Features

A Fourth century jubilee for UST

Published

14 years ago

February 9, 2011

The students have grown restless, cannot help but stare at the large, yellow, standing

man and holding a swatch watch; counting the remaining days of a such great and once in a lifetime celebration. The people have gone busy with the preparations, beautifying the whole university, and thoroughly organizing the sequence of events for the upcoming event. Finally, after a year waiting since the kick-off party last Paskuhan 2009, the long-awaited event launched its blast.

On the vigorous evening of January 27, 2011, right after the unveiling of the Quattromondial at the quadricentennial park, the speakers of the stage boomed its sounds away to start the UST’s Quadricentennial Grand Celebration. The univeristy grounds were filled with bright lights, and of students, faculty members, Dominican priests and even people from outside, eager to see the spectacular event of the year. Several booths were standing near the grandstand field where people buy UST memorabilia, food and other fun stuffs.

The celebration was cordially opened by a doxology participated by various students holding candles that shine light upon the dark field.

A splendid opening act of a man rappelling from the top of the main building, air dancing in the grandstand, a motorcycle show in the plaza mayor, and a dance number byHotlegsand Manuevers with a single blow of fireworks welcomed the crowd.

The opening remarks was lively given by Fr. Pablo Tiong O.P., the Vice Rector of the university, thanking the Almighty God for having the university reached its four hundredth mark in the history as the oldest, royal, pontifical university in Asia. He ended his speech with an advice to his“fellow and dear quadricentennialThomasians” to study harder to achieve their desired goals and to remain faithful to God.

A loud expression of the infamous tagline “Me Ganon?!” came out after, revealing the famous host, Mr. Fu, who was a communication arts alumnus from Faculty of Arts and Letters. He fondly recalled his days in the university as a student that amused the audience, bringing them all to laughter.

After a while, he introduced Aiko Melendez who gave praises for the university. Mr. Fu then introduced the oldest living alumna of the university, the 100-year-old Amadea Medina, who graduated Magna Cum Laude with the degree Bachelor of Science in Education, major in English and minor in Home Economics. Lola Amadea went upstage with a smile on her face and talked to Mr. Fu, reliving her memories as a student. When she was asked what the university looked like back her time, she gladly said that the grounds were still filled with trees and there were no buildings unlike this generation. She added that the corridors in the buildings were separated from boys to girls. Her short story brought amusement to the students who in turn cheered for her. Before Lola Amadea bid farewell, she left words of encouragement to all students saying, “magingseryososapag-aaralangmga mag-aaral, magkaroonngisang goal, at positive thinking lagi.”

After the short yet inspiring talk with LolaAmadea, Mr. Fu narrated the brief history of UST founded by the former Archbishop of Manila, Miguel de Benavides, O.P. It was followed by a video clip and various folkdance numbers representing the four centuries that the university has gone through.

Shortly, comedy-actor Archie Alemaña came on stage and relived his days being a member of the UST Yellow Jackets. Like Mr. Fu, Alemaniawas also a communication arts graduate and said that he was proud being a student of Arts and Letters. He later introduced one of the matinee idols of the 80’s and 90’s who is a graduate of Faculty of Engineering, Mr. Albert Martinez.

Martinez also reminisced his experiences in the university, leading to throwing light jokes with Alemaña which brought the crowd to laughter. Both of them introduced the next guest, the Broadway singer, Robert Seña, who awed the crowd with his astounding voice. He was soon followed by numerous guests such as Apple Chiu who is an alumna ofthe College of Fine Arts and Design; Janine Desiderio; RJ Jimenez, from the Faculty of Engineering; Jamie Rivera who graduated from the Faculty of Commerce; and John Lapuz who graduated from the College of Tourism and Hotel Management in the year 1989 and was an active member of the TeatroTomasino back then.

Like the other celebrity alumni, Lapuz told his story during his stay in UST, comparing the surroundings way back his time to today and the infamous flooding around UST. He later on introduced the oldest choral group of the university, UST Action Singers, founded on 1972.

The group was then followed by the alumni of the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe and its present members, dancing together with the Hotlegs. After the dance number, Student Organization Coordinating Council’s (SOCC) president, Luis Asistio III together with Ms. Philippines Eco-Tourism Angela Fernando introduced the next guest, Erik Santos who sang “This is the Moment”;

Pop Princess Sarah Geronimo, who spent her first two years in high school at the UST Education High School, rendered various song and dance performances one of which is a rendition of Michael Jackson’s “They don’t really care about us.”

