The lecture featured Biological Sciences Professor fr. Nicanor Pier Giorgio Austriaco, O.P., SThD and Thomasian alumnus Dr. Antonio “Tony” Leachon, who shared the latest updates on the COVID-19 situation in the country, the vaccine rollout, as well as how the pandemic can possibly end in the country. In relation to the vaccination efforts, religious leaders from various faith and belief systems shared their reactions to the talks to encourage their constituents to get vaccinated, dispelling the reservations of people about the vaccines for reason of religious beliefs.

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Good leaders exemplify����

According to Bishop Edwin dela Peña, Chairman of Episcopal Commission on Interreligious Dialogue of the Catholic Bishops Conference, part of their interreligious campaign in Marawi City was to disseminate scientific information on the benefits of the vaccines to the communities and the parishes under his jurisdiction.

“Most of the people who got vaccinated during the first vaccination [belong to the] Catholic population. There are a lot of hesitancy from our Muslim brothers and sisters. And we understood that they needed to see for them to believe that the vaccine was safe,” he said. “It is not surprising for us to realize that during the second rollout, the Muslims also lined-up to get vaccinated,” Bishop dela Peña added.

For dela Peña, this was an experience of interreligious dialogue where the Catholics gave assurance to the neighboring Muslim community that the vaccines were safe. Moreover, this act encouraged them to take every opportunity to get vaccinated considering that the supplies in Bangasmoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) were also scarce.

“It is very important for us religious leaders to interact with the people to really show to them that we really have to get vaccinated to protect ourselves and the community. Our religious standing and the trust that they have on us is very important to be able to listen from their pastor and their bishop himself,” he said.

Likewise, Ptr. Dr. Aldrin M. Peñamora of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches affirmed that the moral ascendancy of the religious leaders can build trust to its constituents because their role was to set a good example. “Many of our constituents may not understand everything scientifically, but there is a trust pattern they look at the religious leaders as someone who are trustworthy,” Peñamora said.

Meanwhile, Arumanon-Manubo tribe chieftain Timuay Lito Palma, chairman of Ancestral Domain Tribal Impahalad, narrated their initiatives in disseminating proper information to their tribe members, especially to their elders in mountain ranges. Palma also disclosed that fake news arrive quicker than the vaccines, thus underscoring the importance of proper information drive.

“Nakahanda na po ang aming grupo na magtulong para sa kabutihan ng lahat na makapagintindi sa mga tribo na alanganin pa sa tinatawag nating solusyon. We support the [vaccination program] for the common good, para sa pagbabalik ng ating ekonomiya,” Palma said.

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‘Pandemic of the unvaccinated people’

Reiterating the role of the Church’s significant role in building a healthy community, Ptr. Alvaro O. Senturias, Jr. of the Cosmopolitan Church – United Church of Christ in the Philippines said that while health is a basic human right, the active participation of people of God, through various institutions, will enable the Church its healing ministry.

“While it is the duty of state to provide the healthcare, the Church has a moral responsibility toward the attainment of a wholesome and healthy life for everyone, as God intended, recognizing that the art and the science of healing is an integral part of the message of salvation,” he said.

Noting that this health crisis was also a “pandemic of the unvaccinated”, citing the case of the United States of America, Senturias said that their community supports the vaccination program.

Moreover, he also said that the country needed an effective leader that will guide the country out of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as putting doctors and healthcare professionals in charge of the task force that handles the�� pandemic responses in the country.

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Vaccine hesitancy among Muslim community

Prof. Macrina A. Morados, Dean of the Institute of Islamic Studies of the University of the Philippines – Diliman, cited that the vaccine hesitancy among Muslim neighbors stemmed from the verse 2:155 ��of the Holy Quran, which states as “And we will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient”.

“I think this verse is one of the source of hesitancy of Muslims to avail the vaccine because they look at this as an inspiration. Allah says if we will be patient and entrust everything to Allah Subhana Wa Ta’ala, then it is Allah who will provide a way out from that kind of difficulties,” she said.��Another pre-cautionary measure that became an impediment in taking the vaccine, Dean Morados said, was the absence of literal word “vaccination” in the Holy Quran and the issue on halal. “One of cause of hesitation from the Muslim is the issue on halal, whether the vaccines contained pork,” she said.

