From October 22 to 25, 2024, 94 fourth-year tourism students from classes 4TOM4 and 4TOM5 conducted a site visit and a Usage, Attitude, and Image (UAI) survey in Bataan as part of their course requirements.

On December 10, 2024, the results of this IMC Campaign will be presented under the theme “Cutting Edge Campaigns: A Look Into The New Destination Marketing Strategies.” This presentation will mark the culmination of our student’s hard work and the beginning of a strengthened partnership with the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between the University of Santo Tomas College of Tourism and Hospitality Management and Colegio de San Juan de Letran – Bataan. This initiative is one of the projects of the UST Sentro Turismo. Additionally, a group of students from class 3TOM2 taking the Travel Agency Management and Operations course facilitated the fieldwork and data-gathering travel arrangements.

This activity aims to continuously improve teaching ways to equip the students in tourism marketing and gain practical skills in destination research and analysis, planning and strategy development, exposure to current trends, and a deeper understanding of tourism marketing as a discipline and the needed expertise to make a career in the said field.

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In his letter dated January 25, 2023, Timoner said that “St. Thomas remains an excellent model and teacher for us today.” He further wrote that the granting of plenary indulgence covers Dominican schools. Among the activities that the faithful can also participate in are pilgrimages, special jubilee rites, and pious reflection in Dominican churches.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1471), “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.” The faithful have to be in a state of grace, must have sacramentally confessed their sins, participate in the Holy Eucharist and receive communion, and pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. The decree from the Apostolic Penitentiary was signed by His Eminence Mauro Cardinal Piacenza, Major Penitentiary.

Last January 24 to 27, Masses in honor of St. Thomas Aquinas were celebrated in the Santísimo Rosario Parish.

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Carillo, UST’s longest-serving Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs (2006-2017), will be taking on the post in addition to having done consultancy work for Angelicum since 2019.

A seasoned administrator and an expert in the fields of educational administration and quality management, she is a Lead Assessor for ASEAN University Network Quality Assurance, a former accreditor of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation, and began the active journey of UST to have its programs locally and internationally certified. Under her leadership as VRAA, UST secured accreditation statuses from PACUCOA, which consistently recognized UST for having the most number of accredited programs. UST likewise became an Associate Member of AUNQA in 2016, and in 2019, during her incumbency as the Assistant to the Rector for Planning and Quality Management, UST secured the Institutional Certification from AUN-QA.

Carillo, a faculty member of the Department of Secondary Education of the College of Education, is also a member of the Education cluster of the UST Graduate School.

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The April 6, 2021 appointment quoted Act 370 of the General Chapter and outlined the work of the committee as follows: “The committee, in dialogue with the leaders of DOMUNI Universitas, will help DOMUNI Universitas with its recommendations to put in place the academic criteria highlighted by the certification process undertaken in Switzerland: a scientific council, full-time professors, research activities, coherence between courses, and governance.”

The appointment will be in effect until 2024. Joining Carillo in the committee are fr. Franklin Buitrago Rojas, O.P., Prof. François-Xavier Cuche, fr. Francesco Compagnoni, O.P., fr. Jean Jacques Pérennès, O.P., fr. Benjamin Sombel Sarr, O.P., fr. Guido Vergauwen, O.P., fr. Alain Arnould, O.P., fr. Mark Padrez, O.P., fr. Pablo Carlos Sicouly, Socius of the Master for Intellectual Life.

Carillo, who specializes in educational assessment and quality, is a Lead Assessor for the ASEAN University Network – Quality Assurance Group, whose Institutional Certification UST recently obtained. She is also a member of the Institutional Sustainability Assessment team of the Commission on Higher Education and was involved as an assessor of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation prior to her stint as Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of UST from 2006-2017.

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In the celebration officiated by the immediate past Prior Provincial, Rev. fr. Napoleon B. Sipalay, Jr., O.P., designated representative of the Province, the 12th Provincial Chapter was likewise concluded.

No dampening of the spirit

Reflecting on the experience of the Chapter, held in a “bubble” in Caleruega, Batangas, fr. dela Cruz said that, “the bubble also gave something positive. Even though we are distant, we are together. Even on weekends, nobody goes home. The pandemic did not dampen the spirit of the Chapter. In the realm of the spirit, there is more to consider than the pandemic.”

Though the pandemic upended the way of life for many people in the past year and as it rages on this year, fr. dela Cruz said that there was still cause for joy in 2021. After all, 2021 marks the 800th death anniversary of St. Dominic de Guzman, the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines, and the 50th anniversary of the Dominican Province of the Philippines. “800, 500, 50. These are numbers that tell us how God has helped us and saw us through the years. When we are disheartened, it is good to remember the God who has journeyed with us through these 800, 500, and 50 years–full of trials, challenges, and problems but never wanting of God’s graces and blessings,” the new Prior Provincial said.

