VOLUME XCI / NO. 6 · JUNE 30, 2020 · THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS · Manila, Philippines ON SOCIAL MEDIA
facebook/varsitarian
twitter@varsitarianust
youtube/TheVarsitarianUST
instagram varsitarian.ust
BREAKING NEWS & REAL-TIME UPDATES at w w w.varsitarian.net
UST: CLASSES ON ‘ENRICHED VIRTUAL MODE’ NEXT TERM UST Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. said on-campus classes would be held only when allowed by the government, and with strict implementation of public health standards to prevent the spread of disease. “Our academic units shall release their discipline-specific policies and implementing guidelines in consideration of the distinctive context and the unique demands of our various degree programs,” the Rector said in a letter to the Thomasian community dated May 26. Ang said that under enriched virtual mode, faculty expertise would be maximized through methods such as team teaching, and industry partners and alumni would be tapped for interactions with students. UST will pursue collaborations with
foreign partners and remote encounters with community partners, he said. Ang also said there would be no tuition increase and that scholarships granted during the second term of Academic Year (AY) 2019 to 2020 would continue until December 2020. Payments may be made using “considerately staggered” schemes, the Rector said. For the special term in July, remote learning and teaching using online synchronous and asynchronous strategies will be used. Ang said the University was proceeding with these modes of instruction to promote “dialogue and ensure accessibility and flexibility
ART BY JURY SALAYA AND JAN KRISTOPHER ESGUERRA
THE UNIVERSITY announced a shift to “enriched virtual mode” in Term 1 of the next academic year, with faculty members using online and offline strategies to teach remotely amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Enriched virtual... PAGE 9
FILIPINO p.3
Tomasino, hinirang na Makata ng Taon sa Talaang Ginto 2020 ng KWF
OPINION p.4
LENSPEAK p.6-7
Terrorist Anti-Terror law—Duterte’s declaration of martial law
Hope and solitude found in the time of pandemic
THE DUTERTE Congress railroaded the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Bill so that it was only a matter of time for the douchebag from Davao residing by the filthy waters of the Pasig to sign into law the institutionalization of state terrorism against the people.
The Varsitarian’s photographers documented different situations of hope and solitude amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
CSC president tells CHEd: ‘Online classes became more of compliance than learning’ CENTRAL Student Council (CSC) President Robert Dominic Gonzales raised concerns of students and faculty on virtual learning in an online forum with the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) last May 22.
CSC President Robert Dominic Gonzales. (PHOTO BY GENIELYN ROSARIO M. SORIANO/THE VARSITARIAN)
Gonzales emphasized the importance of ensuring quality education while considering the welfare of the community. But online classes, he said, became more of a “compliance issue rather than a learning matter.” This was aside from the unavailability of resources for online education, which may also be not conducive to learning, he said. Gonzales presented multiple recommendations solicited from the student body, emphasizing that students are “major stakeholders of the University.” He proposed minimizing the number of requirements and assessments given to students while ensuring that the intended learning outcomes are still achieved, as well as continuous dialogues and consultations between students and faculty. Gonzales pointed out that faculty
members also had a difficult time adjusting to online learning, and proposed training and workshops for “a smoother conduct of online classes.” He suggested uploading prerecorded lectures for students unable to attend online classes. For asynchronous or self-paced online classes, all needed materials should be made available to students, he said. Gonzales said the pandemic was “very anti-poor and further marginalizes those who are underprivileged.” “[I]f we are shifting to this ‘new normal,’ institutions need to polish everything that needs to be polished,” he said. Gonzales also raised the need to adjust school fees under online learning schemes. Online classes... PAGE 2
Dr. Arlene Lansangan, Dr. Carmina Fuentebella, and Charade Mercado Grande (PHOTOS GRABBED FROM THEIR FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS)
Three Thomasians tell their
COVID-19 STORIES AMONG THE THOUSANDS of confirmed Covid-19 patients in the Philippines, three Thomasians survived and lived to tell their stories. Dr. Arlene Lansangan, a 2013 medical technology and 2017 medicine graduate, tested positive for Covid-19 after being exposed to an infected patient. “Everything changed in a matter of two weeks, from being
able to do rounds in the hospital, doing surgeries and operations to being in a state of complete isolation,” Lansangan said in an interview with the Varsitarian. Online classes... PAGE 8
2
NEWS
The Varsitarian JUNE 30, 2020
NEWS COORDINATOR: AHMED KHAN H. CAYONGCAT
Hospital welcomes back patients after workforce setback in March
UST Hospital management calls for understanding after shortage of PPEs BY LAURD MENHARD B. SALEN
THE PRIVATE division of UST Hospital on Leon Ma. Guerrero Drive. (FILE PHOTO)
UST HOSPITAL began accepting patients anew in early June, more than two months after hundreds of workers were quarantined by the coronavirus. The hospital said it was “ready to take care” of patients again in a Facebook post last June 7. “USTH remains committed to ensuring the health and safety of all patients and their relatives/ companions. The hallways, corridors, business offices, pharmacy, and all clinical units’ reception areas are SAFE zones,” it said. It urged clients to wear face masks, observe physical distancing and wash their hands regularly. UST Hospital was forced in late March to regulate admissions and postpone elective procedures at selected units due to a reduced workforce and increased patient admissions. In a statement on March 22, the UST Hospital management said a total of 530 hospital staff including consultants, fellows, residents, nurses, and aides were quarantined due to exposure to patients
“[UST Hospital] remains committed to ensuring the health and safety of all patients and their relatives/ companions. Tha hallways, corridors, business offices, parhmacy and all clinical units’ reception areas are SAFE zones,” —UST Hospital management JUNE 7 STATEMENT
with, or suspected to have, Covid-19. “To address the issues brought about by the depleted workforce, we have consolidated several wards in the Private and Clinical Division, temporarily held elective admissions and had to temporarily stop elective procedures in selected units,” the March statement read.
The Clinical Division Medical Ward was designated as the Covid Unit for patients classified as Covid-positive, or patients under investigation. The hospital also said it faced a shortage of personal protective equipment. LAURD MENHARD B. SALEN
UST HOSPITAL STATEMENT April 7, 2020
the hospital. Donated PPEs are just recorded and accounted for, and released to the staff in the individual units for use. We continue to thank all individuals and organizations who donated food and equipment for the healthcare staff and who neverendingly show support for our workers. This pandemic situation must be viewed by people with kindness especially to those who are working dedicatedly to serve the CoViD patients. It will be kindness by not attacking every single action just to survive the situation. The least that one
can do for this pandemic situation, is to view kindly the circumstances that every hospital is in. We request for everyone’s understanding as we continue to battle this CoVid pandemic. On a positive note, today, April 7, 2020, we have discharged our 12th CoVid positive patient clinically well, a 75 year old patient with chronic lung disease and cardiac comorbidity and a protracted course of CoVid disease with recurrent severe bacterial pneumonia, eventually treated and fully recovered with 2 negative swab tests. This is a major victory for the institution in our battle against
Online classes... FROM PAGE 1
THE CIRCULATING POSTS on social media about “misallocation of personal protective equipment (PPE)” are unfounded, unfair, and uncalled for during this crisis. At one point, the hospital had to resort to raincoats as third layer PPE when it ran out of stocks of recommended PPEs and hazmat suits. With the global shortage of PPEs at that time, and the hospital awaiting for its ordered PPEs to arrive, this was a contingency measure to be able to continue to serve the admitted CoVid patients. Some of the donated PPEs were actually raincoats and these were acceptable alternatives during exigencies in the absence of the ideal PPEs. This strategy was also done even in other hospitals in order to protect the frontliners. The hospital will never risk the safety of its frontline staff. As the PPEs became available, the hospital was able to provide the healthcare workers the standard PPE requirement. With the continued rise in the number of CoVid related cases admitted everyday, an average of 300-400 PPEs are consumed each day. There is no truth to misallocation of equipment. All donated equipment are logged in and properly accounted for, and released to the units needing them. There is no truth to the allegation that donated PPEs are charged to the patients. We only charge for the PPEs that were purchased by
UST HOSPITAL appealed for understanding from its front-line health workers in April following a global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) against the coronavirus. The hospital made the appeal after photos of some nurses wearing raincoats spread on social media in April. There were also complaints that some PPEs went to frontliners in nonCovid-19 areas. “The circulating posts on social media about ‘misallocation of personal protective equipment (PPE)’ are unfounded, unfair, and uncalled for during this crisis,” UST Hospital said in a statement on April 7. “At one point, the hospital had to resort to raincoats as a third layer PPE when it ran out of stocks of recommended PPEs and hazmat suits. With the global shortage of PPEs at that time, and the hospital awaiting for its ordered PPEs to arrive, this was a contingency measure to be able to continue to serve the admitted CoVid patients,” it explained. One of the posts was made by a nurse who said she was worried over the use of improvised PPEs. “Do I feel protected on this PPE? Of course not totally. Pero I need to continue my duty to serve kahit ganito lang prinoprovide samin. Hindi lang saming nurses and nurse aides, kahit sa mga residents. It can be better, it could have been ideal. But at least meron kaysa sa wala,” the nurse said in her Facebook post. Following the viral posts, hospital workers were told not to upload photos taken from anywhere in the hospital without management approval, a source said. A UST Hospital nurse told the Varsitarian that they later received proper PPEs through a donation drive. In its statement, the hospital also called for prayers for frontliners and expressed its gratitude to individuals and organizations have who donated food and equipment.
the pandemic. We thank the Lord for continuing to give us strength amidst all the challenges we face. We thank the doctors, residents and fellows, nurses, aides, support staff, and janitors who serve our patients. As we look forward to a different Easter, we continue to pray for our healthcare workers, our frontliners and their family and loved ones home, our patients currently afflicted with this disease, and for the institution. We also mourn and pray for the souls of the patients and other colleagues from other institutions who lost the fight to this dreaded scourge.
