The Varsitarian
Founded 1928
The Official student publicaTION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS
Vol. LXXXII, No. 3 • July 31, 2010
www.varsitarian.net
Manila, Philippines
Dismissed instructors sue UST officials
Photo courtesy of the UST SINGERS
CHOIR OF THE WORLD AGAIN. UST Singers rejoice as their conductor Prof. Fidel Calalang holds the Pavarotti Trophy. (See story on Page 2)
Union wins 15-year
court battle vs ex-prexy
By Charmaine M. Parado
Former union officials led
by lawyer Eduardo Mariño Jr.
have been ordered to return
millions of pesos in “illegal”
attorney’s fees obtained from
salary increases granted to
faculty members in 1992.
Implementing a July 7,
2009 Supreme Court decision,
the Department of Labor and
Employment (DOLE) issued
a writ of execution last June
16 ordering Mariño’s group
to turn over P8,232,000.
The decision written by
Associate Justice Minita
Chico-Nazario said the Mariño
group illegally obtained a
10% cut from a P42-million
compensation package
granted by the University in
1992, ruling that the “fee”
for successfully negotiating
faculty pay hikes did not come
from union dues or funds of the
UST Faculty Union (USTFU).
Questions over the fee
eventually led to the Mariño
group’s ouster from the union
in 1992, and the takeover
by the “reformist alliance”
of Dr. Gil Gamilla in heated
union elections in 1996.
Mariño, who is listed as
a member of the Commerce
faculty, declined to comment.
The Supreme Court ruling
castigated the Mariño group for
seeking authorization for the
negotiation fee along with the
union membership’s ratification
of the P42-million package.
“Such a situation militated
Union, Page 10
CSC ‘Infoblast’ downed
by typhoon ‘Basyang’
Filipino PTs can’t take US board exam
questions by significant number
of graduates of the program,”
FILIPINO physical therapists FSBPT said on its website.
who want to work in the United
The federation added that
States will have to wait for at its decision was reached after
least a year after exam takers extensive forensic analysis
from Philippines, along with and investigation in the four
Egypt, India and Pakistan, were countries.
barred from the US National
According to FSBPT,
Physical Therapy Examination testing will resume once
(NPTE) until 2011 due to exam the development of a “more
“leaks.”
secured examination and an
The suspension stemmed uncompromised system—
from the evidence of “pervasive N P T E - Y R LY — h a s b e e n
security breaches” gathered by completed.”
the Federation of State Boards
“We believe that the
of Physical Therapy (FSBPT), NPTE-YRLY (new exam) is
the body that regulates the the best solution to ensure the
exams in the US.
validity of NPTE test results,”
“This necessary measure the FSBPT also said.
is in response to compelling
In the Philippines, the
evidence reflecting systematic federation found St. Louis
and methodical sharing and Review Center in Manila, said
distribution of ‘recalled’ to be owned by Gerard Martin,
By ALEXIS AILEX C. VILLAMOR
Special Report
IT WOULD probably be
understandable for a third-rate
school unknown for its sports
program. But UST varsity
players are facing a condition
grossly unfit for the perennial
owners of the coveted UAAP
general championship trophy,
at least in this facility called
Active Dormitory.
Some players have been
vocal about their second
home located on flood-prone
España Boulevard. It’s a place
Lady Spiker Sarah Gonzales
described as a “pig’s sty,”
in reference to its leaking
ceilings, erratic water supply,
and mediocre food, to name
a few.
Dormitory administrator
Josephine Danganan said the
management was already
attending to the problem, even
as Evelyn Songco, assistant
to the rector for student
affairs, said school officials
were considering moving the
athletes to a better dormitory.
Roger Tong-an and Carlito
Balita, to have been trafficking
with hundreds of “live” test
items taken from NPTE during
review sessions that were also
being exchanged on online
forums.
FSBPT said it would file
criminal charges against the
owners of the review center
for copyright infringement and
cheating.
The Varsitarian tried to
get the side of the review center
but it refused to comment on
the issue.
Philippine Physical
Therapy Association (PPTA)
President Napoleon Caballero
said FSBPT’s decision was the
right course of action to protect
the integrity of the NPTE.
“It is their measure to
ensure quality patient care
and professional practice.
Basically, it is also to ensure
that ‘compromised questions’
will be removed from their
current exam,” he said in a
letter sent to the Varsitarian.
Caballero also said his
group respects the decision of
federation to restore the NPTE
through a new examination,
but noted the identification of
four countries have affected
morale among professionals
who aim to practice in the US,
as well as those who are already
practicing in the US healthcare
system.
“The public’s perception
of the integrity of physical
therapists of these nationalities
has [turned negative],”
Caballero said. “The right
of the public to physical
PT, Page 10
Athletes complain of poor dorm condition
PHOTOS By Josa CamilLE A. Bassig
WHEN calamity strikes, text messaging may not be a reliable
tool after all.
Many students were unable to receive text messages
announcing the suspension of classes last July 14 at the height
of typhoon “Basyang” from the Central Student Council’s (CSC)
“Infoblast” project.
“There was neither electricity nor signal,” said Ryan
Sze, public relations officer (PRO) of the CSC and project
head of Infoblast.
“Basyang” tripped the north-to-south transmission
backbone of National Grid Corp. of the
Philippines, cutting off power supply
and knocking out signals of mobile
networks.
P u b l i c A ff a i r s D i r e c t o r
Giovanna Fontanilla was,
however, able to announce the
suspension of classes over
radio station DZMM at 4.a.m.
Sze said he received a
text message from Secretary
General Fr. Florentino
Bolo, O.P., suspending
classes for July 14, and
relayed the announcement
to other student council
Infoblast, Page 10
Illustration by Jasmine C. Santos
THREE former instructors are accusing the University
administration of “unfair labor practice” and illegal
dismissal after being terminated as part of a crackdown
on non-tenured faculty members without master’s degrees.
R a y m u n d A n t i o l a , University decided to strictly
Raymond Son, and Wilfredo enforce a Commission on Higher
Pollarco, former instructors Education (Ched) memorandum
at the College of Fine Arts requiring all college teachers
and Design (CFAD), filed to have master ’s degrees.
The union said those who
separate complaints against
UST Rector Fr. Rolando de la did not sign were terminated.
Rosa, O.P., Academic Affairs Of the three complainants, only
chief Clarita Carillo, CFAD Antiola, who was hired in June
Dean Cynthia Loza, Regent Fr. 2005, agreed to be interviewed.
“The issue has gone
Edgardo Alaurin, O.P., and the
CFAD faculty council before too far that it has become a
the National Labor Relations quest for truth and justice,
Commission last July 5. a fight for principles and
Copies of the complaints v a l u e s , ” A n t i o l a s a i d .
UST lawyerArsenik Pagaduan
obtained by the Varsitarian
s h o w e d t h e t h r e e , w h o declined to comment, saying
were terminated last June the matter was confidential.
Father De La Rosa told
8, also claimed they were
underpaid and deprived of the Varsitarian last month
regular status, in violation faculty members should at least
of the collective bargaining have a master’s degree because
agreement (CBA) between it’s the “law of the land.”
Reynaldo Reyes, Faculty
UST and the Faculty Union.
The three are seeking damages. Union vice-president for
The Varsitarian earlier grievance and complaints, said
reported that non-tenured UST itself has been violating
faculty members without the law for re-hiring professors
master’s degrees were required who had signed the waivers.
“If Father Rector says the
to sign waivers renouncing their
right to tenureship at the start law of the land prevails over
of the academic year, after the
Professors, Page 10
Here are snap shots of the UST athletes’ second home worsened by
broken window glass, cramped comfort room, less spacious staircase.
“We had a shortage of
water supply because of the
recent roadwork on España. The
pipelines were under repair and
at times, our generator could
only take in little water,” she
explained, referring to the halfmeter elevation on the boulevard
that began last March.
Lady Spiker Valerie
Amar complained that the
dorm management would fix
the facility only when UST
officials came for a visit.
“They (dorm officials)
only show fully-functioning
rooms and those which have air
conditioning. But they are not
showing the (UST) officials
our unfixed rooms which they
do not even clean,” she said. Tiger Paddler Christian
Abendan, who occupies a
room on the fifth floor,
dreads the arrival of typhoon.
During the recent onslaught
of Typhoon “Basyang,” he
recalled profuse leakage in
the ceiling which flooded
even areas in the upper floors.
“When it rains, our
ceiling leaks hard and our
room gets flooded,” he said. Paddlers co-captain Cristian
Vicente said he had already
raised the matter to the dorm
management.
From time to time,
Athletes, Page 11
The
2
JULY 31, 2010
Varsitarian
news
Charizze L. Abulencia, Editor ; Jilly Anne A. Bulauan, Assistant Editor
PT, OT evaluated for re-accreditation
Red Cross-Science Unit
conducts earthquake drill
THE RED Cross Youth Council (RCYC) -College of
Science Unit organized the first “earthquake evacuation
drill” last July 15 to prepare the college for emergencies.
The drill, conducted at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., lasted for seven
minutes and 30 seconds and six minutes and 55 seconds, respectively.
“The faster the drill, the better since it would be safer
for a person to evacuate the building during an earthquake,”
said Gerson Contreras, RCYC-Science president.
Dr. Lito Maranan, Science professor and RCYC-UST
adviser, said the earthquake drill is a yearly activity of the college
but it was the first time for the college to “evacuate” to Plaza
Mayor. In previous years, they used all the exits of the Main
Building. This time, they used the main exits near the Faculty
of Civil Law dean’s office and the one in front of the building.
RCYC, together with the Crisis Management Team of the
University, is working on a plan for another evacuation drill covering
the whole campus. They have started conducting seminars in different
colleges on emergency preparedness. Charmaine M. Parado
PNP inspects UST laboratory
THE STORAGE area of the Laboratory Equipment
and Supplies Office (LESO) was evaluated last
July 22 to check if it meets police safety requirements.
“[It’s a] test if UST conforms to Philippine National
Police (PNP) standards of having a secure and safe
storage facility,” said Ross Vasquez, LESO administrator.
The Explosive Fire Arm Law of the Philippines requires
certificate permits for a school to buy explosive ingredients
(usually nitrates and chlorides) for academic purposes. Without
the permit, UST cannot buy, possess, or deal with distributors.
Out of PNP’s 58 listed nitrates, 22 are used in UST for
courses such as general Chemistry and organic chemistry.
LESO regulates restricted chemicals within UST.
Other schools who have obtained the certificate are
University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University,
De La Salle University, and Centro Escolar University.
The certificate will make LESO transactions
“ l e g a l a n d i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e l a w. ”
Vicente Hermosa, of the PNP Fire and Explosive Division
and who evaluated the site, and Vasquez pointed out that
the stricter implementation [of obtaining the certificate] was
due to the fire caused by chemicals in the University of the
Philippines last June 5 and PNP’s objective to strengthen its
Fire and Explosives Department. Kalaine Nikka Kay C. Grafil V tapped to give Journalism seminar
THE UST Central Seminary tapped the Varsitarian to
give lectures for its Annual Journalism Seminar last June
24 at the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex Auditorium.
Varsitarian editor in chief Cliff Harvey Venzon gave a lecture
on news writing; former Varsitarian chief editor Anthony Andrew
Divinagracia and artist Carlo Patricio Franco gave a seminar on
editorial and features writing and layout design, respectively,
while Faculty of Arts and Letters professor Eros Atalia
delivered a talk on literary writing during parallel workshops.
Former Varsitarian editor in chief National Artist
F. Sionil Jose and current publications adviser Joselito
Zuleta delivered speeches on writing in the Philippine
contemporary setting and press ethics, respectively.
T h i s y e a r ’s s e m i n a r c o i n c i d e d w i t h t h e 2 5 t h
annivers ary of Inter Nos and 75th anniversary of
Benavides, both publications of the UST Central Seminary.
Writers and editors from different college journals
and publications in the University joined the seminar.
Usapang Uste
Ni PATRICIA ISABELA B. EVANGELISTA
BILANG pagkilala sa mga natatanging
kontribusyon ng media sa lipunan, ang
Unibersidad ay nagkaroon noon ng scholarship
grants para sa mga mamamahayag.
Layunin ng programang ito na mapalawak
ang kaalaman ng mga mamamahayag bilang mga
“mata” ng lipunan, at isa sa mga tagapaghubog
ng nasyonalismo ng mga mamamayan.
Taong 1956 nang makipag-ugnayan
ang dating dekano ng Civil Law na si
Ramon Oben kay Jose Aspiras na noo’y
pangulo ng National Press Club (NPC) sa
posibilidad ng pagkakaloob ng grants sa
Unibersidad para sa mga mamamahayag.
Agad namang sinang-ayunan ng
noo’y Rektor P. Jesus Castañon, O.P.,
THE COLLEGE of
Rehabilitation Sciences (CRS)
is seeking the re-accreditation
of its two programs,
submitting evaluation last
July 15 and 16 under a
private accreditation group.
The Philippine Association
of Colleges and Universities
Commission on Accreditation
(PACUCOA examined UST’s
occupational therapy and
physical therapy courses which
have “first level re-accredited
status” and “second level reaccredited status”, respectively.
“The accreditation assures
the students that the quality of
programs we offer [is better]
than what the Commission
on Higher Education (Ched)
requires,” said CRS Dean
Jocelyn Agcaoili in an interview.
PA C U C O A i n s p e c t e d
the college’s philosophy and
objectives, the program’s faculty
profile, instruction process,
PAUL ALYSSON R.P.QUIAMBAO
c u r r i c u l u m , o rg a n i z a t i o n
Freshmen sing along with their favorite bands at the Chum Part y last July 23 at the PHOTOS
UST openby
field.
a. R. QUIAMBAO
and administration, social
orientation and community
involvement, student services,
health science library, and
physical plant and facilities.
“Pharmacology, Ethics
in Research, and e-Learning
Access Program are also offered
BAR EXAM results may phase, he or she will not be law, civil law, mercantile law, although Ched does not require
b e r e l e a s e d e a r l i e r t h a n allowed to take the second part. labor law, and legal ethics and these subjects,” Agcaoli said.
According to PACUCOA’s
the usual following the
Divina said the first practical exercises.
proposal of a former UST phase would cover the codal
Abad said the proposed website, programs which
law dean to make the first provisions which “every multiple-choice questions have been granted “initial
part a multiple-choice test. l a w y e r s h o u l d k n o w. ” (MCQ) as the first part of accredited status” have the
Civil Law Dean Nilo
He added that Abad’s the 2011 Bar Examinations benefits of full administrative
D i v i n a s a i d A s s o c i a t e suggestion could eliminate w o u l d n o t o n l y t e s t t h e and financial deregulation in
Justice Roberto Abad made students’ anxiety on whether examinees’ knowledge on tuition and other fees, revision
the proposal to better “filter they passed the bar exam or codal provision, but also their without Ched approval, and
o u t ” o n l y t h o s e c a p a b l e not since multiple-choice comprehension and analysis. priority in grants or subsidies
of passing the bar exams. e x a m s c a n b e e v a l u a t e d
“The advantages of MCQ and funding UST’s assistance
“I am in favor of this b y a c o u n t i n g m a c h i n e . exams include the objective f r o m t h e g o v e r n m e n t .
The accredited status
measure since it screens
“This system [multiple correction of the papers since
those who have prepared well choice] has been done in every question has one definite for occupational therapy
for the exam,” Divina said. the US and it saves a lot of answer, encouragement of the program ended last June
Abad’s proposal will time since it takes months mastery of subject because of w h i l e t h a t f o r p h y s i c a l
divide the bar exam into two to check [an examinee’s] the difficulty of distinguishing therapy, communication arts,
phases. The first part which p a p e r s , ” D i v i n a a d d e d . b e t w e e n a c o r r e c t a n d a journalism, and political
will account for 60 percent of
The bar exams is general nearly correct answer, and s c i e n c e e n d e d l a s t y e a r.
CRS college secretary
the exam is the multiple-choice essay type although there the employment of a wider
test. It will be followed by the are also few multiple-choice scope of topics since the Donald Lipardo said results
essay part, which rounds up questions. The test is composed examiner can ask as many as o f t h e e v a l u a t i o n w o u l d
the remaining 40 percent. If of eight subjects: political law, 100 questions in an hour and come in after three months.
one does not pass the first remedial law, taxation, criminal
Bar exam, Page 10 Kalaine Nikka Kay C. Grafil
Former Civil Law Dean proposes
multiple choice Bar exam
UST Singers choir of the world again
THE UST Singers are again
the Choir of the World after
besting 91 participants
from across the globe at
the Llangollen International
Musical Eisteddfod in the
United Kingdom last July 10.
