THE UNIVERSITY conducted the first USTET at the Sampaloc campus amid the Covid-19 pandemic on Oct. 23, two years after replacing it with the UST Admission Rating (USTAR).
Over 2,800 applicants took the on-site UST Entrance Test (USTET) for college, senior high school, and Learning-Enhanced Accelerated Program for
Medicine (LEAPMed), the Office for Admissions (OFAD) said.
OFAD Director Assoc. Prof. Imelda Dakis told the Varsitarian that these
applicants took their exams in rooms that had been retrofitted and cleared for use by academic units and the Facilities Management Office.
Only 20 examinees were accommodated per room to ensure that health protocols were followed during the exams. The number was half of the
number of examinees per room in the pre-pandemic USTET setup.
The testing sites at the Sampaloc campus were the Main Building, Roque Ruaño Building, Albertus Magnus Building, Benavides Building,
Rapid inflation is putting additional burden on Thomasians already struggling financially as UST has begun limited face-to-face classes, students told the Varsitarian.
Inflation hit 6.9 percent in September 2022, the highest in nearly four years, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. National Statistician Dennis Mapa said the acceleration was due to food and non-alcoholic beverages, which rose by 7.4 percent from the previous month.
Jemae Joy Camba, a student with irregular schedule (SWIS) from the College of Education, said despite lifestyle changes, her monthly allowance is not enough for her needs.
“Noong senior high ako, naka-dorm din ako, allowance ko 20,000, pero napapagkasya ko a month. Ngayon, hindi umaabot ng isang buwan,” she said.
Camba rents in a
THE UNIVERSITY will host on-site celebrations of the Paskuhan season this year, UST Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P. has announced.
The festivities will start with the Panunuluyan, the re-enactment of Joseph and Mary’s search for lodging before the birth of Jesus, at the Plaza Mayor on Dec. 1 at 6 p.m.
On Dec. 2, the traditional Agape will be held at 5 p.m., followed by the lighting of the Christmas lights and decors on campus and the UST Christmas Gala Concert to be led by the Conservatory of Music at 6 p.m.
The University-wide advent recollection will be held on Dec. 7, while the Paskuhan Mass will be celebrated on Dec. 16.
The Paskuhan celebration will close with the grand concert on Dec. 19.
Coronel said that to limit on-campus participation, only Thomasians (alumni included) would be allowed to enter the University during the Pasku-
han concert.
Attendees of Paskuhan events will be required to wear face masks and follow other minimum health protocols.
UST students must accomplish the health declaration form through the Thomasian Online Medical Support and Services (ThOMedSS) before enter-
ing the campus.
Alumni must present QR codes from the StaySafe application upon entering the University.
This year’s Paskuhan will have the theme, “UST Paskuhan 2022: Pananabik, Pagbabalik, Panunumbalik.” N.B. BAUTISTA
worsens Thomasians’ financial woes during limited F2F classes► Thomasians sit at the Grandstand as the Paskuhan tree at the at the UST Field is being assembled on Nov. 19.
SEVERAL UST faculty members have noticed a decline in students’ test scores after conducting preliminary examinations face-to-face (F2F) for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Students’ mean scores in exams held in person were about 20 percent lower than those held online, said Benjie Clemente, a UST Faculty of Pharmacy faculty member.
“There is a significant difference. I don’t know if it is on the students, but before, when exams were online, their mean scores ranged from 80-90 percent. Now that we are back to F2F examinations, their mean scores suddenly became lower than 70 percent,” Clemente told the Varsitarian.
Following a memorandum from the Office of the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs (OVRAA), which advised academic units to conduct “high stakes” assessments on campus whenever possible, the Faculty of Pharmacy conducted preliminary examinations on-site in early October.
Other units that held in-person exams during the same week, such as the Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy and the College of Education, reported the same observation in their students’ test scores.
Victor Buendia, an instructor at the College of Accountancy, said the drop in scores might be because students had yet to be accustomed to F2F exams.
“Since this will be the first time that the students had the on-site exams in their college years, the sudden change evidently showed lower scores from their online quizzes,” Buendia told the Varsitarian.
Buendia cited other factors that might have led to lower scores, like waking up earlier for the F2F exams, not having someone to help during exams, and the inability to use online search engines.
Asst. Prof. Eryln Geronimo of the College of Education said students’ anxiety in pen and paper exams might have also contributed to the disparity in exam performance.
“[There is a difference in students’ performance] probably because the students have been used to online examinations for quite a long time, and there is also this feeling of anxiety on their part having to take an examination inside a classroom again using pen and paper,” Geronimo told the Varsitarian.
Amid the disparity in the results, teachers and students said they favored holding major examinations in person.
More reliable exams
Geronimo said conducting in-person examinations would increase the reliability of the tests since cheating would be minimized and the consistency of a student’s performance would be better evaluated.
Moreover, a student’s internet connection would no longer affect their performance if exams were held in person, she said.
“This will also prepare them [for] ‘bigger’ examinations in the future, like when they take their board exam. In a way, this will also ensure their learning, enhance their test-taking strategies, and make them more confident,”
THE UNIVERSITY failed to get a rank in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University rankings but earned the “reporter” status, meaning it was among the active participants in the ranking process.
According to the THE website, the reporter status is given to universities that participated in the rankings process but were not ranked this year.
“Practically, this means that they are listed, alphabetically, at the end of the rankings table, and rather than being assigned a rank number, they are instead labelled reporter institutions,” the THE’s explanation of the reporter status read.
“Universities with reporter status will therefore be visible in a way that they weren’t previously, and we will feed back to those universities where they failed to meet the criteria to help them as they work towards admission to future rankings,” it continued.
According to the THE website, universities must submit at least 1,000 papers published in journals indexed by Elsevier’s Scopus database in the last five years to be given a rank, since only research-intensive universities are evaluated.
Nestor Ong, head of the UST Office of QS/THE Rankings, told the Varsitarian that the University was not ready to meet the five-year research publication threshold.
“This is the first attempt we have participated in THE Rankings… We are not yet ready to join because of the threshold to have 1,000 publications within five years,” Ong said.
“However, we are challenged to participate this time because we have a better set of data, and we continue to improve our research publications, but we do not yet know if it is sufficient or insufficient in the absence of data analytics,” he added.
Ong said the University had “firm plans” to continue expanding and strengthening UST’s research internationalization efforts.
Ten Philippine universities were included in the 2023 THE rankings, an increase from last year’s three.
Ateneo de Manila is the country’s top university based on the ranking, jumping to the 351-400 bracket from “reporter” status last year and outranking the University of the Philippines (UP).
UP slipped to the 801-1000 bracket from last year’s 601-800.
De La Salle University stayed within the 1201-1500 bracket, while Mapúa University entered the 1501+ bracket.
The Cebu Technological University, Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology, University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines, Tarlac Agricultural University, and Visayas State University also joined the list with the “reporter” status.
The University of Oxford was ranked the No. 1 university worldwide.
The 2023 THE World University rankings evaluated 1,799 universities from 104 countries and regions. A total of 526 universities received the “reporter” status.
The THE World University ranking assesses a university’s performance in five areas: teaching (30 percent), research (30 percent), citations (30 percent), international outlook (7.5 percent), and industry income (2.5 percent). LOGAN KAL-EL M. ZAPANTA
LIFTING the mandatory wearing of face masks indoors should be contingent on people knowing how to protect themselves against Covid-19, including getting vaccinated, a UST molecular biologist said.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. issued Executive Order (EO) No. 7 on Oct. 28 allowing the voluntary wearing of face masks in such situations.
Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, O.P., a professor at the UST Department of Biological Sciences, said he was also recommending the lifting of the mask mandate.
“But we educate our people so that they will be able to make healthy decisions, including getting vaccinated and boosted and wearing masks when they are vulnerable,” Austriaco told the Varsitarian.
“We should still encourage those who are vulnerable to wear masks if they believe they need a mask, but the need for a mask mandate has faded into the past.”
Citing Singapore, which stopped requiring its citizens to wear face masks even indoors with some exceptions on Aug. 29, Austriaco said that face masks
have “very little effect on community spread and transmission” of Covid-19.
Marcos Jr’s EO stated that people must still wear masks in healthcare facilities, medical transport vehicles, and public transportation.
Those with co-morbidities and other vulnerable people, like the elderly, pregnant women, and unvaccinated and symptomatic individuals, were also “encouraged” to wear masks.
The molecular biologist added that Filipinos must also start learning to live with Covid-19 as it will stay “for the next thousand years.”
“If you are worried about Covid now, it will not change. If you’re saying, okay, we cannot open now, then I will say, maybe 10 years from now, because it’s not going to get better than this… We will not be able to get rid of Covid,” he said.
FRANCIS Matthew Obligacion, the valedictorian of the UST-Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy’s Class of 2022, topped the October 2022 licensure examinations for certified public accountants (CPA) with a 91-percent score.
Obligacion is the second CPA board exam topnotcher produced by UST this year, following Jhoone Nacario, who topped the May 2022 exams.
Another UST alumnus, Marion Jasper Tagle, ranked fifth nationwide in the October exam after scoring 88.67 percent.
UST produced 269 new accountants, the most number by any school nationwide. This was an increase from the 73 new CPAs produced by the University in May.
The University’s passing rate improved to 63.90 percent, or 269 out of 421 examinees, from 41.24 percent, or 73 out of 177 examinees in the previous cycle.
No top-performing schools
were announced since none had at least 50 passers and an 80-percent passing rate.
The national passing rate slightly increased to 25.84 percent (1,722 out of 6,665) from 22.28 percent (990 out of 4,442) in May.
The exams were conducted from Oct. 15 to 16. M.S. OROZCO
[There is a difference in students’ performance] probably because the students have been used to online examinations for quite a long time, and there is also this feeling of anxiety on their part having to take an examination inside a classroom again using pen and paper,
Asst. Prof. Eryln Geronimo
‘‘
Practically, this means that they are listed, alphabetically, at the end of the rankings table, and rather than being assigned a rank number, they are instead labelled reporter institutions.
THE’s explanation of the ‘reporter’ status
THE UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery (FMS) has raised over half of the P1.2-billion target for the construction of the Henry Sy Sr. Hall and improvements at the St. Martin de Porres Building in the Sampaloc campus.
The Henry Sy Sr. Hall is named after the late founder of the mall and property developer group, Henry Sy Sr., as requested by his daughter Teresita Sy-Coson, who donated P300 million to the project.
It will occupy the parking lot beside the Tan Yan Kee Student Center and in front of the Miguel de Benavides Library.
Other higher education institutions that have their own Henry Sy Sr. halls include the University of the Philippines Bonifacio Global City campus, De La Salle University, and Assumption College.
“One way for us to best honor our dad is to help education institutions build facilities as education meant so much to him in his early adult life,” Sy-Coson said in a recorded message played during the “Go Further: Beyond 150 Years” event, the capital campaign that closed Medicine’s 150th anniversary celebration on Oct. 3.
The proposed building will house the Sts. Cosmas and Damian Simulation and Research Center, which aims to help students bridge their basic medical education and real-life clinical practice by providing simulation aides, said the UST FMS Anargyroi Foundation, Inc. (AFI), an alumni group spearheading the project.
“This would assure them of competitive quality education, keeping true to one of the qualities of a Thomasian doctor—be-
ing competent. We encourage everyone to come and be part of this historical narrative,” AFI Executive Director Anna Maria Gloria Ward said.
The Henry Sy Sr. Hall will have 45 rooms for naming rights, which will cost P5 million to P50 million each. Fourteen rooms have been reserved for donors and pledgees.
Fundraising Committee Chairman Dr. Charles Cuaso said the main objective of the AFI was to create sustainable financial
resources through a continuous flow of donations to support projects.
“It may appear ambitious, to say the least, but with the combination of determination and a lot of work, nothing is unachievable,” he said.
A portion of the P1.2-billion fund will also be allocated to various initiatives of Medicine, such as simulation projects, research projects, and faculty development.
