The Apostolic Nuncio, His Excellency Most Rev. Gabriele Giordano Caccia, S.T.D., J.C.L., was the main presider during the thanksgiving Eucharistic Celebration held at the UST Medicine Auditorium, with the Asian Bishops as concelebrants. Manila Archbishop His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, D.D., served as homilist.

Fifty years of the Catholic voice in Asia
Cardinal Tagle, in his homily, reflected on the history of Radio Veritas Asia and Veritas 846. Originating from a decision of Asian bishops during a conference held at the UST Medicine Auditorium in 1958 to establish a radio station, Radio Veritas “had the goals of spreading the truth, driving away illiteracy, and directing the minds of Asian peoples to the true values and meanings of life,” he said, noting that he was delivering his homily in the same auditorium in which the idea of Radio Veritas was conceived.

With the German government and the German Episcopal Conference pledging their financial support, the establishment of the Philippine Radio Education and Information Center (PREIC), and the approval of Republic Act 3129 by Philippine President Carlos Garcia, the conception of the radio station gradually began its fruition into reality.

The Republic Act, passed in 1961, approved the transfer and assignment of the UST radio franchise to PREIC. At the time, UST operated and maintained a radio station with the call sign of DZST – DZ Santo Tomas.
On April 11, 1969, on the inauguration of its station in Quezon City, Radio Veritas made its initial broadcast, which included greetings from Pope Paul VI through Radio Vaticana. The following year, when Pope Paul VI visited the Philippines, he personally delivered a message to its listeners all over Asia. This coincided with the conclusion of the Asian Bishops’ Conference of that year, through which they decided to establish the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC).

“[Through the history of Radio Veritas], we see how people are inspired by God; how people looking at the situation of the World, Asia, the needs of the people of Asia, through the potential of the Church, the means available to us, and the international nature of the Catholic Church [made this possible]. A dream has been implemented to serve the truth that must not be kept, but shared, so that the darkness of ignorance may be wiped out… and that the values coming from the Word of God may be shared by Christians all over Asia,” said Cardinal Tagle.

A message from Pope Francis
The Holy Father Pope Francis sent a congratulatory message for the occasion, read by H.E. Archbishop Caccia: “The Holy Father was pleased to be informed of the celebration marking the 50th anniversary of Radio Veritas Asia and Veritas 846. He sends cordial greetings to you, and to all the media professionals, priests, men and women religious, and lay faithful behind their operations, and all those who listen to the programs they offer. As you thank the Almighty God for the many graces received, His Holiness prays that you all may be renewed in your love of Christ and revitalize your commitment to echo the teachings of Christ, to raise the hearts of the listeners to the God of love and truth, to knit among them bonds of evangelical love, to make them conscious of the joys and hopes, grief, and anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor, and to help them undertake the building of a more just and united society. Entrusting the radio station to the maternal protection of our lady, Mother of the Church, and through the intercession of Saint Paul VI, who
inaugurated it during his apostolic visit in Asia, Pope Francis willingly imparts his apostolic blessing as a pledge of peace and joy in the Lord Jesus. Amen.”

Reflecting on the message of the Holy Father, H.E. Archbishop Caccia shared, “Three
thoughts on this Golden Jubilee: The first, this initiative was successful because it was well grounded with the mission of spreading the Good News – the truth. Second, how, what is the method? Through unity and communion. We have seen its history: it was just a single initiative, but there was a communion of effort, of thinking, of doing, of helping, from the East and the West. Any time we build in communion, there will be good results according to the gospel… Third, I was asking, why Radio Veritas, and not Television Veritas? I’ll leave the answer to the experts, but take something important for each one of us: If Jesus is the work of God, we have to listen to him. You can’t watch the radio, but you can listen to the radio. And it reminds us that we are always listeners of the Word. If we don’t listen to the word with Jesus, we are not based in truth; we are not free. This golden jubilee, always remember and build on the spirit of Mission, on the method of unity, and always listen to the voice of God who speaks through Jesus in the Scriptures, and through our lives today.”

