VOLUME XCIX / NO. 2 · SEPTEMBER 15, 2026 · THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS · Manila, Philippines
ON SOCIAL MEDIA
facebook/varsitarian
twitter@varsitarianust
youtube/TheVarsitarianUST
instagram varsitarian.ust
BREAKING NEWS & REAL-TIME UPDATES AT www.varsitarian.net
UST TIGHTENS CAMPUS SECURITY
Metal detectors, X-ray scanners to be installed across campus entry points
Student population rises 2.05% in Term 1
By Nyl R. Dadiz
By Louisse Raye Shara C. Santos
THE UNIVERSITY has admitted a total of 45,731 students in Term 1 of Academic Year (AY) 2026-2027, a 2.05% increase from last year’s 44,812 enrollees, final data from the Office of the Registrar on Aug. 24 showed. UST’s Term 1 population consisted of 38,463 enrollees from undergraduate and graduate programs, 5,343 in Senior High School (SHS), 1,514 in Junior High School (JHS), 345 in Education High School (EHS), and 66 in EHS-SHS. The Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets) recorded the highest enrollment, with 4,664 students. The Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Pharmacy followed suit, recording 4,046 and 3,439 enrollees, respectively. Here are the other academic units with higher enrollment turnouts compared with last year: • College of Education (1,717 from 1,402) • College of Nursing (839 from 753)
PHOTO BY ROGINA CASSANDRA G. BALTAZAR
STUDENT POPULATION PAGE 2
►
UST OFFICIALS are studying the installation of walk-through metal detectors and X-ray scanners in buildings as campus security is tightened following recent shooting and stabbing incidents in other schools. Screening equipment could be placed at building lobbies where large numbers of students pass through daily, according to Assoc. Prof. Juliano Parena of the Campus Safety and Security Office (CSSO). Parena said installing the equipment inside buildings would be more practical than placing it at campus gates, where heavy rains and flooding could damage sensitive electronics. The hardware upgrades would require technical reviews and procurement, he added, while procedural security improvements would continue throughout the academic year. The University has tightened identification checks, visitor screening and coordination between guards at campus gates and building posts since the start of Academic Year 2026-2027. “We no longer view screening as just a gate activity; we’re managing the flow of people straight from the perimeter into specific building interiors,” Parena told the Varsitarian. The strengthened measures were first implemented in the University’s basic education units before being expanded across the campus beginning Sept. 1 upon the directive of Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. Vehicles entering UST are also subject to verification of occupants’ credentials and purpose of entry, as well as visual inspection of their trunks. Undercarriage mirrors will also be used.
Marquez installed as 13th Seminary rector ► Scan the QR code
to read this story at varsitarian.net
measures following recent incidents of school violence. — PHOTO BY JOACHIM NIGEL Z. TANGLAO
‘‘
These adjustments aren’t a reaction to a single incident. They reflect today’s broader security climate to the sheer complexity of securing a densely populated urban campus. Assoc. Prof. Juliano Parena
CAMPUS SAFETY AND SECURITY OFFICE
Contractors, delivery drivers and service crews are subject to stricter screening despite being authorized to enter the campus. “These adjustments aren’t a reaction to a single incident,” Parena said. “They reflect today’s broader security climate – from violent events in other Philippine schools and digital threats – to the sheer complexity of securing a densely populated urban campus,” he added. Five incidents of school violence have been reported across the country since June, including shootings in Tacloban City on June 22 and Zamboanga City on Aug. 18. Stabbing incidents were also reported in General Trias City on June 16, Cavite City in late June and Bacolod City on July 1. “Every major incident elsewhere
forces us to pause and evaluate our own setup,” Parena said. Avoid, deny, defend
In the event of an active threat, the CSSO will immediately deploy security personnel and alert law enforcement, Parena said. Security and police personnel will take command of affected areas, while building teams will handle notifications, lockdowns, tracking and reunification. Parena said alerts could be issued through public-address systems, direct instructions from personnel and official campus communications, instead of relying on information circulating on social media during emergencies. CAMPUS SECURITY PAGE 2
Bar exams draw 13,441; 111 Thomasians take test
Witness
READ ONLINE
► Security personnel conduct bag and vehicle inspections at campus entrances in response to stricter security
► Bar examinees exit the UST
campus after the first day of the 2026 licensure examination. — PHOTO BY JOACHIM NIGEL Z. TANGLAO
UST WILL again serve as a testing center for the Bar examinations beginning Sunday, Sept. 6, as 111 Thomasians join a nationwide field of 13,441 aspiring lawyers taking the threeday tests. The 2026 Bar examinations will be held on Sept. 6, 9 and 13, at 15 local testing centers nationwide, including UST, where the Benavides and St. Raymund de Peñafort buildings have
been designated as testing sites. A total of 13,441 candidates were cleared to take the examinations out of 14,291 registered applicants. Among them are 111 Thomasian Bar candidates who will take the examinations at testing centers in Metro Manila, according to a list released by UST Law 2026 BAR EXAMS PAGE 4
►
Media alone isn’t to blame for school shootings Campus psychologists cite interplay of factors SCI-TECH ► PAGE 5
►