Tag: July 10, 2002

BEGINNING his second term as the 93rd rector of UST last June 26 at the UST Chapel, Fr. Rector Tamerlane Lana, O.P. set his sights on Vision 2011 and urged all Thomasians, particularly faculty members, to help him realize it.

Vision 2011, an ambitious plan to upgrade the University in time for the quadricentennial of its founding in 2011, seeks to firm up UST’s position as a center of excellence in various programs of instruction, a leader in research in the pure and applied sciences, a leader in community development, and the center of contextual theology in Asia.

LAST June 27, officers of UST’s various student organizations and student councils officially assumed their positions after being inducted by Dr. Evelyn Songco, assistant to the Rector for Academic Affairs, at the UST Chapel.

UST Campus Ministry director Fr. Dennis de la Cruz, O. P. reminded the officers of UST’s various student organizations and student councils to be wise and virtuous as Thomasian leaders.

LAST June 29, the first batch of the Cisco Networking Academy Program’s (CNAP) participants graduated at the Engineering audio-visual room.

The 23 graduates are mostly composed of UST Electronics and Communications Engineering students and professors, UST alumni, non-academic personnel and professionals.

Launched in UST in September 2000, the CNAP teaches valuable internet technology skills, including networking, web site design, information technology (IT) essentials, cabling, Java, and Unix, an operating system equivalent to Microsoft’s Windows.

“I JUST want to live an honest life.“

This was the answer of Father Jay, one of the 12 dispensed priests featured in Fr. Emmanuel Fernandez’s Leaving the Priesthood, A Close Reading of Priestly Departures (Ateneo de Manila University Press), as to why he left the priesthood.

The book narrates the stories of 15 priests who struggled in their efforts to stay or leave the priesthood. Among the 15, 12 left the vocation while the rest remained in their ministry.

“WE FORCE the priests to become celibates but we don’t force the people to become priests.”

Fr. Raul Go, a priest from the Archdiocese of Cebu, had this to say regarding celibacy. According to him, when one chooses to be a priest, one should consider the obligation that goes with the privilege of becoming one. And one of the consequences of the decision is celibacy.

Celibacy refers to one’s promise to forego the privilege of getting married and having his own children, something accepted by every faithful of the Catholic Church since baptism.

“I THINK Thomasians are lacking when it comes to their spirituality. There was a low turnout nuong nagkaroon ng Mass for the freshman, but the party was well-attended.”

This was what Marlo Trillana, president of the Marian Evangelistic Community (MEC), said regarding the disheartening reception by the Thomasian community of religious-oriented organizations. The groups are perceived as organizers of retreats, prayer meetings, and bible studies, hardly “fun” fare for young and vibrant students eager for a good time amid the drudgery and pressure of schoolwork.

NOONG nakaraang taon, hinirang si Fr. Nereo Page Odchimar ng Mahal na Santo Papa bilang pinakabagong obispo ng Diyosesis ng Tandag, lalawigan ng Surigao del Sur.

Ipinanganak si Obispo Odchimar noong Oktubre 16, 1940 sa Bacuag, Surigao del Norte. Tinapos niya ang kursong Philosophy sa Sacred Heart Seminary, Palo, Leyte at Theology sa San Carlos Seminary, Makati. Naordenahan siya sa pagkapari noong Dec. 19, 1964.

Tomasino Siya

FEAR NOT Scooby-Doo lovers. The timid canine may now be spared of ghostly terrors.

Parapsychology (the study of apparitions, hauntings and poltergeists) has been trying to establish the existence of paranormal sightings since the early 80’s, but the lack of solid documentation and tangible evidence covered the studies with cobwebs.

Although the exact definition of a ghost is still a hot debate in science, the fear of paranormal experience may now be overcome with the help of modern gadgets.

THE PROFESSIONAL Regulatory Commission (PRC) named Assistant to the Rector for Research and Development Dr. Fortunato Sevilla this year’s Outstanding Professional Chemist Award last June 21 for his field and research works in Chemistry.

Prior to his citation, Sevilla was the only Thomasian to be nominated by the Professional Chemist Society, the national organization of chemists in the Philippines.

HEAVEN must have been frantic when this drug came out.

In this age where substitutes abound in many forms, the possibility of acquiring more hazards than benefits cannot be ignored.

Substitutes for fun may now be taken in available dosages to achieve a blissful feeling that lasts only several hours. The youth have been taking what is “in” rather than what is needed.