Tag: December 16, 2004

SA SOBRANG kalakihan ng tiyan, hirap na hirap sa paglalakad si Tony habang pauwi ng bahay nila. Sa ilalim ng sikat ng araw, hingal na hingal at tumatagaktak ang pawis niya sa mukhang namimintog ang pisngi sa taba.

Pakiramdam niya, baboy siyang niluluto sa loob ng turbo broiler; lumalabas nang unti-unti ang kanyang katas sa mamula-mulang balat. Ngunit pilit pa rin niyang itinutuloy ang paglalakad kahit bigat na bigat sa kanyang katawan.

“Kung puwedeng ‘wag nang maglakad!” sambit niya sa sarili.

MALAON nang bahagi ng Pelikulang Filipino ang relihiyon upang ipakita ang mga isyung panlipunang patuloy na bumabagabag sa bansa. Bilang natatanging bagay na nagbubuklod sa mga Filipino, naging instrumento ang mga pelikulang ito upang gisingin ang kamalayan ng mga tao sa tunay na mukha ng lipunan.

1981 “Salome” (Laurice Guillen, Bancom Audio Vision Production)

A COLLEGE of Commerce freshman broke the reign of Faculty of Arts and Letters students in the Rector’s Literary Award (RLA) of the 20th Annual Ustetika Awards for Literature last December 11.

THE TYPHOONS that ravaged the southern Luzon provinces earlier this month have sent us into a frenzy. No surprise there. In fact, we reacted right on cue.

It is a story with an abused plot (much like Philippine movies): disaster strikes, and we rise up united to fight off the calamity and put to rights the destruction it leaves in its wake.We do this so immediately that it almost always seems superficial and only half-sincere,

UNDOUBTEDLY, the annual Paskuhan is the University-event that most Thomasians look forward to every year. The amazing fireworks displays, sumptuous food, and up-beat music never fail to make everyone feel that the whole Thomasian community is one big family—united in all endeavors and occasions, and especially at the birth of Christ.

Interestingly, true to the spirit of Christmas as a time of giving, this year’s Paskuhan will highlight the Thomasian touch of compassionate sharing, the same manner that it did the first time, 13 years ago.

This is the seventh time that I shall be conveying my Christmas message to the whole academic community, and there seems to be always a persistent nuisance that attempts to destroy the mood of this joyous season. This persistent intruder is called crisis. Before we dare to point our finger to the so-called culprits, let us consider first how many fingers would point to ourselves. Let us rather use those fingers to strike our breast and acknowledge that we are partly responsible for the mess we are experiencing in our country.

A FEW days go a couple of typhoons wreaked havoc on several Luzon provinces, especially Quezon, where thousands died as a result of the landslides that were caused by the relentless logging in the mountains of the Sierra Madre range.

Because of these meaningless deaths, calls have been made to put a moratorium on logging, both legal and illegal. Also, there is a clamor to make illegal logging punishable by death.

What else is new?

THE UST Publishing House launched its second set of titles for the year last Dec. 11 at the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex auditorium. The launching is in line with its “400 books for UST’s 400th” project, which seeks to release 40 new titles annually for 10 years until 2011, when the University marks its 400th year.

The titles launched were: