UNIVERSITAS July 2009 by University of Asia and the Pacific

An official publication of the University of Asia and the Pacific

July 2009

Blazing Trails UA&P CULTURE TAMBULI AWARDS 2009 GRADUATES FORGE AHEAD WELCOMING 100 NEW SCHOLARS ALUMNI CROSS GLOBAL BOUNDARIES A NEW LEAGUE OF DRAGONS

Editorial An official publication of the University of Asia and the Pacific, is produced by the Corporate Communications Office

Blazing a trail The fiery dragon that blazons the cover sets a vibrant tone to this issue, which spotlights the pace-setting ideals of the University and the pioneering spirit of individuals who have forged a path for others to follow. First of all, UA&P has always sought to develop areas of learning that other institutions have not explored. And it does so in keeping with its culture of service to society. The University also continues to uphold liberal education through its curriculum and initiatives. The only university to do so, UA&P has pushed education in citizenship, an important component in liberal education, not only in the campus but also in various schools around the country. In the field of media, UA&P has likewise carved an untrodden path by establishing the Tambuli Awards, which celebrates profitable marketing that promotes societal values. We all look to this year’s graduates who have been well-equipped with the values and tools to be in the forefront of efforts to shape a just society. The others before them— the alumni—have shown the way, going into untapped arenas and new fields to put to good use what the University has provided them. Through organizations like the League of the Red Dragon, they are also in the vanguard of endeavors to acknowledge the contribution of athletes who excelled in sports here and abroad and of initiatives to financially support students who excel both in sports and academics. We have high hopes for the 100 new scholars who have the capability and the desire to discover innovative ways to contribute to human progress. All of these, because UA&P aims to breathe life into St. Josemaria’s call to “open up a deep furrow, to blaze a trail.”

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽ Editor: Ms. Boots Ruelos Managing Editor: Mr. Daryl Zamora Contributing Editors: Mr. Carlo Cabrera Mr. Daryl Zamora Contributing Writers: Ms. Monica Ang Ms. Tesa Arcilla Ms. Vina Arenal-Belen Mr. Ronilo Balbieran Bea Bermundo Mr. Carlo Cabrera Dr. Marya Svetlana Camacho Ms. Corazon Claudio Mr. Kahlil Corazo Dr. Paul Dumol Dr. Jesus Estanislao Christian Carmelo Guinhawa Ivan Lim Mr. Tyrone Emmanuel Limon Dr. Caterina Lorenzo-Molo Mr. Nicholas Mapa Ms. Eliezl Mendoza Mr. Philip Peckson Mr. John Joseph Rimando Ma. Anne Tonette Rivera Angelica Therese Robes Mars Rosete Ms. Boots Ruelos Mary Love Siy Dr. Antonio Torralba Mr. Christian Vallez Ma. Regine Beatrice B. Vergara Mr. Daryl Zamora Photography: Ms. Tesa Arcilla Mr. Carlo Cabrera Carlos Creencia Mr. Ian Gutierrez Mr. Karl Leung Julian Mendoza Mr. Chippy Paguio Angelica Therese Robes Mr. Benjamin A. Sipin III Dr. Antonio Torralba Graphic Design: Jerry Manalili/Chili Dogs Printing: Inkwell Publishing Co., Inc. ✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽ You may contact us at: Corporate Communications Office University of Asia and the Pacific Pearl Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City Telephone No.: 637 0912 local 301/342 Fax No.: 637 0912 local 342 www.uap.edu.ph Schools/Institutes: College of Arts and Sciences School of Economics School of Education and Human Development School of Management School of Communication Institute of Political Economy Institute of Information Technology Studies

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CONTENTS ✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Tambuli Awards 2009: The value of a campaign is in its values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 UA&P, IESE launch Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women in the Philippines . . . . . . . . . . 7 Spanish student here to learn from local creatives . . . . . . . . . . . 7 14th university graduation rites: An end and a beginning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Robert Paluszka (1938-2009): Hidden pillar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 UA&P co-founder talks tradition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Eight new lawyers from UA&P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Freshmen ready for university life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Faculty members lecture on good citizenship in Sorsogon . . . . 12 CAS depts share knowhow with public school teachers . . . . . . . 12 IT Week decoded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 IIT holds outreach event for Aetas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 World will survive recession, says IESE expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 IESE prof visits UA&P, lectures on CRM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 UA&P’s new Vice President for Student and Alumni Affairs . . . 15 Honoring Doña Lourdes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 CAS/IPE holds 2nd faculty colloquium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Democracy Camp 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Recovering the meaning of liberal education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 The grammar of Romeo and Juliet: A study of metaphorical and romantic language . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 The necessity of communication and information literacy in ‘the medium is the message world’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 What the humanities does to you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 The economics of art and the art of economics: The Case of the Filipino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 UA&P Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 How to make great career choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Chippy Paguio: standing out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Ian Gutierrez: going the distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Tesa Arcilla, reporting from Hongkong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Karl Leung: living the allegory of the Toblerone . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Youth for Love... Youth for Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Y Vote: looking forward to 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 As unexpected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 2 MScM students in elite marketing ‘boot camp’ . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 CDE students going inclusive: Experiencing early childhood special education . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Studying in the land of Kims and Lees and Parks: The Dongguk University scholarship experience . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 MAVE alumna Leonora Vinluan: A school of her own . . . . . . . . . 47 LEAD: Grooming future leaders today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 I Googled myself to The Hague . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Ayospalaeh! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Experimental expressions experienced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 President’s Cup IX: Solidifying foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 The League of the Red Dragon: A boost to UA&P sports . . . . . . 54 C OV E R P H OTO BY A K AC O R N / D E V I A N TA R T.C O M

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

News

Representative of Coca-Cola Export Corp. and McCann Erickson Philippines, Inc. receive the Carmencita Esteban Platinum Award from Ms. Carmencita Esteban (President, Philippine Survey and Research Center; 5th from right), Dr. Placido Mapa (UA&P Board of Trustees Chairman and Metrobank Foundation Chairman; 4th from right), and Mr. Javier Calero (Tambuli Awards Advisory Board and Board of Judges Chairman and Full Circle Communications Chairman; 3rd from right).

The value of a campaign is in its values

Tambuli Awards 2009 Reaching a milestone of sorts in its third iteration, the Tambuli Awards 2009 was recently held at the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), once again honoring the year’s best advertising campaigns that have valued both business results and socially relevant marketing communications. Launched by the UA&P School of Communication in 2005, the biannual awards have, for the first time ever, named a recipient for the Carmencita Esteban Platinum Award, the Tambuli Awards’ highest distinction. McCann Erickson Philippines, Inc. brought home the prize for their work on the recently released “Coca-Cola Family Bonding Campaign,” which had also earned the agency and client company Coca-Cola Export Corporation the Effectiveness Agency of the Year Award and the Effectiveness Advertiser of the Year Award, respectively. The awards committee introduced these two special awards just this year, making McCann’s victories all the more historic for the Tambuli Awards, which has truly come to its own in 2009.

A year of firsts

This year also saw the first time that the awards were accompanied by a preceding

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conference that featured talks from some of the biggest names in the advertising industry. The Tambuli Awards Conference played host to DDB Asia Pacific and Japan President and CEO John Zeigler and Publicis Manila Chairman Emeritus Herminio Ordoñez who further elucidated the message of the Tambuli Awards in front of an audience of senior executives from advertising agencies and client companies. The guests talked about the cornerstones of the awards, with Mr. Zeigler speaking about creativity and effectiveness while Mr. Ordoñez tackled human values and their portrayal in ad campaigns. Publicis JimenezBasic Immediate Past Chairman and WOO Consultants CEO and Senior Consultant Ramon Jimenez was also there to moderate Mr. John Zeigler

a panel of CEO’s who shared their insight on the future of the advertising industry. Another first for the Tambuli Awards: among the panel were Dentsu Singapore Regional Planning Director Akira Sakai and Publicis Asia Pacific Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer-Asia Calvin Soh who joined Mr. Zeigler as the awards’ first international luminaries to have actively participated as judges, panelists and speaker. They, along with Mr. Ordoñez, McCann WorldGroup Asia Pacific Chairman Emily Abrera, Globe Telecom Immediate Past Chairman and Ayala Corporation Senior Managing Director Gerardo Ablaza, and Southeast Asia Food Inc. President Noel Lorenzana complete the panel. As if all these developments weren’t Mr. Minyong Ordoñez

enough, this year also saw the addition of two more awards categories: Most Effective Teens Brand Campaign and Most Effective FamilyOriented Brand Campaign, solidifying the Tambuli Awards 2009 as the biggest outing in the awards’ history yet. Serendipitously, this progression has been supplemented with the most subtle, yet most glaring change: the transition from the Integrated Marketing Communications Effectiveness Awards, as the event went by the first two times, to its current designation.

News BOARD OF JUDGES Calvin Soh Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer-Asia Publicis Asia-Pacific

Sandra Puno Communications Director Nestlé Philippines

Akira Sakai Regional Planning Director Dentsu Singapore PTE LTD

Vicente Dinglasan Managing Director for Country Customer Unit IDS Logistics

John Zeigler President and CEO DDB Asia Pacific and Japan

Angel Guerrero Editor in Chief adobo Magazine

Emily Abrera Chairman McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific

March Ventosa Head of Studio 23, Cable Channels and Print Media Group ABS-CBN

Javier Calero Chairman Full Circle Communications

Mariles Gustilo President and CEO Lowe, Inc.

Herminio Ordoñez Chairman Emeritus Publicis JimenezBasic

Abby Jimenez Immediate Past Chairman Publicis JimenezBasic

Jaime Puno Past Chairman, President & CEO Dentsu Young & RubicamAlcantara

Chiqui Lara President Young & Rubicam Philippines

Jose Cuisia, Jr. President and CEO Philamlife

Jos Ortega Chairman J. Walter Thompson

Bernie Liu CEO Golden ABC, Inc.

Jerry Kliatchko VP for Academic Affairs and Corporate Communications University of Asia and the Pacific

Noel Lorenzana President Southeast Asia Food, Inc.

Bernardo Villegas University Professor University of Asia and the Pacific

What it means to be tambuli

This year’s name change emphasizes the event’s use of the tambuli, an indispensable tool in the lives of early Filipino inhabitants, as its symbol of effectiveness. A vital instrument of communication and precaution in days of yore, it now stands for marketing communicators who create and deliver messages focused on results that build long-lasting value for their organization, their markets and stakeholders, and for the common good of society.

...equal measure was given to both profitable integrated marketing communications campaigns and the simultaneous promotion of societal values.

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Following a case study entry approach, the Tambuli Awards aspires to be the benchmark and resource for effective integrated marketing communications programs. However, with the Tambuli Awards as the first and only award-giving body in Asia of its kind, equal measure was given to both profitable integrated marketing communications campaigns and the simultaneous promotion of societal values. Entries submitted must prove that the campaigns resulted not only in increased profitability but also to the betterment of society by portraying values such as, but not limited to: UÊ > ÞÊÛ> ÕiÃÊ UÊ,iÃ«iVÌÊv ÀÊ Õ > Ê` } ÌÞ UÊ Û À i Ì> Ã UÊ,iÃ«iVÌÊv ÀÊ«À Û>VÞ UÊ6 ÀÌÕiÃÊ iÊ >À`ÊÜ À ]Ê«Õ VÌÕ> ÌÞ]Ê sincerity or honesty, humility, charity, modesty, concern for others, respect and love for elders, optimism, perseverance, orderliness, responsibility, sincerity and moderation UÊ ViÀ Êv ÀÊ Ì iÀÊiÃ«iV > ÞÊÌ iÊ ii`Þ]Ê poor, sick UÊ-« À ÌÊ vÊÃiÀÛ ViÊÌ Ü>À`ÃÊ Ì iÀÃ UÊ Ìi iVÌÕ> Ê iÃÌÞ Even then, entries still had to undergo the discernment of the Tambuli Awards 2009’s board of judges composed of the most prestigious figures the awards have ever seen. This year’s board benefited from the international perspective provided by Mr. Sakai, Mr. Soh and Mr. Zeigler, not to mention the expertise of none other than the pillars of the Philippine advertising industry, Ms. Abrera, Full Circle Communications Chairman and J. Walter Thompson Former Chairman Javier Calero and former Chairman, President and CEO of Dentsu Young and Rubicam Alcantara Brand Communications Jaime Puno. The client-side of the advertising spectrum was well represented by Mr. Lorenzana, Philamlife President and CEO Jose Cuisia, Jr., Golden ABC, Inc. CEO Bernie Liu, and Nestlé Philippines Com-

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

munications Director Sandra Puno. Bolstering this year’s jury even further were media members adobo Magazine Editor-in-Chief Angel Guerrero and ABS-CBN Head for Studio 23, Cable Channels and Print Media Group March Ventosa, as well as industry stalwarts IDS Logistics Managing Director for Country Customer Unit Vicente Dinglasan, Lowe, Inc. President and CEO Mariles Gustilo, Publicis JimenezBasic Immediate Past Chairman Abby Jimenez, Y&R Philippines President Chiqui Lara and WPP/JWT Chairman Joselito Ortega. Also on the board of judges were UA&P’s own, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Corporate Communications Jerry Kliatchko and UA&P University Professor Bernardo Villegas. Mr. Javier Calero

TAMBULI AWARDS 2009 WINNERS Best Small Budget Product Brand Campaign Bronze Winner Market! Market! Tarp Bag Promo Client: Station Square East Commercial Corp. Silver Winner Johnson’s Baby Oil: Botelya Client: Johnson and Johnson’s Agency: Universal McCann Best Small Budget Service Brand Campaign Bronze Winner Lift Client: Computer Assisted Learning Philippines Agency: Blue Bottle, Inc. Silver Winners Earth Hour 2008 Client: WWF Philippines Agency: Leo Burnett Manila Ronald McDonald House Charities Client: Golden Arches Development Corporation Agency: DDB Philippines Best Established Product Brand Campaign Bronze Winners Alaxan FR: Rope Client: UNILAB Agency: PUBLICIS JIMENEZBASIC

Looking ahead

With the success of this year’s awards, the organizers are already looking towards the future. Plans have been put in place for the addition of a new award category, the Most Effective Fashion Brand Campaign, for 2011. The award will recognize profitable campaigns that promote virtues such as decency, elegance, propriety, good taste, modesty, dignity and respect within the context of marketing a fashion-related brand. Gaining momentum and growth in the last few years, the future of the Tambuli Awards remains promising, building on its past successes with new advancements every time, and will most assuredly give everyone in the advertising industry something to anticipate in years to come. Hopefully, agencies and client companies will see this a sign that the Tambuli Awards’ message resonates with the industry—that marketing effectiveness should always come hand-in-hand with societal values. The Tambuli Awards 2009 was organized by UA&P in partnership with the Marketing and Opinion Research Society of the Philippines and BusinessWorld, with sponsors DDB Philippines, Dentsu Philippines, Millward Brown Asia Pacific-Philippines, Publicis Manila, Radio Mindanao Network and Philippine Survey and Research Center, and media sponsors adobo Magazine and FocusMedia Audiovisuals. Mr. Carlo Cabrera€€€€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Batang Alaska Ngayon, Superstar Bukas! Client: Alaska Milk Corporation Agency: TBWA-SMP Cerelac: Big Nutrition for Small Tummies Client: Nestle Philippines, Inc. Agency: Publicis Manila Lucky Me: Kainang Pamilya Mahalaga Client: Monde Nissin Corporation Agency: PUBLICIS JIMENEZBASIC Nescafe: Positively Coffee Client: Nestle Philippines Agency: Publicis Manila Quaker Oats: Healthy Hearts Client: PepsiCo International Agency: BBDO Guerrero; Proximity Philippines Silver Winner Greenwich Pizza Overloaded Campaign Client: Fresh ‘n Famous Foods Inc. Agency: PUBLICIS JIMENEZBASIC Best Established Service Brand Campaign Bronze Winners BPI Expect More Client: Bank of the Philippine Islands Agency: Y&R Philippines Smart Buddy: Me na Me Client: Smart Communications, Inc. Agency: DDB Philippines Smart Uzzap: Bring Me Along Client: Smart Communications, Inc. Agency: dm9jaymesyfu Best Integrated Internal Marketing Program

Bronze Winners 2007 Blue Ocean: Sailing On Client: Prudentialife Plans, Inc. Agency: PLW, Inc. Petron’s Reap Program Client: Petron Corporation Agency: Studio 5 Designs, Inc. Silver Winners Cavite: Be Part of the Revolution Client: Provincial Government of Cavite Agency: EON Leo-Burnett Humankind Philosophy Client & Agency: Leo Burnett Manila Best Innovative and Integrated Media Campaign Bronze Winners BPI Expect More Client: Bank of the Philippine Islands Agency: Y&R Philippines Jollibee Jollitown Client: Jollibee Food Corporation Agency: Universal McCann Rejoice Salon-the-Go Client: Procter and Gamble Agency: Leo Burnett Manila Skelan: Ayos na ang buto-buto Client: UNILAB Agency: McCann Erickson Philippines, Inc. Smart Bro Prepaid Launch/ Flash Client: Smart Communications, Inc. Agency: DraftFCB Talk to Doc Client: The Medical City Agency: Adformatix, Inc. Silver Winners BPInoy Learning Program Client: Bank of the Philippine Islands Toblerone’s National Thank You Day Client: Kraft Food Philippines, Inc. Agency: GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications, Inc. Best Insights and Strategic Thinking Bronze Winners 12 Cups with Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Give in to Giving Client: The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Philippines Agency: GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications, Inc. Bayan Wireless Landline Client: Bayan Telecommunications Agency: GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications, Inc.; BBDO Guerrero Biogesic Ingat Campaign Client: UNILAB Agency: McCann Erickson Philippines, Inc. Cerelac: Big Nutrition for Small Tummies Client: Nestle Philippines, Inc. Agency: Publicis Manila Drowning Out the Noise of a Silent Killer Client: Wyeth Philippines, Inc. Agency: GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications, Inc. Greenwich Pizza Friendship Campaign Client: Fresh ‘n Famous Foods Inc. Agency: PUBLICIS JIMENEZBASIC

Lucky Me: Kainang Pamilya Mahalaga Client: Monde Nissin Corporation Agency: PUBLICIS JIMENEZBASIC Quaker Oats: Healthy Hearts Client: PepsiCo International Agency: BBDO Guerrero; Proximity Philippines Most Effective Teens Brand Campaign Silver Winners ArtPetron: Pro-Youth, Pro-Filipino Client: Petron Corporation Agency: Studio 5 Designs, Inc. IAMNINOY Client: Benigno S. Aquino Foundation Agency: McCann Erickson Philippines, Inc. McDonald’s Cheeseburgers Client: Golden Arches Philippines Agency: DDB Philippines Search for Ten Outstanding Expat Pinoy Children Client: Bank of the Philippine Islands Agency: McCann Worldgroup Most Effective Family-Oriented Brand Campaign Bronze Winners 2008 Pearl: The Luster of Life Campaign Client: Prudentialife Plans, Inc. Agency: PLW, Inc. Natural (Ascof) is Better Than Chemicals Client: Pascual Laboratories, Inc. Agency: Well Advertising and Marketing Agency, Inc. PSBank: Save it Forward Client: Philippine Savings Bank, Inc. Agency: Publicis Manila Silver Winners BPInoy Learning Program Client: Bank of the Philippine Islands Cerelac: Big Nutrition for Small Tummies Client: Nestle Philippines, Inc. Agency: Publicis Manila Johnson’s Baby Oil: Botelya Client: Johnson and Johnson’s Agency: Universal McCann Lucky Me: Kainang Pamilya Mahalaga Client: Monde Nissin Corporation Agency: PUBLICIS JIMENEZBASIC Gold Winners Coca-Cola Family Bonding Campaign 2009 Client: The Coca-Cola Export Corporation Agency: McCann Erickson Philippines, Inc. Selecta Ice Cream: Dad Proof Client: Unilever RFM Ice Cream Agency: Lowe, Inc. Effectiveness Agency of the Year McCann Erickson Philippines, Inc. Effectiveness Advertiser of the Year The Coca-Cola Export Corporation Carmencita Esteban Platinum Award Coca-Cola Family Bonding Campaign 2009 Client: The Coca-Cola Export Corporation Agency: McCann Erickson Philippines, Inc.

