BOARD TOPNOTCHERS – October 2021

Chemical Engineer Licensure Examination

UST Passing Rate: 45.95%

National Passing Rate: 47.42%

Ìı

Ìı

Physician Licensure Examination
September 2021
UST Passing Rate: 100%
National Passing Rate: 70.39%

Ìı

The post BOARD TOPNOTCHERS October 2021 appeared first on ¾ÅÉ«.

Coinciding with the national celebration of the 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines, and the 400th year of the foundation of Cagayan, this program is composed of two projects. Project 1 is the Conservation Management Plan of the Jasaan Church and Project 2 is the Cultural Heritage Mapping of the Municipality of Jasaan. It envisions a deeper appreciation and renewed evangelization of church heritage into the daily lives of the people.

The Church Heritage Conservation Program of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro was held from September 21 to 25, 2021, at the Church of the Immaculate Conception Parish, a National Cultural Treasure Church, in Jasaan, Misamis Oriental.

The inaugural ceremony was highlighted by the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, represented by Most Rev. Archbishop Jose Cabantan, D.D.; UST GS CCCPET, represented by its Director Dr. Eric B. Zerrudo; and AUST, represented by its Archivist Professor Regalado Trota Jose.
The event was witnessed by Jasaan Municipal Mayor Hon. Redentor Jardin, Parish Priest of Jasaan Rev. Fr. Demli Redeemer Valmores, and officials of the Jasaan Parish Restoration and Development Council Inc. (JPRDC).
The UST Heritage Specialist Team Batch 1 was composed of Asst. Prof. Eric Babar Zerrudo (Director, UST GS CCCPET), Prof. Regalado Trota Jose (Archivist, AUST), Joselito Corpus (Heritage Preservation Specialist), Rona Repancol (CHS Graduate and Stone Specialist), Cham Odan (CHS Student and Architect), Edgar Alan Sembrano (CHS Graduate and Journalist) and Beverly Bautista (CCCPET Coordinating Staff). The next batch of specialists will conduct fieldwork from November 13 to 19, 2021.

The UST GS CCCPET and the AUST also launched the long-term Church Heritage Conservation program for the Diocese of Maasin on September 4, 2021.

The program will develop the conservation management plans for the eight historically significant fortification-churches within the Diocese in the next four years. The informal launch was marked by the turnover of books by Zerrudo to Most Rev. Precioso Cantillas, D.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Maasin.
The program, spearheaded by Fr. Mark Vincent Salang, Chancellor and Chair of the Diocesan Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church, embarks from and enhances further the global significance of Limasawa Island, a parish under the Diocese and site of the first Easter Mass in the Philippines, officially declared by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).

After three attempts to visit Southern Leyte because of the pandemic spike, the three-day preliminary inspection of the five-man UST Heritage Team was finally undertaken from September 3 to 5, 2021.
The rapid assessment covered the Punta Barangay Chapel, Baybay City, Leyte; Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church, Hilongos, Leyte; Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral, Maasin City, Southern Leyte; Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church, Baybay City, Leyte; Santo Niño Church, Malitbog, Southern Leyte; Saint Joseph Church, Matalom, Leyte; Saint John the Baptist Church, San Juan, Southern Leyte, and Amparo Barangay Chapel, Macrohon, Southern Leyte.

The church heritage conservation team conducted the first extensive study and mapping at the Punta Church. The church was built around 1634 in Baybay City, Leyte.

All conservation management plans will be published by the Diocese as a legacy to the clergy and the community.

The post CCCPET, AUST launch Church Heritage Conservation Program with Diocese of Maasin, Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro appeared first on ¾ÅÉ«.

The project’s main objective is to provide guidance and to address the needs of the private sector and the City Government of Davao on the development and implementation of their MICE programs.

The project aims to assess the current situation of the Davao MICE industry, with respect to its environments and competitions, as well as existing programs, infrastructures, and strategies; conduct an inventory of tourism and hospitality products that may align with the competitive advantages, proposed strategies, and possible future programs for MICE for Davao.

The SMP will also identify and determine short-term and long-term objectives and strategies for both the private sector and the local government in the implementation of its MICE programs and plans.

The project will develop a comprehensive Strategic Master Plan for MICE for Davao, which will contain the necessary directions, objectives, and strategies as well as policies and supporting data that will serve as a guide for both the local government and the private sector; and design a monitoring and evaluation process that can help the stakeholders determine the effective programs and improve the opportunities seen in the implementation of the SMP. The motivation for this project is Davao’s vision of becoming the MICE hub of Asia.

