The Thomasian touch for the tough FilipinaÌę

Serving as a consultant in the Philippine Sports Commission – Sports Psychology unit, Dr. Karen Katrina Trinidad, PhD, RPsy of the Department of Psychology has coached all the national athletes, including Diaz.

“Hidilyn sought my services and included me to be part of Team HD (Hidilyn Diaz) because she understands the importance of a sports science team,” Trinidad says.

Even before she has powered her way to the peak of the podium in the women’s 55 kg. category for weightlifting, Diaz already has the heart of a champion since the day she has become Trinidad’s client. Meanwhile, Trinidad has witnessed Diaz develop and improve her mental toughness in the preparation period, or the Olympic Cycle.Ìę

“As an athlete you need to be mentally tough before, during and after your competitions. Through our weekly sessions, I saw her overcome many anxiety and mental battles through countless competitions like the South East Asian Games (SEA), world competitions, and before the Tokyo Olympics,” Trinidad says.

Moreover, Trinidad expresses that Diaz’ victory is a cocktail of hardwork, determination, and science. “However, winning in the Olympics is not because of luck. Champions are made with hard work, determination and science. We need to work with people with different expertise with one goal— to win,” she says.

“I feel very blessed and honored that I am a part of history in achieving the first gold medal of our country,” Trinidad says.

Team HD is composed of head coach Gao Kaiwen, nutritionist Jeaneth Aro, strength and conditioning coach Julius Naranjo, and Trinidad, the sports psychologist. “We work collaboratively and apply our expertise in our fields to ensure that Hidilyn is in her best form in all aspects,” Trinidad says.

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Providing mental and psychological coaching services

The role of a sports psychologist is to ensure that the athletes are mentally healthy so that they can achieve their optimal performance while competing. “We usually provide mental health support for our athletes through Counseling/Therapy sessions, Pre, During, and Post Competition Assistance,” Trinidad says.

“We also provide psychological skills training, lectures and team building. The goal of our Sports Psychology unit is for our athletes to achieve positive control of the emotional and psychological aspect of the game,” she adds.

Likewise, Trinidad also expresses her gratitude to PSC for recognizing the need for providing emotional and psychological support for the Filipino and Filipina athletes in all sports.

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How to become a sports psychologist?

For those who are aspiring to be a sports psychologist, Trinidad says that one requirement is to be a psychologist with an experience working with national athletes. “They will be working with the best athletes of our country and they need to be able to apply effective psychological skills to help our national athletes develop, acquire, and prolong efficient performance and optimize preparation in order to perform best even at critical moments,” Trinidad says.

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For those who are interested to avail the services of the sports psychologists, you can reach them on:

Facebook:

Instagram:

Gmail: msas.sportspsychology@gmail.com.

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Ranera, Principal Conductor of the UST Symphony Orchestra, was recognized for his work as musical director of Noli Me Tangere, the Opera. At the Conservatory, he teaches trombone, conducting, theory, and composition. The three-time winner of the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) has led the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, California State Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, San Miguel Philharmonic, and Manila Philharmonic.

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The University of Santo Tomas now enjoys the coveted Institutional Certification from the ASEAN University Network – Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) group, a testament to quality education and processes UST has.

The plum makes UST the second in the Philippines to receive the recognition, and the eighth in the ASEAN region, where 120 institutions are AUN-QA members / associate members. UST is the first associate member to receive the Institutional Certification.

The news, communicated to the Office of the Rector on January 13, 2020, revealed that UST passed in all four areas assessed by AUN-QA, namely Strategic Quality Assurance, Systemic Quality Assurance, Functional Quality Assurance, and Results.

The assessment visit took place from October 21-25, 2019, in which a team of six assessors from the ASEAN regions looked at the aforementioned aspects and validated the claims in the Self-Assessment Reports vis-a-vis observed practices, existing supporting documents, and interviews with stakeholders.

In his final address to University administrators on January 15, former Rector happily broke the news and called on the community to study the findings well and act on the recommendations to further improve the university’s processes.

