News

THREE Dominican old-timers got a long-overdue standing ovation from faculty members and administrators last Nov. 7, honored in a touching tribute for their years of service to the University and cited as models of selfless dedication.

In his usual unconventional style, Rector Fr. Rolando V. de la Rosa, O.P. departed from the practice and started the yearly Rector’s Report with a moving tribute to his fellow friars, saying the three deserved to be honored while they were still around.

ASIA’S religions agreed to work together to achieve peace amid rising conflict and extremism globally, after three days of meetings in Manila hosted by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the University of Santo Tomas.

The 7th General Assembly of the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace (ACRP) saw the region’s religious leaders calling for more dialogue among different faiths and increased public awareness to build support for efforts to promote peace.

The assembly brought the region’s religious leaders in Manila for the first time, with UST hosting the opening of the meet as well as a women’s conference, which elected UST Graduate School Dean Dr. Lilian Sison as head of the ACRP Women’s Committee (see related story …)

CONTRARY to perception, high school students whose parents are working abroad tend to be more active in school and focused in their studies, thereby limiting the school drop-out rate, a recent study by the UST Social Research Center (SRC) has shown.

THE COLLEGE of Architecture mourned the death last September of well-loved Mathematics professor David Montaña, who suffered from a stroke.

“Sir Dave was one of the professors here in Architecture who was very easy to approach especially when it comes to deadlines,” Architecture dean John Joseph Fernandez said. “He was always in good terms with his students and I never heard any negative remarks about him.”

David had a massive stroke while driving his car on his way home, and was rushed by policemen to the Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City.

UST HAS re-entered the yearly ranking of the world’s top 500 universities but the survey’s credibility is again being put into question because of its methodology as well as attempts by its organizers to do business with universities being ranked.

POLITICIANS have forgotten that the power they have belongs to the people, so they tend to misuse their authority and take advantage of their positions to serve their selfish interests, Isabela Gov. Ma. Gracia Cielo Padaca said in a lecture at the University last September.

HEART disease topped the list of the leading causes of death among Filipinos in the last three years while some 46 million young Filipinos may be prone to cardiovascular diseases if they don’t make crucial lifestyle changes to boost their health, a study conducted by the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) and the Department of Health (DOH) said.

According to Dr. Eugene B. Reyes, chair of the PHA research committee, cardiovascular diseases refer to a class of illnesses which involve the heart, blood vessels, arteries, and veins.

THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DOH) has ordered the gradual phaseout of the use of mercury in healthcare equipment and facilities.

Mercury is a highly toxic, volatile, naturally occurring heavy metal that is fatal if inhaled and absorbed by the skin.

According to Dr. Rodrigo Rodrigo, chief pathologist of the Clinical Chemistry Section of the UST Hospital Laboratory, exposure to mercury may cause difficulty in breathing, poor memory, and insanity. Other risks identified by the DOH are tremors, impaired hearing and vision, paralysis, difficulty of sleeping, and emotional instability.

Aside from thermometers, mercury is also found in sphygmomanometers, laboratory staining solutions and preservatives, feeding tubes, and gastrointestinal diagnostic machines.

No other smile can be at par with that of the Divine Mother, which has never faded even after a century and a half in Lourdes, France.

In commemoration of the 150th Marian apparition in Lourdes to St. Bernadette Soubirous, Pope Benedict XVI stressed that the smile worn by the Blessed Virgin during the holy vision extends beyond place and time, continuously giving hope to the unfortunate.

MANY a time has there been a debate on the relation of philosophy and theology, but only now has the concept “guardian of philosophy” arose, as one of the world’s best-known living French thinkers proposed it in the third World Congress on Philosophy held last Sept. 11 to 13.