Tag: March 24, 2004

THE VOTES are in. And a clear majority of Thomasians wants incumbent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to continue as president during the campus-wide mock elections last March 10.

President Macapagal earned 1,415 out of the total 3,140 votes cast, which is around 10 per cent of the student population of UST. She was followed by Raul Roco with 885 votes. Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Bro. Eddie Villanueva trailed behind with 502 and 123 votes, respectively. Actor Fernando Poe Jr., the frontrunner, garnered 118 votes.

NAKAAYOS na sa hapag ang kandila, mga bulaklak, pagkain, at champagne bago tuluyang kainin ng dilim ang paligid.

Valentine’s date namin at hindi ko talaga maintindihan ang nararamdaman ko. Natutuwa ako dahil makakasama ko na naman siya. Kinakabahan din, baka kasi hindi na niya ako mahal. Kung anu-anong pagpapa-cute sa kanya ang iniisip ko. Pakurap-kurap. Pangiti-ngiti.

A HEART-TO-HEART Valentine talk on sex, love, and modern natural family planning (NFP) was held last month at the Continuing Medical Education Auditorium. Sponsored by Couples for Christ and the Department of Health, the event titled “A Valentine Date: Know True Lasting Love” featured international speaker Dr. Paddy Jim Baggot, who shared his personal experiences and lessons on sexuality.

NONSTOP applause, cheers, and cues for encore met the concert of the blind tenor and pianist Carlos Alberto “Chuckie” Ibay at the UST Medicine Auditorium last Feb. 17. This internationally acclaimed Filipino-American, who was the principal soloist in the World Trade Center memorial mass in New York, left the audience moved and teary-eyed with his unbelievable feat and inspiring story.

AFTER months of heavy criticism about its leniency towards the approval of doubtful aspirants running for local and national positions, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) finally started to weed out such nuisance candidates. And the first sorry individual to have his head on the chopping board is no other than presidential candidate Eddie Gil.

The self-proclaimed billionaire was declared a nuisance candidate after a Comelec investigation revealed Gil’s numerous inconsistencies.

“EVERYTHING happens for a reason” – a worn-out cliché often used by people to console themselves after misfortunes in their lives. The tired saying emphasizes destiny, fate, and inevitability.

Is life then predetermined?

To my fellow graduating Thomasians, life is basically what we choose it to be. There is no destiny but only opportunities, which God graciously challenge us with, in order to mold and develop the substance of our character and the content of our faith.

There’s no such thing as fate. There is choice.

I HAVE always been fond of talking about school rivalries especially with my group of friends who are mostly from the “three hyped universities”. Even online, I would often be tagged as the “defender of UST” and I would move heaven and earth just to prove to others that UST is the best. Of course, I’ll get the shabby treatment and a stream of negative feedbacks but it doesn’t matter because I know the University at heart.

SHOW business and politics seem to have this fatal attraction toward each other.

Politicians have become commercial models, product endorsers, and TV show hosts—activities which only used to belong to denizens of show biz. In fact, the trend today is the production of paid advertisements to boost the campaigns of politicians running for office. Others, meanwhile, take advantage of potential product endorsements to gain publicity in the form of a “disguised” advertisement.

The recent mock elections organized by the Central Comelec evidently revealed that the University has enlightened voters. President Macapagal-Arroyo figured way ahead of Raul Roco, with 45% of the voters choosing her against the 28% who chose the former education secretary and senator.

Either are qualified candidates for the presidency because of their educational background, track record in public service, vision and leadership. Their credentials seemed to have been taken into account by Thomasians who voted them in first and second places.

WE MUST move on.
Graduation is one of the most celebrated moments in our life. Yet this marching-to-the-stage-to-receive-the-diploma thing gives us anxieties and uncertainties.
The diploma is nothing but a piece of paper, or so we thought. Yes, it can be our ticket to a bright future. However, it has little to do with our future success. It will all boil down to what we have learned through these years. The next few months will be a test of our character. What are we really made of?