According to , Assistant to the Rector for Planning and Quality Management and lead official in this endeavor, the Institutional Assessment “will certainly enhance further the University’s reputation, strengthening its position among higher education institutions in the ASEAN region.” Furthermore, Carillo added that “the AUN-QA quality stamp is a quality assurance symbol easily recognized and understood by other HEIs in the region. To be the 8th institution to have been
certified facilitates the opening of more doors of opportunities for UST in terms of internationalization, networking, academic and research collaboration, faculty and student exchange, student internship, and many others. It also heightens our participation in the educational aspect of the ASEAN integration.”

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But aside from her considerable production as a poet, dramatist, short story writer and critic, Dimalanta has also mentored a formidable host of Thomasian writers who have been or are currently in the forefront of Philippine literature and culture: National Artists for Literature Bienvenido S. Lumbera and the late Cirilo F. Bautista, UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies (UST CCWLS) Director , Makiling High School for the Arts Director Victor Emmanuel “Vim” Nadera, Jr., UP Press Director J. Neil C. Garcia, and UP System Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs and Director for Alumni Affairs Jose Wendell P. Capili, to name a distinguished few associated with the academe.

Dimalanta’s influence, though, as the literary doyenne from España is perhaps best feltin the genre where she had excelled the most, which is none other than poetry, the vanguard of the literary arts. But nearly a decade after her passing, how does the Thomasian poet figure in the contemporary literary scene?

The Achieve of, the Mastery
A quick survey of the latest installment of GĂ©mino H. Abad’s groundbreaking and definitive anthology of Philippine poetry from English collectively titled Man of Earth contextualizes the position of the Thomasian wordsmith who wrought poetry from English in contemporary times.

Of the 161 poets featured in The Achieve of, the Mastery: Filipino Poetry and Verse from English, mid-’90s to 2016, a substantial number (23) are Thomasians: Gloria A. Garchitorena-Goloy, Doris Trinidad, Ophelia Dimalanta, Cirilo Bautista, Albert B. Casuga, Recah A. Trinidad, Rita B. Gadi, Alice M. Sun-Cua, Eric Gamalinda, Merlinda Bobis, Joel Pablo Salud, Capili, Bino A. Realuyo, Garcia, Alma Anonas-Carpio, Ralph Semino Galán, Nerisa del Carmen Guevara, Ramil Digal Gulle, Lourd Ernest H. de Veyra, Allan Justo Pastrana, Carlomar Arcangel Daoana, , and Brylle B. Tabora.

Incidentally, three of these Thomasian poets are currently part of the UST CCWLS: Galán, Assistant Director, and Guevara and Parfan, Resident Fellows. (During the directorship of Dimalanta, Bautista and his fellow National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose were named as the Center’s Senior Associates, while De Veyra and Gulle, along with Galán and Guevara were named as Junior Associates.)

Furthermore, most of these Thomasian poets have published individual books of poetry, the more prolific ones having published multiple titles, like Bautista (12), Dimalanta (7), Garcia (6), and Daoana (5). And they have won many national and international prizes for their verse-making. In fact, Thomasian poets have won a substantial number of prizes in the Palanca Awards for the Poetry in English category in the last ten years: Daoana for the poetry collections “The Elegant Ghost” (First Prize, 2012) and “Crown for Maria” (Second Prize, 2013); Angelo Suarez for “Exploratoria” (Second Prize, 2003) and “Else It Was Purely Girls” (Third Prize, 2004); Bobis for “Accidents of Composition” (Second Prize, 2016); Ramil Digal Gulle for“Afterhours, Afterlives” (Second Prize, 2000); and Mike Maniquiz for “Tornadoes and Other Poems” (Third Prize, 2003).

Not Only in English
The prominence of the Thomasian wordsmith in poetry is not only limited to English, since there is also an equal number of exemplary Thomasian poets writing in Filipino: Teo T. Antonio, Nadera, Michael M. Coroza, the Añonuevo siblings Roberto and Rebecca, , Louie Jon Sanchez, Joseph Rosmon Tuazon, Joseph de Luna Saguid, and Paul Alcoseba Castillo, to mention the more visible ones. Two of these Thomasian poets, aside from also being part of the UST CCWLS as Resident Fellows, are very active in the contemporary literary scene: Delos Reyes is the current Chair of the UST Department of Literature and a board member of Philippine PEN, while Castillo is the latest First Prize winner of the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Poetry in Filipino for his collection “Luna’t Lunas.” But will the Thomasian poet’s winning streak continue into the future?

