The ���ϲ�ֱ������ Graduate School – Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics (CCCPET) and Center for Continuing Professional Education and Development (CCPED) will provide relevant and up-to-date training courses and certificate programs pertaining to cultural heritage tourism and heritage education and interpretation.  In particular, the training will introduce new cultural heritage concepts, perspectives and strategies for integration in tourism practice to capacitate practitioners in developing meaningful tourism programs.

The ���ϲ�ֱ������GS-CCCPET will assist ATOP in enhancing the categories of the coveted ATOP Pearl Awards for local government units. It will likewise embark on the digitalization of heritage and tourism data from the previous Pearl Awards winners.

The officers of ATOP who were present during the MOU signing were Lanao de Norte Provincial Tourism Officer Ms. Minda Regis (President), Compostela Valley Provincial Tourism Officer Ms. Christine Dompor (Vice President for Mindanao), San Juan City Tourism Officer Ms. Allenmarie Alejo (Secretary General), Mabalacat, Pampanga City Tourism Officer Mr. Arwin Paul Lingat (Auditor), Davao del Norte Provincial Tourism Officer Mr. Noel Dauioag (Secretary for Mindanao), and Montalban Rizal Tourism Officer Ms. Jomelyn Abuan (Regional Representative of Region IV-A). The ATOP Officers were joined by ���ϲ�ֱ������ Graduate School and other ���ϲ�ֱ������ administrators.

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The conference entitled “Innovation Talk” was participated in by representatives of universities, colleges, government agencies, and the micro to small medium enterprises. The objectives were to: (1) encourage the chamber of commerce to engage in collaborative projects with universities and (2) to inspire universities to protect their IPs and work with industry to transfer knowledge in order to improve the region’s economy. The resource speakers were Hon. Alfonso P. Alamban, Regional Director of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Region X, who talked about the government’s role in the ecosystem; Dr. Isagani Padolina, Director for R&D at Pascual Pharma, who talked about their projects with universities that were a success; and Peralta.

As one of the selected mentors for the USAID STRIDE’s Knowledge and Technology Transfer Office (KTTO) development project, ���ϲ�ֱ������-ITSO was selected to mentor ITSOs and guide them in organizing, setting-up, and establishing their functional KTTOs. Essentially, and ITSO can function as a KTTO, because of its know-how in the field of protecting IP rights prior to technology transfer.

One of the goals of the ITSO initiative is to assist faculty, students, and capacitate other ITSOs in transferring their research projects and developed technologies to industry for public good after IP protection.  Establishing an ITSO-KTTO is the first step in building an ecosystem of  innovation.  It is the gateway for industry collaboration.

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As a result of his performance in the same competition, Obiena also obtained a score of 1,277 in the world rankings released on September 17, 2019 by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The Filipino pole vault gold medalist soared to the tenth spot worldwide, making him the only Filipino and the highest-ranking Asian pole vaulter on the list.

With this feat, Obiena broke the previous national record of 5.76 meters, which the 23-year-old student athlete also set himself in the 30th Summer Universiade in Naples in July 2019.

Aside from representing the Philippines, Obiena also played track and field for ���ϲ�ֱ������ in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines and UniGames.

Obiena is currently coached in Formia, Italy by Vitaly Petrov, a renowned Ukrainian athletics coach who also previously mentored the first Olympic pole vaulter to clear six meters, Sergey Bubka, and the current World Record (5.06 meters) and Olympic Record (5.05 meters) holder for women’s pole vault, Yelena Isinbayeva.

“I believe I am expected to perform at the best that I can [for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics] but in all honesty, I have higher expectations for myself. I want to prepare and be in the best shape of my life and be ready for the games,” shared Obiena.

Pole vaulting has been a full medal event at the Olympic Games since 1896 for men and since 2000 for women. It is classified as one of the four major jumping events in athletics.

All in the family 

Though he started competing at the age of ten in hurdle and sprints, it was at age 13 when he started competing in the pole vault event. Obiena has been rooted in the sport since his early childhood due to being born to a track athlete family.

“A shared passion is the exact term to define it,” said Obiena of his family’s strong inclination for the sport. He is the son of 1995 Southeast Asian Games silver medalist pole vaulter Emerson Obiena and Jeannete Obiena, a former hurdler for Centro Escolar University. His younger sister Emily Jean, an Industrial Engineering student, in addition to being an award-winning Thomasian researcher, is also a pole vaulter.

