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TPSF launches UST Apathy-Free
IN an effort to raise political awareness among the Thomasian student body, The Political Science Forum (TPSF) launched its “UST Apathy-Free” Campaign at the Albertus Magnus Auditorium last August 30.
The project called “UST Apathy-Free: University-wide Political Education and Awareness Campaign,” the project aimed to change the masses’ “incorrect understanding of politics” and the apparent lack of interest towards it.
“It is only through education that we can equip our people with the necessary tools to continue building our great nation again,” said TPSF president Cedrick Sagun in his speech before the unveiling of the logo of UST Apathy-Free.
The two-day kick-off, which started last August 30, was attended by not just Political Science students but also students from the different colleges, faculties, and institutes of UST. Students Welfare and Development Board (SWDB) director Atty. Antonio Chua delivered the opening remarks. Engineering Dean Josefin De Alban Jr. and Philippine Ambassador to Vatican City Henrietta De Villa were some of dignitaries present during the event.
The advocacy also meant to “re-affirm the commitment and advancement in political awareness” among Thomasians. A large portion of the general population is oblivious to their duties and rights as Filipino citizens, Chua said. The advocacy will “play a role on political maturity.”
A Political Science senior, Sagun said that the ultimate goal of the project is for the proliferation of “responsible Filipinos concerned for the well-being of the country as a whole.”
“We, political science majors, do not intend to monopolize the proper understanding of politics, rather we find it our moral obligation to share the knowledge to our fellow Thomasians, so that they cannot be harmed by those who want to take advantage and so they cannot unconsciously cause harm as well to others,” Sagun said. “We believe that it is only when they understand different political phenomena that they can make the right decisions for our country,” he added.
Although the sound of the word “politics” stings the ears and spurs ballyhoos among the Filipino common folk, TPSF aims to cleanse the distorted meaning of the word attached to their field of study.
“The first step we have to take is to train ourselves for this mission; we can probably start by knowing the definition of political literacy, which is the basic goal of the Apathy-Free advocacy,” the TPSF president said.
The program also included a short demonstration of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine, which would be used in the upcoming midterm elections. In lieu of the Apathy-Free campaign, “Tomasino Para sa Pilipino 2013,” an information campaign about the May 2013 elections, was also launched.
“Remember, you can join any club, any org, any union, but from the moment you were born you are part of the state and I believe your birth certificate attests to that,” Sagun said, “and for as long as you are tied to your country, you will always have the sacred birth right of serving your nation. And the best way to prepare for it is through political education.”
By Raul Miguel C. Capalad and Jan Eidrienne R. De Luis
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News
Thomasian innovation bested others in the Metro
A mere escape from summer boredom hailed two Engineering Thomasians victorious in the recent Manila Bay Cleanup competition, launched by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in April.
A mere escape from summer boredom hailed two Engineering Thomasians victorious in the recent Manila Bay Cleanup competition, launched by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in April.
Fourth year Electronics Communication Engineering (ECE) students John Beljoe Abao and Ariel Manalaysay had outclassed seven other competing schools with their giant dustpan-like entry, which, according to them is based on simple logic and imagination, and practically out of the boredom during the vacation.
“Nung summer walang magawa, and opportunity din naman ‘yon,” Abao said, referring to the contest.
With the theme “Innovative Engineering Solutions to the Manila Bay Garbage Problem,” the contest encouraged student participants to devise creative contraptions that may eventually be improved and produced by the MMDA.
“It (the prototype) is V-shaped and it has a hole in the middle where a concrete storage is placed,” Abao said.
With big waves in the bay, floating debris and trash will be swept into the chute and into the tank, “just merely collecting the trash into the bin.”
Competition
The Thomasian duo took three days of brainstorming, a day to formulate the concept paper, and only a span of two hours to construct the model. But despite the short amount of time, they were “confident” about their prototype.
“One down, one down,” Abao said when asked what did they feel when they saw other participants’ prototype. According to the duo, the edge of their prototype compared to others’ was the “feasibility to implement because of its simplicity.”
The prototype brought to the defense is made up of only cardboard, masking tape, and illustration board while other participants’ proposals were more technical and even made use of mathematical computations.
The real inspiration behind the innovation, according to Abao, is the fulfillment of seeing his idea being implemented to help improve the Manila Bay.
“Kuha lang ng kuha. When the opportunity comes, grab without hesitation,” Abao and Manalaysay said, advising the Thomasian community to be ready when opportunity knocks.
According to an article in Inquirer, Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) Assistant Secretary Maria Catalina Cabral said that in choosing the winning design they looked for “innovation and engineering.”
“The concept is doable. We saw there was potential for this to be built and developed. MMDA and DOST will make more studies to develop and make more improvements on this proposal,” Cabral added in the said article.
The duo received P25,000 cash prize along with Certificate of Recognition.
Other participating schools included Ateneo de Manila University, University of the Philippines-Diliman, Manuel L. Quezon University and Mapua Institute of Technology.
By Mia Mallari and Romhelyn Benipayo
Photo courtesy of John Beljoe Abao
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