UST Graduate School
There is no immediate danger that the Thomasian poet will disappear from the literary scene, even as most of the poets personally mentored by Dimalanta have already reached or about to reach middle age, for she had the foresight in the early 2000s to establish a Creative Writing program in the UST . The 32-year old Castillo, who has an, is a certified proof of the effectiveness of the program.

At present, aside from the more senior UST CCWLS Resident Fellows, two major Filipino poets boost the rank of the UST Graduate School Creative Writing faculty: Abad, UP University Professor Emeritus, who teaches a ‘Poetry in English’ workshop class; and Coroza, a Full Professor of the Ateneo de Manila University, who handles a poetry in Filipino workshop class. Abad and Coroza are Senior Visiting Fellow and Associate Fellow of the UST CCWLS, respectively.

Will the winning streak trickle down to the young poets based inside the España campus?

Undergraduate Creative Writing Program
The UST Faculty of Arts and Letters established in 2018 an undergraduate Creative Writing program to align its course offerings with the UST Graduate School, and to help ensure that the Pontifical University’s legacy of excellence in the belle lettres would continue. And gauging by the enthusiastic participation of its first batch of Creative Writing freshman students and some senior Literature majors to a recently held poetry reading organized by GalĂĄn and UST CW Undergraduate Program Coordinator at the UST CCWLS Conference Room, to celebrate World Poetry Movement (Movimiento PoĂ©tico Mundial) initiated by MedellĂ­n International Poetry Festival Director Fernando RendĂłn, poetry indeed, whether in English or Filipino, is very much alive inside the campus of the Pontifical University.

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In 2002, Paul married his high school sweetheart and migrated to Chicago, USA with just $5 on his pocket. He worked as a waiter, forklift operator, and mailman to provide for his family. Even if he was busy as a husband to his wife and a father to his children, he never turned his back from the blank canvasses that are waiting for him to put colour on. Every after work, he goes to a park and stay for hours just to paint. After 4 years of juggling his work, family, and passion, he was able to finish his 18 x 24 feet painting where he interpreted the Philippine National Anthem. This paved way for a more colourful life as his art pieces made waves across the U.S. He was supported by the Philippine Historical Society in the U.S. and his painting was featured in places like the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., and Consulate General of the Philippines in Chicago.

His stint as an artist continues as Paul was encouraged by her wife to join the Artistic Infusion Program of the U.S. Mint in 2008. It is an exclusive artistic pool that consists of designers, engravers, sculptors, painters and other visual artists that are contracted to create and submit coin and medal designs for the Mint. Paul was happy when he was given a spot in the program. He didn’t expect to be chosen because he knows to himself that this was not his line of work, but so was waiting tables and working in the mailroom. Paul went all over the States to immerse himself with the place and the culture and draw as much designs he could. Every year, the Mint opens numerous projects for artists like Paul to join in. Coin and medal designs of the artists will undergo rigorous screening and evaluation before being chosen. Most of the time, Paul’s work are included in the shortlists like his PACEM design in the Japanese Mint’s International Coin Design Competition in 2012. At the year 2013, his Statue of Liberty award-winning design for the National Humanities Medal was recognized and unveiled by the former President Barack Obama in an annual White House ceremony. In 2015, he was recognized for his obverse and reverse designs for the Code Talkers Recognition Congressional Medals Programs, for his gold reverse design in the U.S. Marshals Service 225^thÌęAnniversary Commemorative Coin Program, and for his silver obverse design in the March of Dimes Silver Dollar Commemorative Coin. In 2016, he was acknowledged for his reverse coin design in the American Eagle Platinum Proof Coin Program. His reverse coin design for America the Beautiful Quarters Program was also given recognition in 2018. This 2019, his designs for the $5 reverse gold coin and $1 obverse silver coin were chosen for commemoration of the 100^thÌęAnniversary of the American Legion. The said one dollar and five dollar coin are in active circulation this year.