Dean Morados, then, noted that the other factors that fuel vaccine hesitancy, especially with the Muslim elders, were the long-term mistrust with the government and its initiatives, and the proliferation of fake news.��However, she cited the good vaccination practices exemplified by the Muslim countries United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, implying that getting the vaccine was within the Islamic principles.

“One of the Muftis in Saudi Arabia said that vaccination to him […] is to think that it is not only permissible, meaning you have an option whether to do it or not, but we have to take it as obligatory, meaning you are not only to protect yourself but you are also to protect the community.” she said.

The moderators of this event were Dr. Benjamin M. Vallejo of the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology – University of the Philippines – Diliman and Dr. Pablito Baybado, Jr. of the UST Institute of Religion.��This event was in partnership with the Office of the Secretary-General, the Communications Bureau, and the Office for Public Affairs.

Watch the 2nd Albertus Magnus Faith and Science Lecture:

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The Heritage Forum program serves as an on-line platform for the public, particularly the academe, industry and community,�� to discuss views on heritage contestation in the country. With this Episode 6, its main objective is to raise environmental, legal, developmental, moral and heritage issues addressed to the Dumaguete City Government to stop the massive development project.

Messages of solidarity will come from Most Rev. Julito Cortes DD, Chair of CBCP Episcopal Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church (CBCP-ECCHC) and Bishop of the Diocese of Dumaguete; Dr. Angel Alcala, National Scientist and former Secretary of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); Dr. Romell Seronay, President of the Philippine Association of Marine Sciences (PAMS); EnP Joy Hakcholna, President of the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners (PIEP) and Atty. Gerthie Anda, Executive Director of the Environmental Legal Action Center (ELAC)-Palawan.

The roster of speakers will be composed of Archt. Michael Manalo, NCCA Sub-commission for Cultural Heritage; Archt. Paulo Alcazaren, Environmental Planner; Dr. Rene Abesamis, Director of the Silliman University – Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management (SUAKCREM); Atty Golda Benjamin, Silliman University College of Law; Dr. Raymundo Rovillos, Chair-Creative Baguio City Council and former Chancellor-UP Baguio and Ms. Eva Marie Singson-Medina, former Mayor of the World Heritage City of Vigan.

The opening prayer will be led by Fr. Hermel Pama OP while the closing prayer will be shared by Fr. Earl Cura CICM. This UST GS CCCPET initiative is supported�� by the CBCP-ECCHC, Diocese of Dumaguete, Silliman University, PAMS, PIEP, United Architects of the Philippines (UAP)-Dumaguete, San Sebastian Basilica Conservation and Development Foundation, Heritage Conservation Society (HCS), Advocates for Heritage Preservation (AHP), Herencia and Leon Gallery.

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Entitled “Donation Drive, Letters for Frontliners, and Dare to Care Project,” Querijero’s winning entry aims to raise awareness about the capacity of every human individual, especially the youth, in peace building and serving the people.��

“Through a constant practice of concrete actions of love, like sending letters, praying for others, no matter how small or big the actions are, these can be means to help young people to recognize their capacity to love, their capacity to share, and their capacity to create an impact,” Querijero said in an interview with the Communications Bureau.��“It will enable [the youth] to reach out to others. Through this, we eradicate apathy and indifference. Peace is a reality of a united world,” he added.

Serving as the national coordinator of Living Peace International Philippines, Querijero underscores the important role of the youth in peace building. “The Living Peace International emphasizes that we need to establish a culture of love, in order to build a culture of peace. This is the message that we want to convey to the youth of today,. Guided by this principle, we promote peace education to form the hearts of young people,” he says.

In this light, Querijero urges the Thomasian community to look in themselves and realize that they are also capable of becoming a peace advocate themselves. “My message to all Thomasians is to live out their humanity to the fullest. Our human-ness is stressed when we love and share. We have to recognize our capacity to love and to build peace. Each one of us can be an ambassador of unity and peace,” he says.

Apart from his teaching duties in SHS, his role in Living Peace International Philippines, and in Cercle Universel des Ambassadeurs de la Paix (France & Suisse), where he is the Universal Peace Ambassador, Querijero serves as the Station Manager of the UST Tiger Radio, the radio broadcasting arm of the UST Communications Bureau.

Addressing the theme “Strengthening Youth Inclusion and Leadership in Peacebuilding for Sustainable Development,” #iPeacebuilder Video Challenge 2021 is a pre-event of the Global Youth Forum 2021, which aims to showcase youth’s global leadership and peacemaking efforts in their community.

