A solemn topping-off ceremony of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Santa Rosa’s first building, the Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong (TTC) Innovation Center, was held on August 3, 2021.

The topping-off ceremony is a builders’ rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent material) is placed atop a structure. The ceremony included blessing rites presided by the UST Rector Very Rev. Fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P., Ph.D

. UST Facilities Management Office Director Rev. Fr. Dexter A. Austria, O.P., in his opening speech, shared his hope “that the center will be part of a greater vision for the UST Santa Rosa campus as a hub of discoveries, research, and innovation.” UST Chemical Engineering Class of 1975 alumnus and Jollibee Foods Corporation Founder Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong sent a message for the auspicious occasion. It was read by Faculty of Engineering Dean Prof. Philipina A. Marcelo, Ph.D. Tan Caktiong wrote that the new three-storey structure intends to “welcome our country’s potential and future innovators including alumni, students, and entrepreneurs from companies and surrounding communities – innovators that can make a difference and play a meaningful role in the holistic, inclusive, and responsible growth of the Philippine economy.”

“The Santa Rosa campus will become a research and innovation campus where students, faculty members, scientists, and researchers can transform their ideas into realities. The TTC Innovation Center is a first in Philippine education, which will revolutionize the way we do research in the country. May this milestone inspire all of us to contribute to the generation and advancement of knowledge in the University and the nation,” said Fr. Ang. The Dr. TTC Innovation Center broke ground in December 2020, while the 40-hectare UST Santa Rosa campus had its site development kick-off in September 2017.

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The initiative was the brainchild of Assistant Chief Librarian Ms. Diana V. Padilla and supported by the Library administrators, Prefect of Libraries Rev. Fr. Angel A. Aparicio, O.P., Chief Librarian Ms. Maria Cecilia D. Lobo, as well as the librarians and support staff.

This version of a community pantry was intended for leisure reading purposes of the Thomasian community, ultimately helping the users unwind, reduce stress, and cope with the current health crisis. In addition, this activity stimulated interest in reading and at the same time developed a concern for others’ information needs; promoted the library’s e-resources and increased its usage; and enhanced the library collections by asking for titles to be acquired.

The librarians were given a topic where they had to select at least 20 titles of electronic materials. The topics were: Arts, Sports, Health and Wellness, Self-help and Family, Crafts and Hobbies, Travels, Spiritual Life, and Literary. The accumulated titles, sorted by topic, were gradually posted on the library’s website, Facebook, and Instagram accounts every Monday and Thursday.

Any member of the Thomasian community was allowed to access the e-resources pantry as long as they had their active UST Gsuite email and library accounts. The titles were retrievable via Google Drive where users had to select their preferred title from the list provided. Some e-books were downloadable while others were loanable for five days; articles were also downloadable, while videos were available for live streaming only via its designated platform.

In a manner of paying it forward, users were encouraged to suggest title/s for others to read, watch, or listen to by accomplishing the form “Suggested Titles.” The availability of the titles submitted was checked prior to sharing with the community. If the suggested materials were unavailable, they were assessed for approval and possible purchase.

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Coming soon on the bookstore’s fiction shelves are the��Selected Short Stories��of Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, whose Philippine editions novels were also published by the USTPH, and translations of two short story collections in Filipino by Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo:��Sa Bayan ng Nagngangalit na Buwan (Where Only the Moon Rages)�����Ի���Kundiman ng Panahong Naiwan (Ballad of a Lost Season), both translated by Chuckberry J. Pascual.

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The first two poetry titles for the year are��Tokhang Nation: Poems��by Arvin Abejo Mangohig, author of��Martial Law Poems for the Dead��(USTPH, 2019), ���Ի���Lunas sa Nabubuong Lubos��by Paul Alcoseba Castillo, author of��Walang Iisang Salita��(USTPH, 2018).

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USTPH will soon launch Lu Xun, the Canon, and Cultural Capital in China from the 1920s to 2017��by Dr. Yang Ke of Central China Normal University.