The project started in June 2021 and will end in December 2021. Virtual meetings, presentations, and focus group discussions were conducted to determine the current situation of the city’s MICE industry. The project team, also known as #TeamDavaoCityMICE, is headed by the UST CTHM Dean Gezzez Giezi G. Granado, DCL.

The members of the team include Asst. Prof. Jane G. Devanadera (Project Consultant), Mr. Jame Monren T. Mercado (Project Coordinator), Ms. Kathrine Camille A. Nagal (Writer/Researcher), and Mr. Arnulfo Ricardo A. Butiong (Writer/Researcher).

The project is in collaboration with the City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO), the Davao City Tourism Association, Davao City MICE Core Group, the Department of Tourism Region 11, and the Tourism Promotions Board – MICE Department.

CTOO head Ms. Regina Rosa D. Tecson explained that the project would provide a strategic direction to sustainably promote and develop the touristic identity of Davao City as a world-class MICE destination in the country and the ASEAN region. It will also provide the action plans on implementing MICE-related programs and projects in this new and next normal.

The post CTHM partners with Davao City Gov’t for MICE planning, development appeared first on ¾ÅÉ«.

A collaboration of Intangible Cultural Heritage Center for Asia and the Pacific (ICHCAP-Korea), Ahmedabad University (India), and the UNESCO Bangkok, the online workshop is an intensive two-week course offering a combination of lectures, seminars, discussion and exercises. It was held from September 27 to October 11, 2021.

Led by Center for the Conservation of Culture Preservation and Environment in the Tropics Director Assoc. Prof. Eric B. Zerrudo, Ph.D., the UST GS CHS student-participants were Rizsa Valerie Rivero, Jhunie Pearl Sanchez, Romulo Suyom Jr, Ramundo Andres Palad, and Welfredo Miranda Artigo Jr., while Patria Teodoro was accepted as observer.

The workshop advanced the visibility of the UNESCO 2003 ICH Convention that “aims to address the need for awareness raising and capacity building among emerging researchers and practitioners.�

In particular, the course broadens the intangible cultural heritage concepts and safeguarding principles under the framework of the 2003 Convention: to strengthen the capacity of young researchers/practitioners for the safeguarding of ICH in Asia Pacific region; to emphasize the relevance of ICH to different academic disciplines and different dimensions of sustainable development; and to foster a network of Ich emerging experts in the field of cultural heritage.

The post Six Cultural Heritage students join int’l workshop on intangible cultural heritage appeared first on ¾ÅÉ«.

Herrera presented the conditions and challenges of housing for students residing near the University. In his paper, “Assessment of Current Student Housing in the Vicinity of the ¾ÅÉ«,â€� it was noted that there were former and current students who live in residences located in far flung provinces and cities that necessitated nearby student housing.

The study recommended that the University reach out to the owners and managers of these student housing buildings to alleviate the conditions of their lodgings and for the mutual benefit of both parties, the housing management and the students.

Tejuco, meanwhile, presented a paper and poster about UST and España Boulevard. In the paper titled “Enhancing the Cultural-Heritage Experience of the Nearly 100-Year Old UST Manila Campus through a Tourism Master Plan,� he discussed the opportunity of edu-tourism for UST as a tourist destination. The University’s rich history, with its four heritage buildings, and the upcoming centennial anniversary of the Sampaloc campus are main considerations in laying out a tourism plan.

Recalling a consultation activity held years back with alumni and students, Tejuco said that a vision for the University as tourist destination was laid out.

“By 2027, UST will be a tourist destination that welcomes and promotes cultural diversity, national & Thomasian values, environmental concern & sustainability, architectural development & preservation of natural heritage, and unique tourist experience with respect to the surrounding community,� he said.

He concluded his presentation with a proposed tourism trail and video walk-through of the campus. He also acknowledged the Office of Public Affairs, especially its late Director Assoc. Prof. Giovanna V. Fontanilla, Ph.D., for the assistance in the study.

Another research work by Tejuco was presented through an online poster. “Urban Regeneration of the Streets of España Boulevard (Welcome Rotunda to Lerma / Morayta) through ¾ÅÉ« Empowerment.â€� It featured the conditions and improvements of the main thoroughfare. The study reiterated that pedestrianization, flooding, and safety are community concerns that should be coordinated to by the public and private sectors.

The ICAS was organized by the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS), a research and exchange platform based in the university city of Leiden, the Netherlands. IIAS encourages the multi-disciplinary and comparative study of Asia and promotes national and international cooperation, thus linking the expertise of scholars and practitioners.