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The recently formed Upper Marikina Watershed Coalition (UMWC) requests President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to leave a legacy by making the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape (UMRBPL) and adjacent protected areas free from any form of Mineral Production Sharing Agreements (MPSAs) and their consequent quarrying activities.

Together with more than 80 groups and institutions, the UST College of Science urgently calls on the government to rescind all existing and overlapping MPSAs inside the 26,126-hectare UMRBPL. There are at least six MPSAs that is estimated to cover 2,158 ha of the protected area ^[1]. This is cognizant of the identified current condition of the UMRBPL that is still marred by issues and problems of illegal land titling, forest degradation (i.e. logging and slash-and-burn), charcoal making, and quarrying ^[2,3]. The terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems inside the UMRBPL continue to be under the present and future threats of environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. Consequently, the local communities are not spared from problems of flooding, erosion, and siltation.

The student and faculty researchers of the UST College of Science have been studying stream environment and biodiversity and recommending further management strategies in UMRBPL. The initiative from the UMWC and support from major stakeholders are crucial steps to secure that the identified conservation plans and mitigation measures will materialize.

#SaveUpperMarikinaWatershed

#StopQuarryinginUMRBPL

Sources:

¹Department of Environment and Natural Resources [DENR] EnvironMentor Mapping App.

²Peralta, EM, Belen, AE, Tan, AKV, Perez, C, Buenaventura, GR, Espiritu, KGR, De Vera, JNA, Cantre, FGG, De Jesus, IB., Palomares, P, Briones, JCA., Ikeya, T, Magbanua, FS, Papa, RDS, Okuda, N. 2019. Stream benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages reveal the importance of a recently established freshwater protected area in a tropical watershed. Pacific Science, 73(3) 1-16.

³Department of Environment and Natural Resources [DENR]. 2015. Formulation of an Integrated River Basin Management and Development Master Plan for Marikina River Basin. 1–7. Accessed 23 April 2021.

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served as a member of the panel reactors in the research studies on disability. She was joined by Asst. Prof. Kim Gerald Medallon, Mr. Allan James Tan, and alumni Ancilla Diamante (OT 2019) and Edel Anne Asuzano (OT 2019), in presenting 6 research posters on disability-inclusive education in the marketplace section alongside PIDS.

Two research outputs, “Characterizing Success Indicators of Disability-Inclusive Education in the Philippines” and “Allied Health Care in the Philippine Education Setting: Conceptualizing Occupational Therapy Roles by Philippine Public School Professionals,” generated insights about the success indicators of an inclusive education program and how occupational therapists are viewed by the public school sector.

Meanwhile, three researches tackled the effectiveness of the programs included for inclusive education, encompassing early detection and intervention, and the Equality and Non-Discrimination Module for the peers of the children with disability: “Outcomes of Early Detection and Intervention of Children with Disability: Perspective from Philippine Public School Administrators and Teachers”, “How do parents of Children with Disability perceive outcomes of Early Detection and Intervention”, “Can the Equality and Non-Discrimination Module improve knowledge, skills and attitudes of peers of Children with Disability?”

Lastly, one study probed into experiences of teachers and parents in implementing inclusion: (“Embracing Challenges Amidst Diverging Views in Philippine Public Schools: Voices of Teachers and Parents in Transitioning to Disability-Inclusive Settings”).

Researches they presented were all participatory action researches in partnership with Save the Children’s KASALI (Kabataang Aralin sa Lahat Ibahagi), an inclusive education program, which is currently being scaled up. These researches are evidence-based advocacies in response to the social issue of overlapping marginalization experienced by children and youth with disabilities, with the intention of influencing local policies for the welfare of all children.

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In this study, six focus group discussions engaged 23 teachers in eight public elementary schools, and 22 parents of students with disability enrolled in these schools. Through inductive analysis using NVivo 12, two major themes emerged: the personas that drive the transition and operationalizing the vision for inclusive education, which present itself in a cause-and-effect relationship.  Public school stakeholders are compliance driven, which result in superficial abrupt reforms. In the narratives of parent anxiety, professionals’ dissenting views and teacher-focused practices, stakeholders have identified the need for collaboration among the school, parents, and communities, notwithstanding the importance of readiness in adapting a more inclusive culture and processes in public schools.

The presented research is part of the series of commissioned researches for the recently concluded inclusive education program of Save the Children called KASALI or Kabataang Aralin sa Lahat ay Ibahagi.

