Replete with scholarly depth, the volume includes contributions from renowned academics and thinkers. Among the articles is “Zeferino González: Inheritor of Salamantine Thomism in the Nineteenth Century”, co-authored by Center for Theology, Religious Studies, and Ethics researchers Fr. Félix de los Reyes, O.P. and Inst. Levine Andro H. Lao. The study delves into the life and intellectual legacy of Cardinal Zeferino González, a Thomasian and a central figure in the transmission of Thomistic thought in 19th-century Spain. González played a pivotal role in preserving Thomism, particularly in Manila, a tradition passed down from the Escuela de Salamanca, with the University of Santo Tomás serving as a central institution in its perpetuation.

A living testament to the vitality and relevance of Thomism today, the book emerges from the IX Symposium of Thomistic Studies held in Barcelona in commemoration of the 800th anniversary of the canonization of St. Thomas Aquinas. The symposium was organized by leading institutions, including the Instituto Santo Tomás de Balmesiana and the Universitat Abat Oliba CEU. Scholars, students, and enthusiasts of philosophy and theology will find this book an invaluable resource for understanding the enduring influence of Thomistic thought in the Hispanic world.

Book Title: Tomismo Hispano: Ocho Siglos de Tradición Intelectual

Editors: Enrique Martínez and Lucas P. Prieto

Published by: Editorial Dykinson and Editorial Sindéresis

ISBN: 978-84-1070-738-2

For more information, visit Dykinson Editorial or Editorial Sindéresis.

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Amidst China’s ships lurking in Philippine territory, Quiambao documented and delved into the daily lives of Pinoys who showed their resilience on the Pag-Asa island, located in the contested sea zone.

Moreover, he also showed the damages caused by Chinese vessels in the reefs and another maritime resource.

Quiambao, who told stories with his lenses, urged the Filipinos to raise awareness about the perils our fellow citizens face daily in their backyard. “Whether through artistic expression, fact-checking social media content, or simply engaging in discourses, we can all contribute to amplifying the voices of those affected,” Quiambao said.

“Visual storytelling, particularly photography and through cartographic maps, offers powerful insights that help us better understand our maritime situation today,” he added, underscoring the power of photography and maps in stirring emotions and brewing discussions on maritime security that aim to inspire action.

Pag-Asa sa Gitna ng Kalayaan launch was organized by the UST History Society of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, in partnership with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). The exhibit will run until February 7, 2025.

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Within various technical panels are Thomasian academics and researchers, namely:

ACCOUNTANCY

1. Prof. Patricia M. Empleo, PhD

BIOLOGY, Molecular Biology, and Microbiology

1. Prof. Thomas Edison E. dela Cruz, Dr. rer. Nat.
2. Prof. Rey Donne S. Papa, PhD
3. Prof. John Donnie A. Ramos, PhD

CHEMISTRY

1. Academician Professor Emeritus Maribel G. Nonato, PhD
2. Assoc. Prof. Oliver B. Villaflores, PhD

FINE ARTS

1. Assoc. Prof. Eric B. Zerrudo, PhD

FOREIGN LANGUAGES

1. Prof. Marilu R. Madrunio, PhD (Chair)
2. Prof. Camilla D.J. Vizconde, PhD

GRADUATE TEACHER EDUCATION

1. Prof. Camilla D.J. Vizconde, PhD

LITERATURE

1. Prof. John Jack G. Wigley, PhD

MARINE SCIENCE

1. Prof. Mary Beth B. Maningas, PhD

MATHEMATICS

1. Prof. Ma. Carlota B. Decena, PhD

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

1. Prof. Ma. Freida Z. Hapan, PhD

MEDICINE

1. Prof. Ma. Minerva P. Calimag, MD, PhD

MUSIC

1. Assoc. Prof. Dolores T. Andres, PhD

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

1. Asst. Prof. Kathlene Anne V. Hernandez, MHPEd

OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING

1. Assoc. Prof. Ma. Ninia I. Calaca, MA, MAPhl
2. Prof. Belen L. Tangco, PhD

PHARMACY

1. Prof. Aleth Therese L. Dacanay, PhD (Chair)

PHILOSOPHY

1. Prof. Robert A. Montaña, PhD

PHYSICAL THERAPY

1. Prof. Cheryl R. Peralta, DrPH

PHYSICS

1. Assoc. Prof. Angelita Silverio, MS (ret.)

REAL ESTATE

1. Prof. Eduardo G. Ong, PhD

SOCIOLOGY

1. Prof. Clarence M. Batan, PhD
2. Asst. Prof. Louie Benedict R. Ignacio, PhD

SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY

1. Inst. Elinor Bautista
2. Asst. Prof. Judith S. Damian, MS (ret.)

The newly reconstituted technical panels will have a four-year term beginning on January 1, 2025 and ending on December 31, 2028.