Itchyworms whose lead singer, Jugs, approached the audience and shook hands with them made the crowd even livelier with their band performance.

Pure Energy, Mr. Gary Valenciano, performed a special dance number with the Maneuvers and sang two of his great hits. He surprised the students with his awesome dance moves and later gave some inspiring message for the students.

AizaSeguerra from the College of Music also performed. She was followed by this year’s SOCC Cheer Mania Competition Champion, the BS Commerce and Business Administration Dance Troupe, who rendered a Chinese-themed dance number.

The event has finally came to the much awaited ending as Desiderio, Rivera, Jimenez, Chiu and the UST Action Singers sang the quadricentennial song “Ako’yIsangTomasino” and the UST Hymn as the flags of different colleges and faculties of the university are presented. Yellow confetti blasted from the sides of the stage and along with it were the boisterous sounds of the students as fireworks had its way in the vast field.

With a final cheer, the students shouted “Go USTe!” proving themselves that they were one, true, loyal Thomasian.

Another 100 years has come for UST. The spirit of St. Thomas Aquinas and Bishop Benavides will remain to Thomasians who have passed its door from its foundation until the coming years in eternity. TW

By Danielle Marie B. Jordan

TomasinoWeb

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The lights that will guide you home

Thomasians started to lounge lazily at the ground, watching the night sky and enjoying the cool breeze of the December air.

Published

8 years ago

December 3, 2016

Nhuj Pascua

Photo by Bea Sarmiento

Darkness swallowed Plaza Mayor, as it does every night. Some students could be on their way home, some still in class, while other pass the time studying or socializing inside the campus. But right now, almost every Thomasian huddled up for the upcoming event outside the Main Building, brimming with excitement as they wait for the clock to strike 6.

The crowd fell silent as the Angelus aired, followed up by a reading from the sacred scriptures, imploring everyone to share their light, especially to those who are left in the dark. Silence broke into thousands of pieces as the whole Thomasian community joined in singing Oh Come All Ye Faithful. Emotions flooded the Plaza Mayor, pouring out our feelings as we chanted as one.

“P**** pare, ‘eto na talaga,” a guy beside me exclaimed to his friend. His face is vivid with exhilaration as he looked everywhere, eager to witness the first spark of light.

My heart started beating wildly, the countdown has already begun.

3 They raised their phones to the sky, eagerly waiting for something. Thumbs prepared to record, eyes aimed to wherever there’s a flicker.

2 Excited chatters resonated through the crowd; blood-pounding, heart-stopping. I was frozen, my palms started to get sweaty. 1 Suspense hung heavily on the air—everyone held their breaths, until the University of Santo Tomas glowed with so much brilliance as the Christmas decorations finally lit up. Giggles of delight and sighs of awes echoed throughout the whole university as each and every light bulb sparked to life.

Then something exploded behind me. We all turned up to the sky and everyone cheered—from the UST Grandstand, the entire night sky was illuminated by the thousand sparks the university is known for: its firework display. Although the spectacle did not last longer than a minute, everyone felt the joy in welcoming the yuletide season, the Thomasian way.

After that, the crowd flocked to the field, fervent to see the giant, brightly-lit UST Christmas Tree. People pose for pictures with the outstanding beauty of light work—couples, friends, or even the ones who enjoys their solitude. As the energy started to dwindle down, Thomasians started to lounge lazily at the ground, watching the night sky and enjoying the cool breeze of the December air.

As I watch these events to unfold right before my eyes, something inside me ignited, and like the first sip of coffee in the cold morning, its warmth filled up my numb body; and in that moment, I know that everyone in this awe-struck crowd feels the same: the Thomasian spirit coursing through our veins.

And I know that this is where I belong — this is my home.

Nhuj Pascua

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2 Thomasian short films explore queer narratives

Damiles and Perez decided to make these queer films to offer the youth a twist on internal struggles and to encourage Thomasians to go out of their comfort zones.

Published

8 years ago

November 27, 2016

Nhuj Pascua

The two Thomasian finalists for the Cinema One Minute Student Film Competition missed the mark this year but managed to strengthen the Thomasian film scene with coming-of-age films that tackled LGBT experiences.

