Babierra, another Lucban resident.
Science ComDev in Bataan:
Sharing how to teach Creative Science lessons
T
he UST College of Science in
coordination with the UST Simbahayan
Community Development held its
‘Community Development Day: Galing
Science! Galing Bataan!’ in Samal, Bataan
on October 17, 2014 to benefit the teachers
and students of F.C. del Rosario Elementary
School and Palili Public Elementary School,
Samal, Bataan.
The entire team filled three buses
composed of Science administrators,
teachers, students, and staff. They took their
time out of their regular daily routine to hold
alternative classes on creative science and
conduct trainings for teachers.
Teaching creative science lessons and
projects by using modules was made possible
through the concerted efforts of the different
student organizations. The modules were:
‘Knowing Your Body’ (Dance Troupe), ‘Ating
Katawan, Ating Kayamanan’ (Psychology
Society), ‘Konserbasyon at Pangangalaga sa
Kapaligiran’ (Glee Club), ‘Langit, Lupa, at
Tubig’ (Applied Physics Society), ‘Weather
Components and Instruments’ (Mathematical
72
Society), ‘The Changing Weather and Its
Disturbances’ (Drama and Debate Society),
‘Basic Organ Systems’ (Chemical Society),
‘Scientific Thinking and Practice’ (RCYC),
‘Wastong Kalinisan at Nutrisyon’ (Pax
Romana), ‘Five Senses’ (Scarlet), ‘Ang
Kapaligiran At Ang Iba’t Ibang Anyo ng Lupa’
(Microbiology Society), ‘Classification of
Plants and Animals’ (Community Achievers),
‘Layers of the Earth’ (COMELEC), and ‘pH
Bases and Acids’ (Rotaract).
For teacher training, the Science
faculty members trained the teachers
from the partner community on: ‘Kitchen
Chemistry’ (Chemistry), ‘Basic Computer
Training’ (Applied Physics), ‘K-12 Biology
Experiments Using Locally Available
Materials’ (Biology), and ‘The Psychology of
Sports’ (Psychology).
The recipients were likewise given free
lunch and sets of books aside from the student
and teacher training activities. Asst. Prof.
Cecilia Ann C. Pilapil is the UST Simbahayan
Community Development Coordinator for
the College of Science.
• January 2015
ALUMNI
Lolita Savage receives
‘Pamana ng Pilipino’ award from President Aquino
L
olita Valderrama-Savage, a graduate
of the UST Education High School
and the College of Fine Arts and
Design, received the prestigious Pamana
ng Pilipino award from President Benigno
S. Aquino, III, in auspicious ceremonies
held at the Malacañang Palace on
December 5, 2014 together with 32 other
individuals and groups, which were meant
to honor outstanding overseas Filipinos
and foreign-based organizations, among
the over 10 million Filipinos working or
living abroad.
Lolita Savage with President Aquino
after the awarding of the Pamana ng
Pilipino medallion.
C
Reflecting on the award, ValderramaSavage said, “My eight years at UST
were crucial to my formative years, which
defined the direction of my professional
career as an artist. When I exhibit my art
in different countries to foreign peoples, I
know I am carrying the reputation of UST
and the Philippines, my beloved country,
so I always give it my very best.”
Lolita Valderrama Savage graduated
from the Education High School in 1969
and earned a degree in Painting from the
then College of Architecture and Fine
Arts in 1973, now College of Fine Arts
and Design. After teaching briefly in
UST, she received a scholarship grant and
eventually earned her Licenza in Pittura in
Florence, Italy. She has since been based
in Florence and has held the distinction of
holding one-woman and joint exhibitions
all over the world, in places like the World
Economic Forum in Switzerland, Casa
di Dante Aleghieri and most recently, at
the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in Florence,
Italy.
In 2011, she was awarded the Totus
Tuus Award by the UST Education High
School and The Outstanding Thomasian
ALumni (TOTAL) Award for Visual Arts
by the University of Santo Tomas.
Dean Maravilla speaks at USTNAI Convention
ollege of Nursing Dean Susan N.
Maravilla, together with Fr. Julius
Paul C. Factora, O.P., Regent, Assoc.