The conference aimed to strengthen and mainstream research outputs of Higher Education Institution (HEIs) in various fields and disciplines. With this, Sagun-Ongtangco highlighted how the college is responsive to identified local needs through its partnership with Save the Children.

Apart from teaching, Sagun-Ongtangco is also a researcher affiliated with the��.

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This convergence was made possible with the OT faculty and alumni, THINK, Inc. and Autism Society Philippines- Bacolod Chapter. Project coordinators included Chair Asst. Prof. Kathlene Anne Hernandez, MHPEd, faculty member Charles T. Bermejo, MSOT, and BSc Occupational Therapy 2005 graduate Claire Uy-Yulo.

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Sison served as a Speaker on “Best Practices in Empowering Women.” In her speech during the Opening Session, Sison emphasized the importance of empowering women and youth. She noted that “we recognize that women and young people have the potential for positive action and advocacy work, impelled by a strong desire to participate in political and civic system that charts their common future. What we, the members of the Religions for Peace community, need to do is to help unleash that potential and provide the environment for creative participation.”

Baybado served as moderator of the session on Best Practices in Multi-religious Action. He highlighted how sharing of best practices can help enable common actions towards caring for our common future through protecting the Earth, empowering women, and advancing positive peace. He said that “Inter-religious dialogue allows individuals and communities of different faiths to come together to address the challenges that we face. By working together and building bridges, we foster a world that recognizes and respects our differences, creating a harmonious society for the good of our shared humanity.”

Argao conducted a workshop on the Role of Religious Communities on Protecting the Earth. He reminded the delegates that “protecting the Earth is a religious obligation. We are called as people of faith to act on our moral and ethical responsibility to protect the environment and all creation.” He also tackled other issues connected to climate change such as intergenerational rights, just transition and climate justice, indigenous peoples’ knowledge, and human rights issues.

Sison, Baybado, and Argao hold key positions in��Religions for Peace��Asia. Sison, Director of International Relations and Programs of UST, is the Secretary-General of RfP Philippines, Chair of the Asia Women of Faith Network, and Co-President of RfP Asia. Baybado, an associate professor in the��, is the Deputy Secretary General of RfP Philippines and Associate Secretary General of RfP Asia. Meanwhile Argao, an instructor of the��‘s��, is the Youth Coordinator of RfP Philippines and Core Member of the Asia and the Pacific Interfaith Youth Network.

Religions for Peace, the world’s largest and most diverse multi-faith coalition, advances common action among religious communities for peace. RfP’s 10^th��World Assembly will be held in Lindau, Germany in August 2019 under the theme “Caring for our Common Future: Advancing Shared Well-being.”

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Included in the partnership were video-sharing platform YouTube, social networking site Twitter, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Department of Foreign Affairs Overseas, Voting Secretariat, Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Elections (COMELEC), Manila Bulletin, Vera Files, and election monitoring groups National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), YouthVote, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), and Kontra Daya.

Also providing support are businessmen and professionals from the Anvil Business Club, Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), Finance Executives of the Philippines (FINEX), LENTE (Legal Network for Truthful Elections), Philippine Computer Society, Philippine Communication Society, and Pulse Asia Research Inc., and from non-government organizations Fully Abled Nation, The Asia Foundation, and Regional Emergency Assistance Communications Team (REACT) Philippines.

Along with UST, educational institutions, namely, University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and STI Colleges,
also joined the partnership.

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From 2011, the partnership between the Starkey Hearing Foundation has resulted in numerous missions whereby many Filipinos, including members of the Thomasian community have benefited. Austin is known for his humanitarian act in many parts of the world. Established in 1984, the Starkey Hearing Foundation is a US-based non-profit organization that collaborates with governments, nongovernment organizations, and health leaders to make hearing healthcare services more accessible.

To date, they have conducted missions in over 100 countries The Golden Cross Award is given by the University of Santo Tomas to outstanding personalities that include, among others, the former United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director General Her Excellency Madame Irina Bokova, the former King of Spain His Majesty King Juan Carlos I, and former Permanent Delegate of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations General Carlos P. Romulo. The Starkey mission in the Philippines is an ongoing project of the Starkey Hearing Foundation. Dr. Salve Olalia quoted SHF Founder William F. Austin, saying, ‘We go where we are needed and where we are appreciated.’

First published in and photos courtesy of: SunStar Pampanga

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