Golden Anniversary Celebration
Following the Mass, a formal luncheon program was held at the Dr. Robert C. Sy Grand Ballroom of the UST Paredes Building. After the welcome remarks delivered by UST Rector Very Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P., the words of gratitude were given by the General Manager of Radio Veritas Asia Rev. Fr. Victor F. Sadaya, CMF, and Radio Veritas 846 President, Rev. Fr. Anton C.T. Pascual. Congratulatory messages were also delivered by the Chairman of the Office of Social

Communication, Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference (FABC) Most Rev. Roberto C. Mallari, D.D.; Vice Chairman of the Philippine Radio Education and Information Centre (PREIC) His Excellency Most Rev. Jose S. Palma, D.D., and the Archbishop of Freiburg, Germany His Excellency Most Rev. Stephan Burger, D.D. To mark the historic event, a ceremonial turnover of a symbolic gift and stone marker took place between the University of Santo Tomas and Radio Veritas, which first established its roots in the frequency of DZST, the AM radio station which was, at the time, operated by UST at 860 kilohertz. Radio Veritas eventually migrated to its current frequency of 846 kHz in 1978.

The triangular stone marker symbolizes the Holy Trinity. Made of Cebu sandstone and featuring a sundial, it stands for the timelessness of truth and the University of Santo Tomas. Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference Office of Social Communication Executive Secretary Rev. Fr. Raymond Ambroise gave the closing remarks.

On the second day of the commemorative events, church officials unveiled the 50th anniversary commemorative marker on April 11 at the Radio Veritas compound in Quezon City, which included the inauguration and blessing of the Radio Veritas Asia Museum, led by Bishop Mallari, assisted by Rev. Fr. Sadaya and Rev. Fr. Pascual. In the same event, 50 individuals and institutions who have supported Radio Veritas Asia and Radio Veritas 846 through its 50 years of service to the Church, the Nation, and the society were
awarded plaques of appreciation.

Capping off the second day of celebration, a Eucharistic Celebration was presided by the Archbishop of Freiburg Most. Rev. Stephan Burger, with the FABC Chairman, His Eminence Charles Maung Cardinal Bo.
On April 21, the Radio Veritas Asia Museum had an open house from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.

Immediately after the open house was a Eucharistic Celebration with Cardinal Tagle as the main presider. An anniversary program, with Radio Veritas Asia and Radio Veritas 846 anchors, listeners and benefactors, as participants, concluded the three-day celebration. 

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Gracing the event was the Head of Mission of the Embassy of Romania in the Philippines Mr. Mihael Sion. The Ensemble includes students and faculty members of mixed disciplines, with performers not only from the UniTBv Faculty of Music, but its Departments of
Engineering and the Humanities. Part of their repertoire is the sorrow chanting called doina, traditional Christmas carols, and Romanian dances and suites from the various regions of Romania, such as Jocul fecioresc (The Lads’ Dance), a festive jig done on weddings and special holidays, and Călușul, a fast folk dance which was included on the list of UNESCO Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritages of Humanity in 2005. The Ensemble has performed not only in Romania and the nearby European countries, but also in China, Sri Lanka, Israel, Cuba, Mexico, and now the Philippines.

In turn, the University presented Philippine folk dances performed by the Sayaw Sining (Art of Dance) of the UST Senior High School. Following the concert, an interaction was held between the Transilvania University in Brasov delegation, composed of 12 administrative and academic officials, including its Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Liliana Marcela Rogozea, and President of Senate Prof. Dr. Mircea-Horia Tierean, and corresponding administrative and academic officials from the University of Santo Tomas.

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The UST Publishing House (USTPH), the publishing arm of the University of Santo Tomas, held a collective launch of its 17 titles published within the past year on April 4, 2019 at the Tanghalang Teresita Quirino of the Benavides Bldg., located in the University campus. The titles are varied, including fiction, poetry, creative non- fiction, literary criticism, philosophy and research, and the conference proceedings of the Association of Southeast and East Asian Catholic Colleges and Universities (ASEACCU), together with scholarly papers delivered by key figures on the issues Catholic educational institutions face regarding inclusive education.

A book on philosophical hermeneutics by UST Vice Rector Rev. Fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P., was also launched. Multi-awarded writer Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo’s Collected Stories and Tales, a definitive compendium of the author’s short fiction throughout the years, is among the works of fiction presented to the public. Other titles were A River: One-Woman Deep, which collects Linda Ty-Casper’s new stories and a novella; and Hantong, John Jack Wigley’s first collection of short fiction in Filipino.