Last month, the CSC appealed to the UST administration to end the term amid the pandemic. On April 20, the UST Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. said online classes would continue. UST allowed faculty members to use online means other than the Cloud Campus, and reduced to three the number of graded assessments including the final exam. Under the University’s continuity policies, no student was to be given a failing grade while those with low grades or incomplete requirements would get “In Progress” or IN P, which may be completed until December. Faculty members will hold audit classes for free for students who want to catch up on lessons. UST also said unpaid fees may be settled in installments until the end of the year. Academic Year 2019-2020 officially ended on May 30. LAURD MENHARD B. SALEN
FILIPINO
The Varsitarian JUNE 30, 2020
PATNUGOT: JOSELLE CZARINA S. DE LA CRUZ
3
Tomasino, hinirang na Makata ng Taon sa Talaang Ginto 2020 ng KWF NI CAITLIN DAYNE A. CONTRERAS AT BEA ANGELINE P. DOMINGO
NAKAMIT ng isang Tomasino ang unang gantimpala sa Talaang Ginto: Makata ng Taon mula sa Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) noong ika-11 ng Mayo, para sa akda tungkol sa karanasan sa araw-araw na pagluwas sa Maynila. Ayon kay Karl Orit, hindi inspirasyon kung hindi “desperasyon” ang nagtulak sa kaniya para maisulat ang tula. “Lahat ng ginamit kong imahen ay danas ko at ng laksa-laksang komyuter na sumusuong sa hirap ng biyahe—init, inis, at inip sa trapik at pila, siksikan at rambulan sa tren at bus makasakay lang, pagod at lumbay sa pag-uwi,” wika ni Orit sa isang panayam sa Varsitarian. Dagdag pa niya, nakita niya bilang isang pagkakataon ang patimpalak para makapagsulat muli dahil wala siyang naisulat na kahit anong akda noong nakaraang taon. Malaki ang papel ng social media para sa mga nais maging makata ngunit kailangan sipating mabuti kung ano ang intensiyon ng isang naghahangad maging makata, wika ni Orit. “[L]agi kong sinusubukang sipatin din kung ano ba talaga ang hangarin ng isang nagmamakata sa social media—para sa clout, sa malikhaing pamamahayag ng saloobin, sa pagpukaw o paggising ng mga gustong pag-ukolan, o sa kung
Mga kautusan ukol sa paglaban sa Covid-19, isinalin sa Filipino ISINALIN ng UST Sentro sa Salin at Araling Salin ang ilang kautusan ng gobyerno, kabilang na ang “emergency powers” ng Pangulong Duterte kaugnay sa coronavirus disease (Covid-19), upang lubusang maintindihan ng mga mamamayan. “Sa gitna ng hamon sa pagtugon sa Covid-19, pangunahing wika ngayon ang mga wika ng medisina at batas. Kailangang malinaw na nauunawaan ng karaniwang mamamayan ang mga impormasyong medikal at legal para maging epektibo ang pagbabayanihan natin,” wika ni Wennielyn Fajilan, tagapag-ugnay ng Sentro, sa Varsitarian. Dagdag pa ni Fajilan, masasabing katuwang ng mga frontliners sa pagharap sa malupit na krisis ang mga tagasalin dahil susi sa bawat pagtugon ang malinaw, tuwiran at makabuluhang wika gaya ng pambansang wika at wikang katutubo. Ilan sa mga isinalin ng Sentro ay ang mga kasulatan na isinangguni ni Rachel Minion-Bañares, abogado at bokal sa Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Romblon. Kabilang din sa isinalin ang enhanced community quarantine guidelines ng lokal na pamahalaan ng Famy sa Laguna bilang pagtugon sa hiling ng konsehal na si Wilfredo Valois, propesor sa Departamento ng Literatura sa UST. Naatasan din sila ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino na magsalin ng impormasyon tungkol sa Covid-19 para sa Kagawaran ng Kalusugan. Nagsalin naman si Fajilan ng mga impormasyon para sa Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, na tumatanggap ng mga pasyente at gumagawa ng mga tests. Nakatakdang isalin ng Sentro ang gabay tungo sa wastong nutrisyon bilang panlaban sa Covid-19 na inihanda ng Department of Nutrition and Dietetics ng Unibersidad. CAITLIN DAYNE A. CONTRERAS
ano mang sariling interes?” wika niya. Binigyang-diin din ni Orit ang kahalagahan ng pagbibigay-pansin sa pag-aaral ng tula sa eskuwelahan para pagyamanin ang panulaang Filipino. “Ang kariktan ng isang tula ay nanggagaling sa kakayahan nitong tumindig sa sarili nitong teksto at konteksto, at labas na ang makatang sumulat ng piyesa,” wika niya. “Kailangang maturuan din at mabigyan ng panibagong tingin sa tula ang mga guro, nang hindi na lang tungkol sa mensahe o aral ang hinahanap sa isang tula (o kahit sa kuwento),” dagdag pa niya. Nagtapos si Orit ng kursong communication arts sa Unibersidad noong 2009. Siya ang pinuno ng Cavite Young Writers Association at ugnayangpangmadla ng Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo para sa taong 2019-2021. Nagwagi rin ang kalupunan ng kaniyang mga tula na pinamagatang “Para kay P” ng unang gantimpala sa Maningning Miclat Poetry Competition noong 2017.
Karl ‘Kid’ Orit, Makata ng Taon 2020. Nagtapos si Orit ng Communication Arts sa Unibersidad noong 2009. (LARAWAN MULA KAY RALPH FONTE AT ‘ANG SABI NILA’)
Tanggol Wika: ‘Tuluyan nang nilulusaw ang Filipino sa iba’t ibang unibersidad’
NAGKAROON ng pagpupulong ang grupong Tanggol Wika kaugnay sa kalagayan ng Filipino at Panitikan sa bansa noong ika-7 ng Marso sa De La Salle University. (KUHA NI CAMILLE ABIEL H. TORRES/ THE VARSITARIAN) NI CAITLIN DAYNE A. CONTRERAS AT BEA ANGELINE P. DOMINGO
PATULOY na isinusulong ng Tanggol Wika ang pagpapanatili ng asignaturang Filipino sa kolehiyo dahil ayon sa grupo, may mga unibersidad na tuluyan nang tinanggal ang asignatura o departamento. Ayon kay Prop. Roberto Ampil, dating tagapangulo ng Departamento ng Filipino sa UST at miyembro ng Tanggol Wika, sa ibang unibersidad, puwersahang pinagre-resign ang mga guro at pinagtuturo sa asignaturang hindi nila ispesyalisado. “May mga unibersidad na talagang ang departamento ay dati hiwalay sa Ingles ay ngayo’y pinag-isa, at marami ring Filipino na guro na mula kolehiyo ay ibinaba sa senior high school,” wika ni Ampil sa isang panayam sa Varsitarian. Naghain ang grupo ng electronic Freedom of Information request para mahingi ang kumpletong datos ng Commission on Higher Education kaugnay
sa mga guro sa Filipino at Panitikan. Ipakikita ito ng grupo sa Committee on Higher and Technical Education sa Kongreso sa pagdinig para sa House Bill 223, na naglalayon na gawin “mandatory units” ang Filipino at Panitikan sa kolehiyo. Iginiit ni David San Juan, convenor ng grupo, mahalagang maisulong ang pagsasabatas ng pagpapanatili ng Filipino at Panitikan sa kolehiyo para sa kinabukasan ng mga mag-aaral na Filipino. “[M]ahalaga magiging gampanin ng Filipinisasyon ng kurikulum natin, sa pagtitiyak na ‘yong ating mga estudyante ay magiging mga profession-
als na may kakayahan na makipag-usap sa kapuwa Filipino… at ‘yong mga sinasaliksik ay may kabuluhan din sa buhay ng mga Filipino,” wika ni San Juan sa Varsitarian. Ayon naman kay Jonathan Geronimo, guro ng Filipino sa Unibersidad, mahalaga ang suportang maibibigay ng mga tao para sa kanilang ipinaglalaban. “[I]to ‘yong magsisilbing daan nila tungo sa isang inklusibo at demokratikong lipunan. Matitiyak lamang na ang lahat ng boses sa lahat ng sektor ng ating lipunan ay maririnig gamit ang wikang ito,” wika ni Geronimo. Nagkaroon ng pagpupulong ang grupong Tanggol Wika kaugnay sa kalagayan ng Filipino at Panitikan sa bansa noong ika-7 ng Marso sa De La Salle University.