THREE Thomasians landed in the top 10 of the October 2022 licensure examinations for chemists, in which UST notched a 48.53-percent passing rate or 33 out of 68 examinees.
Ryan Magsipoc ranked second nationwide to lead the new batch of Thomasian chemists with a score of 90.60 percent.
He was followed by Lorie Bernando (No. 7, 87.65 percent) and Sean del Rosario (No. 8, 87.45 percent).
Despite fielding more examinees, UST’s passing rate in the latest cycle was an improvement from its 40-percent score (6 out
of 15 examinees) in October 2021.
Carmel Rolloque of the University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños topped the October 2022 exams with a 91.30-percent score.
UP Los Baños was named the only top-performing school in the chemistry licensure exams with an 82.35-percent passing rate, or 42 out of 51 examinees.
The national passing rate for chemists rose to 38.85 percent (284 of 731 examinees) from last year’s 36.31 percent (134 of 369 examinees).
UST meanwhile posted a 98.17-percent passing rate in the October 2022 chemical technician licensure examinations,
THREE JOURNALISM students will lead the Varsitarian, the official student publication of the University of Santo Tomas, in its 94th year.
Journalism junior John Ezekiel Hirro, a former sportswriter and editor of the news and online sections of the publication, was appointed editor in chief for the third straight year.
Another journalism junior, Eduelle Jan Macababbad, will serve as acting managing editor.
Journalism senior Jacqueline Martinez will join them on the editorial board as acting associate editor. Martinez will concurrently serve as News editor for the second-straight year.
with 107 out of 109 examinees making the cut.
UST’s passing rate went up from 90 percent last year, or 27
out of 30 Thomasians.
Carlos Conception of UP Los Baños, Christian de la Cruz of Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) Visayas, and Jopette Villas of Eastern Visayas State University led the country’s new batch of chemical technicians with a score of 94 percent.
TUP Visayas was named the top-performing school in the chemical technician licensure examination after posting a perfect passing rate.
The national passing rate for chemical technicians increased to 85.16 percent from 81.24 percent last year.
The exams were conducted from Oct. 17 to 18.
Another journalism senior, Nicole Anne Bugauisan, was appointed acting editor of the Sports section.
Fourth-year political science student Camille Marcelo was named acting Special Reports editor.
Justin Benedict Lim, a hospitality management student, will handle the Witness section as coordinator, while legal management junior Faith Nicole Gelacio was appointed Features coordinator.
Journalism junior Matthew Gabriel and senior Adrian Parungao were named acting editors of the Filipino and Science and Technology (SciTech) sections, respectively.
Accountancy senior Samantha
ROMMEL Marvin Rio, a TV news producer, journalism educator, and former Varsitarian associate editor, died on Friday, Oct. 28, due to a brain aneurysm. He was 30.
His death was confirmed to the Varsitarian by his sister, Roma.
Rio obtained his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University in 2012.
He earned his master’s degree in marketing communication from De La Salle University in 2016.
Rio was taking up law at the San Sebastian College – Recoletos de Manila when he died.
He was the Varsitarian’s associate editor from 2011 to 2012. He also wrote for the publication’s Science and Technology and News sections.
In 2011, businessman Edgardo Angeles filed a libel case against Rio and former Varsitarian editor in chief Cliff Venzon for publishing a story about the dispute between UST and Selegna Holdings, Angeles’ company that operates the University’s multi-deck carpark.
The Makati City prosecutor’s office dismissed the libel case on July 5, 2011, for “lack of probable cause.”
Rio worked as a producer for several news programs on TV5 from 2014 to 2021 and on Bloomberg TV Philippines in 2016.
He was as an executive producer for Cignal TV’s news programs, such as “The Big Story,” “One News Now,” and “Rush,” from 2018 to 2022.
Rio also taught journalism courses at the Far Eastern University.
TV host and anchor Gretchen Ho recalled Rio’s passion for journalism and teaching.
“At this young an age, he was already wearing so many hats — from doing TV production work to being a journalism professor to being a breadwinner for his family and, all the while, pursuing his dreams at law school. He tried to balance it all,” Ho said in a Facebook post on Oct. 28.
“He was always brimming with passion [every time] he’d talk about his students or the top stories of the day, but what I loved about him most was his open-mindedness and ability to listen,” she added.
Felipe Salvosa II, assistant publications adviser of the Varsitarian, said Rio helped transform the publication into a digital-first campus news organization.
A wake will be held for Rio at the Sympathy Chapels and Memorial Park in Angono, Rizal, starting Oct. 29.
His remains will be interred on Nov. 3.
B. MARTINEZ
JACQUELINEFatima Creencia was appointed coordinator of the Circle section.
Christine Angelie Orines, an advertising senior, will serve as Art editor, while architecture senior Jan Kristopher Esguerra was appointed Layout editor.
Seniors Joselle Marie Reyes (communication) and Marvin John Uy (civil engineering) will handle the Photography section as photo editor and assistant photo editor, respectively.
This year's News writers are journalism seniors Joanne Christine Ramos and Alexandra Mangasar, communication arts senior Nillicent Bautista, accountancy junior Hannah Joyce Andaya, and sophomores
Logan Kal-el Zapanta (journalism) and Mikhail Orozco (accountancy).
Sophomores Bjorn Del Deade (journalism) and John Peter Cajayon (legal management) will write for the Sports section alongside accountancy senior Paolo Martin.
The Special Reports section will be comprised of journalism student Chalssea Kate Echegoyen, behavioral science junior Niña Angelica Rodriguez, and seniors Eduardo Fajermo Jr. (political science) and Joseph Angelo Ogrimen (accountancy).
Legal management junior Judd Ericka Crescini, journalism senior Marymon Frances Reyes, and journalism sophomore Karis Tsang are members of this year’s Features
section.
Journalism student Angeli Ruth Acosta and history senior Jiego Tagaban will write for the Literary section.
This year's Witness writers are education senior Allyssa Mae Cruz and sacred theology sophomore Ammiel Maestrado.
Education junior Diana May Cabalo and civil law freshman Nolene Beatrice Crucillo will write for the Filipino and Circle sections, respectively.
Sophomores Liam Sebastian Sanchez (medical technology) and Nyah Genelle de Leon (journalism)
MANILA Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula called on parishioners of the Santisimo Rosario Parish to work on increasing their faith so they could endure the sufferings of the world, as he led the Misa Mayor in celebration of the parish anniversary and fiesta on Sunday.
In his homily, Advincula said that faith would allow a person to see the world’s challenges in a different light.
“Without faith, we may easily give up when difficulties come our way. Faith enables us to endure the sufferings of this world. A person with faith will always persevere,” he said.
Faith also allows a person to develop an eternal perspective, the Manila archbishop said.
“If we have faith in God, nothing is delayed. Delays are only from our human perspective. God is never late. His acts are always right on time. And to be able to believe that is faith,” he said.
Advincula also said praying the rosary would help develop one’s faith as it signifies how Mary obeyed God’s plan.
To end his homily, Advincula recited a prayer: “We ask Mary to lend us her eyes and heart in contemplation, in contemplating her son Jesus. We pray that like Mary, we may grow in faith by constantly saying yes to God’s plan. Amen.”
The Mass was offered on the final day of the parish’s fiesta celebrations.
A grand procession of the image of the Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario and Dominican saints and martyrs followed the fiesta Mass held in the afternoon.
The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated on the first Sunday of October, to mark the decisive victory of the Christian fleet in 1571 at the Battle of Lepanto.
WITH REPORTS FROM AMMIEL B. MAESTRADOFILIPINO Dominicans mounted a grand procession of the centuriesold ivory image of Our Lady of La Naval on Oct. 9, marking a return to normalcy in religious activities after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rosary devotees were urged to look out for each other as a community to improve fellowship in the Church during Mass at Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City.
In his homily, Santo Domingo Parish priest Fr. Mhandy Malijan, O.P. said devotees should unite as
one Catholic community to prevent people from leaving the Church.
“Marami ang nanlalamig, marami ang siyang umaayaw o nagqu-quit o nag-iibang relihiyon dahil hindi nila na-feel na sila ay kabilang, sila ay isang komunyon”, Malijan said.
He also reminded the devotees to follow the Lord’s calling with conviction like Mary, and that no one is alone in their life’s journeys.
“Hindi tayo nag-iisa, kaya nga [kapag] mayroong prusisyon, alam natin magkasama tayong maglalakbay. Hindi ka nag-iisa, kasama
mo ako,” Malijan said.
Faith refueled
The La Naval Fiesta, celebrated onsite for the first time in two years since the Covid-19 pandemic, commemorates the miraculous La Naval sea victories that warded off the Dutch invasion of the Philippines in 1646.
Philosophy senior Mark Saliot told the Varsitarian that the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of La Naval was an opportunity to charge up faith.
“The onsite celebration of the
feast of the Our Lady of La Naval de Manila and the grand procession are meant to refuel the faith of the Filipino faithful, which was greatly affected due to the pandemic,” he said.
For theology sophomore Kristian Amarante, the celebration was a reminder of the constant love and maternal care of La Naval.
“Sobrang goosebumps ‘yung umulan nang malakas then tumila bago siya lumabas. Eto talagang si Ina, laging pakaba… pero never niya tayong iniwan,” he said. ALLYSSA
MAE C. CRUZ WITH REPORTS FROM AMMIEL B. MAESTRADOThe Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has urged Filipino Catholics to return to in-person Sunday Masses as it assured them of safety measures in church buildings.
In a circular released on Oct 14, CBCP president and Caloocan Bishop Pablo David said that with the pandemic “weakened,” the faithful could return to church without fear of the virus.
“With gratitude to God, the pan-
demic has weakened, and our official health experts have placed the country into more relaxed health protocols…These circumstances permit and oblige us to return to the normality of Christian life, which has the Church building as its home of the celebration of the liturgy, especially the Eucharist,” he said.
David said the Covid-19 pandemic was a “difficult and painful time” for the Church that necessitated the faithful to explore “creative ways to nourish the communion of faith with the Lord and with their
Revin Doromal, a painting alumnus, won first place in the Santisimo Rosario Parish’s painting competition for its 80th anniversary.
Titled “Enduring the Storms of the Ages under Mary’s Mantle,” Doromal’s painting pictured Mary serving her role as a mother to Thomasians throughout the history of the University.
“I combined the image of UST’s Virgen del Santisímo Rosario with the image of the Virgin of Mercy, which is a popular Christian iconographic motif showing a group of people seeking refuge under Mary’s cloak,” he told the Varsitarian.
Doromal’s painting was inspired by the oldest Marian prayer, the “Sub Tuum Præsidium“ (We fly onto thy patronage), as a representation of Mary’s presence among Thomasians during trying times.
Among the Blessed Mother’s several titles is “Star of the Sea,” and in Doromal’s painting, Mary’s doce estrellas (12 stars) are spread out in the sky in the shape of the Marian monogram, signifying her role as a guiding star toward Christ.
Doromal also included characters such as a World War II prisoner, a Dominican friar, a medical frontliner accompanying a Lay Dominican as her patient, and a UST student.
“Altogether, the scene relates to
the Thomasian family’s act of entrustment of their past, present, and future to Mary’s maternal care—something which an anticipating Thomasian can always depend upon,” he said.
The parish’s painting contest was held under theme “Birheng ng Santo Rosario De UST, Saksi sa Bawat Kasaysayan ng Pamantasan, Parokya, at mga Debotom,” to signify how the image of the Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of UST was figuratively a witness to the development and evolution of the parish and University.
The pieces of the 32 participants that joined the contest will be displayed in an exhibit at the Santisimo Parish Church’s hallway until Oct. 15.
brothers and sisters.”
“We strongly encourage our faithful to return to the Sunday Eucharist with a purified heart, renewed amazement, and increased desire to meet the Lord, to be with him, to receive him and bring him to our brothers and sisters with the witness of a life full of faith, love and hope,” he added.
David also called for a study on the frequency of live-streaming the Holy Eucharist as he told Catholics that no broadcast could compare with the physical experience of at-
tending Mass.
