Tag: September 17, 2010

THOMASIANS have more reason to be proud as UST nears its Quadricentennial—the country’s oldest University has become one of the largest contributors to the country’s educated workforce.

Referring to the University’s consistent domination of state licensure examinations, Rector Fr. Rolando de la Rosa, O.P., said UST’s greatest contribution to nation-building “is the fact that it is the biggest producer of competent professionals in the country.”

FRANCE’S Fr. Bruno Cadoré, O.P., is the new Master General of the Order of Preachers, elected by the 290th Dominican General Chapter at the Salesianum in Rome last September 5.

Cadoré, former head of the French Dominicans, replaced Fr. Carlos Aspiroz Costa, who served as Master General of the Dominican Order from 2001 to 2010. The 86th successor of Saint Dominic will serve a nine-year term. As Master General, Cadoré is also the Chancellor of UST.

In an interview with h2onews.org, Cadoré said the role of the Master of the Order is to be the “servant of unity among all brothers, communities, and different cultures around the world.”

THE GIL Gamilla-led faculty union has again been caught handing out unauthorized loans, barely a month after the creation of a body that will probe the alleged illegal release of P9.5 million in union funds to a property developer.

In a financial report presented by union treasurer Aurora Domingo last September 3 in the Faculty General Assembly at the Medicine Auditorium, a certain Peter Bautista was shown as having paid P230,000 to the union.

The item caught the attention of College of Nursing professor John Vincent Ignacio, prompting him to ask Domingo about the money in the open forum.

“Who is this Mr. Peter Bautista who handed P230,000 to the union and why did he give that amount?” Ignacio said in Filipino.

TWO THOMASIANS were feted by Rector Fr. Rolando de la Rosa, O.P. for their “sterling service” to the Thomasian community.

Former College of Nursing Regent Fr. Antonio Cabezon, O.P., and physician Antonia Raymundo, chairwoman of the laboratory department of the UST Hospital, were recognized during the Rector’s Report last September 8 at the Medicine Auditorium.

“The inspiring work of these two Thomasians is a potent reminder of the promise of Jesus to workers who honestly work in his vineyard,” De la Rosa said.

“Father Cabezon is best known as the ever-active and ever-present regent of the College of Nursing for many years,” said in the audio-visual presentation prepared for him.

THE OFFICE for Alumni Relations and the Faculty of Civil Law have launched their respective websites, with the former aiming to strengthen links with alumni and the latter seeking to help graduating students in the bar exams.

Civil Law unveiled its new website, which includes an updated electronic library with a databank of jurisprudence, legislations, and rules and issuances, last August 24.

The website, www.ustcivillaw.com, is open to Thomasian and even non-Thomasian law students and bar reviewers.

Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina said using the Internet would “help strengthen the foundation of the students and prepare them to the fast-paced realm of the outside world.”

THE UNIVERSITY emerged as the top-performing school in the September 2010 medical technology board examinations, while two Thomasians made it to the top 10 of the licensure test for chemists.

George Michael Ngo Sosuan, who obtained a 92.30-percent passing rate, led the country’s 910 new medical technologists. Among 265 Thomasians who took the exam, 251 passed, or 94.72 percent. Last year’s passing rate was 89.00 percent.

Other Thomasians who made it to the top 10 were Francisco IV Patling Tria (89.40 percent), Aileen Geobee Go Uy (89.20 percent) and Jude Anthony Cervas Trinidad (89.00 percent) who got the 5th, 6th and 8th spots, respectively.

The national passing rate increased to 71.21 percent from last year’s to 56.91 percent.

TWO NEW academic majors may be added to the 10 courses offered by the Faculty of Arts and Letters within two years.

Artlets Dean Michael Anthony Vasco said the new courses are still in the planning stage, but the Faculty expects to offer the Bachelor of Arts in Filipino major in Translation and Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies major in Peace Studies by 2013 or 2014.

Imelda de Castro, chairwoman of the newly formed Department of Filipino and Artlets faculty member, proposed the establishment of AB Filipino major in Translation.

“[The program] is not only for teachers, but also for practitioners,” said Imelda de Castro, chairman of the Department of Filipino.

THE HEAD of the UST Samahan ng Manggagawa (UST-SM) won a new five-year term in union elections last September 7.

Restituto Llamas, an employee at the accounting division, filed his certificate of candidacy 15 minutes before the deadline, as no one wanted his post.

“In all honesty, I was giving away the presidency. I want others to experience all the hardships I have experienced for the past five years,” said Llamas.

Llamas said the union would draft a new collective bargaining agreement for all employees in support services when the new officers are sworn in. The oath-taking will be on October 7.

FREEDOM of the press and the public’s right to information are not absolute.

Following the hostage crisis at Quirino Grandstand last August 23 that killed eight tourists from Hong Kong, a veteran journalist and UST journalism professor pointed to media’s failure to observe guidelines in covering crises.

In a panel discussion between communication educators and government representatives at the Philippine Social Science Center last August 31, Alice Colet-Villadolid, said the media interfered in the work of security officials by airing a blow-by-blow coverage of the of the hostage-taking and even interviewing the gunman, Rolando Mendoza, who was killed in a botched rescue attempt by the police.

JOSE “Joegar” Garcia, an advocate of “sexual reorientation” and professor at the Faculty of Arts and Letters, succumbed to his eight-month battle with lung and bone cancer last August 31. He was 53.

“He was not only a professor inside the classroom; he also wanted us to grow and experience our field outside of the school,” said Anna Ramona Estrella, a student of Garcia in 2009.

“As a counselor, he respects the progress of each one of us and does not rush us to undergo change immediately,” said Alfie Vargas, a caregiver who sought help from Garcia when the latter was still a counselor the Redemptorist Church in Baclaran.