The Singers are the first
choral group to receive the
Choir of the World Award
twice. The group also took
home the Pavarotti trophy
named after the great Italian
tenor who competed on the
Eisteddfod stage in 1955.
In the Mixed Choir
competition, the UST
Singers placed first with 94
marks, beating groups from
Indonesia, Sweden and Wales.
UST also placed first in
the Youth Choirs competition
with 180 marks, outshining
groups from the United States
of America, England, and the
Czech Republic. The group
landed third in the Chamber
Choirs competition where
Cywair from Wales and De
La Salle University place
first and second, respectively.
The UST Singers are a
finalist in the Folk Song
competition, where results
have yet to be announced.
The Singers received
their first Choir of the
Wo r l d a w a r d i n 1 9 9 5 .
Established in 1947,
Llangollen has become
o n e o f t h e w o r l d ’s
greatest music festivals.
The UST Singers have
been reaping awards in their
European tour this year,
bringing home four first
prize awards in the 17th
Bangor International Choral
Festival in UK held April 22
to 25, two special awards at
the 56th Cork International
Choral Festival in Ireland
April 28 to May 2, and
three first prizes at the 6th
Mundus Cantat International
Choral Competition
i n P o l a n d l a s t M a y.
In June last year, the
UST Singers won three
awards in the California
International Choral Festival
and Competition, including
the People’s Choice Award.
Rommel Marvin C. Rio
Libreng edukasyon para sa mga mamamahayag
ang programa na maaaring
Mauricio, dating bise presidente ng NPC. Ang
matamasa ng mga mamamahayag
mga napili ay irerekomenda sa Rektor na siyang
at ng kanilang mga asawa’t anak.
mamimili sa mga bibigyan ng scholarship.
Noong panuruang taon
Makalipas ang ilang taon, ang
1957-1958 ay nagsimula nang
nasabing scholarship ay kusang nahinto
tumanggap ng tatlong iskolar
sapagkat hindi na nagpadala ang NPC
ang Unibersidad bawat semestre.
ng mga iskolar para sa programa.
Kabilang sa mga kursong
Tomasino siya
maaaring kunin ng mga iskolar ay
Alam n’yo ba na isang Tomasino
education, medicine, pharmacy,
ang namumuno sa pag-imprenta ng mga
law, philosophy and letters,
pera sa inyong mga pitaka ngayon?
journalism, liberal arts, commerce,
Si Nanette Adorador-Ella,
engineering, architecture, fine
isang kimiko, ang Tomasinong
arts, music, nursing, at pati na
nag-iimprenta ng mga salapi
rin sa mataas na paaralan.
para sa Bangko Sentral
Pinipili ang mga iskolar sa
ng Pilipinas (BSP).
pamamagitan sa isang komite
Nagtapos ng kursong
na pinangungunahan ni Luis Dibuho ni Patrick C. de los Reyes
B.S. Chemistry noong 1974, naging empleyado
si Ella ng Bureau of Animal Industry, isang
ahensiya ng pamahalaan na sumusuri sa
kalagayan ng mga domestikadong hayop sa bansa.
Matapos nito ay nanilbihan siya bilang
quality control technician sa kumpanyang
Mead Johnson Philippines Inc. na
tumitingin sa mga gamot, bitamina, gatas,
at iba pang mga produkto ng kompanya.
Gumawa rin si Ella ng mga saliksik
tungkol sa posibleng plant feeds sa Bureau of
Plant Industry, isang ahensiya ng gobyerno na
tumitingin sa sektor ng paghahalaman sa bansa.
Taong 1977 nang siya ay maging tagasuri
ng barya o coin inspector sa BSP kung saan
masinsinan niyang sinusuri ang bawat detalye
ng mga barya kung depektibo ang mga ito.
Usapang Uste, Pahina 9
The
Varsitarian
SCI-TECH
JULY 31, 2010
Antonio Ramon H. Royandoyan, Acting Editor
3
Branded versus generic medicines
The Medicine Name Scheme
Cheaper Drugs Act:
Good or Bad?
Illustration by Rey Ian M. Cruz
By Camille Anne M. Arcilla
NAMES make no difference in medicines, we
are told, but prices do.
Choosing between a generic or branded
medicine has always been a tough decision
for consumers, who want value for their
money but do not want to sacrifice quality
for affordability.
The two-year-old Republic Act 9502—
also known as the “Universally Accessible
Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of
2008”—seeks to drastically lower the
prices of medicines in the country. With this
groundbreaking piece of legislation, it is
hoped that the prevailing attitude that generic
drugs are inferior to branded medicine would
vanish.
Branding the generic
Generic medicines are generally cheaper
compared to their branded counterparts
because the latter operate under a specific
patent, their manufacturers investing millions
in research and development over the years.
But in case a manufacturer declines
to apply for renewal after patent expires,
pharmaceutical companies tend to buy the
rights for the drug and sell it as a branded
medicine, according to Aileen Balane,
supervisor of the UST Pharmacy.
Maricar Perez, corporate affairs analyst
of the United Laboratories (Unilab),
said a tight market competition in the
pharmaceutical industry benefited mostly
ordinary consumers.
“While reducing the price of our
medicines means reduced profits, we
believe that broader access to medicines
would essentially translate to more demand.
Given the expected increase in demand, our
supply is expected to increase as well,” she
explained.
A medicine’s cheap price often
associated to low quality may not be always
true, according to Balane.
She explained that drugs do not ensure
absolute safety because each drug has
the potential to cause harm to a person.
The consumer’s manner and frequency of
medicine intake are some of the factors,
which may also affect the efficacy of a
certain drug.
Despite these common misconceptions,
some people still prefer buying generic
drugs because they are cheaper, while others
opt to buy branded ones parsly because
of their popularity. A paracetamol ad, for
instance, features a male celebrity with the
catchphrase, “Ingat” (Take care).
“Both drugs have the same effects. I
would not opt for something more expensive
like branded drugs when I know I can avail
of the same effects in the generic ones,” said
Bettina Manalili, former nutritionist of the
Department of Science and Technology.
“It doesn’t really matter if the drug is
generic or branded because it depends on
the patient’s preferences which sometimes
depend on what is popular nowadays,”
Balane added.
Cheaper medicines
The Cheaper Medicines Law became
an answer to consumers’ plea, allowing the
regulation of branded medicines to lower
costs.
“Given the difficulties posed by the
[Cheaper Medicines] Act, pharmaceutical
companies tried to moderate the increasing
cost of medicines by practicing efficiency in
operations, which in turn lessened production
costs,” Perez said.
Positive
feedback
followed
the
ratification of the bill as medicine prices
decreased significantly. Prices of medicines
like Calcibloc OD, Lifezar, Gluconase,
and Llanol have been cut down prices by
almost half during the same year the act was
approved.
“People can now afford these medicines
unlike before, when some patients do not
follow the doctor’s prescription because they
are cutting down their medicinal expenses,”
Balane said.
This has led to protests by pharmaceutical
companies who saw the law as promoting
generic medicines at the expense of branded
products.
Under the Executive Order No. 821,
the Mandatory Drug Retail Price (MDRP)
will be responsible for setting drugs’ market
price ceilings to make it more affordable to
consumers.
While many thought that the approval of
MDRP posed a large difference on the drug
prices, statistics still show that medicine
prices here in the Philippines are still higher
compared to those in other countries.
According to pharmainfo.net, India
manufactures drugs at about 1000 to 4000
per cent cheaper than average products sold
in the United States. Compared to prices in
the Philippines, the price of medicine is a
fraction higher than US.
“Some medicines are still expensive
because not all drugs are covered by the
MDRP. Other drugs not enlisted in the MDRP
are still expensive,” Balane said.
Chapter 3, Section 26 of the Act states
that a minimum pack of medicine sold on
retail should bear the words “RETAIL PRICE
NOT TO EXCEED” preceded by “UNDER
DRUG PRICE REGULATION.”
However, Balane said this procedure
was not observed by some companies.
Balane explains that other pharmaceutical
companies have voluntarily reduced their
prices even if some decided not to follow
the guidelines set by MDRP because of high
manufacturing expenses.
“I do not see any label on the minimum
packs of the drugs,” she said. “But their
prices still follow the MDRP. It does not need
a label to say so because it is mandatory.”
INTENDED to help Filipinos purchase
medicines at a lower cost, the Cheaper
Medicines Act has imposed price ceilings
and opened easier access of expensive
medicine to consumers.
Ratified in 2008, the provision limiting
the prices of drugs posed a serious threat to
pharmaceutical companies. With the cost
of production increasing nowadays, drug
companies are struggling to come out with
cheaper branded medicine to cater to the
demands of the people.
The Act gives the President of the
Philippines the power to impose price
ceilings on certain medicine brands
for diabetes, cancer, hypertension and
antibiotics. During its implementation,
many drug companies followed as price
changes were mandatory and violators will
be punished if they fail to meet the price
ceiling.
Compared to Southeast Asian
countries like Indonesia, India and
Singapore, which have made drastic
price cuts in medicine to help its citizens,
the Philippines made little changes in
adjusting the prices of its medicines.
The Department of Health’s medicine
distribution project, P100, helped Filipinos
in rural areas purchase medicines at lower
prices because the program sold medicine
for common ailments to Filipinos like
asthma and diabetes.
A study conducted by the nongovernment organization Center for
Legislative Development revealed that
price cuts in medicine during the Arroyo
administration of 50 to 70 percent, only
helped those in the middle class, but not
its intended beneficiaries—the lower class.
The government has been acting on
this problem by providing free medicine
distribution to the poor.
In the face of its implementation, the
act still has its loopholes. One example
would be the Maximum Drug Retail Price
(MDRP) because it does not cover all kinds
of medicines. The MDRP only covered
anti-hypertensive, anti-cholesterol, antibacterial and anti-cancer; it should have
covered all types of medicines.
A previous law, the Philippine
Generics Act of 1988, helped the Cheaper
Medicines Act because it aimed to promote
the generics industry, but was not strong
enough to implement change. Antonio
Ramon H. Royandoyan
UST Chem expands awareness on Microscale Chemistry
CAN YOU imagine a gas experiment
using a CD case instead of a petri dish?
Expect this unusual scenario
among laboratories in the Philippines
after the so-called “microscale
approach” was introduced to Filipino
scientists.
Cheaper and accessible equipment,
less or zero pollution, and shorter time
period for gathering experiment results
—these are just some of the benefits that
come in with the microscale approach.
The seminar titled “Workshop on
Microscale Chemistry” last May 26 and
27, gathered UST faculty members and
other representatives from Dominican
Network (DomNet) schools.
“The workshop aims to strategize
the teaching of chemistry at a lower
cost and encourage teachers to adopt
microscale experiments,” said Fortunato
Sevilla III, pioneer of microscale
chemistry in the Philippines and former
assistant to the Rector for Research and
Development.
Microscale chemistry, also
known as small-scale chemistry, is a
method used to conduct experiments
by replacing large tools and chemical
substances with smaller ones.
Developed during the 1980s, the
method was revived in UST last 2005
by the College of Science’s Department
of Chemistry.
Large expenses, health hazards,
and pollution in the environment
prompted the Department of Chemistry
to promote the microscale approach as
a solution to these problems. The new
method was taught and implemented
not only among college students, but
among high school students as well.
Since adopting the microscale
approach, the college has used it in
organic and inorganic experiments,
and even biochemistry, where only a
few microscale experiments have been
developed.
Last April, College of Science
professor Teresita Manansala presented
her microscale experiment in the
25th Philippine Chemistry Congress.
Performing an experiment on isolation
and characterization, she made use of
chicken brain instead of the usual calf
brain for macroscale experiments.
Citing Manansala’s experiment
as an example, Sevilla said some of its
(Left) Syringe used as graduated cylinder; Microwell plates instead of test tube rack
(Right)
advantages include less reaction time,
less waste generation, reduction on the
amount of organic solvents used such
as acetone, hexane, and hot ethanol, and
practically the availability of a chicken’s
brain compared to a calf’s brain.
“Chemistry is about the concepts,
not the apparatus,” Sevilla said, noting
that experiments on laboratories can be
done even without traditionally used
equipment.
The ‘alternative’ laboratory
The difficulties of gas experiments,
according to Sevilla, can now be
lessened because of this new method.
Instead of allotting more than
an hour for an experiment,
alternative measures will
make the experiments last for
only about five minutes.
According to Sevilla,
results gathered from both
macroscale and microscale
chemistry are the same because
most of the experiments are
conventional.
“Even if the method is
quantitative compared to the
i. a. Martinez
By Rommel Marvin C. Rio and
Camille Anne M. Arcilla
macroscale approach, the procedures
are adjusted to make sure that same
results will be acquired,” he added.
Sevilla emphasized that chemistry
does not end in memorizing the Periodic
Table of Elements or visualizing
chemical principles. Chemistry,
according to him, should be applied
through conducting experiments in an
easier and accessible way.
More than classroom lectures,
Sevilla explained the necessity of
having laboratory courses which
develop manipulative skills of students
alongside non-technical skills.
Laboratory activities will no
longer be about memorizing apparatus,
but rather letting the students conduct
the experiments using the tools they
readily have.
“In some provincial public high
schools, teachers reprimand students
from using laboratory tools because
breaking an apparatus would mean
deduction from their [teachers’] salary.
But now, the use of plastic materials
would prevent using fragile tools and
encourage teachers to use the laboratory
more,” Sevilla said.
The
Varsitarian
OPINION
4 JULY 31, 2010
Editorial
The downside of a
hoops-obsessed nation
ARE FILIPINOS nuts for being crazy about
basketball?
From being a mere Physical Education alternative
for girls in the 1930s, basketball has evolved into
national pastime, a staple of Philippine life.
Sports critics and aficionados define sports in
this part of the world in three B’s: basketball, boxing
and billiards. But basketball, through the years, has
remained everybody’s darling.
As the rest of the world frenzied over the
FIFA World Cup recently, Filipinos rather enjoyed
watching Kobe Bryant or James Yap.This passion has
gone beyond the courts, penetrating almost all aspects
of Philippine life. There is, of course, the case of
one-time senator Robert Jaworski, local basketball’s
living legend who swears he never officially retired
from the game.
The idiosyncrasies of Pinoy basketball—the
love story of a small Southeast Asian nation
whose average male height is 5’5” with a big
man’s game—is captured in sports journalist Rafe
Bartholomew’s new book, “Pacific Rims: Beermen
Ballin’ in Flip-Flops and the Philippines’ Unlikely
Love Affair with Basketball.”
A Fulbright scholar, he traveled for three years
from Metro Manila’s concrete jungle to the most
obscure corners of the archipelago, finding a singular
treasure that was basketball. He was witness to both
the PBA big league and “inter-tsinelas” barangay
tournaments, whose players, one way or another,
developed their unique game with a makeshift goal
made from twisted metal attached to a piece of
plywood. Welcome to Philippine basketball, indeed.
Closer to home, Thomasians are similarly caught
in basketball fever, especially with the ongoing
UAAP games. The UAAP forms the other half of
the country’s colorful collegiate basketball history
with the NCAA, dating back to the American period.
The Americans taught us the game and we learned
quickly.
Collegiate basketball has since become a social
event of sorts, drawing not only students by virtue of
school pride, but also the Who’s Who in Philippine
society. Take the case of the much-ballyhooed rivalry
between Ateneo and La Salle, “schools for the elite
with wealthy benefactors,” writes Bartholomew.
Games are often played at the Araneta Coliseum
to accommodate the sea of politicians, CEOs, and
celebrities showing up for their respective schools.
So crazy some schools are about winning that
recruitment has, in some cases, bordered on piracy.
The Tigers, for instance, lost ex-Cub Kyle Neypes
to the NU Bulldogs.
Prosecute tax evaders first
WHILE President Aquino
wants to solve the
government’s burgeoning
budget deficit, his
administration’s proposal
to tax even those in the
informal or “underground
economy” –– like sari-sari
store owners –– is just too
much to bear, especially for
the ordinary Juan de la Cruz.
