Tag: December 1, 2013

NOTHING could better describe the year 2013 more than Charles Dickens’ famous line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

My elder sister and I recently had an engaging conversation about the tragedy that was Typhoon Yolanda.

She was a University of the Philippines student and had worked as a researcher for a senator for two years. I, on the other hand, am a UST senior Architecture student. \

Referring to the tragedy, she said it could not have happened at a better time.

THE PHILIPPINES is beginning to count the costs of the devastation caused by Category 4 Typhoon “Yolanda”—so far, nearly 6,000 people have died and 11.2 million people have been affected by the worst storm ever to hit the country. Damage to infrastructure and agriculture in seven regions has been placed at P35.2 billion. Could the residents of Leyte, Samar and other areas have prepared enough?

There was in fact no shortage of warning. Before the typhoon hit, the Department of Science and Technology's Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (Project NOAH) warned several coastal communities of the possibility of three- to six-meter high “storm surges.”

SOCIAL media builds a bridge that can unite churches from various parts of the world, a Vatican communications official said.

Msgr. Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and handler of Pope Francis’ twitter account @Pontifex, said the Internet has the potential to close the gap brought by people’s differences.

“The title that was chosen for Pope Francis’ twitter account was “Pontifex.” Pontifex meant the builder of bridges. The Internet is about division. We remember this call to build bridges, the call to build relationships with people,” he said in his keynote address at the Catholic Social Media Summit held at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran from Nov. 23 to 24.

AS SPIRITUAL leaders chosen by God, bishops should be the light guiding the faithful toward the purification of religious practices and the eradication of superstition-based beliefs.

In this regard, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) plays a major role in strengthening the Filipino bishops’ commitment to the Catholic Church and the people of God, Caceres Archbishop Emeritus Leonardo Legazpi, O.P., first Filipino rector of the University, says in his new book titled “Living the Episcopacy.”

The 404-page book is a collection of Legazpi’s homilies and lectures talking about the responsibilities of a bishop to the Church, based on his experiences.

“Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith," he said, "Why did you doubt?"
-Matthew 14:31

TRIALS facing the Philippines made me question the reality behind the expression “calm before the storm.”

When early warnings on Super Typhoon “Yolanda,” internationally known as “Haiyan,” reached the media, a feeling of anxiety came to me. I found myself sharing the negative foreboding about Yolanda with almost everyone I knew. I was on my way to believing that the calm before the storm existed merely in fiction.

Veteran broadcast journalist Cesar Apolinario, host of award-winning programs I-Witness and i-Juander, once thought of taking up Accountancy and Civil Engineering back then.

Coming from a poor family, he thought that it was only through numbers that he could help his family because he was good at Math subjects.

“It was one of the most difficult decisions I made as an adolescent. The decision was crucial at that time because I knew that there’s not enough money left in my savings.”

Without looking back, he pursued his new love for film and the arts, and now he’s a successful broadcast journalist and a filmmaker.

THIS artist dared to leave the confines of his hometown to pursue his dreams.

Francisco Doplon, more known to some as Dopy Doplon, is one of the leading names in the field of graphic arts and the creator of the Quadricentennial logo.

But before venturing into the business aspect of the craft, Dopy said he was much involved in the arts growing up.

“The beautiful scenery I see outside when I look out the window really inspires me,” Dopy said. “I can see the hills, the long roads, and I always sketch those.”

Born in Marawi city, Dopy said enrolling in UST was a huge step for him.“I was born in Mindanao, a Muslim city, and I was one of the first in a Muslim community to study in a Catholic university.”

What goes on in the mind of a person with suicidal tendencies?

“Imagine an entire coliseum filled with people, tapos lahat ng tao nagchecheer ng ‘Go USTe! Go USTe!’ to the top of their lungs; eh ‘di sobrang lakas noon?” said Dennis Mendoza, a UST civil engineering graduate who recalled his bout with depression, regarded by the top cause of suicide.

“Imagine the school spirit burning bright and loud. Now imagine the complete opposite of it all. That was what I felt. That’s what depression is.”

Fortunately for Mendoza, his depression, brought about by academic failures, did not eventually drive him to take his own life. He was treated by a psychiatrist and, with his deep spirituality, found healing later on.

MULA SA pagmulat ng mga mata sa umaga, pagkain ng pananghalian, hanggang sa pagtulog sa gabi, tila ba seremonyas na sa ilang Pilipino kumuha ng kanilang “selfie,” dahilan upang magkaroon na ito ng natatanging tatak-Pinoy.

Hinirang bilang salita ng taon ng Oxford Dictionaries Online, ang salitang selfie ay ang pagkuha ng retrato sa sarili na kadalasang ginagamitan ng kamera ng isang cellphone. Malimit itong isinusulat kasama ang “hashtag” (#selfie) sa mga social networking sites, particular na sa Twitter at sa Instagram.

Taun-taon, hinihirang ng Oxford Dictionaries Online ang mga salitang nagiging patok sa buong mundo sa pamamagitan ng pagsususuri ng humigit-kumulang 150 na mga salitang malimit ginagamit sa internet.

HUMIHINGI na ng nararapat na atensiyon ang Young Adult Literature (YA) sa bansa, ayon sa isang kuwentista ng mga librong pambata na sectoral representative for librarians din ng Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY).

Para kay Zarah Gagatiga, unti-unti nang sumisigla ang panitikang pambata sa bansa kaya naman panahon na upang pasiglahin din ang YA, na siyang tumutukoy sa mga babasahin na nakalaan para sa mga kabataan na nasa 13 hanggang 21 taong gulang o ang tinatawag na edad ng “pagbabago.”

Lumitaw ang pahayag na ito sa talakayang “Reading Choices of Children and Young Adults” na ginanap sa Adarna House sa Lungsod Quezon noong Nob. 16.