UA&P, IESE launch Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women in the Philippines

News

P H OTO S: M R . C A R LO C A B R E R A

Mr. Tim Leissner (left) and Dr. Lluis Renart (right) represent Goldman Sachs and IESE Business School, respectively.

n 2008, world-leading investment banking firm Goldman Sachs partnered with universities around the globe to provide underserved women with business and management education in an effort to expand the entrepreneurial talent and managerial pool in developing and emerging economies. Branded as the 10,000 Women initiative, the program was launched in the Philippines last May 7 by UA&P in partnership with IESE Business School of Barcelona, Spain. “Education for entrepreneurship is key. It is a great enabler,” said Ms. Ellen Soriano, the project’s program director at UA&P. “(The 10,000 Women Business Training Program) will push the frontiers of women’s empowerment by providing business education, networking opportunities, as well as mentoring services to the most underserved Filipino women with the potential to grow their enterprises.” The collaborating schools will establish a 150-hour business and management certificate course for 50 underserved Filipino womenentrepreneurs this year and 100 women in 2010. These women will be part of the eponymous 10,000 that the Goldman Sachs program is aiming to aid worldwide in the firm’s belief that tapping the exponential power of women as entrepreneurs and managers is one of the most important, yet too often neglected, means of increasing economic opportunity. “We (at Goldman Sachs) feel very blessed to be in the position we are in...This is our way of giving something back,” Mr. Tim Leissner,

Spanish student here to learn from local creatives

“Someone told me that in advertising, experiences are more important than just studying,” says Spanish student Marta Lucas who currently is getting a good dose of experience by way of Philippine intricacies. You may have seen her around. Ms. Lucas is currently doing a three-month stint at UA&P’s Corporate Communications Office (CCO) as part of her internship for the International Media Program of the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. Coming to the Philippines for the first time, Ms. Lucas considers it an adventure

head of Goldman Sachs Singapore, told an audience of UA&P students and faculty during the program briefing at the University. The 10,000 Women program is expected to help future generations of women-entrepreneurs and managers by strengthening the underlying quality and capacity of business education through teacher training and

“(The 10,000 Women Business Training Program) will push the frontiers of women’s empowerment by providing business education, networking opportunities, as well as mentoring services to the most underserved Filipino women with the potential to grow their enterprises.”

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the development of innovative curricula and locally relevant case studies, according to Dr. Lluis Renart, a marketing professor and multi-awarded case writer at IESE, one of the leading business schools worldwide. “We should expect multiple results from the program,” he said, positing the improvement of entrepreneurship courses through the preparation of new and original Filipino teaching materials that should be “recent, relevant, transformative and exemplary.” Mr. Carlo Cabrera €€€€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

and a valuable learning opportunity to be able to come in contact and interact with Asian culture, especially as the world moves rapidly toward globalization. “In terms of Communications, the University of Navarra is one of the best in the country. The first Spanish journalism faculty was from this university,” she says. “But I chose it because of its international program, which was unique to it.” Now in her 3rd year taking up Advertising and Public Relations, Ms. Lucas is taking the time to learn more about her field through CCO as well as

taking classes under the School of Communication. She’s also getting some training from DDB, which, very much like the University of Navarra, is one of the top names in its industry, in the ad agency’s Philippine branch, one office in over 200 in 90 countries. “I love advertising and I am sure that thousands of students of my age would like to have an internship as good as mine,” Ms. Lucas says. “I consider this world creative, dynamic, and modern.” Mr. Carlo Cabrera€€€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

News 14th University Graduation Rites

An end and a beginning

Clockwise: Members of the Class of 2009 receive their diplomas at the Philippine International Convention Center. Porferio Requinto (IEP) and Dante Estepa Jr. (IEP) deliver the valedictory and salutatory address, respectively. Dr. Milwida Guevara, President and CEO of Synergeia Foundation, Inc., addresses the fresh batch of graduates. Dr. Jose Maria Mariano congratulates one of the graduates who received honors.

salutatorian Dante Estepa Jr. and valedictorian Porferio Requinto, both of whom finished with an MS in Industrial Economics. Ms. Guevara stirred not only the students but everyone who was present that day with her call for social action and nationalism, saying, “Our country is beset with so many problems…what keeps my hope alive is the capability of each of us, of each of you, to change a small portion of our lives and the lives of others.” History, she said, need not be dictated by the individual or limited to a powerful few, regardless of the current Philippine situation. “History is the summary of all the efforts that each of us will do to introduce changes into our lives, into the lives of others and into our communities.

“Our challenge, therefore, is not just to live our lives with excellence, with honesty, and with integrity, but...to live it with compassion.” Last June 20, UA&P’s 14th University Graduation Rites took place at the Philippine International Convention Center where hundreds of graduates and parents took part in the ceremonies that commemorated the end of one journey as another begins anew. There to give a rousing commencement address was SYNERGEIA Foundation, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Milwida Guevara, herself a UA&P alumna, a 1972 graduate of the Economics Education Program of the School of Economics, back when the University was known as the Center for Research and Communication (CRC). No one could’ve done it better than Ms. Guevara, who has achieved much since her days at CRC, including a Gawad Haydee Yorac Award that recognizes leaders whose personal qualities are worth emulating. Also there to give the students inspirational words were their fellow graduates, class

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“Our challenge, therefore, is not just to live our lives with excellence, with honesty, and with integrity, but... to live it with compassion,” Dr. Guevara said. “I hope that you will discover that service to others is the greatest means through which you can honor those who have helped you become who you are, such as your parents and your faculty members, and God who made you in His likeness, who chose to live among the poor. Sharing our best with others make us part of their lives, if not their hearts. “Love and be proud of the Philippines, the land of our birth,” she added. “Show it, even in small acts of love and nationalism.” Mr. Carlo Cabrera €€€€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

Robert Paluszka (1938-2009)

Hidden Pillar its initial years….He oversaw articles that our young staff would write, on the basis of facts and figures he helped analyze… and most of these ended up published in the papers then allowed to be circulated even during the Martial Law years. This gave CRC professional prestige, the hook with which it could catch men and women decision-makers by their heads.” All that fruit came from the hours of intense work in the silence of Mr. Paluszka’s office. He was among the hidden pillars that supported the great edifice that was CRC.

Larger than life

“…I’ll place a martyrdom within your reach: to be an apostle and not call yourself an apostle, to be a missionary—with a mission—and not call yourself a missionary, to be a man of God and to seem a man of the world: to pass unnoticed!” —St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, 848 The year was 1970, and Harvard donned its springtime regalia. Dr. Jesus Estanislao—who in 1967 had just co-founded UA&P’s forerunner, the Center for Research and Communication (CRC)—was talking to a young economist like himself. The conversation revolved around the nascent apostolate of Opus Dei in the Philippines and the early activities of CRC. Dr. Estanislao was trying to invite his friend to come to the Philippines and help out. The conversation did not have to take long; Mr. Robert “Bob” Paluszka immediately accepted the offer. Last June 8, Mr. Paluszka passed away at 70 years old—after 39 years in the Philippines spent on hard work, helping build or rehabilitate companies, making friends and keeping them, and dedicating all his efforts to the noblest of ideals. Very few at UA&P today know him. Hardly anyone knows that—as Dr. Estanislao said in the eulogy he delivered at Mr. Paluszka’s funeral—the former US Marine officer had been the one “most directly instrumental in setting up the Information Center of CRC… the very heart of a center that needed facts and figures, systematically collected, stored, and made ready for easy access and professional analysis.” “In this regard,” continued Dr. Estanislao, “Bob made it possible for CRC to build itself up as one of the most credible sources of economic and industry analysis in the country, even during

PHOTOS: MR . CARLO CABRER A

Mr. Paluszka held graduate degrees in accounting and economics from Bentley College and Georgetown University, respectively. While his technical expertise and dedication to the foundational work at CRC was unquestionable, Mr. Paluszka was truly larger than life. “Thoroughness, toughness, and competence wonderfully combined with friendship, care, and affection,” said Dr. Estanislao, “these Bob brought to everyone he dealt with and worked with at CRC’s Information Center, and into the boys of the youth club he pioneered.”

“[He was] most directly instrumental in setting up the Information Center of CRC… the very heart of a center that needed facts and figures...”

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Where did Mr. Paluszka get all that diligence and love? Dr. Estanislao concluded his eulogy by answering this question thus: “[Bob] had told [us] some two months before he finally breathed his last that he was suffering from great, intense pain. As usual, he hid it as best he could. When [some of us] visited him at the hospital some two weeks ago, he did wake up from his slumber, and he gave [us] the most angelic of smiles I have ever seen. “Why the smile? [In the oratory of the house where we live], we have a beautiful statue of Our Lady with the Child Jesus sitting on Mary’s lap, with an open book on the Child’s hands. In a talk that Bob gave, he once described that statue in terms I could never forget. He said: our Lady’s eyes were not on the book, but on the Child. Bob’s eyes, in his life and work, were not on the books and papers and files, but on the Child. Smile on, Bob, forever!” Mr. Daryl Zamora €€€€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

News

UA&P co-founder talks tradition “Where institutions are necessary and they do not yet exist, we start them, as we did with CRC and later on with UA&P. Where they have been destroyed… we rebuild them. Where they have been weakened… we rehabilitate them. And when they are already functioning well, we set them up to perform with breakthrough results,” UA&P cofounder Dr. Jesus Estanislao said in a recent talk at the University. “In doing

“If we are true to the conviction and commitment of building institutions, we give a lot of importance to what stays, the long term, the permanent, what builds, what strengthens… otherwise we shortchange the future.”

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PHOTO: MR . CARLO CABRER A

all these, we proceed always with the light of the gospel truths, with high professional competence, with a commitment to excellence and with inspiration from the traditions that have been dutifully passed on to us.” Speaking on “Tradition,” the University’s founding president and current chairman of the Institute of Corporate Directors said: “Traditions evolve and develop—they have to. To have meaning, relevance, and strength, they need to be in full consistency with the core values, the fundamental

principles, and the strategic priorities based on the institution’s mission and vision. There has to be the application of the unity of life.” Three traditions, he said, that we need to keep, enrich, and pass on as our legacy to the next generation are: the tradition of “performance and keeping score” or adhering to a discipline of assessing and renewing our portfolio of initiatives with their targets and measures for progress, the tradition of celebrating and rewarding outstanding successes as well as learning from mistakes and failures, and the tradition of observing rite and ritual. “Everyone who has a sense of belonging in this University need not be compelled to attend President’s Day, University Day, and Commencement Day, but rather, take each of these as great occasions for fidelity, loyalty, and continuing commitment to his University,” he said. Dr. Estanislao called for everyone in UA&P to not only have a vision for the institution’s future but also to never lose sight of the values upon which the University was built. “If we are true to the conviction and commitment of building institutions, we give a lot of importance to what stays, the long term, the permanent, what builds, what strengthens… otherwise we shortchange the future,” he said. Mr. Carlo Cabrera €€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

Eight new lawyers from UA&P In the 108th bar exams last September, a total of 1,310 passed out of a record 6,364 examinees. Eight of the passers graduated from UA&P—Joseph Ryan Abalos, Jose Raphael Agaab, Joden Alcoreza, Karin Lei Franco, Roberto Rafael N. Lucila II, Bernard Joseph Malibiran, Fides Angeli Sabio, and John Martin Sese. Joseph Ryan Abalos earned his Bachelor of Science in Information Technology degree from UA&P in 2003. He took up Law at the University of the East, where he was a recipient of the Dean of the College of Law Scholarship Award and a consistent Dean’s Lister at the UE College of Law. He now works at the Office of the Solicitor General. Jose Raphael Agaab grad-

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

uated from UA&P with a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurial Management degree in 2001. He took up Law at the Ateneo de Manila Law School and the Lyceum of the Philippines College of Law. Joden Alcoreza obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree, Major in Humanities with Professional Certificate in Political Economy in 2003. He attended the MBA and Juris Doctor program at the De La Salle University-Far Eastern University, where he received a silver medal for academic distinction. He is now an Associate at Padlan, Sutton & Associates, a law firm. Karin Lei Franco is a 2004 graduate of UA&P with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Major in Humanities with Professional Certificate in Political Economy. She studied

law at the University of the Philippines. She now works at the Caguioa & Gatmaytan Law Office. Roberto Rafael N. Lucila II obtained his law degree from the Aquinas University of Legaspi. He is now with the Belo Gozon Elma Parel Asuncion & Lucila Law Office, which specializes in corporate law, media and telecommunications law, and litigation. He was among UA&P’s 2003 graduates with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Major in Humanities with Professional Certificate in Industrial Economics. Bernard Joseph Malibiran obtained his Bachelor of Science in Information Technology degree from UA&P in 2002. He took up Law at the Ateneo de Manila University. He now works at the

Dime Labastilla De Leon Tayag & Eviota Law Firm. Fides Angeli Sabio graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts, Major in Humanities with a field of specialization in Philosophy. She taught Philosophy in the University from 2000 to 2004. She finished law at the Ateneo de Manila University and is now working at the Caguioa & Gatmaytan Law Office. John Martin Sese earned his Bachelor of Science in Information Technology degree in 2004 then went to Ateneo for his law degree. He plans to help out his father who is now a regional trial court judge in Masbate. Ms. Boots Ruelos€€€€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

Freshmen ready for university life

ore than 350 freshman students thronged the University from June 3 to 5 in a series of activities during the Freshstart freshman orientation program. Organized by the Office of Student Affairs-Guidance Desk, the program welcomed in bursting colors and loud music the newest members of the UA&P family. Get-togethers and various games and gimmicks primed the first-year students for the excitement of university life. The freshmen—100 of whom are schol-

ars—attended talks on the “Seven Habits of Highly Effective UA&P Students” in different venues at the University. The topics included civility, involvement in co-curricular activities, social awareness, and academic excellence. The nine-block batch was also toured around the University. On the last day of the program, the Student Executive Board (SEB) conducted the “fun day,” which included a fair at the MultiPurpose Court (MPC). There the University’s student organizations set up booths and held interactive competitions. Finally, the SEB hosted a program where

P H OTO S: M R . C A R LO C A B R E R A

they awarded the winners of the various contests in the previous days. They also showed promotional videos of some student organizations. Among the program’s presenters was the Squadra dance group, which wowed the crowd with their smooth moves. Though the start of classes was postponed to two weeks from schedule, the freshmen were already jumpy to go to school. “I hope I would get challenges,” quipped Isabel Agoncillo, one of the batch’s scholars. Mr. Daryl Zamora €€€€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

Abalos

Franco

Lucila

Malibiran

Sese

Sabio

Agaab Alcoreza

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

News CAS depts share knowhow with public school teachers

Sorsogon teachers discuss the new concepts they learned in the CETS lectures

Faculty members lecture on good citizenship in Sorsogon In a series of lectures and workshops, UA&P faculty members from different disciplines imparted new knowledge on civic education to high school teachers in Sorsogon from February to April this year. About 130 teachers attended the annual Civic Education Training Seminar (CETS). It was held in three batches, one for each month of the seminar’s duration. The seminar’s speakers included Dr. Severina Villegas, Dr. Maria Riza Bondal, and Dr. Gladys Golo from the School of Education and Human Development (SED); Dr. Paul Dumol and Mr. Clement Camposano from the Department of History; Ms. Ma. Concepcion Rapisora, Ms. Natividad Gruet, and Mr. Philip Paje from the Pacific Rim Studies Department; and Mr. Arnil Paras and Ms Abigail de Leon from the Institute of Political Economy (IPE). The speakers’ expertise combined to produce a high-impact and informative seminar, which, according to one of the participants, profoundly impressed them. Launched in 2005, “It is only when we understand the CETS aims to embed civic true responsibilities of citizenship education in the existing high in a democracy that the foundations school curriculum. Funded of democratic governance are by the Diputacion Foral de strengthened.” Gipuzkoa and Zabalketa ONG, it is organized by the Philippine Center for Civic Education and Democracy (PCCED), in cooperation with the University and the Center for Research and Communication (CRC). Through the years, CETS has been to various major cities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. This year, the Provincial Government of Sorsogon, located in the southeastern tip of Luzon, co-organized the event.

Every summer, the different departments of the College of Arts and Sciences make time to reach out to public school teachers. Armed with the latest information, techniques, and trends in their different disciplines, they believe in the importance of sharing these with their fellow educators, especially those in the public schools. This year, three departments held these sharing sessions. Last April, 30 public school teachers from 15 schools attended the Mathematics Summer Institute of the Department of Mathematics. The theme was “Enhancing Algebraic Skills: A Closer Look at Fundamental Concepts.” The lecture topics were axiomatic system, algebraic expressions, functions, word problems, and matrix algebra. The lecturer was Dr. Efren Mateo, an expert in teaching strategies. The Arts Department also had its outreach activity for Metro Manila public school teachers of arts on May 7 to 9. Entitled “Teaching Music Appreciation,” it was a seminar workshop that included as speakers renowned Filipino musical artists Dr. Raul Sunico and Dr. Raul Navarro. Dr. Sunico, Dean of the Conservatory of Music of the University of Sto. Tomas, talked about “The Elements of Music” while Dr. Navarro, Assis-

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Integrated approach

According to Ms. Monica Ang, head of the CETS team, the speakers talked about a range of topics, including Philippine history, civic culture, democracy, economic citizenship, and pedagogy in civic education. “[The seminar] is an integrated approach at increasing the competence of teachers in Civic Education, primarily by strengthening their grasp of the subject matters included in the Makabayan (or Citizenship) curriculum [in Philippine high schools] and other subjects,” Ms. Ang said. After their lectures, the speakers and facilitators devoted time in helping participants apply the new concepts they learned in the seminar. This was done through workshops wherein participants are divided into smaller groups to come up with ways to share the new concepts to their students. At the end of the seminar, the CETS team challenged their audience to continue giving their best in forming good citizens. “It is only when we understand the true responsibilities of citizenship in a democracy,” Ms. Ang quoted the speakers, “that the foundations of democratic governance are strengthened.”

tant Professor of the University of the Philippines College of Music, discussed the principles of choral conducting and forming a chorale. Ms. Antoinette Cristi and Ms. Helen Dawala, both members of the UA&P faculty, talked about strategies and methods in teaching music and concert etiquettes. Finally, the Department of History held the Makabayan Seminar for public school teachers of History last May 22. The theme of the seminar was “Archetypes in Philippine History: The Friars and Maria Clara.” Dr. Paul Dumol spoke about friars in Philippine history, while Dr. Marya Svetlana Camacho, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, gave a talk entitled “Maria Clara: Women in the Spanish Colonial Period.”

Mr. Daryl Zamora €€€€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

Ms. Boots Ruelos€€€€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

News

IT Week Decoded

1001001. 1010100. That’s IT for you— in binary code. Deciphering codes like this is just one of the games played in the funfest that culminated the Institute of Information Technology Studies’ (IIT) first-ever IT Week last February. Passing the codes among teammates,

participants called the game “Copy Paste.” Scores of IT students and faculty members participated in the IT Week. The event included an exhibit and some talks by top professionals in the IT industry. Mr. Federico Sevilla III, CEO of IT consulting firm FS3, talked about Open ERPs (enterprise resource platforms),

IIT holds

while Mr. Kenneth Yapjoco of FutureProof Asia discussed business intelligence. IT student Chester Coronel, who had been awarded Most Valuable Professional during his on-the-job training at Microsoft, also revealed techniques in using Microsoft Office 2007 more effectively. In the last two days of the event, IT students put up an exhibit of their works: projects in software engineering, systems analysis, and design and multimedia. Some of the students’ personal websites were also displayed at the IT laboratory. According to the event’s organizers, aside from promoting camaraderie among IT students and faculty, the IT Week aimed to showcase the IT students’ projects and websites and acquaint students with certain IT issues and trends beyond the binary code.

The IT Week aimed to showcase the IT students’ projects and websites and acquaint students with certain IT issues and trends beyond the binary code.