The post Herrera, Tejuco of Architecture present papers on Thomasian Built Environment at virtual conference in Japan appeared first on ¾ÅÉ«.

ÌıMadrunio was one of the three paper presenters from the Philippines. This year’s edition of the IAFL conference which was held online had almost 80 parallel paper presentations from the United Kingdom, China, Germany, France, Australia, Indonesia, Italy, Hong Kong, Thailand, Denmark, Canada, Norway, USA, Austria, Finland, South Africa, Netherlands, Qatar, Spain, Switzerland, Egypt, Romania, Brazil, and the Philippines.

Ìı

Madrunio’s paper, titled ‘’’Uhm…I think…’: Epistemic and Evidential Markers and Stancetaking of Courtroom Interactants in Crime Docuseriesâ€� examined the epistemic and evidential markers as well as the stancetaking of witnesses in courtroom proceedings reflected in the crime documentaries.

The post English Language Studies student presents paper at Forensic Linguistics Conference in UK appeared first on ¾ÅÉ«.

The Journalism program, under the Communication and Media Studies department of the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters, partnered with the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) and the Aboitiz Group in conducting the webinar titled “Beyond the Numbers: Understanding Business Journalism,� held from September 17 to 18, 2021.

The two-day webinar, participated in by over 400 students and faculty members from at least 35 universities and colleges nationwide, sought to institutionalize a partnership between the academe and business journalism industry through an annual activity that would impart industry knowledge to journalism students.

Resource speakers were veteran and multi-awarded business journalists including Business Mirror Editor-in-Chief Lourdes M. Fernandez, the country’s first Filipina EIC of a major English daily.

Fernandez talked about the significance of business journalism in society, particularly how the best stories of the Covid-19 pandemic are best told in the lens of economic writing.

The other speakers for the first day were Ben Arnold O. De Vera of the Philippine Daily Inquirer who discussed macroeconomy reporting and Neil Jerome Morales of the Reuters News Agency who talked about covering capital markets.

On the second day of the webinar, BusinessMirror reporter Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas tackled reporting about agriculture and commodities, while Aboitiz Data Innovation Head Marwell Dalangin, discussed the importance of data and statistics.  

The webinar was capped off by a presentation of EJAP President and TV5 Senior Correspondent Gerard de la Peña on reporting business stories for TV platform.

“We are happy to partner with EJAP and UST for such an insightful and rich discussions. We are all fortunate to hear and learn first-hand from talented and experienced media personalities and respected business reporters,” said Aboitiz Group Assistant Vice President for Media Relations Maricar Bautista.

“They have imparted valuable learning which you can apply if you are to pursue a career in journalism covering the business beat or simply understanding what these numbers truly mean and how they can affect our lives,” Bautista added.

UST Journalism program Coordinator Felipe F. Salvosa II, emphasized in his Welcome Remarks that the economic implications of COVID-19 related mobility restrictions and measures showed that business and economic news coverage is just as important as the coverage of the pandemic itself and the government’s response to it.

“We need good business journalists to report on how the government for instance is trying or even failing to balance the need to protect the health of citizens and the need to keep the economy up and running,” he said.

“This is why we continue this partnership with the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines for what will hopefully be a regular seminar on economic journalism,” Salvosa added.

EJAP President Gerard de la Pena said the association went full circle with the webinar as its members were able to share their industry knowledge with the country’s budding and future journalists.

“It is just right to share our knowledge to you, the next generation of journalists,” De la Pena said.

“We want to institutionalize this partnership with the academe and private sector and make this a yearly event. So that we learn together and grow together as responsible and skilled journalists, especially during challenging times like these, when we deal with issues if fake news, rising prices of consumer goods elections and the weakening economy,” he added.

The students and faculty members who attended the webinar were from UST, Bulacan State University, Cavite State University, University of San Jose-Recoletos, University of Rizal System, Lyceum of the Philippines University and West Visayas State University.

There were also participants from West Mindanao State University, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Manila, Emilio Aguinaldo College, Tarlac State University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Negros Oriental State University, Centro Escolar University and Palawan State University, among others.

The event was hosted by the UST Journalism Society president Marymon Frances Reyes.  

The post UST, EJAP bring economic journalism to academe appeared first on ¾ÅÉ«.

The UST Department of English hosted the First International Conference on Forensic Linguistics (FL) in the Philippines held on September 18, 2021, as one of the activities to commemorate the 125th year of foundation of the Faculty of Arts and Letters.