Obiena further shared with The Academia, “My family started in the track. My mom and dad met in the track, as my mom was a hurdler back in the day and my dad was a pole vaulter. We were never pushed into it, but I guess as kids we were mostly in the track watching our parents.”

“The track was my playground as a kid, and I have always loved track and field,” he shared. 

With his father as one of his role models, Obiena grew interested in the sport himself, saying that “Growing up with a Pole Vaulting father is a lot like having a superhero to watch. As [kids we] looked up to superheroes and their ability to fly. Funny how my father [flew] with the use of a bendy pole.” 

“My dad and my coach (Vitaly Petrov) [are the ones who] who opened doors for me, and I hope to one day be in a position that I can do the same,” he added. 

Sports could be a ‘family thing’ for the Obienas and his family is also his biggest supporter. “I was and I am (being) funded by my family. They may have not always agreed with my decisions, but I know that at the end of the day they are always behind me. That is the biggest support that they have given me – their unconditional love,” Obiena shared.      

Thomasian Spirit

It is the unconditional support given by his parents that serves as one of his main motivators for balancing his commitment to both his athletics and his student life. Even as the Faculty of Engineering develops his competence in Electronics Engineering where he is on his fourth year (currently on leave to concentrate on his training abroad, according to the ECE Department), Obiena is relentless in keeping up with his training, which regularly starts early in the morning. On some days, his training sessions occur twice a day.

As a ���ϲ�ֱ������ athlete, EJ starts his day at 5 o’clock in the morning, drives himself to the track and finish training at 9. He attends classes in ���ϲ�ֱ������ from 10 in the morning until about 6 or 7 in the evening. He again trains in ���ϲ�ֱ������ after class, and goes home for dinner and school work.    

“I am lucky that ���ϲ�ֱ������ has facilities. It helps a lot for managing my time as I can do training if I have downtime. I just always bring training gear to school, and when I have time to do my training, I just go to the field or the [Quadricentennial Pavilion] to train, then [go] back to class after,” said Obiena.

To his fellow Thomasian athletes, Obiena expressed, “I have mad respect [for you] as I know how hard it is to balance school work and workouts. Stay strong and keep pushing in both [your] field and classes. We are Student-Athletes, after all: Student first, and then, ���ٳ����ٱ�.”

The Tokyo Olympics 

EJ’s mother, Jeannete, once said that her son is determined to go as far as he can. From Palarong Pambansa to UAAP to international competitions such as the 2015 South East Asian Games where he took home the silver medal for Pole Vault and the Summer Universiade held in Italy in 2019 where he won gold and came up with a new record of 5.76 meters. Now, he did not only keep his eyes on the Olympics, he put the Philippines on the map by becoming the first Filipino athlete to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Competing in the Olympics is the greatest dream that any athlete could set his heart on.

“The Olympics is the highest competition [for any athlete]. The odds of someone making it to the Olympics is so slim that being part of it is an achievement in itself. Competing with the Philippine flag on my chest is always an honor and pride. Whenever I compete, I don’t just compete for myself, I compete on behalf of the Filipino people and the whole nation. This gives me emotions that I can’t explain and everything feels extraordinary,” EJ shared.     

EJ trains abroad. Groups such as the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) and the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA) fund his training at times, but it is his family that consistently foots the bill.    

At the training camp in Italy, he starts training at 9:30 in the morning and finishes at 12:30 in the afternoon, and takes another training in the afternoon from 4:00 until 7:30 in the evening. He also sticks to his diet and meal plan to maintain his weight and strength.   

For now, EJ’s eyes are on the Tokyo Olympics. He brings with him the values of hard work and faith that he has learned from the University. 

Being an Electronics Engineering student, EJ would like to work with bio-enhancement through electronics and robotics, and be able to work with visionaries like Google in the future. However, he says, “I would like to say that I would still be an athlete [in the next ten years] but life is short and I want to live it to the fullest. If I believe that I have done what I can in the field of sport, make an impact to society, then I would pursue my profession,” EJ disclosed.    

Obiena competes in Naples in July 2019 

[Photos courtesy of EJ Obiena’s Facebook page.]

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The study entitled “Evaluation of Spatial Distribution of Evacuation Centers in Metro Manila” was a collaborative effort among Chao and co-authors Edward P. Cajucom, Gemma A. Constantino, Jay A. Elares, Sofia Joy G. Quillope, Haydee M. Solomon, and Cherry L. Ringor.