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Mr. Daryl Zamora €€€€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

P H OTO S: I T E C

outreach event for Aetas Students and faculty members of the Institute of Information Technology Studies (IIT) held an outreach activity last March to 35 Aeta families at Farmlandia Resort in Bataan. The IIT student executive board (ITEC) organized the event, dubbed “ITEC Para sa Aetas,” which aimed to equip an Aeta community from Balanga, Bataan with basic knowledge in computer technologies. Adult participants were taught the fundamentals of Microsoft Word and Paint. Children, on the other hand, joined parlor games, watched videos, and listened to fairy tales. The much younger ones were tutored on shapes and colors. “It was difficult to leave them since we were all having fun,” recalled ITEC president Bloomingdale Mea. “I realized that it’s not only [our] Aeta brothers and sisters who received gifts from us, but we also received the greatest gift from them. It is through the gift of charity that we found fulfilment in our actions, which is more than…we can ask for.” Mr. Daryl Zamora €€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

News World will survive recession, says IESE expert Mr. Carlo Cabrera€€€€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

Dr. Videla gave a recap of the recession’s origins, pointing to a “tsunami of liquidity” that preceded the economic downturn. With interest rates at record low levels, consumers in the US and other Western countries invested in property while American banks suffered losses further exacerbated by their mandate to provide funds to low-income families to buy housing. The banks then began bundling the subprime mortgages into securities backed by the value of the houses, resulting in a credit crunch when central bankers hiked interest rates to stem inflation. House prices fell, properties were repossessed, and banks found there were few takers for their mortgage-backed securities. This chain of events led to the spread of insolvency of additional companies, governments in Europe, recession, and declining stock market prices around the globe. “Yes, we are in a recession. It will be long and difficult, but we will get through it. It’s much milder than the one in 1981 to 1982,” Dr. Videla said. The recession of the early 1980s was the most serious since the Great Depression, but Dr. Videla assured that the world need not worry about having to face similar circumstances, especially the Philippines. According to him, the Philippines is one of the countries least likely to be affected by the financial crisis, along with other emerging markets such as Vietnam and Indonesia. Dr. Villegas agreed, crediting the Philippines’ resiliency to its “domestic consumer base” and “varied and dynamic workforce here and abroad.” In particular, Dr. Antonio cited the continued strong growth of the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector and the remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). He said that the global crisis will heighten the cost-advantages of outsourcing to countries like the Philippines, while OFWs are fairly dispersed across many countries and those in the US are employed in critical sectors such as health and education. “The global crisis has dulled the shine from emerging markets. But this is only a cycle. If you are able to see beyond the short run, you will see that they are still glowing nicely,” Dr. Videla said. “The real question is not whether capitalism can survive—it can!—but whether world leaders will resist adopting policies that will undermine its potential.”

“This is not the end of capitalism. This is how capitalism works.”

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ver the last several months, the world has been experiencing the rippling effect of the United States subprime mortgage crisis, which became apparent in 2007 and worsened to record levels in 2008. Analysts from around the globe have been quick to overstate the situation as the current recession has drawn comparisons to the Great Depression of 1929, leaving doubts about the future of capitalism as we know it. This, however, should not be the case, according to an expert from the IESE Business School in Barcelona (Spain), consistently ranked as one of the top business schools in the world. “This is not the end of capitalism. This is how capitalism works,” said Dr. Pedro Videla, a professor and head of the economics department at IESE, during a lecture held at UA&P. With extensive experience in emerging economies, macroeconomics, and international trade and finance, Dr. Videla shared valuable insight regarding the global financial crisis and how businesses should strategize accordingly. He gave his lecture alongside UA&P’s own renowned economists Dr. Bernardo Villegas and Dr. Emilio Antonio.

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Dr. Pedro Videla explains the causes and consequences of the global recession.

P H OTO : M R . C A R LO C A B R E R A

UA&P’s new Vice President for Student and Alumni Affairs

IESE prof visits UA&P, lectures on CRM

ESE Business School professor Lluis Renart delivered a lecture on creating effective customer relationship management (CRM) strategies at the University last March 23. Professor Renart is an assistant professor at IESE’s Department of Marketing, where he specializes on export and multinational marketing, alliances in multinational marketing, marketing and the Internet, and CRM. Spain-based IESE is constantly ranked among the best MBA schools in the world. Prof. Renart explained the importance of having clear core values in developing customer relationship management (CRM) strategies. Speaking to members of the UA&P community and some visitors, Prof. Renart explained the advantage of having “transcendent or altruistic motives” in CRM efforts. “The motivational quality of a relationship marketing program will be higher, the higher the proportion of the transcendent or altruistic components,” he said. This has been his conclusion after studying certain European companies in terms of their business motives. Prof. Renart said that one of the greatest mistakes companies must avoid is immediately “buying a computer program” that supposedly facilitates implementing CRM strategies. He compared it to building the house’s roof without first laying the foundation. Rather, companies must first define their “mission, values, and culture,” coming up with core ideas on which to base CRM efforts. Many such efforts have failed due to companies’ lack of self-knowledge, he said. The professor also said that “genuine, sincere bilaterality” is among the key success factors of all CRM efforts. “Both sides must be happy with [the CRM activity],” he said. “Any [CRM] activity must create value for both sides.” According to Prof. Renart, gradual implementation of CRM activities is also important. This becomes more powerful with “multicanality and integration of all forms and points of contact,” he added.

“Genuine, sincere bilaterality” is among the key success factors of all CRM efforts. “...Any [CRM] activity must create value for both sides.”

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Mr. Daryl Zamora €€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

“I enter this university only with this clear goal: to serve and to learn,” says UA&P’s new Vice President for Student and Alumni Affairs Ms. Imelda Estillore. “I can only say that I’m so happy and grateful to be able to serve here (at the University). I look forward to learning many things from our students, faculty, and staff.” Learning, as they say, is a lifelong process and it is especially true in Ms. Estillore’s case. Coupled with her desire to serve and her experience in doing so, she’s just the right person to fill in the shoes of her illustrious predecessors. The BS Business Economics cum laude graduate earned her degree from the University of the Philippines (UP) and, after a period of serving at a government post, Ms. Estillore found herself returning to finish her MBA, move on into the realm of education and, eventually, to UA&P where she’s gotten a good feel for the unita’s way of life. “I believe that the strength of UA&P lies in its unity,” she says. “Unity is what will enable this university to reach far and help many people. Working together toward a common goal enkindles in each one that sincere desire to serve with personal sacrifice.” Ms. Estillore’s first working experience was with the House of Representatives’ Committee on Economic Affairs, under the guidance of then-Congressman Margarito Teves, now the country’s Secretary of Finance. Earlier this year, Ms. Estillore’s first boss was named “Best Finance Minister” in Asia by London-based international finance magazine The Banker. “He made a deep impression on me

as a boss because he was a real mentor,” she says. “He did not say much, but I learned many things from him because of his good example. He led by serving, and he had a deep respect for people and their personal views and convictions. He always consulted those under him, especially on important decisions.” She adds: “One habit I got from him is to always say ‘thank you.’ His small notes to us always ended with a ‘Thanks!’ Sometimes, I would wonder and ask myself: ‘What is he thanking me for?’” Even after years of working elsewhere, Ms. Estillore has never lost sight of the lessons she learned from her first job, and she has carried them with her to UA&P. “Hopefully, like my first boss in Congress, I can also lead by example. Like him, I hope to be constantly grateful. There are so many things to thank God for in this University,” she says.

“I enter this university only with this clear goal: to serve and to learn.”

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Prior to UA&P, Ms. Estillore worked with different educational foundations. Although her involvement with them was heavily geared toward financial matters, she also had several opportunities to help organize activities for college and high school students. This experience, according to her, has helped her stay in touch with today’s youth, an advantage that would be beneficial in her role at UA&P. “I feel very much at home with young people,” she says. “Actually, during my entire life as a professional, I don’t remember a time when I have been ‘cut-off’ from young people. Somehow, I always managed to be closely in touch with them through some volunteer work or coaching activities. I think it helps a lot to be constantly in touch with young people. In trying to help them, we actually end up being helped by them because we get inspired by their freshness, their ideals, their optimism, and their humor. We need to be with the young people to keep ourselves young at heart!”

Mr. Carlo Cabrera €€€€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

News

Campus Life

Honoring Doña Lourdes

he was a dedicated scholar and mentor. She was a pioneer in Spanish academia in the 1950s and 1960s on two counts: she was a woman and contributed enormously to the revival of interest in the study of Spanish colonial Philippines. Close to the first anniversary of her passing away, “Lourdes Díaz-Trechuelo, In Memoriam: A Conference on Spanish-Colonial Philippines” was held last March 11 and 12 to commemorate her person and accomplishments. To have given tribute to “Doña Lourdes” as she was fondly called, is to have honored a person who represented the essence of university. It was the first of its kind for UA&P. It was also a first in Philippine academe where the study of the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines has passed through controversial stages in past decades. The presence of persons from a cross-section of academic and cultural institutions indicated openness to the work of a Spanish historian about the Philippines. The ready participation of Filipino and Spanish scholars was both an implicit and explicit recognition of the importance of Díaz-Trechuelo’s works. Words acknowledging her help and generous attention from several of them bespoke gratitude. While the conference could not but celebrate her enduring significance on a global level, it was meant particularly for the Filipino public. Doña Lourdes most certainly deserved to be known by the people whose history and culture she studied and loved dearly. With a generous grant from the Spanish Program for Cultural Cooperation, preparations for the conference began midway last year. The Ortigas Foundation, known for its cultural endeavors foremost of which is its library, did not hesitate to give funding as well to the project. The collaboration of the Universidad de Córdoba, through professors from the Department of the History of America, was most fitting since Díaz-Trechuelo spent many years there as professor, eventually obtaining emeritus status. Thus did the History Department of UA&P gather support for the conference. The first day opened with an exposition of Díaz-Trechuelo’s contribution to Philippine historiography in Spain and the Philippines. Best and first known for Arquitectura española en Filipinas (1565-1800), which was her doctoral dissertation published in 1959, she formed a school of Andalusian researchers specializing in colonial Philippines with its vibrant center in the Universidad de Córdoba. Professor Antonio García-Abásolo of that university, outlined her profile in the context of Spanish scholarship, especially in the area of the History of America in which the Philippines occupies a peripheral area. Ateneo de Manila University professor Fr. Jose Arcilla’s reflections on the humanistic dimension of history were equally a tribute to her: “One who reads any of her [Díaz-Trechuelo’s] writings immediately feels we are dealing, not with abstract ideals, but with the deeply human effort to reach out for what is always better.” The paper by Miguel Luque Talavan (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) provided a view on the macro-level of the place of the Philippines in the Iberian expansion in the Asia-Pacific region. The rest of the papers for that day examined various aspects of Philippine colonial society. Antonio García-Abásolo’s discovery of Filipinos living on the Pacific coast of Mexico in the early seventeenth century studied their individual lives as adapted to another part of the Hispanic world; at the same time it is an attempt to trace cultural ties between the Philippines and Mexico. Dr. Paul Dumol (UA&P) gave a close reading of the drafts of the manual of confessors of the Synod of Manila of

1582, revealing not only the circumstances of the author(s) but also of Filipinos living at the time of early contact with Spaniards. On tracing the attempts to establish of urban centers in colonial society, Danilo Gerona of Ateneo de Naga University noted the impact on Spaniards and Filipinos as well as the resulting dynamics between them. Eloisa de Castro (University of Santo Tomas) presented a preliminary study of the truncated role of the Franciscans in Cavite Puerto in its first decades. The first day closed with Marta Manchado López’s (Universidad de Córdoba) analytical account of social networks in Manila on the basis of a jurisdictional conflict between ecclesiastical and civil authorities in the mid-18th century. The conference sessions of the second day were devoted to the areas in Philippine historiography that Díaz-Trechuelo focused on, that is, architecture and economic history. The papers on architecture took a variety of perspectives on Intramuros. Victor Torres of the Intramuros Administration narrated how Arquitectura española en Filipinas proved useful in the archeological work in the walled city, while Fr. Pedro Galende, OSA, of the San Agustin Museum explained the continuing restoration of the second monastery of San Agustin all the way to the present. On the other hand, Dr. Juan Mesquida’s (UA&P) paper on the evolution of the headquarters of the confraternity of the Misericordia of Manila was based on archival research. By way of an extensive survey of Philippine art and artifacts found in Spain, Regalado Jose shared the wide array of sources that he gathered in Spain some years ago.

“May she be remembered for a long time and may Spanish and Filipino common history be continually studied in both countries, for it’s a treasure too valuable to be forgotten.” ////////////////////// Ferdinand Llanes (University of the Philippines Diliman) contextualized Bourbon economic reformism in the Philippines, on which the afternoon session was spent, in continuity with nineteenth-century history. While Benito Legarda, Jr. gave an overview of two economic institutions that were iconic of the reforms, Celestina Boncan of the National Historical Institute presented a project of Governor Basco’s on the micro-level, a market in Intramuros. Lastly, Svetlana Camacho’s (UA&P) paper delved into the thought of an important agent of Bourbon reformism in the Philippines, Ciriaco González Carvajal. The conference was envisaged as an opportunity for two generations of Filipino and Spanish scholars to present their research in the Spanish colonial period in Philippine history. In the spirit of Lourdes Díaz-Trechuelo, UA&P hopes to foster interest in what remains to be a vast field to explore among Filipinos in the first place. The closing remarks of the Spanish ambassador to the Philippines, Hon. Luis Ariás Romero, summed up the aims of the conference: “May she be remembered for a long time and may Spanish and Filipino common history be continually studied in both countries, for it’s a treasure too valuable to be forgotten,” he said. “One can say that our colonial relationship was not only territorial or commercial expansion, but also at the human, social, and spiritual development of the [Philippines].” Dr. Marya Svetlana Camacho CAS Dean €€€€€€€€€€€

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Campus Life

CAS/IPE holds 2nd faculty colloquium The College of Arts and Sciences/Institute of Political Economy (CAS/IPE) Faculty Development Program hosted its 2nd Faculty Colloquium last May 27, which featured three CAS faculty members who recently presented papers at various conferences, both local and international. Ms. Boots Ruelos €€€€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Dr. Juan Mesquida of the Department of History discussed his paper on “Negotiating the Boundaries of Civil and Ecclesiastical Powers: The Misericordia of Manila (1594-1780s).” He presented this paper in the conference “Brotherhood and Boundaries” at the Scuola Normale of Pisa, Italy, organized by the Scuola Normale and the University of Toronto (Canada) and held last September 19-20. The conference, which gathered scholars from Europe, North America, Australia, and Brazil, featured research on historical topics surrounding confraternities and brotherhoods since the Middle Ages up to the eighteenth centuries. The research of Dr. Mesquida explained how the Misericordia (a brotherhood, or fraternity, of upper class male Spaniards founded in 1594) managed to use different strategies at various moments of its history in order to keep a certain degree of autonomy in handling its own funds. The Misericordia was to engage in social work with the needy—widows, orphans, the disabled, the sick, and those in jail. This research contributes to clarifying an area of the history of a prominent institution of the Spanish period of the Philippines. It was intended to be a source of inspiration for those engaged in social work, following Christian principles. Mr. Mark Hansley Chua of the Department of Science discussed his research on “Utilizing Municipal Solid Waste Leachate as Part of the Mixing Water in Blended Cement Mortar.” It was also presented in a conference in Penang, Malaysia in 2008. This study suggested a possible way of managing leachate (a toxic liquid from rainwater accumulated and other fluids contained within the garbage piles of facilities like that of Payatas Controlled Dumpsite) by using it as part of the mixing water for cement. Being liquid, the leachate can easily seep into the ground and is difficult to control. Payatas leachate is also high in organic materials and contains some heavy metals that could be harmful to human health. The results of experiments conducted showed that generally the compressive strength of blended cement decreases and its time of setting increases as the concentration of leachate in increased. They also showed that the heavy metals could be kept safely within the structure of the hardened cement. Dr. Elizabeth Urgel of the Department of Pacific Rim Studies discussed her paper on Gawad Kalinga (GK), an outreach program for poverty alleviation and nation building. The paper, entitled “Gawad Kalinga: Towards a Slum-free Philippines,” was first presented during the Mid-term International Conference on Religion and the Formation of New Publics held last year at the University of Sto. Tomas. In her paper, Dr. Urgel showed how Gawad Kalinga demonstrated that religious conviction is a potent force for transformation. Religious conviction has motivated and mobilized Couples for Christ, a Catholic family renewal movement to launch GK in 2000. GK aims to bring about total human liberation utilizing a holistic approach that addresses the material, spiritual and affective needs of the poor beneficiary. The end goal of this process is transformation in terms of relationship with God, neighbor and oneself. The pursuit of this goal has become a cooperative endeavor of the people engaged in GK—the leaders, the donor partners, the volunteer workers—who all admitted to have also experienced transformation in their lives.

Democracy Camp 2009

s the most popular and widely accepted form of government, democracy is a phenomenon spreading through many countries all over the world. The popularity of the democratic government is largely due to the values and ideals it promotes. It paints a vision of equality, freedom, development, and common good that appeals to the majority of mankind. Although the Philippines is categorized as a democratic country, Filipino citizens themselves are usually the first to point out the weaknesses of the government. This normally sets a negative or pessimistic outlook towards the country. This year’s Democracy Camp, though, served as a venue for hope and optimism to thrive. The UA&P Institute of Political Economy (IPE) and the Philippine Center for Civic Education and Democracy (PCCED) recently conducted Democracy Camp 2009 at Kuhala Bay Resort in Cardona, Rizal fromMarch 30 to April 2. Ms. Monica Ang (IPE) and Ms. Pia Marco (Department of History) managed the program with the help of POLIS, the University’s organization of political economy students, who provided the logistical and program support. The camp aimed to equip student leaders from various public high schools with knowledge that every democratic citizen needs to understand and improve their environment. The program rounded up 46 high school youth leaders from Metro Manila and Zamboanga City. The camp was organized with the support of Petron, Royal Lineage Properties, JMIF Philippines, and Office Warehouse. The Democracy Camp delivered indepth and immersive training in the critical knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary for effective citizenship and leadership in a democracy. Discussions were interspersed with practical and real-world skills training. The four-day program had lecture-discussions that featured experts who provided insights into the deeper issues facing Philippine democracy. The topics tackled include the development of Filipino democracy, the critical role of citizens in a democracy, problems in Philippine political development, rule of law, public policy, and entrepreneurial citizenship. The speakers included Mr. Arnil Paras (IPE), Mr. Lloyd Bautista (IPE), Atty. Delia Tantuico (UA&P Admissions Office), Ms. Halmen Valdez (Halo Café and UA&P alumna), Mr. Reynald Trillana (Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy), Mr. Sam Macagba (AYLC 2008) and Mr. Orenz Nito (UA&P Student Executive Board 0708). To support these talks, the organizers also prepared team building

activities which required the use of civic values in the accomplishment of the tasks. These served as a chance to allow the students to digest the lessons learned from the speakers and apply them realistically. These interactive solidarity sessions facilitated participants to get to know each other and encourage dialogue. There was also an outdoor team-building session in the form of a Citizenship Amazing Race, a film showing on the

EDSA Revolution, and an outdoor grill activity. Although a lot of hard work was involved in organizing the Democracy Camp, seeing the participants’ enthusiasm during the camp was enough to forget about the strenuous toil. It was clear that the students joined the camp wholeheartedly with the infinite amount of energy they injected into each activity. The student leaders were participative in every lecture, constantly asking questions and debating amongst themselves about different points of view on a topic. During the talk about student leadership, for example, the participants all expressed questions about dilemmas in their schools regarding student government related issues. It was evident that these leaders were sincerely trying to improve their schools and the way they handled their positions of leadership. While they came from various schools and organizations, the participants interacted easily with one another and did not hesitate in cooperating to accomplish a task. They were eager to share ideas and experiences with one another. Given the widely accepted notion that the Filipino youth is apathetic to events concerning the Philippines, it came

as a pleasant surprise to hear the opinions of each student concerning the state of the country. Perhaps the most touching comments were those made by students who wanted to spread civic education and democracy even beyond the camp. During brainstorming sessions, students swapped ideas on how to make such an opportunity available to more of their peers. It was definitely heartening to hear that they took the Democracy Camp seriously and found it valuable enough to share with others. Every idea and opinion expressed during the camp made us realize how much potential lies in these students. It is a tragic state of affairs that the talented and intelligent students of public schools in the Philippines don’t get as much opportunity to experience and learn from such talks. Talks regarding democracy and politics are common fare for a UA&P student and the enthusiasm that these high school students exhibited makes one reflect on how much we actually take these talks for granted. In this everyday dogeat-dog world we live in, it seems inevitable that each and every person can end up getting caught up with their own personal problems. The concerns of most people seem to be limited only to their own circle of friends, family and self. All of us can be tempted by the tendency to become entrapped in this base self where we are wholly selfish in our P H OTO : A B D U L N A S S E R S A M PAC O

Given the widely accepted notion that the Filipino youth is apathetic to events concerning the Philippines, it came as a pleasant surprise to hear the opinions of each student concerning the state of the country.

