Tag: Vol. LXXXII

THOMASIAN visual artists set the agenda for the new administration through Pitong Salita: Paalala sa Bagong Administrasyon, an exhibit at the Sining Kamalig of the Gateway Mall in Quezon City last June 7 to 30.

Dominique Alfonso, Kevin Fernandez, Luis Hernandez, Darylle Cajucom, Jay Jamoralin, JR Urao, and Michael Zacari showcased their visual flair to depict social and political concerns that should preoccupy the new administration of President Benigno Aquino III. Enrico Manlapaz was the curator.

UST College of Fine Arts and Design graduates Jamoralin and Fernandez employed comic styles and rich symbolisms to portray social and political ills in the Philippines.

ANDRES Barrioquinto signals a shift in his trademark portraiture in Squalor of the Mind, running at the West Gallery on West Avenue, QC until July 17.

From cartoonish, nearly gothic close-ups of people, Barrioquinto’s portraits have become lifelike, almost photographic. And from the usual browns and neutral colors, the color palette has become more diverse, even bright and pulsating.

Which should not mean that the gothic mood has been discarded. The collection still reeks of dark pessimism. Although his art has become more photographic, Barrioquinto’s style remains expressionistic, his graphic and pictorial strengths serving to serve the ends of psychological depictions of alienation and estrangement.

THE YELLOW crowd trooped to the Quirino Grandstand last June 30 to witness the inauguration of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. But somewhere in Makati, an art show was painting the town in triumphant yellow.

Yellow Paintings, a tribute exhibit to the late former President Corazon Aquino and a celebration of her son’s electoral victory, had opened at the Tower Club in collaboration with Galleria Nicolas last June 25 and ran until July 8.

Curated by art historian and UST Architecture graduate Reuben Ramos Cañete, the exhibit of paintings and sculptures was originaly shown during the People Power Revolution anniversary last February.

IN THE third installment of Disney Pixar’s Toy Story, Andy is already 17 years old and is about to enter college life. He now drives his own car and is seemingly anatomically attached to his electronic gadgets no longer the adorable critter who gets ecstatic over trips to the pizza parlors and playing with toys.

Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle once described a “true University” as a collection of books.

Holding true to this statement, the Miguel de Benavides Library (UST Central Library) makes a showcase of its rich collections through Lumina Pandit: an Exhibition of Historical Treasures, a multimillion international exhibit that is one of the highlights of UST’s Quadricentennial.

“Book lovers, antiquarians, academicians, historians, students, and all Filipinos who want to develop their sense of history can come to UST and be part of this spectacular exhibition.” Rector Fr. Rolando de la Rosa, O.P., said in a speech during the formal opening last June 17.

In Miguel Syjuco’s acclaimed novel, Ilustrado, the “enlightened” ones have taken on a modernized form.

During the 19th century, ilustrados were originally known as men who bore radical ideas of liberalism and nationalism in the waning years of the Spanish colonization.

But today, the ilustrados are the “balikbayan” or repatriate Filipinos, like the author himself who after leaving his motherland in search for greener pastures, still chose to write for truth rather than to write the “truth”.

Reaping awards such as the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize and Palanca Grand Prize, Ilustrado opens with the protagonist venturing into a fictional in-depth investigation of the life of his mentor and friend, Crispin Salvador.

NANG maghulog ng mga dilaw na talulot sa mga tao ang isang helikopter matapos ang panunumpa ni Pangulong “Noynoy” Aquino noong Hunyo 30 sa Quirino Grandstand, isang Tomasino ang naging saksi sa makasaysayang senaryong ito.

Para kay Karen Ivy Santos, 18, ng College of Tourism and Hospitality Management, hindi pangkaraniwan ang mga talulot na ito sapagkat ang mga ito ay paalala ng kaniyang tungkulin bilang isang kabataang Filipino.

Ang inagurasyon ay habambuhay na magiging bahagi ng kasaysayan, hindi lang dahil sa mga tala ng mga historyador at mamamahayag, mga retrato, kundi pati na rin sa mga memorabilia na nauuso sa panahong ito.

ALAM n’yo ba na mayroong panahon kung kailan ang UST wari mo’y nagbigay ng “vocational courses?”

Inilunsad ng UST ang mga short term na kurso noong panuruang taon 1974-1975 sa ilalim ng noo’y Institute of Technological Courses sa layon ng gobyerno na gawing kapaki-pakinabang ang mga kabataan kahit na sila’y hindi nakapagtapos ng apat na taong kolehiyo.

Ang Institute of Technological Courses ay itunuring na yunit ng Faculty of Engineering at ang dekano nito ay naging kabalikat ng direktor ng instituto sa pamamahala.

AFTER all the promises made, it’s time to walk the talk.

President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III has vowed to solve the problems he has inherited from the Arroyo administration by fighting corruption, creating jobs, improving the education system and establishing a credible judicial process.

“For almost a decade, we suffered under an administration whose mandate has been mired in corruption and cheating. But now, I have been given an opportunity to uplift people’s lives,” Aquino said in a letter sent to the Varsitarian.

He said he would improve the quality of education and health, generate jobs, and implement judicial reforms.

FOLLOWING the uproar over the Reproductive Health Bill, the teaching of sex education among elementary and high school students has drawn staunch opposition from Catholic Church and pro-life advocates.

With the issuance of Memorandum No. 261, implementing the “Adolescent Reproductive Health Project” (ADR Project), the Department of Education (DepEd) is conducting a pilotest on teaching sex education in 80 public elementary schools and 79 public high schools this school year, despite objections from the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has stressed that parents are responsible for teaching their children about this matter, not their school teachers.