4
OPINION The Varsitarian JUNE 30, 2020
Contra Coro
540
EUGENE DOMINIC V. ABOY, O.P.
FAITH YUEN WEI N. RAGASA
True Colors
Budget cuts and sudden announcements: A student-athlete’s point of view ATHLETES BRING HONOR and pride to the University’s name in every victory they bag. Most members of the Thomasian community do not realize, however, that an athlete’s fight does not end in the arena or playing field. It continues in their daily lives as some compete to remain in UST. The medals and trophies we take home not only represent a debt of gratitude we owe to the University. They are also tokens of assurance. Good performance in a competition means another chance to remain a Thomasian. Imagine the fear and anxiety that dawned on us when the Covid-19 crisis took its toll on sports events and left us without a chance to perform and win. Often, people do not see that to most student-athletes, no games literally mean no future. It was heavy feeling. I was in front of my laptop writing a final paper on May 17, a usual day in quarantine, when a chat message from a friend made me realize that our worst fears were becoming a reality. My heart thumped louder when I read his question: “Nagtatangal na din ba sa inyo?” “Nagtatangal?” I replied. My friend explained how the University, like everyone else in this global crisis, could be facing problems and that scholarships were starting to be cut. I learned that it had been weeks since players lost their scholarships despite an earlier promise from the administration to the contrary. I witnessed players watching fellow athletes face the dilemma as they attended follow-up meetings with their respective teams, waiting to see if their names would be stripped from the upcoming semester’s list of scholars. Veteran teammates who were assured of scholarships looked out for those in trouble, like family members worrying for their relatives’ safety. I realized that I could speak up on behalf of athletes whose futures depended on scholarships and our coaches who had to go through the difficulty of choosing who would be sacrificed. It took days of waiting as the anxiety caused by the pandemic merged with the stress brought by the possibility that we might not have the chance to continue our education as Tigers and Tigresses. I felt the varsity community tremble. Despite that looming cloud above us, I saw my co-athletes persevere. No one outside our community knew of the internal crisis we were facing, but everyone kept silent and continued doing their part in their own homes through virtual training. I saw how the pandemic was not enough to stop the athletes from training for UST. Even when it felt like they were being shunned, they pushed harder. After a few weeks, the Institute of Physical Education and Athletics released the announcement everyone was waiting for on their social media platforms. The post was a reassurance that all scholarships would be extended until the end of the upcoming semester. The relief it brought to the community was instant. The closest friends I had from the athlete community celebrated and breathed prayers of thanks. In the following team meetings, we 540... PAGE 5
EDITORIAL
Terrorist Anti-Terror law— Duterte’s declaration of martial law THE DUTERTE Congress railroaded the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Bill so that it was only a matter of time for the douchebag from Davao residing by the filthy waters of the Pasig to sign into law the institutionalization of state terrorism against the people. Vaguely worded and loosely defining terrorism as to encompass just about any act or speech of dissent and disagreement toward an onion-skinned government intolerant of criticism and easily pricked, as evidenced during the lockdown when police enforcers manhandled and even opened fire at violators or when Duterte fumed at critics complaining about his incompetence and arbitrariness, the new law will surely be a further millstone around the neck of the nation. It is true that terrorism is a serious problem and that it should be checked and eradicated. According to the Database of Worldwide Terrorism Incidents, the Philippines has incurred at least 593 attacks of varying forms from 1969 to 2010. In a span of seven years, Islamic extremists alone have killed over 400 Filipinos, injuring a thousand more. However, it is also a fact that the bill once enacted could be weaponized and turned against the people it is
meant to protect. And make no mistake: in a dictatorial regime like that of Duterte that has successfully labeled, incarcerated and silenced his most vocal critics, that thought is not far from becoming a reality. The vagueness of the bill should be a cause for concern for every Filipino who cares for democracy and liberty in the country. It gives a shadowy Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) the authority to arrest people and groups which it designates as “terrorists” without warrant and detain them without charge for up to 24 days. In addition, it also has the power to access private information through wiretapping calls, intercepting emails and text-messages and intruding into private communication. One could be incarcerated for 12 years for “inciting” to terrorism, whatever that means. With a president who has the habit of branding randomly his enemies as criminals and insurgents through his bizarre matrixes and self-serving red-tagging, we already have an idea where the bill is headed. To be sure, although the bill states that “terrorism shall not include advocacy, protest, dissent, stoppage of work,
It now appears that the real slogan for the “enhanced community quarantine” is not “We heal as one,” but rather, “We heel as one.”
Editorial PAGE 9
FOUNDED JANUARY 16, 1928
EUGENE DOMINIC V. ABOY, O.P. KATRINA ISABEL C. GONZALES
Editor in Chief Associate Editor
NEIL JOSHUA N. SERVALLOS Online Coordinator AHMED KHAN H. CAYONGCAT News Coordinator KLYRA V. ORBIEN Acting Special Reports Editor FAITH YUEN WEI N. RAGASA Sports Editor JISELLE ANNE C. CASUCIAN Features and Circle Editor JOSELLE CZARINA S. DE LA CRUZ Filipino and Witness Editor MARY JAZMIN D. TABUENA Chief Photographer JURY P. SALAYA Art Director
FELIPE F. SALVOSA II Assistant Publications Adviser
JOSELITO B. ZULUETA Publications Adviser
NEWS Charm Ryanne C. Magpali, Laurd Menhard B. Salen, Camille Abiel H. Torres SPORTS Malic U. Cotongan, Rommel Bong R. Fuertes Jr., Jasmin Roselle M. Monton SPECIAL REPORTS Joenner Paulo L. Enriquez, O.P., Camille M. Marcelo, Nuel Angelo D. Sabate FEATURES Ma. Jasmine Trisha L. Nepomuceno LITERARY Leigh Anne E. Dispo, Sofia Bernice F. Navarro FILIPINO Caitlin Dayne A. Contreras, Bea Angeline P. Domingo WITNESS Ma. Alena O. Castillo, Joenner Paulo L. Enriquez, O.P., Mariel Celine L. Serquiña SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Miguel Louis M. Galang, Jade Veronique V. Yap CIRCLE Nolene Beatrice H. Crucillo, Neil Paolo S. Gonzales ART Karl Joshua L. Aron, Mariane Jane A. Cadiz, Alisa Joy T. del Mundo, Jan Kristopher T. Esguerra, Gwyneth Fiona N. Luga, Catherine Paulene A. Umali, Rae Isobel N. Tyapon, Sophia R. Lozada PHOTOGRAPHY Nadine Anne M. Deang, Jean Gilbert T. Go, Renzelle Shayne V. Picar, Bianca Jolene S. Redondo, Camille Abiel H. Torres, Marvin John F. Uy, Arianne Maye D.G. Viri EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jessica C. Asprer
THE ATROCIOUS murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers spurred protests worldwide and has reignited the Black Lives Movement (BLM) in the West. While some denounced the incident through peaceful means, others have resorted to violent protests and destruction of private property, increasing tensions amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Unsurprisingly, one of the favorite targets of these protesters have been religious figures. On June 20, the statue of St. Junipero Serra, ironically a human rights activist for the Native Americans, was torn down and vandalized by activists. Similar instances have followed since, from religious icons being defaced to clergy and lay faithful getting mugged during prayer vigils. These incidents are exacerbated by speeches made by the likes of BLM leader Shaun King who said that all white European statues and stained-glass windows “should also come down.” It’s funny that Mr. King, who champions himself as a civil-rights activist, seems to be oblivious of the fact that the rights and privileges which he is enjoying came from the very institution that he regards as a “form of white supremacy.” He fails to realize that the concept of inherent freedom and the inviolable dignity of the human person primarily finds its roots in a Judeo-Christian worldview propagated by what he has labeled as “privileged white supremacist,” and which he so readily seeks to eradicate. Not disregarding the fact that the Church has its own share of injustices and misdeeds throughout its history, it cannot be denied that it has also contributed by and large to the modern conviction that “all people are created equal.” For one, the Franciscan friar St. Junipero Serra who Mr. King approved of destroying “made heroic sacrifices to protect the indigenous people of California from their Spanish conquerors” by walking to Mexico and back, with an injured leg, to obtain special faculties from the Viceroy of Spain just to discipline the military who were committing unimaginable cruelty to the natives. Before any institution articulated the universality of human rights, the Spanish Dominican missionaries Antonio de Montesinos and Bartolome de las Casas already advocated for the protection of the indigenous race in the New World, even if this meant going against the colonial powers during their time. De las Casas, who is considered one of the pioneers of the concept of universal human rights and human dignity, recounted Montesinos’ words to the colonizers: “Aren’t they human beings? Have they no rational soul? Aren’t you obliged to love them as you love yourselves?” It is easy for us who are reaping the fruits of our ancestors’ work to be suspicious and even resentful of what they have handed down to us. Seeing the state of our world in disarray, our first instinct is to curse and blame the old institutions who weren’t able to do anything in order to fix the problems that we are now forced to resolve. Problems of inequality and injustice still arise, and it may be true that these have been perpetuated by the system either by incompetence or sheer malevolence. It must be emphasized here, however, that majority of BLM advocates are sincere in their pursuits and acknowledge the fact that peaceful protest, and not violence, is the correct response to Contra Coro... PAGE 5
OPINION
The Varsitarian JUNE 30, 2020
5
How feasible are online classes? Students and professors sound off WEAK internet connectivity, psychological factors, and emotional stress posed challenges to online classes held in the latter half of Term 2 as UST pulled all the stops to continue operations despite the pandemic, students and faculty members said. Architecture professor Jonathan Manalad said that although online classes were feasible, students and course facilitators were not “psychologically ready” for them. “Both sides were so used to traditional, faceto-face mode of classes,” he told the Varsitarian in an online interview. The pandemic affected the attitude of students, he said, adding that “the overall setting the students are in right now is simply not conducive.” he said. Manalad recommended that classes be asynchronous or self-paced, as some students have intermittent internet connections. Jeffrey Cercado of the Institute of Religion said nothing could replace the teacher in the learning process, especially in a face-to-face system. “Our present education infrastructure and systems are built for face-to-face instruction and
540... FROM PAGE 4 were reassured that our scholarships were indeed extended. However, we cannot deny that UST is affected by the pandemic and our fates after this upcoming semester will have to be decided anew. Our coaches still hinted at the possibility of budget cuts and limited scholarships, depending on how this pandemic plays out. If the worst-case scenario does play out, the administration should be prepared, knowing that removing scholarships during a crisis could impact the University in the long run. Besides the scholars who might opt to stop due to financial difficulties, players with potential might transfer to rival institutions. This could place the University’s sports program in peril. Its winning record is at stake. Coaches who served as second parents to some athletes would, once again, go through the struggle of letting members of their team, their second family, go. I urge the administration to reconsider the situation and to reach out to anyone who could help. A solution that delays the inevitable is not a solution at all. I urge the decision-makers to be even more compassionate to the plight of student-athletes, exhibit competence in finding the best solution, and keep their commitment to the University’s mission to educate well-rounded Christians.