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thought and actions; but there are instances in life where an opportunity presents itself to escape this prison of self-interest and look outside oneself. This year’s Democracy Camp was one such opportunity. Bea Bermundo and Ivan Lim IPE 4th Year €€€€€€€€€

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Dr. Paul A. Dumol CAS Faculty €€€€€€

Recovering the meaning of liberal education

e are perhaps the only university in the Philippines that takes liberal education seriously and probably one of the very few in the world to do so. We must be convinced of its worth. It cannot be simply a marketing ploy, a “niche” to distinguish us from other schools. Given the increasingly low estimation of liberal education in the Philippines and in the world, we must know why we continue to uphold it. Besides, on our concept of liberal education depends the core curriculum in our undergraduate programs, both the subjects that make up that curriculum and the number of units allotted to each subject. Note that I have said “our” concept of liberal education: liberal education in a university that offers such an education is something that must be valued by the entire academic community and not just by a portion of it. We call liberal education the gateway to our master’s programs. What this means is that our graduate programs assume, or should assume, the liberal education our undergraduates receive. This is the reason why the quality of the liberal education we offer is not merely a CAS (College of Arts and Sciences) concern; it is a university concern. It is sometimes said that there is no one concept of liberal education. This is true—today. We live among the ruins of Western civiliza-

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

tion, ancient, medieval, and modern civilization, and among these broken stones, potsherds, twisted metal, and bits of glass are the ruins of liberal education. There are monstrous structures cemented, glued, and nailed together that purport to be programs of liberal education, one such, so some think, being the curriculum which all Philippine universities are obliged to follow: a veritable Frankenstein. And we? What should we do? Accept the harsh realities of history and legislation and embrace Frankenstein? I do not think so. Shall we claim that any concept of liberal education is as good as any other so long as it sounds reasonable? This would be amateurism. The right thing to do is to engage in what the German philosopher, Martin Heidegger, called wiederholung or repetition, to go to the roots of liberal education and see what the original insight at the heart of the concept was.

The concept of liberal education

“The concept”: I have said. One may regard liberal education as a sociological fact or as a theory of education, as a concept. As a sociological fact “liberal education” is simply the education of the free, those who were not slaves; as a theory of education its father is Aristotle. It

is to Aristotle’s Politics that we owe the phrase “the education of the freeman.” This is an important distinction: education as a sociological fact is more the result of circumstance rather than theory, and when we have a curriculum which is in part the result of circumstance, such as the obligatory Philippine college curriculum with its courses on Taxation and Land Reform and Family Planning, it is difficult, if not impossible, to find a single explanation for every course in the curriculum. If we wish to explore the meaning of liberal education as a theory of education, with the accent on the word liberal, then it is to Aristotle that we must turn. He does not refer to the homo liber, the “freeman,” in a sociological sense, that is, as someone who is not a slave, but invests the term with a philosophical meaning. The freeman for Aristotle is the person whose intellectual gifts are such that his sociological status, whether freeman or slave, becomes something purely accidental: Aristotle’s freeman is free “by nature.” Even more, some men are freer than others by nature, and others less free: Degrees of freedom by nature in Aristotle reflect degrees of rationality, not political status. What does the education of the freeman mean for Aristotle? For Aristotle, the freeman is the citizen of the polis. Liberal education for Aristotle means the education of the citizen, which he characterizes in three ways: it is an education not only for war but also for peace, not only for work but also for leisure, and not only in the useful but also in the liberal and the noble. These are broad strokes, but sufficient for any curriculum planner worth his salt to set about working.

Liberal education vs. professional education

Compare Aristotle’s theory of liberal education with the dictionary definitions given by Random House of two related terms: “liberal education” and “liberal arts.” Liberal education is defined as “an education based primarily on the liberal arts, emphasizing the development of intellectual abilities as opposed to the acquisition of professional skills.” Liberal arts is defined as “the academic course of instruction at a college intended to provide general knowledge and comprising the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences, as opposed to professional or technical subjects.” These are definitions one may hear today even on our campus. You will remark that they do not bear any immediate resemblance to Aristotle’s. What should especially catch our attention, however, is the reference both definitions make to professional education, as though neither concept may be understood by itself, but only in opposition to professional education. This is, of course, not the case with professional education. This one-sided definitional dependence betrays an uncertainty in the contemporary mind about the very concept of liberal education. Aristotle’s discussion of education is instructive. Aristotle does not oppose liberal education to professional education, which, on the other hand, did not exist in his time as we understand it now. To the development of intellectual abilities Aristotle opposes mechanical training, or banausic education as we referred to it in my course on Theories of Liberal Education, training that stultifies the intellect, instead of developing it. I do not think anyone would claim that professional education stultifies the intellect. It is closer to the truth to regard professional education as education in work, and so its contrary is education in leisure. There is no opposition between liberal education and professional education, as there is no opposition between the whole and one of its parts. This will become clearer the day we offer graduate programs in literature, history, and philosophy; the difference between professional education in these fields and the liberal education which comprises them is a difference of aims. A clear grasp of this difference is sufficient to dispel any danger of confusing one with the other.

Development of intellectual abilities vs. mechanical training

The same thing may be said of liberal education as “emphasizing the development of intellectual abilities as opposed to the acquisition of professional skills.” Why should the development of intellectual abilities be opposed to the acquisition of professional skills? We sometimes hear this: that liberal education prepares students for future jobs which are yet unknown. On the other hand, I know many engineers who have made good managers, entrepreneurs, and bankers: can we claim therefore that engineering prepares a person for multiple professions? And what shall I say about my experience directing plays to which I attribute my skills in teaching and school administration? Related to this is the claim that liberal education teaches the student to synthesize and integrate, whereas professional education spe-

Academics

cializes. In fact synthesis and integration occurs in any program with more than one course. What rather distinguishes the synthesis and integration that occur in liberal education from that in professional education is the very subjects synthesized and integrated. I have gone through this exercise of wiederholung to point out the false dichotomies that plague contemporary understanding of liberal education and that, I fear, affect us. Ultimately, they pervert our understanding of liberal education, easily affecting curriculum, pedagogical approach, faculty training, and organizational structure. These false dichotomies are traceable to the controversy between the universities of Oxford and Edinburgh at the beginning of the nineteenth century. To Oxford’s liberal education, which comprised the liberal arts and the humanities, Edinburgh opposed its programs of mathematics and the sciences, accusing Oxford of teaching useless knowledge. Oxford’s reply was to oppose universal knowledge to specialized knowledge. With time, “universal knowledge” degenerated into “general knowledge.” To Edinburgh’s accusation of useless education, Oxford replied by singing the praises of a mind schooled in various disciplines. I would like to lay the blame for the false dichotomies at Oxford’s doorstep, and at Newman’s feet, if I may add. And yet there is more... We would be right to sense a change in the concept of liberal education by the nineteenth century. Between Aristotle and Newman came the collapse of the Greek democratic poleis and the rise of Imperial Rome, feudal societies, and the monarchies of France and England; between them came the Italian humanists and Baldassare Castiglione. By the time the English coined the phrase “liberal education” (referring to Aristotle’s original idea) in the seventeenth century, it meant the education of the gentleman, and this education was above all in the humanities. (The liberal arts had dropped into grammar school.)

Liberal education for Aristotle... is an education not only for war but also for peace, not only for work but also for leisure, and not only in the useful but also in the liberal and the noble. //////////////////////////

There is, of course, a difference between the education of the gentleman and the education of the citizen. The education of the citizen has the polis in mind as backdrop; the education of the gentleman,...tea parties? Or post-prandial conversations over brandy? Liberal education has not quite shaken off this reputation of being the education for men of leisure, despite Mortimer Adler’s efforts.

General vs. specialized education

In the Philippines, before “liberal education” was replaced by the dreadful phrase “general education,” liberal education for a long time meant, albeit vaguely, what can only be called education in wisdom— knowledge that went far beyond the world of practical matters and concerned Life, Man, and Society, the stuff of philosophy. This exceeded the narrow confines of the Greco-Roman liberal arts and was rather the legacy of the Italian humanists, in addition to and not in place of Medieval “divinity.” This gives us an insight into the Oxford-Edinburgh rivalry: it was not so much disagreement on which mattered more—the general or the specialized; rather, it was disagreement on what mattered to understand reality: (a) the study of God and man or (b) the study of nature using mathematics and experiments (Newton’s shadow here!). The former was discredited as airy-fairy: another stain on the repu “Recovering the meaning...” continued on page 27 >>

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Academics

The grammar of Romeo and Juliet A study of metaphorical and romantic language

Whether we are aware of it or not, we think, speak, and write in metaphors every day. An encounter with a linguist who has studied this figure of speech extensively and his discussion of how it is used in one of the most romantic plays ever written in the English language simply emphasized what most of us already know: there is, indeed, power and beauty in the written word. Ms. Maria Socorro B. Claudio Chair, Department of English €€€€€€€€

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

News

r. Antonio Barcelona Sanchez is a Professor of Cognitive Linguistics from the University of Cordoba, Spain. His sixtythree page curriculum vitae attests to the busy schedule he has kept, delivering lectures at several international linguistics conferences and universities throughout Europe. Not only has Professor Barcelona contributed immensely in the field of cognitive linguistics, he also has vast experience teaching English as a second language in high school and university. A well-published author, he has written extensively on various topics connected to his field of specialization. The University was fortunate to have had the chance to invite Dr. Barcelona to lecture last March 11 on the “Metaphorical Models of Romantic Love in Romeo and Juliet.” Before a packed (SRO) audience of mostly EM sophomores taking Literature in English, freshmen taking Renaissance Literature, and CAS faculty, Dr. Barcelona started off by saying that he is “not a literary scholar nor an applied linguist but a theoretical and descriptive linguist.” He analyzes and describes how language is spoken (or how it was spoken in the past). He claimed that literature is an excellent testing ground for his work. It is for this reason that he studied Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which he believes “is a dramatic embodiment of various ways of viewing romantic love.” As an introduction to the world of metaphor and metonymy, the distinguished professor explained how we, perhaps unconsciously, make use of these two figures of speech in everyday expression. Many of the examples he mentioned like: “I can’t see the solution”; “ She’s just a pretty face;” “There are a lot of good heads at the University;” and “Mary had a long face” were quite familiar to the audience. The choice of the metaphor and metonymy for expressing an idea provides insights into the beliefs and values in a particular culture. According to Dr. Barcelona, the most important part of his research is the “investigation of the role of metaphor and metonymy as the primary conceptual tools in the construction of these concepts.” He said that, in Romeo and Juliet, the central metaphor in both the typical model of love (TML) and the Ideal Model of Romantic Love (IMRL) is the love relationship that is the unity of two complementary parts. He cited two examples from the play— Friar Laurence: “For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone/Till Holy Church incorporate two in one” (II.6.35-38), and Juliet (talking to Friar Laurence): “God joined my heart and Romeo’s, thou our hands;/And ere this hand, by thee to Romeo’s sealed,/Shall be the label to another deed,/Or my true heart with treacherous revolt,/Turn to another, this shall slay them both” (IV.1.55-60). While in the first example, Friar Laurence

refers to marriage as “the religious sanction of the inseparable unity between the lovers,” in the second example, Juliet “alludes first directly to the unity as an inseparable unity (“God joined my heart and Romeo’s”) that exists even before the marriage.” Dr. Barcelona also discussed the use of the other metaphors: light metaphors (Juliet is compared to a bright light), part-whole metaphors (the love between Romeo and Juliet means unity), container metaphors (for Juliet, Romeo is a mansion of a love), living being metaphors (love is a flower), and path metaphors (life is a journey). The examples that were discussed in detail support the claim that love is the unity of two complementary parts—the most powerful symbol of romantic love in the play. While discussing the broad categories of metaphors and metonymies, the eminent professor stressed that the largest group of metaphors in the IML (Ideal Model of Love) are the light and darkness metaphors. He discussed the symbolic use of both darkness and light (torches, the quivering dawn, lightning, flash of gunpowder etc.) as Shakespeare’s way of expressing “the brevity of Romeo and Juliet’s romance and even of human life in general.” It is interesting to note, according to Dr. Barcelona, that Shakespeare did not only give us the personal notions of love (IMRL) from the two major characters. We are also privy to the perceptions of the minor characters on the topic. Friar Laurence believes that love should be guided by the intellect. Hence, love must be “controlled by reason, good sense, and careful planning.” It would seem that the good friar also sees love as a means to encourage the “reconciliation of the two feuding families.” Therefore, love has its “practical” advantages. On the other hand, Capulet and Lady Capulet “both adhere in practice to a “parent-imposed love” wherein a socio-economic business arrangement (influence, reputation, dowry) is attached to the love relationship. Then there is the Nurse’s model of love that could be termed as “amoral love since it is a view of love in which it is merely something that forms part of a woman’s life cycle” (connected to sex, pregnancy, material interest). Finally, there is Mercutio’s view of love, which can be called “cynical sexual love.” This character believes that “love as a deep feeling should be ridiculed” because it is dangerous for one’s mental health. With all these valuable insights, there can be no doubt that Dr. Barcelona managed to inspire and encourage his audience to read or re-read the play. And while many critics would question whether Romeo and Juliet is a play of “fate or of fulfillment,” it is clear from his close study of the work that Dr. Barcelona believes it is a play of fulfillment since the “protagonists fulfill their purpose of living by the unity metaphor, and only death parts them.”

The choice of the metaphor and metonymy for expressing an idea provides insights into the beliefs and values in a particular culture.

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Source: Barcelona Sanchez, A. ( 1995 ). Metaphorical models of romantic love in Romeo and Juliet. Journal of Pragmatics, 24, 667-688.

Academics

The necessity of communication and information literacy in ‘the medium is the message’ world

makes us wonderfully human. Fighting and bickering are central themes, with characters often creating problems that can be avoided, making mountains out of molehills. Human folly has transformed from struggle to becoming the essence of life. Even among genres that both the media and many viewers regard as intelligent and compelling, ‘the medium is the message’ framework reigns. In the popular medical drama, House, the audience is given a taste of a Sherlock Holmes medical mystery, with what is presented as complex medical problems for a team of doctors specializing in cutting-edge medicine. While the basic idea and plot is interesting, its producers and directors focus less on content governed by logic and reason; instead, focus on the main character’s dysfunctional and annoying attitude, portraying it as an ideal to aspire for. This growing trend of depicting the right as wrong and staging the wrong as right is a natural consequence of McLuhan’s thesis. It is best observed in the critically acclaimed reimagined Battlestar Galactica (BSG). Touted as the new face of science fiction, BSG reimagined transformed an old 1980s TV show based on hope, spiritual faith, and family as a show of despair, sexuality, and human dysfunction. The worst aspects and tendencies of a human being are magnified, celebrated, and sold as entertainment. It has been regarded as intellectually stimulating, challenging viewer imagination; but what it really is, is a twisted interpretation of reality, based on broken rules of logic and reason. Monotheism is depicted as religious fundamentalism, and what is alluded to, as the Christian God is associated with the number six, with angels looking like mafia lords and Vegas hosts. While we can resist the influence of media, its pervasiveness, power, and complexity make that very difficult. From entertainment to news, and even the food, toys, and gadgets we purchase and use, McLuhan’s thesis has become the thrust of communication. In the late 1970s throughout the 1980s, a war broke out that would further ferment this idea. Before Steve Jobs introduced Apple at the end of the 1970s, IBM lorded it all and computers were largely utilized for office applications. Jobs changed the communication landscape with his new interface and catapulted the idea of computers as toys of the technically gifted nerd (with MS-DOS) to the avant-garde, cool and visually oriented and self-proclaimed artistic genius’ religion and lifestyle. It further evolved from a business tool to the hobbyist’s toy to virtually anyone’s staple commodity. A traditionally gifted nerd figured this out and beat Jobs at his own game when he introduced Windows, the operating system (OS) that owes its stamp to Jobs’ OS. But Jobs believed that Gates would never succeed because his Apple OS was better. But since ‘the medium is the message’, Gates knew that it would not matter. And it will continue to not matter if communication and information literacy are not taken seriously, rendering human reason almost incapable of exercising freedom.

leading theorist of mass communication once asked a leading practitioner in the same field how he got his start. “I heard Elvis Presley,” John Lennon told Marshall McLuhan. Presley’s success hinged on mannerisms and petty habits with his infamous pelvic gyrations, the outlandish clothes and pompadoured hair, and the lopsided grin. Luckily, unlike Presley, The Beatles evolved and produced content that has proven timeless. But what is more interesting here is how Lennon’s answer demonstrated McLuhan’s thesis, ‘the medium is the message.’ Coincidentally, just a year after Lennon demonstrated McLuhan’s point, Lennon himself, was slated to follow the Elvis track when he embarked on his solo career and packaged himself as a peace icon. As his son Julian wrote on the 25th anniversary of his death, “That peace and love never came home to me.” Because ‘the medium is the message,’ 30 years after McLuhan received proof of his thesis, the evidence has grown. The significance and necessity of becoming media-literate is immense; and while the success of Presley may seem all too frivolous, the framework governing his success is not, because it is the same framework governing most messages in the popular media. Since the origin of the popular media at the turn of the 19th century, and more so with the birth of comWith the reign of popular mercial television in the 1950s, the peripheral aspects media, the misguided of a message have become the main focus of man’s passion prevalent since the pursuit for knowledge and wisdom. This phenomenon Enlightenment has been is not new. The ancient Greeks dealt with a similar outmagnified. look with the growing popularity of the Sophists and their penchant for shallow rhetoric. Even at the onset of modernity, with the period known as the Enlightenment, the focus on reason was often artificial, ignited by pure passion alone. Reason was replaced by “rationalizing,” a mere derivative of reason meant to merely justify various perspectives. Misguided passion fueled countless other “isms” and revolutions that rocked the world— from the French Revolution to the pursuit of the American Dream to Fascism, Bolshevik socialism, and consumerism, the world has been in constant but directionless flux. Revolutions are often flamed by ideas; and the speed and manner at which ideas are disseminated have directed the course of history. With the reign of popular media, the misguided passion prevalent since the Enlightenment has been magnified. McLuhan believed that a medium affects the society in which it plays a role not only by the content delivered over the medium, but by the characteristics of the medium itself. Among the various technologies devoted to communication and information since the invention of Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press, television has by far been the most powerful. Moreover, it has also been the medium that has imbibed most of the potentially damaging characteristics of misguided passion and has often undermined the necessity and essence of reason and logic. In fact, all other communication technologies have imbibed TV’s nature and Dr. Caterina Lorenzo-Molo popular character. Popular TV dramas such as Grey’s Anatomy and Brothers and Sisters, for SCM Faculty €€€€€€€€ instance, focus on the imperfections of man, implying that it is our unregulated emotion that

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UNIVERSITAS July 2009

here is a dangerous misunderstanding outside and in the University that the Humanities is a course closer to creative writing, to theater, or to the fine arts than to the academic discipline which it truly is. From this confusion, the Humanities inherit from the Arts the impressions ‘fun’ and ‘easy,’ the unfortunate result being the attraction of those refugees from life who see in the Arts an escape from rigor and precise language and consequently an evasion of responsibility.* Hence the proliferation within the Humanities of the artist and the artist-like. No injustice is done to the former for questions of talent, of whether paintings, songs, and poems have promise, are of small relevance. It is a grave error to assume that the mind that creates art shall do excellently in criticism. And it is criticism that is the vocation proper to the academic Humanities, our MA Humanities. Its mental activity is very different to that of the artist. Given a job description: The MA Humanities program is a training the intellectual reveals what ground for the Filipino critic who is, really, the Filiis worthy of praise, what pino intellectual. The concept, nonetheless, is am- ought to be condemned, kept, biguous. What is an intellectual? What does he or borrowed, or jettisoned; she do? One book puts it grandiosely: “Intellectuals he is a critic of culture. are those who are qualified to give advice to the rest of humanity.” I would rather give an answer in the spirit of Jacques Barzun (who inspires this essay): Intellectuals are those who have made an obsession of precision in language and hence precision in thought. He is not a repeater of grand glutinous phrases but a creator of knowledge. Given a job description: the intellectual reveals what is worthy of praise, what ought to be condemned, kept, borrowed, or jettisoned; he is a critic of culture. A taste for intellect begins when the student is brought before the sublime, is moved, and can no longer be satisfied with the platitudes his mind can offer. Priam kissing the hands of the man who killed his son is not simply sad, neither is it merely depressing: The tremendous power of Homer will demand from those who dare reply to him a criticism that is almost poetry; a lecture that is almost theatre. Disturbed by his inarticulateness, the student pushes against the boundaries of his language. He strives for a greater and greater precision. He becomes intellectual. The first years at CAS give the student a taste of intellect that is sustained and made central in the Humanities program. It is his induction into a life of, and not a skill with, the mind. Coleridge describes the intellectual as belonging to a clerisy. He is correct. Intellect invades every aspect of being: a man’s speech, a man’s thought, a man’s writing. Neither will it spare his love. It is the openness of the cultivated intellect, the fact that its application is not limited to a particular field, that gives credence to the clichés that call the graduate of the Humanities a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ or an ‘easy learner’. His proper home is the academe. But, anywhere else, he can by the strength of his mind be expected to excel.