“[T]hese broadcasts alone risk distancing us from a personal and intimate encounter with the incarnate God who gave himself to us not in a virtual way, but really, saying: ‘He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him,’” he said.
“The constant catechesis on the necessity of our faithful to return to our churches for the Sunday Eucharist should be explained in our homilies and in our catechesis,” he added.
THE UNIVERSITY has encouraged Thomasians to attend onsite Masses in their respective parishes on Nov. 1 and 2 following the call of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for Filipinos to return to church.
UST will observe its Undas break from Monday, Oct. 31, to Thursday, Nov. 3.
In an Oct. 19 memorandum, UST Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P. urged Thomasians to attend in-person Masses to celebrate the liturgy and the Eucharist.
“In line with the invitation of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to return to face-to-face Mass attendance ‘with a purified heart, renewed amazement, and increased desire to meet the Lord,’ the University highly encourages the Thomasian community to participate onsite in the liturgical celebrations for Nov. 1 and 2 in their respective parishes or localities,” Coronel said.
“Let us take this opportunity to spend more time with our families and pray for our departed loved ones,” he added.
The University will hold Masses for the departed members of the Thomasian community at the UST Santisimo Rosario Parish Church on the following dates:
Nov. 1 (9 a.m.) – Solemnity of All Saints
Nov. 2 (9 a.m.) – The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day)
Nov. 8 (11 a.m.) – The Annual Commemoration of All Deceased Thomasians
In inviting Filipinos to return to church, CBCP President and Caloocan Bishop Pablo David said that with the pandemic “weakened,” the faithful could attend Mass without fear of the virus.
“We strongly encourage our faithful to return to the Sunday Eucharist with a purified heart, renewed amazement, and increased desire to meet the Lord, to be with him, to receive him and bring him to our brothers and sisters with the witness of a life full of faith, love and hope,” he said.
He also called for a study on the frequency of live-streaming the Holy Eucharist as he told Catholics that no broadcast could compare with the physical experience of attending Mass.
“[T]hese broadcasts alone risk distancing us from a personal and intimate encounter with the incarnate God who gave himself to us not in a virtual way, but really, saying: ‘He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him,’” David added.
Classes and office work in UST will resume on Friday, Nov. 4.
DOMINICAN PRIEST Fr. Winston Cabading, O.P. said offering prayers and food for the dead would not affect their eternal destiny, in a five-part question-and-answer video series on Undas produced by the University.
“Wala nang effect ‘yung prayers natin sa eternal destiny ng mga yumao kasi sabi ni San Pablo, pag ang tao ay namatay, judgement na kaagad. So para sa atin, ‘yung judgement na ‘yan ibig sabihin n’yan ay papasok na siya sa eternal recompense, eternal destiny: heaven or hell. Salvation or damnation,” he said in a “Father Answers Questions” episode.
However, these prayers can be useful for souls in need of God’s mercy, specifically those in purgatory, Cabading said.
“Ang eternal destiny ng mga kaluluwa sa purgatoryo ay langit. Doon pumapasok ang ating mga panalangin para sa mga yumao,” he added.
Cabading, a former secretary general and College of Education regent, also discouraged Catholics from engaging in “occult ritualistic” activities such as necromancy.
“Hindi magandang humingi ng sign kasi baka hindi tayo prepared at higit sa lahat, hindi natin alam kung
‘yung nagbigay ng sign ay totoong nagsasabi,” he said.
“Walang assurance ‘yun na sila ‘yung pumupunta. More often than not, ‘yun ay isang mapanlinlang na espiritu, in other words, demonyo,” he added.
Cabading urged Catholics to pray instead to the saints who are “always alive with God.”
“Whenever we pray to the saints and ask them through intercession, it’s not to the dead that we are talking to, it is to the holy souls that are with God. They are alive,” he explained.
Cabading said Catholics will not be haunted by their deceased loved ones if they do not visit the cemetery.
“Kung sila’y nasa purgatoryo at
nangangailangan ng ating mga panalangin, kung sila’y saka-sakaling pinahintulutan ng may-kapal na magparamdam, magpakita sa mga mahal sa buhay, isa lang hinihingi niya: ipagdasal sila,” he said.
Offering food to the dead was useless, he said.
“Hindi nila kailangan ‘yung pagkain. That is what food is all about—for our bodies to be strengthened from the nutrients that come from them.
‘Pag nag-alay ka ng pagkain sa puntod, ano’ng purpose nu’ng pagkain na ‘yun? Wala. In other words, lalangawin lang,” he said.
“They are now in heaven enjoying heavenly food. Hindi nila pakikinabangan ‘yung ipapakain mo sa kanila na
kung ano mang masarap. Sayang lang. Mainam ang pagkain, kakainin ng buhay, hindi iaalay sa patay,” he added.
Cabading debunked the superstition that bringing home food from wakes would entail bad luck.
“Lahat ng pamahiin ay mali at hindi kalugod-lugod sa Diyos…Magtatapon ka ng pagkain, mas malaking kasalanan ‘yan. Sinabi nga ng mga matatanda, huwag magtatapon ng pagkain dahil ang bawat pagkain ay biyaya ng Diyos,” he said.
Cabading also explained how cremation was forbidden during the old times as it was deemed a denial of the resurrection of the dead.
“Ngayon, may mga pagbabago na ng isipan…pinapayagan na ng simbahan ang cremation provided that the motivation for cremation is not connected with the denial of the resurrection,” he said.
But the cremated remains of the deceased should be interred and not kept as mementos, he pointed out.
“Ngayon, nagiging gawain ng maraming tao na dahil may cremation, gusto nila ‘yung portion ng labi ng kanilang mahal sa buhay ay itatago nila sa locket at gagawing kwintas, ilalagay sa bracelet, itatago sa bahay para daw ‘yung memory ay naging sariwa—‘yang practice na ‘yan ay hindi ina-approve ng simbahan dahil kailangan pag-cinremate icoconsider mo rin siyang for burial,” he added.
ENVIRONMENTAL advocates appealed for the protection and preservation of the Sierra Madre mountain range to protect Luzon from strong typhoons, during an event spearheaded by the UST Simbahayan Community Development Office on Oct. 4.
Fr. John Leydon, chairman of Global Catholic Climate Movement – Pilipinas, emphasized how the Sierra Madre protected Luzon during Severe Tropical Storm “Karding.”
“Last week, nakita natin ‘yung ebidensya kung gaano kahalaga ‘yung Sierra Madre sa ating safety dito sa Luzon sa Typhoon Karding,” Leydon said in his homily delivered on the feast day of St. Francis of Assissi, the patron saint of ecology.
At the height of Karding’s onslaught, Signal No. 5 was raised in several parts of Luzon. The storm signal is raised when winds greater than 220
kilometers per hour, wave heights of more than 14 meters, and storm surges of more than three meters in coastal areas are expected.
Karding killed 12 people and caused more than P300 million in infrastructure damage and more than P3 billion in farm damage.
But the damage could have been worse if it weren’t for the windbreaks of the Sierra Madre, Leydon said.
Leydon reminded Catholics to participate in environmental conservation as a way to show love for God’s creation.
“Itong pagaalay ng buhay ni Sierra ay nagpapaalala sa ating mga Kristiyano kung sino ang ating Diyos na nagkatawang tao at nag-alay ng kanyang sarili upang tayo ay magkaroon ng buhay,” he said.
Simbahayan held the “Ikalawang Paglalakbay ng Krus ng Sierra Madre”
with the theme, “Buhay ng Sierra Madre, Buhay Nating Lahat: Dinggin ang Tinig ng Sierra Madre, panumbalikin ang Kanyang Buhay” on Oct. 4.
It was supposed to be held on Sept. 26, the Save Sierra Madre Day, but the event was postponed due to the typhoon.
The event also saw the visit of the “Krus ng Sierra Madre.” The wooden cross, forged from three driftwoods found in Sierra Madre, is set to visit dioceses across the country to urge Filipinos to care for creation.
“Kailangan gisingin ang ating pagmamahal para [sa] mga nilikha ng Diyos, hindi sapat ‘yung utak,” Leydon said.
Several environmental groups joined in the event, including representatives from the Save Sierra Madre Network Alliance Inc. and Save Zambales Kalikasan Movement. A.M.C. CRUZ
Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula has appointed Msgr. Rolando de la Cruz as the new rector of the Manila Cathedral, replacing Fr. Reginald Malicdem, who has held the position since 2015.
Malicdem will be the new chaplain of the Our Lady of Hope Landmark Chapel and SM Makati Chapel.
Their new roles were announced on Thursday, Oct. 13, alongside more than 200 appointments made in a major clergy reshuffling of the Archdiocese of Manila.
In his acceptance statement, de
la Cruz thanked his parishioners at the San Fernando de Dilao Parish in Paco, Manila, where he served as parish priest for 12 years, and asked for the prayers of his new community.
“We had been through many tests. Through you, I experienced the loving embrace of God. With you, I faced the challenges of the ministry with faith,” de la Cruz said.
“To the community of the Manila Cathedral, though I am fearful, I am also excited to be with you soon. I ask you to pray for me to be a good shepherd after the heart of Jesus Christ,” he added.
Fr. Marion Bayaras, previously parish administrator of the San Fernando de Dilao Parish, will serve as the Manila Cathedral’s administrator and attached priest.
Msgr. Jose Clemente Ignacio was reappointed vicar general of the archdiocese, the highest position after the archbishop, which he has held since 2015.
Caritas Manila director Fr. Antonio Pascual also retained the position he has been holding since 2005.
The new roles will be transferred during the period Nov. 14 to Nov. 25. ALLYSSA MAE C. CRUZ
A UST College of Nursing alumnus has been appointed as the new dean of the relaunched School of Nursing of Barry University, a private Catholic university in Miami, Florida.
Lonar Anthony “Tony” Umadhay, a veteran nurse and anesthesiology professor, assumed the position on Sept. 23.
In an interview with the Varsitarian, Umadhay said he plans to lead Barry University’s School of Nursing in producing competent and socially responsible nurses.
“Our school must graduate not only clinically competent nurses, but also nurses that have skills to engage in the work of advancing health equity, addressing social determinants of health, and meeting social needs of individuals and families of the future,” Umadhay
said on Oct. 10.
“Now more than ever, we have the collective responsibility to create a curriculum that will prepare nurses to promote health equity, reduce disparities, and improve the health and well-being of all.”
Umadhay also urged other schools to expand the educational experiences of their students to help them be involved in their community and be equipped to work with people from various backgrounds.
Umadhay obtained his bachelor’s degree in nursing from UST in 1991 and migrated to the United States during the workforce short-
age there in the 90s.
He earned his master’s degree in nurse anesthesiology from the Florida International University in 2003 and his doctorate in nursing from Barry University in 2010.
Umadhay received the New York Life Doctoral Fellowship Award in 2009 from the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Foundation.
He also received the outstanding alumnus award from Florida International University in 2013.
Umadhay was appointed associate dean for academic affairs of Barry University’s College of Health Sciences in 2014. He also served as the director of the anesthesiology program at the same university. N.G.C. DE LEON
THE ONSET of the Covid-19 pandemic posed severe challenges to business owners as restrictions forced them to temporarily – or, in some cases, permanently – close their stores. Many moved to online platforms, but some micro-entrepreneurs weren’t able to do so due to their unfamiliarity with the platform.
That pushed UST Commerce alumnus Joey Bermudez to establish Iskaparate in 2020, an e-commerce platform bringing micro-entrepreneurs into a virtual marketplace for selling Pinoy market essentials and lifestyle goods and honing their digital skills.
“A lot of the micro-entrepreneurs were complaining that they couldn’t sell anymore because their stores were closed [because of the pandemic]. And so […] my colleagues and I thought we would put up a digital selling platform,” Bermudez, former president of the Philippine Veterans Bank, told the Varsitarian.
Iskaparate comes from the Filipino word “eskaparate,” a display cabinet for goods in stores.
Bermudez wanted to
recreate the feeling of shopping in bazaars, albeit online.
Sellers are asked for photos of their goods to be displayed on the website. Customers can then directly buy from micro-entrepreneurs.
