Tag: September 17, 2010

THE HOUSE of Representatives has passed a resolution lauding the UST Singers for again winning the prestigious Choir of the World award.

Valenzuela Congressman Magtanggol Gunigundo, author of the resolution, recognized the choir’s achievement as champion in the 63rd Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod held in the United Kingdom last April. Llangolen is the biggest and oldest music festival in the world.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte gave the award to the conductor of the UST Singers, Fidel Calalang Jr., last August 31. The singers, in return, gave the legislators a sample of their winning performance.

The UST Singers first won the Choir of the World Prize in 1995. It is the only Asian choir that has won the much-coveted title.

TEATRO Tomasino, the university-wide theater guild of the University of Santo Tomas, will be staging “Ang Kalungkutan Ng Mga Reyna,” the guild’s first major production for the academic year 2010-2011.

Directed by Aina Katrina Dawang, the play tells about the story of a female leader preparing to join the ranks of the monarch. Believing that poeple will change their perception of her, she hires a hairstylist to change her physical image and mostly her hair.

THE LUNETA bloodbath that took the lives of eight Hong Kong tourists and the hostage-taker drew not only criticism against the police’s incompetence in dealing crisis situations, but also the scoop-hungry media’s excesses.

The incident, which gained world-wide attention last August 23, brought hard lessons for both police and press. The world witnessed the government’s inept response to the crisis, shown by the poor training of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, the lack of equipment and crisis strategy, and poor communication. The President and police hierarchy have apologized for the botched rescue attempt. How about the media? It’s a fact – the broadcast media’s blow-by-blow live coverage was a case of too much information. The public knew what was happening. But so did gunman Rolando Mendoza.

The University’s implementation of “vertical articulation,” wherein specific academic areas are housed in a single department in a bid to professionalize specific academic disciplines, is a step in the right direction.

The program that started last year has resulted in the formation of six university-wide academic departments, namely English, Filipino, History, Social Sciences, Philosophy and Literature. Before, there were only three academic departments handling these disciplines ––Languages, Social Sciences and Humanities.

FLOYD Mayweather Jr. must have been tired of playing hide-and-seek against Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao because apparently, he now has the backbone to fight him, not inside the boxing ring but in the virtual world of the Internet.

The racist remarks of Mayweather, who referred to Pacman as a “little yellow chump” and a “midget,” which appeared to be a live recording uploaded at u.Stream.com, a video-sharing website, has raised ethical questions among the media and boxing aficionados alike. In the video clip, he also said that the fight will take place only if Pacquiao will quit taking “power pellets,” referring to the performance-enhancing drugs he accuses Pacman to be using or probably his excuse so as not to spoil his unscathed 41-0 record.

IT’S NO longer surprising to ride a jeepney and find a couple of people—children, adults, or a combination of both—trailing behind you. They wear mismatched clothes, smell like they haven’t bathed in days, and carry with them milk formula cans made into drums and tattered white envelopes. Over passengers’ laps or bags, they place these envelopes, which state in grade school handwriting that either they belong to an ethnic group or that they need money for food. If you’re lucky, you might get to listen to a song you can’t understand at all. Then, they collect their envelopes and get off the vehicle. No “thanks” or a smile if you give, and a big frown and slurred, unrecognizable words if you don’t.

Thank you for the honor and opportunity to speak in behalf of the 1,597 physicians who passed the August 2010 board examinations for medicine. We are a truly diverse group, graduating from 32 different medical schools, from different cities, provinces and even countries, different family backgrounds, and different religions. We have gathered here today to take an oath that shall forever bind us to the responsibilities of the profession we have chosen. Lest we forget, let us begin with the most essential – a message of gratitude.

First, let me thank our parents and families who supported us through seemingly endless financially and emotionally demanding years. Without them, today would have been impossible.

THOUGH flooding may seem to be a perennial problem in urban areas like Metro Manila, a Thomasian architect still remains hopeful that a well-drafted plan could be a solution.
Felino Palafox, Jr., founder of Palafox Associates, created a blueprint of the flood plan for Metro Manila to curb the rise of water levels during the rainy season. His idea caught the attention of the Aquino administration, which is now planning to include it in a broader approach to the flood problem.

Containing the flood problem

In 1977, Palafox started the Metro Manila Transport, Land Use and Development Planning (MMetroplan) project, which was funded by the World Bank, to manage flooding in Metro Manila.

THEY SAY that success is not a destination but a journey.

For the UST Singers, the road to being the “Choir of the World” for the second time was full of bumps and hurdles—from airport mishaps to homesickness and family heartbreaks.

“We made a lot of sacrifices before, during and after our [Europe] tour,” Karen Arriola, the singing group’s president, said.

The group had to spend hours in musical training, which usually went on for long nights, in order to give way to most members who are still students.

Efforts to prevent crimes on campus have just gone hi-tech.

School officials have invested at least P3 million for the purchase of 12 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras mounted mostly to monitor road intersections within the university. More cameras will be installed in every building by the end of the year.

“The installation of these cameras was solely for the security and safety of Thomasians,” said Fr. Roberto Pinto O.P., head of the Facilities Management Office (FMO).

Installed near the CCTV cameras are loud speakers that play background music when not used for public announcements. Playlist includes the UST Hymn, Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, and Pachelbel’s Canon in D.