The paper contended that currently, “there is no centralized database on the location of evacuation centers (ECs) in MM, and the available lists are not up-to-date.” As a response, the study “geo-tagged the current list of ECs in MM obtained from different government agencies to evaluate the spatial distribution using Geospatial Information System (GIS).”

The study was able to geo-tag and validate “a total of 873 ECs…using the street view of Google EarthTM. EC-to-population ratios were calculated for each of the 16 cities and one municipality of MM. Values range from ~3,000 to 81,000 persons per EC. Distance analysis using Thiessen Polygon shows that the ECs are not evenly distributed with proximity areas ranging from 0.0009 to 9.5 km2.”

Findings showed that “out of the total number of ECs, 577 (66%) are situated in flood-prone areas while 109 (12%) are within the 1-km buffer hazard zone of an active faultline.”

The authors recommended a “re-evaluation of the locations and the number of ECs per city or municipality…to facilitate prompt evacuation when disasters strike.”

Link to the Paper: 

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Featuring 100 acrylic eggs, Hatch showcased contemporary Filipino artists’ plethora of artworks from different disciplines in one medium.

According to the ���ϲ�ֱ������ Museum Director Rev. Fr. Isidro C. Abaño, O.P., SThL-MA, the concept of egg had been adapted in Christian art.

“The egg symbolized the resurrection of Christ,” Fr. Abaño said. “To mention some examples, some paintings of Mary Magdalene represent her holding an egg while being the first witness of the resurrection of Jesus.”

Manila Bulletin Executive Vice-President Sonny Coloma said showing the Filipinos an unconventional means of producing art hatched the concept for the artists to discharge their expressiveness on acrylic eggs.

“Karamihan sa rendering sa surface ay pagdibuho, o pag-drawing. Ngayon makikita natin na marami nang anyo ng creative expression na nagpapatunay lamang na napaka malikhain ng mga Filipino, at ito ay dapat nating pagyamanin at gamitin nating daan para mapaunlad ang ating bansa at pamayanan,” Coloma said.

The Thomasian artists included in this exhibit are, Nemiranda, Raul Isidro, Fil Dela Cruz, Salvador Ching, Jovito Andres, CJ Tañedo, Thomas Daquioag, Janos Dela Cruz, Gerrico Blanco, Franklin Caña Valencia, Francis Nacion, Buds Convocar, Remy Boquiren, Anna de Leon, Carlo Ongchangco, Wildredo Offemaria, Maria Magdamit, Shiela Luis Tango, Mary Rose Gisbert, Jojo Austria, Benjie Torrado Cabrera, Linds Lee, Jason Moss, Margie Organo, and Edgar Doctor.

The complete list of the artists and their works featured in this exhibit were the following:

The exhibition will be in the Tigers’ nest until October 12, 2019.

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Oral history is a method of gathering, preserving and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events. It is considered both the oldest type of historical inquiry, predating the written word, and one of the most modern, beginning with tape recorders in the 1940s and now using 21st-century digital technologies.

RCCAH Director Prof. Joyce L. Arriola, Ph.D., recommended the undertaking in line with the Center’s mission of “producing new knowledge in Filipino culture, arts and humanities by providing venue to emergent research that locates our nation’s identity and consciousness in a transnational imaginary and within a burgeoning technology-propelled public sphere.”

Enriching the visiting lecturer’s discussion were insightful observations from the chairs and coordinators of the different academic units of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, namely, Dr. Archie Resos, History; Dr. Jovito Cariño, Philosophy; Asst. Prof. José Arsenio Salandanan, Communication and Media Studies; and Mr. Felipe Salvosa II, Journalism. Other faculty members, Dr. Beyan Hagos, Media Studies; Dr. Robert Ampil, Filipino; Mr. Bien Mabbayad and Ms. Christine Ivy Alarcon-Nogot, Literature and Humanities, took the opportunity to engage the speaker.

RCCAH fellows from the Department of Literature and Humanities Dr. Felicidad P. Galang-Pereña, Dr. Luciana C. Lopez-Urquiola and Dr. Jeanette S. Perez-Grajo, organized a campus tour for the visiting lecturer.

Prof. Jafalizan Bin MD Jali is currently a visiting lecturer of De La Salle University (DLSU) and his visit to ���ϲ�ֱ������ was endorsed by Dr. Fernando A. Santiago, Jr., Assistant Dean for Research and Advanced Studies of the DLSU College of Liberal Arts, with whom he conducted team teaching for undergraduate students on the same topic.