Contra Coro... FROM PAGE 4 injustice. To them, I say, more power. But let us beware of the true colors of those who employ such movements as guise to further their malicious schemes and simply inflict violence on any opposition they deem as the enemy. As history again and again proves, activism without knowledge of the facts ultimately leads to a pile of rubble and body-bags. A movement that has utter disregard for reality and shameful indifference to the most basic stage of human life even in the womb is an empty slogan. Before we start toppling down monuments and demolishing age-old establishments, let’s pause for a while and see whether or not our actions are only replacing the terrors that we seek to supplant. Before heading to the streets, do your homework.
online classes are not meant to replace the kind of pedagogical instructional system that we have invested in for years,” he told the Varsitarian in an online interview. He noted that a number of “multi-faceted” approaches and methods were being proposed to cater to different students’ skills, interests, capabilities, potentials, and preferences, such as “hybrid learning” and “blended learning.” These new approaches to learning are not meant to replace the teacher but only aim to “accelerate efficiency in the learning dynamics,” he argued. “The ‘self-paced’ methodology by the university is an apparent “compromise” between the delivery of the institutional objectives in line with CHEd (Commission on Higher Education) guidelines and the present pandemic in the hope that the most essential of these can be carried out by the students themselves,” he added.
Students’ response Hannah Bisnar, a chemistry sophomore, said poor internet connection in the provinces posed a challenge for her in joining in online classes. “[D]uring an online exam I was not able to finish on time since it took a long time for the next question to load or sometimes the choices did not appear,” she said in an interview with the Varsitarian. Political science student Luis Dominic Zamora found it difficult to handle online learning as well. “I’m always comfortable with the face-to-face method and the sudden shift brought burden rather than learning for me,” he said in an online interview. “[With] these experiences, I am not learning anything even if there are educational tools given by our professors, because the idea of online class is more on meeting the pending requirements before the lockdown, instead of learning,” he added. Medical technology student Jefson Felix found online learning to be “demotivating,” claiming things were done for compliance’s sake.
“I still manage to finish all the requirements given but there comes a point that might lead me to burnout because they piles up day by day,” Felix told the Varsitarian in an online interview. He said online learning is not efficient in his field of study because it only caters to the dimension of theoretical learning. Worse, there is only partial understanding of the topics discussed, he said. “In this case, skill-based or practical learning, as represented by our lab classes, are constrained and what we need in here is a face-to-face guidance since practical learning is only achieved by day-to-day hands-on experiences,” he explained. On March 20, the University announced the implementation of “self-paced” instruction via UST Cloud Campus, after an appeal from student leaders to suspend online classes. In April, online classes resumed in UST after it became clear the strict lockdowns would be prolonged. UST set the end of Term 2 on May 30. MIGUEL LOUIS M. GALANG AND JADE VERONIQUE V. YAP
Duque makes me ashamed to be a Thomasian Social Idiopathy AHMED KHAN H. CAYONGCAT
“Duque thinks we are stupid not to notice his blunders and word play. His latest laughable remark was about the Philippines not being late in procuring personal protective equipment, because other countries simply acted earlier.”
WHILE ALUMNI of the UST Faculty of Medicine battle Covid-19 at the frontline, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, an alumnus, is giving his medical school a bad name by clinging to his post. Five months into the pandemic and Duque has yet to produce a concrete plan to stem the continued rise of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases. The Senate resolution co-authored by 14 senators on April 16, which called for Duque’s resignation, put it very well when it stated that his “failure of leadership, negligence, lack of foresight, and inefficiency in performance” led to “poor planning, delayed response, lack of transparency, and misguided and flip-flopping policies and measures.” If this is how he embodies UST’s core values of “commitment, competence, and compassion,” then any Thomasian would blush in shame. Clamor for his resignation went louder after the
Alliance of Health Workers and other government officials demanded his removal. While frontliners are risking their lives, Duque seems to be more worried about money—still focusing on budget cuts, delaying aid and equipment for health workers, and ignoring labor issues—rather than supporting our frontliners. It’s appalling that these problems were even present before the pandemic. Duque thinks we are stupid not to notice his blunders and word play. His latest laughable remark was about the Philippines not being late in procuring personal protective equipment, because other countries simply acted earlier. Earlier, he falsely claimed the Philippines was entering a second wave of Covid-19 cases despite still being on the first one. And who could forget the time when he boasted that we were a “model country” in terms of pandemic response?
With these blunders, it seems that his default response is to throw his people under the bus. On June 5, he blamed his subordinates over the delayed payment of financial benefits to the family of healthcare workers who died in the line of duty. In February, he was quick to blame airline agencies and some operating units of the Department of health (DOH) for the delay in contact-tracing of fellow passengers of the first few Covid-19 cases. But his biggest sin is his DOH’s failure to do large-scale testing. In April, they promised to reach a daily testing rate of 8,000 but fell short at less than 5,000 tests per day. They then ambitiously targeted 30,000 daily tests by the end of May. They still fell short at a daily average of 9,500 tests. Duque now joins Mocha Uson in the ranks of Thomasians who have put UST to shame. It’s time he resigned.
You can’t stop the beat Dead Air JURY P. SALAYA
“The LGBTQIA++ being a driving force of progress in humanity has a long way to go as far as their fight is concerned. But they will persevere, because pride is a protest.”
THE BRUTE force of the Manila police could never stop the LGBTQIA+ community from voicing out their cry for equality and fight against adversities. Rather, it amplified the rage felt by the community, which has experienced a great deal of hate and discrimination from a society that fails to understand the complexity of human sexuality. The LGBTQIA+ community celebrates “Pride Month” during the month of June and marches in protest every June 27, as a way for the community to be visibly strong, loud and queer. The Annual Metro Manila Pride March started in 1996 when activist groups and queer activists decided to come out to the broader Philippine society and take a stand against discrimination. On June 26 2020, the Manila police arrested 20 protesters at an LGBTQIA+ pride event in Mendiola, the historic venue of student protests. There was no
clear or sensible explanation from the Manila police why they arrested the non-violent protesters. The “Pride 20” were charged under the Public Assembly Act (1985) and the Law on Reporting of Communicable Diseases (2019), even though human rights advocates made it clear that such laws do not forbid protests and the “Pride 20” followed government health protocols of social distancing and wearing of masks. In an opinion article, Ryan Thoreson of Human Rights Watch wrote: “Cracking down protests is an affront to the very notion of pride.” I agree. The very essence “pride” is to finally stop injustices from happening and for our LGBTQIA+ brothers and sisters to have the basic right to peaceful protest under the law. The University of Santo Tomas Central Student Council released a statement standing with the
LGBTQIA+ in their fight for justice and inclusivity, stating that “It is now more than ever, that we need compassion for humanity.” In addition, mutual respect and engaging in healthy dialogue on concepts of sexuality is the way we can accept the complexity of our very nature as humans in a heteronormative society. Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, as quoted by Business Mirror columnist Charlize Legaspi, said: “Learning is always a two-way process. We listen as we understand each other’s points of view. Let me just make a stand that our friends and family in the LGBTQIA+ community have the right to take up space in our society.” The LGBTQIA++ being a driving force of progress in humanity has a long way to go as far as their fight is concerned. But they will persevere, because pride is a protest.