To Aquino’s credit, his
aggressive steps to improve
tax collection has led to the
prosecution of a pawnshop
owner who allegedly got away
with almost P20 million in taxes
for his luxury vehicles. The
remaining days of tax evaders
are said to be numbered.
This is all amid poor tax
collection, which has widened the budget deficit for the first
six months to P196.7 billion,
surpassing the estimate of
P178.5 billion for the period.
But some of the measures
being proposed will surely
incur the ire of many Filipinos
struggling to make ends meet.
Bureau of Internal
Founded Jan. 16, 1928
CLIFF HARVEY C. VENZON
Editor in Chief
ADRIENNE JESSE A. MALEFICIO
Acting Associate Editor
charizze l. abulencia News Editor
JILLY ANNE A. BULAUAN Assistant News Editor
JEREMY S. PEREY Sports Editor
ALEXIS AILEX C. VILLAMOR, JR. Special Reports Editor
ROSE-AN JESSICA M. DIOQUINO Features Editor
MIKA RAFAELA A. BARRIOS Literary Editor
DANALYN T. LUBANG Tumatayong Patnugot ng Filipino
ROBIN G. PADILLA Witness Editor
ANTONIO RAMON H. ROYANDOYAN Acting Sci-Tech Editor
LESTER G. BABIERA Circle Editor
CARLA T. GAMALINDA Art Director
PAUL ALLYSON R. QUIAMBAO Photography Editor
News Justin Chynna V. Garcia, Kalaine Nikka Kay C. Grafil,
Charmaine M. Parado, Rommel Marvin C. Rio, Darenn G. Rodriguez
Sports Angelo Nonato P. Cabrera, Rey Ian M. Cruz
Anne Marie Carmela L. Dayauon, Frauleine Michelle S. Villanueva
Special Reports Ian Carlo B. Antonio, Marnee A. Gamboa
Monica N. Ladisla
Features Margaret Rose B. Maranan, Alma Maria L. Sarmiento
Literary Azer N. Parrocha
Filipino Patricia Isabela B. Evangelista
Witness Jennifer M. Orillaza, Brylle B. Tabora
Sci-Tech Camille Anne M. Arcilla
Circle Ana May R. De la Cruz, John Ernest F. Jose, Alyosha J. Robillos
Art Fritzie Marie C. Amar, Rey Ian M. Cruz, Patrick C. de los Reyes,
Jasmine C. Santos, Jilson Seckler C. Tiu, Karla Mides C. Toledo
Photography Josa Camille A. Bassig, Isabela A. Martinez,
Lorena D. Mondragon, Jilson Seckler C. Tiu, Karla Mides C. Toledo
FELIPE F. SALVOSA II
Assistant Publications Adviser
JOSELITO B. ZULUETA
Publications Adviser
Letters/comments/suggestions/contributions are welcome in the Varsitarian. Only
letters with signatures will be entertained. Original manuscript contributions must be
typewritten, double-spaced, on regular bond paper, and should include a signed
certification bearing the author’s name, address, year, and college. The identity of
a writer may be withheld upon request. The editors will not be responsible for the
loss of materials. Contributions must be sent to The Varsitarian office, Rm. 105,
Tan Yan Kee Student Center Bldg., University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila.
Revenue chief Kim Henares
said a vendor selling goods
worth P25 needs to issue a
receipt, citing the tax code.
This means that even a
vendor who had started a
business with capital of as low
as P2,000 –– money probably
borrowed from his relative
or neighbor –– must issue a
receipt once you buy a bag of
your favorite chips and a bottle
of soda.
This means that even
the smallest entrepreneur
who just started a business
on a small table outside her
house has to get a business
permit and endure the tedious
ordeal of following up redtape laden city hall paperwork
to “legalize” her trade and
well, start issuing receipts.
While the government
may argue the proposal is
legal, Aquino or Henares
should think of other measures
that could shore up the
government’s coffers without
the poor bearing the burden.
Taxing vendors seems
to be a desperate move of
the government which has
yet to collect unpaid taxes
worth P1.2 billion from
Makati, now headed by
Mayor Junjun Binay, son of
Vice President and former
Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay.
The government should
first settle this kind of taxation
irregularities before cracking
the whip on ordinary people.
Aquino should work for faster
decisions on tax evasion cases
of people in the entertainment
industry that have been
languishing before prosecutors
and the Court of Tax Appeals.
Aquino should start proving
that he is capable of prosecuting
all tax evaders, even his closest
allies, campaign donors, and
staunch supporters, not just
small fish like the construction
firm Henares recently charged
before state prosecutors.
In his State of the Nation
Address, he said: “Pwede na
tayong mangarap.” I wonder if
vendors and small businessmen
would be able to sleep at all.
A matter of respect
Editorial, Page 5
The Varsitarian
Aquino should start
proving that he is capable
of prosecuting all tax
evaders, even his close
allies, and his staunch
supporters.
GOOD Manners and Right
Conduct was one of the subjects
I ignored back in grade school
even if I knew it was important.
Nevertheless, the values it has
taught me seem to me like a
broken record, monotonously
playing in the background as
years go by.
Somehow, you would
think that six years of the same
things repeated and reiterated to
you at least half an hour every
week would stick with you for
the rest of your life.
I think it did rub off on
me, or at least a few of those
ideals lingered in my head
long enough for me to think
and know that others, myself
included, may have forgotten
that the simplest of values make
the most complex of things
work.
We c a l l o u r s e l v e s
sophisticated, educated,
and civilized; but when
relationships fall apart and
predicaments threaten to wreck
good rapport, we lose sight of
important values that used to
keep us together. Those that
were taken for granted just
because we did not need to ask
for them before, because they
were served on a silver platter.
Confucius asked,
“Without feelings of respect,
what is there to distinguish
men from beasts?” It was this
that made me think respect is
the foundation of our humanity.
In a work place
especially, when people
should work together, one
must recognize the need
for ‘civility.’
Respect for others
should not come with a price,
it is earned, yes, but once
relationships (of any kind)
crumble to pieces, it should
stay simply because everyone
deserves to be respected.
In his essay Pagpapakatao,
UST Graduate School Professor
Florentino Hornedo said that
there is a reason for a person
to exact respect from others.
It is bestowed, yes; but this is
because there is a need to freely
give respect due to others. But
it does not mean that it is a gift
that can be denied to others
(and given to some) when one
wants to.
In a work place especially,
when people should work
together, one must recognize
the need for ‘civility.’ It is
like a kind of “superglue” that
would hold people together
long enough for their work to
succeed.
When colleagues
respect each other, at least
professionally, then work gets
done efficiently. The high or
poor performance of a company
or an organization depends on
the work ethic of each person
in the work place.
The way I see it, showing
consideration for others is a
rare occurrence these days.
People ruin each other through
gossiping and backstabbing,
through miscommunication
and misconceptions. All these
trigger the very foundation of
moral ethics.
Having the courage to
talk to people we have troubles
with, and resisting the urge
to disclose the problem to
others, is a sign of respect. It
greatly diminishes gossip and
misconceptions and it also
demonstrates willingness to
have the problem solved.
If only we would
learn to respect each other
wholeheartedly, then we
could be assured that better
relationships await us; that
when we turn our backs, friends
don’t suddenly become secret
enemies and enemies don’t
become beasts.
Yes, respect is a big word
full of recognition, acceptance,
and knowledge. It is a basic
moral value we all learned
from when we were not even
old enough to memorize the
multiplication table or the
(then) nine planets of the solar
system, yet. It is a sign of
maturity, inculcated by our
parents and teachers from so
long ago, that shows people can
still work well together amid
“trying times.”
All we really need to know,
we have learned from when we
were young. Knowledge in
English, math, and science
may be what we need to obtain
a degree and to get a job
someday. But what will make
us stay on track and what will
always remain in the memories
of those who we cross paths
with, will not be that we know
the Pythagorean Theorem nor
Newton’s Laws of Motion nor
Shakespeare’s most notable
works, but how we treated them
and how we interacted with
them during the good and the
bad times.
And to reiterate what my
professor in Philosophy once
said, “I want respect, so I give
respect.”
The
Varsitarian
OPINION
Church still has power
DURING the height of monarchy
in Europe, the Church already
had power over the affairs of the
kings and his officials. In July
1533, Pope Clement VII issued
a bull of excommunication to
Henry VIII for invalidating his
marriage to Catherine of Aragon
in order for him to marry Anne
Boleyn and the abolition of
papal jurisdiction.
B u t ev en b ef o r e the
Church was built by St. Peter,
excommunications already
happened before and a little after
the time of Jesus Christ, some
of which were the exclusion
of condemned Jews from the
synagogue and St. Peter’s
regular excommunication of
the incestuous Corinthians.
In the recent year, the
Church excommunicated Sister
Margaret McBride, an Irish
nun and an administrator of St.
Joseph’s Hospital and Medical
Center in Phoenix, Arizona
for saving a mother’s life by
aborting the woman’s 11-weekold fetus.
Since time immemorial,
the Church has held the power to
expel members of its community
whenever they do not adhere to
canon law. It is one of the many
prerogatives of the Church that
many men, including those
who are part of the clergy,
fear because a loss of religion,
especially Catholicism, makes
them less of a human being.
What strikes me the most
is that that power is now only
applicable to the religious like
In a country like the
Philippines where
Catholicism is dominant,
politicians are always the
number one contenders
with their un-Christianlike behavior.
Sister Margaret. Would that mean
that those who are not totally
committed to a life of prayer,
like politicians, are exempted
from excommunication?
In an era of globalization
and in a country plagued by
corruption, there are those who
are contenders to receive this
kind of punishment, and it may
be severely endowed to those
who are deemed to be breaking,
not only the laws of the Church,
but also laws of the land.
In a country like the
Philippines where Catholicism is
dominant, politicians are always
the number one contenders
with their un-Christian-like
behavior. Some of them, or most
of them, break more Church
laws than state laws. One of
the most common crimes in
politics is political killing, most
or all occur during elections.
According to Philippine Center
for Investigative Journalism,
political killings are an endemic
problem fuelled by the culture
of impunity. Murder, it seems,
is considered as a necessity for
power struggle.
But more importantly, it is
a problem of Christianity since
killing violates the law that has
been established since the time
of Moses.
But why has the Church
done nothing to discipline these
diminished beings who defile
not only the dignity of the laws
but also the dignity of human
beings?
It seems the Church
has grown patient. They are
continuing to tolerate the
mischief our government
officials, who are supposed to be
our saviors, created by seeking
audience or by simply praying
for the cause that politicians
should be supporting.
Nowadays, I see news
of bishops calling for charity,
embodied by some institutions
such as Gawad Kalinga, or
supporting advocacies such as
Bishop Jose Oliveros’ support
Editorial
From page 4
In
his
book,
Bartholomew draws
attention to what has become
too obvious to Filipinos
that we often fail to notice
it anymore. Basketball,
too, reflects the flaws and
ironies in our society. He saw
well-paved basketball courts
replete with fiberglass boards
while busted water pipes and
cracked roads nearby were
...when “indies” become
the “new mainstream,”
Philippine cinema will have
to struggle again in finding
ways to bring back the fire
that has once been sparked
by independent films.
5
Think moderately
of stopping organ donation
worldwide and the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the
Philippines’ opposition to
sex education that calms the
Church in enforcing divine
punishment, which means guilty
Catholics can sleep well at
night after exploiting the lives
of thousands, even millions, of
Filipino citizens in their immoral
attitude at daylight.
But luckily for these
blasphemers, the Church has
not even, most especially
the likes of Ricardo Cardinal
Vidal and Gaudencio Cardinal
Rosales, provoked the intention
of threatening them with
excommunication because she
(Church) is merciful.
They, however, shall not
abuse the mercy of the Church
and push its limits because they
would not like the treatment
they will receive especially from
those devout Catholics from
Quiapo and Baclaran.
On a higher note, if
President Noynoy Aquino or any
other politician decides to tread
upon immoral grounds, it is likely
for him to be hated not only by
ancestors but also the Church, its
followers and consequently, as
most are Catholics, the Filipino
themselves.
If so, it may be time to
start walking straight to the
Vatican, like what King Henry
IV did to ask for forgiveness
after being issued a bull of
excommunication for the second
time by Pope Gregory.
The new face of ‘indie’
WHILE glancing at the
posters of this year’s batch
of Cinemalaya films posted
at the Cultural Center of the
Philippines, I thought I was
in a movie house to watch
mainstream flicks.
I became a fan of local
independent films, or “indies,”
because of their approach to
stories and the unconventional
formula of putting the scripts
into moving images.
Aside from these, their
deviation from predictable
storylines and bothersome
lineup of celebrities give
me a sense of relief––the
Philippines still has brilliant
filmmakers who can produce
works worthy for artistic
cinema.
Every year, I look forward
to the competing “indies” in
Cinemalaya. This time, the
festival offered a new kind of
category for veteran directors
to showcase their independent
works, an opportunity
and a challenge given to
accomplished directors to try
“indie.”
Aside from the directors
from the mainstream and
often times “commercial
cinema,” most of Cinemalaya
2010 contenders had been the
JULY 31, 2010
usual celebrities we see on the
television, unlike before where
new artists were introduced.
During the time when
independent filmmakers were
starting to transform­ the
“indie” scene to mainstream
look, I was one of those who
disliked the shift because I
thought it was an “if you can’t
be them, join them” scenario.
But I was enlightened
when I got an internship
in an independent film
production recently. It was a
film which cast members are
regularly seen on television
such as Janice de Belen,
Mart Escudero and Eugene
Domingo. Also, the production
uses a high-quality camera. It
seems that gone are the days
when independent cinema was
propelled by amateur video
cameras and amateur “noname” cast.
One thing that Raymond
Lee, one of my mentors in
the internship and a professor
at the University of the
Philippines Film Institute,
taught me was that a viewer
should not look mainly on
the technical aspect of a film
but the story it serves to its
audience.
That is one quality offered
by almost all independent film
and is mostly not visible on
mainstream––an interesting
plot that does not conform to
the demands of advertisers
and has story lines that are
not based on the popularity of
main stars.
During the awards night
of this year’s Cinemalaya, it
was as if you were in the Star
Awards for Movies because
of the presence of the many
celebrities.
A s M i l o To l e n t i n o ,
best director in this year’s
Cinemalaya Short Film
competition, comme n t e d
about the recent festival in
a report from the Philippine
Daily Inquirer: “indie and
mainstream people came
together. Suddenly, there’s this
community of filmmakers…
like there’s no barrier between
indie and mainstream.”
Definitely, there is no
stopping the mainstream world
from invading the indie circle.
Things may change sooner
or later with the independent
filmmakers entertaining
the thought of applying
mainstream ideas to their
works, such as succumbing
to the demands of advertisers
and having a “profit first”
mentality before producing a
good story.
When the time comes
when “indies” become the
“new mainstream,” Philippine
cinema will have to struggle
again in finding ways to bring
back the fire that has once been
sparked by independent films.
badly in need of maintenance
work. In short, we have
money for the round ball but
none for basic services.
Other disciplines, in
which Filipinos—given
their height deficiency—
could probably excel more,
have taken a backseat to
basketball. At the UAAP, for
example, a school could win
the general title, but nothing
beats winning the basketball
crown.
This reality is probably
the reason that school
officials and alumni invest
heavily on a basketball
program while inadvertently
neglecting other equally
important varsity squads.
Basketball Hall of Famer
Carlos Loyzaga himself
once complained about the
immense attention given to
basketball, both in terms of
media coverage and funding.
Former PCSO general
manager Fernando Carrasco,
a die-hard hoops fan, once
n o t e d t h a t t h e c o u n t r y ’s
basketball program received
some P70 million while
only a third of it went to the
entire Southeast Asian Games
delegation.
Basketball is here to
stay. But as we continue to
nurture our passion for the
game and reclaim regional
supremacy, it is high time
that we develop other facets
of Philippine sports as well.
Games like football, boxing,
and billiards are not about
height and can very well get
the best out of the Filipino
athlete’s natural gifts
FROM time to time, I would
wring my heart in front of the
straight-faced guards of the
Beato Angelico Building. I
could go as far as to beg just
to let me and my beloved pair
of formerly black skinny jeans
inside. To my great relief, no
one around me has ever found
this worth remembering.
Scenes like these have
already become a part of the
culture of the College of Fine
Arts and Design; along with the
K-pop-inspired hairstyles and the graffiti-coated tables.