The poetry titles launched were: Sa Mga Pagitan ng Buhay at iba pang Pagtutulay by Ralph Semino Galán; Damagan by Allan Popa; Each Sold Separately by Ruel S. De Vera; Walang Iisang Salita by Paul A. Castillo; and Drift by Joel H. Vega.

Books on creative nonfiction included: Ilang Sulyap sa Daigdig (Literary Essays) by Dionisio San Agustin, edited by Michael M. Coroza; Shaw Boulevard (Memoir) by Popi Laudico; and Under Manila Sky: A Memoir on the Art of Survival by Irene W.D. Hecht.
Literary criticism comprised the following titles: Ang Tagalabas sa Panitikan by Chuckberry Pascual, Finding Teo: Tula/Talambuhay by Joselito De Los Reyes, and Aralín at Siyasat: Mga Pagninilay Hinggil sa Tula by Louie Jon A. Sanchez.

UST Vice Rector and Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy of the Ecclesiastical Faculties Fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P., is also among those whose book Between the Confucian Li and Ren: A Philosophical Hermeneutics was launched. It is a book in the area of philosophy and research. Jovito V. Cariño ‘s Muni: Paglalayag sa Pamimilosopiyang Filipino was launched under the same category. The first book of proceedings from the Association of Southeast and East Asian Catholic Colleges and Universities (ASEACCU) Conference was also
presented.

Members of the audience were given the chance to have their copies signed by the authors at the end
of the program.

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The Institute for Consecrated Life in Asia was aggregated to the UST on February 12, 1995 and incorporated to it on March 22, 1999. In his inaugural address, Fr. Cajes lauded the Institute’s collaboration with UST, through which they are able to grant ecclesiastical degrees to a culturally diverse and dynamic population of consecrated persons from various religious congregations all over Asia. ICLA is incorporated to the UST Faculty of Sacred Theology.

Through such academic collaborations, the University serves the wider Church by providing opportunities for seminarians and religious to earn an ecclesiastical degree despite the limited number of established Ecclesiastical Faculties. Moreover, this arrangement also helps affiliated seminaries or institutes to align their programs with the standards set by the Congregation for Catholic Education.

The graduates of the program serve in various capacities in the local Churches of Asia and around the world. As director of ICLA, Fr. Cajes takes charge of the ordinary affairs of the Institute and during this term, faces the particular challenge of revising their Statutes in line with the recent Apostolic Constitution, Veritatis Gaudium (The Joy of Truth).

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In the two hour-long lecture, Prado discussed how the brain works in connection to his line of research, neuroengineering; the engineer’s view of the brain; some possible tools in cracking the neural code; an introduction to neurodegenerative diseases; and current trends in neurotechnology. He also engaged with his audience during the open forum.

Doctoral training in Neurotechnology
Prado is the first-ever Asian to receive the prestigious Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Centre for Doctoral Training in Neurotechnology for Life and Health studentship award. He is currently a doctoral student under the Bioengineering program with Specialization in Neurotechnology at the Imperial College London in the United Kingdom. In 2015, he obtained the degree of Master of Science in Electronic Engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology through the Arthur and
Louise May Scholarship Award for Outstanding Young Engineers.

Having graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering degree from the University of Santo Tomas in 2011, Prado’s interest on research grew and his interests turned to areas such as: the interface of signal and image processing, biomedical photonics, and neuroengineering. He would like to investigate brain-computer interfacing, neuroimaging, and neurorehabilitation, with the goal of eventually rehabilitating patients with stroke and neurodegenerative diseases.

Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior with symptoms that worsen over time, eventually becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. Serious memory loss, confusion about events, time, and places, and difficulty walking and communicating clearly are some of its common symptoms. It is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for loss of memory and other cognitive abilities that is serious enough to interfere with daily life. Dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide, and around 50 million people are afflicted with it. AD accounts for 60 percent to 80 percent of dementia cases, according to a 2017 report by the World Health Organization.