6
LENSPEAK The Varsitarian JUNE 30, 2020
CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER: MARY JAZMIN D. TABUENA
LENSPEAK
The Varsitarian JUNE 30, 2020
7
8
FEATURES The Varsitarian JUNE 30, 2020
EDITOR: JISELLE ANNE C. CASUCIAN
JAVIER AND RAMIREZ: Thomasian field generals in the war vs. Covid-19
BY NOLENE BEATRICE H. CRUCILLO AND MA. JASMINE TRISHA NEPOMUCENO
THE COVID-19 response has been likened to a war against an “invisible enemy” – a highly contagious and deadly disease. If doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers are the front liners, then hospital directors are the field generals, strategizing and managing resources to win the battle against the coronavirus.
DR. MARCELLUS FRANCIS RAMIREZ (PHOTO GRABBED FROM HIS
Two Thomasians at the helm of major hospitals, Makati Medical Center and UST Hospital, are facing considerable odds amid depleted staff, a surge of patients, the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), and lack of space. But Dr. Saturnino Javier (Medicine, 1984), medical director of Makati Medical Center and Dr. Marcellus Francis Ramirez (Medicine, 1996), the UST Hospital chief, are optimistic that they will pull through with the efforts of their medical and support staff and donations and expressions of support from the public. Javier, a cardiologist who finished biochemistry in UST in 1980 while editor in chief of the Varsitarian, the University’s official student publication, was cheered by social media for his condemnation of Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, who violated hospital protocol when he accompanied his pregnant wife for a scheduled delivery despite being a suspected Covid-19 case. Ramirez, also a cardiologist, meanwhile had to deal with some hostility in social media and rumblings within the UST Hospital workforce, but is buoyed
by an outpouring of support in the form of food, PPEs, and even cards for patients, “from all walks of life.” The Varsitarian reached out to Javier and Ramirez for their thoughts on the Covid-19 pandemic, and to ask how they are managing their respective teams and coping with the challenges of a global health emergency. Here are their answers to our questions: Varsitarian: How do you manage the hospital during the pandemic? Dr. Saturnino Javier, medical director, Makati Medical Center: In general, we follow our own protocol so we try not to hold any face-to-face meetings. We hold teleconferencing using all available platforms, such as Viber or Zoom. We communicate with all the vital units from time to time regarding what protocols we need to implement. This started way back January 2020, overlapping with the Taal Volcano eruption. From that time, we implemented the protocol that we have for pandemic response. Many years ago, we had pandemic response protocols … [but] this
is a different infection, it’s more infectious, highly contagious, so we even had to streamline and come up with stricter protocols to make sure that we are able to contain the spread of infection. In a general perspective, that was how we tried to respond to this corona outbreak. In terms of manpower, we make sure that we have the available frontliners from the medical, nursing and corporate standpoints. Dr. Marcellus Francis Ramirez, medical director, UST Hospital: These are extraordinary and unprecedented times requiring extraordinary measures. In the first week alone, we encountered an avalanche of cases. The situation [became more] complicated, with a significant number of our healthcare staff exposed and mandated to be quarantined. At the same time, many hospital staff were not able to report for work when the enhanced community quarantine was ordered by the government. But the whole management team of the hospital was fully on-board during
DR. SATURNINO JAVIER (PHOTO FROM SOFIA JAVIER)
Javier and Ramirez PAGE 10
TWITTER ACCOUNT)
Three Thomasians... FROM PAGE 1 She is stable with no symptoms and is fit to go back to work. Lansangan said video and text messages of support from her family and friends gave her strength, knowing that something good was waiting for her outside. The UST Hospital surgery resident said that while the Philippine healthcare system was unprepared for a pandemic, it did not mean defeat. “The perfect healthcare system does not exist. It’s a learning process, and the healthcare system should evolve day by day,” Lansangan said. Another resident of UST Hospital, Dr. Carmina Fuentebella, celebrated her 27th birthday by announcing her recovery from the virus on a Facebook post last April 24. “It felt like a dead end, but through everyone’s efforts and prayers I’m finally on my way to full recovery. I may be down, but rest assured that I will come back and once again battle at the frontlines—stronger and maybe a little bit more careful than before,” Fuentebella’s post read. Fuentebella prayed for the safety of all her fellow frontliners as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc. “We still have a long way to go, but I hope we can all stay healthy as we try to defeat this virus,” she said. 2003 Tourism alumna and former College of Tourism and Hospitality Management faculty member Charade Grande, an assistant secretary under the Health Regulations Team of the Department of Health, has also fully recovered and is back to work helping with the operations to fight Covid-19, albeit remotely. From what started as an itch on her throat, Grande said her symptoms appeared and gradually worsened to chills and fevers. “Alam mo iyong takot ko na ‘hindi, kaya ko ‘to, lalabanan ko ‘to’, actually nakakapanlumo siya pero kasi at that time, wala kang choice kung hindi lumaban,” Grande told the Varsitarian. Grande said the courage of the frontliners who tended to her during treatment encouraged her to fight against the disease. “I really had to be strong kasi every time na papasok iyong mga nurses and iyong doctors, parang walang saysay kapag pumapasok sila nang they’re being exposed tapos hindi ka lumalaban,” Grande said. MA. JASMINE TRISHA NEPOMUCENO
UST infectious diseases expert goes viral with daily updates on Covid-19 pandemic A THOMASIAN doctor became viral after a blog post titled “Pandemonium” drew public attention for data-driven but easy-to-grasp analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. Benjamin Co, an alumnus of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, said he wanted to lay down facts to help clear confusion over the highly contagious disease. “I started it because I wanted some of my followers to know about Covid-19 and how it would impact on the world in general as a pandemonium,” Co told the Varsitarian. “I did not realize that the title ‘pandemonium’ is what it is now.” Co’s blog provides a daily rundown of Covid-19 cases in the country to inform the public about the pandemic. It has been picked up by mainstream news sites like ANCX. On June 5, Co brought some good news to his readers, writing that at the global level, the Covid-19 recovery rate had gone up. “The global statistics has officially crossed the 6.5M mark. With recoveries crossing the 3M mark. Of the more than 6.5M cases, more than half (3,657,527) cases have already had an outcome. 89% have recovered while 11% died. Only 45.6% (3,062,788) of the cases remain active,” he wrote. “These are good numbers because they indicate that while the number of cases continue to increase (mainly driven by more
DR. BENJAMIN CO (PHOTO GRABBED FROM DR. CO’S FACEBOOK ACCOUNT) testing), majority of them already had an outcome and the fatality rate is generally lower now. With the revision on the criteria for recoveries now being implemented in several countries, the global recovery rates have dramatically gone up,” he added. Co told the Varsitarian that explaining with clarity something that is difficult to understand — without having to sound alarmist — is a good way to communicate with people.
“Once they understand what is happening and what the data tells us, they will rely on you for information,” he said. Aside from his medical practice, Co is a researcher and has served as editor for various journals and textbooks. He has authored 45 original research papers published locally and internationally. “I am honored that [people] follow me for Thomasian... PAGE 9
LITERARY The Varsitarian JUNE 30, 2020
Jumpstart students’ interest in Philippine literature, teachers urged A resident fellow of the UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies (CCWLS) urged teachers to introduce texts that can easily be understood to jumpstart students’ interest in Philippine literature. Paul Castillo said most students could not understand the use of language and could not relate to the text. “Bigyan ng maikling babasahin na maaring nasa isang bersyon na mauunawaan nila (students) at mula doon, maari nating i-connect,” Castillo said in a Facebook online seminar last April 23. (Offer short readings that may be in a version which [students] will understand, and from there, we will be able to connect.) Castillo said part of a teacher’s duty is to give “text breaks,” or texts different from what a student usually reads. “Kaisa ng mambabasa ang manunulat, ang manlilikha ng panitikan, [kaya ang] bisyon ng awtor
(SCREENSHOT FROM VIBAL PUBLISHING HOUSE'S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE)
ay bisyon din natin,” he said. (The reader is one with the writer, the creator of literature, [that’s why] the vision of the author is also our vision.) ‘Pen pandemic stories’ CCWLS fellow Jose Mojica said that more than reading and sharing fiction, people should also try writing their own, especially about the pandemic. Mojica said this could help people understand their situation.
