Tag: No. 5

WHILE still awaiting the results of a thorough review of plans to expand and commercialize the UST Hospital, the University is bent on seeking better terms from a group of banks supposed to finance the expansion, following a directive from the Dominican headquarters in Rome for the hospital to keep its educational character.

Acting Rector Rolando V. de la Rosa, O.P. said the University wants to renegotiate the P3-billion loan from a consortium of banks signed last April to reduce the cost of the hospital redevelopment.

A committee has been studying the redevelopment plan and had submitted a preliminary report last October 8. The committee was due to submit another report last October 15, which will be fine-tuned before the results are disseminated, Father De la Rosa said in an interview.

ALL’S for the best, said UST’s top three officials whose resignations had been accepted by the Master of the Dominican Order due to Rome’s disagreement with their redevelopment plan for the UST Hospital.

“I am leaving excitedly for Letran Calamba,” said resigned UST rector Fr. Ernesto Arceo, O.P., who would now be a resident faculty of the Philippine Dominican Province’s school in Laguna.

Father Arceo announced his post-UST plans during a farewell dinner tendered for the three priests by Acting Rector Fr. Rolando V. de la Rosa at the UST Central Seminary gymnasium last October 3.

The dinner was an opportunity for Father Arceo and the two other top UST officials — resigned Philippine Dominican Province prior provincial Fr. Edmund Nantes, O.P. and resigned vice-rector Fr. Juan Ponce, O.P. — to formally bid goodbye to the UST community as well as come clean on the issues that led to their resignations.

THOMASIANS will greet not only a new year in January 2008 but also likely, a new, yet old, rector.

The acting rector, Fr. Rolando V. de la Rosa, O.P., may have to stay on the job for at least four more years after being chosen by fellow Dominicans and University deans to serve a full term as rector.

Father De la Rosa, appointed acting UST rector by the Dominican master general last September to spearhead the review of the controversial spinoff and expansion of UST Hospital, won successive ballots conducted among UST Dominicans and members of the Academic Senate in accordance with the University’s General Statutes.

FOR THE second consecutive year, the UST Publishing House (USTPH) was awarded Publisher of the Year by the Manila Critics Circle during the 24th National Book Awards last Sept. 4 at the World Trade Center, Pasay City.

“When you say ‘winner’, you are producing quality books,” USTPH Director Mecheline Manalastas told the Varsitarian. “We had six award recipients out of 11, the most number of award recipients among the publishers.”