Prof. Maria Corazon Olayres, president,
USTNAAI, and Ms. Nenita Cervantes,
Guidance Counselor, attended the University
of Santo Tomas Nursing Alumni Association
Inc. (USTNAI) 18th Annual Convention
and Leadership Summit held at Omni Los
Angeles Hotel, Los Angeles, USA.
During the general assembly, Dean
Maravilla gave a status report on the various
projects in the college funded by different
UST alumni chapters in America, the current
2014 alumni contributions that come in cash
and donations such as books, skills laboratory
equipment, and the long term plan for the
revitalization of the college’s facilities and
the recognition of the college’s best assetthe faculty. In the evening of the same day,
at the gala night, Dean Maravilla delivered
a speech before a big crowd composed of
January 2015 •
UST Nursing alumni, foreign guests and
Fil-Am benefactors. In her speech, she
stated, “This year’s theme “Celebration of
Nursing Heroism and Leadership” embodies
what a Thomasian nurse is – respected and
recognized by his/her peers as an excellent
leader in the nursing profession not only
because of his/her knowledge and skills
but also because of his/her exemplary work
ethics, professionalism and Catholic values
reflected in his/her genuine commitment and
service to man, country, and God.” Further,
she avers, “You may have taken different
paths in life after you left our Alma Mater,
but no matter what road you took, you
carried with you the values you have learned
from UST. I encourage every UST nursing
graduate to continue to be an inspiration
to our Thomasian community, to strive for
excellence and to attain even greater heights
in both professional and personal life.” She
ended her speech with this moving statement,
“Life is short and fleeting. Let us make new
memories that we would remember and recall
to comfort our hearts and souls”.
On the last day of the convention,
Rev. Fr. Factora, O.P., presided over the
Eucharistic celebration held at Bradbury
and Rose Room of the hotel. In his homily,
Fr. Factora emphasized, “the real reason
why we have this annual gathering is not
to recognize how great and enormous and
grand our accomplishments are. But we are
here today to recognize how humble and
genuine and sincere we have served the Lord
through the countless patients whom we have
encountered. Truly, touching other people’s
lives is an achievement and a success story
in itself”.
The Annual Convention and Leadership
Summit was organized by Ms. Edna De Leon,
president of the USTNAI and graduate of
1979.
73
ALUMNI
Arki graduates win in
KLM photo contest
T
wo Architecture alumni had
the opportunity to travel to
Amsterdam, the Netherlands last
January after winning in a photography
competition held in the Philippines on
December 2014.
Mr. Paul Quiambao (Batch 2012),
UST’s official lensman during its
Quadricentennial celebrations, and Mr.
Marc Henrich Go (Batch 2013), former
president of UST’s official photography
guild Fotomasino topped all entries in
the fifth season of “KLM on Assignment:
Amsterdam.”
The competition, which had for
its theme “Life at UST” challenged
photographers to tell a story through a
15-image photo essay through the use of
a range of photography disciplines and
by integrating various elements of travel
photography.
According to the Digital Photography
Philippines website, a partner of KLM
Royal Dutch Airlines in the contest,
UST was selected as subject because
the campus “provides the photographer
with a total photography challenge” and
that “UST has wonderful architecture,
a museum, and a strong community
74
Quiambao and Go in Amsterdam after winning in “KLM
on Assignment Amsterdam”, a photography competition.
of students who not just study but also
socialize in the many cafés and restaurants
around the University.”
Among Quiambao’s submitted
photographs were images of various
structures and interiors like the Main
Building, UST Chapel, Arch of the
Centuries, Benavides Statue, UST
Museum, the multi-deck carpark and faces
of students engaged in different activities.
An aerial shot of the entire campus was
also included in his photo story.
Quiambao’s award-winning entry of the UST Main Building.
Go, meanwhile, captured emotions
of Thomasian students during university
events like UST’s 400th year celebration,
the annual Paskuhan festivities, UAAP
tournaments, retreat, Christmas concert,
and graduation. A shot of the campus
while flooded was also shown in Go’s
collection.
In the past four years, KLM has sent
photographers to a designated European
city to produce world-class travel images,
which will be used for an international
travel story.
The contest opened on November
25, 2014 and finalists and winners were
announced on December 1, 2014.
Go’s shot of the Main Building that won for him the KLM competition.
