As Advent is the season of waiting for Christ, Fr. Dagohoy urged the community to welcome the Lord with hope in their hearts

Celebrating the Season of Light A familiar sight to many, the UST
campus is well-recognized for its classic and Hispanic façade, reminiscent of Spain’s own Plaza Mayor. But for this occasion, the 406-year old institution of higher learning was transformed into a festive setting as it
lit up while the UST Symphony Orchestra and the Coro Tomasino and Liturgikon Vocal Ensemble performed “O Come All Ye Faithful” as the concert’s opening number of the 2017 UST Christmas Concert.

Capping off the campus lighting was a fireworks display. For a festive twist, the historic Arch of the Centuries was reimagined into a bright Nativity scene, with huge figures of baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. As the gateway
to the University, the Arch display depicts the University’s befitting welcoming of the Holy Family.

The lighting of the 70-foot Christmas tree in the University’s athletic field also delighted participants and provided the attendees with an iconic and memorable place for their selfies and groupfies.

Songs for the Community
The UST Christmas Concert this year was held at the Plaza Mayor. Performers were homegrown talents including a special international performer, tenor Abdul Candao, who is now based in Vienna, Austria. An additional new feature was the inclusion of two choirs whose members are
children from the partner communities of UST in Tarlac, the PAVIC Children’s Choir and the Sitio Buok Children’s Choir. Some members of the PAVIC Children’s Choir are visually impaired.

The Thomasian Christmas feast, also called Agape, gathered the Thomasians as one family as they shared traditional Filipino food, such as lechon, bibingka, puto-bumbong, and many others that filled the tables in a festive
feast.

The concert that began with the campus lighting ended with an original
song titled “Pasko sa UST” performed under the baton of internationallyrenowned conductor Professor Herminigildo G. Ranera, and composed and arranged by Conservatory of Music Dean Antonio P. Africa.
Proceeds from the offertory were earmarked as the contribution of the
University of Santo Tomas for the rehabilitation of Marawi.

Christmas showcase
While the initial celebration on December 1 focused on the religious
aspect of Christmas, the second celebration on December 20 provided
the festivities that the Thomasian community has grown accustomed to.
This gathering consisted of a concert with popular local bands alongside
homegrown Thomasian groups. The program also highlighted a cosplay
competition and a performance by the well-lauded UST Salinggawi Dance
Troupe. The night culminated in the much-anticipated annual Christmas
pyromusical, which featured a Coldplay medley of popular rock music.

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1. University with the highest number of accredited programs in the Philippines
2. Institution with the highest number of accredited programs in the National Capital Region
3. University with the highest number of Level IV accredited programs in the Philippines
4. First Tourism program to be granted Level IV accredited status in the Philippines
5. Special Citation for producing a graduate who obtained the highest rating in the Pharmacist Board Examination in 2017
6. Special Citation for producing a graduate who obtained the highest rating in the Nutritionist and Dietitian Board Examination in 2017
7. Special Citation for producing a graduate who obtained the highest rating in the Librarian Board Examination in 2017

Representing the University of Santo Tomas were Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Cheryl R. Peralta, DrPH and deans of the different faculties, colleges, institutes, and schools, namely: Prof. Marilu R. Madrunio, PhD (Graduate School); Prof. John Donnie A. Ramos, PhD (Science), Prof. Michael Anthony C. Vasco, PhD (Arts and Letters); Prof. Allan B. de Guzman, PhD (Education); Prof. Aleth Therese L. Dacanay, PhD (Pharmacy), Assoc. Prof. Susan N. Maravilla, DNM (Nursing); Assoc. Prof. Leonardo M. Canoy, Jr., PhD (Commerce); Assoc. Prof. Anne Marie Aseron (Rehabilitation Sciences); Asst. Prof. Ma. Cecilia A. Tio Cuison (Tourism and Hospitality Management); and Asst. Prof. Mary Christie D. Que (Fine Arts and Design).

#ThomasianExcellence

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CRS College Secretary Ma. Roxanne L. Fernandez, presented the study titled “The Effect of Shoe Inserts on Lower Extremity Kinematics on Running among UST UAAP Track and Field Team A Long Distance Runners” for the oral presentation while Internship Supervisor Ms. Fe Therese M. Chavez presented the study “The Effects of Gibney’s Closed Basket Weave with Heel Lock and Figure of Eight Technique on the kinematics of the Lower Extremity during the landing phase of vertical jumping among UST UAAP Female Volleyball Players.”

The conference was held from November 30 to December 4, 2017 at the Seongseo Campus, Keimyung University, Daegu, South Korea. It was organized by the Asian Society of Kinesiology.

Professor Masayoshi Kubo of Niigata University of Health and Welfare (NUHW), Niigata, Japan, one of the visiting professors of CRS was also a participant. Fernandez and Chavez discussed with Prof. Kubo a potential research collaboration with regarding biomechanics of the human movement.

Attended by students and professors from Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines and South Korea, the conference was an opportunity for the delegates to share and present their studies in the field of Kinesiology.

Through the conference, participants were able to obtain more ideas and discuss possible research collaborations within Asia. The conference also had workshops, lectures, and symposiums about Human Movement, the theme of this year’s conference.

The campus tours and a banquet allowed the students and professors socialize with participants from
different Asian universities.

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The Indian students were grouped into two and were assigned for three to four days in two UST-CRS affiliated rehabilitation centers, namely, Quality Life Discoveries (QLD) and UAAP Sports Center. Under the supervision of staff physical therapists of QLD and UAAP Sports Center, the Indian students observed the evaluation and treatment of musculoskeletal cases,
sports – related injuries and pediatric cases in the Philippines.