“We create the store for them. We create the store content. We ask for photos of their products. Once they are onboarded, we promote their products,” Bermudez said.
“We started with 33 sellers, mostly entrepreneurial mothers. Now there are 2,000 and we are headed towards 3,000 in a couple of months,” he added.
Bridging the digital divide Bermudez and his co-founders – former bankers Luis Sumabat and Josefina Natividad and businessmen Manuel and Benjamin Avancena – aim to give micro-entrepreneurs “a voice in the digital commerce world” by connecting them with potential customers online and giving them training.
“We help them create social media pages so that they can further promote their products. We bring them into organized selling events. And [...] we organize [an] academy called Iskaparate Academy so that they can be trained
on digital selling skills and entrepreneurial skills,” he said.
Many small-time owners and entrepreneurs, he observed, have limited access to technology, hindering them from venturing into online selling.
“[W]e discovered a lot of realities on the ground that people often totally ignored. These entrepreneurial mothers. They didn’t have a laptop, so how can they even be online sellers [...] All they had was a mobile phone, one in the family,” Bermudez said.
“These people are scared of technology,” he added.
An Asian Development Bank Institute report in 2021 showed that internet use among micro-enterprises was only 71.6 percent, lower than small- (84 percent) and medium-sized businesses (88 percent).
To address the digital divide, Iskaparate has free online courses for newbie entrepreneurs who want to know more about digital commerce through the help of volunteer mentors.
Bermudez hopes to give more opportunities, especially to the unemployed, which is currently pegged at 2.68 million, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority..
JOURNALIST Lian Buan and lawyer Tina Amador-Robles, along with 21 others, flew to the United Kingdom this month to pursue post-graduate studies after being awarded Chevening scholarships.
Both Thomasian alumnae intend to integrate the knowledge they will acquire for one academic year to contribute to their respective fields.
Buan, a journalism graduate, has been covering justice, anti-corruption and impunity beats for online news site Rappler. In pursuing a master’s in human rights from the Birkbeck School of Law, she hopes to inculcate new learnings to future journos in a field she covered for six years.
“It’s really been my dream to pursue a master’s. I wanted to learn something else, and come back and use that. Maybe even teach the new generation of journalists,” she said.
Buan has chronicled the “roller coaster” ride of the justice system under the administration of Rodrigo Duterte. Her “anger and hope” after her exposure motivated her to explore further studies.
“There has got to be a better way of communicating human rights in a way that leaders like Duterte are not emboldened to demonize it. So, I wanted to learn that,” she said.
Buan initially applied in 2015 for a master’s in journalism but failed to secure a spot. Turns out, her fate brought her closer to the line of work she has been involved in.
“In 2021, in the middle of the campaign [election] coverage, my friend – who’s a human rights lawyer – bugged
me to try again. And it was because of that bugging that I more clearly understood what I wanted to pursue –which is an LL.M. in Human Rights,” she recalled.
Robles, a fine arts graduate specializing in corporate and energy law, plans to introduce reforms in the country’s renewable energy (RE) sector after her post-graduate studies at the Queen Mary University of London.
“The skills, knowledge, influence, resources, [and] network that I will gain here will really enable me to tackle the issues that I see in the RE project industry in the Philippines,” she said.
She has worked with several corporations and experienced firsthand the need to improve the condition of the industry, citing the tedious and costly process in the RE project industry.
“Instead of tiptoeing around these hurdles, why don’t I try to change the RE industry in the Philippines so that these hurdles are eventually dismantled,” Robles said.
She seeks to educate more people about RE and help industry leaders in their sustainability initiatives.
“Energy is all-encompassing [and] has that transcendental ability to touch so many other industries because many industries rely on energy,” Robles said.
“I intend to use all those Chevening resources and network and knowledge that I mentioned to eventually educate on RE, to collaborate with fellow industry leaders so that they can adopt RE solutions for their specific industries,” she added.
THE UST Publishing House reopened its bookstore in a new location at the Main Building on Oct. 14.
The bookstore was relocated to the old UST Post Office site across the Health Service. It used to share space with the “iCampus” store that sold Apple electronic products in the Main Building.
Asst. Prof. Benedict Parfan, deputy director of the UST Publishing House, said a physical bookstore was still needed in the digital age because most Filipinos still preferred hard copies over ebooks.
“Digital copies have never out-
sold physical copies as far as we are aware. In fact, several publishers tried going through ebook outfits, but the market just was not there,” Parfan told the Varsitarian.
Publishing House Director Asst. Prof. Ma. Ailil Alvarez said most of the deals the UST Publishing House had with ebook companies in the past decade either “folded up or did not return as much profit as they initially pitched.”
At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UST Publishing House sold books through e-commerce platforms. However, the processing and delivery of books took longer than buying copies in phys-
ical stores, Alvarez said.
“A physical space where you can touch the books and immerse yourself in the metaphoric abundance of words around kindred spirits is a whole experience altogether, which, we believe, many Filipinos are longing for after an extended period of isolation,” she said.
Alvarez said that the UST Publishing House Bookstore would eventually be rebranded to “1611: The UST Bookstore.”
UST Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P. blessed the new store on Oct. 14. A.R. ACOSTA WITH REPORTS FROM JACQUELINE B. MARTINEZ
WRITERS should not limit themselves to having their works published in traditional media and must learn how to produce content for any platform available, a creative writing professor said.
“It’s not about the traditional books mismo. Ang mas mahalaga, makapagsulat kahit sa anong platform malathala. Kahit social media. Dapat mabasa, ” said Asst. Prof. Joselito de los Reyes, the UST creative writing program coordinator.
“Isang aspect of validation lang naman ng pagsulat ang ma-publish bilang tradisyonal na aklat ang isinulat mo,” he told the Varsitarian on Oct. 17.
He said writers could also share their works with their audiences by being content creators, spoken word artists, filmmakers, scriptwriters, and magazine writers, among others.
“Kahit anong may elemento ng paglikha na makapagpapaisip, makapagpapanilay, at makapagbibigay ng lugod sa tumatangkilik. Lumikha nang paulit-ulit,” de los Reyes advised.
De los Reyes recently made the 2022 Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards list for his “#Pasahero: Mga Nakikisakay na Sanaysay,” which ranked second in the nonfiction category.
“Ang Manggagaway at Iba pang Kathang-Agham at Pantasya mula sa Gitnang Europa at Pilipinas,” which de los Reyes translated alongside Asst. Prof. Eros Atalia, Bob Ong, and Beverly Siy, also clinched the second spot for the translated work category.
Twenty-five other books by Thomasians and the UST Publishing House made the list in several categories, including works by UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies Di-
rector Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo, Prof. Chuckberry Pascual, Assoc. Prof. Augusto de Viana, Fr. Jannel Abogado, O.P., Leo-Martin Ocampo, Mark Angeles, and Lourd de Veyra.
The 2022 Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards is an online popular choice award that ranked published and self-published books and ebooks from 2015 to 2018 (first batch) and 2019 to 2021 (second batch).
The Book Development Association of the Philippines ranked the books based on over 104,000 votes from Filipino readers.
The works were categorized into fiction in English, fiction in Filipino or Taglish, romance in English, romance in Filipino or Taglish, fiction anthology, young adult fiction, children’s picture book, comics and graphic novel, poetry, inspirational and religious, humor, food, nonfiction, history, and translated work.
The results of the Top 10 Filipino books in each category were announced on Oct. 7. ANGELI RUTH R. ACOSTA
modate more examinees in each room, depending on the venue size.
“An example is in UST Legazpi, where the exam was held in their gymnasium, and for Angelicum Iloilo, the [number of examinees] will be 30 per room because they have big rooms. Before we allow the change though, we ensure first that the minimum health standards and appropriate testing conditions will be observed,” Dakis said.
According to the guidelines set by the admissions office, vaccinated and unvaccinated applicants will be allowed to take the exam.
Suspected Covid-19 positive examinees and those exhibiting symptoms on their exam date will be isolated and brought home. They may coordinate with the OFAD for the rescheduling of their exam.
The University could also postpone the test dates should a surge in Covid-19 cases occur in Metro Manila and other testing centers, the UST Health Service earlier said.
Dakis said the University had received 13,485 college applications nationwide, or about 33 percent of the projected 40,000 applications for this year, in the first month of the online applications for the USTET.
The USTET for this application year was first administered in two provincial testing centers: at the Naga Parochial School (Oct. 8) and at UST Legazpi (Oct. 9).
The OFAD administered the exam to 81 applicants at the Naga Parochial School, while 124 applicants took the USTET at the UST Legazpi Gymnasium.
Provincial testing center protocols Dakis said the same health protocols as those in UST Manila were implemented. However, provincial testing centers were allowed to accom-
Students who took the UST Entrance Test (USTET) expressed gratitude for the return of a “fairer” admissions, instead of being purely evaluated based on their report cards.
“I think since nag[lie] low na ‘yung Covid, okay naman na siyang (USTET) ibalik ulit since ‘yun nga, isa siyang basis ng acceptance or rejection ng isang application, so grateful din naman kami,” Cassie Masquedo, a speech-language pathology applicant, told the Varsitarian on Oct. 23.
Another applicant, Rubie Mae Abelinde, said the return of the USTET would help the University scrutinize applicants better and with fairer standards.
“For me, okay lang po na nag-ex-
am ngayong taon kasi mas magiging mabusisi po ‘yung pagpili ng mga students sa UST and ‘yung mga mas deserve po ‘yung makakapasok po. Also may iba’t-ibang factors po na pwedeng i-consider [sa USTET],” Abelinde, a civil engineering applicant, told the Varsitarian.
UST shelved the USTET in Academic Years 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022, citing logistical and health concerns.
In the traditional admissions process, UST evaluates applicants through their USTET score (80 percent) and their computed average grade in Math, English, and Science (20 percent), unlike the USTAR, which solely focuses on the academic record of an applicant.
Darlene Dones, a physical therapy applicant, said the USTET was a more transparent way of admissions, as applicants could see their scores after.
“Through entrance exams, may
numerical basis na kung makapasa ka, may basehan talaga. Hindi ‘yung hindi mo alam kung bakit ‘di ka nakapasa,” Dones told the Varsitarian.
Ray Yambao, a father of a chemical engineering applicant, was also glad for the return of the entrance examinations.
“Natuwa kami, kasi importante na may interaction sa school, mahirap ‘yung puro online. I don’t think may impact ang [online school] sa education nila,” Yambao told the Varsitarian.
Some parents became frustrated with how the entrance to the University gates was organized.
Gates were supposed to close by 7 a.m., but students and parents were still queueing outside the España gate past that time, causing some parents to vent their frustrations at security guards.
Applicants and passersby also experienced heavy traffic around the University.
“Dumating kami within the area ng UST at 6 a.m. Nandyan na kami sa may Lacson Avenue, but the problem is, sobrang traffic. It’s not moving. Siguro mga 200 meters away from España, we decided to walk papunta sa Gate 6,” said a mother of an applicant.
The Office for Admissions (OFAD) decided to close the gates by 7:30 a.m. instead.
The USTET applications will be open until Jan. 6, 2023 for college and senior high school and until Nov. 18 for the Learning-Enhanced Accelerated Program for Medicine (LEAPMed) program.
The results will be released in April 2023.
LOGAN KAL-EL M. ZAPANTA AND ALEXANDRA L. MANGASAR WITH REPORTS FROM HANNAH JOYCE V. ANDAYA
native and innovative learning modalities.”
THE DEATH of radio broadcaster Percival Mabasa, known to the public as Percy Lapid, sent chills down the spine of an already demoralized Philippine press.
Mabasa’s nearly four-decade career in radio ended with two shots fired at him in Las Piñas City on Oct. 3. His stature as a fearless commentator who chastised politicians, foremostly former President Rodrigo Duterte and President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., unleashed yet another chilling effect for journalists critically reporting on the nation’s affairs, regardless of the suspect’s motives.
He was the 197th journalist killed since democracy was restored in 1986 and the second under the Marcos Jr. administration, a tally from the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) showed.