“Not all of us are are able to write,” he said. “But by absorbing these fictional works, we get to have [a] piece [of their] mind in a world that feels like we are losing sense.” Castillo’s session, titled “Bakit Mahalaga pa ring Basahin ang Panitikang Filipino?” and Mojica’s “The Relevance of Fiction in the Time of Pandemic” were part of a Facebook online seminar series organized by Vibal Publishing House in celebration of World Book Day last April 23. SOFIA BERNICE F. NAVARRO
Artlets dean calls for cooperative learning in post-lockdown classes COOPERATIVE learning for language or other lessons may be needed in support of online classes amid the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a Thomasian English language studies expert. Prof. Marilu Madrunio, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, said the “new normal” due to the Covid-19 outbreak would greatly affect educational institutions, forcing more innovative technology and teaching approaches. “[Cooperative learning] encourage[s] reliance by a member on another, so that success may be achieved as students become accountable or responsible for each other’s learnings,” Madrunio wrote in her note titled “Post-Lockdown Language Classes: Quo Vadis?” published by The Antoninus Journal
DEAN MARILU MADRUNIO (PHOTO GRABBED FROM UST GRADUATE SCHOOL OFFICIAL WEBSITE)
of the UST Graduate School on May 4. “As an educational approach, it is not only germane to language classes but to many other disciplines as well. Its goal is to transform classroom activities not only into
academic learning experiences but also to social experiences. Many favor this pedagogy as students become highly motivated to do their assigned tasks through critical and creative thinking while enhancing their social relationships with the group members,” she said. The most common and popular cooperative learning activity is the “jigsaw,” which allows each member of a group tasked to do research work to study an aspect of the material and share it with other members. “Only when all sections are properly put together will their research make sense,” she said. At a time when physical distancing is a must, incorporating cooperative learning can create benefits for the learners, Madrunio said.. LEIGH ANNE DARLENE E. DISPO
9
Editorial... FROM PAGE 4 advocacy, protest, dissent, stoppage of work, industrial or mass action, and other similar exercises of civil and political rights,” it in no way guarantees that people who are critical of the government, would not be suspected of destabilizing or “terrorizing” government, especially since Duterte has always shown his aversion to any criticism of his abusive rule and his propensity to tag any opinion contrary to his as “destabilizing.” In fact, the bill indicates further that the designated persons need not even perform the act of terrorism but merely need to show an intent that is to be determined by the ATC, a super-terrorist body if there was one. Let us have no illusions about it. This bill when enacted would be prone to abuse and arbitrary application that run against the Bill of Rights enshrined in the Constitution. What do all of these mean? The Anti-Terror bill is nothing but a legal fig leaf for the Duterte government’s campaign of terror against the people. Especially since the government came into power in 2016, it has been one free fall for human rights in the Philippines. In fact, on the same day that the House of Representatives railroaded the passage of the terror bill, the United Nations Human Rights Office released a country report noting “serious human rights violations,” including killings, arbitrary detentions, and “vilification of dissent.” The report said that since the Duterte government launched its campaign against illegal drugs in 2016, at least 8,663 people had been killed. And it is not as if the Duterte government with all the intelligence funds at its command has been competent and effective in checking terrorism. In 2017, despite repeated U.S. warnings of activities by Islamic State (IS) elements in Mindanao, Marawi was laid siege and taken over by IS-led Maute militants. The entire Mindanao was put under martial law until Dec. 31, 2019. That’s two and a half years of martial law shouldered by taxpayers. Despite martial law and after, the rehabilitation of Marawi has hardly gotten off the ground. Last February, the special Senate committee on Marawi rehabilitation chaired by Sen. Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa
was still holding a public hearing in Iligan City: MindaNews reported that the meeting started an hour late and lasted two hours, with “39 minutes” spent on introductions of the VIP’s present (Duterte senators Francis Tolentino, Imee Marcos, Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, Miguel Zubiri, and of course, “The [Lilliputian] Rock” himself). The meeting ended on a messianic note: the “ultimate solution” is Duterte’s. (“Wala tayong solusyon kundi ‘yung imprimatur galing sa President para matapos na ito,” declared The [Lilliputian] Rock.) Of course since the hearing ended on a messianic note, it means no salvation would be coming. Marawi remains in ruins. It could be said its rehabilitation has been on permanent lockdown. Meanwhile a US Department of State cable report has warned that the delays in the rehabilitation of Marawi is fueling recruitment of the IS in Mindanao. “Public anger at the Philippine government’s extended delays in providing for the reconstruction of Marawi has allowed extremist elements to regain a foothold in the city,” according to the quarterly report of the lead inspector general for the US Operation Pacific Eagle-Philippines (OPE-P) also last February. “The cable assessed that there is a public perception that politically well-connected government contractors are enriching themselves at the expense of Marawi residents, and this has reinforced extremist anti-government narratives and contributed to terrorist recruitment,” the OPE-P report added. After ruining Marawi and making a further mess of it through martial law, it appears that the Duterte government through its terrorist Anti-Terror initiative wants to put the entire country under martial law. It is now evident that the lockdown, the most restrictive in the world but also the most ineffective, has been merely a dress rehearsal for consolidating Duterte’s despotism. It now appears that the real slogan for the “enhanced community quarantine” is not “We heal as one,” but rather, “We heel as one.” The ECQ has been one obedience school for Filipinos to benefit the Mad Pavlov drooling by the Pasig.
Thomasian... FROM PAGE 8 the analysis I provide regarding the current Covid-19 pandemic,” Co said. “Perhaps it’s because they understand what the [data] means.” After gaining his bachelor’s degree in mathematics, Co pursued his medical studies in the University. He studied
in the United States in 1990 through a scholarship grant from the UST Medical Alumni Association. Co was also a campus journalist. He was part of the Varsitarian editorial board in 1983. CAITLIN DAYNE A. CONTRERAS
Enriched virtual... FROM PAGE 1 in learning” and adapt to the “new normal” amid the pandemic. The first term of AY 2020 to 2021 is set to start on Aug. 13, 2020 and end on Dec. 18, 2020. The Commission in Higher Education (CHEd) ordered colleges and universities to adopt flexible learning next academic year. CHEd defined flexible learning in draft guidelines as the “design and delivery of programs, courses, and learning interventions that address learners’ unique needs in terms of place, pace, process, and products of learning.” “It involves the use of digital and non-digital technology, and covers both face-to-face/in-person learning and out-of-classroom learning modes of delivery or a combination of modes of delivery. It ensures the continuity of inclusive and accessible education when the use of traditional modes of teaching is not feasible, as in the
occurrence of national emergencies,” it explained. Trial period UST implemented online strategies after it announced on April 8 that it would continue online classes until the end of the second term of AY 2019-2020 as a precautionary measure against the outbreak of coronavirus disease. In an advisory, the Office of the Secretary General scheduled online classes for graduating students on April 20 to May 16. Online classes for undergraduate students meanwhile were set on April 20 until May 23. Final exams for graduating students were from May 18 to May 23 while final exams for undergraduate students were set on May 25 to 30. “Due to the uncertainty of the quarantine period and the health risks of resuming classes while still at the height of the pandemic, the University decided to undertake the most practical
step to still facilitate student learning amidst all the challenges that may come our way,” the advisory read. Undergraduate students were to receive a final numerical grade ranging from 1.0 to 3.0, while the applicable passing grade range were used for students in the graduate level. A grade of INP or in progress was given to students at risk of failing or unable to submit one or more of the requirements within the term. Graduating students with INP were deemed not be eligible for graduation. All non-curricular in-campus and off-campus activities were suspended until the end of the term while curricular off-campus activities were replaced with alternative activities online. Administrative and academic officials continued to observe workfrom-home arrangements. Work in the University will resume only when quarantine regulations
allow, the advisory said. Last day in school On March 9, the University suspended classes following the order of Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso to suspend classes at all levels in both public and private schools from March 9 to 15, as a preventive measure against the spread of Covid-19. President Rodrigo Duterte announced on March 13 the suspension of classes in Metro Manila until April 12, after code red sub-level 2 was raised to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the Philippines. Duterte placed Metro Manila under “community quarantine.” The University suspended online classes from March 13 to 14 “to allow Thomasians to attend to personal and family concerns.” The President announced the month-long class suspension in a press conference addressing the nation on
the Covid-19 outbreak, after a meeting with the Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID). In the resolution passed by IATFEID dated March 12, 2020, classes in all levels were suspended until April 12, 2020, “provided that all students shall continue to fulfill their educational requirements during the said period, and all concerned local government units shall be responsible for implementing measures to ensure that students remain in their homes during the period.” On March 11, the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic or a “worldwide spread of a new disease,” after recording more than 118,000 cases of the virus in 114 countries around the world. AHMED KHAN CAYONGCAT, CHARM RYANNE C. MAGPALI AND LAURD MENHARD B. SALEN
10
COMICS The Varsitarian JUNE 30, 2020
ART DIRECTOR: JURY P. SALAYA
DISASSOCIATING RAYA GWYNETH FIONA N. LUGA
NIGHTMARE ON BANYO RAE ISOBEL N. TYAPON
TRES CATHERINE PAULINE A. UMALI
