UST WILL implement tighter entry measures during the Paskuhan festivities to prevent individuals using fake IDs and outsiders posing as Thomasians from entering University grounds, a campus security official said.
This year’s Paskuhan festivities will mostly be limited to Thomasians and alumni, and the University will implement a no-outsiders-allowed policy to limit attendees as a safety precaution amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lords Hernandez, the UST campus security supervisor, told the Varsitarian that the University would be strict in checking IDs during Paskuhan events.
“Chances are magkaroon ng mga fake IDs. Kung baga gagayahin ‘yung ating mga ID. Kahit kaya nilang gayahin ‘yung ID, ‘yung security features n’yan hindi nila kayang gayahin kasi naka-system ‘yan… so malalaman na kaagad na ikaw ay legit,” Hernandez said.
“Ang iniiwasan din namin is ‘yung tinatawag natin na identity theft. Siguro ‘di naman mangyayari ‘yun pero naisip namin na baka, baka lang, may mga student na magpahiram ng ID sa ibang students, so we will check their faces.”
Upon entering the University, Thomasians must present their identification cards or QR codes from the MyUSTe portal.
UST alumni must bring their alumni cards to be allowed into the University or present their QR codes from the Thomasian Alumni Portal. Employees must present their IDs or QR codes from their respective portals.
For the Agape, food will be exclusively for students and employees.
Guests and performers for other Paskuhan events will also have to present their invitations for verification.
“Controlled” or “delegated” lanes for the UST Santisimo Rosario Parish Church and UST Hospital will be implemented to ensure that only Thomasians will join the Paskuhan events.
The security office will deploy health marshalls to ensure that Covid-19 health protocols will be followed during the events.
The University will install additional light fixtures in dark areas around UST to ensure the safety of the attendees at night.
“We were supposed to request additional lighting from the local government unit, but considering the lack of time to do so, we decided that we would be the ones to install the lights in those areas during those events to deter criminals,” Hernandez said.
About 33,000 Thomasians are expected to attend the Agape on Dec. 2, the first to be held since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, UST Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P. told the Varsitarian.
The number excludes UST alumni, who will also be allowed to attend the Paskuhan concert on Dec. 19.
In a Facebook post, CSC President Nathan Agustin said the Central Student Council (CSC) would help ensure that safety protocols would be followed during the Paskuhan events.
A now-deleted TikTok video providing instructions on how non-Thomasians can enter the University to attend the Paskuhan made the rounds on social media.
“We strongly urge our fellow Thomasians to avoid encouraging, suggesting, or abetting under-the-table transactions and activities that will go against the [University’s] policy,” Agustin said. Hannah Joyce V. Andaya, Joanne Christine P. Ramos and Niña Angelica M. Rodriguez