One of the freest presses in Asia has been confronted with physical and online harassment over the years.
Since 2009, the Philippines has landed in the top 10 most dangerous countries for journalists, according to the Global Impunity Index of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). This year, it placed seventh, with 14 unresolved murders, beating Myanmar, Brazil, Pakistan and India.
Included in that tally are Mabasa and another radio broadcaster, Renato Blanco, who was fatally stabbed on Sept. 18 in Negros Oriental. Blanco has been reporting on local issues and corruption.
In the memorandum, the CHEd ordered higher education institutions (HEIs) to move out of full online learning and hold at least 50 percent of their classes—in all courses in all programs—face-to-face (F2F) starting the second term of Academic Year (AY) 2022 to 2023.
“For example, for a three-unit course which requires at least 54 contact hours, 27 hours should be spent on a physical learning facility such as a classroom, laboratory, and other related learning spaces,” the memorandum read.
The CHEd also mandated on-site classes for laboratory courses, on-the-job training, and apprenticeship programs, as well as the resumption of the National Service Training Program’s community-based implementation.
Indeed, more F2F classes are necessary, but the CHEd forcing schools to implement F2F classes à la Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s Department of Education is counterproductive and even draconian, as draconian as the lockdown forced down the throats of Filipinos for two years.
The World Bank has underlined that while it has been tempting to resume business in schools as usual, it would be incorrect to assume that once kids are back in school, their learning would quickly get back on track. It said in its 2022 Guide for Learning
Recovery and Acceleration that countries should instead focus on reversing pandemic-caused learning losses and accelerating learning to prevent a long-term impact on this generation’s human capital accumulation.
Forcing HEIs to sideline their own transition plans for one that will exact F2F classes also makes the essence of blended learning obsolete.
According to the World Bank, the recovery and acceleration of learning can be aided by a context-appropriate learning recovery program. For an effective learning recovery program, it said schools must reach all children, assess learning, prioritize the fundamentals, increase the efficiency of instruction, and develop psychosocial health and well-being.
The CHEd should have given HEIs the freedom to determine the ideal ratio of in-person and online hours for each course in their own curricula in order to optimize the benefits of blended learning.
According to the Asian Development Bank, a hybrid learning model is most likely the more durable model for delivering education, and as the CHEd said in its memorandum, “equitable policies, programs, and practices that support the safe return to physical learning spaces are…necessary without sacrificing the gains from the use of alter-
The CHEd should instead allow HEIs to strategically decide how they could increase the efficiency of instruction by determining what courses are best delivered fully onsite, fully online, or blended.
After all, it is inconsistent for the CHEd to issue its new on-site learning directive in November, especially as in July 2022, before classes for AY 2022 to 2023 started, CHEd Chairman Prospero de Vera III said HEIs had the authority to decide for themselves whether to hold F2F classes or not.
“Some degree programs really need a lot of F2F classes, especially skills-based programs, while other programs can be delivered by flexible learning so we are leaving it to the universities to decide what is the appropriate mix,” he said on July 13.
Yes, students have to return to their actual classrooms to make the most of their education, but pressuring HEIs to recklessly expand F2F classes by the second term, with Covid-19 still lingering, could not only lead to poorer academic results, but it could also be dangerous, especially as the second half of the academic calendar starts after the holiday season during the winter months when historically there are surges in Covid-19 and other diseases.
Forcing F2F classes is counterproductive. Returning to the pre-pandemic ways of education is not an achievement but an impetuous way of discarding blended learning gains. The future of education, as many think tanks have said, is blended.
“[Their] murders […] since Marcos Jr. took office in late June raised fears that the culture of violence and impunity will endure,” the CPJ noted.
On social media, the browbeating is seemingly endless. Recently, TV5 broadcasters Ed Lingao and Lourd de Veyra said they got a death threat from a certain Seth Corteza – a pseudonym from a 1990s action movie – who claimed they were part of a “contract” of journalists who would be gunned down.
Harassing journalists is just part of the ordeals the press is grappling with. Reporters Without Borders, a non-profit organization safeguarding media’s rights, placed the Philippines 147th in its latest world press freedom index, citing the “targeted attacks and constant harassment” unleashed by the government to critical outfits, which include intimidation, imprisonment and red-tagging.
Marcos Jr. tried to soothe fears by pledging to protect the fourth estate as they carried out their duty. “Whatever difficulties we may encounter from this point on, the government will always be ready to lend an ear and to listen to your concerns, and to answer all that you may want to know,” he told a press club on Oct. 5.
His lip service, however, is glaring. A president who ignored the press during the campaign, refused to participate in the presidential debate as required by the Comelec, dodged questions when he was elected, and elevated partisan vloggers to independent press status along the way is not someone expected to recognize the role of the press and shield them from malicious attacks.
The Percy Lapid killing has also had a chilling effect on journalism education. We journalism
A number of UST alumni and a former law professor, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, have been tapped to join the Cabinet of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., a rare opportunity to serve in government but one that also carries significant challenges.
The Varsitarian lists the challenges and issues hounding these appointees.
skyrocketed this year, further complicating matters for the OIC.
Vergeire graduated with a degree in Zoology from the UST Department of Biological Sciences.
She led DOH programs on dengue, polio and measles as the assistant secretary for public health in 2015 until she was appointed health undersecretary in 2020.
to transform our country from an exporter of commodities and intermediate goods to an exporter of high-value products and services,” he said.
The trade chief pushes to innovate and digitalize the country’s trade industry.
“Digital systems can help connect, for example, sari-sari stores to manufacturers and financing firms,” he said.
DMW, to abolish the mandatory excessive government fees,” it added.
Ople graduated from the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters with a Communications degree in 1985 and has worked as a writer, columnist, and radio host before assuming a labor undersecretary role under former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004.
the funding of Marcos Jr.’s Singapore trip. He later acknowledged it was a “semi-official” trip with the government covering some expenses.
The new “little president” finished law at the University of the East (UE) and placed ninth in the 1973 bar examinations. He taught at the UST Faculty of Civil Law from 2000 to 2009.
Singh Vergeire has been sitting as officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Department of Health (DOH) since her appointment last July 14.
Vergeire is tasked to immunize the majority of Filipinos from Covid-19, which has been lagging due to hesitancy and complacency.
Her presence with the public has been ubiquitous since the pandemic began in early 2020, being the head of DOH’s diagnostics group and strategic communications team.
Public complacency against Covid-19 is Vergeire’s current headache as the country gradually reopens following years of lockdown.
In September, she warned against lifting the state of public health emergency in the country.
“We saw an increase in cases in other areas,” she said. “There are also subvariants that have entered the country that is deemed to be more transmissible and they also have an immune escape mechanism.”
But Vergeire’s responsibilities stretch far beyond the pandemic.
She said in an interview that the Philippines has a “shortage” of about 106,000 nurses.
DOH plans to retain the 7,000-deployment cap for Filipino medical workers intending to work abroad to alleviate the shortage.
Cases of dengue, chikungunya, measles and rubella, meanwhile, have
Alfredo Pascual
UST high school alumnus Alfredo Pascual is the secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), tasked to strengthen the country’s commerce as rapid inflation and peso depreciation hit ordinary consumers.
Pascual plans to rationalize the suggested retail prices (SRP) of essential goods and ensure consumer protection.
"Sisiguraduhin natin na ang presyo ay resulta ng interplay ng supply and demand na hindi nahahaluan ng manipulasyon," he said in a radio interview.
As the pandemic continues, Pascual also aims to strengthen the pharmaceutical industry.
“We will also encourage international pharmaceutical companies operating domestically to contract their manufacturing to local players,” he said.
In his speech at the Philippine Exporters Confederation’s meeting, Pascual vowed to make the trade industry “competitive, robust, inclusive, and sustainable.”
“For this new Philippine Export Development Plan, we are pursuing
Pascual, who served as the 20th president of the University of the Philippines (UP), graduated valedictorian in UST HS in 1965. He was editor in chief of Veritas, the UST High School (USTHS) yearbook; literary editor of Aquinan, its official student publication; chairman of the USTHS Cultural Society and battalion commander of the Preparatory Military Training in 1965.
She founded the Blas Ople Policy Center (BOPC) to provide direct assistance to Filipino overseas workers and commemorate his father, who served as labor minister from 1967 to 1986 under Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s regime.
Ople ran for senator in 2016 under the Nacionalista Party but failed to land a seat in the top 12.
Afterward, she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. She said her diagnosis was a consideration for not immediately accepting the DMW role.
“I just want to make sure that I would really be able to contribute, especially because this is a department that will be built from ground zero,” Ople said.
DMW is still in its infancy, established by virtue of Republic Act 11641, signed in December 2021 by former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Arroyo named him the court’s 163rd associate justice in 2009. Duterte then elevated him to the top post in 2018. His tenure lasted only 11 months, as he mandatorily retired in October 2019.
Bersamin took his oath before the president on Sept. 27.
Communication Arts graduate Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil was appointed as OIC and undersecretary of the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS), a post previously held by lawyer and vlogger Trixie Cruz-Angeles, who resigned last Oct. 4 supposedly due to health matters.
Ople has to stabilize DMW’s operations by unifying several agencies to centralize services for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
She plans to “streamline and digitalize” the processing of OFWs’ concerns by offering a “one repatriation command center hotline.”
Migrante International, an alliance of overseas Filipino workers, challenges the DMW head to abandon her support of the “Migration for Development Strategy” that, according to them, “capitalizes on ‘forced migration’ and uses the labor export program ‘to prop up the ailing economy through remittances and mandatory fees to OFWs.’”
“We reiterate our demands to Ms. Ople, or whoever will take charge of the
A chief justice, he rendered controversial decisions in the Supreme Court during his decade-long stint, voting in favor of Arroyo’s acquittal, the ouster of his would-be predecessor, Maria Lourdes Sereno, and Marcos Sr.’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
Recently, he was criticized for saying it was “irrelevant” to scrutinize
Garafil has to tackle fake news and recent attacks against journalists on top of delivering Marcos Jr.’s message to every Filipino and managing staterun PTV-4.
In a Palace briefing, she said the OPS would take the necessary measures to fight misinformation and disinformation.
“Under my watch, the OPS will actively promote transparency, accuracy and accountability as hallmarks of good governance,” the newly minted OIC said.
Garafil bared that the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), which she co-chairs, has talked to broadcasters Ed Lingao and Lourd
dormitory on Lacson Ave. worth P5,000 monthly and travels home to Pangasinan when online classes prolong. She is frustrated that the full face-to-face classes have not been implemented yet.
“Nung first year ako, gusto ko talaga ng face to face kasi nakakapagod na [ang online]. Okay naman limited face to face at first, kaso ‘yung pagiging limited ay sobrang limited. Parang ngayong nag-dodorm ako, nasasayangan ako. Next face to face ko, November pa. Anong gagawin ko sa buong October?” she said.
Ysabelle Ablen, a SWIS from the Faculty of Arts and Letters, said living separately from family is a daily struggle, especially in budgeting.
“[N]aramdaman ko kung paano mag-budget and kung ano ‘yung mga need talaga unahin sa hindi. Once kasi pala talaga na mag-isa ka na lang na magha-handle, wala kang ibang magagawa kundi mas unahin ‘yung important things kesa sa mga wants,” she said.
Blended learning for Ablen continues to be a burden because she has to spend on commuting and prepaid load.
“Sobrang sayang kasi isang sub-
ject lang ‘yong papasukan per day. For example, sa first subject, face to face, tapos second subject biglang online. Parang ang hirap kasi aside sa gastos sa transportation, need pa magpa-load para makasali sa next class,” she said.
Adding to financial woes for students are laboratory and culinary equipment needed in their fields, which could cost double digits.
Adrienne Grace Alvarez, a sophomore at the College of Tourism and Hospitality Management, struggles to produce academic-related materials due to the high prices of culinary products.
“I have spent almost P30,000 on academic-related expenses already: P15,000 for uniform costs and the other P15,000 for the ingredients that I needed. It is difficult kasi ang taas ng prices ng mga bilihin dahil nga sa inflation,” she said.