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The discussion centered on the importance of philosophy and its relevance to life. According to Gozum, philosophy is not just about thinking critically, but also about finding and implementing solutions to practical problems of society. He added that philosophy is not about making a living, but rather, it makes life worth living. In the same vein, Aguas contrasted the purely academic exercise of philosophy from a philosophy rooted in and relevant to daily life. In line with this, he underlined the importance of civic engagement as a critical component of philosophical education.

World Philosophy Day is celebrated annually every third Thursday of November as set by the UNESCO. In the University of Santo Tomas, courses in philosophy form an important part of the curriculum, from senior high school all the way to the doctoral level. UST’s Department of Philosophy is one of the university’s best units, recognized in the country as a Center of Excellence. The Department also manages a peer-reviewed and indexed open access journal, Kritike. Meanwhile, the Ecclesiastical Faculty of Philosophy, which is as old as UST itself, has for centuries helped shape future clergymen into becoming astute thinkers ready to minister to the faithful.

The full interview can accessed through this link:

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Arcalas won for the story “” that was published in his current news outfit The Philippine STAR.

A decorated journalist, Arcalas is the first Thomasian to receive the Bright Leaf Hall of Fame award for agriculture journalism. Last November 8, he also won the Agriculture and Mining Reporter of the Year award from the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines.

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MA in Journalism candidate Tyrone Jasper Piad won the Best Business Feature Award for his three-part series in 2023 “The costs of mobility and the increasing use of cycling,” done for the Philippine Daily Inquirer. This series was the capstone requirement for the course Data Journalism. The articles are as follows:

●      Part 1:

●      Part 2:

●      Part 3:

Piad is actually a back-to-back winner for Best Business Feature for EJAP. Last year, Piad won for his 2022 story with his former outlet BusinessMirror titled “.”

MA in Journalism lecturer Jasper Emmanuel Arcalas also won, this time as the Agriculture and Mining Reporter of the Year. Arcalas, a 2024 graduate who’s a newly hired lecturer at the BA in Journalism program, has been winning national awards and one international award while being a scholar for The Varsitarian, studying in the graduate journalism program.

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This conference is also the St. Thomas Aquinas Forum and the 12th Leonardo Legaspi, O.P. Lecture.

To speak in the conference are Dominican priests frs. John William Emery, O.P., Adrian Adiredjo, O.P., and Nicanor Pier Giorgio Austriaco, O.P.

Interested presenters may send abstracts (about 300 words) focused on one of the themes set by the conference. For more details, click here.

Accepted abstracts during the first round of review will have to be developed into a paper of about 3,000 words. This has to be submitted no later than January 15, 2025, and will serve as basis for the final inclusion in the program.

Registration for the Conference (either onsite or online) is free and is now open until February 10, 2025. You may click this link to register: or scan the QR Code provided on the poster. For inquiries, please contact the Secretariat through Email (aquinasconferences@ust.edu.ph) or Telephone (+63-2-3406-1611 loc. 8659.

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With the award, Bernardo is slated to deliver a research-based lecture in February 2025. A scholar on World Englishes, particularly Philippine English and its pedagogy, Bernardo will discourse about: “Teaching, Teaching about, and Teaching in World Englishes: Twenty-First Century Perspectives for Diversity, Inclusivity, and Sustainability.”

Among Bernardo’s recent works are entitled “Teaching Philippine English through schoolscapes” (2024), “Philippine English and Global Englishes-inspired grammar teaching” (2024), and “Knowledge construction in World Englishes” (2021, with Ruanni Tupas).

Bernardo earned his doctoral degree in English Language Studies from the UST Graduate School, where he later served as Faculty Secretary. He is an academic researcher of the Research Center for Social Sciences and Education. Bernardo also served as Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Letters.

Established in 1996, the Distinguished Professorial Chair honors former Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (now the Department of Education) Secretary and former De La Salle University President Br. Andrew Gonzalez, FSC. According to the Linguistic Society of the Philippines, the honor is meant to remember Br. Gonzalez as “an intellectual giant, a distinguished linguist, teacher, scholar, humanist, writer, administrator, a builder of persons and institutions, a man of vision and mission, a doer, a Christian brother, and a Filipino patriot.”

