Tag: Vol. LXXXV

WILL this season of typhoons be a replay of tragic episodes of the past?

It is undeniable that until now, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa)—the agency responsible for flood and typhoon warnings and other astronomical and climatological information—still lacks high-end equipment needed in providing accurate weather forecasts for Filipinos who are gravely affected by the drastic effects of flooding and landslides.

LITERARY critic and theorist Northtrop Frye has said, “The most technologically efficient machine that man has ever invented is the book.”

True enough, books have become a big part of our lives. The feeling of picking up a fresh copy, one’s fingers ruffling the pages and one’s nose smelling the fresh print of ink on paper brings a sense of giddy happiness to a reader.

But the emergence of electronic books, or e-books, seems to have put traditional books in the backburner in favor of tablets and smartphones.

It seems that technology is slowly replacing print media. Everywhere I turn I see someone holding an iPad or a Kindle, reading today’s latest bestsellers.

WILL K to 12 boost Filipino graduates’ marketability?

President Aquino signed last May 15 the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, the law mandatory to the K to 12 program, extending basic education to 12 years.

Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) Commissioner Cynthia Bautista said the new law will somehow “level” Filipino students with students in other countries. Filipino students usually fall short in terms of competency due to lack of education, she said.

“Filipinos will get jobs in Asia but they will be vulnerable to sub-optimal conditions because they lack two years,” said Bautista.

The additional two years will allow Filipino graduates to continue their studies abroad, she added.

SOME sectors of the economy are not reaping the fruits of recent growth in gross domestic product (GDP).

The Philippines grew by 7.8 percent in the first quarter of the year, the highest under President’s Aquino’s term and exceeding economists’ expectations.

But analysts are not yet giving P-Noy the thumbs up.

Alvin Ang, UST economics professor and president of the Philippine Economic Society, said not everybody gained from economic growth, and adding that not all sectors grew at the same time.

“With agriculture that has seasonal employment, for example, workers have the tendency to be idle during non-planting season but can be productive by seeking alternative jobs instead,” Ang said in an interview.

ILUMINADA Coronel is 82 but for this Franciscan sister, age indeed is just a number.

Since 1977, she has been heading the prestigious Mathematics Teachers Association of the Philippines (MTAP), believing that her teaching is her "scholarly mission."

”I am guided by the principle that the development of people is part of evangelization," she told the Varsitarian.

Coronel earned her degree in Mathematics magna cum laude at UST in 1952. She later took her master’s degree at Ateneo de Manila University where she taught until her retirement in 1991.

A GOLD-COLORED “passport” and a ceremonial walk under the historic Arch of the Centuries—welcome to college life, UST-style.

Beginning a new chapter in one's student life at UST can be more memorable with a couple of ceremonial gestures freshmen look forward at the start of the academic year.

“Rituals are important. They are very meaningful to the lives of people. They symbolize something deeper. These are external signs of values of attitudes that we have, and these rituals symbolize our character and our identity,” said Evelyn Songco, assistant to the rector for student affairs.

Thomasian Journey Passport

YOUNG Thomasian evangelists are on the rise.

Thomasians had the most number of delegates out of 9,600 students, pastors and professionals in Ignite 2013, a three-day national conference organized by LifeBox Philippines—Every Nation Asia, a Christian youth organization, last May 29 to 31 at the Cuneta Astrodome, Pasay City.

Registration data showed that around 500 Thomasians attended the event and almost 1,500 Thomasians are now part of LifeBox.

Challenge to the youth

This year’s Ignite focused on challenging the youth to be “used” for God’s purpose. The gathering happens every two years.

ALONG with the celebration of the Year of Faith and Era of New Evangelization, national shrines, cathedrals and parishes throughout the country participated in the National Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary last June 8.

With the theme “Isang Bayang Sumisinta Kay Maria,” Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle focused on the impact of consecration— association of the faithful to the Divine— to the Filipino people.

Tagle said being consecrated to God is not about a ritual of attending the celebration, but the changes that implicate after the celebration.

THE PRO-LIFE party-list that topped the recent midterm elections is vowing to block “anti-life” bills in Congress.

Buhay Hayaang Yumabong (Buhay) partylist got three seats in the House of Representatives with 1,265,992 votes or 4.74 percent, based on the data from the Commission on Elections.

Jose “Lito” Atienza, Jr., incoming Buhay party-list representative, emphasized the importance of educating the public on the provisions of the Reproductive Health (RH) law.

SA PAGTANAW ng nakaraan, matututunan natin kung paano mabubuo ang ating pagkakakilanlan bilang isang Pilipino at makata.

Ito ang paksang tinalakay ni Virgilio Almario, pambansang alagad ng sining at tagapagtatag ng Linangan ng Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (Lira), sa kaniyang taunang panayam na “Reklamasyon at Rekuperasyon ng Pambansang Gunita” noong ika-8 ng Hunyo sa bagong gusali ng College of Arts and Letters sa University of the Philippines Diliman.

Itinatag noong 1985, ang Lira ay ang nangungunang organisasyon ng mga makata sa bansa na nagsusulat sa wikang Pilipino. Ang naturang panayam ay para pasinayaan ang pagbubukas ng klinikang pampanulan ng samahan.