Even the chapter, which began on January 6, 2021 and formally ended on February 2nd, was marked by special occasions: the January 6 opening of the 800th-year celebration of St. Dominic’s birth in heaven and the February 2 World Day of Consecrated Life.

Remembering the value of being consecrated

Addressing the brethren and the consecrated men and women, fr. Dela Cruz said that “no matter how good our expressions in the Acta, it is not enough if we don’t take back Jesus into our arms.” He said that the gift of consecration requires the brethren to “go beyond the Province. Think of the family, which has been the support in all we do.”

To do, fr. dela Cruz underscored the importance of gratitude, which looks at the past—despite its struggles, problems, and hardships—and allows us to still “cherish hope and light.”

Apart from gratitude, the new Prior Provincial also expressed his prayer for the Province as it walks down the path toward its sixth decade: “This is my prayer for the province—to grow in wisdom, learn from mistakes of the past.”

The new Prior Provincial was a longtime former Vice-Rector for Religious Affairs in UST. Prior to his election, he was assigned in the House of San Lorenzo Ruiz and Companion Martyrs in Navotas and was Prior of the Rumah Santo Tomas de Aquino in Surabaya, Indonesia. With his election, fr. dela Cruz will serve for the next four years.

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Pope Francis’s calling

Fr. Timoner reflected on Pope Francis’s Apostolic Letter addressed to the consecrated people during the year of consecrated life and invited men and women to look at the past with gratitude, to live the present with passion, and to embrace the future with hope.

Filipinos giving back to the Church

Reflecting on the commemorative logo depicting the first Eucharistic Celebration in the Philippines, fr. Timoner said the Filipinos are now ready to return the gift and lead the Catholic Church. “We have received the faith and after 500 years, we are ready to give the same gift,” fr. Timoner said. “It is interesting that the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregations for the Evangelization of Peoples—the congregation of the Holy See that is in-charge for the preaching of the gospel to all nations–is headed by a Filipino, His Excellency Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle,” he added.

H.E. Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle was named the prefect of Congregations for the Evangelization of Peoples (Propaganda Fide) in December 2019. “It is as though the Filipinos are ready to give back the gift that we have received. And it echoes very well on what the Lord has told us in the Gospel: ‘The gift that you have received, give as a gift’. And we are doing that,” fr. Timoner added.

Another Filipino priest who is currently serving outside the country is Most Rev. Bernardito C. Auza, D.D., a Thomasian who was named the Apostolic Nuncio to Spain in October 2019. “It is like everything has come to a full circle; we have received the faith from our Spanish missionaries, and now the delegate of the Holy Father to Spain is a Filipino,” fr. Timoner said. “It is also important for us religious to realize that our desire to dedicate our lives to the service of God and to the church, to the service of our brothers and sisters is prompted by a desire to express our gratitude by giving back what we have received—the faith and all the many blessings and graces that we have received,” he added.

On Fratelli e Sorelli Tutti

Fr. Timoner said the biggest challenges that the religious can face will be the loss of passion. “So how do we recover passion? In his encyclical letter, Fratelli e Sorelli Tutti (On Fraternity, Sorority and Social Friendship), Pope Francis, before the publication of the letter, wrote in his own hand. He was inviting us help him share the message of Fratelli e Sorelli Tutti,” he said. Pope Francis’s letter was an exhortation of St. Francis to follow the message of Jesus, which is to recognize each other as brothers and sisters, and to live accordingly in the common home that God entrusted to his people. According to fr. Timoner, however, brotherhood and sisterhood alone cannot solve the problems. “Fratelli Tutti invites us to look at the Good Samaritan in the scriptures, and the characters,” he said. “The Good Samaritan tells us that a piety that forgets one’s neighbor, like that of the priest and the Levite who pass by the victim, is only a form of idolatry—a worship that is empty. Like the work of charity accomplished by the Good Samaritan, [it] restores humanity to the likeness of God,” fr. Timoner said. ”Christ is presented as the one who is present in the wounded person who needs our help,” he added.

On promoting and sustaining vocation

According to fr. Timoner, Vocation Promotion was not limited to the new vocations itself, rather it was a comprehensive term that embraced both new vocations and the vocation of all the professed. “Our capacity to be useful to the Church and the society depends on the promotion of our vocations, that we are able to live the present with passion is actually an important aspect of the promotion of the vocation,” he said. “It involves the renewal and rekindling of the vocation of everyone, of all of us religious and Christians, as preachers of the Gospel.” fr. Timoner added.

According to fr. Timoner, to look back at the past with gratitude, which can sustain one’s vocation, one can learn from the five timeless lessons: 1) Zeal for the mission; 2) Collaboration among Religious; 3) Learning from the People, to Evangelize the People (Interculturation); 4) Compassion and Mercy, Justice and Peace; and 5) Preaching in the Community.

The webinar was organized by Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines.