Javier and Ramirez... FROM PAGE 8 these times. Guideline-directed medical care was continued for the patients who were affected and who were admitted. Following protocol set by our Infection Prevention and Control Committee, patients were admitted in the designated isolation unit that was prepared as early as January. V: Do you still go home? How far is your home? Do you have adequate transportation services to go to work and back home? Javier: The ones who can go home, they go home. Anyway, they are not prevented from movement because they have hospital IDs. The others who cannot go home because they’re geographically too far away from the hospital, we have found some ways to provide accommodation. Some are from generous sponsors who provided some accommodations. The others, we have to source out. We have to rent some places for our hospital workers who cannot go home. Ramirez: Fortunately, most of the management team reside in Quezon City and Makati and we have transportation to go to work. Most of us drive. One member however resides in Bulacan and was not able to report for a couple of days during the early part of the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine). For some of the hospital staff, transportation was a major problem and some could not report for work, especially those residing in Bulacan, Valenzuela and other areas. The hospital provided rooms to stay for the staff. The Dominican fathers also offered the Domus Mariae dormitory […], in which some staff stayed in. V: How do you feel being one of the frontliners? Javier: Of course [I] was scared at the start because going through what our colleagues in China, South Korea, Italy are going through, I was afraid not only for myself but for the entire healthcare community, which means the doctors, the nurses. However, the fear is tempered by faith, tempered by trust among the
healthcare personnel that somehow we are empowered to do what we need to do by way of our previous experiences. We are empowered by the knowledge we have gathered from the other healthcare communities in Asia and in Europe, and then we are empowered by own faith in each other. Ramirez: While it is easy to say that we are proud to be doing our duty and serve our patients in battling this pandemic, in reality, there is always a feeling of uncertainty and fear in each frontliner. Each minute, each second that one is in the emergency room or in the Covid unit attending to a patient, it is normal to be afraid that you might get the infection, that you might spread the infection to your family members and loved ones when you go home. But if we follow the proper protocol mandated by our Infection Prevention and Control Committee, and wear the proper protective equipment, and follow the necessary steps, then we need not be fearful. But we are definitely thankful for the outpouring of love and support by other people and organizations to the frontliners and to the institution. V: What struggles does your hospital face amid the Covid-19 pandemic? Javier: The struggles [of the hospital] are on the dwindling workforce, because some of them have to be quarantined when they have exposure to the [Covid-19] section, so frontliners from both ends, from the medical and nursing side. If we have doctors exposed to infections, we have to quarantine them, and that means a 14-day quarantine. It’s the same for nurses. Given the fact that you want to protect your “bench” of responders, we try to maximize our contingency teams by enforcing skeletal workforces. That means only those who need to be on duty are in the hospital. We try not to expose those who do not have to be in the hospital. We also mandated social distancing among healthcare personnel to prevent and contain the spread of infection. Ramirez: As we enter our fifth week
UST mourns
into this battle, we have come across a lot of realizations – that we can achieve so much with teamwork, cooperation, coordination, willpower and a lot of grit. Our first week was characterized by mayhem, with a lot of unexpected events, cases piling up in an unprecedented manner, coming from within the hospital and from outside. Chaotic, but we managed. On our second week, we were able to restore a little order after facilitation of discharge of our stable non-Covid patients (although this caused a huge economic loss for our institution with many long-standing patients discharged on promissory notes), allowed for disinfection of the wards, and limitation of services to selected elective cases, all while encountering a continuous rise of admitted Covid-related cases coming from all varieties – young and old, healthy and with co-morbidities, pregnant patients, dialysis patients, cancer patients, physicians, trainees, nurses and healthcare workers. During this time, we bore the brunt [of the] depletion of our workforce with the home quarantine of a significant number of our hospital staff, and a number of our healthcare workers getting admitted as PUIs (persons under investigation) or Covid patients. But in the midst of these were trickles of hope and good news with the discharge of a total of nine (9) Covid patients who have recovered since we started this ordeal. This included a previously intubated patient with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, went into respiratory failure, but recovered and was discharged well and improved. This success story is published on our Facebook page. Through everyone’s efforts and commitment, the team pulled through. On our third and fourth week, more challenges came forth as we slowly started gradual resumption of elective procedures in selected units, highlighted by the fake news and libelous post that threatened to tarnish the reputation of the institution. In spite of these, we continue to be heartened by the outpouring of support and donations coming from all walks of life – food and meals that sustain us, supplies
and equipment that keep us protected, and words of encouragement that inspire us. V: What advice can you give to the public amid this pandemic? Javier: They have to follow the advice of the healthcare personnel, follow the directives of the Department of Health, follow the law regarding enhanced community quarantine, and follow the law in terms of social distancing. [We have to observe] hand hygiene, [guidelines] regarding isolation, all hygiene precautions. These are important measures for us. So when the government says stay home, do not mingle, do not go into partying, do not go into social events. These are measures that can really help, not only the individuals, but also the community. Ramirez: Cooperate with authorities. Stay at home and pray. Don’t post fake news. Verify news and posts first before reposting. If capable, contribute to being part of the solution by donating or creating useful improvised personal protective equipment, or by simply sending well wishes to our patients and to our frontliners. V: What support or help do you need from the public and government institutions? Javier: The support that we ask are usually related to supplies of protective equipment – coveralls, masks, face shields, caps. We can barely catch up with the requirement and demand of our own medical community. The other thing that I think is important from the government is to identify centers where we can refer our patients to, if and when our capacity is full. So they have to really be proactive in determining which of the healthcare facilities in Metropolitan Manila will be able to handle overflow. Ramirez: We badly need personal protective equipment. We need established Covid referral centers and hospitals where we can transfer our patients. Our Covid unit is currently beyond its full capacity.
FROM PAGE 11
and Mady Tabora flicked into his mind like a flash of lightning. Alas, the shot rimmed out. Another follow up came but to no avail. Relieved, Coach del Rosario was certain it was Ascue and Tabora who blocked the shots for them, Talking about angels in the hardcourt.” Influence After UST, Del Rosario guided the Philippine team to the gold medal in the 2003 Southeast Asian Games. Among those he inspired was Tim Cone, arguably the greatest PBA coach of all time and to whom he served as an assistant on the bench. “He was such an influence early in my coaching career, teaching me about humility and compassion. He touched so many lives through his journey. He will be terribly missed,” Cone tweeted. Del Rosario served as an assistant coach for PBA teams Alaska Aces and Talk ‘N Text Phone Pals and was commissioner of the NCAA from 2009 to 2011. He resumed his collegiate coaching stint with the University of Perpetual Help Altas from 2012 to 2015. As a player, Del Rosario won a UAAP championship while playing for the Glowing Goldies in 1964. ROMMEL BONG R. FUERTES JR. WITH REPORTS FROM MALIC U. COTONGAN.
WITH REPORTS FROM AHMED KHAN
Stories from the
CAYONGCAT
Varsitarian Archives.
SPORTS
11
The Varsitarian JUNE 30, 2020
EDITOR: FAITH YUEN WEI N. RAGASA
UST says student-athlete scholarships to continue until December The Institute of Physical Education and Athletics (IPEA) released a statement quoting UST Rector Fr. Richard Ang O.P.’s earlier announcement that scholarships granted during the second semester of Academic Year (AY) 20192020 would be valid until the first term of the incoming AY 2020-2021, which ends in December. “Therefore, there will be no athletes released from the scholarship grants given during the previous semester,” the IPEA statement read. Broken Promise The IPEA statement came a day after the Varsitarian reported that at least 30 student-athletes were told they would lose their scholarships. The publication had repeatedly tried to get IPEA’s side for the story, but did not get a response. At least 30 UST athletes have been informed that their scholarships will
be discontinued in the next term as the university grapples with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Other student-athletes were sent to training pools, which would still qualify then for a 50-percent tuition discount, the Varsitarian was told in separate interviews. “Wala pang formal letter na binibigay sa amin pero sinabihan na kami na hindi na kami scholars. Nagbawas na sa amin, halos lahat ng Team B wala na,” a student-athlete said. Fr. Richard Ang O.P., UST’s rector, earlier announced that scholarships granted during the second semester of the academic year 2019-2020 would continue until December this year. A reliable source said coaches had been talking with team members to explain the removal of scholarships. The student-athletes interviewed by the Varsitarian belong to six different teams.
Only the Santo Tomas Academic Scholarship and San Martin de Porres Equity Scholarship will be offered in A.Y. 2020-2021, according to the Office for Admissions website. The Santo Domingo de Guzman scholarship, the grant given to student-athletes and those who excel in music and arts, will not be offered. The San Lorenzo Ruiz scholarship which offers tuition grants in exchange for assistantship hours will not be available as well. Dominican-run Colegio de San Juan de Letran earlier announced that it would only provide scholarships for 372 students next term, disqualifying those in Team B rosters, due to financial losses. Letran would also limit its athletics operations and withdraw from nine NCAA events. The UAAP has yet to announce whether Season 82 would still resume and when the new one would begin.
