Maria Corazon A. Inay

“Huwag kang papatay.”

Ito ay isa sa mga pinakaluma at umiiral na kasunduan ng sangkatauhan ¬ ang bawat buhay ay mahalaga.

Ang mga nakaraang buwan ay nagbunyag ng isang pagsasawalang-bahala sa paniniwalang ito.

Ayon sa mga lathalain, umabot na sa mahigit 1,000 na tao ang namatay dahil sa extrajudicial killings.

Nahahati ngayon ang bansa sa dalawa dahil sa war on drugs na kampanya ni Presidente Duterte – ang mga kumukunsinti sa pagpaslang sa mga pinaniniwalaang drug users bilang isang paraan upang mapaalis o mabawasan ang mga gumagamit ng ilegal na droga at ang mga patuloy na naniniwala sa due process at sa mga karapatang-pantao para sa mga akusado.

FOR THIS Thomasian pre-school teacher, self-study pays off.

After obtaining degree in Psychology from the University in 2011, Paola Jane Esteron opted to make a name in typography after two months of watching instructional videos uploaded in Youtube.

It was in 2013 thay she started teaching herself how to create artworks using nib pens while working on her master’s studies in Early Childhood, which she eventually finished in St. Joseph’s College in 2014.

The 25-year-old preschool teacher from Lourdes School in Quezon City, however, diverted from nib pen to brushes because it was more convenient.

FROM black and white city walls, a Thomasian can turn grays into vibrant colors.

After graduating with a degree in Advertising from the College of Fine Arts and Design in 2012, Ana Korina “Kookoo” Ramos immediately found her heart drawn to plastering portions of Metro Manila with murals, which she considers as a calling beckoned upon her.

She has done live art for Globe Telecom at the Bonifacio Global City, The Sweet Spot Pasig, and for Jack TV’s Kimbra Concert last 2014. She also painted commissioned graffiti murals in Tuscany McKinley Hill, Lift Hard Philippines, Melody Restaurant, and SM Fairview, as well as personal paintings in Ortigas and Quezon City.

December 23, 2015, 2:20p.m. - A THOMASIAN bagged first place in an international online competition on hotel and restaurant management held last Nov. 9 to 20.

Miguel Angelo Viray Eñano, a hotel and restaurant management senior, won in the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) & Collegiate DECA Virtual Business Hotel Competition, an online contest where participants competed in a hotel simulation focused on profit and customer satisfaction.

Eñano, along with two other Thomasians, competed with hundreds of students from more than 50 universities worldwide.

WITH a fan base of almost 9,000 followers in the music website SoundCloud, this Thomasian artist is just waiting to be discovered by a bigger audience.

But Chiara “Chir” Cataran already had her own moment in the spotlight. The Musical Theatre student has her own plethora of awards, recordings and formal training to set her apart from other aspiring artists.

In the recently concluded 19th World Championships of the Performing Arts in California, Cataran bagged one of 32 silver medals won by the Philippine contingent for her victory in the Senior Solo Voice category. The team brought home 47 gold medals, 49 bronze medals, 13 industry medals, and even won second place in national costume.

This UST graduate is a world-class bartender.

Kenneth Bandivas, who obtained a bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management in 2011, was named winner of the “Around the World” challenge of World Class 2015, the cocktail industry’s most prestigious mixology competition.

Bandivas bested 53 other bartenders with his drinks “Bitter Felipe,” an ampalaya infused cocktail mixed with lime, and “My First Float,” a Marula flavored cocktail with rum and syrup.

Aiming to pay homage to the Filipinos, Bandivas’ “drinks with a twist” relived all-time favorite drinks, but cream liquors provided extra twists to his pieces.

World Class 2015, hosted by Diageo Reserve bar in South Africa, was held last Sept. 4.

September 21, 2015, 8:41p.m. - A COMIC book series about young people battling the forces of evil will soon be available in bookstores nationwide.

"Patron Comics" revolves around the lives of teenagers who assist their priest-mentor in exorcism rites, as they do their best to solve their own personal struggles.

The 68-page comic book, written by pro-life advocate Anthony James Perez and published by Regina Caeli Publishing, aims to reinforce the Catholic faith and values among younger generations.

The comic book, which had the assistance of the Archdiocese of Manila’s exorcism ministry, will help dispel wrong notions about exorcism, Perez said.