Aside from clinical observations, there was also an exchange of current practices and knowledge between UST – CRS and NITTE University. While in UST, NITTE University students attended regular classes at the Department of Physical Therapy where they participated in case discussions and return demonstrations, and interacted with other UST PT students.

Center for Health Research and Movement
Science (CHRMS) Chair Assoc. Prof. Valentin Dones III, Ph.D., taught the students Biomechanical Taping, a technique that he himself developed. For his part, Prof. Thakur delivered a special lecture on the assessment of
patients with amputee among 4th year PT students on November 29, 2017 as part of their Clinical Education I class.

The Global International Experience program was spearheaded by CRS Internationalization Committee Chair Ms. Paulin Grace Morato-Espino, Asst. Prof. Christian Rey Rimando, committee member, Internship Supervisor Ms. Fe Therese Chavez, and Department of Physical Therapy Chair Ms. Jocel M. Regino.

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Presenters and speakers tackled issues in language education in relation to the ASEAN experience in various parallel session strands and plenary speeches, such as language policies, English Language Teaching research,
teacher beliefs and practices, learner autonomy, teacher preparation, language learning, language assessment, and curriculum development,
among others.

As a result of the ASEAN integration, there have been shifts in policies and curricula that have inevitable ripple effects in the field of language teaching. The need to review these effects, infer what they could mean for the stakeholders, and update professionals on current trends has therefore arisen.

Over 150 language teaching professionals and enthusiasts from different countries participated over the course of the three-day international professional gathering, which was held for the first time at the University of Santo Tomas.
“Well, this is really the first time that the PALT [International] Conference went out of its home base,” UST Graduate School Dean Marilu R. Madrunio, Ph.D., who is also the incumbent president of PALT, explained.

Since the Association’s first international conference in 2001, it has normally been held in hotels, such as the Manila Hotel.

Madrunio added that PALT, which was established 57 years ago, is the oldest, professional language teaching organization in the Philippines with whom she and many Filipino English language teachers have spent many active years developing professionally.

PALT has affiliations with other multinational language teaching organizations such as the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and the Pan-Asian Consortium for Language Teaching (PAC).

The association is also known to have for its members well-known researchers, a number of whom were its plenary speakers in the threeday conference. The first plenary speaker was Prof. Maria Cynthia Rose B. Bautista, Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of the
Philippines – Diliman, who discussed the Philippines’ changing language education practices in the context of ASEAN.

Dr. Anne Pakir, the National University of Singapore’s Director for International Relations talked about “English-knowing Bilingualism”, a term primarily applicable in Singapore where the largely Asian population communicates internationally and nationally in English while maintaining usage of their ethnic mother tongues.

For the third plenary speech delivered on the third day of the conference, Assoc. Prof. Ahmar Mahboob of the University of Sydney focused
on the role that language plays in education across different pedagogic contexts and tackled the question of whether school-level language
textbooks actually prepare students for their future careers.

The other speakers were Mr. Matt Keener, the Cultural Affairs Officer of the US Embassy in the Philippines, Ms. Leonie Overbeek, a language researcher and teacher trainer for Korea -Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (KoTESOL), and Associate Professor Shirley M. Ando of the Otemae University in Japan.

The conference also had over 50 parallel sessions for the different research paper presentations. Mr. Keener, who tackled the topic of “Maintaining the Philippines’ competitive advantage in English,” admitted that he is not an
expert in English or education in the Philippines.

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Each of the anniversary issue featured works from Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Drama, and Criticism.

John Jack Wigley was the Issue Editor and Dawn Nicole Marfil was the Managing Editor of the Creative Nonfiction volume.

Augusto Antonio Aguila was the Issue Editor and Chuckberry Pascual was the Managing Editor of the Fiction volume.

Joselito Delos Reyes was Issue Editor and Ned Parfan was the Managing Editor of the Poetry volume.

Joyce Arriola was Issue Editor and Ailil Alvarez was the Managing Editor of the Criticism Volume.

Lito B. Zulueta was the Issue Editor and Ralph Semino Galan was the Managing Editor of the Drama Volume.

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#ThomasianExcellecne #USTandQS

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Abelardo’s paper discussed the social impact of mediations and social
consequences on the Ayta learners of the University of Santo Tomas Distance Education Program (UST DEP). It likewise investigated how the program served as an instrument in the transformation of its learners’ literacy practices. It also revealed the mediating factors which influenced their learning processes.

The interconnection between the components of the UST Distance Education Program was also discussed.

The Bantula conference provided a venue for stakeholders in cultural education – institutional leaders and policymakers, academics, artists,
and cultural workers, local government officials, culture bearers and cultural advocates, students, community leaders, and organizers to present
and discuss the rules and challenges of culturebased education. Cultural Education as catalyst for regional cooperation, facilitate socio-cultural mobility by promoting partnership – respect and understanding – among members of ASEAN Region, whose national lives and cultures are intertwined and interconnected through shared histories and common traditions. A responsive and relevant culture-based education ensures
the creation, promotion, and preservation of a peaceable environment conducive to productive collaboration, creative interaction, and meaningful cooperation

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The three titles are: “The Reddest Herring” by Francisco Guevara (poetry),
“Writing Naked: A Memoir” by Arnie Quibranza Mejia (creative nonfiction), and “Mariposa Gang and Other Stories by Catherine Torres (fiction).
The Madrigal-Gonzalez Award is a literary award project by the UP Institute
of Creative Writing. It is given to the best first book by a Filipino writer, and alternates each year between books written in Filipino and in English. This year, the award is open to first books in English published between
2015 and 2016.

In the awarding ceremony held on December 1, 2017 at the University of the Philippines, adjudged winner was “All my Lonely Islands” by VJ Campilan, a novel in English printed by Anvil Publishing.

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