History can tell that we have lived in constant pressure
to “think outside the box,” and for that reason, we have
been conditioned to do our utmost to break the norms
or maybe jump over a few fences.
Clearly, being art students in a royal, pontifical,
and Catholic university has its drawbacks. Having
to wear uniforms is one. I could imagine the college
administrators’ amazement as we spot one loophole after
another in their trusty uniform code. Their allergy to the
portrayals of religious satires, vices, sex, or anything
too realistic has long been fanning the flame of our epic
battle for self-expression.
This left not an ounce of novelty in the stories of
students and professors who give up this University for
a more open-minded environment; claiming that they
could do better without the 400-year-old conservative
image fastened around their necks.
The first few months of working for the Varsitarian
almost made me fall in with the judgment of those who
left. There were tons of guidelines to follow. Making
every design concept agree with all the ideal Thomasian
qualities was nowhere easy. And to have your work
filtered over and over to fit the University’s traditional
image felt dead set against creativity.
Rules are as immortal as our
persistence to defy them, so we might
as well follow. For all we know,
these might even spare us from a few
death threats and lawsuits in the
future.
It took me quite a while to realize that being
rebellious does not always equate to being artistic,
and that respect for religion should never be seen as a
weakness. Yes, we’re not as uninhibited or as radical the
other art schools in the country, but for this University
to produce eminent artists such as Arturo Luz, “Ang
Kiukok,” and countless more, it must have been doing
something right.
Rules are as immortal as our persistence to defy
them, so we might as well follow. For all we know,
these might even spare us from a few death threats and
lawsuits in the future.
As cliché as this sounds, we must not see these
policies as a form of disability, instead, take it is as a
challenge, because limits are the roots of resourcefulness.
Our target must not be to offend, instead, create ideas that
are so fine, that it could pass through every filter and still
be as creative and amusing. That’s genuine ingenuity.
I admit that is something that I am yet to master. But
just so that the guards know, I do wear the proper slacks
now (for most of the time).
***
To Mr. Joey Velasco, (in case Heaven is a patron of
this paper,) I thank you for serving as a muse to many
young artists. I adore your paintings and the benevolence
of your heart. I really wish to meet you someday.
Corrections
In the article “Lady Spikers Treat Fans to Exhibition
Game Versus Lyceum,” appeared in the July 16 issue (Vol
LXXXII, No.2) of the Varsitarian. Thai import Porntip
Sarong was not present in the tuneup game.
In the article “España Undergoes ‘Face-lift’,” of the same
issue, the elevation of España and streets from P. Campa
and Extremadura was by half a meter. However, gutters of
the UST are six inches higher than that of España’s elevation.
In the same issue, Pharmacy licensure exam fouth placer
Sannie Tan Go Ho was mistakenly identified as a male.
Our apologies. -Ed
The
6
Varsitarian
features
JUNE 31, 2010
Rose-An Jessica M. Dioquino, Editor
Binalot Fiesta Food Inc.’s Rommel Juan
THEY SAY that the recipe for
success comes in different packages.
For Rommel Juan, it started
with a dash of brotherly chat, a
pinch of childhood memories, some
free time, and a craving for fun.
With his youth and his brain
overflowing with possibilities, Rommel
talked his brother, Raffy, into putting
up their own business—breaking away
from the family’s fairly successful one.
Binalot Fiesta Food Inc., the
restaurant born out of the brothers’
casual discussion, is now one of
the up-and-coming Filipino food
franchises, with 40 branches across
the metro. And for Rommel, its chief
executive officer (CEO), Binalot’s
journey to being “the number one
Filipino fast food” is still ongoing.
A family affair
The business-like attitude easily
rubbed off on Rommel, who was raised
in “a very entrepreneurial” family who
owns an automotive business and a
school. Encouraged
by their parents at
a young age, he
and his siblings
took little businessminded steps.
“Even when
we were little,
we were already
encouraged to venture into business,”
he recalled. “My brother and I used
to go to school early so that we
could sell toys to the kids there.”
Young Rommel carried this mindset
when he studied at UST High School,
coming up with different items to sell to
his schoolmates. He almost strayed from
the business path when he considered
taking up Architecture in UST. But
his father, Bienvenido, pushed him to
take a Marketing and Management
degree instead, prompting his move
to De La Salle University, Manila.
With a degree in hand, Rommel
briefly worked for Toyota and Honda
Philippines, two well-known car
companies, where he learned about
car parts and sales. After that, he made
a “homecoming” by joining MD Juan
Taking
a leaf
of fate
Enterprises, Inc., the family’s automotive
business established by his grandfather.
Rommel, however, couldn’t
settle down and felt lost in its system.
“When I was already in MD Juan,
I didn’t know where to place myself.
That was when it hit me that I had
to set up my own business,” he said.
service in 1996 and gained the patronage
of office workers and condominium
residents in Makati. The business’ rise,
however, almost came to a screeching
halt when the economy crashed the next
year, which led to companies closing
down and Binalot losing its customers.
Rommel and his partners were
ready to face their own closure when
Shangri-la Plaza
offered them a space
in the food court.
“At first,
we didn’t want to
entertain them,” he
said. “I knew that a
spot in a mall would
Don’t wait for the perfect time because
there really is no perfect time.
Shifting gears
Rommel tapped his brother, who
shared the same off-track feeling,
and discussed his plans. With
their love for eating, the
two thought of investing
on food and approached
their friends for help.
Wanting to be different,
they thought of serving food
in banana leaves, the way their
mother, Charito, used to do for their
family trips to Cavite. They also
perked up the menu by giving
meals creative names like
“Tapa Rap Sarap” and
“ B i s t e k Wa l a s t i k . ”
The endeavor
started as a delivery
By margaret rose b. maranan
be expensive, but then I thought, ‘Why
don’t we try?’ So we went for broke.”
Leaping forward
With its first outlet installed,
Binalot was received warmly by a
new group of customers, who got
interested not only in the menu the
restaurant presented, but also in their
unique packaging. Inspired by the
people who lined up to get a taste of
their food, Rommel and his partners
decided to open three more branches.
But it took a few more years, a
“very persistent franchise applicant,”
and a Master’s in Entrepreneurship
to convince Rommel to open the
door for franchising in 2004. While
adjusting to newfound difficulties,
he and his team managed to expand
their franchise across the metro.
Over the years, the company
has developed its brand not only
through food. Its branches have murals
showing Filipino traits and traditions,
such as customary family meals and
wide smiles, which only increases
the company’s pull to its market.
Binalot is also getting recognized
for its breakthrough in the fast
f o o d i n d u s t r y.
Photo by Lorena D. MOndragon
The tea invasion
GONE ARE the days when the young would
make a face when someone asks, “Tea, anyone?”
With some stops at the UST Carpark and
Dapitan Street, Thomasians have welcomed tea
drinks served in new ways—cold, blended, and
brewed- which served as cheaper and healthier
alternatives to other brewed treats.
Brewing happiness
The introduction of tea drinks to the
Philippine market began with a vision of giving
healthy drinks a different face, like that of James
Young’s. The franchiser of Happy Fanshu,
brought a new taste in the Philippines, which
originated from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
“Fanshu” refers to kamote or sweet potato.
Growing up in Tondo, Manila where he spent
his early years in business, Young had always
wanted to explore new ways to quench the thirst of
today’s generation. He made this dream a reality
by bringing the known Chinese tea drink franchise
to the country, opening its first and main branch
at the Far Eastern University in November 2009.
Four months later, he introduced the treat to UST.
“Doctors were our first loyal customers
because I think they understood the health benefits
they could get from drinking tea,” Young said.
Among the bestsellers is the Japan tea,
which, according to Young, tastes like roasted
milk. Ingredients like pearl sago, coco, coffee, and
grass jelly, complement the taste of the tea drinks.
Happy Fanshu also offers green tea, Oolong or red
tea, wintermelon tea, and fruit milk tea.
Sharing Young’s vision is the owner of
the flavorsome Bubbatealicious, Gilbert Jim,
who introduced the bubble tea, a specialty from
Taiwan, with a different twist.
Bubble tea or Pearl Milk tea, is a sweetflavored drink with a tea base, mixed with fruit
or milk and small tapioca balls or pearls called,
“boba.” The bubbles on top, from which the tea
gained its name, is made as a finishing touch.
Bubbatealicious offers a variety of flavors from
Royal Milk tea to fruit tea collections, all brewed
Recently, the company received the
Best Homegrown Franchise Award
from Entrepreneur Magazine.
Through banana leaves
As the business grew, the company
also had trouble finding a supplier
of banana leaves. The problem,
Rommel thought, worsened when
typhoon Milenyo came in 2006 and
destroyed banana plantations in Luzon.
Fortunately, Binalot was able
to find a reliable supplier of its
packaging material while helping
a co mmu nity in the pr o ces s .
“We started to look for a
community that we could commission
and—from there—have a steady supply
of banana leaves. That was when we
found Nagcarlan, Laguna,” he said.
This was the beginning of
Binalot’s corporate social responsibility
from which its program, Dangal At
Hanapbuhay para sa Nayon (Dahon),
sprouted. The program currently helps
30 families earn a living. Aside from
harvesting, cleaning, and trimming
the leaves, these people have been
taught how to make banana chips
and ketchup, which Binalot sells.
In 2007, Binalot received a
Centennial Award and US$10, 000
from the United Parcel Service, Inc.
(UPS) for its Best “Out-of-the-Box”
Small Business Contest. Dahon is
also on its way to being a foundation.
Rommel sees these recognitions as
blessings that bounce back a thousandfold, which, to the company, came back
“ten-thousand-fold and in dollars.”
There is no stopping the 38-yearold CEO, who proves that his
surname, Juan, is a reflection
of the hardworking Filipino.
With his experience of the
continuous rise and fall
in business, Rommel
advises would-be and
wannabe entrepreneurs
to seize the moment.
“If you can do
it now, do it now,”
he said. “Don’t wait
for the perfect time
because there really is
no perfect time.” Alma
Maria L. Sarmiento
A SIP OF HEALTHY. Thomasians enjoy their servings of tea drinks, which are said to give a new “fix” to
their busy lifestyle.
I. A. Martinez
from high-quality leaves.
Tea Zone also began with an experiment on
tea-based drinks. Its owner, Maricel Uy, thought
of putting together the idea of tea-drinking as an
art form by using a blender for iced drinks. The
franchise first opened in Monumento, and later
spread its refreshing offers to four other places,
including UST.
The store offers a combination of traditional
naichi and milk tea, and the new flavors of black
forest and cookies and cream, with sago and nata
crystals to make them more enjoyable to drink.
Wonder drug
Jim said that aside from the tea’s revitalizing
vibe, it also provides health benefits that enable
the young to perform well in school.
“A tea drink boosts your energy and makes
you alert. It is also a memory-booster with just
the right amount of caffeine,” he said.
But according to Zenaida Velasco, a
nutritionist and dietician from the College of
Education, there is still no concrete evidence that
tea is a memory-enhancer.
“Though its content, caffeine, provides
mental alertness, it does not necessarily help in
retaining information,” she said.
She added that tea also contains tannins
and catechins, which are anti-oxidants. Another
component of it is vitamin C, which gives caffeine
a stress-reducing effect.
Tea, the nature’s “wonder drug” and the
second most-widely consumed beverage in
the world, is assumed to be the reason for the
so-called Chinese or Japanese long life. It is
prepared from leaves, leaf buds and tender stalks
of different varieties of camellia sinensis, a plant
species used to produce Chinese tea. The tea
contains high levels of anti-oxidants which take
on organic molecules responsible for aging and
tissue damage in the body.
According to a United States News &
World Report, flavonoids found in tea are bone
builders. Regular tea drinkers were found to have
higher bone mineral densities and calcium which
strengthens bones.
Findings of a recent study conducted by the
Strong Cancer Prevention Center in New York
City, both green and black tea kept healthy cells
from turning malignant after being exposed to
cancer-causing compounds. Drinking black tea
may also lower the risk of heart disease because it
prevents blood from clumping and forming clots.
Velasco added that green tea is “the best
tea” because it undergoes minimal processing,
unlike red and black tea, which still go through
fermentation.
New taste of goodness
Now that tea is served in different, more
creative ways, Thomasians find themselves
enjoying a regular serving of this kind of drink.
For students like Reny Rose Sabado and
Rona Mapaye, having a dose of their preferred
drinks helps them face the stresses brought by
academic obligations and other duties.
“It tastes good and it boosts up my energy in
a middle of stressful day,” Mapaye, a Pharmacy
junior, said.
Sabado, a Biology sophomore, added that
drinking tea gives her a feeling of refreshment
and relaxation.
Seeing that students face busy schedules and
loads of requirements, the Bubbatealicious owner
advised them to “invest in their health.”
“If you want to spend your money, spend it
wisely—spend it on healthy drinks,” Jim said. The
Varsitarian
circle
JULY 31, 2010
Lester G. Babiera, Editor
Cinemalaya 6
7
New breed of Filipino independent films
VETERAN directors went
indie in the 2010 Cinemalaya.
For its sixth year, the annual
festival of independent
films introduced another
competitive category, the
Directors’ Showcase, featuring
established directors. As in
the New Breed, finalists in
the Directors’ Showcase were
given P500,000 to start of their
movie projects, which should
not exceed the three-millionpeso ceiling for all Cinemalaya
full-length productions.
The result was indie cinema
with sleek looks and glossy
marketing.
Vision from the veterans
“Two Funerals” follows
the tale of a mother journeying
to recover the remains of her
daughter who dies in a terrible
accident.
The film’s producerdirector Gil Portes, who won as
the first Best Director under the
Director’s Showcase category,
got the concept from a tabloid
story about a funeral parlor,
making way for the delicate
matriarchal misery of Pilar
(Tessie Tomas) looking for the
remains of her daughter, Charm
(Princess Manzon), who loses
her life in a bus accident.
Portes shows how
Filipinos adapt with
excruciating and pivotal life
events through an upbeat
manner. The movie garnered
five awards, namely Audience
Choice, Best Screenplay, Best
Cinematography, Best Director
and the Special Jury Award.
Meanwhile, the dark
side of organ trafficking
and abortion is explored
in Mark Meily’s “Donor”,
which has been recognized
He has also
been declared as
Best Actor for
the New Breed
category.
Halaw’s
strength comes
from its ability
to introduce
multiple social
issues that are
seamlessly
binded together
in a single
full length
film – white
slavery, illegal
immigration,
poverty and
ire of family
separation. The
dialect mostly
spoken in the
movie is in
Tausug, and the
subtitles provide
only the gist of
the conversation.
Accolades
were also given
Counter clockwise: Screenshots from “Two Funerals,” short film “P,” and Cinemalaya to the movie as
it received the
2010 Best Film “Donor.”
photos courtesy of gil portes, milo tolentino and mark meily Best Film award
in the New
best supporting actress for
as the festival’s Best Film.
Breed category. Likewise, its
her portrayal in the movie as
The story revolves around
director, Sheron Dayoc has
Lizette’s best friend.
Lizette (Meryll Soriano), a
won the Best Director award.
vendor of pirated DVD’s,
“The Leaving”,
Verve of the new breed
who yearns to climb out of
the winner of Best
“Halaw: Ways of the
poverty. She reluctantly agrees
Production Design and Best
Sea” is a portrayal of various
to donate one of her kidneys
Cinematography in New
Filipinos risking their lives at
to a foreigner in exchange for
Breed’s category, was an
the expense of crossing the
100,000 pesos.
unpredictable suspense and
Malaysian border, with each of horror movie encapsulated
The role of Lizette is
them having their individual
played by Meryll Soriano,
with the romantic tribulations
agenda for going.
while her husband, Danny, is
of four intertwined FilipinoIt features the muchportrayed by Baron Geisler,
Chinese individuals, Martin
celebrated acting of John
who at the same time has been
(Alwyn Uytingco), Joan (LJ
Arcilla, who portrays the role
awarded as the best actress
Moreno), William (Arnold
and best actor in the Director’s of a poseur war photographer
Reyes) and Grace (LJ Reyes).
who is actually involved in
showcase, respectively.
The Leaving is a story
human trafficking in Malaysia.
Carla Pambid has won the
Thomasians best directors in Cinemalaya
By ana may r. dela cruz and Alyosha J. Robillos
THOMASIAN
directorial
flare was all over the 2010
Cinemalaya
as
veteran
filmmaker Gil M. Portes and
relative
newbie
Rommel
“Milo” Tolentino were named
best directors in the Director’s
Showcase and Short Film
category, respectively.
