Tag: October 15, 2013

AMERICANS should look up to the Filipino youth in building a culture of life and love, a world-renowned evangelical speaker said.

“The Philippines is a global leader in terms of the virtuous culture,” said Jason Evert, American speaker on chastity, in the “Real Love Revolution 2013” forum last Sept. 5 at the University of Asia and the Pacific.

“The morality of the Filipino people is generally higher than any other countries. One of the examples is its youth’s almost 10 years delay in sex debut,” he said.

Recognizing Philippines as a predominantly Catholic country, Evert noted that Filipinos, despite some vices as part of culture, still manifest conservative living.

RESPECT for one’s dignity is the answer to societal problems like human trafficking, according to Catholic Church leaders.

Around 500 religious leaders gathered in a forum last month against human trafficking, the illegal exploitation of a person into forced labor or prostitution.

“Freedom Forum 2013: A Multi-Sectoral Gathering Against Human Trafficking,” was held last Sept. 5 at Christ’s Commission Fellowship in Pasig to tackle solutions to human trafficking.

It was organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and different religious organizations such as the Philippines Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) and National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP).

THE YEARLY Tribute to the Thomasians concert by the UST Symphony Orchestra at the Cultural Center of the Philippines was renamed SYmphoNERGY this year.

Mounted last last Sept. 1, the concert again featured the orchestra composed of students and faculty members of the UST Conservatory of Music, under the baton of Professor Herminigildo Ranera.

Under the baton of Ranera, they began with an overture from “Orpheus in the Underworld” by German-born French composer, Jacques Offenbach. The second half of the overture was familiar to the audience, with its fast, rhapsodic beat and rhythm often played in programs and shows.

Thomasian filmmaker Gil Portes made an exceptional take of an otherwise cliché plot—the impasse of family dilemma—in his latest film, “Ang Tag-Araw ni Twinkle,” screened last September at the Sineng Pambansa All Masters Edition Festival.

The film stars Elen Adarna as Twinkle Marie, Chris Villanueva as Cenon Payawan and Arnold Reyes as Ka Ruben. Also included are Rina Reyes, Dominic Roco, Marc Acueza and Pinky Amador, among others.

PAINTER Raymond Legaspi was a “promdi” (country bumpkin) from Silay City, Negros Occidental when he came to Manila in the 1980’s to study fine arts at the University of Santo Tomas. He relived the memories of those growing-up years, which, according to him, were his “most colorful years,” in his exhibit, Casting Memories, held July 25 to Aug. 13 at the Canvas Gallery and Garden in Quezon City.

Legaspi, a best-selling artist who won the Jurors’ Choice in the 2008 Philippine Art Awards, is known for his bright and happy colors and his fat and whimsical figures. He applied the same tact in his latest exhibit and added along the way biting social commentary, which was unavoidable since the Philippines experienced key political crises and transitions in the 1980’s.

For the second consecutive year, the Varsitarian has included poetry as part of its annual workshop on fiction writing. As a result, the workshop, which used to be called Fiction Workshop, has been renamed the Varsitarian Creative Writing Workshop.

The ninth edition of the workshop had as expert panelists fictionists Eros Atalia, Beverly Siy, and Joel Salud, as well as poets Rebecca Añonuevo and DM Reyes, and academic Shirley Lua.

Siy and Añonuevo emphasized simplicity.

“Do not be too wordy,” said Siy. “Small details can be used to tell stories.”

“Poetry should not be too elaborated,” said Anonuevo.

UST PUBLISHING House released several new titles during the 34th Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia from Sept. 11 to 15.

Released were “Canticos: Apat na Boses,” a collection of Filipino and Bicol poetry by poet-filmmaker Kristian Cordero; “St. Thomas in a Minor Key,” a play by the late literary titan Ophelia Dimalanta; and “Burning Houses,” a collection of beautifully crafted poems by Palanca awardee Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta.

The UST Publishing House is recognized as one of premiere academic presses to grace the book fair each year.

The Publishing House is expected to go digital and consider eBooks as a medium, recognizing the need to adapt to technological advancements in order to stay relevant.

ISANG panukalang batas ang isinusulong ngayon upang pag-igihin ang komunikasyon sa bansa para sa mga pipi at bingi. Ito ang House Bill no. 450 para sa ika-16 na kongreso ng Alliance of Concerned Teachers Party-List (ACT-Teachers) na naglalayong gawing opisyal na lengguwahe ng gobyerno ang Filipino Sign Language (FSL) sa lahat ng transaksiyon sa mga institusyon na may partisipasyon ang pipi at bingi.

Ayon kay Maneeka Sarza, legislative staff ng Act-Teachers, mahalagang maisabatas ang panukala dahil makatutulong ito upang mapabuti ang kalagayan ng mga pipi at bingi.

“Kapag ito ay napagtibay, magkakaroon ang hakbang na ito ng suportang pinansyal at serbisyo mula sa gobyerno at iba’t ibang institusyon,” ani Sarza.

ISANG manananggal ang humahayo mula sa isang manunulat sa tuwing babagtasin ng huli ang mundo ng hindi pangkaraniwan.

Ganito ang pagsasalarawan ni Edgar Calabia Samar sa kaniyang mula sa pagsulat sa kaniyang librong “Halos Isang Buhay: Ang Manananggal sa Pagsusulat ng Nobela” (UST Publishing House, 2013), ang nag-iisang kandidato ngayong taon para sa Isagani R. Cruz Prize for Literary Criticism/Literary History in a Philippine Language sa National Book Awards.

Aniya, ang kathang-isip ay maaaring maging inspirasyon sa pagsusulat lalo na isang nobela.

LIBRENG matrikula para sa ilang guro sa mga pampublikong paaralan ang naging tugon ng Unibersidad sa kakulangan ng tao sa sektor ng Edukasyon ilang dekada matapos ang Rebolusyon.

Taong 1928 nagpatala sa UST upang kumuha ng ilang kurso ang kauna-unahang guro mula sa pampublikong paaralan. Gayumpaman, 1933 na nang ipatupad ng College of Education ang libreng pag-aaral para sa mga public school teacher. Ito ay matapos mapuna ng kolehiyo na mula sa isang guro noong 1928 ay naging 25 na ang enrolment noong 1932 ng mga gurong nagnanais pang mag-aral nang kurso sa Unibersidad.