The brain’s nerve cells, called neurons, connect with each other to form communication networks. These cells have multiple functions, including processing and storing information and communicating with other cells. Scientists posit that AD prevents the cell from functioning as it is supposed to. As the damage spreads, the cells lose their ability to do their tasks, and eventually die, which causes supposedly irreversible changes in the brain. As more neurons die, the neuron network of the afflicted person has an increasingly
difficult time communicating, leading to gradually worsening symptoms.

For a person with AD showing severe memory loss, the ‘lost’ memory information remains in the brain. However, it cannot be accessed because the key neurons have died as a result of the neurodegenerative disease.

‘Brain Hacking’
Brain hacking, which Prado defines as “deciphering how we can alter the brain activity and brain structure in order to investigate applications of neurotechnology,” is being researched as a possible solution to improve treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.Prado’s current doctoral research is on developing a multiphoton imaging platform for characterizing memory circuit dynamics and hippocampal synaptic changes in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). He hypothesizes that rewiring the brain network, possibly through neurostimulation that can create redundant neural pathways, may help retrieve memory and prevent memory loss in patients with dementia. The redundant neural pathways are intended to function like detours that can be used to access
memories on a path previously blocked due to damaged or dead neurons.

According to Prado’s profile on PinoyScientists, “The imaging platform will enable single-cell resolution mapping of information processing in mouse models of dementia during the performance of memory tasks. This has the potential to accelerate the process of development of both pharmacological and neuromodulation- based approaches to treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. The research aims to develop a technique that can potentially offer a non-invasive and affordable treatment option for patients with neurodegenerative diseases.”

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In an audience of mixed age groups, the excitement to hear the music of these seven Dominican friars was palpable inside the Gallery of the UST Museum. When the lights went off, the three TV monitors took on the job: they showed videos of the advocacies of the singing Dominicans, including the happy faces of the young beneficiaries of the Camiguin de Babuyanes in the far north of the Philippines. There were video clips that show other projects that the Dominican Fathers are engaged in. Nostalgia filled the air when video snippets showed them in their previous concerts which were mostly fund-raising gigs together with their audience or ‘fans’ and everybody was just having a good time… just having a good time… and so were these men in white who were evangelizing through their music.

Then, the concert began.

Garbed in their white Dominican habits, the seven singing priests claimed center stage: Fr. Isidro (Fr. Didoy) Abaño, O.P., flutist; Fr. Giuseppe (Fr. Jepoy) Arsciwals, O.P., keyboardist; Fr. Filemon (Fr. Deng) dela Cruz, Jr., O.P., drummer; Fr. Napoleon (Fr. Nap) Encarnacion, O.P., vocalist and percussionist; Fr. Oscar Novem (Fr. Auckhs) Enjaynes, O.P., lead guitarist; Fr. Jose Martin (Fr. Joemar) Sibug, O.P., rhythm guitarist; and Fr. Dennis (Fr. Dennis) Maquiraya, O.P., bass guitarist.

In between performances were spiels. And the banter among the performers was casual, humorous and natural, after all, they are brothers. This connected them more to their audience. They joked about their looks 20 years after they first performed in the same venue,
the UST Museum.

In 1998, a group of seven young priests who loved music formed a band in the hope that through their songs, they would be able to “communicate God’s healing Word to a world wounded by division, and that they (listeners to their music) would also be touched the way that they (inggô members) were touched. They called themselves “inggô 1587” a Filipino nickname for one named Domingo, which is the name of the founder of the Dominican Order, Santo Domingo de Guzman. The “1587”in the band’s name is the year that the Dominicans set foot on Philippine soil. Serious as they were in the craft and mission of being a ‘preaching band,’ they would meet once a week to rehearse despite the fact that they would come from different places such as Laguna, where Fr. Dennis was director of aspirants.
And theirs is a story of mission and persuasion.

Their love for playing music as a band and writing their songs inspired by the gospel have resulted in fund-raising concerts, particularly to build churches, and from their album sales, to help support the education of seminarians.
The band has produced two albums, the first was a self-titled album in 2002 and the second was Lead Me On, produced in 2017. The latter won the Best Inspirational Album award in the 2018 Catholic Mass Media Awards.

Although most of the songs in the band’s repertoire are gospel music, they also sing pop, R&B, OPM, the one that means ‘Original Pilipino Music’ (because in the inggô 1587 parlance, OPM stands for OPMusik, their music label) and their original compositions. The
secular songs that they perform are those that inspire and convey a positive message.