Portes won for his film
“Two Funerals” which also got
the runner-up Special Jury Prize.
“I am deeply honored to
be the first best director in this
new category,” Portes said,
a Philosophy major from the
Faculty of Philosophy and
Letters who bested fellow
accomplished directors Mario
O’Hara, Edward Mark Meily,
Joselito Altejeros and Joel
Lamangan. A black comedy, the
movie follows a mother as she
makes a road trip to recover the
remains of her daughter which
get substituted for another.
The movie was also named the
Audience Choice.
“I am proud to say that all
my films came from my heart,
it came from my emotion, no
one imposed it to me,” Portes
said. He explained profit
considerations take secondary
importance when he makes a
movie, “or else, your work will
come out dishonest.”
Portes said film requires
both artistic brilliance and
societal consciousness, so films
usually expose the inconvenient
realities in the Philippines such
as the rotten in Two Funerals.
“As a director you should
never bore the audience, because
next to God, it is only you who
can gather people,” Portes said.
Big-shot short filmmaker
The movie tells the story
of a boy vacationing with his
photo courtesy of milo tolentino
Photo by Rey Ian M. Cruz
Portes
aunt on a memorable summer
of mischief and discovery.
Tolentino, a Communication
Arts graduate of UST,
believes in celebrating life
despite of its often depressing
circumstances.
“People seem to think that
the poor do nothing but dwell
on their unfortunate conditions,
but what others don’t realize is
that these people are filled with
cheer,” he said.
This distinct viewpoint
is quite obvious in “P,” which
won the runner-up Special Jury
Prize in Short Film.
For the whole 20 minutes
of the short, the story played
around with words and names
starting with the letter “P.”
“Some people asked
me why I chose the letter
“P” as the focal point.” The
p h o t o g r a p h e r- f i l m m a k e r
simply answered that the letter
“X” would have been
too difficult (to be a focal
point) since he would have
to think of words starting
with “X.”
“P” also bagged the
awards best in screenplay
and Audience Choice.
Tolentino has made a genre
out of the adolescent short
as he has directed a number
of award-winning short
films for Cinemalaya that
focused on children such as
Blogog (2009) and Andong
(2008). In all of the films,
he showed a light but sure
touch and an endearing
capacity to celebrate the
joys of childhood.
Tolentino
pin-pointing love as the
to venerate the blessed virgin.
ultimate goal of human
Accompanied with a delightful
existence. However, the movie and apt soundtrack, Mayohan
implied that too much love can was awarded Best in Musical
have adverse effects.
Cinemalaya, Page 10
In Infanta, Quezon,
the busiest part of summer
comes when May begins
because of the preparations
for the Mayohan festival
where locals pay tribute
to good harvest and honor
the Blessed Mother Mary,
with its culminating
activity being the May-end
Pasayaw.
The story of this movie
revolves around barrio lass
named Lilibeth (Lovi Poe),
who was raised alone by her
grandmother, and 15-year
old Niño (Elijah Castillo)
who visits Infanta for the
summer.
Having been left
behind by her flighty
mother and unrecognized
by her politician father,
Lilibeth desperately yearns
for a parental figure and in
the process finds out that
pleasant exteriors may mask
dark intentions. Niño, on
the other hand, has been
living in Manila with his
aunt ever since he survived
the car crash that claimed
his parents’ lives. The two
find themselves entangled
in an unconventional love
story while dealing with
their own personal lives and
of course, Mayohan.
Directors Paul Sta. Ana
and Dan Villegas wittingly
captures the teenagers’
excitement for the Pasayaw,
with scenes displaying
the youth often forgetting Posters of Best Short Film “P” (top) and
the whole point of the Best Film from New Breed category
Mayohan festival, which is “Halaw” (bottom).
Maskarang Totoo:
Paintings of a dying man
By john ernest f. jose
TOWARD the last months of his life, the actor
Juan Marasigan Feleo, popularly known as
“Johnny Delgado,” turned to painting to satisfy
his craving for self-expression. The visual arts
also offered him a form of therapy in his struggle
with cancer of the lymph node.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines
(CCP), with Pixel Grain, held an exhibit to pay
tribute to the actor-visual artist.
“Maskarang Totoo: the Works of Juan
Feleo” was displayed July 10 to 20 at the CCP’s
Pasilyo Guillermo Tolentino Hallway. The event
was on the sidelights of the recently concluded
Cinemalaya Festival, where the actor was a
member of the screening committee.
An alumnus Faculty of Arts and Letters,
Delgado was the chairman and president of
the Actor’s Workshop foundation, a non-profit
organization dedicated in honing the acting
skills of its students through workshops. He was
also the husband of the actress-director Laurice
Guillen, the competition director of Cinemalaya
and father of actress Ina Feleo. In addition,
Delgado’s painting career was mentored by
former Varsitarian
art director Danny
Dalena.
Delgado’s
acting prowess has
been celebrated in
movies
Tanging
Yaman (2000) and
Kaldedo
(2007)
where he garnered
the FAMAS best
actor award in both
movies.
His
personal
life
and
career
throughout
the
decades reigned as the subject of his works. He
also depicted his fellow actors using symbolisms
as Lorna Tolentino, for example, is shown as a
butterfly.
His works are characterized by rough
and edgy strokes, almost naif and simplistic in
details.
His painting, entitled “Bad Bananas” is
obviously named after the 1980’s gag show
“Going Bananas.” It shows Delgado with his
with co-actors Jay Ilagan, Christopher de Leon
and Edgar Mortiz.
Many of Feleo’s works portray him along
with his wife Guillen, which is evident of his
love for his wife.
“Six Feet Under,” is yet another self portrait
that illustrates himself being buried underground
which may be an indication of his acceptance to
whatever may happen to him in the near future.
“I am the film that I make. My paintings
are the memory of my senses,” was Johnny
Delgado’s general description to his works.
During his final treatment in mid-October,
Delgado had decided to sign all of his works,
whether they are finished or not. He had then
met his demise on November 19, 2009 due to
Lymphoma.
Some of Feleo’s works showcased in the exhibit
were “Maskarang Totoo,” (left) and “Bad Bananas”
(right).
photo courtesy of clickthecity.com
The
Varsitarian
WITNESS
8 JUNE 31, 2010
Robin G. Padilla, Editor
Dominicans welcome new priests
By brylle b. tabora
MANY people migrate to other
countries to seek greener pastures. But
for one particular person, spreading
His word has become a goal.
Fr. Narciso Estrella, O.P. is
one of the few Filipino Dominican
priests who ventured into foreign
lands, evangelizing in a nonCatholic country like Taiwan.
Occupying only 1.3 percent of
Taiwan’s population, the pea-size
fraction of Catholics is overshadowed
by the rest of the country’s population
of over 20 million, consisting mainly
of people practicing Buddhism
and Taoism. The lack of vocation
and minimal number of people
wanting to enter the Dominican
order in Taiwan, prompted Estrella
to be ordained, and settle there.
“I was actually given an option
by my superiors at the seminary to
be ordained in the Philippines,” he
said. “But I chose to be ordained there
(Taiwan) because I hope to encourage
their Church by setting an example,
being one of the few Catholic priests
who chose to be ordained in Taiwan.”
Unknown to his close friends
is the history behind Estrella’s
ministry. He revealed that becoming
a priest never crossed his mind, and
added that entering the vocation
was a decision he made after much
contemplation during his prime days.
“At the time when I was
reflecting about my life, I wanted
to follow God. But in which way,
I did not know [then],” he said.
It was because of Fr. Hilario
S i n g i a n , O . P. — w h o m h e m e t
i n Ta i w a n w h i l e s e r v i n g a s a
deacon—that he decided to enter
priesthood and the Dominican Order.
“During one of our congregations,
Singian asked all unmarried men to
raise their hands, and so I raised
mine. He told us that if we wanted
to become a priest, we must
approach him. After the meeting,
I approached him,” Estrella said.
After finishing a degree in
nursing at Saint Jude College in
2004, Estrella took up philosophy at
the Philippine Dominican Center of
Institutional Studies in Quezon City.
He took his solemn profession
during his fifth year at the Sto. Domingo
Church Seminary two years ago.
Estrella finally reached his goal
after being ordained a Dominican
priest at the Immaculate Conception
Chapel in Fu Jen Catholic
University in Taipei on June 16.
He described his stay as a priest
in Taiwan, as “not a walk in the park,”
because Chinese locals were not as
hospitable as Filipinos were to him.
“In China, if you’re a foreigner,
you’ll be treated as a foreigner, unlike
in the Philippines where the people
are hospitable and friendly,” he said.
Chinese people, according
to him, are conservative when it
comes to the religion they practice.
Chinese Catholics encourage greater
participation among
the laity by putting
emphasis on liturgy,
unlike in the Philippines
where going to Mass
is a practice often
taken for granted.
Estrella told the
Varsitarian that prior
to his stay in Taiwan,
there had been three
Filipino priests before
him. Unfortunately,
they left right away
because they couldn’t
handle the pressure.
He said he had
grown to love the
country and doesn’t
have any plans to move
to the Philippines yet.
Myanmar’s first
Dominican priest
Myanmar, where
only one percent of
t h e p o p u l a t i o n i s Archbishop Villegas embraces Pe Mung as he is welcomed to priesthood last June 13 at the Santo
Photo courtesy of Santo Domingo Studentiate
Catholic, now has its Domingo Church.
first Dominican priest.
percent of which practice Roman 1999. On the same year, he entered
Fr. George Pe Mung,
Catholicism, while the remaining the pre-novitiate, an introductory
O.P., the first Burmese Dominican
f i v e p e r c e n t a d h e r e t o I s l a m , formation to the religious order
priest, was ordained in Santo
Hin d u i s m a n d o t h e r a n i m i s t i c at Calamba, Laguna. Pe Mung
Domingo Church last June 13.
and traditional chinese religions. later took his solemn profession
The Union of Myanmar is
T h e t h i r d a m o n g s e v e n in Sto. Domingo Convent in 2003.
a multi-religious country with
children, Pe Mung was born on He was ordained deacon at the
Buddhism taking up about 89 November 27, 1973 to a family of Sto. Domingo Church in 2009. Pe
percent of its population. Christians farmers in Chin State, Myanmar. Mung finished his bachelor’s degree
constitute only Myanmar’s five
He graduated from University of in Sacred Theology in 2007 and
percent of the population. One Mandalay, finishing B.S. Zoology in Licentiate in 2010 both in UST.
Religious painter dies at 43
needy. This epiphany urged Velasco to devote
his life to people in need of love and support.
His first paintings, “Hapag ng Pag-asa” and
“Kambas ng Lipunan”, won him the Catholic Mass
Media Award in 2006 and 2007, respectively.
photo courtesy of joeyvelasco.net
CHURCH groups and art aficionados alike
have been left bereaved over the death
of religious painter Joey Velasco after
a five-year struggle with kidney cancer.
The businessman-painter
succumbed to heart attack and
seizures due to his kidney ailment
at the age of 43 last July 20.
Velasco, best known for
his religious and humanitarian
paintings, made the famous
“Hapag ng Pag-asa”, which
recreates the Last Supper by
depicting Christ breaking the
bread with street children. He
painted children suffering from
poverty, elderly who have been
abandoned, and people suffering
from Down syndrome and cancer.
Marie Puno-Sunga, widow
of Velasco, remembered Velasco
as a painter who gave his
heart and soul to his paintings.
“My husband paints to show
the full expression of his soul. He
lives by his paintings,” she said.
“If he wants to express something,
he puts it into his paintings.”
Velasco had been already diagnosed
with a serious kidney ailment in 2005, which
made him wallow in depression. He isolated
himself from people around him after he
lost his left kidney in a major operation.
But Velasco treated his gift of painting as
a way by which God called him to serve the
But it was the Hapag that
placed his name on the art map.
Sunga told the Varsitarian that Velasco
never had any formal training in painting
until he became sick three years ago.
“His talent spurted because of inspiration
from the Holy Spirit. He became God’s
instrument to spread His word. He is just the
[paint] brush of the Lord,” Velasco’s widow said.
“He was not the perfect husband but he
was very loving,” she said. “We complement
each other and he brought
out the best in me.”
Marco, his son,
remembered him
a s a s e l f l e s s f a t h e r.
“He was a very
loving and caring person.
He sacrificed for us,”
he said. “He told us life
lessons and he shared all
his experiences with us.”
Velasco had his fair
share of involvement in filmmaking. His documentary
titled “Kambas ng Lipunan”,
a social commentary
on poverty narrated
by Velasco himself, was
screened at the CineVita,
a film festival held in the
UST and sponsored by the
Varsitarian on March 2008.
Velasco
Reared by a religiousoriented family, Velasco
entered the seminary at the Minor Seminary
of Don Bosco, but he did not continue to the
priesthood. He became a businessman, raised a
family, but was active in Catholic charities. He
worked with Gawad Kalinga, which provided
housing to the street children who modeled
for “Hapag ng Pag-asa”. Brylle B. Tabora
Campus Ministry names
chapel after St. Dominic
IN RECOGNITION of St. Dominic de
Guzman’s apostolic deeds, the Campus
Ministry Chapel at the Tan Yan Kee
Student Center will be officially named
after the founder of the Order of Preachers
to commemorate his feast on August 8.
The Center for Campus Ministry (CCM)
will lead the rededication rites of the chapel
at the third floor of the Student Center
on August 5, starting with a Mass to be
celebrated by the Dean of the Faculty of
Philosophy Rev. Fr. Norberto Castillo, O.P.
“We find it right and proper to name the
chapel after him because there is yet no place
in UST named after him,” Richard Pazcoguin,
Campus Ministry assistant director, said.
Pazcoguin said St. Dominic de Guzman,
is a model for his undying passion for learning.
“We have to remember that we owe this
institution to the Dominican Order. What is so
admirable with them is that they are simple and
intelligent,” he said. “They were mendicants
(who relied on charitable donations) but
they have the passion for study and learning.
We can get a lot from the Dominican
tradition of studying like the love of truth.”
The celebration of the feast which
lands on a Sunday, will be moved to
August 6, Friday. The CCM will also hold
a youth mass at the Santissimo Rosario
Parish at 5 p.m. sponsored by the Student
Religious Organizations, Central Student
Council, and Student Organizations
Coordinating Council. Jennifer M. Orillaza
Archbishop Villegas receives ‘pallium’ from Pope
By JENNIFER M. ORILLAZA
THE COUNTRY’S youngest
archbishop received the
“pallium” from Pope Benedict
XVI along with 37 others
at the Vatican last June 29.
Lingayen-Dagupan
Archbishop Socrates Villegas,
49, was the only Filipino
conferred with the pallium
during a concelebrated mass
at the St. Peter’s Basilica.
The pallium, a white,
narrow, circular band worn
around the neck and shoulders,
is given to a new archbishop,
symbolizing his authority
in guiding the faithful at his
archdiocese. It is bestowed
annually to new metropolitan
archbishops and principal
bishops during the Solemnity
of Sts. Peter and Paul.
“The pallium becomes
a pledge of freedom, similar
to the ‘yoke’ of Jesus, that
He invites us to take up,
each on our shoulders,” the
Supreme Pontiff said in his
homily during the celebration.
The pallium also
symbolizes the plentitudo
pontificalis offici or plentitude
of pontifical office given to
an archbishop governing a
metropolis, allowing him
to preside certain liturgical
functions such as ordinations.
Ordained at the age
o f 2 5 , Vi l l e g a s t o o k h i s
secondary education at
Colegio de San Juan de Letran
College and continued his
priestly education at the San
Carlos Seminary in Makati.
I n 2 0 0 1 , Vi l l e g a s
was appointed auxiliary
bishop of Manila. Three
years later, he was named
Bishop of Balanga. He was
named Lingayen-Dagupan
archbishop on November
of the same year, replacing
UST alumnus and retired
Archbishop Oscar Cruz.
In his installation as
the fifth archbishop of the
province, Villegas vowed
to faithfully serve the
people in his archdiocese.
“I am here before you
a s o n e w h o s e r v e s . Yo u
are God’s precious gifts to
me as I start my ministry
here. God has indeed been
so good,” he said during
the installation rites held
at St. John the Evangelist
Parish Church in Dagupan
City on November 4 last year.
He urged local
government officials to be
the ‘salt of the earth’ and
be noteworthy models
of good Christian living.
