In each visit, Ong and his support staff, Mr. Vien Vic G. Flores were present to welcome them.   

Mr. E Way Chong, the present QS Regional Director for South East Asia, is under the QS Intelligence Unit, and is in charge of engaging with universities across South East Asia. Chong said, “The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) will sponsor the QS Stars Orientations to be attended by 18 Philippine public/state universities. In line with this, UST will be the primary University to be considered for benchmarking by selected Philippine public universities which will undergo the assessment and evaluation on a range of categories that recognize distinct strengths. It is a known fact that UST is the first and only Philippine University that is rated Four Stars in QS Rating awarded in 2015 and 2017 by QS London. Ong emphasized that “they need to follow the protocol in benchmarking by first seeking the approval of the UST Rector.”     

THE Regional Director for South Asia Mr. Ritin Malhotra visited the University after his CHED engagement upon learning that the University is going to participate in the THE’s University Impact Rankings in 2020. The said rankings are a pioneering initiative to recognize universities across the world for their social and economic impact based on the Seventeen (17) United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Ritin said that “The impact rankings have improved the data submission systems and its methodology covering all 17 of the SDGs based on the impressive feedback about the process and methodology during its pilot run. The pilot run had an overwhelming response with over 560 institutions that participated and only 466 ranked in the overall rankings.” Ong said, “This is a great privilege and opportunity for our University to showcase our significant contributions in supporting these SDGs and in recognizing their impact on society.”      

Ms. Mandy Mok, the founding CEO of QS Asia, who had more than a decade-long leadership and stewardship, has propelled QS to become the most widely recognized and preferred higher education ranking and rating system in Asia. She shared, “A Philippine university and the Global Strategic Alliance (GSA) will sponsor the launch of her new initiative AppliedHE Ratings. You and your whole team must come and participate sometime in November 2019. We will bring in some international speakers. It is very much like what Prof. Lilian J. Sison, Ph.D., Director of the International Relations and Programs, used to do for me when I started with QS. We are also breaking into many countries.” 

Mok emphasized that she really wants UST to participate in their pilot run. Ong in return, told Mok that he is “thankful to Mandy for always considering UST in her plans. But her invitation is something to think about and that it requires the approval of UST top management.”     

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The objective of the KTTO program is to capacitate universities in technology transfer and commercialization through skills building of its ITSO personnel.  With the advent of the DOST-PCIEERD’s HEIRIT training program for Technology Business Incubators (TBIs), STRIDE has re-aligned its KTTO curriculum to be able to complement the training given to TBIs.  STRIDE, through the KTTO Development Program, aims to capacitate technology transfer offices in universities to better support their TBI counterparts through IP assistance and the like. The second workshop was held from September 23 to October 2, 2019 at the Makati Palace Hotel. 

  The second workshop was on the ‘Operationalize and Learn Module,’ where the participants write down and plan their tactics on making their ITSO-KTTO functional by identifying their university assets, crafting their message to their stakeholders, creating their metrics, and establishing network with industry.  The highlight of the workshop was a networking night, where industry companies came to talk to universities in the hope to forge collaborative projects with them.

Being one of the first batches of trained KTTOs, UST-ITSO was selected to mentor other ITSOs and guide them in organizing, setting-up, and establishing their functional KTTOs.  Essentially, ITSO can function as a KTTO because of its know-how in the field of protecting IP rights. Before a technology is transferred to industry, its IP should be protected in order to prevent copying and duplication so that the inventor will not lose his interest to create more.

One of the goals of the ITSO initiative is to assist faculty and students, and capacitate other ITSOs in transferring their research projects and developed technologies to industry for public good after IP protection.  Establishing an ITSO-KTTO is the first step in building an ecosystem of innovation. It is the gateway to industry collaboration.

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The activity, one of the projects of ITSO, was conducted to improve IP awareness among the students; stimulate their creative minds into conducting innovative projects; and understand the legal and ethical issues governing innovations.  Peralta’s lecture focused on the characteristics of the different IP rights, and how they are applied to the field of occupational therapy. He also oriented them on the legal and ethical issues of it such as the concept of infringements, determining authorship, and preventing plagiarisms.  

As one of the projects of the ITSO, this IP roadshow is conducted to improve IP awareness among the faculty and students in the University.  This is also one of the means to acquire invention disclosures for possible IP registration and technology transfer. 

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Academia Sinica

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According to D. Edgard A. Cabangon, son of the late ambassador, the program, borne out of the partnership with UST, is meant to honor the family patriarch and to continue his passion of being a good friend of artists.  He led the Cabangon family in establishing the fund that will be used for the award.