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by Dr. Marilu Rañosa-Madrunio

UST Graduate School | March 28, 2017

Four hundred years ago in the land of the rising sun, an extraordinary moment dawned upon a warrior who, unwittingly, rose to become an inspiration of his time.

The man was Ukon Takayama, born in 1552 to a landed gentry called the daimyo, in Haibara-cho, Japan. When Jesuit missionaries led by Francis Xavier introduced Roman Catholicism in Japan, the Takayama family was among the first to be converted.

Ukon Takayama was 12 years old when he was baptized as a Catholic in 1563. In time, he rose to become governor of the castle town of Takatsuki near Kyoto, then the capital of Japan. Before that, he made a mark and gained fame as an outstanding general. In civilian life, he became known as a builder of castles, churches, seminaries and oratories. As a person, he had been reared in the ways of the samurai and in the best traditions of their civilization. The only difference was that he was a Christian samurai, which was rare.

The turning point came when a new shogunate rose to power in Japan, that forbade the practice of Christianity. Those who disobeyed the order were executed. But in the case of Takayama and other nobles and samurais who occupied positions of social prominence, they were exiled to Manila, which was then the bastion of Christianity in Asia. These sturdy Japanese chose to lose their possessions, honor and social status and lead ordinary lives in a foreign land than renounce their Catholic faith.

Takayama and his entourage of 300 followers arrived in Intramuros, the original site of Spanish Manila, in December of 1614. Upon arrival, he presented to the Dominican community in Manila a statue of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, a relic which later came to be known as La Japonesa. To this day, that statue is still enshrined in the church of Santo Domingo in Quezon City.

By some stroke of coincidence, the Dominican community that received Takayama and his entourage, included students from the Dominican-run Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santissimo Rosario — or the College of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary — which was established less than 3 years earlier, in 1611. That educational institution is the forerunner of today’s University of Santo Tomas.   

Perhaps, history has reserved that singular moment for Ukon Takayama because less than two months later, he fell ill and unexpectedly passed away on February 4, 1615. He left behind a grateful Japanese community that eventually thrived in the place called Plaza Dilao — or Yellow Square — some distance from Intramuros. Plaza Dilao is now part of the district of Paco in contemporary Manila. Many Filipinos today trace their roots from these noblemen and samurais who have since inter-married and blended with the local population.

Because of the extraordinary faith of Ukon Takayama, the Roman Catholic Archbishopric of Manila, submitted to the Vatican as early as 1630 a petition for his canonization. That makes him the recipient of the first ever petition for sainthood from the Archbishopric of Manila, even if he was not a native of the Philippine islands. But then again, sainthood knows no bounds and Lord Takayama was the best example.

Last February 7, 2017, Lord Ukon Takayama was finally beatified as the “Samurai of Christ” after Pope Francis signed the decree for his beatification. That is one step away from sainthood. The beatification process that started in Manila in 1630 took almost 400 years, but even then, the way has been paved. It may just be a matter of time and this one Christian samurai who has since rested in peace on Philippine soil, will finally come as an intercessor in our spiritual journey to heaven.

This afternoon, we celebrate the blessedness of Justus Takayama Ukon as the samurai of Christ, with the dedication of his statue that has been enshrined in the University of Santo Tomas grounds. We receive him in our hearts as he was received by the Dominican community in Spanish Manila 400 years ago, and as he is also warmly welcomed today by the Catholic community in the land of his birth, in gentle and grateful Japan.

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The highest honor

In describing the title, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Clarita de Leon-Carillo, PhD said that the title “Emeritus” has been attached to the term “professor” to “give due recognition to very eminent members of the academe who may have reached retirement but who are deemed worthy to continue bearing the lifetime distinction.” In UST, the title is bestowed upon a faculty member of Professorial rank and who is “undeniably held in very high esteem by students, peers and colleagues.” Honorees, who should have received national and international recognitions for excellence in teaching, research and community service, as well as those who have demonstrated unwavering loyalty to UST’s ideals, are recommended by the college dean and faculty council and are then screened by the Academic Senate and the Council of Regents.