For almost two hours, on that Friday evening at the UST Museum, friends and followers of inggô 1587 listened to them and sang with them, too, particularly when Fr. Jepoy and Fr. Nap prodded them. The audience was just as thrilled to oblige. Arms were swaying, hands were clapping and audience’s voices were reverberating with gusto. The audience knew inggô songs by heart.

Some of the evening’s songs included ‘This is the Day,’ ‘Kailan Lamang,’’ Nothing Can Separate Us,’ ‘Sing Hallelujah,’ ‘Lead Me On,’ ‘I’ll Always Be There,’ ‘Hanggang sa Dulo,’ and the finale, rather the encore song, ‘Friend of God.’ But Fr. Nap’s rendition of the 1967 Bee Gees hit song ‘To Love Somebody’ brought the house down, especially when he went to the audience making them sing the part ‘…to love somebody…to love somebody… the way I love you.’

The concert, according to the invitation, was a ‘Thanksgiving Concert.’ The singing men in cloth decided to hold this concert 20 years later in the same venue to thank their followers. Maybe, their solid followers, particularly those from UST, were just as thankful. It has been a while since they performed to their Thomasian fans. That evening was not only a musical experience, it was also a realization that evangelization through music is possible. And that is what inggô 1587 concerts are all about.

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The opening (first) and closing (fourth) plenary lectures were delivered by Fr. Michael A. Mascari, O.P., J.D. the former Socius to the Master of the Order of Preachers for the Intellectual Life and the current Academic Dean of Aquinas Institute of Theology in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA. His speeches were titled: “Here We Stand: The Intellectual Patrimony of the Middle Ages” and “Voices Past and Present: A Joint Search for Meaning, Purpose, and Truth,” for the first and fourth plenary lectures, respectively.

The second plenary speaker, Assoc. Prof. Jovito V. Cariňo, Ph.D., spoke on “St. Thomas Aquinas and the Contemporary Re(vision) of Catholic Philosophy,” while the third plenary speaker was Rev. Fr. Felix F. delos Reyes, O.P. His topic was: “Philosophy in the Service of Thought: Echoes from the Leonine Commission Seminar 2018.”

The topics for the two parallel sessions were: Session 1: Metaphysics, and God and the Human Person, and Session 2: Applications of Thomistic Philosophy, and Ethics and Morality.

Calling for a fresh approach to the wisdom of the medieval philosophers in our time, Fr. Mascari enjoined, “The great philosophers and theologians of the medieval past have much to teach us, but perhaps what they offer us more than anything else is the deepest meaning they found in their lives by their following of Christ Jesus and sharing him with others.”

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This was the first time that the Gerardo Rocha-UST Chile Professorial Chair in Ecclesiastical Studies was awarded in the University. The Gerardo Rocha-Universidad Santo Tomás Professorial Chair in Ecclesiastical Studies and Bioethics was endowed by Gerardo Rocha Vera in 2001 in the UST Research and Endowment Foundation, Inc. The donor was Founder-President of the UST Chile, and Co-Founder of the International Council of Universities of Saint Thomas Aquinas, which is now known as the ICUSTA.

The late Dr. Rocha, who was an honorary consul of the Philippines in Chile, had once served as Director of the Chile-Russia Chamber of Commerce. He was member of Spain’s Fraternity of Crusaders of Mary, and an active participant in international gatherings, such as the Catholic Congress on Public Life in Madrid and the Inter-Religious Encounters in Barcelona.

Meanwhile, his brainchild, the ICUSTA is an international association of Catholic institutions of higher learning that faithfully adhere to the ideals and teachings of the Angelic Doctor St. Thomas Aquinas.  The main purpose of the international organization is to encourage cooperation and collaboration, and international understanding among its members.

Since 1995, after its convention at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, the ICUSTA has expanded its membership to 29 institutions from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Ethiopia, France, Ireland, Italy, Mozambique, South Sudan, Spain, Taiwan, the United States of America, Zimbabwe, and the Philippines.

It has had biennial meetings that had been held in host institutions across continents. To note, two international ICUSTA meetings have been held at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila: first, in 1997, and second during the Quadricentennial celebration in 2011.

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