TWO NEW buildings were inaugurated this January as part of the University’s post-Quadricentennial infrastructure upgrade.
The new practice gymnasium at the back of the Quadricentennial Pavilion opened last Jan. 22, providing more training venues for Thomasian athletes.
The three-level structure will include sepak takraw, volleyball, and tennis courts.
UST Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P., Vice Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P., and Institute of Physical Education and Athletics Director Fr. Ermito de Sagon, O.P. led the blessing rites.
Dagohoy, in his welcome message, said sports facilities aid athletes in improving their skills in their respective sports.
“With the construction of the practice gym, our athletes can [have] uninterrupted training schedules since they already have a place of their own,” he said. “Facilities [like this] should be readily available. A place for [practice] that is conducive creates a mindset that [the] athletes will become winners and champions.”
The gym also serves as a token of gratitude for athletes who have proudly donned the University’s black, gold, and white colors, he said.
“We are happy to have athletes who are proud of their Thomasian identity. Therefore, it is [fitting] that we give them all the support that they need to encourage them to be the best that they can be, especially when they’re carrying the name of the University,” Dagohoy said.
Meanwhile, the Thomasian Alumni Center, still under construction, was blessed and officially named the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building last Jan. 20.
The building was named after Blessed Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P., a former UST professor, provincial, and master general of the Dominican Order who was martyred in 1936 during the religious persecution in Spain. He was beatified along with a host of Spanish Dominican alumni of UST and Letran by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007.
Construction resumed a day after the blessing.
With a total of 12 floors, the alumni center surpasses the Main Building as the highest building in UST. It will have a grand lobby, multiple function rooms, alumni offices, lodging facilities for alumni, classrooms, and training centers for College of Tourism and Hospitality Management students.
Construction of the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building is expected to finish in September. Gena Myrtle P. Terre