“Spare the people from
salty words of anger and
malicious conduct that
kill and destroy. Serve the
people with honesty. Serve
the people well,” he said.
R e c t o r F r. R o l a n d o
de la Rosa O.P., notes that
when Villegas was bishop of
Balanga, he sent a number of
seminarians to study at the
UST Ecclesiastical Faculties
a n d C e n t r a l S e m i n a r y.
“Even if the pallium is
not a form of an award but
a part of the religious rituals
of the Catholic Church, the
mere fact that he was elevated
to the archbishopric tells
us that he is a very holy
person,” dela Rosa said.
Zamboanga Archbishop
R o m u l o G e o l i n a Va l l e s
was the last to receive
the pallium in 2007.
The
Varsitarian
filipino
IKA-31 NG HULYO 2010
Danalyn T. Lubang, Tumatayong Patnugot
***
Alas tres. Hindi ako magkandatuto sa pagsusulat.
Ngalay na ngalay na aking kamay ngunit kailangan
kong magmadali. Kanina ko pa dapat naipasa ang article
ko sa aking editor. Tiyak na malilintikan na naman ako
rito at maririnig ko na naman ang pagputak ng bibig
nito na tila pulos pintas at mura ang alam bigkasin.
Magtatatlong buwan na rin ako sa trabahong
ito. Sa totoo lang, hindi ito ang pinangarap ko nang
makapagtapos ako ng kursong Journalism sa isang
disenteng pamantasan anim buwan na ang nakararaan.
Matalino naman ako, sa katunayan nga ay nagtapos
akong cum laude, at hinahangaan ng marami kundi
man ng lahat noong nag-aaral pa ako. Pero heto ako
ngayon, nagsusulat para sa isang tabloid. Malayo sa
pangarap kong maging kilalang mamamahayag sa
isang prestihiyosong broadsheet. Hindi rin naman
masasabing nagkulang ako sa pagsusumikap dahil
isang linggo matapos ang graduation ko ay naghanap
na ‘ko ng trabaho. Ngunit ewan ko ba, sadyang
mailap sa akin ang suwerte. Wala rin naman akong
karapatang maging mapili dahil kailangan kong
kumita para sa aking pamilya, lalo pa ngayon at
ipinagbubuntis ni Monang ang aming panganay.
“Ayon sa mga nakasaksi, dakong 11:30 ng
gabi nang pagbabarilin ng mga hindi pa nakikilalang
lalaki si Bermudez habang naglalakad ito sa…”
Nagtatalo ang aking isip. Ilang ulit
ko nang isinusulat ang bahaging ito.
Kaninang umaga, nagtungo ako sa pinangyarihan
ng krimen. Kinausap ko ang mga nakasaksi sa
pangyayari, at ayon sa kanila, ang mga “hindi
kilalang lalaki” ay kilala naman pala. Mga tauhan
daw sila ni Don Franco Sanchez, isang mayaman
at makapangyarihang asendero na kamakailan lang
ay binatikos ni Bermudez sa kaniyang programa
sa radyo na nagmamay-ari umano ang Don
ng isang shabu den. At isa sa mga bumaril kay
Bermudez ay ang kapatid ng Don na si Tony. Nang
tanungin ng mga pulis ang mga saksi ay sinabi
ng mga ito ang totoo, ngunit pagdating sa spot
report na hawak ko ngayon ay nakapagtatakang
hindi binanggit ang salaysay ng mga ito.
Natigil ako sa pag-iisip nang
biglang may tumawag sa aking telepono.
“Hello?”
“Nasaan na ang istorya mo? Kanina ko
pa hinihintay. Lagi kang late! Marunong ka ba
talagang magsulat o nabili mo lang sa kung saan ang
Parang sagot sa aking problema, isang gabi
ay may pumarang van sa harap ko habang ako’y
naglalakad pauwi. Bumukas ang pinto, at sumungaw
ang isang pamilyar na mukha. Si Don Franco.
“Kumusta ka bata? Puwede ba kitang
maanyayahan sandali? May pag-uusapan lang tayong
mahalagang bagay,” sabi nito habang sinusuri nito
ang kabuuan ko. Hindi ko alam ang isasagot ko. Tila
napipilan ako sa pagkabigla. Hindi lang kasi ang
Don ang laman ng van kundi pati na rin ang mga
tauhan niya. Naramdaman ko na lamang na may
humawak sa aking balikat. Isa sa mga tauhan ni Don
Franco. Wala na akong nagawa kundi lumulan sa van.
Tahimik sa loob ng sasakyan. Walang ibang
maririnig kundi ang malalim kong paghinga.
Nahihintatakutan ako sa mga maaaring mangyari. Paano
Deadline
Ni DANALYN T. LUBANG
diploma mo?” singhal ng editor ko.
“Ah, eh, boss, may problema
kasi. May komentarista ng radyo
na binaril kagabi. Ayon dito sa
police report hindi pa nakikilala
iyong mga suspek. Pero kanina,
nanggaling ako sa crime scene
at nagtanong-tanong. Sabi ng
mga saksi, mga tauhan daw ni
Don Franco Sanchez. At iyong
isang bumaril, kapatid ng Don.”
“Malaking scoop iyan!
Nag-iisip ka ba? Bilisan mo na at
kanina pang alas tres ang deadline
niyan! Parang hindi mo iyon alam
ah!” sabay baba nito sa kabilang linya.
***
Naging usap-usapan ang article
ko kinabukasan. May ilang bumati
dahil naka-scoop ako, habang ang
iba nama’y nagbabala na na mag-ingat na ako.
Nang araw ding iyon ay inanyayahan sa presinto
ang kapatid ng Don, pati na rin ang mga nakasaksi.
Nakagugulat na biglang bumilis ang imbestigasyon.
Ganunpaman, wala pa ring pagbabago sa aking
career. Naka-scoop nga ako, pero matapos ang
araw na iyon, balik na naman sa normal ang lahat.
Halos araw-araw pa rin akong nahuhuli sa pagbato
ng istorya, at madalas pa rin akong mabulyawan ng
aking editor. Crime stories pa rin ang sinusulat ko,
at mababa pa rin ang aking suweldo. Bawat araw
na magdaan ay papalapit nang papalapit sa araw ng
panganganak ng aking asawa. Kailangan ko ng mas
malaking kita—kailangan ko ng bagong trabaho.
Dibuho ni Fritzie Marie C. Amar
A
LAS tres. Nakapapaso ang init ng araw.
Madalang ang pag-ihip ng hangin kung kaya’t
damang-dama ang alinsangan ng panahon.
Mula sa aking kinatatayuan ay tanaw na tanaw ko
ang batang naglalako ng diyaryo. Tumatagaktak ang
pawis nito habang bitbit ang mga paninda nitong
sa tingin ko’y kaunti pa lamang ang nababawas.
“Psst! Boy! Halika rito!”, sigaw ko.
Dali-daling lumapit ang pawisang bata na sa
aking palagay ay wala pang sampung taong gulang.
“Bigyan mo nga ako ng isa.”
“Alin po rito?”
“Kahit ano, pare-parehas lang naman laman
niyan,” tugon ko sabay abot ng sampung piso.
Agad kong binuklat ang diyaryo. Patayan.
Rape. Nakawan. Ipinagbabawal na gamot. Kabikabila pa rin ang mga krimeng nagaganap sa buong
bansa hindi lamang sa kalakhang Maynila kundi pati
na rin sa maliliit na probinsiyang gaya rito. Parang
kailan lang, bahagi ako ng mundong iyon. Dati,
isa ako sa mga sumusulat ng mga balitang paulitulit kong nababasa ngayon. Naroon na naman ang
pamilyar na pakiramdam na mahigit dalawang
taon ko nang nararamdaman—kahungkagan.
Napaigtad ako nang may maramdaman
akong marahang tapik sa aking balikat.
S i M o n a n g , a n g a k i n g m a y b a h a y.
“Ben? Okay ka lang ba?”
“Ha? Oo, oo naman. Puwede bang ikaw
muna ang magbantay dito sa panaderya?
Nahihilo ako. Magpapahinga muna ako sandali.”
kung dalhin nila ‘ko sa kung saan at i-salvage? Paano
na si Monang? Paano na ang magiging anak namin?
Si Don Franco ang
bumasag ng katahimikan.
“Alam mo bata, mabait
akong tao. Kaya lang, ang ayaw ko sa lahat ay
iyong mga madadaldal. Iyong si Bermudez,
madaldal iyon. Tingnan mo ang sinapit
niya. Gusto mo bang matulad sa kaniya?”
“Hi—hindi ho.”
“Kung ganoon, sundin mo ang sasabihin
ko sa iyo. Bukas na bukas din ay bawiin mo ang
isinulat mo. Nakausap ko na ang mga nakasaksi,
handa nilang bawiin ang salaysay nila. Kung
papayag ka, bibigyan kita ng dalawang milyong
piso, magbitiw ka na sa trabaho mo, at magtayo
na lamang ng negosyo. Pero kung ayaw mo…
alam mo na ang mangyayari sa iyo,” banta ng Don.
“Oho, si—sige ho.”
Halos mapaihi ako sa aking pantalon nang
huminto ang sasakyan sa isang bakanteng lote. May
kinuha si Don Franco sa kaniyang attaché case.
“Heto ang tseke kapalit ng iyong
pananahimik. Ngayon ay bumaba ka na at
kalimutan na nangyari ang usapang ito.”
***
Napabalikwas ako sa aking pagkahihiga. Mahigit
dalawang taon na rin nang mangyari ang tagpong iyon
sa van ni Don Franco. Mula sa perang ibinigay niya ay
nakapagpatayo ako ng bahay, at maliit na panaderyang
pinagkukunan namin ngayon ng ikabubuhay.
Pinalaya ang kapatid ng Don. Galit na galit
ang mga kamag-anak ni Bermudez ngunit wala
rin silang magawa dahil bukod sa mga saksi na
binawi na ang kanilang sinumpaang salaysay,
wala ng iba pang ebidensiya na si Don Franco at
ang kapatid nito ang nasa likod ng pagpaslang kay
Bermudez. Paulit-ulit nila akong pinakiusapan upang
magbago ang isip ko, ngunit mistulan na ‘kong
bingi sa halagang tinanggap ko kay Don Franco.
Dalawang taong pananahimik. Dalawang
mahahabang taon ng pagdurusa. Halos gabi-gabi ay
napananaginipan ko si Bermudez. At walang araw na
hindi ako binabagabag ng aking konsensiya. Habang
maginhawa at masaya akong namumuhay kasama
ang aking pamilya, ano na kaya ang dinaranas ng mga
naiwanan ni Bermudez? Ilan pa kayang mamamahayag
ang patatahimikin ng makapangyarihang Don? At higit
sa lahat, ito na ba ang kabuuan ng aking mga pangarap?
Ng mga aral na natutunan ko noon sa unibersidad?
Ano nga ba ang mas mahalaga? Pera o prinsipyo?
Sa tuwing makakikita nga ako ng diyaryo
ay nakadarama ako ng kahungkagan. Wala akong
ibang nais gawin sa aking buhay kundi ang
magsulat, at mag-ulat nang tapat alinsunod sa
katotohanan. Hindi ko kailanman pinangarap na
magtinda ng mga tinapay at maging alipin ng salapi.
At sa wakas, matapos ang dalawang taong
pagtitis ay may nabuo akong pasya: bukas na
bukas din ay gagawin ko na ang bagay na noon ko
pa sana ginawa—ang ipagtapat ang katotohanan.
***
Marami ang nakinig sa aking kuwento.
Marami rin ang naniwala. Matapos ang araw na
isiwalat ko ang tunay na pangyayari at maging ang
ginawang panunuhol ni Don Franco sa akin ay
hindi ko na muling napanaginipan si Bermudez.
At higit sa lahat, wala na ang kahungkagang
mahigit dalawang taon ko nang nararamdaman.
Sa kabila nito ay hindi pa rin lubos ang aking
kasiyahan. Pader ang binangga ko, at alam kong gagawa
at gagawa ng paraan si Don Franco upang makaganti.
Hanggang isang araw ng Linggo, pagkatapos
Usapang Uste, Pahina 11
Sibago ni Abdon Balde, Jr.
Ramayana sa kontekstong Filipino
Ni PATRICIA ISABELA B. EVANGELISTA
ISANG sinaunang epiko ng mga Hindu
na sa pagkakataong ito ay nabigyan ng
tatak Filipino nang salaminin nito ang
pagkakabuklod-buklod ng mag-anak.
Ito ang mahihinuha ng sino mang
babasa ng Sibago (UST Publishing
House, 2009) ni Abdon Balde Jr.,
isang inhinyero at kilalang Bikolanong
manunulat. Ang Sibago ang ikawalo at
pinakabagong aklat na isinulat ni Balde.
Ang nobela ay umiikot sa karakter
ni Janu, tsuper ng isang commuter
van na kaniyang nabili mula sa
paghahanapbuhay sa ibang bansa.
Nang maging pasahero niya ang
magkasintahang sina Kumar na isang
Nepali, at ang Filipinang si Liza, dito
na nagsimula ang paglalakbay ng tatlo
sa kanilang mala-Ramayanang tadhana.
Ang Ramayana, isang sinaunang
epiko ng mga Hindu, ay tungkol sa
prinsipe ng kaharian ng Ayodhya na si
Rama at sa kaniyang asawang si Sita na
dinukot ng halimaw na si Ravana. Sa
tulong ng mga diyos na sina Hanuman
at Garuda, sinagip ni Rama si Sita at
pinatay ang halimaw na si Ravana.
Ang epikong ito ay mistulang
naulit sa nobela dahil sa paniniwala
ni Kumar na siya ang sinugo
upang sagipin ang dinukot na
nakababatang kapatid ni Liza na si Sita.
Ang mga tauhan sa kuwento
ay inihambing sa mga karakter ng
epikong Ramayana, tulad ni Janu bilang
Hanuman at si Kumar bilang Rama.
Sinasalamin ng akda ang iba’t ibang
katangian ng pamilyang FIlipino—
matatag, matibay at nagkakaisa, sa
kabila ng isang
matinding suliranin.
Sa nobela, hindi nagalinlangang sagipin
ni Liza ang kaniyang
kapatid na si Sita kahit
peligroso ang sitwasyon
dala ng kagustuhang
pagbuklurin ang
pamilyang matagal
nang hindi nakapiling.
Nang iniwan si Liza
ng kaniyang kasintahang
‘bumbay’ sa Singapore,
nakaranas siya ng
matinding kasawian.
Dahil dito, tiniyak niya
na sa pagkakataong ito,
muling mabubuo ang
kaniyang itinuturing na
mag-anak. Hindi man
sila tunay na magkadugo
ni Sita dahil ito’y kapatid niya
lamang sa ama, itinuturing niya ni
Sita bilang isang tunay na kapatid.
Ang akda ay nahahati sa marami
ngunit maiikling kabanata, bagay
na nakatutulong sa malumanay na
transisyon ng mga pangyayari. Impormal
ang ginamit na wika sa akda na angkop
sa kontemporaryong konsepto nito.
Mahusay na naipakita ni Balde
sa Sibago ang ilan sa mga suliranin ng
mga Filipinong naghahanapbuhay sa
ibayong dagat tulad
ng pang-aabuso sa
mga kababaihan at
pagmamalupit ng
kanilang mga amo.
Inilarawan
sa nobela ang
dalawang mukha ng
pera— isa ay bilang
panustos sa mga
pangangailangan ng
pamilya at ang isa
ay isang bagay na
maaaring makasira
sa samahan
ng mag-anak.
Bagaman
madarama ng
mambabasa ang
tema ng pag-asa at
pagmamahal para
sa pamilya sa akda,
mayroong mga tagpo na maituturing
na maselan dahil sa kapusukan ng
mga tauhan. Gayunpaman, ang
mga tagpong ito ay nagpapatingkad
sa katauhan ng mga karakter.
Nailarawan din ni Balde sa
nobela ang magagandang tanawin na
9
matatagpuan sa rehiyon ng Bikol,
partikular na ang Donsol, Sorsogon.
Ang mambabasa ay makadarama
ng tila sabay na paglalakbay
kasama ang mga tauhan sa akda
dahil sa detalyadong paglalarawan
sa bawat lugar patungong Donsol.