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These titles will be uploaded to the USTPH Shopee and Lazada stores as soon as they are released.��

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The TV Special presented by the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod was aired on July 24, 2021, through the BBC Two Wales and S4C Television Network channels across the United Kingdom.
The UST Singers performed “Sanctus” by Karl Jenkins together with the Llangollen Orchestra, English opera singers, and other choirs from all over the world.

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Almost 300 attendees listened to Padilla’s discussion on “The UST Heritage Library: A Timeless Treasure.” She presented the brief history of the UST Library and its special section called the Antonio Vivencio del Rosario UST Heritage Library, a depository of rare historical collections accumulated for the past four centuries. The section was supported by a grant from the family of the late Ambassador Ramon V. del Rosario, Sr., and named after their grandfather, Antonio Vivencio del Rosario, an outstanding Thomasian and the former Secretary-General of UST (1854-1866).

In her presentation, Padilla shared information on some of its rare periodicals: Libertas, Ang Kalayaan, El Ilocano, Gaceta Oficial, and several 19th-century Filipiniana rare books like old grammar dictionaries in Spanish and Filipino languages. Rare publications such as La Guerra Judaica (1492) or the Jewish War by Josephus Flavius, which is the oldest book in the UST Library and the only example of incunabula in the University; the Biblia Sacra, the Polyglot Bible printed by Christopher Plantin (1514-1589).

Also presented were De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, Libri VI (1543) by Nicolaus Copernicus, the facsimile copies of the first books printed in the Philippines in 1593: Doctrina Christiana, en Lengua Española y Tagala, Doctrina Christiana en Letra y Lengua China, and the Pien Cheng-Chao Ch’uan Shih-Lu or the Testimony of the True Religion are also among the rare collections of the UST Heritage Library.

Padilla also discussed “Lumina Pandit (Spreading the Light): An Exhibition of Historical Treasures,” a book exhibition held during the quadricentennial anniversary of the University in 2011. This event which ran from 2010 to 2011, was organized by the UST Library to promote its exceptionally precious collection. This became the seed for the beginning of another endeavor to preserve and disseminate the rare materials of the Library, through the Lumina Pandit II.

Through this program, the UnionBank of the Philippines has been financially supporting the Library since 2011 for the conservation, digitization, and publication of its catalog of rare books. Through the conservation and digitization efforts, the library is able to preserve its exceptional collection and share them with a wider public.

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The project is a vital component of the continued assistance of the CCCPET in preparing the nomination dossier for the SINP’s bid to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Asst. Prof. Mae Lowe L. Diesmos presented the fieldwork requirements for the Fauna team while Prof. Cecilia B. Moran, Dr. rer. nat., represented the Flora team.

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The threefold objective of the fieldwork aims to document and update the species diversity of flora and fauna of SINP; to establish science-based data that will support the application of SINP as a UNESCO World Heritage Natural Site; and to recommend a policy on the conservation and protection of SINP ecosystems and its biodiversity resources.

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For this project, the UST team will field 28 scientists from the Biological Sciences with expertise in flora and fauna together with research and field assistants from the UST College of Science and University of the Philippines Los Baños. The team leaders are Prof. Dr. Cecilia B. Moran, Asst. Prof. Mae Lowe L. Diesmos, Prof. Dr. Grecebio Jonathan D. Alejandro, and Mr. Jorge Anton Ordas.

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This project is in collaboration with the Office of Congresswoman Sharee Ann Tan, Office of Congressman Feliciano Noel, Department of Tourism Region 8, Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region 8, Office of the Governor-Samar, Office of the Governor- Northern Samar, and the Office of the Governor-Eastern Samar.��

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The online webinar, held on August 6, 2021, featured two speakers, Ms. Shea Kathleen P. Guinto, and Ms. Irma M. Dabu.

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Ms. Shea Kathleen P. Guinto presented “Philippine Inland Water Diaptomid Phylogenetics: A First for Philippine Copepodology”��while��Ms. Irma M. Dabu, discussed “Physico-chemical parameters and risk factors analysis in the occurrence of TiLV in O. niloticus in Central Luzon.”