“Mot-mot” directed by TomasinoWeb’s Assistant Chief Photographer Johmar Damiles is a story about two friends who were about to have intercourse, but one of them backs out at the last minute as he could not go through with the act because of his sexuality.

While Christen Perez’s “Ikaw/Ako” depicted two friends having the time of their lives but one eventually has to come to terms with his real self.

The entry of Perez may initially leave the audience puzzled as it showed two different people who represent one person.

Perez along with her co-director, Andrea Soriano, explained that they wanted to personify the male protagonist’s real self – a woman.

“Ang dami po kasi closeted gay na judged sila ng society and [for me] kung kaya niyo naman tanggapin sarili niyo ‘di naman kayo mahihirapan lumabas ng closet and isipin na hindi kayo accept ng tao. It’s all about self-acceptance,” Soriano said.

Mike Tan who starred in their film believes that it is relevant for millennials because it urges young members of the LGBT sector to accept themselves. “It’s good to be brave enough to get out of your closet [ayun] tanggapin mo sarili mo kasi paano ka magmamahal ng ibang tao kung hindi mo kayang mahalin sarili mo,” said Tan.

Meanwhile, Damiles wanted to create a film with a lighter mood. He says he saw his protagonist as a normal person dealing with struggles anyone could have. “Tinackle namin siya in a light mood kasi parang ‘di naman lahat ng LGBT ay nagsa-struggle. Normal din naman sila.”

His comic approach towards his film gives the audience a different perspective on queer films.

Damiles and Perez decided to make these queer films to offer the youth a twist on internal struggles and to encourage Thomasians to go out of their comfort zones.

“Gusto ko rin mag-establish ng film culture sa UST na encourage (sic) lahat ng students sa UST kasi ang dami ‘ring talented dito,” said Damiles. He added that he wants to continue making films in the future and urges his fellow filmmakers to release their material to the public.

“Feeling ko rin naging opportunity din siya for us kasi ako, personally, hindi ko in-expect and since nakita ko na madami rin nakakita mas na-inspire ako mag-join ng competition and make more films,” said Perez. –M.L.

Nhuj Pascua

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Blogcon 2016: Making the best out of the things you love

Once again, bloggers from different parts of the Internet sphere were in attendance at BlogCon’s third year last April 30

Published

9 years ago

May 13, 2016

Jem Sagcal

Once again, bloggers from different parts of the Internet sphere were in attendance at BlogCon’s third year last April 30, this time to give their stories on how they started blogging, what made them stay, all the best parts and the hard things they have to endure, and how they reached out to new trends.

At the AMV Auditorium filled with over 70 blogging enthusiasts, fashion and portrait photographer Elisa Aquino (shemakeshimknown.com) recalled how she found fuel in heartbreak to make her first blog. From the sappy ruins of a failed romance, she first stood up as a fashion blogger, providing self-portraits despite her insecurities. Then she began taking photos of other people and sharing their stories. She also shared that our identity must not be defined by a social media fame as she specifically cited Instagram’s biggest lie: that you are as great as your next destination.

The theme shifted from fashion to food as the next speaker is a proud food lover and enthusiast. Jill Bantang (http://www.thefoodscout.net/) shared the fun and satisfying experience of having to write food reviews as blogging is, for her, a way of informing and communicating to people. For Bantang, blogging is a way to actually help and elevate people by giving them something new with every post. She simultaneously satisfies herself whilst giving back the satisfaction to the curious minds of food lovers.

From the gentleness of fashion and food follows the audacity of the next speaker, Andre Arboleda (http://asshulz.com/), also known in the Internet as Asshulz. He emphasized how he personally did not pay attention to blogging trends as the hobby for him provides a wide array of things to do—and it’s basically doing whatever you want. From glorifying underrated movies to making mixtapes about titas to inciting gimmicks, Arboleda sure loves to do away with whatever he wants. He does not consider fame to be one of his fundamental goals for blogging is not a fame game.

Carla Barretto (https://twitter.com/heycarlaaa), a fifth of the PhilippineConcerts.com (http://www.philippineconcerts.com/), shared how she owes what she has today for her love of concerts. From being an avid fan to actually doing it for a living, she encourages her listeners to utilize what they have — in this case, the internet — and let it coincide with what they love.