Ang may-akda ay gumamit
ng lengguwaheng Filipino, Ingles,
at Bikolano na nakatutulong sa
pagpapalalim ng karakter ng tauhan.
Ginamit ang Ingles dahil ito ang
wikang pang-komunikasyon ng
Nepaling si Kumar, Filipino naman
ang sa bidang si Janu, samantalang
Bikolano naman ang kay Liza.
Ngunit ang mga salita at
ilang pangungusap na Bikolano
ay maaaring maging hadlang sa
pag-unawa ng mga mambabasa
na hindi bihasa sa wikang ito.
Nakawiwili basahin ang nobelang
Sibago dahil sa mga komikong komento
ng bida, maaksyong kasukdulan, at mga
bagong impormasyong matututunan
sa kultura ng bansang Nepal.
Sa kabuuan, naging matagumpay
ang Sibago ni Abdon Balde Jr. sa
pagsasalaysay ng isang kuwentong
Filipinong puno ng pag-asa sa kabila
ng mga suliranin. At tulad ng epikong
Ramayana, mababatid ang mensaheng
may isang Hanuman at Garuda ang
handang tumulong sa bawat isa sa
atin sa oras ng pangangailangan.
Usapang Uste
From page 2
Ang laboratoryo ng BSP rin
ang namamahala sa mga baryang
nagmumula sa ibang bansa kung
saan si Ella ay naging tagasuri ng
coin metal contents upang matukoy
kung alinsunod ang kalidad ng mga
ito itinakdang pamantayan ng BSP.
Mula taong 2004 hanggang sa
kasalukuyan, si Ella ay nanunungkulan
bilang Deputy Director of the Mint
and Refinery Operations Department
ng BSP. Pinamamahalaan niya rito
ang dalawang departamento, ang
mint laboratory at coin refinery.
Ang minting ang proseso
ng paggawa ng mga barya
samantalang ang kalidad ng
mga ito ay sinusuri sa refinery.
Si Ella ay isa sa mga taong
nasa likod ng layuning pagkakaroon
ng mga baryang may nakalagay na
“UST at 400” bilang pagdiriwang sa
nalalapit na ika-400 na anibersaryo
ng Unibersidad sa susunod na taon.
Tomasalitaan:
Alimpuyu (png) – nunal
Halimbawa: Si Nora Aunor,
na kinikilalang isa sa mga
pinakamahusay na aktres sa pinilakang
tabing, ay kilala sa kaniyang
alimpuyu sa kaliwang pisngi.
Mga Sanggunian:
De Ramos, N. V. I Walked
With Twelve UST Rectors. Central
Professional Books, Inc., 2000
The Varsitarian: Breaktime.
To m o 4 B l g . 1 , M a y o 2 0 0 6
The
Varsitarian
LIMELIGHT
10 JULY 31, 2010
Carla T. Gamalinda, Art Director
TOMAS U. Santos
By. Ian Rey M. Cruz
España♠Blues
By. Patrick C. de los Reyes
Towazinos
PT
From page 1
therapy care may be limited
significantly if the NPTEYRLY implementation is
delayed and limited to an
annual schedule.”
Cheryl Peralta, head of the
physical therapy department
the College of Rehabilitation
Sciences (CRS), said the
actions being taken by the
FSBPT were unavoidable,
given the evidence collected
by the organization.
“Their decision is not only
a result of the recent issue of a
leak but of a series of [similar]
events that took place in 2005,”
Peralta said.
Kathleen Ascue, CRS
student council president, said
the issue of security was raised
in 2007 when FSBPT found
that Filipino examinees had
irregular exam results. The
results were invalidated but
examinees were given the
option to re-take the exam.
“The exam results were
found to have common answers
or used similar methodology
in answering the questions.
When the FSBPT filed a case
here in the Philippines, it
was dismissed due to lack of
‘legality’ in the matter,” Ascue
said.
In 2009, the Department
of Justice dismissed a case
involving similar offenses. But
FSBPT said the sale and sharing
of recalled test questions has
continued despite its efforts to
ensure the security of the exam.
Infoblast
From page 1
officers, and some 11,000
Infoblast registrants until
7 a.m.
“Infoblast worked, but
the computer’s battery did
not last, so information was
sent to everyone through
text,” said Sze.
InfoBlast is a software
allowing the broadcast of text
messages to subscribers of
all major telecommunication
firms––Globe, Smart, and
By. Jasmine C. Santos
Union
Ascue said some physical
therapy alumni were told they
have passed the NPTE before
the federation’s decision was
made allowing them to work
in the US.
But CRS Dean Jocelyn
Agcaoili said those who have
not taken the exam and those
who are about to graduate
won’t be able to take the US
test until the new exam is
established.
“It is the federation that
determines the procedures. We
do not want to escalate the issue
so that Thomasian physical
therapists will not be negatively
affected by it,” Agcaoili said.
Caballero said the PPTA
would call on the FSBPT to
hasten the development of
the NPTE-YRLY by forming
an ad hoc committee to work
on the issue. It will also urge
professionals and physical
therapy students to refuse
participation in any activity
that “diminishes professional
integrity.”
“To provide the right to
provide care, physical therapists
must believe that they are
capable providers, which can
only [happen] if they have full
knowledge of the profession,
as evidenced by a hard-earned
license,” Caballero said.
“We are saddened that
this has to happen and that the
integrity of Filipino physical
therapists is being questioned.
We hope that this matter
will be resolved positively
for the benefit of all physical
therapists,” Agcaoili said.
against the legitimacy of the
authorization for the P4.2
million check-off by a majority
of USTFU membership,” it said.
“Viewed in this light, the
Court does not hesitate to
declare as illegal the checkoff of P4.2 million, from the
P42 million economic benefits
package, for union dues and
special assessments for the
Labor Education Fund and
attorney’s fees. Said amount
rightfully belongs to and should
be returned by [Mariño et. al.]
to the intended beneficiaries
thereof, i.e., members of the
collective bargaining unit,
whether or not members of
USTFU,” the ruling said.
“This directive is without
prejudice to the right of [Mariño
et. al.] to seek reimbursement
from the other USTFU officers
and directors, who were part
of the Mariño Group, and
who were equally responsible
for the illegal check-off of
the aforesaid amount.”
The amount for reimbursement
has doubled as the court had
imposed a 6% interest per
annum starting December
1994, when the group of
incumbent USTFU chief
Gamilla asked DOLE to expel
Mariño’s group from the union
for collecting the illegal fee.
DOLE’s June 16 order
said the union could seize
personal properties of
Mariño and his group.
“Justice will take time, but
it will [eventually] catch up
with you. This is a very good
lesson. They have to be true to
their responsibility,” said Rene
Tadle, one of the complainants
who represented the Nursing
Faculty Club in 1992.
In an interview, Fernando
Pedrosa, one of Mariño’s fellow
respondents, said he had yet to
receive official communication
on the court order.
“The properties of the former
officers cannot be forfeited
in favor of the union because
their personality is distinct
from the union,” Pedrosa said.
“Besides, many of the [1992
union] officers have retired, and
I think this is an ongoing battle,”
he added. “This is already an
issue of the past, but I don’t
know where that money went.
If I had a share of that [amount],
I won’t be teaching anymore.”
The Supreme Court also upheld
the legitimacy of Gamilla’s
group, saying there was no
more need to settle the row
over the 1996 union elections.
“[Previous rulings did not take]
into account the fact that an
election of USTFU officers
was already conducted on 14
January 2000, which was won
by the Gamilla Group. There
is nothing in the records to
show that the said election
was contested or made the
subject of litigation ... The issue
of who between the officers
of the Mariño Group and of
the Gamilla Group are the
legitimate USTFU officers
has been rendered moot by the
succeeding events in the case,”
it said.
Sun cellular.
“We got it (advisory) early
morning of July 14. But due to
signal problems which started
at 6 a.m., others were not able
to receive the information,”
said Ryan Bulosan, PRO of the
College of Education Student
Council.
Education junior Vic
Ejanda, said he knew of
the suspension through his
classmate who had called
UST to inquire if classes were
suspended.
“I was not able to receive
the advisory from Infoblast
even though I registered during
enrollment,” said Ejanda.
Sze said, some students
who have not received the
Infoblast may have registered
with incomplete numbers. Out
of about 40, 000 students, there
were only 11,000 successful
registrants, he noted.
Announcements from the
Secretary General and Office
of Student Affairs are also sent
through Infoblast.
Meanwhile, Bolo, in a
letter sent to the Varsitarian,
said announcements via UST
Globe Textconnect, the “UST
QUADRI” Facebook account,
and CSC’s Infoblast were
sent at the same time when
Fontanilla announced the
suspension over DZMM.
Bolo said he was not
aware of how many received
the message through the
UST-Globe sim because at
the height of the typhoon,
“the services of Globe,
Smart and Sun were also
down.”
“Another problem was
the fact that electricity was
cut off in many parts of
Manila and nearby provinces,
thus leaving many unable to
charge their phones,” Bolo
said. K. N. K. C. Grafil
From page 1
Professors
From page 1
the CBA, with that waiver
coming from the Office of
Academic Affairs issued by
[Carillo], that’s violating two
laws of the land, namely: the
minimum requirement by the
law [of a master’s degree], and
the Labor Law,” Reyes said.
Ched Memorandum Order
40 series of 2008 or the
“Manual of Regulations for
Private Higher Education”
states that all college teachers
should have a master’s degree.
Waivers issued to nontenured faculty members
without master’s degrees placed
them on probationary status,
despite a provision in the CBA
that allows professors to attain
tenureship after five consecutive
semesters even without
a master ’s degree. Thirty
professors from the College
of Nursing have been
given appointment papers
after signing the waiver.
Antiola said he had nothing
Cinemalaya
From page 7
Score and Best in Screenplay.
Lovi Poe won Best Actress
for the New Breed category.
Winning
the
Special
Jury Prize winner under the
same category, Sampaguita,
by Francis Xavier Pasion, is a
documentary and movie, rolled
into one. It chronicles the lives
of Ronalyn Ramos, Renalyn
Bunag, Rinalyn Bernardo,
Jordan Isip and Jeffrey and
Marlon Abalos depicting the
different stages involved in
selling Sampaguita; from
the plucking of the flowers
to its peddling at the streets.
Unlike most films in
the festival which were only
based from unnoticed events
in real life acted out by hired
actors, Sampaguita had no
mainstream
performers.
Instead, the sampaguita vendors
themselves acted out their roles.
Pam Miras’ Wag Kang
Titingin was named Best Short
Film. Although predictable and
a tad generic, the plot showed
social relevance, displaying
against the government policy
requiring all professors to
have master’s degrees. “We
respect the Ched memo but the
waiver is against our principles
and rights. We have rights
protected by the CBA. We cannot
waive these rights,” Antiola said.
Antiola said five CFAD
professors including him were
originally given “thank-you
letters” but one signed the waiver,
cancelling his termination.
He refused to disclose the
names of the other professors.
Pollarco, 54, had been
with CFAD for six years while
Antiola, 26, and Son, 38, had
been teaching for five years. Their monthly salaries ranged
from P35,000 to P45,000.
Union president Gil Gamilla
criticized the manner in which
the CFAD instructors were
terminated. “The union will
stand for the good of the faculty
members ... According to them,
they were given thank-you
letters. It’s like they were
dismissed illegally,” Gamilla
said. Charmaine M. Parado
and Darenn G. Rodriguez
that injustice in war-torn areas
generally leads to the bloodshed
of the innocent, regardless of
gender and age. The film takes
an eerie turn as a daughter
keeps her promise to her
father by looking out for her
younger sister even after life.
Meanwhile, P chronicles
a spritely boy’s summer stay
with his aunt. Rommel “Milo”
Tolentino won Best Director for
the presentation of Paeng’s (Jan
Harley Hicana) antics and how
his Tita Pekta (Laarnie Lopez)
deals with the mischievous
youngster all throughout the
vacation. Marked as an enemy
of their community’s bullies,
Paeng finds comfort in his
only friend, Popoy who is
considered an outcast because
of the AH1N1 virus. Audiences
all over will truly find this
film endearing for it tackles
the bittersweet mechanics of
familial ties and displays the
joys and pangs of childhood.
The movie also bagged the
Audience
Choice
Award
for the Short Film category.
M. J. A. D. Cruz, Ana May
Dela Cruz, John Ernest F.
Jose and Alyosha J. Robillos
The
Varsitarian
sports
JULY 31, 2010 11
Cubs make Junior Maroons
bite the dust, 120-69
By Angelo nonato P. Cabrera
THE TIGER Cubs roared to their second consecutive
victory against two losses with a merciless 51-point
pounding of the University of the Philippines
Integrated School Junior Maroons, 120-69, in
UAAP action at The Arena in San Juan last July 24.
Chief gunner Kevin Ferrer, an RP youth U-18
standout, led the charge mainly from down low with 37
points, highlighted by a jaw-dropping slam midway in
the third period where UST erected a 44-point margin.
UP’s Kim Cinco and Jozhua General tried to give
the Junior Maroons a measure of respectability in the
fourth with some steady scoring, but the Tiger Cubs
did not let up on offense as well. Cinco punched in
21 points for UP while General contributed 10 points.
“ We w o r k e d h a r d , ” U S T c o a c h A l l a n
Ascue said. “Our experiences in the past
games really motivated us to strive more.” Ferrer added in Filipino: “We prepared for this and if I
put up a bad performance today, the team would be affected.”
Win-some, lose-some
The Cubs got their first taste of victory after outfoxing
the De La Salle-Zobel Junior Archers, 59-47, on July 20.
UST was relentless in the third period, erecting
a 27-point lead, 50-23, with five minutes to go in the
penultimate quarter.
Junior Archers Glen Capacio and Gabriel Reyes
teamed up for some tedious scoring in the fourth, but
UST’s double-digit lead proved too much for them to
handle. Corre provided the final touches for the Cubs with a
finishing slash to the post off an in-bound play in the last
35 seconds of the game.
Jaypee Sarcia topscored for UST with 17, followed
by Corre’s 13 points.
Prior to the win, UST folded to the National
University (NU) Bullpups in a 65-67 heartbreaker on
Athletes
From page 1
the athletes approach their
coaches about the poor
dormitory condition. Athletics
moderator Rodrigo Sambuang
had also been informed about
the problem, but declined to
comment.
Songco said UST officials
held a meeting before the
summer vacation to hear
grievances from athletes
billeted in the dorm.
“We are trying our best
to address to the concerns of
the athletes. We already asked
Active dorm’s management
to improve on their services,”
she said.
The dorm administration
also received complaints about
the quality of food served.
Danganan said the
management had already
sacked the cook and addressing
other concerns raised by the
complainants.
“I am talking to their team
captains when I do my rounds
and most of the time, some of
them tell me they were okay,”
she said. “We want to take care
of them because that is our
responsibility.
My primary concern is
that they have to let us know
about their concerns.”
Active Dormitory’s Cafeteria
July 17. The Cubs tried to snap away from the Bullpups’
precarious one-point lead, 66-65, but struggled to make
a basket with barely a minute left in the match. N U ’s R a l p h Ta n s i n g c o s e a l e d t h e d e a l
for the Bullpups after landing one in the free
throw line with just 15 seconds to spare, 65-67.
Ferrer wound up with 20 points for
UST while Airon Cabauatan added 12.
Parungao bannered the Bullpups with 16 points
while Tansingco trailed behind with 12 markers.
Opening game debacle
UST lost its opening game to the University Blue
Eaglets, 72-76, on July 13. Corre, Sarcia and Ferrer carried the offensive cudgels
for UST but the scoring trio could not tame their Ateneo
counterparts Von Pessumal, Paolo Romero and Keifer
Ravena on defense.
Sarcia sparked the Tiger Cubs’ scoring barrage in the
third canto with three big shots from three-point territory,
followed by crucial baskets from Corre and Cabauatan to
inch closer in the third, 52-55. Ferrer narrowed down Ateneo’s lead to one, 72-73,
after launching twin treys with just 17.7 seconds left in
the game. But Blue Eaglets Pessumal and Jose Mercado
knocked down their freethrows, 72-76, to ice the match. The Scores:
UST (120) – Ferrer- 37, Corre- 12, Cabauatan- 12,
Gooh- 11, Florentin- 8, Mison- 8, Lazaro- 6, Sarcia6, , Ilarde- 5, Castro- 4, Pelias- 2, Salas- 2, Reyes- 2,
Latoreno- 2, Cabural- 2, Paglinawan-1.