“I know that our father is smiling right now because we are continuing his noble legacy of supporting and honoring our Filipino artists,” said D. Edgard A. Cabangon. “It is also opportune that we are having this program with UST because our father was also very close to the Church.”

To note, UST was also given the endowment because National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin, who was very close to the late ambassador, was a Thomasian, having been awarded an Associate of Arts degree by the University. 

On September 20, 2019, the first recipients of the UST-Amb. Antonio L. Cabangon Chua Research Award in the Humanities were introduced during the 2019 Nick Joaquin Literary Awards Night, which was held at the Citystate Tower Hotel in Ermita, Manila. The awardees, UST Conservatory of Music  faculty member Assoc. Prof. Maria Alexandra Iñigo Chua, Ph.D., and writer and poet Mr. Carlomar A. Daoana, an alumnus of the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters, were honored before an audience composed of writers and artists from all over the country. They were joined on stage by the family of Amb. Cabangon Chua and the representatives from UST, led by UST Secretary-General Rev. Fr. Jesús M. Miranda, Jr., O.P.

The annual Nick Joaquin Literary Awards is organized by the Philippines Graphic, which is under the ALC Group of Companies. D. Edgard A. Cabangon succeeded his father as chairman of this conglomerate. 

A researcher fellow of the UST Research Center for Culture, Arts, and Humanities, Iñigo-Chua is set to work on her study “Raul Sunico: The Virtuoso in the Performance of the Filipino Identity.” Sunico, a former dean of the UST Conservatory of Music, is an internationally acclaimed pianist.

Daoana, who is with the Ateneo Fine Arts Department, is a multi-awarded poet and art critic. His research is titled “Biography as Destiny: Danilo Dalena and His Pursuit of the Everyman.” Dalena took up Fine Arts in the old UST College of Architecture and Fine Arts. His mentors were among the greats, Galo Ocampo, Diosdado Lorenzo, and National Artist Victorio Edades. Today, Dalena himself is considered a maestro, being a visual artist well-known for his expressionist folk paintings.

Each of the awardees will receive a total of P150,000 for their research projects. 

Earlier this year, on February 26, the Cabangon Chua family signed the Memorandum of Agreement with the UST Rector Very Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P., that established the research award. 

“With the UST-Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua Research Award, we are not only supporting, but also celebrating the Humanities,” the Father Rector said about the program. “This partnership will push forth the Arts’ noble mission.”

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The prestigious Tourism Pearl Awards program, conducted by the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP), is an annual competition open to all local government units to present their exceptional tourism practices, projects and innovations. The ATOP-DOT Pearl Awards 2019 is chaired by the Mabalacat City, Pampanga tourism officer and UST Graduate School Cultural Heritage Studies alumnus Mr. Arwin Lingat. The final judging was coordinated by Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics Director Assoc. Prof. Eric B. Zerrudo. 

For this year’s Tourism Pearl Awards, the program has gathered over 250 local chief executives from 55 local government units to attend the final judging.  The winners were announced in an awarding ceremony held on October 4, 2019 in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. 

Named Grand Winner for Best Tourism Research was Ormoc City, Leyte. The  research was titled “OGMOK: Developing a Sustainable Tourism Development Plan Using the Stakeholder’s Perspective Approach – The Case of Ormoc City, Leyte, Philippines.” The researcher was Jame Monren Mercado of the UST CCCPET. 

The Grand Winner for the Best Tourism Event- Adventure Sport Category was won by a municipality under Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez. The province of Samar won the Best Community-based Responsible Tourism for its Sohoton Cave and Natural Bridge Tour Program.  

Some of the jurors were UST faculty members, namely, Executive Secretary to the Rector and faculty member of the Faculty of Arts and Letters Prof. Augusto Antonio Aguila, Ph.D., for Best Tourism Event for Festivals and Sports; UST College of Tourism of Hospitality Management Dean Atty. Gezzez Giezi G. Granado, DCL, for Best Tourism-oriented LGU, Best Tourism Organization, Best Tourism Month or Week and Outstanding Tourism Officer; and OAR Director Asst. Prof. Fredeswindo R. Medina for Best Tourism Video, Best Tourism Collaterals, Best Tourism Route and Best Event Hosting.

