VOLUME XCV / NO. 8 · JANUARY 17, 2024 · THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS · Manila, Philippines
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TRASLACIÓN DRAWS 6.5 MILLION DEVOTEES IN POST-PANDEMIC RETURN
► Journalism seniors become the first batch of students from the Faculty of Arts.— PHOTO BY PATRICE JERICA A. BELTRAN/ THE VARSITARIAN
Manila Archbishop: Goal of Traslación to see, be found by, and manifest Jesus THE ULTIMATE goals of the Traslación of the image of the Black Nazarene are to see Jesus, be found by the Son, and manifest the Savior toward others, Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula told devotees during the Misa Mayor at midnight on Tuesday, Jan. 9, at the Quirino Grandstand. Anchored on the theme “Ibig namin makita si Hesus (We want to see Jesus),” the mammoth procession is an opportunity for the faithful to look at Jesus to live an everlasting life, the archbishop said. “Gusto niyang makita natin Siya,” Advincula said in his homily, adding, “Kaya’t manalig tayo sa Kaniya.” In seeking out Jesus, the faithful should be assured that the Lord watches over them as they go through the different hardships of life – sickness, exhaustion, loneliness – the archbishop said. “Walang karanasan ng tao na hindi nakikita at nauunawaan ng Poong Hesus Nazareno,” he said. “‘Pag nakita tayo ni Hesus, tatangkilikin niya tayo, tutulungan niya tayo, sasamahan niya tayo at bibiyayaan niya tayo.” ADVINCULA PAGE 5
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► Journalism seniors become the first batch of students from the Faculty of Arts and Letters to return to the campus for face-to-face classes since the Covid-19 pandemic on Thursday, Sept. 22.—PHOTO BY MATTHEW VINCENT V. VITAL/ THE VARSITARIAN
DESPITE a rope snapping and some devotees ignoring the rule not to climb the carriage or andas, Traslación 2024 ended up as the swiftest in over a decade, just 50 seconds shy of clocking in at 15 hours. The image of the Black Nazarene arrived at Quiapo Church at 7:45 p.m., 14 hours, 59 minutes, and 10 seconds after the start of the procession at Quirino Grandstand at 4:45 a.m. This marked the fastest Traslación since 2010, when the carriage entered the gates of Quiapo Church after more than 15 hours on the road. The Quiapo Church Command Post’s crowd figures showed more than 6.5 million people participated in the nearly
four-kilometer procession, roughly three times what officials expected. “‘Yong nangyari pong kagabi na Traslasyon, masasabi po natin na matagumpay, naitawid po natin ng maayos at ‘yon naman po talaga inaasahan natin,” Police Maj. Philipp Ines, spokesman of the Manila Police District, told CNN Philippines on Wednesday, Jan. 10. The streets of Manila turned into a sea of passionate followers wearing maroon and yellow shirts as the traditional Traslación was brought back after a three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A few hitches slowed the procession. While traversing Arlegui Street, the rope used to pull the carriage snapped,
prompting some devotees to bring the rope back to Quiapo Church around 1 p.m. But for Alex Irasga, technical adviser to Nazareno 2024, the rope incident did not delay the carriage significantly. “Hindi po nakakaapekto sa pangangasiwa ng ating andas ang lubid,” he said in a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 9. “Sa marami pong pagkakataon siguro, namatiyagan ninyo na minsan, nauuna po ang andas kaysa sa lubid.” “Ang lubid po ay andiyan para po sa mga deboto na may pamamaraan pa rin sila na tinatawag na pamamasan,” he added. Some devotees also ignored the new
LENSPEAK ► PAGE 6-7
Traslacion 2024
TRASLACION PAGE 5
UST bags 19 awards in 10th Student Quill
OPINION ► PAGE 4
‘V’ reaps 4 plums
► Journalism seniors become the first batch of students from the Faculty of Arts and Letters to return to the campus for face-to-face classes since the Covid-19 pandemic on Thursday, Sept. 22.—PHOTO BY MATTHEW VINCENT V. VITAL/ THE VARSITARIAN
THE UNIVERSITY won a total of 19 awards in the 10th Philippine Student Quill Awards, a tilt recognizing outstanding communication-related outputs by students across the country. Including four awards won by the Varsitarian (‘V’), UST tallied the second highest number of awards among participating schools, next to De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde which had 22 winning entries. The ‘V’ won in the publications category with its Paskuhan 2022 issue, the first print edition since the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Protest vs Marcos Jr. as UST fine arts grads wear pink masks," a feature story on the protest staged by College of Fine Arts and Design graduates during their solemn investiture rites, by Faith Gelacio and Judd Crescini of the Varsitarian, reaped an award in the writing category. The ‘V’ also emerged victorious in the audio/visual category, earning citations for its 2022 Baccalaureate Mass and Paskuhan 2022 video productions. STUDENT QUILL PAGE 5
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No to deceptive cha-cha
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