UPIS (69) – Cinco- 21, General- 10, Lopez- 8,
Lina- 8, Quejada- 6, Ancheta- 6, Rodriguez- 4, Nacpil- 2, Abenojar- 2,
Gregorio- 2.
Quarter Scores: 25-9, 54-22, 91-47, 120-69.
The dorm management
apparently has complaints
about the occupants as well.
Danganan said
maintenance personnel were
having problems on the
cleanliness and orderliness of
players.
“Our maintenance
personnel are having problems
cleaning their rooms. (Students)
don’t know how to fix their
things,” she said. Just recently, the women’s
track and field team was
transferred to a new room due
to leaks in the ceiling in the
fifth floor. The table tennis team kept
its room undergoing renovation
on the fifth floor.
The Active Dormitory
is currently housing a total of
218 Thomasian athletes with
the school paying the same
fee of P6,000 monthly for each
student. The athletes have been
occupying the same dormitory
for two years now since their
transfer from their previous
lodge at the Dominican-owned
Isabel Building in June 2008.
And just recently, Songco
had confirmed that the athletes
are now scheduled for transfer
to the Residencia Josefina
dormitory located at Laon Laan
Street effective July 31. Angelo
Nonato P. Cabrera and Rey
Ian M. Cruz
Photo By J.c. A. Bassig
Tigresses
From page 12
Adamson nearly erected
a 30-point margin if not for a
short-lived run by the Tigresses
that kept the score at 62-85
with five minutes left in the
game.
The Tigresses pulled off
several steals and fast breaks
courtesy mainly of Rina Laud.
But the momentum did not
last long as the Lady Falcons
kept their poise and punched
holes into the Tigresses weak
defense.
“Whenever they pull out
one of their core [players],
we get the chance to score,”
Amos said. “But whenever
they (Lady Falcons) realize
that we’re running a break, they
bring back their key players.”
In their previous game, the
Tigresses routed the University
of the East (UE) Lady Warriors,
Shuttlers
From page 12
it’s doubtful that we can retain
the championship. What is
important is that we won’t be
out of the Final Four,” he said.
The Female Shuttlers have
obstacles of their own. Two
years detached from their last
championship, the team is
hungry for another title.
But Cajefe knows the road
to the crown is an arduous
one, considering that the squad
remains “under construction”
and still lacking enough power
players. Last year’s campaign
was disastrous for the Female
Shuttlers. It was the first time
that they failed to enter the
Final Four.
“For me, it doesn’t matter
much if we don’t make it
as champions,” said Cajefe,
Tiger Cub Airon Cabauatan forces his way in for a teardrop shot against De La Salle
Zobel’s Julio Roxas prior to the win against the Junior Maroons.
87-68, at The Arena in San
Juan City on July 18.
The black-and-gold
triumvirate of Ann Leonardo,
Paula Bombeo and Rina Laud,
all scoring in double digits,
sealed the win for UST. Rey
Ian M. Cruz
The Scores:
Adamson (86) –
Sandel-19, Roque-14,
Bernardo-14, Buendia-12,
Almasan-12, Penarada-8,
Mangahas-6, DeLeon-1,
Ta n g c o - 0 , M a n i c a d - 0 ,
Gadian-0, Avila-0, Versoza-0,
Catalan-0
UST (75) – Leonardo-17,
Andaya-13, Galacia-12,
Siapoc-11, Laud-10,
Bombeo-7, Mejia-4, Silva-1,
Salvador-0, Reyes-0, Ong-0,
Dela Cruz-0
Quarter Scores: 12-18, 35-48,
55-66, 86-75
“What is important is that we
won’t be out of the Final Four.
I’ve experienced it and it was
hard.”
Team captain Chona Medina
and Camille Yang will be UST
frontliners this year, along
with two rookies who could
hopefully crash top contenders
De La Salle and University of
the East.
To keep opponents guessing,
Cajefe decided not to join any
off-season tournament. But
the team’s rigorous training
did not cease with their drills
on weekdays and practice
games on weekends along
with core and weight training.
Cajefe introduced to the team
Theraband and Theratube
regimens, which are quite
similar to their weight training
but with the use of lighter
equipment. Frauleine Michelle
S. Villanueva
Isabela A. Martinez
Jins
From page 12
The Lady Jins will also
have the gift of experience
after playing in international
tournaments whose techniques
they have incorporated in their
game.
But the squad cannot
be overconfident because its
perennial rival FEU will also
field a seasoned lineup.
La Salle’s women’s squad
also remains as the teamto-beat after bolstering its
lineup during the off-season
and recruited players from the
Junior National team.
“Both teams are capable
of being champions because
they have the right mindset
and the eagerness to win,” said
Simpao. Anne Marie Carmela
L. Dayauon and Camille
Anne M. Arcilla
Bar exam
From page 2
a half exam, among others,”
Abad said in a statement.
Civil Law freshman
Margielyn Asilo is in favor of
the proposal, saying it would be
easier than an all-essay exam.
“It’s better. The exams
will be easier,” Asilo said.
Sophomore Bernadette
Balao said the proposed
two phases of the bar exam
should be given equal weight.
“The memorization of the
codal provision [first phase] is
an integral part of the exam,
but you cannot just measure the
aptitude of the person on his
ability to memorize the codal
provisions. It can be easily
memorized but the ability to
reason out matters,” Balao
said. Darenn G. Rodriguez
Deadline
From page 12
naming magsimba ng aking magina ay may humarang na pamilyar
na van sa aming sasakyan.
Ang van ni Don Franco.
Bumaba mula rito ang isa
ring pamilyar na mukha. Isa sa
mga bodyguard ng Don. Ang
lalaking humawak sa aking
balikat noong gabing alukin
ako ng salapi ng amo nito.
Kumakabog ang aking
dibdib lalo na nang makita
kong papalapit ang lalaki sa
aming sasakyan. May tangan
i t o n g s i l e n c e r g u n . Ti l a
tinatambol ang aking dibdib
sa kaba. Para akong napako sa
pagkakaupo sa driver’s seat.
Hindi ko naman magawang
umabante o umatras dahil may
van din sa likod ng aming
sasakyan. Umibis mula rito ang
mga armado ring kalalakihan.
Marahas na kinatok ng
lalaki ang bintana ng aming
kotse. Nang ayaw ko itong
buksan ay binasag ng lalaki
ang salamin. Umiiyak na ang
aking asawa’t maging ang
aking anak na pumapalahaw
na. Hindi ko na malaman
kung ano ang aking gagawin.
“B-Boss! Huwag po!
Huwag n’yong idamay ang
pamilya ko! Ako na lang
po! Parang awa n’yo na!”
pagsusumamo ko kasabay
ng pag-agos ng aking luha.
“Alam mo, sana
nanahimik na lang. Ang
kaso, dumaldal ka pa.”
Narinig ko ang
pagkasa ng baril.
“Ito ang nararapat sa mga
madaldal na katulad mo,”
Biglang-bigla ay
naramdaman ko ang malamig
na gatilyo ng baril sa aking
pawisang noo. Alam ko na
ang susunod na mangyayari.
The Varsitarian
sports
‘Undersized’ Tigers survive taller Bulldogs
12 JULY 31, 2010
Jeremy S. Perey, Editor
Grab their third win in five outings to tie with the Archers at third place
By FRAULEINE Michelle S. Villanueva and ANNE MARIE CARMELA A. DAYAUON
THE RED-HOT outside shooting of the UST Growling Tigers allowed them to wriggle out of the
National University (NU) Bulldogs’ defensive tripwire by a whisker, 59-58, last July 29 at the Araneta
Coliseum, capping their third win in five meetings.
Fil-am bigman Chris Camus made his presence felt both in the offensive and defensive end, attacking the
LESTER G. BABIERA
baseline against Bulldog Glenn Khobuntin.
‘Depleted’ Male Shuttlers still poised
to defend the crown
THE CHAMPIONSHIP came
when they least expected it.
Placing fourth in the
eliminations, the chances of the
UST Male Shuttlers seizing the
title were probably next to nil.
But with a surprise entry to the
Finals and a pulsating 3-2 win
against De La Salle University,
they proved that anything could
happen.
Such was the story of last
season and for coach Noli
Cajefe, he would prefer
the same underdog seeding
going into this year’s UAAP
tournament. After all, he will
no longer have the services
of MVP Paulo Dawal, who
graduated last March.
But here are the Male
Shuttlers, defending the title
with some serious handicap,
a challenge Cajefe is most
willing to take on.
“[I told the team to] just fight.
Tigresses fall prey
to powerhouse Adamson
THE TIGRESSES gave basketball heavyweight Adamson
University all it could handle before succumbing to the Lady
Falcons’ torrid three-point shooting in the final quarter and
settling for a 75-86 loss at the Araneta Coliseum last July 22.
A ferocious fourth-quarter run was not enough to
salvage the game for UST, which fell to a 1-2 win-loss card
in the UAAP.
“It just so happened that they (Lady Falcons) had a high
percentage of three-pointers,” head coach Juli Amos said.
“But if it were an up-close fight, we would have had a better
chance of winning.”
Tigress Kristine Siapoc and Adamson’s Fria Bernardo
traded shots in the second quarter but the offense of Lady
Falcon Katherine Sandel proved unstoppable as Adamson
built a 13-point lead at the end of the first half, 35-48.
Approaching the end of the third quarter, UST managed
to close the gap at 11, 55-66, but the run was brought to a
halt as Adamson’s Katherine Sandel and Fria Bernardo who
led the charge for the Lady Falcons until the fourth period. Tigresses, Page 11
It’s much better if we are not in
the forecast and then come out
as champions,” he said. “That’s
what happened last year. I am
not expecting, since my number
one player (Dawal) graduated.”
Another bad news for the
team came as senior players
Francisco Magnaye and Renz
Vivas were deemed ineligible
to play in the UAAP due to
academic deficiency.
Badminton siblings
Francisco and Peter Magnaye
are one of the Philippine’s top
doubles players. But this teamup is unlikely to be seen since
the older Magnaye will be out
this UAAP season.
“They (Magnaye brothers)
already have solid connections.
It’s too bad they cannot play.
Another solid doubles team-up
was also supposed to play but
one player (Vivas) is also not
allowed to play,” said Cajefe.
But all is not lost for UST
as Cajefe still has the leadership
of veterans RJ Ormilla and
Salvador Kapunan, the only
seniors left in the team and
promising rookie Magnaye.
With the three of them leading
the way, Cajefe expects nothing
short of a Final Four finish.
“If only all of my players
could play, it would be a sure
win. But with the lack of
singles and doubles player,
Shuttlers, Page 11
UST power forward Carmelo
Afuang saved the day for the
España-based team after scoring
their last seven of his 15 points in
the fourth including a triple that
gave UST a six-point buffer in
the last 2:19 of the game, 59-53.
“Coach Pido told us to take
the shot whenever we are open,”
Afuang, now on his third playing
year for the Tigers, said. “He also
instructed us to play good defense
against (Emmanuel) Mbe.”
Bulldog Joseph
Hermosisima answered Afuang’s
trey with his own three-pointer
in the last two minute mark of
the game, succeeded by big man
Emmanuel Mbe’s basket with
only 4.8 seconds to go, 59-58. But
the last laugh still belongs to the
Tigers after a deceptive inbound
that made the Bulldogs wish they
were in the penalty situation.
“Even though we were
undersized, we still pulled it
off in our defense,” said coach
Pido Jarencio, commending the
performance of Fil-am Chris
Camus who limited Mbe to only
10 points the entire match. Camus
tallied 11 points, seven boards and
three steals.
Afuang and the backcourt
tandem of Clark Bautista and Jeric
Fortuna combined for 12 points in
the fourth, shooting five dagger
treys that sealed the game for UST.
Rookie Paolo Pe had his
share of the spotlight after drilling
in a buzzer-beater that gave UST a
five-point lead in the third quarter,
38-33. But NU refused to give
up, sparking an 8-0 run to end the
third with the momentum in their
side, 41-38.
Jewel Ponferrada led the
Bulldogs with 12 points and eight
rebounds. Melvin Baloran added
11 markers.
In a previous match, the
Tigers’ sweet-shooting from the
three-point range was not enough
to save them from a 71-75 beating
against the Adamson University
Soaring Falcons at the PhilSports
Arena on July 25.
The Tigers duplicated their
output of 16 triples from their
prior match to tally Adamson’s
all-time record of the most
number of three-pointers made
in a single game. But erratic plays and
lots of turnovers made the big
difference. UST had a total of 25
turnovers throughout the game
which Adamson converted to
25 points.
Top-scorer Jeric Teng, who
made seven connections from
the arc, scored a career-high of
23 points. Camus had a doubledouble with 11 points and 12
boards on top of six assists.
After an all-Adamson first
half, UST gained the momentum
late at the last two minutes of the
third quarter with Fortuna and
Bautista exploding with three
consecutive three-pointers to grab
hold of the lead at 53-52.
African big man Lionel
Manyara forced a deadlock with
a two-handed slam off a steal, his
second in the game for Adamson,
followed by another basket of his
own, 58-60.
The Tigers were pinned at
65 for more than two minutes in
the quarter, a situation capitalized
by Lester Alvarez and Janus
Lozada to build a six-point lead in
the last 22 seconds of play, 65-71.
Teng and Bautista’s back-toback treys in the last 10 seconds
Separate mats, different fate
of the game were as far as UST
could go, 71-73. The Falcons
propelled the win as Alvarez and
Jerick Cañada converted their
charities to end the game leading
by four. Previously, UST mauled
the University of the Philippines
(UP) in a thrilling 87-81 overtime
finale on July 22 at the Big Dome. Fortuna played the hero’s
role for UST with a career-high
29 points, shooting 80 percent
from beyond-the-arc, including
a crucial four-point play in
overtime that gave UST the lead,
73-71.
Bautista and sophomore
Aljon Mariano joined the threepoint shooting spree to redeem
themselves from Magi Sison’s
and-one play, 82-75, with 34.9
seconds left. Silungan and Martin
Reyes had their last hurrah, firing
twin triples, 81-84, but Mariano’s
gift shots sealed the match for
the Tigers.
The Tigers’ first loss came at
the hands of defending champions
Ateneo via a 56-68 drubbing on
July 18 at the Philsports Arena.
With reports from Brylle B.
Tabora
The Scores:
UST 59 – Afuang 15,
Bautista 14, Camus 11, Teng
6, Fortuna 6, Pe 4, Mariano 3,
Wong 0, Tinte 0, Mamaril 0, Lo
0, Daquioag 0, Aytona 0.
NU 58 – Ponferrada 12,
Baloran 11, Mbe 10, Terso
8, Hermosisima 6, Ludovice
4, Tungcul 3, Khobuntin 2,
Javillonar 2, Ignacio 0, Eriobu 0,
Singh 0, Malanday 0, Magat 0.
Quarterscores: 13-10, 22-25,
38-41, 59-58.
Tiger Jins hope to extend dynasty
to three, Lady Jins eye redemption
ONE TEAM guns for a
“three-peat” while the other is
bent on reclaiming old glory.
Either way, the Tiger and Lady
Jins will settle of nothing less
than the championship this
UAAP season.
Coach Dindo Simpao
expects the male squad
to advance in all weight
divisions owing to a full and
veteran lineup. “We are more
experienced and have new
techniques to show,” Tiger
Jin team captain Dane Pio de
Roda said.
With Season 69 MVP
Billy Coral no longer with
the team, national team
members Marlon
Av e n i d o , P a u l R o m e r o ,
Christian Al dela Cruz and
Ernest John Mendoza are
expected to lead the way for
UST.
The Lady Jins seek to
avenge their failed bid for a
rare “seven-peat” in Season
72 after losing to the Far
Eastern University.
“Expect revenge because
we want to get the title back,”
said team captain Emron Mae
Golding.
UST will
look forward to
new recruits
like Jane
Narra and
Marynel Niango playing big
alongside veterans Caryn
Pilongo, Izel Masungsong and
Golding.
Assistant coach Jasmin
Simpao, wife of coach Dindo,
said team chemistry would
give UST the edge with Narra
and Niango easily adapting to
the system.
“Only one (Brillante) left
the team. We have two strong
rookies this year, so I think we
have an impact. The veterans
can manage to pull
it off because we
know each other’s
weaknesses,”
Golding said.
Jins, page 11
FILE PHOTO