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The paper positions the historical annotation as a distinct genre of historical literature that becomes increasingly artefactual as this is utilized to refute previous claims made by a traditional historiographer. This is the case in Julio Nakpil’s annotations to selected entries in T.M. Kalaw’s The Philippine Revolution, particularly the deaths of Andres Bonifacio and Antonio Luna. Nakpil, who is a renowned musician of the revolution against Spain, also occupied key positions in the Katipunan secret society such as leader of its northern sector and custodian of ammunitions. He also wrote some eighth distinguished compositions that depict and celebrate key episodes in the Katipunan uprising. 

In the 1920s, as he was busy raising a family at the height of the U.S. colonial era, Nakpil wrote notes to selected entries in Kalaw’s book in an attempt to clarify certain matters or refute some claims Kalaw made in it. Yet, Nakpil’s confessional mode of writing was carried out with care and with a tacit request to publish the notes only after his death in order not to destabilize the vision of the new republic. The notes then affirm the narrative of the unfinished revolution that haunted the work of nationalists and resistance movement leaders during the war years and during the liberation era as well. The paper was presented in the panel “Material Culture, Heritage and History in Southeast Asia” convened by Elsa Clave of Hamburg University and Mulaika Hijas of University of London SOAS (School of Oriental and Asian Studies).

Arriola’s paper has been produced as part of a CHED-NCCA Salikha grant project titled “Julio Nakpil@150: Rethinking and Reimagining the Musical Works of Julio Nakpil in the Context of Philippine Modernity, Transculturation and Cultural Nationalism.” Arriola’s paper is a product of the Cultural Studies aspect of the project, complementing the work of Dr. Maria Alexandra Chua, Dr. Antonio Africa, and Asst. Prof. Mary Ann Venturina-Bulanadi who furnished the musical and the visual aspects of the project respectively. 

Moreover, Arriola’s participation in the conference was subsidized by the “Advancing Philippine Studies at Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin” program, which was made possible through the office of Senator Loren Legarda. Before the conference, the Philippine Ambassador to Germany, Theresa Dizon-de Vega, sponsored a luncheon for the Philippine contingent to the 10th EUROSEAS Conference. On September 12, 2019, a dinner reception for the Philippine Scholars of EUROSEAS has been sponsored by “Advancing Philippine Studies at HU” and the University of London SOAS.

The EUROSEAS is a European-based organization of academics and scholars who specialize in Southeast Asia as area studies. This is the third time that Arriola has participated in the EUROSEAS having been a paper presenter too, in the Naples, Italy (2007) and Vienna, Austria (2015) conferences. 

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This year’s conference theme was “Libraries: dialogue for change.” The theme,  according to the IFLA President Sra. Glòria Pérez-Salmerón, “A dialogue is about change and learning; it is about giving everybody an opportunity to listen and to be listened to. It gives a dynamic message; libraries motor for change. She added that what makes the difference is that when ideas work together and the more years we are involved and engaged, the more powerful our movement, our momentum, our ability to enact change. It is a new way of working as global library field because to change the world, we must be ready to change ourselves, our methods, our mindsets. This is the way IFLA wants to work, working together towards a united library field.”

More than 3,600 librarians, museum directors, library science students from 140 different countries were in attendance to network, learn, exchange ideas, and make connections at the biggest international library congress in the world. The participants were welcomed by the IFLA president.

More than 500 speakers, over 250 open sessions, almost 200 poster sessions and 30 lightning talks on Library and Information Science and its many related fields such as cultural heritage, cataloging, digitization, copyright, resource sharing, institutional repository, library marketing, promotion, and services, and others, were made available among delegates.

The Chief Librarian attended sessions on library management, services, cataloging, and library education while the Assistant Chief Librarian joined the sessions on library heritage collections, conservation and digitization practices, and information technology.

 was also launched. Its mission is to inspire, engage, enable and connect the global library field; it is a call to action among the librarians to achieve its vision of a strong and united library field powering literate, informed and participative societies.

The business meetings of IFLA professional units were also open to participants and some of the key sessions were live-streamed to connect and engage more librarians and other information specialists across the world.  Also, there was an international trade exhibition with over 70 exhibitors representing the needs of the library on electronic books and databases publishers, book scanning equipment, restoration supplies, library designs and furniture, library associations, etc.

The delegates were also treated to cultural networking events that included Greek food, music and dancing, held at one of the most prominent landmarks in Athens, the . 

On the last day of the Conference, the delegates were made to choose the Libraries that they wanted to visit as benchmarking activity.  The National Technical University of Athens Central Library and Library of the School of Health Sciences were visited by Lobo while Padilla  visited The National Library of Greece housed in Vallianeio historic neoclassical building and the Athens Comics Library. 

