VOLUME XCV / NO. 15 · JUNE 30, 2024 · THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS · Manila, Philippines
‘PANDEMIC BATCH’ EXITS ARCH Baccalaureate Mass honors unique journey of 7,795 graduates ► STORY ON PAGE 6
► PANDEMIC BATCH OUT: The 7,795 members of the Class of 2024, known as the ‘Pandemic Batch,’ are honored during the Baccalaureate Mass and send-off ceremonies at the UST Grandstand
and Open Field on Friday, May 31.—PHOTO BY JAN KRISTOPHER T. ESGUERRA
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Thomasian clerics hit divorce bill THOMASIAN clerics remained firm in their opposition to the absolute divorce bill, describing it as a morally questionable and unnecessary solution to failed marriages. Msgr. Bernardo Pantin, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said divorce is merely a “shortcut” for individuals seeking to escape difficult marriages. “The stand of the Church will still be the same – that marriage is an unbreakable bond,” Pantin, the former president of the UST Alumni Priests’ Association, told the Varsitarian. “The marriage we believe is inviolable…but divorce is trying to break up marriage,” he said. “There are several grounds for the dissolution of marriage kasi several marriages are in fact invalid… [pero] hindi kailangan na mag-divorce kasi it’s really breaking up marriage.” ► DIVORCE PAGE 9
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SUBSTANDARD TOILETS, LARGE CROWDS: UST unions complain vs Manila health permit By Fernando Pierre Marcel B. de la Cruz
► ‘Below-average conditions of public toilets,’ ‘big crowds’: Unions
representing faculty, support staff, and hospital personnel at UST decry the substandard public toilets and express their reluctance to mix with large crowds that might include sick individuals as they raise to Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna their concerns regarding the city mandate requiring all employees to obtain a health certificate.
EMPLOYEE unions representing faculty, support staff, and hospital personnel at UST have reached out to Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna, raising concerns regarding the city mandate requiring all employees to obtain a health certificate. Organisasyon ng Nagkakaisang Empleyado ng UST (ONE-UST), which includes the UST Faculty Union (USTFU), Samahang Manggagawa ng UST (SM-UST), and Ugnayan ng Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng UST Hospital (UNM-UST), sent a letter to Lacuna on June 21 listing their concerns and recommendations. The letter, signed by USTFU president Asst. Prof. Emerito ► HEALTH PERMIT PAGE 2
LENSPEAK ► PAGE 6-7
Baccalaureate Mass 2024