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What the Humanities Does to You Mr. Philip Peckson CAS Faculty €€€€

This paragraph, and the entire essay, owes much to Jacques Barzun’s House of Intellect.

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Academics

Ronilo Balbieran SEC Faculty Christian Vallez Arts and Culture Asia, Inc. John Joseph Rimando Alagad ng Sining, Talino, Imahinasyon, at Galing €€€€€€€€

The economics of art and the art of economics

THE CASE OF THE FILIPINO

his first quarter of the year, our economy has been faced with challenges and depressing projections by prophets of doom. Foreign analysts and economists confidently predict that our country will slow down in growth and will suffer as an effect of the most recent global financial crisis. Investors are anxious, the public at large is afraid. We are now constantly haunted by an impending recession in our country that has a very weak basis, if any at all.

The “virus” of recession

Dr. Emilio Antonio Jr. explains that the worldwide financial crisis threatens to infect us with its economic “virus.” And “common” economic sense tells us that if the United States “sneezes,” the third world would “catch the flu.” However, despite these economic anxieties, the symptoms never came, the virus barely touched our economic health. We come almost unscathed amidst the domino effect where economy after economy are melting down. Still, despite our ability to survive and be virtually immune from this crisis, the common Filipino still struggles to make ends meet. What probably saved us from definite economic depression is our positive outlook and attitude toward life. Or in macroeconomic jargon, Filipinos have a high marginal propensity to consume, and the money in our country has a high velocity, and thus Keynesian multipliers are very high. Unquestionably, we are a resilient people. Our creativity and happy disposition not only allow us to survive, but bring us to uncharted depths of possibilities. Economic physicians and business gurus have diagnosed the world and put the blame on the culture of greed and hatred that has persisted and grown due to abuses in media, entertainment, government, and other fields. The Filipino’s core—his kind-hearted nature and his natural respect for human life—is being challenged by inhumanity in the guise of tolerance, financial stability and wealth, and human development.

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

The art of economics and the economics of art

Economics, according to Dr. Bernardo Villegas, is the science of allocation and expansion of scarce resources to satisfy man’s unlimited, multiple, competing needs and wants. Simplified, it is all about maximization and optimization of what you have and what you want… at the same time. Insisting on what one desires (want to choose), without the capacity to afford them, is “wishful thinking.” On the other hand, insisting on obtaining things/trying activities simply because you can afford to is called “irresponsibility.” Hence, there was coinage of a term that is unique to the field of economics: satisfice. This is the marriage of two words “suffice” and “satisfy” to illustrate how life is a constant journey toward satisfaction, with bottlenecks of budget constraints. We may not be able to buy or acquire all the things we want, but that does not make life meaningless. It only means that we have to be creative in making do (and making the most) of what we have, and later on, in expanding our resources. Therefore, though economics is seen as a science of optimization of allocation, it is actually an artistic endeavor. As Gary Becker, a Nobel Prize Awardee in Economics, put it, “Economics is the art of making the most out of life.” Economics is not just a subject, nor is it a simple professional course. Economics is both a way of thinking and a way of life. It is as fundamental as logic and grammar, without which, a sensible and intelligible decision cannot be made. It is a science that artistically combines all other sciences and the art to explain and prescribe human decisions. Thus, from the point of view of economics, artists are economists. Both the artist and the economist are fully aware that there are unlimited desires to be expressed and to be fulfilled. But they are also fully aware that their resources are scarce, their time is constrained, and their media are limited. There are deadlines, budgets, and restrictions. But this is not the end, but the beginning of the real world—a world of balance, of creative quests for the unreachable unlimited happiness.

The Filipino as an artist

Filipinos find escape from all problems in arts and entertainment. As much as economics is one of the fundamentals of society, art has also become so ingrained in the social fiber that any society or culture cannot possibly flourish without it. Economics and the Arts find intersections in so many levels. Erwin Panofsky, a prominent German art historian, once wrote that the task of art history as a humanistic discipline is to “enliven what otherwise would remain dead.” The “flu” that our economy expected when the US economy sneezed is not run-of-the-mill or garden-variety. The “sickness” is more fundamental than greed. But Filipinos, if not immune to this, at least find an antidote in the arts. Greed can never breed art. And we—starving and struggling artists that we are— have produced and appreciated art in its various faces—theater, paintings, sculpture, architecture, dance, music, and poetry. Our art scene is slowly holding its ground as we move toward another golden age in the arts. Art can only flourish in purity of intention, and our national consciousness at least, has no room for greed. Some might see art as an escapist’s solution to the social degeneration brought about by economic depression. It may be true that art transports us to an imagined world, away from the challenges of real life. But beyond the fantastic escapist character of art, more than anything, it provides us a mirror to reality and allows us to dig deeper and see the essential and fundamental. Art, with all its emblazoned reality, leads us to the truth, the transcendentals, and closer to our inner realities. Art brings us back to the humanity that we are slowly losing while we get lost in the dirty and complex labyrinth of practical life. Not that art is impractical. Art, in fact, becomes more practical than ever, as it demands us to be.

The immunity of the Filipino

Filipinos appreciate beauty. Moreover, we are aware that beauty is the last bastion of our values. Beauty saves. Beauty will save the Filipinos. Beauty will save the world (Dostoevsky, The Idiot). Unconventional as it may sound, beauty is that specific gift that we Filipinos have and—without realizing it—that will save us in the end. Our desire for that which is beyond the superficial is what drives our economy to its highs—and lows—much more than we would recognize. We have seen and heard how difficult and depressing the situation in other countries has become. The comparisons and the differences that we have seen and long known have only been further magnified by the recent global economic crisis. And yet, we still wonder why we are the valedictorian economy amongst our neighbors?

Unconventional as it may sound, beauty is that specific gift that we Filipinos have and—without realizing it—that will save us in the end. Our desire for that which is beyond the superficial is what drives our economy to its highs—and lows—much more than we would recognize. //////////////////////////// Global media continuously persuade us that we have reached an all-time low and that the answer to this is but a seemingly simple solution detached from that which we hold dear to ourselves. Ingrained in our daily routine is the key to global stability. Our sense of community is that which binds us and uplifts us in whatever situation we find ourselves, beneficial or harmful. It is ingenuity that enables us to survive these trying times. Where else can you find the “tingi-tingi” mini product packages in supermarkets and retail outlets? Where else can you find a family of fifteen live on five-hundred pesos a day? Tragic as it may sound, this is undeniable proof of the endurance and resilience of the Filipino in the face of any obstacle that comes his way. Rich or poor, democratic or communist, we all share the same sentiments. Family. Community. Optimism. It is this same sense of “shared struggle” that spur us to brave the unknown and take on challenges with a smile. This article was presented to the University on March 7, 2009, in an economic briefing entitled, “AYOSPALAEH” (Arts Yung Only Solution Para Alisin ang Lahat ng Anxieties pag may Economic Hostilities)

>> “Recovering the meaning...” continued from page 21

tation of liberal education that remains to this day. The contemporary contrast between general and specialized education is the degenerate version of the Oxford-Edinburgh conflict. Is there anything to be said about liberal education as education in wisdom? This was not part of Aristotle’s original concept, but we do find it in the fourth century

Education in wisdom is a most respectable part of the education of the citizen. ////////////////////

after Christ in Augustine’s description of the liberal arts: philosophy is the climax of the trivium and quadrivium. The High Medieval version of this focused on ethics— something Aristotle would have disapproved of as he considered 40 to be the ideal age at which to study ethics. It is to the humanists we owe a more accessible version of education in sophia: wisdom mediated by literature. This education focused on the human being (hence the designation of its champions as “humanists”) with ethics as the lens through which the human being was studied. Aristotle would not have complained. His Politics regards the idea of happiness to be essential to citizenship; part of his concept of liberal education was education in leisure, and leisure for Aristotle meant contemplation, not amusement; moreover, he regarded literature as a legitimate vehicle for wisdom. The best citizen was for him the wise citizen. Education in wisdom is a most respectable part of the education of the citizen. It is important to distinguish between the concept of liberal education and the curriculum that makes up liberal education. The Politics identifies four disciplines in the education of children: (1) reading and writing, (2) gymnastics, (3) music, and (4) drawing. Seven hundred years later, Augustine would identify the seven liberal arts and philosophy as the stuff of liberal education. Almost a millennia and a half after Augustine, the humanities, mathematics, and the natural sciences would constitute liberal education. The point I wish to make now is how the curriculum of liberal education has changed since Aristotle: we should not be prisoners of the seven liberal

arts or of the humanities as these arose historically. What is important is the concept of liberal education, which is the education of the citizen in a specific type of polity—one in which all citizens are considered equal with equal rights to rule over the community. Of this education, education in wisdom (the humanities) is an important component, even more than education in the basic knowledge and skills expected of a citizen (the liberal arts). To these, however, I would add a third component—education in the civil society to which one belongs, which we might abbreviate as civic knowledge. These three components are what currently make up the CAS curriculum.

A must: expertise in liberal education

A word on expertise in liberal education. One cannot exaggerate the need for expertise in the concept of liberal education in our university, as error in this area can be the source of much mischief. What would such expertise consist in? At the least, a knowledge of the history of education coupled with a knowledge of the history of ideas. This would probably be attained through personal reading rather than formal courses, as standard courses in the history of education do not normally spend much time on the evolution of liberal education. Obviously, experience in teaching in a liberal arts program or administering such a program, no matter how many years this may comprise, much less a degree in philosophy or in education, cannot substitute this basic knowledge. We know as teachers how easy it is to persist in error year after year; time does not necessarily bring wisdom. If we are to claim to be experts in liberal education, and soon perhaps to be among the very few experts in the world, we have no choice but to do our homework. It is not easy, as I have seen for myself preparing for classes in Theories of Liberal Education, not only because books on the subject are difficult to come by, but also because books on classical and medieval education tend to describe their subject matter in terms of modern education, blurring differences with the present time and consequently misrepresenting their subject matter. One must read with discernment. An early version of this article was given as a talk during the Foundation Day of the School of Education and Human Development on September 15, 1999.

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

UA&P Culture

So, you’re in

U A (+P) You may have noticed that around here, UNITY isn’t just a random five-letter word. For everyone in the University, it’s a way of life.

As we, students and employees, go about attending classes or fulfilling our duties each day, we know that what we do is not an isolated piece but part of a collaborative work aimed at the good of the UA&P community. In other words, we study hard and work well not only to further our personal growth but primarily to contribute to the attainment of the University’s mission and ideals. But, what are these ideals, exactly? Every now and then, it’s good to remind ourselves of who we want to be, so we never lose sight of what we do. Maybe, just maybe, we can all make the ideals more real.

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

(

A serene and cheerful atmosphere

A serene environment is created through unity, order, diligence in work, care for little things, spirit of service, and cultivating a deep respect for others. Cheerfulness naturally arises from this serenity because those who work and study in the University are happy to work together. This creates a climate of freedom where each person in the University community learns how to understand, support, and respect each other without any discrimination. At the same time, we all learn that in order to love and defend our own freedom, we have to love and defend the legitimate freedom of others.

)

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

UA&P Culture

A (

A culture of excellence

Professional and academic excellence is not only an objective to pursue, but is the condition that the University imposes on itself as the basis of any activity it undertakes. Excellence means doing things according to the highest professional and human standards, given the circumstances and resources at hand. It lies in the effort and virtue spent in carrying out any activity. UA&P strives not only to attract the best people, but also to mold those within its confines to become the best that they can beâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; to grow, excel and be better not only professionally, but also as complete persons.

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

)

[

A Christian identity and environment In UA&P, knowledge is developed and transmitted in the light of faith. The Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s initiatives, both cultural and academic, are informed by a Christian perspective and respect for the dignity of the human person. While fully respecting our freedom of conscience, UA&P also seeks to foster in all of us a love for the Catholic Church and its hierarchy, as well as a strong unity of life built upon the practice of human and Christian virtues. With the Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spiritual formation entrusted to the Prelature of Opus Dei, we believe in the same message that all are called to holiness, through our everyday lives and especially through our work and studies.

]

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

UA&P Culture

( 32

P A culture of virtue UA&P wants more than just people who are outstanding professionally and have the best academic records. It also wants to shape people who are interested in living virtuous lives. It is therefore necessary to develop people in a culture of virtue. In a positive way, through example, personal witness, and dialogue, the University has to communicate, teach, and encourage virtues such as diligence, sobriety, hard work, altruism, and respect.

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

)

{

u A culture of service

Everyone in UA&P should have the desire to work or study in harmony with others in an atmosphere of trust, confidence, loyalty, and friendship. Our relationships with each other grow closer when we have a desire to be of service to society. Rather than form individuals who later on consume egoistically the benefits achieved in the University, we should prepare ourselves for the generous task of helping our neighbor.

}

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

News

great career How to make

choices

I think I discovered something really important. A large part of life is work, and giving meaning to that work depends a lot on making the right career choices. I have already made several major career choices and have helped several friends and family in theirs, and I discovered that great career decisions boil down to just three questions: • What’s the car and what’s the road? • Show me the money (Or, what is true, good and beautiful?) • What’s your royal flush? Let me explain each.

What’s the car and what’s the road?

Whether you think life is about the journey or about the destination, it is always useful to know two things: what’s my vehicle and what’s the terrain? First, take a look at your car—the talents you have that will carry you through your journey. After two decades or so, you must have noticed that you are better than others at some things; perhaps you draw better, run faster, speak more eloquently or think more clearly than your classmates and friends. You must have also noticed that the world has given you your own set of opportunities and obstacles—your terrain. Knowing your talents and opportunities are very helpful in making career decision, but they are not as important as the next two questions. Two decades or so of

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

existence isn’t enough to give you a perfect understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and obstacles. You will inevitably experience a major failure, but this should not discourage you from pursuing a career option. At your age, you have the right to think that you can be good at anything you put your heart into. Yes, that sounds extremely cheesy, but it is reasonable. It takes less than a year to be an expert in something easy, and five years to be an expert in something fairly difficult. With your age, you can end up being an expert in dozens of things by the time you reach the end of the road.

Show me the money (Or, what is true, good and beautiful?)

Many people consider it bad taste to be too blunt about money. But I have to tell you

this: the easiest way to measure the value of work is to look at its price tag. The more people are willing to pay for it, the more they value it. Ask yourself, “Among my professional options, where can I earn the most?” I’m not saying that money is the most important goal in life. It’s just like breathing. You don’t live to breathe; you need to breathe to live. Likewise, you don’t live to make money; you make money to have the material conditions to reach your life-goals. However, it is a mistake to limit profit to pesos, dollars, and euros. Think, rather, in terms of the true, the good, and the beautiful. Effective as it is, capitalism is blind to many valuable kinds of work. For instance, philosophers generally earn less than bankers. But that does not mean the study of the eternal truths is a less worthwhile profession.

Feature Likewise, Mother Teresa’s lifetime earnings is a pittance compared to a CEO’s monthly salary. Yet, the good that she did is clearly worth more than a CEO’s lifetime earnings. And if artists do indeed starve, it is not because their art is worthless. Just think of your favorite books, food or songs—the beautiful. If their creators spent their lives making lots of money instead of literature, cuisine or music, what a poor world it would be. There is an even more important consideration than profit. Sooner or later, life will deal you a hand that makes all other considerations secondary.

What’s your royal flush?

I had a colleague who had her first child a few years ago. When she came back from her long maternity leave, she said that she was a changed woman. “Life is no longer just about me,” she said. Before becoming a mother, perhaps a salary increase meant a faster car or more dinners in swankier restaurants. After childbirth, a salary increase

...with a bit of reflection and some fortitude, you can always make career choices for the right reasons. And that, I think, is the key to finding happiness in work. ///////////////////// probably means healthier food her son, and a promotion, a better education for him. I don’t remember what her pre-motherhood desktop background was (perhaps it was a boyband). But her post-pregnancy desktop revealed what work now meant to her, of what she wanted to be reminded of as she battled through the daily challenges of the corporate world. Her desktop was filled with innumerable photos of a sleeping baby. This was her royal flush. If you are lucky enough to have the unbeatable card combination, it does not matter what other cards are on the table. If you have something that means more to you than anything in the world, it does not matter what your gut reaction to your job is. It does not matter if you need to work twice as hard as your colleagues. It does not even matter if you need to shift careers and learn something totally new. Everything takes on a new perspective. Failure does not crush your ego, or victory get into your head, because it is no longer about you. Most of the time, opportunities and profit are perfectly sufficient criteria for making your decisions. And if you have several equally profitable and equally possible options, you can even pick the one you like most. But when your royal flush appears—parenthood is just one example—everything else is just background noise.

In any case, work in itself is meaningful

Even without having something as life changing as motherhood or fatherhood, work in itself is meaningful.

There is a bum within us all just waiting to lull us into a comfortable but meaningless life. Work is the most effective way out of that downward spiral to bumhood. The more you work, the more you grow your capacity for work, and the more you curb your couchpotato tendencies. It’s almost like muscles; the more you repeat a physical movement, the stronger your muscles become; and the stronger your muscles are, the easier that physical movement is. Work truly makes us better people. All our good traits came about from some repeated use of our character “muscles.” Whatever ability we have to get things done and be good to people got developed from those innumerable trials and errors since our childhood. I’m sure that Rizal was able

to face his death with honor because his character was steeled by years of work amidst suffering and deprivation. Work not only prevents us from becoming bums; it prepares us for becoming heroes. These days, it’s a bit challenging to find a firing squad to martyr you. But each one of us will someday be given an important responsibility. The best way to prepare for that is to strengthen our character muscles— our virtues—through our day-to-day work.

It gets even better

Aside from making us better people, work also makes the world a better place. All the good things civilization has to offer came about through work. For instance, this magazine you are holding right now is the result of the work of many individuals, each stacking a contribution on top of another. The writers, the editor, the layout artist, the janitor—yes, even the accountant—all contributed to the creation of this magazine. It’s the same for you and me. As long as we don’t do evil, whatever work we’ll choose to do will also contribute to whatever is true, good, and beautiful in the world. There is an even more awesome, more cosmic, meaning of work. The best one to tell you about that happens to be the saint who inspired the founding of UA&P, St. Josemaría Escrivá. Just go to www.escrivaworks.org, check out Chapter 4 of the book Friends of God, and you’ll find out what I mean. Finding meaning in your work, I think, is the ultimate gauge on whether you made the right career choice. Career decisions, like all life decisions, are never like laboratory experiments, where a certain mixture of chemicals always produces the expected substance. But with a bit of reflection and some fortitude, you can always make career choices for the right reasons. And that, I think, is the key to finding happiness in work. Mr. Kahlil Corazo €€€ Development Office

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Alumni

P H OTO C O U R T E SY O F M R . C H I P P Y PAG U I O

Chippy Paguio

STANDING OUT

“W

hy settle for mediocrity when you can stand out?” asks UA&P alumnus Jose Carl Nicklaus Paguio who currently works in Singapore for DBS Bank Ltd. Now a project manager for the largest bank in Southeast Asia, “Chippy” credits the University’s five-year masters program as the competitive advantage that has helped him get to where he is today and be a cut above the rest. “As the role implies, I manage the projects involving the bank’s core banking implementations and other interfacing systems,” Mr. Paguio explains. “It entails leading the team, whether internal, external or a combination of both, through the software development lifecycle. Similarly, the three main objectives of this role are to deliver the project: on schedule, within budget, given the resource constraints.” Though having already achieved a level of success, Mr. Paguio remains a relative newcomer to his chosen career and, for the moment, wants to concentrate on learning more about the business. “I have yet to learn a lot in the realm of banking. So for the short term, I would like to enhance my knowledge set and, in the process, contribute what I learn with the organization,” he says. Mr. Paguio graduated from UA&P in 2004 with a Master’s Degree in Information Technology (IT). A photography and sports enthusiast, the alumnus says that what made his stay at the University more memorable was the school’s small size which contributed in making the learning experience more conducive. According to him, “Because of (UA&P’s)

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

ideal size, student-teacher interactions are more personalized. This gives opportunities for the students to learn more.” More importantly, Mr. Paguio emphasizes the value of taking advantage of the masters program uniquely offered by the University. “Studying in UA&P has given me well-rounded knowledge of subjects that really matter,” he says. “The most notable educational experience was taking the extra mile—five years including masters in IT. With professors holding executive level positions in various industries, the challenging curriculum widened my perspective of the corporate world and showed me a snapshot of the demands in “The most notable the real world. I cannot stress educational experience was enough the benefits of taking taking the extra mile—five the masters—it’s really worth and effort!” years including masters in all theTotime students yet to cut IT—it’s really worth all the their teeth on the working time and effort!” world and still making their way in UA&P, Mr. Paguio advises to make the most of the time they still have in school. He says: “Learn as much as you can and do not take things for granted. Sooner or later, you will encounter these tidbits of knowledge and you may use them to your advantage. I know I did. So take advantage of the five-year course offering at UA&P and graduate with a master’s degree. It will definitely separate you among the rest.”

