Friday, March 29, 2024

Tag: May 16, 2011

Faculty Union execs ‘accountable’

THREE UST Faculty Union (USTFU) officers, including incumbent president Dr. Gil Gamilla, were “responsible” for the illegal disbursement of P9.5-million worth of union funds to a property developer, according to the final report of a committee tasked to investigate the transactions.

The Committee of Peers (COP), formed on July 16 last year to investigate the loss of millions of union funds for a housing project in 2006, is composed of lawyer Rafael Bautista from the College of Education, Pablito Baybado, Jr. (Institute of Religion), Apolinario Bobadilla (College of Accountancy), Jacinta Cruz (Faculty of Pharmacy), and Fortunato Sevilla III (College of Science). The COP conducted the inquiry from August 19 last year to February 28 this year.

Prosecutor junks libel suit against ex-union officers

THE QUEZON City Prosecutor’s Office has dismissed the libel complaint filed by UST Faculty Union president Gil Gamilla against nine former union officials who distributed documents alleging financial irregularities.

In a resolution last March 21, the assistant city prosecutor Mary Jean T. Cajandab cleared former union vice president for grievance Jose Ngo, former vice president for legal affairs Mark Maramba, former vice president external Irma Potenciano, former secretary-general Ma. Lourdes Medina, former sergeant-at-arms Celso Nierra, and former directors Dante Jose Mercado, Elizabeth Arenas, Juanita Subaldo, and Emerito Gonzales, citing “lack of probable cause.”

Cardinal returns home to ‘protect Catholic doctrine’

AS THE Catholic Church contends with a direct attack againts the nation’s moral foundations, a Thomasian cardinal has come home to fight for Filipino values and culture.

But contrary to news reports, the retired Jose Cardinal Sanchez did not fly back to the Philippines to fight the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, but to “protect the Catholic doctrine.”

“The bill is insignificant as far as the problems of the world are concerned,” he said. “[But] I’m happy that it is being faced seriously by the Church.”

Sanchez, who was appointed prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the clergymen in 1991, said that he wanted to give the Church a voice to “maintain the attitude of Filipinos and protect [their] Catholic faith.”

In Music, ‘overstaying’ is no big deal

FINISHING a degree for more than five years might be a disgrace for many, but in the college called Conservatory of Music, students are allowed to stay longer—even up to a decade—to master their chosen craft.

Music student Dave De Jesus, who is set to enter his 10th year in college, said he had no background in music when he entered the conservatory in 2001, which, he believes, is one of the reasons why students overstay.

“I overstayed in Music because I started out without any knowledge in singing. Most of the students in the conservatory have similar cases,” said De Jesus, who majored in Voice after finishing Music Education.

De Jesus also believes excellence in music is developed through time.

UST wins, loses labor suits vs profs

LABOR officials have ruled against the University over illegal dismissal cases filed by former instructors of the College of Fine Arts and Design (CFAD) over the “no master’s, no teaching load policy.”

In a 14-page resolution last April 13, the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) ruled in favor of Raymund Antiola, Raymond Son, and Wilfredo Pollarco, who were dismissed for refusing to sign an agreement which required professors without master’s degrees to sign waivers renouncing their right to tenureship.

The three were ordered reinstated and given around P1.2 million in backwages and moral damages. The three sued UST for unfair labor practice and illegal dismissal in July last year.

The three declined to talk about the decision.

78-year-old gymnasium demolished; paves way for construction of alumni center

THE UNIVERSITY has begun demolishing the 78-year-old UST Gymnasium, paving the way for the construction of the Thomasian Alumni Center, the future “home for alumni” in the campus.

But to keep its historical value, being the oldest gym in the country and one of the first buildings in the campus, the facade will be retained, according to Gary del Rosario, RDR Demolition general manager.

Del Rosario added that the Olympic-sized swimming pool will be refurbished.

All athletic and sports equipment will be transferred to the new UST Sports Complex, which will be inaugurated in August, but items like trophies and commemorative plaques will be kept in the alumni center.

Pope appoints new nuncio to the Philippines

POPE Benedict XVI appointed Italian Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto as the new Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines last May 10, making him the 16th papal envoy to be assigned to Asia’s bastion of Catholicism.

The 59-year-old prelate was the Apostolic Nuncio to Chile from 2007 to 2011.

He replaced Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, who has been reassigned to Greece after a four-year tenure in the Philippines.

Pinto, who holds a doctorate in Canon Law, was born in Bari, Italy on May 26, 1952, and was ordained priest on April 1, 1978.

Civil Law professor named new Sandiganbayan justice

THE NEW magistrate of the country’s anti-graft and corruption court is a Thomasian.

President Benigno Aquino III has appointed Civil Law professor Oscar Herrera, Jr. as one of the 13 justices of Sandiganbayan last April 26.

“[Herrera] made it 12 times (nine times for the Court of Appeals and three times for the Sandiganbayan) to the shortlist of nominees submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council to former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, but was repeatedly bypassed,” according to the statement released by the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson last April 28.

“I am honored to be appointed by the President, considering his high credibility. I am (also) humbled by the appointment,” Herrera told the Varsitarian.

Engineering shows off in board exam

UST EMERGED as the lone top-performing school in the April 2011 licensure examination for electronics engineers, while it placed third in the electrical engineering board exam.

In race to be named asthe top-performing school, the University was the only school in the country that met the minimum requirement of an 80-percent passing rate for at least 50 examinees in the latest electronics engineering board exam.

UST posted an 83.1-percent passing rate in electronics engineering, as 59 of 71 examinees passed. This year’s score was higher than last year’s 52.63 percent with 10 of 19 Thomasian examinees passing the test.

UST lab gets PNP permit to use chemicals

THE PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) has issued a license allowing UST to keep explosive substances in campus laboratories.

The permit granted last April 5 was in compliance with the Firearm and Explosives Law which requires schools to obtain permits before they can buy or possess explosive ingredients for research and academic purposes.

“The license attests that UST has complied with all legal and structural requirements of the PNP,” said Ross Vasquez, Laboratory Equipment and Supplies Office (Leso) administrator. “It means Leso is legal, safe and the usage of explosives is controlled.”

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