January 28, 12:58 p.m. – IN ONE of the high points of the Quadricentennial Week, the Quattromondial monument was unveiled Thursday night (January 27) to symbolize the University’s legacy to the nation, the Church, and the family.
The larger-than-life 10-meter monument made of bronze and glass was rendered by Ramon Orlina, a Thomasian architect and multi-awarded glass sculptor.
The sculpture features four human figures carrying a globe, representing the major groups of the Thomasian community—the male student, the female student, the mentor, and the monk-scholar.
Film and television actor Piolo Pascual and actress-beauty queen Charlene Gonzales, who both attended the event, modeled as the male student and mentor, respectively, while the female student was modeled by Orlina’s daughter, Monina. Fr. Rolando V. de la Rosa, O.P., Rector of the University, posed as the Dominican priest.
The figures also stand for the four centuries that the University is celebrating.
De la Rosa said the Quattromondial represents UST’s timeless legacy.
“We have nothing more to boast of, we have nothing more to tell people. Because just to be here for the past 400 years is already something, it’s already an achievement,” he said.
Proud Thomasians Piolo Pascual and Charlene Gonzales expressed their gratitude for being “immortalized” in the sculpture.
“This is something that I will forever treasure in my life,” said Pascual, who studied at the Faculty of Arts and Letters..
Meanwhile, Gonzales, a UST psychology gradute, described the tribute as beyond flattering.
“No amount of words can describe the honor,” she said.
The globe stands for globalization, an inevitable event in the 21st century. It is a combination of green glass cullets and bronze. The image displays the University’s concern for the adverse effects of progress and its efforts to adapt to change.
The globe resembles an atom, indestructible and irreducible in reference to the UST’s academic mission.
Covering the near-nude bodies is a ribbon with Latin inscriptions signifying wisdom, scholarly work, and accomplishment. The unity and fluidity of the concept signifies spirituality, said Assistant to the Rector for Administration Pilar Romero. Ana May R. De la Cruz and Alyosha J. Robillos