(FILE PHOTO)
THE UNIVERSITY on June 3 assured student-athletes that their scholarships would continue until December.
MALIC U. COTONGAN
UST mourns death of Coach Aric, who led Tigers to UAAP immortality JANUARIO “Aric” del Rosario wiped his tears as he rode on the shoulders of supporters shortly after the UST Growling Tigers completed a 14-0 sweep on their way to the UAAP basketball championship in 1993. After more than two decades, the Tigers bagged Philippine collegiate basketball’s most prestigious title, thanks to a mighty crew led by the likes of Dennis Espino and Bal David, and a coach who never stopped believing. Del Rosario, who passed away at age 80 last March 25, went on to lead UST to a rare four consecutive UAAP titles in the 90s. “(He) accomplished what his past nine predecessors failed to do, to steer Thomasians to the top position in the country’s collegiate basketball scene,” according to an article at the Varsitarian Sports in 1993. Thus explains why he is sorely missed by the UST community where he also made his mark outside the basketball court. “Aric was not selfish (or) selfindulgent. He would not get jealous even if you were the one in the spotlight,” UST judo coach Alberto “Jojo” Arce told the Varsitarian. “Most of his athletes called him ‘Tatay Aric’ because they learned a lot from him.” Revisiting the Golden Era September 20, 1993, Tigermania “Not even Spielberg could have broken the brisk ticket sales at the Big Dome last September 18 that featured the ultimate battle of two cage titans in the 56th staging of the UAAP, when the smoke cleared, the Tigers had a date with history. The Pontifical volcano erupted after a 29-year deep slumber with a mighty bang via a devastating 14-0 sweep of the collegiate hardcourt
war ending Santo Tomas University’s decades-long quest for the most coveted UAAP diadem. Rudolf Belmonte’s triple with less than three minutes remaining sealed the victory that sent the mammoth UST crowd in pandemonium. With barely ten seconds left into the ballgame, champagne rained in the sidecourts that signaled the Tigers’ mighty acquisition of the crown they had long starved for. The famous triple made Aric Del Rosario clench his fist . Without uttering a word, neither making a facial expression , the Community knew that coach Aric had sensed victory. Ringside spectators saw the coach whispering something to himself as if he was praying during the fading second. He spoke at last, and he spoke so loud, even louder than the vociferous cries of the crowd. The game spoke for Aric. It took him 29 years to take the crown back. He has conquered the wars at last.”
(PHOTO BY ARIANNE MAYE D.G. VIRI/ THE VARSITARIAN)
UST volleyball stars’ jerseys auctioned in Covid-19 fundraiser PHOTO OF COACH ARIC DEL ROSARIO HOLDING THE UAAP BASKETBALL TROPHY IN 1995, GRABBED FROM THE UAAP CLASSICS FACEBOOK PAGE
Legacy cemented October 14, 1994, To Second Victory “The University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigers essayed the escape artist’s role in the winner-takeall game three of the 57th UAAP basketball tourney en route to a 77-76 squeaker over the De La Salle Green Archers at the Cuneta Astrodome last October 8 to retain the country’s premiere collegiate crown. As the precious seconds ticked away, Archer Mark Clemence Telan threw a hurried running jumper
in the left flank. The ball bounced right to the hands of an air-borne Lago who followed up at point-blank range. The jumper was as clear as a guided project tile. Coach Del Rosario could do nothing but utter a desperation prayer. He knew that nobody in the Astrodome could ever extend help to the Tigers during that crucial moment. And then thoughts about his late assistant coached Boy Ascue UST mourns... PAGE 10
FIVE GOLDEN Tigresses, led by Eya Laure, auctioned off their jerseys to help raise funds for the purchase of personal protective equipment for Covid-19 frontliners. Joining Laure in the online fundraiser were Janna Torres, Maji Mangulabnan, Imee Hernandez, and Junior Golden Tigress Bernadette Pepito. The “Every Little Thing Counts” project started on March 29 and accepted bids until April 3. The bids started at P5,000. “This is an opportunity to help our frontliners. Kahit maliit na bagay, donating our jerseys, at least alam natin na makatutulong tayo sakanila,” Pepito told the Varsitarian. Ateneo alumnus Miguel de Guzman and former Lady Eagle Julia Morado initiated the project. On another fundraiser, Eya Laure and Tigresses Alumna Sisi Rondina
sent their helping hands to the Covid-19 frontliners by giving their jerseys in “Raffles for Heroes.” The event was organized by the Volleyball Community Gives Back to raise funds through a raffle of volleyball memorabilia from numerous athletes. Former UST athlete Rondina believes that they would be able to serve the frontliners back even in this little way. Rondina also offered a date with herself to the bidder who got her jersey. “Ito lang din ang way para makatulong [kaya] kahit ganito lang maitulong namin kasi malawak ang mundo ng sports,” she told the Varsitarian in an online interview. One raffle ticket cost 300 pesos and all profits would go to the frontliners. MALIC U. COTONGAN AND JASMIN ROSELLE M. MONTON
INSIDE
Sports
UST says student-athlete scholarships to continue until December PAGE 11 UST mourns death of Coach Aric who led Tigers to UAAP immortality PAGE 11
The Varsitarian JUNE 30, 2020
UST CLAIMS 44TH UAAP GENERAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE UAAP OFFICIALS announced in a press briefing on June 16 that UST will claim the Season 82 general championship title, bagging the title for the fourth straight year, the university’s 44th overall.
match-ups. The Male and Lady Shuttlers failed for a podium finish, crashing to fifth place in the badminton tournaments. After a four-year finals drought, the Growling Tigers bagged a silver with Renzo Subido’s historical threepoint clutch, before succumbing to the defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles. The Growling Tigresses ended their campaign in the second place, bowing to the National University Lady Bulldogs in the women’s basketball tournaments.
UST led the race for general championship of the truncated season with 209 points with a 5-5-3 goldsilver-bronze tally from 10 sporting events. De La Salle University hauled a 1-5-6 medal tally for 181 points while Ateneo de Manila University followed with a 4-3-3 slate for 162 points. Recount The Tiger Sands claimed back-to-back championships in the men’s division while the women’s team made history with their fourth straight title in the beach volleyball events to start the season. The UST Fencers settled for fourth place this year while the University of the East strengthened their reign for the championship title. The Golden Judokas bagged a rare four-peat championship title while, after five consecutive years of gold, the Lady Judokas failed to secure their crown with a silver finish. The UST Poomsae Jins was experienced their first out-of-podium finish and settled for fourth place. In the taekwondo events, the men’s team capped their season campaign with a bronze while the women’s team notched silver. The Tiger and Lady Paddlers both successfully defended their crowns in the table tennis tournament this year. The Male Tigersharks finished their campaign at third place while the female team landed fourth in the overall swimming events. The UST Woodpushers, who were last season’s fifth placer, advanced to podium finishes with the men’s and women’s team clinching silver and bronze, respectively, in the chess
Abrupt Halt Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, UAAP cancelled the remaining sporting events which included football, athletics, baseball, softball, lawn tennis, and the much-awaited second semester center-piece sport volleyball. The Golden Tigresses’ campaign ended earlier than expected with one win and one loss, losing their chance to bring back a podium-finish season. In men’s play, the Tiger Spikers finished two games with losses. The Golden Booters’ football event was suspended after an opening victory against the National University Bulldogs. “‘Yung several postponements na nangyari sa amin sa UAAP track and field ay hindi dapat nangyari kung hindi pinagbigyan yung several requests for convenience ng ibang teams,” Athletics team head coach Manny Calipes told the Varsitarian in an online interview. Despite an interrupted season, Calipes said that the athletes keep their strength and conditioning for the next season. “One good thing with our team is staying united despite the lockdown. We have a daily response rate of a 100% and I call them our prayer warriors. This way we are able to monitor their progress and being well-disciplined athletes, they do innovative training on their own.” The UAAP awards 15 points for gold, 12 for silver, and 10 for bronze. ART BY SOPHIA LOZADA
JASMIN ROSELLE M. MONTON
FOR THE LATEST COVERAGE ON THE UAAP, FOLLOW @VSPORTSUST ON TWITTER OR VISIT www.varsitarian.net/sports
UST Lady Jins bag medals in first national online tourney THOMASIAN Lady Jins snagged four individual medals in the first online National Taekwondo Poomsae Championships 2020 last May 31. From seven UST players who participated, Lady Jins Nicole Labayne, Stella Nicole Yape, Jocelyn Ninobla, and Aidaine Krishia Laxa gathered medal finishes in their respective categories. Labayne and Yape captured silver and bronze medals in the junior female category, respectively. Labayne tallied 7.917 points while Yape scored 7.75.
ART BY MARIANE JAYNE CADIZ
In the senior female category, Ninobla gained another gold medal with a 8.333 performance while Laxa garnered 8.150 for silver. The video performances of the participants for the online tilt may be viewed at the Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) social media platforms. ROMMEL BONG R. FUERTES JR.