LET THE year of the Tiger be for the Tigers.
A UST alumnus is pushing for the official declaration of 2010 as “Year of the Thomasians” by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself, saying it would be a perfect gift to UST on the eve of its Quadricentennial.
College of Architecture and Fine Arts alumnus Rhoel Mendoza, through a letter to the President last July, cited the University’s rich history and illustrious alumni as reasons why 2010 should “belong” to Thomasians.
“I believe this would be a very good way of beginning the second decade of the 21st century and the perfect prelude to the global celebration of UST’s Quadricentennial in 2011,” Mendoza said in his July 2009 letter published on the Philippine Daily Inquirer last February 16.
Mendoza, a recipient of the Philippine Overseas and Employment Agency Bagong Bayani Award in 1990, cited former president Joseph Estrada’s declaration of the year 2000 the “year of the overseas Filipino workers” after a year-long campaign he had initiated.
His new proposal had little progress, however, noting that only a recommendation by the President’s correspondence office to the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office was made last August 6.
The liaison office serves as the bridge between the executive and the legislative branches of government, which means Malacañang has left the decision to Congress.
“It is not yet too late to push for the declaration,” the letter read.
“President Arroyo, let this be one of your last significant actions before stepping down from the presidency.”
Because of the President’s apparent snub, Mendoza created an online journal titled “UST@400,” the unofficial blog site of the Quadricentennial celebrations, in the free blog site blogspot.com to push for his advocacy.
“Since Malacañang seems to be not taking action, let us declare it ourselves instead,” Mendoza said in an interview with the Varsitarian. Adrienne Jesse A. Maleficio