Cassandra Joyce Herrera, a sophomore from the College of Nursing, grapples with budgeting daily expenses and equipment for her hospital duties.
“Sa nursing, ang ni-require samin is stethoscope. Diba hindi naman kagandahan ang healthcare system dito? ‘Pag pumupunta kami
sa mga pinag-dudutyhan namin na hospital, walang pang-BP, thermometer, mga tissue, gauze, mga cotton buds. Kaya kami bumibili ng mga ganon,” she said.
Stubbornly high prices pushed students to be more cautious about spending their money to avoid being broke.
Bea Rose Gelindon, a junior from the Faculty of Arts and Letters, is trying her best to avoid the temptation of buying expensive food.
“Before, I can satisfy my cravings without hesitations. But now, I need to think it over if I should spend my money on a 120-peso meal or just eat my dinner at home,” she said.
Gelindon lives in Montalban, Rizal, commuting for nearly three hours to UST – a primary consideration of how she budgets her 500peso allowance.
“[W]henever I spend money on food or wants, I feel guilty kasi at the back of mind, may nagsasabing, ‘pang-pamasahe mo na lang sana yan,’ kaya mahirap talaga,” she said.
Camba has been a frequent patron of eateries around UST for
lunch and dinner. Sometimes, she resorts to canned goods to save money further. But she has nothing left for breakfast, considered the most important meal of the day.
Herrera, meanwhile, is cooking a viand suitable for a week to cope with rising prices.
“Para magtipid, bibili ako ng Linggo, lulutuin ko good for one week. Minsan umaabot ng two weeks kasi ‘di ako malakas kumain,” she said.
Students believe limited face-toface classes are “too limited,” which adds to their financial burden.
“[F]inancially speaking, I don’t prefer limited in-person classes set up. Kasi dagdag-gastos din ‘yung weekly allowance, uniform, and gamit pang-school, both supplies and other necessities para sa uniform. Imbes na maitabi ‘yung perang iyon para sa wifi and or load lang, additional burden ‘yun for others na hindi […] stable at limited lang ang source of income ng parents,” Gelindon said.
Herrera, whose college was one of the first to return to campus since the pandemic began, said enduring
half a week of online and half a week of in-person classes was unsustainable.
“Dati kasi no’ng uwian pa ako, three hours biyahe kasama na ‘yung traffic. No’ng nag-dorm naman ako, hindi sulit. Kasi three days online, three days duty. Minsan mag-oonline pa iba do’n,” she said.
“Dati, gusto ko face to face na. Wala ako matutuhan sa online. Ngayon, gusto ko na lang online. Kaya kung i-pupush nila face to face, dapat full na,” she added.
For Alvarez, the University could choose only one of the two modes of learning.
“[P]ick between the two na lang so it’s less hassle to students. Hybrid classes are a huge hassle, especially to those students living in provinces that have to travel hours to sometimes attend only one class, which is highly unacceptable,” she said.
The University has been in Enriched Virtual Mode since 2020, even as several programs transition to limited face-to-face classes. It has yet to announce whether it will implement full in-person classes for all next semester or academic year.
CHALSSEA KATE C. ECHEGOYEN AND NIÑA ANGELICA M. RODRIGUEZKasama sa mga kilalang katangian ng isang Tomasino ang compassion, isa sa tatlong Cs sa core values ng Unibersidad.
Naipamalas ito sa pagtanggap ng UST Angelicum College ng mga mag-aaral mula sa Colegio de San Lorenzo nang bigla itong magsara nitong Agosto.
Ngunit hindi ito ang unang pagkakataong nagpaabot ng saklolo ang mga Tomasino sa ibang pamantasan sa panahon ng unos.
Tumanggap ang Unibersidad noong Oktubre 1990 ng 29 na estudyante mula sa mga lugar na napinsala ng 7.7-magnitude na lindol sa Luzon noong ika-16 ng Hulyo 1990.
Kaugnay ito ng inilabas na Order no. 85 ng Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS) na pinahintulutan ang pansamantalang pag-
tanggap ng mga paaralan ng mga mag-aaral mula sa mga apektadong lugar.
Ayon kay Rodolfo N. Clavio, dating tagapangasiwa ng Registrar, mayroong walo na natanggap sa College of Commerce, anim sa College of Architecture and Fine Arts, 11 sa College of Science, at apat sa Faculty of Engineering.
Isinaalang-alang bilang salik sa pagtanggap ng mga mag-aaral ang pagkakaroon ng mga bakanteng puwesto ng bawat kolehiyo at pakultad upang matiwasay nila itong mapangasiwaan.
Bagamat pansamatala ang pagtanggap sa kanila, kinailangan nilang makamit ang akmang grado at maging aktibo sa pagganap sa mga tungkulin upang maging permanenteng mga Tomasino sa mga susunod pang semestro.
DIANA MAY B.
G.
CABALO AT MATTHEW GABRIELMARAMI sa mga katutubong wika ang nanganganib nang mawala dahil sa bumababang bilang ng mga gumagamit nito, at maaaring makatulong ang pagsasalin upang matugunan ang sitwasyon.
Batay sa Atlas ng mga Wika ng Filipinas ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) noong 2016, mayroong 40 wikang ang maaari nang mamatay, kabilang ang Manobo Kalamansig ng Sultan Kudarat, Binatak ng Palawan, at Tagabulos ng Aurora.
Dahil dito, dapat makita ang pagsasalin bilang isang sangkap sa pagpapayaman, hindi lamang ng wikang pambansa, kundi pati ng mga wikang nanganganib.
Ayon kay Wennielyn Fajilan, tagapangulo ng UST Sentro sa Salin at Araling Salin, nagsisilbing “tulay” ang pagsasalin sa pagkakaiba-iba ng kultura ng bansa.
“Pagsasalin ang tulay sa pag-unawa sa kabila ng ating multilingguwal na kultura,” wika ni Fajilan.
“Nagiging posible ang pagkilala sa katangian, pangangailangan, at kalagayan sa pagitan ng ating mga katutubong wika at ng wikang Filipino dahil sa pagsasalin.”
Dagdag niya, may malaking papel ang mga bilingguwal na katutubo sa pagtutumbas para sa preserbasyon at dokumentasyon ng mga wika at kultura upang maibahagi ito sa mga susunod na henerasyon.
“Kailangang bigyang prayoridad ang dokumentasyon ng mga kultura at wikang nanganganib dahil maraming karunungan
ang naglalaho,” giit ni Fajilan.
“Gayundin, kailangang ipasa sa mga kabataan ang mga katutubong karunungan upang matiyak ang pagpapatuloy nito.”
Para naman kay Alvin Ringgo Reyes, kawaksing dalubguro sa Departamento ng Filipino ng Unibersidad, maliban sa pagiging tagapamagitan ng pagsasalin, nakatutulong ang kodipikasyon ng mga katutubong salita sa preserbasyon ng mga nanganganib na wika.
“Nakatutulong ang pagsasalin sa pag-iingat ng mga nanganganib na wika at kultura sa kodipikasyon nito ng mga katutubong salita sa salin at sa pagsasalaysay nito ng natatanging paraan ng pamumuhay sa isang tiyak na panahon ng mga taong nagmamay-ari ng orihinal na teksto,” wika niya.
Ani Reyes, dumadating sa puntong imposible nang maitumbas ang isang salita dahil hindi na napasa ng mga ninuno ang kaalaman sa kanilang mga apo.
“Masasabi ko ring hindi lahat ng nanganganib na wika sa Pilipinas ay nagagawan ng dokumentasyon para sana magkaroon ng mga materyal na puwedeng magkodipika sa wika upang magamit sa pag-aaral ng tagaloob man o tagalabas ng pangkat,” giit niya.
‘Hindi sapat ang pagsasalin’ Sa kabila ng gampanin ng pagsasalin sa preserbasyon ng mga wika at kultura, hindi maitatanggi na marami pa ang maaaring gawin tungo sa layuning ito.
Idiniin ni Reyes na marapat na matu-
tuhan ng nakararami na hindi ibig sabihin kapag nagsalin, lumilikha na agad ng pagpapahalaga sa orihinal na wika at kultura, gaya ng saad nina Alemanyang filosofo at teologo Friedrich Schleiermacher (17681834) at Norte Amerikanong teorista ng salin Lawrence Venturi (pinanganak 1953).
“Kung iba ang layunin ng nagpapasalin o nagsasalin, baka lalo pang magdulot […] sa kasiraan ng simulaang wika at kultura,” wika niya.
“Upang talagang makapag-ambag ang pagsasalin sa proyekto ng preserbasyon, ito ang dapat maging ‘skopos’ ng pagsasalin.”
“Kailangang maging malinaw sa simula ang pagkiling sa simulaang lengguwahe at pagtatampok sa mga katangiang lingguwistiko at kultural nito upang makarating sa mga mambabasa at mapahalagahan nila,” dagdag ni Reyes.
Para naman kay Fajilan, kailangang higit na mahikayat ang mga katutubo na magpatuloy sa paglikha ng mga kaalaman.
“Hindi sapat ang pagsasalin… Isa lang ito sa mga batayang paraan, ngunit kailangang aktibong lumikha ang mga katutubo ng mga bagong kaalaman upang mapayaman nila ang kanilang kultura,” giit ni Fajilan.
“Kailangang tulungan at suportahan sila ng pamahalaan at ng lahat ng mamamayan sa pagtiyak na maipagpapatuloy nila ang paggamit ng kanilang wika at mapapahalagahan ang kanilang kultura.” MATTHEW G. GABRIEL AT DIANA MAY B. CABALO
de Veyra about the recent security threats leveled against them online. This comes as the killing of radio broadcaster Percy Lapid spook the public and tested the resolve, yet again, of journalists.
For PTV-4, which languished throughout the years, she pledged to prioritize the modernization of its facilities and regularization of employees.
Garafil first pursued journalism before shifting to communication arts, which she finished in 1992. She then took up law, graduating in 2002 and passing the bar the following year.
She served as state solicitor at the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) and prosecutor at the Department of Justice (DOJ) before heading as chairperson of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) early in the president’s tenure.
Garafil is not a stranger to leading the government’s communications arm. She was media director and public relations officer during Arroyo’s presidency.
and another Marcos occupying the presidency.
After four months of vacancy at the CHR, Marcos Jr. appointed lawyer Richard Palpal-latoc as chairman in September. The term will end in 2029.
Palpal-latoc’s appointment has been criticized.
“A slap to victims of human rights in the face,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, adding he is a “loyalist lawyer with no discernible experience in human rights work.”
While former CHR chair and activist Etta Rosales is concerned about his “lack of track record or training in human rights issues.”
The Commission was established in 1987 as a response to the atrocities committed under Martial Law.
The new CHR chair affirms that he supports recommending the government cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its investigation of Duterte’s drug war.
Marcos Jr. has aired his defiance to rejoin the ICC because he doesn’t want the tribunal to interfere with the country’s judiciary.
Palpal-latoc obtained his Philosophy degree from UST in 1995 and finished law in 2001. He hurdled the bar in 2003.
Geronimo added.
The assistant professor said that in F2F exams, teachers could better monitor the students taking the examinations and be on hand to provide clarification.
Nathaniel Melican, a journalism instructor from the Faculty of Arts and Letters, shared the same sentiments about cheating, difficulties in relaying test instructions, and other exam concerns.
“It took us forever to get through the test. A lot of students had questions, and it just needed so much troubleshooting that I really believe it would be better to do it together physically,” Melican told the Varsitarian.
Melican said exams were advantageous for students since they would be with their classmates who could provide emotional support after the tests.
“It makes so much of a difference after an exam—you’re able to unload and share sentiments with each other over food, for example. We used to do that back in college and during my master’s. Now that the world is opening up, these sorts of support groups will be much easier to maintain for students,” he said.
F2F exams with F2F classes
Given the need to hold in-person exams, Thomasians called for more F2F classes.
