Tag: February 18, 2010

EVERYTHING is going according to plan.

Three more quadricentennial projects gained ground last February 4, a week after UST sites were declared “National Cultural Treasures” by the National Museum.

A 3x1 marble University marker was unveiled during a program at the España gate attended by University officials, led by Rector Fr. Rolando de la Rosa, O.P.

Vice Rector Fr. Pablo Tiong, O.P. said in his speech that the marker should serve as a “reminder of our fidelity to UST.”

The unveiling was followed by the groundbreaking of the Thomasian Alumni Center at the UST Gym, which was attended by members of the UST Medical Alumni Association Foundation.

SO NEAR, and yet so far.

As the days before “E-day” slowly run out, so do the chances of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to prove to the public that the first automated elections will be a success.

Months before the elections, the public continues to be bombarded with bad news hinting of problems of the automated “ballot box”— fluctuating signals, ballots becoming invalid, the presence of signal jammers near the precincts (which will allegedly affect the transmission of election returns), not to mention the problem of overcrowding, with as much as 1,000 people expected in a precinct. All this and more would probably make voting an arduous task.

HOW DO you love a loved one?

People often say that if you really love somebody, you must let them learn from their mistakes. You must let them realize that something is wrong, and let them correct that in their own ways with little or no help from anyone.

Our perception of love may be subjective, but experiencing it never fails to elicit learning and growing at the end. And not even Asia’s oldest university is spared from this.

The 400-year-old institution never lived through four centuries without receiving as much as a scar. It withstood two world wars, economic meltdowns, and a long list of tragedies that would be too laborious to enumerate.

YOU MIGHT wonder if ghosts dwell on campus since UST served as a “concentration camp” during the World War II, or how in the world Fr. Roque Ruaño built the earthquake-proof Main Building on a formerly “undeveloped swampland.” You might even feel guilty upon reading some chapters of El Filibusterismo, thinking that Jose Rizal was “dissatisfied” as a UST student.

Well, dear Thomasians, don’t get your UST history wrong.

According to historian Jose Victor Torres, these are just some of the common misconceptions in UST history. Complacency is often the reason why some remain ignorant of the facts despite the abundance of available sources. But Torres has a simpler explanation.

“We simply dislike history,” he said.

ONE OF the perks of being a medical technology intern in a public hospital is that you are updated with the latest developments in the health sector of the country. In fact, during one of my hospital duties in December last year, I myself was tasked to bring news to some hospitals in Metro Manila that a policy of centralizing blood banks will soon be implemented.

THE OTHER day, a friend of mine asked me if he should be considered insensitive because he had deleted almost all Facebook posts flooding his wall which read, “HELP the people in Haiti now!” In response, I told him there was nothing wrong as long as he a “donates” by clicking, oblivious of whether the act can actually help a single Haiti victim or not.

With the advent of new technology, the act of helping others miles away has become a lot easier. Extending help might not be a problem for big companies and highly affluent people who have more than enough to give, but what about ordinary people who would also like to give a hand?

THE RECENT hacking of government websites is said to be an indication of what could happen during the country’s first automated national elections on May 10.

At this point, only one national government website remains “hack-free,” according to an official.

The Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) attributed the problem to low maintenance of government websites brought about by lack of knowledge and investment on information and communications technology (ICT) in the country.

“The government should invest more in cyber security,” said Malou Santelices, project manager of the Cyber Security Office under CICT.

CICT is under the Office of the President, and only had a P113.4-million budget last year.

A UST Hospital official has debunked reports that the number of people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has reached “epidemic” level.

Dr. Antonia Raymundo, chairman of the hospital’s department of clinical pathology, said an increase in the number of HIV cases in the country was not enough to say there is an epidemic.

“Even if there has been an increase, [it] is not high enough to consider HIV infection as an epidemic,” Raymundo said. “A disease should have affected many people and be widespread in order to be considered an epidemic.”

It’s that time of the year again when the best and the brightest in UST slug it out in the annual “Pautakan” contest.

The competition on February 24 gets even more interesting with the return of traditional heavyweights, the faculties of Medicine and Surgery. and Civil Law.

The question is whether they can return from a long hiatus, and pose a legitimate threat to the Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets), the defending champions and holder of the coveted revolving Pautakan trophy. Here’s now an overview of the competition, how tough the field is, and who will likely emerge as the winner.

AMV-Accountancy

FOR A man who was a “terror teacher,” Diosdado M. Lorenzo (1906-1984) is held dear by his students who, though coming from different batches, came together to view the opening of the exhibit, “Dading The Painter, Enchong The Master: Life and Works of Diosdado Magno Lorenzo, a project by the Research Cluster for Culture, Education and Social Issues, and the College of Fine Arts and Design. It opened last February 9 at the Museum of Arts and Sciences. It is now mounted until February 22 at the Miguel de Benavides Central Library.

Emcee Rhoda Recto, an artist and fine arts faculty, fondly recalled how stingy Lorenzo was at giving grades.

“We were so afraid of failing because the highest grade he would give was 2.25!” Recto said.