/////////////////////

Mr. Carlo Cabrera €€€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

Alumni

“...my liberal education [at UA&P] has helped me to have that natural interest in understanding where people come from and in managing crosscultural issues in teams.” /////////////////////

Ian Gutierrez

Going the

distance

Mr. Ian Gutierrez (Batch ’94) has gone a long way. Literally. The 30year-old BA Economics graduate has completed one marathon, five half marathons, and six other long-distance races (at least 10 km. each)—distances which, when put end to end, will get you from Manila to, at the nearest, Batangas City. Multiply that distance by 62 and you may end up in Sydney (Australia), where Mr. Gutierrez now resides. But probably the farthest distance he has reached is his position at Westpac Banking Corporation, one of Australia’s largest banks. Mr. Gutierrez specializes on Continuous Improvement and Innovation as a part of Westpac’s Strategy and Execution team. There he collaborates with different teams to review, provide funding, and implement the company’s “most innovative ideas.” Sometimes those entailed jetting to different parts of the world. More than a decade after leaving the University, Mr. Gutierrez looks back to the years he spent at UA&P, where he graduated summa cum laude, before he flew to Sydney in 1995 to obtain his master’s degree. “I work with and manage multicultural teams,” he says, “and my liberal education [at UA&P] has helped me to have that natural interest in understanding where people come from and in managing cross-cultural issues in teams.” He also credits the University for nurturing creativity in him without compromising the objective approach to evaluating ideas. His training likewise facilitated transitions among the various industries where he previously worked, blazing a trail of achievements wherever he went. He has been into telecommunications, management consultancy, and financial services in the Philippines and Australia. When he’s not banking, Mr. Gutierrez is running. And he’s not running for nothing: He joins races to raise money for charity groups such as the Heart Foundation and Diabetes Australia. “Diabetes and heart disease run in my family and afflict a lot of Australians,” he says. “I would like to do my part in helping do more research to alleviate the problem.” Now, Mr. Gutierrez has his mind set on scaling the heights of the banking industry. “After working in the consulting, telecommunications, and financial services industries, I have decided to continue building my career in banking,” confides Mr. Gutierrez. “I see myself becoming one of the leaders working in that area. More importantly, I will maintain a work-life balance.” So what’s next for Mr. Gutierrez? Whether it’s a rush to the finish line or to another big thing in banking, he runs. Mr. Daryl Zamora €€€€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

PHOTO COURTESY OF MR . IAN GUTIERRE Z

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Alumni

Tesa Arcilla,

reporting from Hongkong

I’ve always dreamed of becoming a journalist. Right now, I’m living that dream, working as a news producer and anchor for Television Broadcast Ltd. (TVB), Hong Kong’s biggest terrestrial channel. I previously worked as a print journalist, also in Hong Kong, and had the opportunity of working for international networks such as CNN and Al Jazeera English (UK). Having grown up in Hong Kong, I was a relative outsider to the educational system of the Philippines. As a Filipino in Hong Kong, I felt no strong affinity with the Hong Kong school system either. In retrospect, this “in-between” position worked to my advantage because I was able to take an objective perspective in choosing my university. So why did I not go to journalism school? I think the answer lies in why I chose to go to UA&P in 1998 and later pursue a master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC). I’ve always believed that good journalists have good fundamentals in knowledge, ethics, creativity, and communication skills—be it in writing, speaking, presenting, being resourceful, or thinking in a logical and creative manner. UA&P as a university that prides itself in the development of “cultured and well-rounded individuals with a sense of social responsibility,” and IMC as an intensive communications program taught by some of the most brilliant and innovative people in the industry, gave me all those fundamentals. If you’re an IMC student, you would have experienced some of the most challenging moments: Dr K calling on you to give a five-minute coherent, relevant, information-rich impromptu speech with no more than five minutes to prepare; being given 30 minutes to come up with a fool-proof and feasible creative strategy for a product that seems hopeless; having to defend your ideas in front of a panel consisting of no less than the best in the industry. You know the drill. Such experiences have left an indelible mark in the way I speak, argue, listen, come up with ideas, digest information, process thoughts, or deal with difficult personalities. Back when I was still a student, I thought, “The real world can’t be this tough. They’re just preparing us for the worst-case scenario.” Well, I’m glad I got that kind of training, because tough situations of the world real world are far worse than being grilled by a panel or having

your ideas shot down. And as a journalist, it doesn’t get any easier. It will always be tough. We’re always expected to make hard decisions. We’re always treading the line between what’s ethical and what’s not. We’re always expected to “know” what’s going on and to come up with ideas that are both creative and substantial to society. We’re always trying to balance the commercial and the noble side of the job. Journalism is a very peopleoriented profession. Just as it is in the marketing and advertising fields, we deal with the best and the worst of people. We deal with governments (a tricky one when it comes to extremely communist, capitalist or conservative governments), businessmen, and unions. We deal with bosses who may not understand the society from which you are reporting. We deal with a public that will not hesitate to create commotion over a story you’ve done (or criticize your wardrobe during a particular broadcast). We deal with PR people who constantly chase you for one thing or another. We deal with people of different cultures whose sensitivities you may not understand. We deal with cameramen, tape editors, other journalists. Did my UA&P background change me? Yes it did. Did it help me deal with professional challenges? There’s no doubt about that. Will I have turned out differently if I hadn’t gone to UA&P and taken the IMC course? I don’t know, but the most important thing is how I did turn out. I wouldn’t dissect my UA&P-IMC education and pinpoint particular subjects that help me in my current job. Rather, I see it as a solid I wouldn’t dissect my UA&P- education that IMC education and pinpoint gave me strong particular subjects that help foundations to me in my current job. Rather, become whatever I see it as a solid education that it is that I wanted gave me strong foundations to become. those of you to become whatever it is that who For want to be jourI wanted to become. nalists, I urge you to keep your idealism because it’s easy to lose it when you realize that this profession is just as political, commercial, and chaotic as any other. But the essential role of journalists in any society cannot be undermined, so there’s important work to be done. Bear this challenge in mind if you ever choose to follow this path, and you’ll learn to deal with the hardships that come with it.

//////////////////

Ms. Tesa Arcilla €€€€€€€€€ Producer, reporter, news anchor Television Broadcast Ltd. Hong Kong, China P H O T O S C O U R T E SY O F M S . T E S A A R C I L L A

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Alumni Despite all the stress involved in his job, Mr. Leung is satisfied with it. Just like windsurfing and triathlon (another sport he enjoys) —where he often comes out with splinters, bruises, and aching muscles—being in his Kowloon office gives him a curious high despite the “pain.”

Cliché

Talking about pain, Mr. Leung believes it is a prerequisite to gain. Remember the cliché? “I truly believe in [that] motto and am quite disappointed with how many of the young kids and adults in the Philippines these days want to become rich and successful without having to work for it.” Mr. Leung learned primarily from his father that the climb to success is arduous and requires a fortress of moral strength. “I would not be where I am now without the strong [moral] backbone that I have developed through the years,” he says. He also recalls the allegory of the Toblerone that one sagacious professor had once told him: “In order to overcome the greatest of challenges, your physical, mental, and moral make-up has to be as hard as [frozen] Toblerone,” alluding to a popular Swiss chocolate that turns metal-hard when chilled. And live the Toblerone story he did. After obtaining his master’s degree in industrial economics, he stayed in his alma mater and took

“In order to overcome the greatest of challenges, your physical, mental, and moral make-up has to be as hard as [frozen] Toblerone.” /////////////////////

P H OTO C O U R T E SY O F M R . K A R L L E U N G

Karl Leung

Living the Allegory of the Toblerone

f the last thing you would want to do during a typhoon is windsurfing, you are not Mr. Karl Fredrick Leung. For this 2001 cum laude graduate of the School of Economics (SEC), braving the winds and waves even in tempestuous times is only one of the challenges he gives himself for fun and sense of feat. Now part of financial services firm Morgan Stanley Dean Witter in Hong Kong, Mr. Leung undertakes more such challenges in the office. Mr. Leung, 31, is part of his company’s Private Wealth Management Divison. His main tasks are to find and deal with high-net-worth individuals and to advise them on how to invest their resources. Talk about millions. “You have to be very well-rounded when

dealing with tycoons and VIPs,” comments Mr. Leung. “I have to be smart enough to answer their questions and advice them on investments. I have to communicate well to explain to them investment ideas and convince them of the right strategy for their portfolios (and sometimes even businesses). And I need to have excellent people skills in order to establish and deepen trust and relationships with [them].” Mr. Leung’s versatility can be traced back to his years at UA&P. According to him, the University’s liberal education provided him with firm foundations in logic, communication, mathematics, the arts, and history—all of which combined to make him a person ready to tackle various tasks and deal with people of different personalities.

the seat on the other side of the classroom: He taught basic economics, intermediate macroeconomics, and econometrics for four years. Then he went on to become a sales manager at the Subic Bay Development and Industrial Estate Corporation before he flew to Shanghai to pursue his MBA at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). He graduated among the top five percent of his class last year. All that required talent, time, and toughness of character.

‘Most challenging phase’

While intense work characterizes his day, Mr. Leung makes it a point to strike a balance between work and rest daily. He prays, meditates, and does physical exercise. Living beside a stadium also unleashes the sports fanatic in him. Mr. Leung confides that he is now working on strengthening his spiritual life. “This is the next stage, and I figure that this is the most challenging phase,” he says. “This will be a life-long challenge. Our physical and mental capacities will eventually decay as we grow old, but our spiritual capacity is the only one among our capacities which has the potential to become better and [can] target perfection.” Mr. Daryl Zamora€€€€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Student Life

P H OTO S: D R . A N TO N I O TO R R A L B A

Youth for

Love... Youth for

Life

Some legislative measures foster the development of people and society. Others, like the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill, not only threaten the nurturing autonomy of the family but also intimidate companies and schools into toeing the agenda line of the bill’s authors. Everyone, then, most especially the youth, has to be informed of the issues and encouraged to take a personal stand, reach out to others, and express their views. >> Dr. Antonio Torralba CAS Vice-Dean €€€€

With this message, PAREF-Southridge School’s Akap (Alay Kamay, Alay Panahon)-S.O.U.L., and UA&P’s I Am S.T.R.O.N.G. - I Keep Love Real program of the Center for Social Responsibility (CSR) put up the one-day Youth for Life Conference, a symposium that provided a deeper look at the real issues behind the RH Bill. Held last February 27 and attended by 180 high school and college students from 13 schools and universities, the conference featured four major speakers, a workshop, and a fitting conclusion to the fruitful day. Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel, a staunch supporter of the inalienable freedom of families to determine their own development, opened the day with his keynote address aptly entitled, “What’s the Buzz? Tell Me What’s Ahappening,” a line lifted from a 1970 opera. He started his presentation stressing that life is the highest form of human right, and that there is no right before life. The open forum enabled the senator to express his projections on the life of the bill. Lora Tan-Garcia (MA Development Education) followed through with a touching spiel on her own take on the bill as a mother. She delivered her paper, “Contraception: The Heart of a Mother Speaks,” which she used at a prayer rally in the Archdiocese of Jaro in Iloilo last year before an estimated assembly of 15,000 students, teachers, parents, and pa-

Y Vote: looking forward to 2010 T here is no question: 18 years is not marked by a dozen and a half roses, candles or treasures but that exquisite taste of freedom, independence and maturity that come with the realization that we can now vote. To have a say and have one that finally matters is, to say the least, appealing, and yet, a crisis of hope and a sense of jadedness has somehow translated to low voting turnouts. Either apathy or loss of faith in change has caused us to question instead, why vote? This was precisely the question that confronted the summer National Service Training Program (NSTP) students throughout a two-day voting workshop conducted by Youth Vote Philippines last April 16-17. Youth Vote Philippines is a consolidated force of youth groups across the country such as the Ayala Young Leaders Alliance, Firefly Brigade, First Time Voters Project, National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elec-

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

tions (NAMFREL), WHY Philippines and many more who have grouped together in a collective effort to encourage the participation of the youth in the voting process and, in effect, the transmission of change. They believe that the coming 2010 elections is a tipping point for urgently needed reforms and the only way to achieve transformation is if the youth get involved and ask for the changes to be made. TJ Manotoc from Studio 23 Youth Campaign National and ABS-CBN’s Boto Mo, Patrol Mo, opened the forum with a video presentation encouraging each of us to step up and push for the crucial changes we need. A brief outline of Youth Vote’s profile and mission preceded the highlight of the event: a panel discussion led by speakers Tanya Hamada, Jaime Garchitorena, Bianca Lapuz and Neil Lim. Mr. Garchitorena opened the discussion with a very entertaining account of the need for NSTP which replaced ROTC or the army training for college students.

He said that we need not always protect ourselves from external enemies but instead fight that which internally maligns this country’s concerns and progress: us and our lack of love for country. The panelists were very emphatic on the need to vote and be counted. They focused on ripple effect: when one dares stand up, the rest may follow and collectively we can achieve what we originally deemed impossible. They were also very clear to proclaim that they were not campaigning for any personality in particular and that regardless of political preference, voting must be the one thing we consider essential. For example, the much-celebrated success of US President Obama’s campaign was used to illustrate how the youth can affect, influence and cause change. An open forum to encourage questions from the students showed an interesting array of concerns. Through it all, it was apparent that the youth was concerned with the system and its effective-

rishioners. It is currently being reproduced for the sake of the mothers among UA&P alumnae and the mothers-to-be among students. Lora ended her appeal with, “Let us not be afraid of how difficult, or how long, or how laborious this (the campaign for life and against the culture of death) will be. As a friend frequently reminds me, ‘Why are you afraid? Paintbrushes are never afraid. We are just instruments.’” In his presentation, George Winternitz, lecturer on family and family life, and a regular speaker in conferences on population issues, debunked “the population myth.” Using graphs and demographic trends translated to a language understandable to high school students, Winternitz warned of serious population replacement problems brought about by mounting pressure from anti-life groups to curtail life and the growth of the family. Girlie Noche, president of Alliance for Families, gave the symposium’s last major segment. In a presentation entitled “The Inside Story… Hear All About It,” she presented her own reading of the minds of the bill’s proponents: what they expressly intended to accomplish with the bill, what she thought was wrong with their assumptions, and what the state of processes and approvals the bill was in. The students grouped themselves to discuss concrete, doable activities that they could initiate individually, as a school, or in school clusters. The output indicated a firm learning experience among the participants during the day from the resource speakers and from the exchange that took place among them.

The supposed and intended good effects of the bill cannot overcome its insidious impact on social development and national progress. ///////////////////// Stephanie Sol, senior Industrial Economics student of the University, gave an extemporaneous running commentary on 10 points of pabaon to make sure that the participants would leave the conference with firm images of the reality they are facing and the power of their age, zeal, perspective, and enthusiasm to shape opinions of fellow youth and adults, schoolmates and teachers, even legislators and other government officials. In conclusion, she reiterated a line from Robin Williams in Dead Poet’s Society: “Carpe diem! Seize the day!” In an interview with Dr. Antonio Torralba, co-convenor of the conness. The constant questions of honesty or the lack thereof was a very hot topic but the panelists instilled a grain of truth: that regardless of all the muck that comes with elections, we have to hope it works and be a part of it still. The second day involved a leadership training that questioned the students’ beliefs and assumptions yet again. Activities such as the Human Web, Square, and oral discussions deepened each student’s appreciation of our right or, more importantly, our responsibility. Each one of us outlined the changes we wanted to see, the programs we wished to be implemented and the country we wanted to live in and, in the process, learned that each person is gossamer of the web that will ultimately

ference with Mr. Emmanuel Rentoy of Southridge School, he cited three of what he thinks are major objectionable provisions of the bill. The supposed and intended good effects of the bill cannot overcome its insidious impact on social development and national progress, Dr. Torralba said. According to him, the three weaken the foundation of family life and show complete disregard for freedom of conscience and for enterprise toward self-direction. Major objectionable provisions of the RH Bill: 1.Considering contraceptives “essential” medicines “Hormonal contraceptives, intrauterine devices, injectables, and other reproductive health products and supplies shall be considered under the category of essential medicines. Any health care service provider or employer who refuses to give assistance to serve the need for safe and satisfying sex life shall be sentenced to imprisonment from one to six months or a fine ranging from P10-50 thousand.” 2.Making ligation available even without spousal consent “Any health care service provider, private or public, who refuses to perform voluntary ligation and vasectomy and other legal and medically safe reproductive care services on any person of legal age on the ground of lack of spousal consent or authorization shall be penalized. (Section 21)” 3.Making sex education in schools mandatory “That mandatory reproductive health education begin from Grade 5 and go up to HS IV. Content shall be determined by POPCOM and DepEd: reproductive health and sexual rights; attitudes, beliefs and values on sexual health; hazards of abortion and management of post-abortion complication. (Section 12)” The organizers, with all their passion and enthusiasm, admit that the symposium initiative may or may not create a dent in the fate of the bill in Congress. But, they are comforted by the response of the youth to the call to real love, the call to life. That day, some 170 young men and women were presented with the real issues and considerations behind the RH Bill. Many of them ended convinced and persuaded that they had to get out of their comfort zones, take a stand, and express their views.

complete that dream. The students were quick and responsive to mention both ideals and realities and felt a sense of empowerment for having been asked to take part and be responsible. The event concluded with a speech by COMELEC Commissioner Rene Sarmiento who expressed his hope for the youth and its potential followed by a guide for registration and mock elections which aimed to give the students a basic knowledge of the goingson come the 2010 elections. Each of the participants was able to experience voting firsthand, along with the complexities that come with it. The activity was met with positive responses from the student body. Lora Ledesma, an incoming second year BS Entrepreneurial

Management student said, “I think it was a good way to let the youth realize not just the importance of voting but also the importance of actually participating in community decisions and actions. Alvin Ty, of the same year and course concludes, “the youth need to be united in order to implement change in the society for we are strong when we are one.” Still another student reaffirmed these conclusions by saying that suffrage is an essential practice in the democratic process and it is that which can inspire them to be better leaders and save this country mired in corruption and scandal. The 18th year of every Filipino is marked not only by the taste of freedom and independence but also with the tang of responsibility that is irrevocably entangled with it. There seems to be a general agreement that says the youth have become apathetic and voiceless. This talk showed us it was a time to shout collectively to choose and be heard. Of course, the choice we actually make is an entirely different story. Ma. Anne Tonette Rivera IPE 3rd Year€€€€€€€

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Student Life

s A

d e t c e p x e n U

chagrin, I am now a Zeller scholar. It seemed like there was an uncontrollable snowball of events that led me to this; because the next thing I knew, I was posing for a photo-op while holding a piece of fancy paper with my name written on it. With all sincerity, I think it has been one of the most humbling experiences I’ve ever had in my life.

‘Honorable brood’

A little research on past Zeller scholars such as Claudine Dizon, Rahlee Jane Lim, Raiza Cusi, and Mark Velasco, and their corresponding achievements humbled me again for being part of such an honourable brood of young students. Claudine Dizon, a grantee of the scholarship in 2007, has worked in Spain for Zabalketa, a non-government organization which focuses on education, social awareness, and development cooperation. She is currently the program officer of the Philippine

...I realized that being a Zeller scholar equates to actually doing great things not just for oneself but for others as well. More than just being a privilege, it means a higher sense of purpose toward service and leadership.

/////////////////

The Dr. Klaus Zeller Scholarship Fund pays for the education of outstanding incoming fifth-year students of UA&P’s MA in Political Economy program. The fund was donated by Dr. Klaus Zeller, a retired ambassador of Germany, on his 70th birthday in 2006. Along with 30 or more young hopefuls, I was formally introduced to the said scholarship program in 2008. It happened in one of the Institute of Political Economy’s crash courses for junior students, where cynicism was a rarity and everyone wanted to become a catalyst for change. I read in the handout that students who are eligible to apply for the scholarship should, among other things such as having academic excellence and realization of the Institute’s vision-mission, pursue the fifth-year program. I aspired to become a scholar.

What scholarship?

Fast forward to my senior year in the Institute and a few things changed. I totally forgot about the talk on the Zeller scholarship. All I wanted to do was (at least) to talk smartly in class, get along with my groupmates, and meet deadlines. Applying for the scholarship was the last thing in my mind.