“I think it will be unfair on our end to have full major examinations if not all courses are requiring us to have faceto-face lectures and discussions as well,” journalism senior Kyla Barbosa told the Varsitarian.
According to pharmacy freshman Nash Sarmiento, medical technology re-
quires students to be familiar with comprehensive examinations in preparation for the board exams.
“It would be better if face-to-face examinations were dovetailed with an increase in the frequency of onsite learning and laboratory classes,” he said.
The enriched virtual mode was set as the default mode of instructionin all programs at the beginning of Academic Year 2022-2023, even as UST continued to expand limited face-to-face (F2F) classes to more programs.
Before the prelims week, several academic units returned to campus for their limited F2F classes.
The international community has its eyes on the new Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chair as an investigation looms on the deadly drug war
He practiced as a prosecutor and graft investigation officer at the Office of the Ombudsman and served as a lawyer at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
FAITH NICOLE S. GELACIO
“We will be getting Covid several times, probably every year. We will get Covid now for a few years. So, at that point, all of our bodies will just get used to getting Covid. It’s not something we’re going to be scared about.”
On Sept. 12, Marcos removed the mask mandate for open spaces, outdoor areas, and crowded spaces with good ventilation through EO No. 3.
The UST Office of the Secretary General made wearing face masks optional in non-crowded outdoor areas of the University a day after.
The Philippines recorded 20,227 active Covid-19 cases on Oct. 31.
A total of 11,995 cases were logged from Oct. 17 to 23. The average daily cases were 1,714 that week, 22 percent lower than the previous week’s average of 2,188 cases.
As of Oct. 27, over 73.5 million Filipinos have already been fully-vaccinated against Covid-19, while only about 20.5 million have received booster doses.
Returning to complete normalcy will not harm Filipinos due to the "strengthened immunity wall," Austriaco said.
However, they must still get their booster shots, especially with the new and highly transmissible Omicron variant.
Although Austriaco said the XBB variant is more transmissible and vaccine evasive, it is also Omicron's "mildest" variant.
"If you are vaccinated or got Omicron before, you can get this again… But again, it should not be a concern because even if we get it, it will be mild. If you got vac-
cinated, boosted, and sick [with Covid], your defenses are quite strong," Austriaco said.
The priest-scientist said he and his team are still developing the oral yeast vaccine for Covid-19, which can be drunk like the Japanese probiotic drink Yakult.
"We are still developing the yeast oral vaccine because it appears that we will have to get boosters every six months to every year. It appears there's going to be a new variant. So we are trying to develop a cheap, shelf-stable, yet effective vaccine that will keep our boosted numbers up. That's the hope," Austriaco said.
Austriaco will conduct a direct challenge trial next summer by vaccinating mice and exposing them to Covid-19 to gauge the oral vaccine’s effectiveness. N.G.C.
WHAT could possibly go wrong when a billionaire ex-senator, who is the patriarch of a notable political family, invests in Philippine politics just entered the country’s airwaves,?
Manny Villar-backed AMBS flagship network, ALLTV soft-launched last Sep. 13 using ABS-CBN’s former broadcast frequencies. Although nothing seems inherently wrong about giving airwaves to a new industry player, a quick look at the network’s history and leadership is enough to ruffle some feathers.
The Villars are heavily involved in politics as Manny’s spouse Cynthia and son Mark hold senatorial seats. Their vested interest in ALLTV can be weaponized against the TV network’s independence in content production. This potential conflict of interest poses dangers not just to local media but also to the country’s political landscape. With ALLTV in place, Villars has the strongest PR team in Philippine politics.
Other media companies are likewise owned by vast conglomerates, but what’s alarming about ALLTVis that it is owned by a family that has used its high political positions in government to make state policies and government programs and initiatives dovetail with its business interests. This cannot be said of the Yaps that own the Bulletin along with Manila Hotel and Philtrust, of the Rufino-Prietos that own the Inquirer, the Razons that own the Standard, of Manuel V. Pangilinan who owns the Philippine Star and Business World, Ramon Ang who owns CNN Philippines, and the Cabangons that own Business Mirror and a radio station.
Outlook FAITH NICOLE S. GELACIO
Rightly or wrongly, the Villars have come to be perceived as the new oligarchy.
Villar could invest all he wants in the entertainment media, but he must understand that a broadcast network also has the news and public affairs division whose work must be characterized by the strictest observance of press ethics and professionalism. While entertainment programming could go fully commercial, the news and public affairs by its content and job must discharge public service. And to do a good job at public service, the news and public affairs division must be given editorial autonomy so that it could practice the professional and ethical requisites of journalism.
ALLTV’s acquisition of ABS-CBN’s former frequencies poses a dangerous example to other TV networks that are not on good terms with the administration. In a Forbes interview, Luz Rimban, executive director at the Asian Center for Journalism, said that the media industry is highly-politicized. ALLTV’s history cannot be divorced from its backer, Manny Villar whose affiliation with the former president and vocal critic of ABS-CBN Rodrigo Duterte seems too obvious. Manny Villar’s second child, senator Mark Villar served as Secretary of Public Works and Highways under Duterte’s cab-
inet and run in the 2022 national elections under Duterte’s administration ticket. ALLTV’s owner Manny Villar has heavy political baggage that he attached to the network when he assumed his role especially when he took over the remains of what his ally Duterte shut down. ABS-CBN’s exit is a cautionary tale for all TV networks to not step on the toes of those in power. ALLTV now benefits from the death of a network giant.
. ALLTV is a potential propaganda machine given the Villar family’s political affairs and affiliations. In the first episode of Toni Talks, a Youtube series that found its home on local TV through Villar’s network, Toni Gonzaga interviewed president Bongbong Marcos. The interview is WAS just a 51-minute puff piece in video format for the Marcoses. The teaser video was a clickbait of Toni Gonzaga seemingly asking hard-hitting questions on Bongbong. Still, the 2022 interview was just a rerun of the 2021 pre-election interview where Marcos Jr. was given a platform to speak their “side” of the story. Recent years have seen how various media has become a channel for disinformation and misinformation. Giving airwaves to a potential propaganda machine threatens the integrity of the information that regular Filipino TV viewers consume.
TV networks are expected to uphold the highest professional and ethical standards given their influence on their viewership. media companies need leaders who have expertise in professional and ethical media practice and who value integrity in news and content-making. Villar’s all tv signals a worrisome future for Philippine media and politics.
FROM PAGE 9 ►
aspirants have been unnerved by the incident. Our parents, many of whom have frowned or even resisted at first our taking up journalism in college, have again raised concerns about our safety.
But the task of the press is to check the powers that be; it is to act as watchdog to government and ensure public transparency of its operations. There are risks in doing this, but for the press, the dangers come with the territory. As our journalism professor has told us, we should “toughen up.”
FROM PAGE 14 ►
of team veterans Sherwin Concepcion and Bryan Santos from Season 85 and the departures of Kean Baclaan, Gani Stevens and Willie Wilson.
“It was really adjustment after adjustment for Coach Bal and his coaching staff that brought us to this slow start. Also, the team is very young, so there are really some birth pains, but we hope to overcome that as soon as possible,” Cansancio said.
The Tigers, since winning their Season 85 opener, have lost four straight games. They currently stand in seventh place, only above the winless FEU Tamaraws.
were named Science and Technology writers.
Art incumbents Athea Monique Gala and Zymon Gailo will be joined by Allan Christopher Sayat (architecture) and Alias Jireh Montenegro (occupational therapy) this year.
Journalism junior Valere Jane Callorena, accountancy student Josh Nikkolai Bravo, entrepreneurship senior Matthew Vincent Vital, pharmacy sophomore Patrice Jerica
Beltran, and nutrition and dietetics student Jana Francesca Yao will comprise the Photography section.
Alexander Cardenas, a third-year journalism student, is the publication's new student assistant.
Asst. Prof. Joselito Zulueta, a UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies resident fellow and former Philippine Daily Inquirer Arts and Books editor, is the Varsitarian's publications adviser.
Felipe Salvosa II and Asst. Prof. Christian Esguerra, both former editors in chief of the Varsitarian, are the assistant publications advisers. Salvosa is the UST journalism program coordinator, while Esguerra is the host of the political talk show "Facts First."
To qualify for the Varsitarian, the staff underwent a specialized examination and panel interview.
Members of the Varsitarian Se-
lection Committee included Pulitzer Prize winner and veteran journalist Manuel "Manny" Mogato and two former Varsitarian managing editors, veteran journalist Nestor Cuartero and Levine Andro Lao of the Ecclesiastical Faculties.
Also part of the Selection Committee were Communications Bureau Director Philippe Jose Hernandez and Assistant Director Faye Abugan.
Cansancio said the Tigers would be revamped after David’s first year at the helm.
“Definitely, there will be a revamp after the season and coach Bal and his staff will have ample time to get the players that they think will fit the system he will run,” Cansancio said.
“Recruitments will definitely be aggressive and we will assess the current roster on who should be kept or who should be removed.”
UST head coach Bal David said the Growling Tigers would have a better spread offense in the second round of the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball tournament that would rely less on Nicael Cabañero’s shot creation.
Cabañero led the Tigers in minutes (30:35) and points per outing (17.71) in their first seven games, in which they only had one win.
UST’s lone win came in the Tigers’ season opener against Adamson University on Oct. 1, a game in which Cabañero scored 33 points, the highest scoring output in a single game so far this season. Outside his stellar first game, Cabañero was held to 15.16 points per game (ppg) on 33.6-percent shooting.
“I think medyo lucky against Adamson. Hindi pa kami scouted.
Noong na-scout na nila si Nic medyo na-rattle kami doon,” David said after the Tigers’ loss against University of the Philippines on Oct. 22, the team’s sixth straight.
The first-year head coach said his team struggled to adjust and spread the offense outside of Cabañero.
“Pagka nga na-check si Nic, medyo ang dami naming [adjustments], you know, hindi nag-step up sa points. Nag-a-adjust pa rin kami do’n. Adjust, after adjustments, ayaw e. Wala kaming mapiga,” David said.
The only other Tiger who averaged double-digit scoring in the first round was big man Adama Faye, who had 11.67 ppg and 9.67 rebounds per game.
Cabañero and Adama were be-
hind almost half of UST’s 60.86 first-round ppg, which is the lowest scoring average of a team in the first round.
The Tigers allowed opponents to score 74.29 ppg in their first seven games, the third-worst in the league. On average, the Tigers got outscored by 13.43 points per outing.
David said his players should be spared from blame for the team’s poor first-round performance.
“[K]ailangan pa rin namin mag-
director Fr. Rodel Cansancio, O.P. has urged fans of the Growling Tigers to be patient with the system of new head coach Bal David after alumni groups online started demanding “changes” in the management of the school’s men’s basketball program after its poor start to Season 85.
Some UST alumni groups have started calling for an overhaul of the Growling Tigers program, including giving keys to the basketball program’s management to private backers.
The fan page “Growling Tigers of UST” published a “reflection” in which it said the Tigers should “no longer be managed by a Dominican priest and an IPEA professor.”
“This should be handled by a professional manager who will bring the team to another level in two to three years and a long-term grassroots program with strong connections to the professional leagues in the Philippines and abroad,” it said.
The same statement was shared by another fan page, the “UST Growling Tigers,” with the caption: “We want change.”
In a statement sent to the Varsitarian, Cansancio said the Growling Tigers’ growing pains should not be pinned
UST Growling Tigresses point guard Eka Soriano is leading all players in the UAAP Season 85 women’s basketball Most Valuable Player (MVP) race by a wide margin.
Soriano, who averaged 16.43 points, 7.29 assists, 6.29 rebounds and 4.29 steals per game in the first round, garnered 101.143 statistical points (sp).
The second-year guard shot an efficient 41.84 percent from the field and 33.33 percent from three in the first round. She helped the Tigresses become the top three-point shooting team, with a league-best 31.76 percent clip.
Ateneo’s Kacey Dela Rosa and Jhazmin Joson trail Soriano in the MVP race with 87.8 sp and 81.429 sp, respectively.
work together, like ‘yung coaching staff, para naman ‘wag puro excuses. We have to work, but we take all the blame. We take all the blame sa coaching staff. We’ll take it. So ‘yung mga kids, please spare them,” he said.