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���������������������� Guinto discussed the role of the Zooplankton, Ecology, Systematics, and Limnology laboratory in Philippine copepdology through the establishment of a standardized protocol for zooplankton sampling, processing, and analysis and the growing collection of Philippine inland water zooplankton specimens in the UST Zooplankton Reference Collection. She also discussed the future of Philippine inland water copepod studies, which includes molecular work.

Meanwhile, Dabu delivered a talk on the effect of the physical and chemical parameters like salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen of the water, which was analysed in relation to the occurrence of Tilapia Lake Virus in earthen ponds in Central Luzon.

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The webinar had a great impact, especially for those Aquatic Biology majors who would like to pursue ecology-oriented careers or those who are conducting biological surveys and other environmental-related work which contribute to natural resource conservation, environmental conditions of the water or water quality control studies, and measure the abundance of aquatic organisms.

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College of Science Dean Rey Donne Papa, Natural Sciences Program Leader and Graduate Seminar Coordinator of the UST Graduate School, in his opening remarks, inspired the audience to pursue scientific research

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The virtual convention was jointly organized by the Philippine Institute for Interior Design (PIID), Council of Interior Design Educators (CIDE), the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC), and the Commission on Higher Education Technical Committee for Interior Design (CHED TC for ID) through the initiative of its chair, Dr. Lilia de Jesus.

Arriola’s lecture titled “Building a Research Culture within a Distinct Knowledge Economy: The Interior Design Sector and Industry 4.0” focused on the need to build a research culture in the Interior Design sector through a review of the discipline’s projected outcomes as enshrined in CHED Memorandum Order Number 44, series of 2017 or Policies, Standards and Guidelines for Bachelor of Science in Interior Design.

Being familiar with the knowledge economy of the Interior Design sector is crucial in crafting a research agenda, emphasized Arriola. By identifying the distinct perspective of the discipline, one may see the type of studies that are of paramount importance to the field; the theoretical and conceptual frameworks that underpin the contours of the discipline; the methodologies relevant to the questions it raises; and, the ideological roots of its presuppositions and emphases. Building a research culture and understanding one’s discipline’s knowledge economy are complementary. This kind of synergy is crucial in creating a research culture that emanates from the unique vantage point of the discipline and that may be beneficial in charting the direction of the profession in the long run.

The analysis is the result of Arriola’s two-decade dynamic experience in research leadership that won her publication awards such as the National Book Award in Film/Film Criticism in 2007 for Postmodern Filming of Literature: Sources, Contexts and Adaptations (UST Publishing House, 2006) and the Outstanding Book Award from the National Academy of Science and Technology in 2021 for Pelikulang Komiks: Toward a Theory of Filipino Film Adaptation (University of the Philippines Press, 2019) and an achievement award such as the National Research Council of the Philippines Achievement Award in the Humanities in 2018.

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Spearheaded by Department of Filipino, College of Education of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and the University of Hawai’i at Hilo, United States of America (USA), the three-day conference gathered academics, scholars, and linguists, including curriculum and language policymakers, from various regions of the country, to as far as USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Japan.

IVCTFSL 2021 formally commenced with the opening message of Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Kris Roney of UH Hilo and Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Prof. Cheryl R. Peralta, DrPH of UST, who both emphasized the value of preserving culture through language instruction. Also, in the conference was Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) chair Dr. Arthur P. Casanova, who, in his keynote address, shared his personal experience and knowledge on teaching Filipino as a second language.

Meanwhile, UST College of Education Dean Assoc. Prof. Pilar I. Romero, invited the participants to reflect on and respond to the challenges raised in the conference, as we all speak the same language: the language of solidarity.

University of Hawai’i at Hilo, USA professor and IVCTFSL 2021 overall chair Dr. Rodney C. Jubilado opened the plenary sessions on the Trends, Issues, and Challenges of FSL Overseas with his lecture on “Designing a Filipino Curriculum and Heritage Program” this was followed by University of California, Berkeley, USA lecturer Dr. Maria Josephine Barrios-Leblanc, who talked about “Pedagogical Materials and Textbook Production in Filipino.”