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Center for Civic Education and Democracy. Also a grantee in 2007 was Rahlee Jane Lim, whose interest in business has spurred her to pursue law at the Ateneo de Manila University. Meanwhile, 2008 grantees Raiza Cusi and Mark Velasco have just graduated from the University with their MAs. Raiza focused on political efficacy and participation of the youth in Hongkong, as she was part of its youth for a time when she was an exchange student in Lingnan University two years ago. Mark Velasco, on the other hand, focused on how participatory development was used in the Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) of Isabela. Seeing their achievements gave me a sense of pride as I realized that being a Zeller scholar equates to actually doing great things not just for oneself but for others as well. More than just being a privilege, it means a higher sense of purpose toward service and leadership.

Of challenges and hope

The author (right) meets Dr. Klaus Zeller at the scholarship awarding ceremony last year.

When senior year was coming to a close, I said to myself I would take a leave of absence and get lost for some months. I was bidding the masters program goodbye—at least, for a while. I told myself I needed to take a break from all those readings, and for once, not be startled when I hear “development” in a conversation. It was time to sleep and not be guilty. It was time to travel and perhaps see the world! And, well, my thesis also had to wait. The goal for the scholarship now seemed distant. With all that has been said, much to my

I refuse to frame my certificate as I would not like this scholarship to be about pomp and prestige. Perhaps I’ll take a peek at it when I desperately need a second wind. Yet it should only be a reminder that the scholarship requires much from me in character and responsibility. Seeing the achievements of the previous scholars made me hope for brighter things for myself. In my panel interview, when asked as to where I see myself in the future, I said I wanted to work for the United Nations or the World Trade Organization. I know it seems like a far-fetched and ambitious goal, yet who knows, initially I also felt the same way about this scholarship. Ma. Regine Beatrice B. Vergara IPE 5th year €€€€€€€€€€€

News

100

In every four freshmen you meet today, one of them is probably a scholar. According to Admissions Office Director Atty. Delia Tantuico, the University has accepted 100 freshman scholars for this school year. That’s almost a fourth of the University’s 397 first-year students. It is also a 34 percent increase from last year’s number and is the largest number of scholars in a freshman batch in UA&P history. A stroll to the Li Seng Giap Auditorium during the Freshstart freshman orientation program led this writer to stumble upon one of the scholars: 16-year-old Josemaria Pascual. Joma, as he is fondly called, graduated with honors from PAREF-Northfield. With plans to enroll in the Industrial Economics Program, he expects a lot of work his whole college life. His sculpted, spiky hair tells nothing of his love for books: he loves fantasy novels done by the likes of Tolkien, Rowling, and Weis and the Hickmans. In fact, he was part of his school’s literary publication, Ilaya, where he wrote poems.

Meritorious (f)acts

UA&P’s merit scholarship, such as what Joma received, pays for students who excelled academically in their respective high schools. The aid comes in varying degrees, according to the student’s needs. Normally it includes monthly stipends, a book allowance, and board and lodging allowance for provincial scholars. High school valedictorians and salutatorians of chosen schools are automatically awarded with the scholarship, and it doesn’t matter which part of the country they come from. Take Anthony Victorio Lumicao, for example. Anthony graduated valedictorian from Rosevale School in Cagayan de Oro City. An avid badminton player, Anthony

remarked with enthusiasm that he had nurtured his dream of enrolling in UA&P since his high school days. “I believe in the philosophy of the school,” he said. “It focuses on the personal formation of the students.” The teachings of St. Josemaría Escrivá, upon whose inspiration UA&P was founded, attracted the 16-year-old to pursue his studies at the University. He said he might enroll in the Industrial Economics Program when the ‘moment of reckoning’ comes. Meanwhile, Rowela Aguillon has almost the same hopes as Anthony has. “I know that I will not only learn a lot of academic stuff, but I will also grow and mature as a God-centered…person by entering [UA&P],” she said. Rowela graduated valedictorian from UP High School in Cebu and was thrilled when she received news that she got accepted to UA&P as a scholar. “I was very grateful because I knew my family wouldn’t have to spend much in sending me to college,” she said. “I also really wanted to study in UA&P.” Rowela had been part of her school’s volleyball team and student council. She was also ranked among the Ten Outstanding Cebu City Youth Leaders. Now she aims to study hard, graduate on time, and work to help her father, who is a cab driver, in sending her three younger siblings to school.

Not enough? No problem

Atty. Tantuico said that while the University is giving scholarships to academic achievers, in a continuing campaign of attracting the best students from across the Philippines, it is also doing its part in contributing to the State’s constitutional mandate to give every citizen the opportunity to quality education. High school graduates who cannot afford UA&P edu-

cation but are academically competent are given financial grants. Among this year’s freshmen, 57 are merit scholars and 43 received financial grants. Claire Capisando is among those who benefited from the grants. She was among the top 10 students of her batch at La Consolacion School in Balagtas, Bulacan. Being a superb volleyball and basketball player, she was competing for her school in provincial meets and other tournaments. It was in a sports clinic that she attended where she met one of UA&P’s sports coaches. The coach told her that UA&P offered scholarships. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Fifty-fifty

Of course, the University is not limiting the number of scholars per freshman batch at 100. While this number has been increasing (36 in 2007, 66 in 2008…), the University is still to attain its “immediate aim” of having 15 percent of its total student population to be composed of scholars. Currently, 13 percent of the University’s students are scholars. Why “immediate aim”? Atty. Tantuico remarked that the long-term aim of the University is to reach the ideal percentage of scholars in a given student population to 50 percent! UA&P is going towards that direction slowly but surely. The University indeed continues to attract some of the best and most promising high school graduates around the country. Those young people become part of UA&P’s lucky (and happy) few. So when you meet a group of four freshmen today, you know what to ask the one with the biggest smile (if you are daring enough): “Are you part of the 100?” Mr. Daryl Zamora €€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

in elite marketing ‘boot camp’

Jerivic delos Angeles and Mary Love Siy (3rd and 4th from left, respectively) attended talks by renowned marketing gurus Mr. Josiah Go (2nd from left) and Mr. Ding Salvador (rightmost)

or the past five years, the Marketing Professional (MarkProf) Foundation has been sponsoring MarkProf Leadership Boot Camp, a rigorous sevenweekend training on sales and marketing for the Philippines’ top graduating student-leaders. From October to December last year, School of Management (SMN) students Jerivic delos Angeles (4th year) and Mary Love Siy (5th year) were privileged to be chosen among the top 25 of the boot camp’s 800 applicants.

The challenge

“This boot camp is not called a boot camp for nothing,” said MarkProf co-founder Mr. Diosdado ‘Ding’ Salvador, in his welcome speech at the Asia Pacific College in Makati City. He told the participants that it was not an ordinary seminar where they learn marketing and sales. Rather, it was one that would equip participants to be prepared for the corporate world, armed with the know-how and the right attitude. Thus, this boot camp was designed to bring out each participant’s creativity, passion, leadership, and courage to last the challenge. True, most of the participants

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

thought it was a “scare speech,” but when the boot camp was already going on, most of them instantly changed views. MarkProf has not failed its promise to push the trainees to their limits. With the challenge of delivering a “wow” question every session, the goal of getting a perfect score on Big Idea tests, plus the fear of being kicked out of the seminar if grades were below 2.5 (in a grading system where 4.0 is highest), the trainees rather became more motivated to succeed. Nonetheless, the boot camp was not just about competitions and asking thought provoking questions. It also allowed trainees to interact with each other as well as with top sales and marketing executives, thus having the opportunity to widen their networks. In fact, it seemed that the biggest challenge for the trainees was not accomplishing the homework on time or crafting marketing plans, but addressing well-known practitioners such as Ned Roberto, Josiah Go, and Diosdado Salvador very informally (no “Mister” or “Sir,” but Ned, Joe, and Ding).

Giving back

If there is one thing the participants learned the most from this experience, it is giving back. By exposing participants to different social enterprises and providing them with projects related to those initiatives, MarkProf gave them a chance to be inspired by visionaries who seek to improve society. For instance, initially most of the trainees hardly knew about charitable institutions such as “Manna from Heaven” of Don Bosco, Gifts and Graces Foundation, Hapinoy,

...the idea of giving back is the very reason of MarkProf’s existence. MarkProf founders Mr. Salvador and Mr. Go had this vision of “developing tomorrow’s leaders today.”

//////////////////// and Rags2Riches. However, after interacting with the initiatives’ officials (to extract information on crafting a fit marketing plan), the participants were inspired by the reasons on why each foundation or group established their businesses—to make use of their gifts and blessings to give back to the society. As a matter of fact, the idea of giving back is the very reason of MarkProf’s existence. MarkProf founders Mr. Salvador and Mr. Go had this vision of “developing tomorrow’s leaders today.” Thus they decided to establish a foundation to reach such goal. With several of the foundation’s graduates now successful in their chosen fields, the two marketing industry leaders feel that they are now nearing their goal. As one of the last year’s MarkProf trainees, I am certain that after the boot camp, each one of us graduated as better leaders who have a clearer and stronger vision in making positive influence on society. Mary Love Siy €€€€ MScM alumna

Student Life CDE students going inclusive:

Experiencing early childhood special education Inclusion is a growing trend in education today. A growing number of early-childhood educators are teaching “children with special educational needs (SEN)” in regular schools. These children either have autism, mental retardation, learning or attention disabilities, emotional or behavioral disorders, or physical disabilities. Thus, they need special education and related services. Inclusive education or inclusion is the accommodation of children with special educational needs in the regular classroom either for a certain time of the day or the entire day. Inclusion, as an educational approach, aims to equip children with SEN with skills that would enable them to function as normally as possible and help them actualize their potentials. Last February, the 20 Child Development Education students enrolled in the course Inclusive Education, under the tutelage of Dr. Angelito Antonio, visited the Elisea School of Creative Learning in Silang, Cavite to learn more about inclusion. We observed how General Education (GE) and Special Education (SPED) teachers give classes to children with SEN. Elisea School of Creative Learning accommodates close to 60 children with SEN. Common among the special need cases are autism, Down Syndrome, learning disabilities, mental retardation, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Prior to admitting these children, an assessment and diagnosis of their disabilities is conducted. After that, special education teachers, together with the parents, make an individualized education plan. This plan covers a full report on the child’s present academic and functional performance, measurable instructional goals for the child to accomplish and educational services teachers and parents should provide to meet needs of the child. Every child diagnosed with developmental delay or disability has his or her own individualized education plan. In Elisea School, children with SEN are first educated in a SPED classroom where their individualized education plans are implemented and one teacher is assigned per child. These are taught basic self-help skills and other learning skills they need to master before they are placed in a regular classroom setting. When they complete their individualized education plan and master self-help skills, they are transferred and taught in regular classrooms.

The author (2nd row, 2nd from right) and her fellow Inclusive Education students pose for a class picture with Dr. Angelito Antonio (1st row, 2nd from left) at the Elisea School of Creative Learning in Cavite.

Regular classrooms in Elisea accommodate up to 20 students. Two or three out of the 20 pupils are children with SEN. The preschool classes are handled by three main teachers and two assistant teachers, while grade school classes are handled by one teacher. The regular school curriculum is taught to children with special needs. Upon entering the regular grade school classroom, all the children greeted us. We could not easily distinguish children with SEN from regular children. No child demonstrated odd behaviors that indicate a disability. We were surprised when the teacher informed us that one of the Grade 2 pupils with autism was one of the top three students in her batch. After observing the classes, the principal showed us some of the beautiful earrings made by students with SEN. Children with SEN also sell these accessories in school. This way, their creativity and math skills are honed.

Inclusive education... also educates the people around children with special needs, especially the regular children, to focus on the capabilities of others rather than on their disabilities.

/////////////

We were amazed with the way inclusion was done in Elisea. One could not easily distinguish typical from atypical children. Children with special needs perform well in the regular classes alongside the regular pupils. Moreover, it was heartwarming to see that at a young age, children got to appreciate the uniqueness of their peers, especially those with special needs. Regular children showed warmth and support to their classmates with SEN. They did not bully or tease children with disabilities. They knew the condition of special children and interacted well with them. Our experience in Elisea School broadened our understanding of inclusion. Inclusive education does not only help children with disabilities actualize their potentials and live normal lives. It also educates the people around children with special needs, especially the regular children, to focus on the capabilities of others rather than on their disabilities and to appreciate diversity and differences among learners. Mars Rosete €€€€€ SED 4th Year

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Student Life

The Dongguk University Scholarship Experience

(Left to right) Angelica Therese Robes, Czarina Alcazar, and Gianne Carlo Huan take a break in one of South Korea’s tourist sites during their stint at Dongguk University.

Packed with opportunities, challenges, and surprises, my senior year turned out to be the best year in my life as a university student. I received the School of Management’s Best Marketing Plan award for this year and also became the president of the nascent Management Association of UA&P (MAU). The school year was tough, given the demands of academic work and the responsibilities of my position. There were school requirements left and right, extra-curricular activities here and there. And then it got more chaotic when I found out I would be flying to South Korea in two month’s time. Together with Czarina Alcazar and Gianne Carlo Huan, I was accepted to Dongguk University’s Undergraduate Business School Fellowship. It is a onesemester scholarship grant funded by the university based in Seoul. The fellowship supports 10 promising students from the Philippines who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in business and who have genuine interest in Korea. It pays for the scholars’ tuition fees and provides them with a monthly stipend and student accommodations. Dongguk selected nine students from the Philippines. Four of them are from UA&P (three for the spring term, one for the summer term), while the other five are from the University of the Philippines (UP). While at Dongguk University, we were required to maintain good academic standing, work 10 hours per week as English tutors, and more importantly, to interact with Korean faculty and students.

Pre-departure woes and wows

Preparing for the stint was pretty tough.

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Having been accepted into the program, I had to finish all my academic requirements, make the necessary arrangements for what I was going to leave behind, and at the same time, I had to prepare myself for my March 7 flight to Seoul. Looking back at the whole preparation process, it seemed as if I was not meant for it. I experienced quite a number of difficulties, especially with regard to the processing of my visa. But soon everything fell into place. At first I was hesitant about going, given the fact that I would not be able to do my internship on time. I was also anxious that

While at Dongguk University, we were required to maintain good academic standing, work 10 hours per week as English tutors, and more importantly, to interact with Korean faculty and students.

//////////////////

when I go back home, there would not be any job vacancies waiting for me. But I wanted to experience something new, something exciting. True enough, this Korean escapade proved to be just that.

Geeks in Dongguk? Not

A typical day in Dongguk starts with the landlady knocking on each of our doors to signal that breakfast is ready. We would gather in the dining hall, together with students from Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Everyone hurries up after the meal to be able to use the bathroom first. The thing in Korea is that people are used to taking a bath with other

people. That is not how we do it in the Philippines, so it is absolutely a big NO for me. Getting to school has got to be the part I did not like the most. We had to walk up the mountain to reach school, and it took roughly 15 minutes to reach Dongguk. Early in the day we already felt exhausted from all the walking that we had to do. It would have been easier if the path were just flat, but that was not the case. The dormitory is on a mountain called Mt. Namsan, and the University is on the same mountain too. Slopes were inescapable! Just imagine the ups and downs that we had to go through to come to school. The only means of public transport accessible to us to get to school was the taxi, which we rarely used since it was pretty expensive. All the classes we took were conducted in English. However, it does happen that the professor and the students would sometimes speak their native tongue to better understand what was being discussed. Aside from our academic load, we also conducted English tutorial classes. In what we call the English Zone, we teach English to some Korean students. Most of our tutees already know how to speak in English and just want to enhance their communication skills. It is quite surprising how Koreans go the extra mile to learn a foreign language; some travel to other countries to learn the language, others enroll in English classes, while some simply learned on their own.

Spot the difference (and appreciate it)

One of the lectures I attended for my International Business class was given by Lee Haeng Hee, CEO of Corning Company (Korea). Despite the language barrier, I picked

up the essential point of her talk—that of understanding differences. This whole escapade that I was in was all about understanding the differences among different nations, cultures, and persons. My everyday life as a student in Dongguk reflected the dissimilarities that my home country and my host country have. I could not hide the fact that living in a first-world country has noticeable differences compared to living in the Philippines. For instance, technological advancement is widespread across the nation. In school alone, one could make use of the advancements that Korea has to offer. Forget about OHP projectors, they had LCD projectors and computers in every room. Also you could ask for a 50-inch plasma TV, in case you’ll need that for your presentation. Honestly, it was the first feature that blew me away. It all seemed new and cool to me. But more than understanding differences, appreciating and making sense out of those differences were equally important. That experience was about appreciating the privileges I have back home: not having a Korean-sized room with a tiny closet, not having to share the bathroom, not having to eat egg on a daily basis, not having to walk to school or ride public transport to get to places, not having difficulty speaking the English language, etc. I have come to appreciate my life and its many wonders. I am grateful for the gift of family, friendship, and education that I have as a Manila girl. I have become more appreciative of my characteristics which are truly Filipino, most especially that of pakikisama (getting along with others). Ina (Czarina), Gianne, and I will be forever thankful to those who made our stay in Korea possible and worthwhile. We thank our families and friends, and the MScM faculty and staff, whom we consider our second family, for their full support in this program. We are also grateful to our schoolmates in Dongguk and the school’s administration, because they were always ready to help and they made sure that we did not feel left out in an environment totally new to us.

Was the all the fuss worth the scholarship? Definitely. Korea broadened my outlook in life academically, socially, and spiritually. Now more than ever, I am proud to say I am closer to God. Also, I have become more independent and more confident with myself. It gets even better as I have built good friendships with people from different parts of the world. Should more MScM students come to Dongguk as well? There’s only one thing Ina, Gianne, and I have to say to that—YES! Angelica Therese C. Robes MScM 5th year €€€€€€€

MAVE ALUMNA LEONORA VINLUAN

A school of her own For MA Values Education alumna Leonora Vinluan, running her own school had been a longtime dream. In 2005, after finishing her studies at UA&P, that dream was realized with a little help from her brother, the inspiration and instruction she gained from the University, and a lot of hard work. Ms. Vinluan put up St. Josemaría Escrivá School in her hometown Paniqui, Tarlac where she now fulfills her aspiration of “educating the children in the mind and in the heart” while doing public service by helping in community projects. “I believe that MAVE is the key that opened the gateway to my dream,” she says. “The wisdom I gained from the professors and teachings of St. Josemaría moved me and inspired me to work better and dream higher.” Ms. Vinluan began her teaching career at Mt. Carmel Montessori in Baguio City. Eventually moving back to Paniqui, she taught at a public school in a barrio for six years before moving to Del Valle Elementary School, her old alma mater, where she taught for another four years. It was during this time that she found out about the MAVE program and decided to take a chance. “At first, I was undecided, but eventually I gave it a try and took the entrance exam. Fortunately, I qualified,” she says. “While I was undergoing my MAVE course, I felt more inspired and started visualizing myself running a school. Our discussions in the classes of Dr. Gladys Golo, Dr. Severina Villegas and Dr. Zenon Udani put me in a ‘future state.’ Every time we discussed, I imagined myself administering and managing my dream school. I always told myself that if I had my own school, I would run it the way I was being taught.” Taking the lessons of the program to heart, Ms. Vinluan, with the advice of a

fellow Tarlac native and MAVE graduate, decided to name her school after St. Josemaría Escrivá whose teachings she had learned through MAVE. “When we started our marketing and promotion here (in Paniqui), everybody was asking who St. Josemaría was. I realized, maybe it was my mission to spread the words and life story of St. Josemaría. I believe God sent me to MAVE for this reason.