“Terrible is a great place to start. Take your chances,” she said.

Dipping toes in new water and just go with it seems to be the power couple Anthony and Tippy Go’s (http://www.googlygooeys.com) mantra. They said that knowing your capabilities and embracing your flaws give edge. “There are a lot of things you can’t control but you have to trust yourself in the process.”

“Social Media Princess” Ate Charon (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC32KKtAWv7KLt0wvrEWk8ig) shares that the brand she advocates is authenticity and honesty with substance however light your subject may be. She also shared the dark alleys of Internet fame like followers and like-buying.

“Social media fame is not everything,” she noted.

To RJ Ledesma (http://rjledesma.com/), Philippine Star columnist and Mercato Centrale co-founder (and actually many more!), the Internet is where almost everything happens these days. He elaborated on making one’s irritations to one’s inspirations, and shared how his own Mercato group started with just a realization while he was traveling—that there is no food market in the country.

Mark Anicas (http://markanicas.wordpress.com/), known for his book and Twitter handle Depinisyon, recounts how he started writing for himself and advices others to write for themselves before all else. Moreover, he goes on to break this image of writers only having to choose one platform.

“Explore and be versatile. Hindi pwedeng isang genre lang, at lalong hindi pwede na isang platform lang. It can be Facebook, or it can even be Twitter,” he said.

Alyssa Lapid (http://alyssalapid.com/), Managing Editor for Explore Philippines and Social Media Manager of SoFA Design Institute, shared how she wondered why she was chosen to be an SM ambassador. Eventually, she mustered up the courage to ask and was told that it was because she was different and although she was not as popular as the other models, she was chosen for being herself and for setting her own trend. She encouraged the audience to do the same, to be courageous and a trend-setter.

Student bloggers: from a young blogger to another.

Aside from professional ones, student bloggers also shared their experience, knowledge, and pieces of advice in blogging.

15-year-old Brin Isaac (brinraizulliisaac.wordpress.com) brought the delegates into a journey of self discovery and self-expression as she narrated her five-year blogging pursuit that accidentally began upon unearthing the allure of social media. She also stressed on diverting from strong conformity or trends whenever it comes to updating her own blog posts.

“I realized that I didn’t have to define my specialty, my own specialty is honesty. I didn’t have to stress about updating or what my content should be as dictated by strong conformity or the trends,” she said. “I said to myself that I didn’t have to post about this or that. What I wanted to do is to focus on something that needs attention.”

TomasinoWeb writer and literary blogger Philip Jamilla (http://paperbackriot.tumblr.com/) delved into the anatomy of the recently popularized hugot movement which dominated millennials’ digital realm. He also encouraged bloggers to avoid writing like anyone else.

“It’s not always relatability, it’s not always heartbreak, it’s not always love. Minsan kasi we focus too much on the ‘hugot movement’. We should get out of that as much as possible, try to explore other aspects of poetry,” Jamilla added. The freshman literary student recognized the importance of embracing criticisms as a foundation for improvement.

Her passion for photojournalism and her desire to spark social change through her photos constantly fuelled journalism freshman Jazmin Tabuena’s (https://placidoccult.wordpress.com/) blogging journey.

“Parang kapag ginagawa ko ‘yong blogging, and talk about photography, sobrang nabubuhay ka kahit nasa field ka na hindi mo gusto. When you do something about your passion, it feels so alive.” Tabuena also admitted that some bloggers lack the quality of a storyteller nowadays thus, she emphasized on “finding one’s voice”.

Meanwhile, Roye Serrano emphasized the irony of disconnecting one’s self from technology to produce new and vibrant blogging ideas.

“You only need technology when you need to post. To have a good idea, nasa labas ‘yan,” Serrano affirmed. “Wonder about everything, even the most mundane things.” Having a unique “vantage point” or view on one’s environment was also stressed by Serrano, saying that perceiving things differently sets a blogger apart from tons of similar contents produced by others.

“If you want to have a unique idea, you have to look at things differently. You have to exercise your eyes,” he added. Moreover, Serrano believes that a blogger should narrate a story positively, and learn to differentiate a “rant” from sharing one’s tale.

BlogCon was first launched in September 2013. It focuses on and encourages student bloggers and enthusiasts by inviting professional and renowned bloggers to talk about their Internet experiences and wisdom they have collected throughout the journey.