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Upon arrival of the heart relic at the University, Santísimo Rosario Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Louie R. Coronel, O.P., held the reliquary containing the incorrupt heart relic and enshrined it as part of the welcome rites.

In an introductory message by one of the Capuchin friars escorting the relic in its tour, some thoughts of Padre Pio were shared from the Saint’s letter to the teacher Nina Campanile of San Giovanni Rotondo dated November 1922. The stigmatist wrote, “from my infancy, Jesus has showed me signs of His very special favor.”

“Even though [young Padre Pio] was stubborn, in the end, Jesus won [over his] resistance,” shared the Friar. He added that, “This short introduction allows me to say that Our Good Lord watches over us with particular tenderness from our infancy and always plans for our life something beautiful: He calls us to send us! Vocation and mission, to call and to send, are two sides of the same coin.”

Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, born Francesco Forgione, was an Italian priest known for his charity and piety. He took the name Pio when he joined the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin in honor of Pope Pius I, whose relic he often saw at his local Church. Despite his poor health, he became a priest in 1910, and in 1918, experienced the wounds of Christ appearing in his hands and feet. Upon manifestation of the stigmata, miracles began being attributed to him.

During the visit to UST of the heart relic at the Santίsimo Rosario Parish, a conference for clergy and consecrated persons was held on October 8 from 10:00 a.m to 4:30 p.m. This was followed by the procession of the relic from the Santίsimo Rosario Parish to the UST Plaza Mayor for a concelebrated Eucharistic Celebration with Kalookan Bishop Most Rev. Pablo Virgilio David, D.D., as main presider.

Included within the mass were a Renewal of Vows for priests and religious, and a prayer for the sick and for the nation. Bishop David, in his homily, reminded the faithful, “Sa sentenaryo ni Padre Pio ng kanyang mga stigmata, lalo na kayong mga kapatid kong mga pari at relihiyoso at nasa buhay na konsagrado, tiyakin natin na sa bawat pagpasok ng mga mananampalataya sa ating mga simbahan ay may apoy pa rin silang ma-iuuwi, may apoy pa rin silang ma-ibabahagi sa kanilang kapwa. Ano ang saysay ng ating mga naglalakihang mga simbahan, kung wala na silang masumpungang ilaw na nagbibigay ng liwanag sa mga kadilimang kailangan nilang harapin araw-araw sa kanilang mga buhay? Ano ang kabuluhan sa ating mga salita kung wala nang init na naidudulot ito sa mga kaluluwang nanlalamig?” (On St. Padre Pio’s centennial anniversary of receiving the stigmata, most especially to my brothers and sisters, priests, religious, and consecrated persons, let us ensure that when the faithful enter our churches, they are still able to bring home [the fire of faith], that they can still share that flame with their fellow Christians. What is the sense in having big churches, if the faithful cannot find light to illuminate the darkness in their daily lives? What meaning can be found in our words if they have no warmth to share with souls [whose faith had already] become tepid?)

The Bishop further added, “Ang hatid ni Padre Pio ay isang bagong apoy na nagdulot ng bagong init, at bagong liwanag ng pananampalataya… sa paglapit ng taong 2021, sana bago dumating ang ika-limandaang taon ng pananampalatayang Kristiyano sa Pilipinas, ay hilingin natin ang panalangin ng mahal sa Santo Padreng Pio, na sana sa kanyang panalangin, ay muling magpaningas sa mga pananampalatayang nanglalamig ng maraming mga kapwa nating Pilipino.” (Padre Pio brings [with him] a new fire that shares the new warmth and new light of faith… As year 2021 approaches, I hope that before the quincentennial (500th) anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines, we can ask for the prayers of our beloved St. Padre Pio, that through his prayers, the waning faith of our fellow Filipinos will once again burn intensely.)

The overnight public veneration at the Parish church began at 7:00 p.m. on October 8, and the heart relic was transferred to the Manila Cathedral immediately after the send-off Mass presided by Fr. Coronel at 7:30 a.m. on October 9.

The visit of the heart relic of St. Padre Pio was organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on the Clergy (CBCP-ECC) in coordination with the National Shrine of Padre Pio in Santo Tomas, Batangas. Its tour of the Philippines is from October 5 to 26, 2018. The relic was in Luzon from October 8 to 11, at the Archdiocese of Cebu in the Visayas from October 11 to 13, and at the Archdiocese of Davao in Mindanao from October 14 to 16. It was brought back again to Santo Tomas, Batangas before it left the Philippines.

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