“Ms. Vinluan...decided to name her school after St. Josemaría Escrivá whose teachings she had learned through MAVE.” ////////////////// “My brother helped me financially in putting up the school. We are not rich. We had no big capital when we put this up. It was a matter of faith and determination. It was a very challenging and tough endeavor,” she says. “We started operating on June 13, 2005 with only 50 pupils and three teachers. We’ve gone up to 145 pupils now and with 10 members of the teaching staff, including myself, and four nonteaching and utility workers. We offer preelementary courses (Nursery, Kindergarten, and Preparatory) and complete elementary (Grades 1-6).” According to Ms. Vinluan, “The school is guided by its vision and mission towards a culture of excellence. My MAVE experiences and learning are my power tools in running the school.” Mr. Carlo Cabrera €€€€€€€ Corporate Communications Office

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Student Life

LEAD Grooming future leaders today

“Good leadership happens if we learn how to handle our emotions well, stand by and live our convictions, and be responsible students and citizens.” This was what Felisa Demafiles, a member of ROC and ISKO, realized when she attended the Leadership Effectiveness and Attitude Development (LEAD) Program.

oo g l e d

Myself to The Hague

Some people prefer to wait for good things to come their way. I used to be one of them until October 31 last year. I was extremely bored that day, and surfing the Internet seemed to be the only worthwhile thing to do. I was already on the onehour mark of browsing in Google when suddenly, I remembered something. It was that urge to come across the same experience I had when I attended a great international conference the year before.

o, I decided to research about conferences that had been scheduled for 2009. To be honest, it was a tedious task. I was already beyond the 100th group of searches when I encountered the official site of the 18th World Model United Nations (WorldMUN) Conference, which would be held in The Hague (The Netherlands). It was not until this moment that I got to know that there is such a thing as the Model United Nations (MUN). It is an activity for college students wherein participants engage in a simulation of the practices, actions, and debates of the real United Nations. Students were able to participate in all branches of the UN including the General Assembly (GA), the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Specialized Agencies (SA). Here, delegates are assigned country positions in their various committees and were to debate and discuss their country’s position in a realistic simulation of the United Nations. Over a series of sessions, delegates were given the opportunity to debate, advocate, and ultimately collaborate over a certain topic in an effort to arrive at a solution that can possibly be implemented. The conference seemed hard when I first browsed its website. But I think it was the ultimate selling point for my decision. I simply looked at some general information and, without any hesitation, I embarked on the application process,

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Eliezl Mendoza (left) and Camille Labasan (middle) find new friends at the WorldMUN Conference in The Hague.

elisa is one of 16 female students in the three-day program organized by the Center for Students and Alumni and held at the Laguna Hills Study Camp. They were chosen on the basis of scholastic standing, good recommendation from their mentor, and high leadership potential. LEAD is an annual program that seeks to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and values they need to take on positions of responsibility. The Office of Student Affairs staff, PEER student leaders, and alumni serve as facilitators; the University Chaplaincy provides spiritual formation. This year’s program focused on three interrelated concepts: the human person and his integral formation, the interrelation among persons, and the interaction of members within a community. With the spirit of unitas at the core of the program, its modules were designed to highlight the seamless

interconnection between what students know and think about, what they believe in, what they say, and what they do. Through lectures, workshops, selfassessment tests, spiritual activities, visioning exercises and teambuilding activities, the

“I learned that I am more than what I am [today] and that I am capable of doing more.” //////////////////////// students learned what a true leader is and how to evaluate their leadership potential by looking into the physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual dimensions of their individuality. Because of what she learned from the

which included filling out various forms, writing essays, and other requirements. It was really complex. But alas, after almost two months, I got an email from the organizers stating that our delegation—myself and fellow IEP student Camille Labasan—got accepted and was assigned to the World Trade Organization committee which will be representing the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYOM). At that very moment, I felt anxious because I finally realized the weight of what I was about to handle. For the next three months, Camille and I worked hard to prepare for the conference and be able to represent not just FYOM but also our country the best way possible. Everything seemed to be too much work until I got an email from Ms. Maria Cynthia Pelayo, the Third Secretary of the Embassy of the Philippines at The Hague. She congratulated our delegation for having passed through the grueling application process of the WorldMUN, and on behalf of the Ambassador, she expressed how proud they were for us. Months prior to that day I felt really nervous but after that email, everything seemed hazy, though I hoped things were going to get better.

At some point in our college lives, we must learn how to put our uncertainties behind and try everything the world has to offer. ////////////////////////

Like ambassadors to the UN

Last March 20, Camille and I flew to The Hague to be part of weeklong WorldMUN conference. The conference, however, was not the first activity that we attended, but the ones arranged for us by the Philippine Embassy. These included familiarity tours, dinner at the Ambassadorial Residence, and a one-day conference about the impact of the global economic crisis on immigrants’ remittances. Though our first few days were already booked with various activities, we considered March 22 as the start of a more demanding job. This was the start of our being WorldMUN delegates. As said by Mr. Ruud F.M. Lubbers, the former prime minister and current Minister of State of The Netherlands, we were assuming the role of an ambassador to the United Nations. I felt like we were in a battlefield. With all the motions, voting, and intense debates just to come up with useful work papers, every minute seemed like a strenuous exercise for me and Camille. Nonetheless, all our efforts paid off when at last we passed our final resolution on the topic of Barriers to Free Trade. It was also the fact that we learned so much from the pool of bright students that

program, Rocelle Recio, a member of ROC, ISKO, ITEC and AISEC, realized that dealing with interpersonal relationships can be as simple: “Discipline and coordination among members of the team is important for them to meet their goal.” Exercising their responsibility toward the community, the students spent the last day bringing joy—through games, food and songs—to 35 children of Barangay Tulo, Calamba. At the end of the three-day seminar, the students not only gained new perspectives on leadership but also derived more inspiration to be better leaders. As Rachel Lynn Belandres (a member of I-MIC, Viare, ISKO, ACE, and Anima) said, “I learned that I am more than what I am [today] and that I am capable of doing more.” Ms. Vina Arenal-Belen €€€ Office of Student Affairs

came from various universities around the world such as University of California Berkeley, London School of Economics, Harvard University, Oxford University, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Bath, as well as the United States Military Academy at West Point. Having the chance to interact with these people and be friends with them was really a huge accomplishment, too. But being one of the 100 chosen delegates to have drinks for Diplomacy (another exclusive event) was just inexplicable. Here, I met and had drinks with ambassadors from Equador, Chile, Ireland, Singapore, Mexico, Venezuela, and of course H.E. Mr. Romeo A. Arguelles of the Philippines. This made me and Camille feel the weight of our stay in The Netherlands, our role in representing our country and FYOM.

In this conference, Camille and I learned more than what we had expected. We even came to believe that surprises are good, but the things that come as products of determination and hard work are far better and more satisfying. Along with Camille, I’d like to say that I am more confident now than I was a few months back. But I think I probably would not have evolved to this person I am now if I did not take the step forward. At some point in our college lives, we must learn how to put our uncertainties behind and try everything the world has to offer. With this, I would like to quote what Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, said in his message: “People often criticize young people for their idealism, or even try to talk them out of it. But I think that idealism is one of your strengths. Without it, we would have a far more difficult time imagining and building a better world. That is why idealism is a big part of what animates the United Nations.” Eliezl Mendoza IEP 3rd Year €€€

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Arts

Ayospalaeh! “Ayos pala eh”, a simple phrase often used by Filipinos, has an underlying meaning—Arts Yung Only Solution Para Alisin Lahat ng Anxieties pag may Economic Hostilities.

You’re a Good Man,

Charlie Brown

Musical theater came to UA&P with Kultura’s production of “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown,” the well-loved Broadway musical based on the comic strip Peanuts created by Charles M. Schulz.

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

The play follows “an average day in the life of Charlie Brown.” The official synopsis of the play reads: “It really is just that, a day made up of little moments picked from all the days of Charlie Brown, from Valentine’s Day to the baseball season, from wild optimism to utter despair, all mixed in with the lives of his friends (both human and non-human) and strung together on the string of a single day, from bright uncertain morning to hopeful starlit evening.”

ersonally, this event made me realize the importance of arts in our everyday life. Even though we experience a global economic crisis today, we should not be hindered from experiencing the joys of the arts. “Arts” symbolizes hope and optimism in finding the right path through the darkness. Aside from learning the essence of this event, “Ayos Pala Eh”—an artistic economic briefing open to all students and faculty in UA&P, I, as one of the deputy heads of this project, can proudly say that my whole experience with this was worth remembering. Indeed, the event was a success to think that we, the project and deputy heads, were only given a few weeks to prepare. We were about to lose hope of ever accomplishing the deadlines but thankfully, we were able to do so as a team. Teamwork was the biggest factor that contributed to the success of this project. Furthermore, I was able to offer my time for this project despite the demands from my course and my other extracurricular activities in school. All the hardships and we had put into this project were all worth it. It was very fulfilling to have made this event a success, especially when you have your team along with you to celebrate the accomplishment. This event truly allowed me to work and have fun at the same time. Opportunities only come once in a while so grasp every opportunity that comes your way. As for me, I am really glad I was part of this team. Thanks to Marinelli Jane Nito for believing in me. We should always remember that there is always a solution to every problem. Experiencing such crisis may be hard for us today but eventu-

ally, we will be better. We will surely survive this! Be positive! Ayos pala eh! Dominique Reyes Deputy Head, MScM 3rd Year

Being a project head was not easy in this particular event because I and my partner (Jane Nito) were only given a short amount of time to organize everything. But at the end of the day, we were all happy that the event went successfully. Everyone in the team—Morika Yu and Monique Reyes, our assistant project heads, Mr. Ronilo Balbieran, our consultant, and all the committees—really did a great job in putting the pieces of the puzzle all together. The first time I heard of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), I started thinking that it might be the next “Great Depression” not just in the US but worldwide. I have to admit that I was a bit pessimistic about the future because of all the disappointing news that I watched from the TV and read from the newspapers. Millions of people are losing jobs and several “known” banks and establishments have closed. But the project really helped me to see things in a different way. It put a smile on my face. RJ Pakinkin Project Head, IEP 3rd Year It started with an Idea. What if we can do something to make people feel better despite the everyday whips of negative information given out by the media? What if we can divert the attention of the people into giving a more positive outlook rather than a depressing one? What would you prefer? These were the questions of the master minds of the AYOS PALA EH event which actually stands for

“Arts Young Only Solution Para Alisin Lahat ng Anxieties during Economic Hostilities.” Being one of the appointed students for the actualization of the idea, I was privileged to have met other student leaders from the different organizations of our own university that were mere names and faces to me before. I also got the chance to work with members of Arts and Culture Asia (ACASIA) who were already professionals in their own respective fields. Being in the midst of this group of people, the question is: How can you make the most of their talents? I believe this was the biggest challenge that was given to us as the chosen leaders for this event. I myself am also a beginner so how do you expect me to guide all these people when I think they should be leading me to salvation? Yes, I said salvation. It takes that big of a word to express my fear of responsibility during those days. But instead of letting my fear eat me alive, I took the challenge. We all did. Although the preparation of the event was a bit cramped since we were only given a month or even less to prepare for the whole thing, at the back stage we were just hoping that it did not show. Fortunately we heard lots of positive feedbacks from the audience and from the different department heads afterwards. These words of appreciation from the students and from the rest of the audience were the only things that confirmed all our efforts. Watching them smile, laugh, clap, crunch their eyebrows or simply react towards the presentations, gave a feeling of fulfillment that somehow they were fascinated by the fruits of our labor as they would say. Jane Nito Project Head, IEP 3rd Year

Directed by theater veteran Sweet Plantado-Tiongson, with choreography by Red Concepcion, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” had an eight-show run, from February 27 to March 8, at the Dizon Auditorium. Clark Gesner composed the play’s music and lyrics in the late 1960s.

P H OTO S: M R . R O N I LO B A L B I E R A N

UA&P students and alumni made up the cast, namely: Bok Gil and Joel Guzman alternating as Charlie Brown; Pam Imperial and Marielle Mills alternating as Lucy van Pelt; Gmenier Mendoza and Ken Rafanan alternating as Linus van Pelt; Kelly Lati and Athena Tibi alternating as Sally Brown; Rhenz Gabalonzo as Schroeder; and Ikey Canoy as the “world famous beagle,” Snoopy.

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

News Arts

Experimental

Expressions experienced

P H O T O S : J U L I A N M E N D OZ A

March 14, 2009 was a day anticipated by every junior student of the Entrepreneurial Management Program (EM). The culminating activity of the Performing Arts class, “Experimental Expressions,” kicked off with a blast at the Teatrino in Greenhills Promenade.

t was held for the benefit of the Center for the Arts in San Antonio, San Miguel, otherwise known as the CASA San Miguel in Zambales, a community-based center that helps gifted children of the fisher folk of Pundaquit who play the violin, viola, and cello—the Pundaquit Virtuosi. As the audience started filling the performance hall, there was eager anticipation to witness the collaborative performance poetry of National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera and world-renowned violin virtuoso Alfonso “Coke” Bolipata. In the opening act, the EM Juniors entertained the audience with a unique display of showmanship and

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

content. Their presentation was a hybrid of impressive performance poetry, movement reminiscent of Edward Gordon Craig’s essay on masks and the ubermarionette, futuristic lighting and costume design, and musical score. It was a refinement of a creative synthesis of several lessons in Arts 2 where the best students were selected by the teacher months prior to the culminating activity. The poem written by student Miguel Valenzuela was a critique on the dehumanization of the working class and the corrupt practices of people with influence. It affirmed the need to uphold the dignity of the human person through ethical labor and leadership practices in the politicaleconomic sphere.

News The audience was also enthralled by the Pundaquit Virtuosi performing “Four Seasons” by Antonio Vivaldi, with Maestro Coke Bolipata guiding his protégés. The children had just arrived in Manila all the way from Zambales. In between these expressions of poetry and music, critically acclaimed director and cinematographer Jon Red showed his short film entitled “The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful,” which was about the struggles of the Filipinos during the Marcos Regime. Experimental filmmaker Lyle Sacris also graciously screened his video montage entitled “Self Portrait,” from the anthology Imahe Nasyon, which was a collaboration of film makers showing their different views of what happened to Philippine society after the 1986 EDSA Revolution. The main act was the collaboration of National Artist Dr. Lumbera and Maestro Coke Bolipata. The poem featured—“Sila”—was written and read expressively by Dr. Lumbera; it strongly urges today’s Filipino youth to advocate a responsible lifestyle in an age of new media and technology. Bringing the evening to a close, Coke Bolipata—backed up by songwriter and

multi-instrumentalist Cynthia Alexander and her group—played an interesting array of alternate-tuned guitars, and the native kulintang. Special guests for the evening were Charanjit Wasu, a tabla player from Hyderabad, India , and Malou Matute, an ethnomusicologist from the University of the Philippines. In their astounding and unique East-meets-West performance, they performed sitar maestro Ravi Shankar’s composition before Coke Bolipata took his final bow. The evening was one of the most memorable events the batch organized through the guidance of their professor Ms. Laya Boquiren. Not only did the juniors experience an evening of unique art expressions, they also helped sustain the creative industry by donating 50% of the profit shares to CASA San Miguel.

The evening was one of the most memorable events the batch organized... Not only did the juniors experience an evening of unique art expressions, they also helped sustain the creative industry by donating 50% of the profit shares to CASA San Miguel. ////////////////////////////

Christian Carmelo Guinhawa EM 4th year €€€€€€€€€€

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Sports

President’s Cup IX

Solidifying Foundations Mr. Tyrone Emmanuel I. Limon HUM alumnus ‘98

While it serves as a breeding ground for potential varsity players, its foremost contribution has been intangible: the fostering of camaraderie among the players, non-playing students, and parents from different batches.

////////////////

PHOTOS: MR. BENJAMIN A . SIPIN III

The League of the Red Dragon

A BOOST TO UA&P SPORTS The Office of Alumni Affairs, together with the Office of Student Affairs, launched the League of the Red Dragon, an informal association of UA&P alumni seeking to support the UA&P community and varsity teams. The inauguration held last March 24 was also the start of the League of the Red Dragon Fund, which aims to support varsity student-athletes by way of tuition scholarships. Red Dragon Scholars are varsity athletes who maintain an academic GWA of 1.75 or better, all the while retaining their varsity status in their respective teams. UA&P also held the annual Dragons’ Night Awarding ceremony as well as the launch of the UA&P Varsity Hall of Fame Awards and UNITAS Alumni Initiative Award. The Hall of Fame acknowledges outstand-

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

ing alumni athletes who have greatly contributed to the University’s academic and athletic life. This special induction ceremony only happens every five years. The two recognitions given were the Gold Awards and the Red Awards. The Gold Awards recognize UA&P varsity alumni who have made the University proud by competing internationally in their respective sports. The awardees have been nominated by UA&P’s Center for Students and Alumni. This year’s inductees were: - Charissa Marie Mijares Aguiling (gold medalist, figure skating) - Krishna Day Figueroa Javaier (bronze medalist, RP futsal team, SEA Games) - Jaime Amiel Atienza Pahati (4th place, sports climbing, ESPN Asian X Games) - Nicholas Valino Reyes (RP futsal team,

Asian Football Federation 2007) - Christian Jan Raquepo Suarez (world champion, RP bowling team). The Red Awards recognize UA&P varsity alumni who have made the University proud by competing locally in their respective sports. Again, the awardees have been nominated by UA&P’s Center for Students and Alumni. This year’s inductees were: - Stella Marie Tinoloc Baltao (champion, Dan Landry Invitational, 2000) - Raphael Miguel Paola Fabie, Jr. (1st runner-up, NCRAA and MNCAA Final Four) The 1st UNITAS Alumni Initiative Award was handed to Mr. Tyrone Emmanuel Ignacio Limon, tournament director of the President’s Cup Basketball League. Coach Tye has been organizing the PresCup for the past five years. He was also the former assistant coach of the Men’s Basketball Varsity Team.

Mr. Nicholas T. Mapa SEC alumnus ‘03

anuary 4, 2009 marked the opening of the 9th season of the President’s Cup as an Alumni Initiative under the Office of Alumni Affairs. This year, 18 teams participated across two divisions, the Alumni/ Open and the Students’ Divisions. This is my fifth year as tournament director. Personally, I am thankful for the opportunity to contribute to my alma mater and, at the same time, enjoy basketball. Being involved with the program in various capacities (as a player, assistant coach, and tournament director) has provided me with lifelong skills and values in conducting myself. If only for this, I am eternally grateful to UA&P. It seems only a while back when Varick Ong spearheaded this remarkable undertaking. It was only natural that, being a member of the men’s varsity basketball team, he would set his eyes on sports. He initiated the league in 2000 with the help of long-time program head and coach Benjamin Sipin III. What initially began as a humble venture has become the premier sports event of our young university. Moreover, it is probably one of the rare opportunities where the alumni, students, faculty, and staff come out to participate. Quite literally and figuratively, the community shares one roof in enjoying a wholesome and worthwhile activity. While it serves as a breeding ground for potential varsity players, its foremost contribution has been intangible: the fostering of camaraderie among the players, non-playing students, and parents from different batches. In fact, alumni players of older batches even bring their wives and young kids to watch their games. Indeed, there is nothing like the excitement that sports generates to make students prouder of their heritage and

bring forth a sense of belonging. For the alumni, it serves as an excuse to see each other regularly—exchanging pleasantries, reliving their school days, and establishing business contacts—all the while engaging in this stress-relieving activity. They may not run as fast or jump as high anymore but, at the end of the day, knowing they had fun is all that matters. The 2009 season was no different. Two prominent homegrown basketball teams—the Hardy Boys and the Freshmen United—won their respective divisions in convincing fashions, thereby laying down the groundwork for possible dynasties. The Hardy Boys only became the third team in PresCup history to win backto-back titles. They edged out Neverquit. MVP David Castillo was also in his best element, delivering consistent performances game after game. Not to be outdone, his Division 2 counterpart, Matty Naguiat quarterbacked excellently for his team en route to the summit. They captured an unprecedented third crown in a classic overtime win against Petex Express. Moreover, the 9th PresCup also introduced the first-ever three-point shootout. Marco Figueras of the IMC Crimson Lions won the individual division, while the ZPackers-duo of Paolo Inigo and Rarri Lu dominated team play. The 2010 edition of the tournament will celebrate 10 years of the President’s Cup. The theme for next year is “A Decade of Excellence.” We would like to invite all UA&P alumni, faculty, staff, and students to join us in supporting the countdown for the upcoming games. More than the statistics, the cheers, and the games, it is the sheer excitement of upholding this tradition that makes it uniquely UA&P. As the ball is tossed midair, we’ll all be a step closer to our common dream of further solidifying the UA&P community.

Mr. Waffie Fabie (left) receives the Unitas Red Award from Mr. Joel Parcon of the Center for Students and Alumni

The UA&P Squadra leads in chanting the university cheer

UNIVERSITAS July 2009

Congratulations! Carmencita Esteban Platinum Award

Coca-Cola Family Bonding Campaign 2009 Client: The Coca-Cola Export Corporation Agency: McCann Erickson Philippines, Inc. Effectiveness Advertiser of the Year

The Coca-Cola Export Corporation Effectiveness Agency of the Year

McCann Erickson Philippines, Inc. Gold Winners

Selecta Ice Cream: Dad Proof Client: Unilever RFM Ice Cream Agency: Lowe, Inc. Coca-Cola Family Bonding Campaign 2009 Client: The Coca-Cola Export Corporation Agency: McCann Erickson Philippines, Inc.

The value of a campaign is in its values.

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