“Gusto ko yung mga bata come second round, fresh again. So yung mga negatives, we’ll take it,” he added. BJORN B. DEL DEADE
solely on David, who took over the team three months ago.
Cansancio said the backlash David was receiving was both unfair and premature.
“He (David) only assumed the post two months prior to the start of the UAAP season and he has to work with the team that is in front of him,” he said.
“We are not making excuses, but coach Bal and his coaching staff are doing their best to expedite the adaption of his system to his current players. It is really disappointing to lose, but the team is doing its best,” Cansancio said.
David has faced several roster changes since taking on the UST coaching job, including the disqualification
UST’s leading scorer Tacky Tacatac tallied the sixth-highest sp total in the league with 73.857.
The last UAAP women’s basketball was UST’s Grace Irebu, who won the award in Seasons 81 and 82.
The Growling Tigresses ended their first-round campaign with a 6-1 record. They opened the second round with a 67-60 loss to the DLSU Lady Archers on Oct. 29.
DLSU’s Schonny Winston is the men’s basketball MVP frontrunner with 84.429 sp in the first round.
THE UST Golden Tigresses showed grit but failed to complete their comeback against the Ateneo Blue Eagles as they lost in five sets, 21-25, 25-27, 25-21, 25-22, 11-15, in their exhibition game at the University of Saint La Salle Coliseum in Bacolod on Oct. 9.
Holding a one-point lead in the fifth set, 12-11, Ateneo went on a quick 3-0 spurt capitalizing on two UST errors to win the game.
UST head coach Emilio “Kung Fu” Reyes said the team’s experience in the exhibition game, which had a huge crowd as it was held as part of Bacolod’s Masskara Festival, would help his rookies adjust to the UAAP.
“Nagpapasalamat kami sa ganitong opportunity dito sa Bacolod, kasi hindi lahat makaka-experience ng ganitong kalaki na crowd, makakatulong to sa rookies natin, sa kumpiyansa, sa experience,” he told the Varsitarian. The first set was tied at 17-all when the Blue Eagles unleashed an 8-4 run to go up in the game, 1-0.
More consistent Tigresses showed up in the second set to reach set point, 25-24, but Ateneo went on a 3-0 run to gain a convinc-
ing 2-0 set lead.
An Eya Laure down-the-line kill won the third set for UST, 25-21, to avert a sweep.
The Tigresses blasted off with an 11-6 run, capped by an Imee Hernandzez kill, to open the fourth set.
With the Tigresses at set point in the fourth, 24-22, the Blue Eagles committed an error that extended the game to a fifth set.
Errors were the Achilles heel of the Tigresses in the deciding set which they lost, 15-11.
This is the first appearance of the Tigresses in the sports festival in Bacolod, while Ateneo was one of the regulars who participated in the exhibition match, Balik Yuhum foundation organizer Bea Tan said.
The exhibition game was held for the Balik Yuhum Volleyfest 2022 event. Balik Yuhum, or the return of smiles, is the theme of this year’s Masskara Festival, which was commemorated with a grand celebration for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.
LACKING veterans, the UST Growling Tigresses found steadying force in Filipino-American guard Nikki Villasin, who only joined the team in July.
Villasin committed to UST in September 2021 but had to wait almost a year before arriving in the Philippines to join the Tigresses because of travel issues.
But despite being new to the team, Villasin showed in the first round, where she averaged 10.14 points per game (ppg) in 18 minutes per game, that she’s ready to help the Tigresses reach higher heights.
“I’m glad to contribute,” the Chicago native said. “I haven’t played my best game yet. Once I figure out how to use my body here, it’ll definitely be easier to get some shots off.”
Villasin punctuated her impressive first-round performance with 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals against the UP Lady Maroons on Oct. 22.
Villasin also said she was also still adjusting to UST’s system.
“I definitely play different than them, which is kind of my advantage-slash-disadvantage,” she said. “But [the game here] is more physical. The physicality part shocked me.”
But according to Ong, the two-and-through recruit was very coachable.
By John Ezekiel HirroThe Tigresses ended the first round with a 6-1 win-loss slate, with their only loss coming from the NU Lady Bulldogs,
have yet to be beaten since 2013.
UST head coach Haydee Ong credited the Tigresses’ stellar first-round performance to the team’s strong emotional bond they developed during the lockdowns.
“One advantage ay during the pandemic, I got to know the players more,” she told the Varsitarian. “I made sure that every day on Zoom I see the girls and we pray the rosary together. It’s very important to us, it bound us together even more during the pandemic.”
And the team’s chemistry worked wonders in the first round, where the Tigresses ranked second overall in both offense and defense.
The Tigresses scored 84.71 points per game (ppg) on 41.49-percent shooting while holding opponents to 61.0 ppg on 33.41-percent shooting in the first round.
They were the top team in threepoint shooting, converting a leaguebest 31.76 percent from three.
Ong said what her players lack in height they make up for in shooting and hustle.
“Hindi mo alam sinong puputok because everybody can score,” she said.
“And ‘yung mga rookies ko, especially ‘yung bigs ko, very coachable, so talagang maganda ‘yung samahan namin.”
The team is composed of eight firstyear players and four holdovers from Season 82.
“I think what’s special about this team is halos lahat rookie,” the coach said. “They are really really working hard together kahit hindi lang sa points, ‘yung role nila that was given to them, ‘yun ‘yung ginagawa.”
But even though her team had the second-best record through the first round, Ong said she was expecting tougher competition in the next round.
“This second war is the war that we’ve all been waiting for because all coaches will be scouting us, all coach-
es will be adjusting,” she said. “At the end of the day, ang sabi ko lang, kung sinong mas maraming bala, kung sinong always prepared, will always win the war”.
The Tigresses are led by the four-headed monster of Tacky Tacatac, Eka Soriano, Joylyn Pangilinan and Nikki Villasin.
Tacatac and Soriano were part of the Grace Irebu-led Season 82 team that fell to NU in the finals. Meanwhile, Pangilinan, a one-and-done for the Tigresses, and Villasin, a two-and-through, are recent recruits who also play big roles in UST’s leadership hierarchy.
The four combined for 54.61 ppg in the first round, higher than the scoring average of the entire University of the East team that had the league’s lowest average scoring output.
“Right now, nakikita ko sa team na ‘to, lahat kami nagtutulungan kahit maliit lang kami,” Tacatac said. “Kahit maiwan ka, confident ka na may sasalo sayo, kasi walang nangiiwan samin, kada isa samin ready na sumalo sa isa’t isa.”
Tacatac also said the Tigresses were able to gel in the first round because players were ready to accept their roles.
“I’m very happy na ginagampanan nila nang maayos yung roles nila, and yung energy na binibigay nila sa team is helpful talaga, kasi, doon nagsstart talaga ‘yung energy ng bawat isa,” she said.
Villasin, who only joined the team in July, said she immediately saw how hardworking her teammates were.
“I know we’re gonna go Final Four and we’re gonna be in the championship because everyone works too hard,” she said. “They never rest and they’re al-
ways watching basketball. You go home, you’ll hear them watching basketball. They’re always improving.”
Ong said she was confident the Tigresses could be the David to NU’s Goliath this season.
The Tigresses fell short against the NU in their first-round matchup by just three points. During the game, the Tigresses outscored the Lady Bulldogs in every quarter except the first, which NU won by 11 points.
“Very formidable team pa rin ang NU, sila pa rin ang team to beat sa women’s basketball,” Ong said. “But we could be the David to their Goliath. It boils down to our defense—our individual defense and team defense.”
UST and NU are the top two teams in both inside and perimiter scoring. The Tigresses are best in the league in perimeter scoring with 39.14 ppg (NU at No. 2 with 28.14 ppg), while the Lady Bulldogs dominate the inside with 46.57 ppg (UST at No. 2 with 36.86 ppg).
The Lady Bulldogs bolster a roster taller than UST’s, but the Tigresses edged them in offensive rebounding numbers in the first round, 135-120.
“Opposite kami e. Malalaki sila, malalakas sila sa ilalim compared sa amin. Walang beterano sa bigs namin. Much better sila sa ilalim, pero I could say na may laban kami from the outside. Ayun ‘yung bala namin talaga, yung outside shots namin,” Tacatac said.
According to Soriano, the Tigresses also have better endurance than the Lady Bulldogs.
“Kasi ako, naniniwala ako na mas lamang kami sa kanila sa hangin, sa takbuhan, sa stamina. Mas matangkad lang sila pero mas naniniwala ako sa sistema namin,” she said.
Because of their perimeter-oriented play, the Tigresses ranked dead last in free throw attempts. They only shot 13.43 free throw attempts per game in the first round, far from the Lady Bulldogs’ 24.43 attempts per game, the second-best in the league.
Ong said that in the second round, UST would be more aggressive in attacking the box, especially in transition.
“Ang sinasabi ko lagi, we may not be the best team in the league, but as coaches we should find strategies, plans for out team to succeed,” Ong said. “So that’s what we’re doing right now.”
Growling Tigresses head coach Haydee Ong said the 24-year-old guard provided a huge boost to the team in the first round, where UST went 6-1.
“‘Yung experience ni Nikki, it brings a lot to the team, especially to the young ones,” she said.
The Chicago-born recruit won numerous awards and recognitions while playing for North Park University.
In 2016, Villasin bagged first place in the Illinois High School Association Class 4A 3-point state competition. The following year, she was named Athlete of the Month by Harper College.
The 5-foot-3 guard was awarded the Most Valuable Player title by the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) of Chicago during the league’s 2018 Ladies Open Division.
Villasin also won the PBA Chicago Ladies Open Division Intercity championship five times.
Aside from the US, Villasin has also played in Wisconsin-based leagues and for Germany during the European Basketball Summer Combine in Philadelphia.
In 2020, Villasin was a member of the Gilas Pilipinas women’s basketball pool.
Villasin said October was the first “normal” month for her in the country.
“The first week I was here, I was jetlagged. The next week, I got health problems. The next week, I got Covid. Every week there was something,” she said. “This is like the first month that I’m like actually healthy.”
Villasin said adjusting to the more physical style of play in the Philippines had been difficult, especially as she joined the team less than three months before the start of UAAP Season 85.
“The game in the US is more different, it’s like it’s more of a dance,” the former figure skater said. “Here, it’s like you have to slug each other. It’s very physical and you have to work off the ball to get your shot.”
“She’s adapting and she’s very coachable so wala naman akong problema,” the coach said.
Team veteran and leading scorer Tacky Tacatac also said Villasin adds flare to the team.
“Itong si Nikki, very coachable siya kahit na galing siya ng ibang bansa,” she said. “Unti unti, nababawasan niya ‘yung mistakes niya and luckily nakikinig siya kay coach and willing siyang baguhin kung ano ‘yung nakasanayan niya. We know na mahirap baguhin ‘yung nakasanayan, pero nakikita mo na she’s willing to adjust in every game.”
Bringing the ‘Chicago mindset’ to UST
Villasin admits she’s a fierce competitor and hopes she will influence her teammates with her fiery spirit.
Villasin is also confident the Tigresses could upset the NU Lady Bulldogs to win the title.
The Tigresses almost pulled off something that’s never been done since 2013 on Oct. 9— topple the Lady Bulldogs—as they fell short against the UAAP women’s basketball behemoths by three points in their firstround matchup. NU ended the first round with a 7-0 record, riding on a 103-game winning streak.
“I’ve been on a team in my Division 3 college where we didn’t beat this one team for 15 years and then that year, my senior year, we beat them,” she said.
Part of where she gets her confidence, Villasin said, was seeing how hard-working her teammates had been.
“I don’t think anyone trains like us,” she said. “We really train our bodies, we meditate together as a team, we pray the rosary every single day together…I feel like every girl on the team takes a lot of pride in their individual defense.”
UST entered Season 85 with a depleted lineup due to injuries and eligibility concerns.
