Tag: January 23, 2012

AN ESSAY writing contest focusing on “calidad humana” or “life well spent” has been launched the Embassy of Chile in the Philippines, together with UST and the University of Asia and the Pacific.

The contest has the theme “Breaking the Ground: A Life Well-Spent.” Narrative essays and accounts of individuals, families, or groups, must exemplify strength of character or anything that may contribute to a culture of excellence and a life of virtue.

The competition is open to high school, college, and graduate school students who are no more than 30 years of age. Only one entry is allowed per person.

SINCE when did a government official’s graduate degree become an issue to the press and the public at large?

Since Chief Justice Renato Corona became the subject of President Aquino’s ire and since a newly-formed online news organization decided to make much ado about Corona’s Ph.D. from UST in order to hog online traffic and cash in on it.

For its inaugural edition last Dec. 22, the new online media agency Rappler bannered the report of journalist Marites Vitug that questioned the doctorate degree with summa cum laude conferred by the University to Corona.

Rappler in its headline said UST “broke” it own rules when it allowed Corona to graduate without a doctoral dissertation and despite overstaying in the Graduate School.

THE QUADRICENTENNIAL celebration is a catalyst for new constructions. With the Alumni Center and Sports Complex as multi-million projects, it is gratifying to know that the University recognizes the importance of investing in buildings to further enhance its facilities. Sure, they may be costly but their benefits are long lasting compared with fireworks.

However, I can’t help but notice that all these structures, when brought together as a complex, fail to fully evoke a “spirit of place.” The phrase refers to the distinctive and unique characteristic of a place, a synergy of its physical environment, interpersonal appeal, and underlying history and culture.

SHE WAS a woman in her late 20’s with a big bump in her belly. With her long hair, she hid her face while staring blankly at the floor.

It was my first time in the psychiatric ward as a student nurse. I was afraid that my nursing interventions might not suffice my patient’s needs. I was troubled by the fact that in that ward, I would not deal with the physical illnesses but with psychological disorders which included affective, behavioral, cognitive, and perceptual disturbances.

The patient I was assigned to had major depressive disorder.

TRY TO analyze why the environment’s health is slowly going down the slope.

God only gave us natural calamities and it is a fool’s fault if the natural world is destroyed by man’s greed, gluttony, and pride, said John Muir, a famous naturalist and nature writer.

Those “three deadly sins” led us to a world wracked with problems of pollution of all forms, greenhouse gases, improper waste management, and abuse of natural resources such as quarrying. These problems all lead to the environmentalist’s nightmare: hastened climate change.

But why do we still subscribe to this abusive lifestyle?

NABALOT kamakailan ng matitinding kontrobersya ang mundo ng pamamahayag sa bansa dahil sa mga balitang nagpapanggap, napgpipilit, at nagpaparatang upang maging balita.

Hindi maikakaila na ang mundo ng internet, partikular na ang mga social networking sites at blogs ay may kakayanang maghasik at magpakalat ng mga impormasyon sa madla—ngunit hindi lahat ng ito ay dapat paniwalaan o maski patulan man lang.

THE COMMISSION on Higher Education (Ched) has affirmed the University’s status as an autonomous institution of higher learning, in the aftermath of the controversy over the doctorate in civil law granted to embattled Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“UST is an autonomous institution and autonomy is only given by Ched if the institution is mature, responsible, and has high academic standards,” Ched Executive Director Julito Vitriolo told the Varsitarian. “[It] is free to exercise academic freedom, which means that [it] can determine whom to accept as long as it (UST) sees it fit under the circumstances … without our interference.”

The effort to unseat Chief Justice Renato Corona has pitted two unlikely parties—the 400-year-old University of Santo Tomas and startup online news outfit Rappler—against each other.

Rappler, which is led by Maria Ressa, former ABS-CBN News chief and CNN bureau chief, gained online prominence following the Dec. 22 story “UST breaks rules to favor Corona,” in which veteran journalist Marites Vitug questioned Corona’s UST law doctorate.

UST did not issue a statement until after the Philippine Daily Inquirer published the Rappler piece as its banner story on New Year’s Day. The University’s statement, aside from saying that no rules were broken for Corona’s Ph.D., criticized Rappler’s exercise of online journalism.

Just like most young boys, Alfred Perez enjoyed playing toy cars and automobile games in his childhood years. While most outgrow this childhood fascination, his enthusiasm for cars transcended age and time, eventually becoming his ticket to success.

Now on his late 30s, Perez turned this fascination into reality as he manages Alfred’s Motor Works, an automobile shop known for reviving vintage cars back to life, located at the corner of Kamuning Road and 11th Jamboree Street in Quezon City.

MOST people say that dogs and cats are man’s best friends. These two domesticated breeds of animals have established close ties with human beings to the extent that some pet lovers have dedicated their lives lobbying for their rights and fighting against animal cruelty.

Among them is Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) Executive Director and self-confessed cat-lover Anna Hashim-Cabrera who has been an advocate of animal rights for more than a decade. Her unwavering commitment to her advocacy has inspired people to join the same cause.

Starting point

Graduating from the University with a Commerce degree in 1994, Cabrera expressed great concern for animals and vehemently opposed animal cruelty.