Tag: July 15, 2009

AN ELDERLY jogger is now fighting for her life while her companion was seriously injured when a car driven by a medical technology student hit them in front of the Santisimo Rosario Chapel last July 3.

Jonathan Estaris, 19, is facing criminal charges of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple serious physical injuries before the Metropolitan Trial Court of Manila. He was detained for three days, but was freed after posting bail worth P6,000.

HUMAKOT ng pitong posisyon sa Top 10 ang UST sa Pharmacy board exam na ginanap noong Hunyo, ngunit sumadsad naman ang passing rate nito.

Pinangunahan ng Tomasinong si Cheryl Lynn Cu Tan ang 780 na pumasa ngayong taon. Nagkamit siya ng markang 89.75, kasama si Johannes Gubat ng University of the Philippines.

Nakuha rin ng mga Tomasino ang pangalawa, -tatlo, -apat, -lima, -anim, -walo, at -siyam na pwesto sa Top 10. Ito ay sina Paola San Roque (88.47), Maria Pantalla (88.42), Madinah Corpuz (88.17), Clairefrancis De Guzman (88.13), Charmaine Ong (88.05), at Patricia Abalos (87.72).

IN THREE years, UST alumni will finally have a place on campus they can call their own.

The Office for Alumni Relations is pursuing a plan to establish a four-story alumni center as part of the University’s quadricentennial celebration in 2011.

The center will occupy the UST gym, whose façade will be retained, while a new gym will be constructed beside the multi-deck carpark (see story on page 1).

Alumni Relations Director Evelyn Songco said the center would serve as a multi-function building for alumni events, and would have lodging rooms for visiting alumni.

Officials have yet to finalize the number of lodging and function rooms. The rooms will be named after alumni donors. Details of the renovation are still being discussed and the contractor has yet to be selected.

The UST swimming pool, the first Olympic-sized swimming pool in Asia, will still be part of the alumni center and will be refurbished.

A CROSS-DRESSING thief was caught just outside the campus last month, just days after the opening of classes was marred by a similar incident.

Legal Management junior Giselle Rivera nearly lost her wallet and cellphone to Brian Duque, 20, outside the Dapitan gate of the University last June 25.

Rivera, who was then at Antonio Street beside C&E Bookshop, said she felt a slight movement in her shoulder bag, prompting her to check it, only to find out that her cellphone and wallet were missing.

“I saw him (Duque) dressed in woman’s clothing, covering his face, and pretending to fold an umbrella beside a bookstore,” Rivera said in the police report.

THE UST Singers have “wowed” the world again, bagging three awards in the California International Choral Festival and Competition held from June 26 to 28.

The UST group won first prize in the Required Pieces and Folk Song competitions, besting five other contenders. The choral group was also awarded the People’s Choice award based on audience votes after the competition.

Only two Filipino choirs joined the contest. The other one was the Prime Note Ensemble, a group of male overseas Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia.

The competition had three categories, namely Required Pieces, Folk Song, and Choir’s Choice.

In the first event, participants performed two similar song pieces. The Folk Song category saw each choir sing their countries’ native songs.

The performers also had the chance to perform songs of their choice in the third category, where St. Zlata Meglenska choir from Macedonia emerged victorious.

THE COLLEGE of Tourism and Hospitality Management again bagged awards in the annual inter-school Manila Food and Beverage Expo (Mafbex) last June 21 at the World Trade Center.

The college won a total of four medals in the competition, composed of gold honors for their version of Pasta Negra in the Live Pasta Cooking category; a silver in the table setting category, and two bronzes in the cheesecake and mocktails-mixing portion.

The college team was composed of hotel and restaurant management seniors Ferdie Azogue, George Ramos, and Maggie Gersbach, among others.

COLLEGE of Architecture Dean John Joseph Fernandez now sits as president of the Council of Deans and Heads of Architecture Schools in the Philippines, leading 70 member-schools.

Fernandez succeeded Jean Cornejo of the Adamson University during the council’s meeting last April 22 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay, where he was elected president for a two-year term.

One of the most challenging tasks of for the council is to improve communication among all member-schools.

“UST is considered as the biggest architectural school in the country. Many other architectural schools [in the country] usually follow the lead of the University,” he said.

The council works closely with the United Architects of the Philippines in maintaining the high quality of architecture education in the country, he said.