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Complying with the Congress’s pledge to diversity, researchers from UST gave talks and took part in panels that broadened the discussion on Filipino philosophy and its role in international discourse. Professor Jove Jim S. Aguas of the Department of Philosophy, Graduate School, and Center for Theology, Religious Studies, and Ethics was a major contributor to the Congress. In addition to moderating and chairing the PAP Society Session titled “Filipino Philosophy in Dialogue: Expanding the Conversation,” Aguas contributed to the Center for Research in Values and Philosophy (CRVP) Round Table Discussion on National Values by presenting a paper titled “The Ambiguity of the Filipino Sense of Nationalism and Filipino Identity.”

In the Contributed Paper Sessions, Thomasian scholars presented their respective papers: 

●      Prof. Fleurdeliz R. Altez-Albela, PhD (Department of Philosophy, Graduate School, and Center for Theology, Religious Studies, and Ethics) – “What Is Levinasian in Sustainability?: Sustainability in the Economy of Being Through Levinas’ Third”

●      Junior Teacher Blaise D. Ringor, PhD (Senior High School and Ecclesiastical Faculties) – “Education, Christian Values, and the Voiding of Reason: John Henry Newman’s Personalist Education”

●      Mr. Christian U. Solis, MA (Senior High School and Graduate School) – “Towards Understanding Fidelity in Marriage and Family: Paul Ricoeur on Man’s Capacity to Promise”

●      Mr. Charles Aldrin A. Delgado (Graduate School) – “Christianity as Discomfort: Kierkegaard’s Philosophy of Religion”

●      Inst. Ivan Efreaim A. Gozum, MA (Institute of Religion and Graduate School) – “Understanding Filipino Close Family Ties Through Gabriel Marcel’s Mystery of the Family”

Aguas also presented the paper entitled “The Relevance of the Metaphysics and the Notions of Being and Analogy of St. Thomas.”

These talks demonstrated the breadth and depth of philosophical study at UST and the contributions made by Filipino academics to international philosophical debates. Additionally, through one-on-one interactions, the Congress gave Filipino scholars a rare chance to fortify relationships and build mutual trust.

The Congress emphasized Rome’s long-standing position as a crossroads of civilizations, and it began with a ceremony at the ancient Baths of Caracalla. Prof. Luca Maria Scarantino, President of FISP, and Prof. Antonella Polimeni, Rector of Sapienza University, both emphasized the merging of humanistic and scientific cultures in philosophical conversations, reinforcing this subject of interconnection in their introductory statements.

Scholars addressed pressing ethical, social, cultural, political, and spiritual concerns all week long. Topics covered included the ethics of artificial intelligence, with discussions on the implications of AI on human decision-making and the ethical responsibilities of AI developers, and the place of spirituality in secular cultures, with debates on the role of spirituality in a modern, secular society. The Congress featured round table discussions, invited sessions, symposia, contributed paper sessions, endowed lectures, plenary sessions, student sessions, and the FISP General Assembly. The goal of these talks was to question conventional wisdom in philosophy by tackling issues of sustainability, gender and cultural diversity, inequality, and other modern world concerns.

Every five years, the WCP is arranged by the Federation Internationale des Sociétés de Philosophie (FISP) or the International Federation of Philosophical Societies. The WCP is a major conference that brings together philosophers, educators, students, and philosophy aficionados worldwide for a week-long discussion of a certain issue.

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Professor Jove Jim S. Aguas, PhD of the Department of Philosophy discoursed on “Christian Humanism and St. Thomas’s Notion of the Human Person,” where he acknowledged that as science and technology advanced, spiritual dimensions of human life often became ignored. Using Aquinas’s philosophy, Aguas “shows that a humanism centered on Christian belief is still a relevant and more acceptable proposition over modern and secular humanism.” Furthermore, Aguas said that “for St. Thomas, man has a spiritual component, and he is ordained towards God. He developed a Christian humanism anchored on theological personalism, a concept that emphasizes the unique relationship between each individual and God and how this relationship shapes our understanding of human dignity and purpose.”

Meanwhile, Junior Teacher Blaise D. Ringor, PhD of the Senior High School and concurrent Academic Collaborations Officer of the Ecclesiastical Faculties, presented his paper entitled “From Garden of Eden to Garden of Gethsemane: Dietrich von Hildrebrand’s Ethics of Incommensurability as a Justification of Loving as Critical Thinking,” where he argued that the interiority of the person is neglected by traditionalist views of ethics. In doing so, he looks at Dietrich von Hildrebrand’s critique and discourses on the former’s ethics of incommensurability to address the flaw by integrating the reality of loving into critical thinking. Ringor argued that “Hildebrand’s approach provides a robust ethical framework that acknowledges the full complexity of the human person, thereby enriching critical thinking with a deeper understanding of love’s ethical significance.”

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