Tag: News Briefs

NURSING senior Dan Erwin Bagaporo won first prize for his essay “Pride in Profession” in the youth category of the Goi Peace Foundation-United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) International Essay Contest last Oct. 27.

The annual contest, which had the theme, “My story of inspiration,” drew over 7,000 international entries.

“I think what made my essay stand out was that it was about people who are in need of compassion, namely, the elderly,” Bagaporo said.

Along with the first-prize winner in the children’s category, he will receive the Minister of Education Award in Tokyo, Japan on Nov. 19 as part of this year’s Goi Peace Foundation forum.

A KOREAN university has tapped UST to provide English language training to Korea nursing students.

Thirty female students of Gyeongju University in South Korea will undergo an English language proficiency program for three months at the College of Nursing.

The memorandum of agreement was signed by Vice Rector Fr. Pablo Tiong O.P. and Gyeongju University president Soonja Lee last Sept. 20.

The program is part of the 2011 Autumn Semester project of the “7+1 Semester Abroad” program of Gyeongju University that will run from Sept. 19 to Dec. 9.

UST Guidance and Counseling Department celebrated it foundation week through seminars and workshops with inspirational speakers last Sept. 5 to 8.

With the theme “Of hearts and minds: Promoting a Culture of Understanding in the School Setting,” the activities help in facilitating the understanding of self, others and community in general.

Now on its second year, the Guidance week is in line with United Nation’s International Year of the Youth’s theme which is on dialogue and communication.

NAGDAOS ang Faculty of Civil Law, kasama ang UST Law Alumni Foundation, Inc., ng isang salu-salo bilang pagkilala sa mga Tomasinong abogadong naglilingkod sa pamahalaan noong sa Central Seminary Gym noong Agosto 19.

Tinatayang 200 ang dumalo sa nasabing pagtitipon na pawang nagseserbisyo sa piskalya at ilang mga tanggapan sa gobyerno.

“[Thomasian lawyers] perform their duties with dignity and continue to bring honor to UST,” ani Sandiganbayan Justice Oscar Herrera, Jr., pangulo ng alumni foundation.

Gaganapin naman ang isa pang testimonial dinner para sa mga nasa pribadong sektor sa Setyembre 23. RAFAEL L. ANTONIO

THE UNIVERSITY has pledged a million signatures in a drive to stop mining operations and save biodiversity in Palawan.

The signatures for the anti-mining advocacy led by the “Save Palawan Movement” will be added to the 10 million already collected that will be submitted to the House of Representatives and the Senate.

In line with this, a symposium, titled “One Million Pledge to Save the Environment: No to Mining In Palawan,” was held at the Medicine Auditorium last July 8 to discuss the threats of the mining activities.

“Biodiversity [especially in Palawan] is irreplaceable; it can never be returned,” ABS-CBN Foundation General Manager Gina Lopez said before some 300 attendees.

FOR THE first time, the UST Health Service visited four colleges on campus for a wellness caravan from July 19 to 22, in line with its physical fitness program.

The wellness caravan of “USTeps to Wellness: Fit and Well @ 400” consisted of nutrition counseling, health risk assessments, Body Mass Index determination, a wellness fair, a mini-wellness convention, and physical fitness sessions.

“The [wellness caravan] is part of [the University’s] disease prevention,” said Health Service director Ma. Salve Olalia. “If you want to prevent diseases, you have to promote health.”

THE UST Singers received encores and standing ovations in their International Concert Tour 2011 from May 3 to June 20 in Europe.

The 18-year-old choir, conducted by Fidel Calalang—International Federation for Choral Music member and recipient of the Parangalang Bayan Award for National Achievers—serenaded the cities of Hamburg, Berlin, Hanover, and Frankfurt in Germany, Malle in Belgium, Torrevieja, and Valencia in Spain.

The UST Singers’ concert repertoire include “Broadway con Brio,” “O Magnum Mysterium,” and “O Naraniag a Bulan.”

FACULTY of Arts and Letters (Artlets) alumnus Wilfred Ritona placed second in the Philippine Leg of the World Quizzing Championships (WQC) held at Murphy’s Irish Pub in Makati City last June 4.

Ritona, a Political Science graduate, scored 91 points and ranked 368th among 1,483 participants from 32 countries.

Two other Thomasians entered the top seven of the WQC Philippine Leg. Artlets’ David Nadora landed on 6th place (79 points) and Rhovee Vistan, from the Faculty of Engineering, on 7th place (75 points).

The Philippines ranked 21st in the “top-performing nations” list with 292 points.

A COMMUNICATION Arts alumna took the center stage as she played a lead role in a Korean musical play.

Cherrish Maningat-Bae, the only Filipino in the cast of Arirang Fantasy, plays the role of a Filipina whose Korean husband died and ended up taking care of their daughter, her mother-in-law, and their farm.

“It was hard because since I can’t speak Korean as fluently as the locals but not being able to speak the language fluently doesn’t make me inferior,” she stated on a friend’s website.

Composed and directed by Song Shi-hyeon, Arirang Fantasy will be touring 20 cities in Korea from June 8 to July 30. R. L. Antonio

FACULTY of Arts and Letters Student Council President Vincent Aljon Cifra placed second in the Intercollegiate Extemporaneous Speaking Contest last September 15 at the Senate in Pasay.

The contest was hosted by the Senate and the Metro Manila Toastmasters to commemorate the third International Day of Democracy.

Pauline Gairanod of Ateneo De Manila University, and Carlito Reyes of De La Salle University emerged champion and third place, respectively.

Six students from Ateneo, De La Salle, San Beda College, University of the East, University of the Philippines and UST joined the contest. Justinne Chynna V. Garcia