Several plenary and parallel sessions were held during the three-day conference where experts in languages from different local and international universities shared their studies about Filipino as a Second Language (FSL).

Speakers included: UST Center for Translation and Translation Studies Chair Asst. Prof. Wennielyn F. Fajilan, Ph.D., with her lecture “The Teaching of Filipino to Non-Tagalogs,” joined other lecturers, including Dr. Christian George C. Francisco of De La Salle University, Dasmariñas (“Highlighting Filipino Language and Culture: The Experience of Select Academic Institutions in the World”), Dr. Gerard P. Concepcion of the University of the Philippines, Diliman (“Filipino Track Program in Busan University of Foreign Studies: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats”), Dr. Shirley N. Dita of DLSU Manila (“Philippine Linguistics: Challenges and Perspectives”), and Dr. José Wendell P. Capili of UP Diliman (Creative Writing in Filipino in the Context of FSL Teaching and Learning”) in discussing their respective studies about the teaching of Filipino.

The parallel sessions showcased an abundance of studies concerning several themes such as: Kurikulum at Pagtuturo ng Filipino Bílang Pangalawa o Banyagang Wika (Curriculum and Instruction of Filipino as a Second or Foreign Language), Mga Tiyak na Estratehiya, Pagtataya at Teknolohiya sa Pagtuturo ng Filipino Bílang Pangalawa o Banyagang Wika (Specific Strategies, Assessments, and Technologies in the Teaching of Filipino as a Second or Foreign Language), at Mga Kagamitang Panturo na Maaaring Ilapat sa Pagtuturo ng Filipino Bílang Pangalawa o Banyagang Wika (Instructional Materials for the Teaching of Filipino as a Second or Foreign Language), Pagpaplano at Patakarang Pangwika sa Filipino (Planning and Language Policy in Filipino), Gramatika, Lingguwistika, Ortograpiya at Onomastikang Filipino (Filipino Grammar, Linguistics, Orthography and Onomastics), and Leksikograpiya at Bokabularyong Filipino (Filipino Lexicography and Vocabulary).

In his final message, Jubilado underscored the conference’s aim to emphatically advocate “for the rethinking of the approaches, pedagogies, strategies, and other processes and aspects related to the Teaching of Filipino as a Second Language (TFSL), for Filipino and non-Filipino students.”

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The six members of the panel included: National University of Ireland Youth Voice Expert ��Dr. Pat Dolan, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Regional Adviser for Social and Human Sciences in Asia and the Pacific Dr. Sue Vize, Pennsylvania State University Youth Researcher Expert Dr. Kaila Thorn, ��Canada Youth Researcher Ms. Lilian Chiu, the University of Malawi UNESCO Chair Coordinator Dr. Symon Chiziwa, and Country Project Team Lead of Family Literacy projects of the UNESCO Chair in Adult Literacy and Learning for Social Transformation and University of Santo Tomas faculty member Dr. Gina Lontoc.

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The group raised several key points in their presentations such as the importance of participatory approaches in research and planning and how these could become instrumental in strengthening policy message, creating opportunities to bring policymakers and young people together, collaboration among youth from various social backgrounds to amplify their voices and to have their message communicated, and engaging the youth authentically in policy and grassroots levels by utilizing the power of their lived experiences.

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Lontoc presented the intergenerational aspects of the family literacy projects under the Global Research Translation Award (GRTA) program of the UNESCO Chair in Adult Literacy and Learning for Social Transformation. This is in the context of community-based livelihood projects through organic farming.�� She discussed how out-of-school youth helped in cascading organic farming projects in the community through their collaboration with People’s Organization (PO). She emphasized the crucial role of the youth in the integration of information and communication technology in farming practices. She expressed that these initiatives could encourage young people to engage in agriculture and intergenerational learning and contribute to creating more sustainable food systems and sustainable futures.

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The session was moderated by Pennsylvania State University Professor Mark Brennan, and the UNESCO Chair in Community, Leadership, and Youth Development.

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