With the theme, “Forensic Linguistics: Challenges and opportunities in research and practice,� the conference featured notable names in the field such as the Don Forchelli Professor of Law from the Brooklyn Law School, Prof. Lawrence Solan. He talked about “Linguistic Issues in the Interpretation of Laws.�

University of Southern California Professor Emeritus of Linguistics and Law, Prof. Edward Finegan, discussed “The Challenges of Serving as an Expert Linguist in U.S. Courts.�

University of Hong Kong Assistant Professor Dr. Eva Ng, delivered a lecture on “The Right to a Fair Trial and Right to Interpretation Ambiguity in Legal Texts.�

Nihon University in Tokyo Dr. Richard Powell, who teaches courses in English for law and business, sociolinguistics, and language and human rights, delivered a lecture on the “Challenges for the Regulation of Pandemics.�

The newly elected president of the International Association of Forensic and Legal Linguistics, Dr. Isabel Picornell, graced the event with her inspirational message. The conference, according to Department of English Chair Prof. Rachelle Lintao, Ph.D., was an offshoot of the monthly webinar series on forensic linguistics held from August 2020 to May 2021 hosted by the Department of English, which incidentally is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

The conference was attended by more than 1,000 participants from 28 countries in five continents. It was a platform to convene Forensic Linguistics (FL) researchers and enthusiasts to advance their knowledge about FL in research and on how it is practiced in other countries.

The post First Int’l Forensic Linguistics conference in PH tackles research, practice appeared first on ¾ÅÉ«.

Held on October 20, 2021, was the second session of the series. Titled “Promoting Healthy Positivity in the Workspace,� it featured veteran Human Resource practitioners from the Behavioral Science department Ms. Khiara Desiree L. Agnote, Assoc. Prof. Maria Vida Caparas, Ph.D., and Mr. Ferdinand Magkasi.

Agnote discussed “From A to Engagement: A Brief Guide to Thrive at Work and in Life,� while Caparas delivered “Achieving Mental Wellness in the New Normal.� Magkasi tackled “Maintaining Boundaries: Family, Work, and Leisure.�
The first session of the webinar on “Healthy Positivity in the Personal Space� was held on September 24, 2021. It featured three BES faculty members who are seasoned online lecturers on mental health and wellness.

Psychological Association of the Philippines President Dr. Marc Eric S. Reyes, a full professor at the UST Department of Psychology, delivered the opening remarks.

Faculty members teaching professional courses Mr. Gian Carlo M. Ledesma and Mr. Joseph B. De Roxas presented their topics. Ledesma presented “Decision Making and Goal Setting Amid the Pandemic,� while De Roxas talked about “Call a Friend: A Student’s Guide to Anyone in Crisis.�

Capping the first session of the webinar was the lecture on “Self-Love through Self-Compassion� delivered by Interdisciplinary Studies Department Chair and BES Program Coordinator Dr. John Manuel R. Kliatchko.

The webinar, held in partnership with the Behavioral Science Society and Tiger Media Network, was broadcast live on Facebook through TigerTV’s page. It was organized as part of the Quasquicentennial celebration of the Faculty of Arts and Letters.

The post Behavioral Science webinar series: Making healthy positivity possible in workspace, personal space appeared first on ¾ÅÉ«.

Students under the Master of Arts in Journalism program, Neil Jayson Servallos and Katrina Isabel Gonzales, presented their paper titled “How COVID-19 pseudo-events alter news decisions by Filipino journalists: A comparative case study� during a parallel session held on September 23.

On the same day, Jasper Emmanuel Arcalas and Rochelle Senaida, as well as Master of Arts in Marketing Communication student Jhoana Paula Tuazon, shared their findings through their paper “How journalists cope with the stresses of news work and while remaining creative amid the COVID-19 pandemic: A phenomenological case study.�
The said papers were outputs of the course “Communication Theory and Theories of the Press,� under the Master of Arts in Journalism program, which was offered during the second term of the previous academic year.

Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media, and Communication (JOMEC) organizes the Future of Journalism Conference, now running on its eighth edition. JOMEC professors edit three of the top four journals in Journalism Studies: Journalism Studies, Journalism Practice and Digital Journalism, all published by the London-headquartered Taylor and Francis.

After receiving comments from session attendees, the Thomasian graduate students will revise their papers and submit these to target journals in the discipline.

The post GS students present papers on pandemic news reportage at int’l conference in Wales appeared first on ¾ÅÉ«.