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To be held on December 10, 2020 via Zoom (9:00-11:00 a.m.), we are honored to have with us guest speakers: Dr. Symon Chiziwa of the University of Malawi, Dr. Valerie Damasco of the University of Toronto, and Ms. Cecilia Soriano of the Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education.

Please register through this link:  

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With this appointment, fr. Bolo is now officially assigned in the Convent of Santa Sabina in Rome and reports directly to Very Rev. fr. Gerard Francisco P. Timoner III, O.P., Master of the Order. fr. Bolo is not new to the General Curia, though, as he was appointed in 2013 by then-Master of the Order fr. Bruno Cadoré, O.P. as International Coordinator of the Priestly Fraternities.

fr. Bolo was the Quadricentennial Secretary-General of UST and his priestly ministry in the Philippines allowed him to play a vital role in the growth of the Priestly Fraternities of St. Dominic in the country.

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The Spirit that continues to guide

In reflecting on how to journey during uncertain times, fr. Sipalay recalled the experiences of the Apostles: “From Pentecost, the Spirit was the guidance of the Apostles. The first Christian community was Spirit-guided. The Spirit was the source of courage, and the Christian courage came not only during comfortable times, but but also the bad times.”

Acknowledging the recent government regulations to help arrest the spread of COVID-19 in the metropolis, fr. Sipalay said that “the restrictions of movement, social contact, and [the resulting] isolation were a great challenge to us all. We were like the Apostles before the appearance of Jesus: in locked doors, experiencing fears, anxieties, waiting for the new normal. But with the Risen Christ, with interdependence, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, they found new courage to navigate the new challenges we are facing.”

Further, fr. Sipalay said that this same Spirit that “we receive in Baptism and Confirmation, the mission we receive in the Church, in the world, are more than a human mission. It calls us to respond depending on the grace we receive from Lord and the guidance of the Spirit. The challenge is to see everything in the light of the Spirit.”

What to do with the gift

Even in turbulent times such as the pandemic, the Board of Trustees Chairman said that we still receive gifts, but reminded that “the gift given is not for the glory of the one who received it, but for the good of the whole Church. The gifts that came from God should only be used for God’s service.”

In a special way, he acknowledged the efforts of all those who helped craft and implement the way to continue in the new normal. “We thank our administrators who took the lead to navigate us to the new normal [so] that we are able to craft the way to move forward. It is here that the many gifts, [though] different from one another, [provided] the synergy for what we have now: the Enriched Virtual Mode.”

The oneness of experience

The Prior Provincial highlighted the fact that all are united in experiencing the struggles brought about by the pandemic, which “we face as a community guided by the Holy Spirit.” On this note, he emphasized that “we need to give a word of hope to everyone, that this is possible [and] we can do this together,” despite the realities of fear, anxiety, and of “self-defeating comments that are not healthy.”

It is in the context of challenges experienced that fr. Sipalay, quoting an speaker on coping with challenges, expressed hope for Thomasians to develop the “Adversity Quotient,” which impels those who have it to “reach the goal…and never stop” until one is done. “We join UST in bringing hope to all those involved to bring education to our students, welfare to all those who make things possible, and may this synergy…bring the word of hope to the challenge of our time.”

Concelebrating with fr. Sipalay are new University Rector fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P., PhD and Vice-Rector fr. Isaias D. Tiongco, O.P., JCD.

COVID-19 and its continued surge in the National Capital Region prompted educational institutions to deliver educational services remotely at least for the next few months. In UST, this will be done via the Enhanced Virtual Mode, which will include both synchronous and asynchronous online courses delivered by faculty members, who may work in teams, invite experts from the industry and alumni, as well as representatives from the communities UST has partnered with.

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Carillo’s presentation held at the Convent of Santa Sabina focused on how the University of Santo Tomas has been implementing its quality management system following the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) framework. UST, which implements quality assurance measures following institutional standards provided by agencies like TUV-SUD (ISO), also recently underwent its Institutional Assessment by the ASEAN University Network – Quality Assurance Group (AUN-QA), of which it has been an Associate Member since 2016.

Included in the presentation were processes and practices, both at the university and unit levels, such as strategic and operational planning sessions, translation of the Mission-Vision statements, Strategic Directional Areas, Key Result Areas, and Key Performance Indicators  into implementing policies and activities, feedback and review mechanisms, such as management review meetings, student satisfaction surveys, and internal and external quality audit sessions, among others. Interspersed with these were the challenges and significant lessons that the University has learned over the years, which helped illustrate the PDCA principles in action.

Carillo, who has headed the  since 2018, was UST’s Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs from 2006-2017. She is a member of the Commission on Higher Education’s Institutional Sustainability Assessment (ISA) team and is a Lead Assessor of the AUN-QA group. She also teaches educational planning and quality management courses at the  and is a faculty member of the  of the .

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