Outstanding Thomasian scientist

Dean , cited Sevilla’s “unparalleled academic excellence, passion for scholarly research, selfless and dedicated community service, exemplary professional leadership, being ‘Alagad ng Wikang Filipino,’ and unquestionable commitment to the University of Santo Tomas.” In the former’s Address of Petition, Ramos paid tribute to one of his predecessors and enumerated Sevilla’s achievements as he requested the conferment of the title “Professor Emeritus” on Sevilla.

Genuinely loved and respected

In his concession, UST Rector Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P. praised Sevilla as a force to be reckoned with in chemistry and as a professor who is at the same time well-loved and respected by peers and students alike. He underscored how Sevilla tirelessly molded budding scientists who are now big names in the field through his years of dedication.

Blessed with the chance to teach more studentsIn his well-received acceptance speech, Sevilla expressed that the 46 years of his life were spent teaching the young, and this brought him immense joy and fulfillment. He stressed the importance of teachers as role models of knowledge, excellence and values to the learners and that teachers cannot be replaced by computers. He expressed excitement, for he said that the title “Professor Emeritus” will allow him to continue mentoring students and co-authoring researches with them.

Sevilla said he was glad to be given the chance to play an active role in proving “Galing Science” and “Galing USTe.”

Full regalia

Sevilla was honored with a solemn investiture and was given a certificate, a ring bearing the UST seal, a gold medallion bearing the seals of the University and the College of Science and the likeness of St. Thomas Aquinas, and an academic gown and cap.

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The QS Intelligence Unit (QSIU) collected data from the University of Santo Tomas and evaluated these against the QS Stars criteria. After thorough evaluation, the University of Santo Tomas met all the prerequisites and was awarded Four Stars.

The QS Stars rating system is operated by the QS Intelligence Unit, the independent compiler of the annual QS World University Rankings. The QS Stars ratings are based on the individual institution’s performance measured against pre-set standards.

The QS Stars system rates universities across the world against a range of important performance indicators numbering to 50, grouped into eight categories: Employability, Research, Internationalization, Teaching, Facilities, Inclusiveness (formerly Access), Social Responsibilities (formerly Engagement), and the institution’s standing in specialist subjects.ÌęAccording to QS Stars definition, a typical four-star university is highly international, and demonstrates excellence in both research and teaching. Moreover, the institution provides an excellent environment for students and faculty. It is noteworthy that the University achieved an impressive Five Stars rating in Employability, Facilities, Social Responsibility and Inclusiveness.

This was officially announced during the 8^THÌęQS World Class, held from March 25 to 27, 2015, at the JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa, Phuket, Thailand. The event was attended by the UST Rector, Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P., who received the certificate from QS Stars.

Fr. Dagohoy championed UST’s efforts at seeking the QS Stars Rating, with the Quality Management Office (QMO) as the lead group. QMO Director Assoc. Prof. Joehanna K. Ngo, PIE, ASEAN Engr., and QMO Asst. Director Engr. Nestor R. Ong, PIE, ASEAN Engr., worked in collaboration with all the concerned administrators and academic officials in the University to gather data that will validate the claim on UST’s world-class performance in the Educational Quality Management System (EQMS) for excellence.Ìę

During the General Management Assembly Meeting held on February 16, 2015 at the Blessed Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. building, Fr. Dagohoy stressed that “standards are markers of quality that provide a correct and concrete picture of an organization’s performance, stability and sustainability. The need to implement quality standards has been a major thrusts by universities worldwide for the last twenty years, to achieve an unvarying concept of excellence to accomplish its mission.” He added, “the best way we can serve the country as an institution is to prepare a generation of Filipinos by affording them quality education that is not only the best in the country, but [something] of global quality.”

Fr. Dagohoy ended his message by encouraging everyone to work collaboratively in achieving common goals. He said, “this is also an opportunity for us to realize that our desire to position ourselves better than our peers cannot be achieved by a singular work of a particular office, but a common and concerted effort of all departments and units in the University.”

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