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His advocacy will make a Thomasian really proud

In his message during the turnover of the book, ���ϲ�ֱ������ Rector fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P., PhD heaped praises on “Atty. Erap” Estrada, who is known in the Philippine educational landscape, whether “in small schools, mission schools, to the big ones, as an educator and advocate. He is not just a lawyer; he has a conviction.”

“I have seen his advocacy in the Senate, in the House [of Representatives], CHEd [Commission on Higher Education] most especially, in DepEd [Department of Education], representing CEAP [Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines]…and he has done a lot, and he has a big future in the field of education,” said fr. Dagohoy, who is actively involved in CEAP and other local private education associations like the Association of Catholic Universities of the Philippines (ACUP).

I hope one day an aspiring Thomasian lawyer will pick up the book

Estrada, who graduated in 2004 and passed the Bar exams in 2005, expressed his dream for a future Thomasian lawyer to specialize in the field of education because that future lawyer got to read the book. Recognizing that not everyone is inclined to work in the field, Estrada said that “education law is unique.”

The book, while only taking three months to complete, was actually a compendium of an entire career’s work and research. Formatted according to The Education Act of 1982, the provisions are peppered with explanatory notes, jurisprudence, as well as salient provisions of related laws, regulations, and memorandum orders, among others. Rex Publishing House is carrying the title, which will be featured in a book caravan later this year.

Estrada immediately set out for independent practice, with the goal of eventually putting up his own firm. This dream was realized less than a decade ago, when he put up the Estrada and Aquino Law Firm, where he is Managing Partner.

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Based on the fact sheet provided by the Office of the QS/THE Rankings, headed by Engr. Nestor R. Ong, PIE, ASEAN Eng.,, ���ϲ�ֱ������’s strengths were found in Employer-Student Connections (90.2/100) and for this indicator, ���ϲ�ֱ������ ranked 57th overall. Graduate Employment Rate was 89.5/100, and ���ϲ�ֱ������ was ranked 60th overall.

With the rating, ���ϲ�ֱ������ belongs to the top 60% of universities worldwide that were considered in the survey.

#ThomasianExcellence

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The activity is an annual assembly of all ITSO institutions in the country which are comprised of universities, government agencies, and research and development institutes. The Global Innovation Index of the Philippines was presented, alongside the impact the ITSOs play in improving our ranking. The Philippines rose from rank 78^th to 54^th. One of the reasons of the jump is the increased number of patent filings by the ITSOs. Also discussed was the re-engineering of the ITSOs in order to be more aggressive in their indicators. The proposal of IPOPhl is to measure the performance of ITSO based on certain metrics which are still under discussion.

One of the goals of the ITSO initiative is to protect IPs that are generated in universities and follow them through commercialization and technology transfer.  There are total of 94 ITSO to date of which ���ϲ�ֱ������ is one the first batches who were publicly launched in 2012.

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The workshop was organized and sponsored by the  Asian Research Institute (ARI). The workshop, participated in by researchers from the different parts of the globe, had for its theme, “Placing Islands in Sustainable Urban Development: Heritage, Histories, Tourism and Identity.” 

The study on woman namamaklad  is also co-authored with Center for the Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics Director Assoc. Prof.  Eric Zerrudo. The study is an ethnographic presentation of the vanishing cultural heritage of the woman fisherfolks in the small island of Namayan, city of Malolos in Bulacan. Namamaklad is a manner of scooping fish in the fish corral.  The study showcased the nightlife of the women as they joined their husbands in scooping fishes in the fish corrals along the estuary of Manila Bay. 

As an ethnographic study, woman namamaklad recall their chants; how they sort the fishes while their husbands scoop in the fish corral. Their closeness to the sea made them realize that food security is at stake as development takes place in the adjacent cities. According to Ancheta, who is also a researcher at the ���ϲ�ֱ������ Research Center for Social Sciences and Education, their research revealed that vernacular memories require historical space in urbanization to highlight the significance of the small scale fishing industry. 

Presentation in the workshop was by invitation. There was a call for papers but only nine were invited as presenters.  The presenters were from Vietnam, India, Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Each country had one presenter except for the Philippines and Singapore which had two presenters each. The presentation was open to the public and they were considered observers.  There were around 30 observers.

The workshop was capped with an island tour for the participants and observers of St. John’s Island and St. Lazarus, the two southern islands in Singapore. 

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