• January 2015
UNIVERSITY
VISITORS
Rotaract Malaysia members
UST Public Affairs Director Assoc. Prof. Giovanna Fontanilla (sixth from
left, first row) together with the UST Rotaractors welcome Rotaract
members from Malaysia (second and third rows).
Indonesian scientist
Dr. Kustiriayah Tarman of Bogor Agricultural
University, Indonesia with the Vice-Rector for
Research and Innovation, Prof. Maribel Nonato,
Ph.D., and Prof. Thomas Edison E. de la Cruz, Ph.D.,
chair of the UST Biological Sciences Department
January 2015 •
75
UNIVERSITY
VISITORS
Fo Guang Shan Taiwan representatives
UST Public Affairs Director Prof. Fontanilla (center) welcomes
Venerable Yong Guang, Head Abyss of Fo Guang Shan, Taiwan (third
from left). With them are (from left) Venerable You Hong, Dr. Helen
Correa, Venerable Miao Jing, Institute of Religion faculty members,
Asst. Prof. Val Brillio and Asst. Prof. Philip Fuentes.
Paco Guerrero
(From left) Photographer Paco Guerrero with Mr.
Mariano Garchitorena of Manila Peninsula Hotel’s
Public Relations Manager with Assoc. Prof. Fontanilla.
76
• January 2015
BOARD TOPNOTCHERS
Physical Therapist Licensure Examination
February 2015
UST Passing Rate: 94.12%
National Passing Rate: 53.78%
3rd – 84.25%
Lianne Skye Quitzon
6th – 83.35%
Luigi Montoro
Architect Licensure Examination
January 2015
UST Passing Rate: 83.42%
National Passing Rate: 60.71%
1st – 84.80%
Christian Candolea
Reyes
6th – 82.70%
Shane Ann Manliclic
Estaris
6th – 82.70%
Andre Nicolas Pati
Alcantara
8th – 82.50%
Francis Michael Regondola
Padua
Civil Engineer Licensure Examination
December 2014
UST Passing Rate: 87.76%
National Passing Rate: 49.48%
3rd – 95.60%
Ricci Ryan Go Rojo
January 2015 •
77
BOARD
TOPNOTCHERS
Chemical Engineer Licensure Examination
November 2014
UST Passing Rate: 69.12%
National Passing Rate: 68.43%
2nd – 83.40%
Joseph John Jacinto
Liwanagan
7th – 82.80%
Francis Jessy Simangan
Liggayu
9th – 82.50%
William Timbre Macasero,Jr.
Interior Designer Licensure Examination
October 2014
UST Passing Rate: 52.33%
National Passing Rate: 59.82%
2nd – 85.85%
Lalaine Tibang
Nacionales
5th – 85.10%
Pinky Bauzon
Motwani
9th – 84.55%
Erika Katrina Francisco
Agcaoili
Psychometrician Licensure Examination
October 2014
UST Passing Rate: 81.91%
National Passing Rate: 39.29%
78
5th- 83.80%
Arteliz Sott
Puti
1st - 84.60%
Angeli Charmaine Cua
Tan
4th- 84.00%
Erika Mae Quiloan
Placido
4th- 84.00%
Sean Michael Payongayong
Orbigo
6th- 83.60%
Juhnelynn Cruz
Lanuza
9th- 83.00%
Mary Keziah Tornea
Rafol
9th- 83.00%
Dianara Badidles
Capito
• January 2015
BOARD
TOPNOTCHERS
Mechanical Engineer
Licensure Examination
Electronics Engineer
Licensure Examination
September 2014
October 2014
UST Passing Rate: 54.92%
National Passing Rate: 31.58%
UST Passing Rate: 92.03%
National Passing Rate: 77.06%
10th - 92.25%
Nico Andro Mateo Capiral
2nd - 90.60%
Harold Alexis Ang Lao
Chemist Licensure Examination
September 2014
UST Passing Rate: 78.26%
National Passing Rate: 59.72%
4th - 88.25%
Carlo Pefanco Andres
9th - 86.75%
Angelo Gabriel Encarnacion
Buenaventura
Philippine Institute of Industrial Engineers
Certification Board
November 2014
UST Passing Rate: 81.25%
National Passing Rate: 76.2%
7th – 78.73%
Bernard Lorenz B.
Refuerzo
January 2015 •
9th – 78.18%
Vincent I. Alejandrino
79
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• January 2015